{"title":"Hormonal contraception and cognition: Considering the influence of endogenous ovarian hormones and genes for clinical translation","authors":"Laura Gravelsins , Sophia Zhao , Gillian Einstein","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101067","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Despite the well-known influence of ovarian hormones on the brain and widespread use of hormonal contraception (HC) since the 1960s, our knowledge of HC’s cognitive effects remains limited. To date, the cognitive findings have been inconsistent. In order to establish what might make HC studies more consistent, we surveyed the literature on HCs and cognition to determine whether studies considered HC formulation, phase, pharmacokinetics, duration, and gene interactions, and assessed whether oversight of these factors might contribute to variable findings. We found that synthetic HC hormones exert dose-dependent effects, the day of oral contraceptive (Pill) ingestion is critical for understanding cognitive changes, and gene-cognition relationships differ in women taking the Pill likely due to suppressed endogenous hormones. When these factors were overlooked, results were not consistent. We close with recommendations for research more likely to yield consistent findings and be therefore, translatable.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 101067"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9940166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The glial perspective of autism spectrum disorder convergent evidence from postmortem brain and PET studies","authors":"Xiaoli Liao , Miao Chen , Yamin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The present study aimed to systematically and quantitatively review evidence derived from both postmortem brain and PET studies to explore the pathological role of glia induced neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of ASD, and discuss the implications of these findings in relation to disease pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.</p></div><div><h3>Method</h3><p>An online databases search was performed to collate postmortem studies and PET studies regarding glia induced neuroinflammation in ASD as compared to controls. Two authors independently conducted the literature search, study selection and data extraction. The discrepancies generated in these processes was resolved through robust discussions among all authors.</p></div><div><h3>Result</h3><p>The literature search yielded the identification of 619 records, from which 22 postmortem studies and 3 PET studies were identified as eligible for the qualitative synthesis. Meta-analysis of postmortem studies reported increased microglial number and microglia density as well as increased GFAP protein expression and GFAP mRNA expression in ASD subjects as compared to controls. Three PET studies produced different outcomes and emphasized different details, with one reported increased and two reported decreased TSPO expression in ASD subjects as compared to controls.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Both postmortem evidences and PET studies converged to support the involvement of glia induced neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of ASD. The limited number of included studies along with the considerable heterogeneity of these studies prevented the development of firm conclusions and challenged the explanation of variability. Future research should prioritize the replication of current studies and the validation of current observations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"70 ","pages":"Article 101064"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9969334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marc Ten-Blanco , África Flores , Luigia Cristino , Inmaculada Pereda-Pérez , Fernando Berrendero
{"title":"Targeting the orexin/hypocretin system for the treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases: From animal to clinical studies","authors":"Marc Ten-Blanco , África Flores , Luigia Cristino , Inmaculada Pereda-Pérez , Fernando Berrendero","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Orexins (also known as hypocretins) are neuropeptides located exclusively in hypothalamic neurons that have extensive projections throughout the central nervous system and bind two different G protein-coupled receptors (OX1R and OX2R). Since its discovery in 1998, the orexin system has gained the interest of the scientific community as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of different pathological conditions. Considering previous basic science research, a dual orexin receptor antagonist, suvorexant, was the first orexin agent to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat insomnia. In this review, we discuss and update the main preclinical and human studies involving the orexin system with several psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. This system constitutes a nice example of how basic scientific research driven by curiosity can be the best route to the generation of new and powerful pharmacological treatments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101066"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9868896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lindsey Mountcastle , Melissa Zajdel , Taylor Robinson , Krystyna R. Keller , Shani Gelles , Alicia A. Livinski , Bijal Kikani , Dawn E. Lea , Laura M. Koehly
{"title":"The impact of caregiving for children with chronic conditions on the HPA axis: A scoping review","authors":"Lindsey Mountcastle , Melissa Zajdel , Taylor Robinson , Krystyna R. Keller , Shani Gelles , Alicia A. Livinski , Bijal Kikani , Dawn E. Lea , Laura M. Koehly","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Caregiving has been robustly linked to caregiver health through the dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in the context of caregiving for an adult with a chronic illness. However, little research examines the physiological impact of caregiving for a child with a chronic illness despite high burden and unique stressors. In this review, we explore the links of caregiving for a child with a congenital, chromosomal, or genetic disorder to the regulation or dysregulation of the HPA axis. A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science and 15 studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, there were inconsistent links of caregiving to HPA axis functioning, perhaps due to the heterogeneity across disease contexts, study designs, and biomarker measurement. Future research should standardize measurement and study designs, increase participant diversity, and examine moderators of the links of caregiving to the HPA axis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101062"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10182255/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9514819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yi Ren , Aisouda Savadlou , Soobin Park , Paul Siska , Jonathan R. Epp , Derya Sargin
{"title":"The impact of loneliness and social isolation on the development of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s Disease","authors":"Yi Ren , Aisouda Savadlou , Soobin Park , Paul Siska , Jonathan R. Epp , Derya Sargin","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, observed at a higher incidence in women compared with men. Treatments aimed at improving pathology in AD remain ineffective to stop disease progression. This makes the detection of the early intervention strategies to reduce future disease risk extremely important. Isolation and loneliness have been identified among the major risk factors for AD. The increasing prevalence of both loneliness and AD emphasizes the urgent need to understand this association to inform treatment. Here we present a comprehensive review of both clinical and preclinical studies that investigated loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for AD. We discuss that understanding the mechanisms of how loneliness exacerbates cognitive impairment and AD with a focus on sex differences will shed the light for the underlying mechanisms regarding loneliness as a risk factor for AD and to develop effective prevention or treatment strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101061"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9867867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giulia F. Mancini , Onno C. Meijer , Patrizia Campolongo
