Neuroscience InsightsPub Date : 2022-07-22eCollection Date: 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1177/26331055221114817
Lisa M James, Apostolos P Georgopoulos
{"title":"At the Root of 3 \"Long\" Diseases: Persistent Antigens Inflicting Chronic Damage on the Brain and Other Organs in Gulf War Illness, Long-COVID-19, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.","authors":"Lisa M James, Apostolos P Georgopoulos","doi":"10.1177/26331055221114817","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221114817","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several foreign antigens such as those derived from viruses and bacteria have been linked to long-term deleterious effects on the brain and other organs; yet, health outcomes subsequent to foreign antigen exposure vary depending in large part on the host's immune system, in general, and on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) composition, in particular. Here we first provide a brief description of 3 conditions characterized by persistent long-term symptoms, namely long-COVID-19, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and Gulf War Illness (GWI), followed by a brief overview of the role of HLA in the immune response to foreign antigens. We then discuss our Persistent Antigen (PA) hypothesis and highlight associations between antigen persistence due to HLA-antigen incongruence and chronic health conditions in general and the 3 \"long\" diseases above in particular. This review is not intended to cover the breadth and depth of symptomatology of those diseases but is specifically focused on the hypothesis that the presence of persistent antigens underlies their pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":"26331055221114817"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/70/1e/10.1177_26331055221114817.PMC9335483.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40572350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience InsightsPub Date : 2022-07-04eCollection Date: 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1177/26331055221109254
Muhammad Ali, Oliver Bracko
{"title":"VEGF Paradoxically Reduces Cerebral Blood Flow in Alzheimer's Disease Mice.","authors":"Muhammad Ali, Oliver Bracko","doi":"10.1177/26331055221109254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221109254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vascular dysfunction plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Cerebral blood flow reductions of 10% to 25% present early in disease pathogenesis. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) drives angiogenesis, which typically addresses blood flow reductions and global hypoxia. However, recent evidence suggests aberrant VEGF-A signaling in Alzheimer's disease may undermine its physiological angiogenic function. Instead of improving cerebral blood flow, VEGF-A contributes to brain capillary stalls and blood flow reductions, likely accelerating cognitive decline. In this commentary, we explore the evidence for pathological VEGF signaling in Alzheimer's disease, and discuss its implications for disease therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":"26331055221109254"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/21/a5/10.1177_26331055221109254.PMC9298729.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40535548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience InsightsPub Date : 2022-06-23eCollection Date: 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1177/26331055221109174
Raina Chhajer, Sunil Dutt Shukla
{"title":"Sleep Quality of Covid-19 Recovered Patients in India.","authors":"Raina Chhajer, Sunil Dutt Shukla","doi":"10.1177/26331055221109174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221109174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India was widespread and caused psychological distress among the citizens. Hospitals were running at a premium, increasing deaths and trepidation stories were on air by media, this generated sleep disturbances for many. This study aimed to examine the sleep quality of Covid-19 recovered patients in India during the second wave of the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients who had recently recovered from Covid-19 were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study using various social media platforms. An online survey questionnaire, including socio-demographics, health-related information, Covid-19 related information, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), was administered in June 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the scores among the mild, moderate, and severe groups. ANOVA was used to find the difference between the groups for global PSQI scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 311 participants (261 mild, 45 moderate, and 5 severe) provided usable responses. The Global PSQI score for the overall study sample was 8.22 ± 3.79. In the severe group, scores were higher 16.8 ± 2.59, and statistically significant from mild or moderate groups. Sleep quality of Covid-19 recovered patients was found to be statistically significantly different based on their gender (<i>P</i> < .001), annual income (<i>P</i> < .001), employment status (<i>P</i> < .001), and marital status (<i>P</i> < .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Females, employment in the private sector, annual income below rupees 11 lakh, and unmarried Covid-19 recovered patients reported poor sleep quality. As our findings indicate poor sleep quality among the Covid-19 recovered patients during the second wave in India, designing psychological interventions is recommended to support their wellbeing post-recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":"26331055221109174"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/88/ae/10.1177_26331055221109174.PMC9235310.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40406418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience InsightsPub Date : 2022-01-24eCollection Date: 2022-01-01DOI: 10.1177/26331055211069939
Kota Banzai, Ping Shen, Daichi Kamiyama
