Article
Neurosciences
Aiwen Xu, Michael Beyeler
Summary: This study used a biophysical model to simulate the retina and investigated the impact of neuroanatomical changes on cellular responses during retinal degeneration. The findings revealed that retinal cell activity increased and electrical stimulation thresholds also increased during retinal degeneration, and testable predictions about the underlying neuroanatomical mechanisms were proposed.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Wenchuan Zhou, Yutong Zhou, Jincan He, Yuqing Rao, Ping Fei, Jing Li
Summary: Retinal detachment (RD) can cause irreversible vision loss due to photoreceptor cell death. TREM2, expressed exclusively on microglial cells in the retina, plays a protective role in preventing further photoreceptor cell death following RD by phagocytosing stressed photoreceptor cells and regulating inflammatory responses. This study suggests that TREM2 could be a potential target to ameliorate RD-induced photoreceptor cell death.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yeming Yang, Xiaoyan Jiang, Xiao Li, Kuanxiang Sun, Xianjun Zhu, Bo Zhou
Summary: This study reveals the essential role of YAP in normal vision and retinal maintenance. YAP deficiency leads to impaired retinal development, visual dysfunction, and late-onset retinal degeneration. The loss of YAP affects various types of retinal cells and disrupts glial homeostasis.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xinyan Zhang, Jinxian Xu, Brendan Marshall, Zheng Dong, Yutao Liu, Diego G. Espinosa-Heidmann, Ming Zhang
Summary: Our study used RNA sequencing analysis to investigate the molecular genetic changes and pathways affected by ocular cytomegalovirus (MCMV) latency. We found that MCMV infection in mice led to differentially expressed genes and activated immune/inflammatory responses and cell death signaling pathways. These findings provide insights into the development of ocular complications associated with MCMV infection.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Sean Mccracken, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Allison L. Hall, Zelun Wang, Daniel Kerschensteiner, Josh L. Morgan, Philip R. Williams
Summary: Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration, caused by axon degeneration, is the main reason for vision loss in blinding conditions. Axonal Ca2+ elevations from optic nerve injury do not reach RGC somas, and baseline Ca2+ levels of RGCs predict their survival after axon injury.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manas R. Biswal, Zhaoyao Wang, Ryan J. Paulson, Rukshana R. Uddin, Yao Tong, Ping Zhu, Hong Li, Alfred S. Lewin
Summary: Modified form of EPO, EPO-R76E, attenuates erythropoietic activity but effectively inhibits apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation in retinal degeneration. Long-term sustained delivery of EPO-R76E using AAV can prevent RPE oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration, potentially providing a tool for preventing Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Giovanni Granato, Gianluca Baldassarre
Summary: Executive functions depend on integrated cortical-basal ganglia brain systems and form the basis of flexible human behavior. Various computational models have been proposed for studying cognitive flexibility, with the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) being an important tool in investigating flexibility.
Article
Neurosciences
Meng- Zhao, Houting Lv, Na Yang, Guang-Hua Peng
Summary: The study investigated the mechanism of retinal photoreceptor degeneration by establishing a stable retinitis pigmentosa (RP) model. It was found that activation of mTOR may be associated with RP, and the use of mTOR inhibitor rapamycin improved retinal function and photoreceptor thickness and morphology, possibly by activating autophagy to protect retinal photoreceptors.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yang Liu, Yafang Wang, Yushu Xiao, Xiaomeng Li, Shang Ruan, Xueting Luo, Xiaoling Wan, Fenghua Wang, Xiaodong Sun
Summary: By establishing a CNGA1 knockout mouse model, researchers observed progressive retinal thinning and functional deficits as typical phenotypes for RP, along with degeneration in rods and cones, microglial activation, and oxidative stress damage. RNA-sequencing analysis indicated down-regulated synaptic transmission and phototransduction as early triggers for photoreceptor degeneration. The study contributes to understanding the mechanisms of photoreceptor death during RP progression and provides a novel model for potential therapeutic development.
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Suyi Hu, Deborah A. Hall, Frederic Zubler, Raphael Sznitman, Lukas Anschuetz, Marco Caversaccio, Wilhelm Wimmer
Summary: This study developed a generative computational tinnitus perception model based on the Bayesian brain concept, successfully replicating behavioral responses during residual inhibition and simulating residual excitation and occurrence of tinnitus in non-tinnitus subjects after sensory deprivation. The model has the potential to quantitatively link experimental observations to theoretical hypotheses and support the search for neural signatures of tinnitus.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hanyi Yu, Fusheng Wang, George Teodoro, Fan Chen, Xiaoyuan Guo, John M. Nickerson, Jun Kong
Summary: To address the issue of inadequate training data for RPE cell segmentation, we developed a self-supervised semantic segmentation method and utilized image augmentation techniques to enhance network training performance. Comparing our method with other deep learning approaches, we found that our method demonstrated superior performance in qualitative and quantitative evaluations, indicating its potential to support large-scale cell morphological analyses.
Article
Immunology
Yvette Wooff, Adrian V. Cioanca, Elly Wills, Joshua A. Chu-Tan, Rakshanya Sekar, Riccardo Natoli
Summary: This study aimed to determine if short exposure to photo-oxidative damage could induce early retinal molecular changes and serve as a potential model for studying early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The results showed that short exposure to photo-oxidative damage induced early molecular changes in the retina, including downregulation of homeostatic pathways and upregulation of inflammatory pathways. Targeting miRNAs such as miR-124-3p and miR-155-5p may prevent progression into late-stage AMD pathology.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Amanda R. Sergesketter, William M. M. Tian, Brooke E. Barrow, Miranda X. Morris, Hannah C. Langdell, Ronnie L. Shammas, Yisong Geng, Kristen Rezak, Geoffroy C. Sisk, Brett T. Phillips
Summary: This study examined the effect of initial fill medium (air vs. saline) on complications in immediate breast reconstruction. The results showed that initial fill with air was associated with a lower incidence of infection, seroma, and nipple necrosis compared to saline, without significant impact on ischemic complications.
ANNALS OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Psychology
Medha Shekhar, Dobromir Rahnev
Summary: Research shows that human metacognitive ability decreases with higher confidence levels, leading to a non-linear zROC curve. A new mechanistic model incorporating lognormally distributed metacognitive noise better explains metacognitive inefficiency.
PSYCHOLOGICAL REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiyang Cai, Christopher Litwin, Rui Cheng, Jian-Xing Ma, Yan Chen
Summary: mTORC1, an important regulator in cell metabolism and stress response, has been found to play a pathogenic role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, a previously unknown signaling protein called DARPP-32, regulated by mTORC1, was identified and found to contribute to the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in AMD.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)