{"title":"Stress in adolescence as a first hit in stress-related disease development: Timing and context are crucial","authors":"Giulia F. Mancini , Onno C. Meijer , Patrizia Campolongo","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101065","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101065","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The two-hit stress model predicts that exposure to stress at two different time-points in life may increase or decrease the risk of developing stress-related disorders later in life. Most studies based on the two-hit stress model have investigated early postnatal stress as the first hit with adult stress as the second hit. Adolescence, however, represents another highly sensitive developmental window during which exposure to stressful events may affect programming outcomes following exposure to stress in adulthood. Here, we discuss the programming effects of different types of stressors (social and nonsocial) occurring during adolescence (first hit) and how such stressors affect the responsiveness toward an additional stressor occurring during adulthood (second hit) in rodents. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the potential mechanisms underlying interindividual and sex differences in the resilience/susceptibility to developing stress-related disorders later in life when stress is experienced in two different life stages.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101065"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9868426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Belinda Pletzer , Katharina Winkler-Crepaz , Katharina Maria Hillerer
{"title":"Progesterone and contraceptive progestin actions on the brain: A systematic review of animal studies and comparison to human neuroimaging studies","authors":"Belinda Pletzer , Katharina Winkler-Crepaz , Katharina Maria Hillerer","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this review we systematically summarize the effects of progesterone and synthetic progestins on neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, myelination and six neurotransmitter systems. Several parallels between progesterone and older generation progestin actions emerged, suggesting actions via progesterone receptors. However, existing results suggest a general lack of knowledge regarding the effects of currently used progestins in hormonal contraception regarding these cellular and molecular brain parameters. Human neuroimaging studies were reviewed with a focus on randomized placebo-controlled trials and cross-sectional studies controlling for progestin type. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, salience network and hippocampus were identified as regions of interest for future preclinical studies. This review proposes a series of experiments to elucidate the cellular and molecular actions of contraceptive progestins in these areas and link these actions to behavioral markers of emotional and cognitive functioning. Emotional effects of contraceptive progestins appear to be related to 1) alterations in the serotonergic system, 2) direct/indirect modulations of inhibitory GABA-ergic signalling via effects on the allopregnanolone content of the brain, which differ between androgenic and anti-androgenic progestins. Cognitive effects of combined oral contraceptives appear to depend on the ethinylestradiol dose.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101060"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9513536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erin E. Maher , Ashley M. Strzelecki , Jessica J. Weafer , Cassandra D. Gipson
{"title":"The importance of translationally evaluating steroid hormone contributions to substance use","authors":"Erin E. Maher , Ashley M. Strzelecki , Jessica J. Weafer , Cassandra D. Gipson","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Clinically, women appear to be more susceptible to certain aspects of substance use disorders (SUDs). The steroid hormones 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) have been linked to women-specific drug behaviors. Here, we review clinical and preclinical studies investigating how cycling ovarian hormones affect nicotine-, cocaine-, and opioid-related behaviors. We also highlight gaps in the literature regarding how synthetic steroid hormone use may influence drug-related behaviors. In addition, we explore how E2 and Pg are known to interact in brain reward pathways and provide evidence of how these interactions may influence drug-related behaviors. The synthesis of this review demonstrates the critical need to study women-specific factors that may influence aspects of SUDs, which may play important roles in addiction processes in a sex-specific fashion. It is important to understand factors that impact women’s health and may be key to moving the field forward toward more efficacious and individualized treatment strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101059"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10182261/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9513541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jesse M. Lacasse, Nafissa Ismail, Natalie C. Tronson
{"title":"Editorial overview: Hormonal contraceptives and the brain: A call for translational research","authors":"Jesse M. Lacasse, Nafissa Ismail, Natalie C. Tronson","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101063","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101063","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101063"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9506382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caroline Gurvich, Isobel Nicholls, Alex Lavale, Jayashri Kulkarni
{"title":"Oral contraceptives and cognition: A systematic review","authors":"Caroline Gurvich, Isobel Nicholls, Alex Lavale, Jayashri Kulkarni","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2022.101052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Oral contraceptives (OCs) are widely used. While the physical impacts of OCs have been well researched, there is increasing interest on potential impacts of OCs on brain, behaviour and cognition. We systematically reviewed the literature to determine the influence of OCs on cognition, including neurocognition, social cognition and emotional processing. Inclusionary criteria were: (a) premenopausal females taking OCs; (b) a control group of naturally cycling women or OCs users in their inactive (i.e. ‘sugar pill’) phase; and (c) at least one measure of performance on a neurocognitive or social cognitive task. The systematic review found that OC use was associated with some differences in performance on all cognitive domains examined (with the exception of basic auditory attention and psychomotor performance). Several factors were identified that are likely to modulate the way OCs influence cognition, including task related factors, OC type and control group characteristics. Directions for future research are highlighted.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101052"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9517383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}