{"title":"A Genetic Toolkit for Simultaneous Generation of <i>LexA</i>- and <i>QF</i>-Expressing Clones in Selected Cell Types in <i>Drosophila</i>.","authors":"Kota Banzai, Ping Shen, Daichi Kamiyama","doi":"10.1177/26331055211069939","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055211069939","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Visualization and manipulation of defined motoneurons have provided significant insights into how motor circuits are assembled in <i>Drosophila</i>. A conventional approach for molecular and cellular analyses of subsets of motoneurons involves the expression of a wide range of <i>UAS</i> transgenes using available <i>GAL4</i> drivers (eg, <i>eve</i> promoter-fused <i>GAL4</i>). However, a more powerful toolkit could be one that enables a single-cell characterization of interactions between neurites from neurons of interest. Here we show the development of a <i>UAS > LexA > QF</i> expression system to generate randomly selected neurons expressing one of the 2 binary expression systems. As a demonstration, we apply it to visualize dendrite-dendrite interactions by genetically labeling <i>eve</i> <sup>+</sup> neurons with distinct fluorescent reporters.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":"26331055211069939"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4b/99/10.1177_26331055211069939.PMC8796102.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39571630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Timothy R Macaulay, Amy Hegarty, Lirong Yan, Dominique Duncan, Judy Pa, Jason J Kutch, Marianna La Rocca, Christianne J Lane, E Todd Schroeder
{"title":"Effects of a 12-Week Periodized Resistance Training Program on Resting Brain Activity and Cerebrovascular Function: A Nonrandomized Pilot Trial.","authors":"Timothy R Macaulay, Amy Hegarty, Lirong Yan, Dominique Duncan, Judy Pa, Jason J Kutch, Marianna La Rocca, Christianne J Lane, E Todd Schroeder","doi":"10.1177/26331055221119441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221119441","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Resistance training is a promising strategy to promote healthy cognitive aging; however, the brain mechanisms by which resistance training benefits cognition have yet to be determined. Here, we examined the effects of a 12-week resistance training program on resting brain activity and cerebrovascular function in 20 healthy older adults (14 females, mean age 69.1 years). In this single group clinical trial, multimodal 3 T magnetic resonance imaging was performed at 3 time points: baseline (preceding a 12-week control period), pre-intervention, and post-intervention. Along with significant improvements in fluid cognition (<i>d</i> = 1.27), 4 significant voxelwise clusters were identified for decreases in resting brain activity after the intervention (Cerebellum, Right Middle Temporal Gyrus, Left Inferior Parietal Lobule, and Right Inferior Parietal Lobule), but none were identified for changes in resting cerebral blood flow. Using a separate region of interest approach, we provide estimates for improved cerebral blood flow, compared with declines over the initial control period, in regions associated with cognitive impairment, such as hippocampal blood flow (<i>d</i> = 0.40), and posterior cingulate blood flow (<i>d</i> = 0.61). Finally, resistance training had a small countermeasure effect on the age-related progression of white matter lesion volume (rank-biserial = -0.22), a biomarker of cerebrovascular disease. These proof-of-concept data support larger trials to determine whether resistance training can attenuate or even reverse salient neurodegenerative processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":"17 ","pages":"26331055221119441"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f7/36/10.1177_26331055221119441.PMC9379950.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10608764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harnessing Spinal Interneurons for Spinal Cord Repair.","authors":"Lyandysha V Zholudeva, Michael A Lane","doi":"10.1177/26331055221101607","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221101607","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interest in spinal interneurons (SpINs), their heterogeneity in the naive spinal cord and their varying responses to central nervous system injury or disease has been steadily increasing. Our recent review on this topic highlights the vast phenotypic heterogeneity of SpINs and the efforts being made to better identify and classify these neurons. As our understanding of SpIN phenotype, connectivity, and neuroplastic capacity continues to expand, new therapeutic targets are being revealed and novel treatment approaches developed to harness their potential. Here, we expand on that initial discussion and highlight how SpINs can be used to develop advanced, targeted cellular therapies and personalized medicines.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":"17 ","pages":"26331055221101607"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/e0/43/10.1177_26331055221101607.PMC9125099.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10251635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Brain Networks of Connectionally Unique Basolateral Amygdala Cell Types","authors":"Houri Hintiryan, Hong-wei Dong","doi":"10.1177/26331055221080175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221080175","url":null,"abstract":"Different brain regions structurally interconnected through networks regulate behavior output. Therefore, understanding the functional organization of the brain in health and disease necessitates a foundational anatomic roadmap to its network organization. To provide this to the research community, our lab has systematically traced thousands of pathways in the mouse brain and has applied computational measures to determine the network architecture of major brain systems. Toward this effort, the brain-wide networks of the basolateral amygdalar complex (BLA) were recently generated. The data revealed uniquely connected cell types within the same BLA nucleus that were constituents of distinct neural networks. Here, we elaborate on how these connectionally unique BLA cell types fit within the larger cortico-basal ganglia and limbic networks that were previously described by our team. The significance and utility of high quality, detailed anatomic data is also discussed.","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49646070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Protein Network Analysis Reveals a Functional Connectivity of Dysregulated Processes in ALS and SMA","authors":"S. Kubinski, P. Claus","doi":"10.1177/26331055221087740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221087740","url":null,"abstract":"Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are neurodegenerative diseases which are characterized by the loss of motoneurons within the central nervous system. SMA is a monogenic disease caused by reduced levels of the Survival of motoneuron protein, whereas ALS is a multi-genic disease with over 50 identified disease-causing genes and involvement of environmental risk factors. Although these diseases have different causes, they partially share identical phenotypes and pathomechanisms. To analyze and identify functional connections and to get a global overview of altered pathways in both diseases, protein network analyses are commonly used. Here, we used an in silico tool to test for functional associations between proteins that are involved in actin cytoskeleton dynamics, fatty acid metabolism, skeletal muscle metabolism, stress granule dynamics as well as SMA or ALS risk factors, respectively. In network biology, interactions are represented by edges which connect proteins (nodes). Our approach showed that only a few edges are necessary to present a complex protein network of different biological processes. Moreover, Superoxide dismutase 1, which is mutated in ALS, and the actin-binding protein profilin1 play a central role in the connectivity of the aforementioned pathways. Our network indicates functional links between altered processes that are described in either ALS or SMA. These links may not have been considered in the past but represent putative targets to restore altered processes and reveal overlapping pathomechanisms in both diseases.","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46276512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yong-Jun Liu, Kim N Green, Todd C Holmes, Xiangmin Xu
{"title":"Commentary: How Do Microglia Regulate Neural Circuit Connectivity and Activity in the Adult Brain?","authors":"Yong-Jun Liu, Kim N Green, Todd C Holmes, Xiangmin Xu","doi":"10.1177/26331055211071124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055211071124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microglia are the primary immune cells in CNS. Recent work shows that microglia are also essential for proper brain development through synaptic pruning and remodeling during early life development. But the question of whether and how microglia regulate synaptic connectivity in the adult brain remains open. Our recently published study provides new insights into the functional roles of microglia in the adult mouse brain. We find that chronic depletion of microglia via CSF1R inhibitors in the visual cortex in adult mice induces a dramatic increase in perineuronal nets, and enhances neural activities of both excitatory neurons and parvalbumin interneurons. These findings highlight new potential therapeutic avenues to enhance adult neural plasticity by manipulating microglia.</p>","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":"17 ","pages":"26331055211071124"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/23/bc/10.1177_26331055211071124.PMC8796061.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10327168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine Hankinson, A. Shaykevich, A. Vallence, J. Rodger, Michael A. Rosenberg, C. Etherton-Beer
{"title":"A Tailored Music-Motor Therapy and Real-Time Biofeedback Mobile Phone App (‘GotRhythm’) to Promote Rehabilitation Following Stroke: A Pilot Study","authors":"Katherine Hankinson, A. Shaykevich, A. Vallence, J. Rodger, Michael A. Rosenberg, C. Etherton-Beer","doi":"10.1177/26331055221100587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/26331055221100587","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Stroke persists as an important cause of long-term disability world-wide with the need for rehabilitation strategies to facilitate plasticity and improve motor function in stroke survivors. Rhythm-based interventions can improve motor function in clinical populations. This study tested a novel music-motor software application ‘GotRhythm’ on motor function after stroke. Methods: Participants were 22 stroke survivors undergoing inpatient rehabilitation in a subacute stroke ward. Participants were randomised to the GotRhythm intervention (combining individualised music and augmented auditory feedback along with wearable sensors to deliver a personalised rhythmic auditory stimulation training protocol) or usual care. Intervention group participants were offered 6-weeks of the GotRhythm intervention, consisting of a supervised 20-minute music-motor therapy session using GotRhythm conducted 3 times a week for 6 weeks. The primary feasibility outcomes were adherence to the intervention and physical function (change in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Recovery score) measured at baseline, after 3-weeks and at end of the intervention period (6-weeks). Results: Three of 10 participants randomised to the intervention did not receive any of the GotRhythym music-motor therapy. Of the remaining 7 intervention group participants, only 5 completed the 3-week mid-intervention assessment and only 2 completed the 6-week post-intervention assessment. Participants who used the intervention completed 5 (IQR 4,7) sessions with total ‘dose’ of the intervention of 70 (40, 201) minutes. Conclusion: Overall, adherence to the intervention was poor, highlighting that application of technology assisted music-based interventions for stroke survivors in clinical environments is challenging along with usual care, recovery, and the additional clinical load.","PeriodicalId":36527,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Insights","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44197673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}