Article
Biology
Sandy MacMillan, Andrew P. Holmes, Mark L. Dallas, Amira D. Mahmoud, Michael J. Shipston, Chris Peers, D. Grahame Hardie, Prem Kumar, A. Mark Evans
Summary: This study reveals that LBK1 is a critical regulator of carotid body chemosensing, highlighting a difference in dependency on LKB1 and AMPK between the carotid body and the hypoxic ventilatory response.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Christian Agudelo, Alberto R. Ramos, Hannah Gardener, Ken Cheung, Mitchell S. V. Elkind, Ralph L. Sacco, Tatjana Rundek
Summary: This study found an association between long sleep duration and subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, which may explain the previously observed link between long sleep and stroke. However, short sleep duration and daytime sleepiness were not significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Christoph Strecker, Anna Kopczak, Tobias Saam, Dominik Sepp, Anja Hennemuth, Ernst Mayerhofer, Sven Poli, Ulf Ziemann, Holger Poppert, Andreas Schindler, Andreas Harloff
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carotid bifurcation geometry and complicated carotid artery plaques (cCAPs). The results showed that low ICA/CCA ratios and low bifurcation angles were significantly associated with the presence of cCAPs. Therefore, assessing carotid geometry could be useful in identifying patients at risk of cCAPs.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeria Sutti Nunes, Edite Vieira Silva de Campos, Jamal Baracat, Victor Franca, Erica Ivana Lazaro Gomes, Raissa Peres Coelho, Edna Regina Nakandakare, Vanessa Helena Souza Zago, Eliana Cotta de Faria, Eder Carlos Rocha Quintao
Summary: This study investigated the relationships between plasma cholesterol synthesis and absorption markers and cardiovascular disease risk factors, cIMT, and carotid plaques in asymptomatic subjects. The findings suggested that campesterol may be associated with atherosclerotic plaques, while the ratios of lathosterol/campesterol or lathosterol/sitosterol may indicate an inverse association. This highlights the inverse relationship between cholesterol synthesis and absorption, with the absorption marker campesterol reflecting changes in body cholesterol homeostasis and atherosclerotic potential.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Hannah Sweetman, Mahmudur Rahman, Aditya Vedantam, Kajana Satkunendrarajah
Summary: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a neurological condition characterized by chronic compression of the cervical spinal cord, leading to impaired limb function. While respiratory dysfunction is not a common symptom of DCM, it can affect the ventilatory response to respiratory challenges. Surgical decompression improves sensorimotor function in DCM, but its impact on respiratory function is unclear. This study evaluates respiratory function and adaptive ventilation in a DCM model, showing that DCM impairs acute adaptive ventilatory ability and surgical decompression does not fully restore it.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2024)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sasha S. Bjergfelt, Ida M. H. Sorensen, Henrik O. Hjortkjaer, Nino Landler, Ellen L. F. Ballegaard, Tor Biering-Sorensen, Klaus F. Kofoed, Theis Lange, Bo Feldt-Rasmussen, Henrik Sillesen, Christina Christoffersen, Susanne Bro
Summary: The study demonstrates that chronic kidney disease patients have increased maximal carotid plaque thickness compared to controls, which is closely associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease and severity of calcification in both the carotid and coronary arteries.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Pedro Landete, Carlos Ernesto Fernandez-Garcia, Jose M. Munoz, Alfonsi Friera, Julio Ancochea, Agueda Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Carmelo Garcia-Monzon
Summary: It is unclear whether the overlap syndrome (OS) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome increases the risk of stroke associated with COPD itself. This study found that OS was associated with larger atherosclerotic plaques in the left carotid artery in COPD patients. Therefore, screening for OS in all COPD patients is recommended to identify those at higher risk of stroke.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arcangelo Iannuzzi, Paolo Rubba, Marco Gentile, Vania Mallardo, Ilenia Calcaterra, Alessandro Bresciani, Giuseppe Covetti, Gianluigi Cuomo, Pasquale Merone, Anna Di Lorenzo, Roberta Alfieri, Emilio Aliberti, Francesco Giallauria, Matteo Nicola Dario Di Minno, Gabriella Iannuzzo
Summary: Carotid artery plaques are indicative of atherosclerosis and linked to cardiovascular disease risk, especially ischemic strokes. Monitoring high-risk stroke patients is crucial, and non-invasive imaging provides insights into atherosclerosis and plaque vulnerability. Lipid parameters show a strong correlation with carotid atherosclerosis, often assessed using carotid ultrasound.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Didac Llop, Silvia Paredes, Daiana Ibarretxe, Delia Taverner, Nuria Plana, Roser Rosales, Lluis Masana, Joan Carles Vallve
Summary: The expression of microRNA-24, -146 and -Let7a is associated with inflammation and atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. These microRNAs may serve as potential therapeutic targets for RA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuela Montanaro, Manuel Scimeca, Lucia Anemona, Francesca Servadei, Erica Giacobbi, Rita Bonfiglio, Elena Bonanno, Nicoletta Urbano, Arnaldo Ippoliti, Giuseppe Santeusanio, Orazio Schillaci, Alessandro Mauriello
Summary: This study investigated the association among histopathologic features of carotid plaque instability, presence of micro- or macrocalcifications, expression of inflammatory biomarkers, and major risk factors. Results showed that calcifications are common in carotid plaques, with a significant difference between micro- and macrocalcifications. Microcalcifications were associated with high inflammation and instability, while macrocalcifications seemed to stabilize the plaque and were related to M2 macrophage polarization.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qianjun Li, Ting Xu, Chuan Shao, Wenhui Gao, Mingming Wang, Yongquan Dong, Xiumin Wang, Feijie Lu, Danqing Li, Huanyu Tan, Yin Jiang, Qinge Xie, Fengbo Cai, Lijie Feng, Taoping Li
Summary: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is associated with upper airway collapse, intermittent hypoxia, and intestinal barrier dysfunction. Changes in the intestinal microbiota are related to intestinal barrier biomarkers in OSA patients, which may contribute to systemic inflammation and metabolic comorbidities.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Saladini Francesca, Marcello Rattazzi, Elisabetta Faggin, Paolo Palatini, Massimo Puato
Summary: This study found that even with long-term well-controlled blood pressure treatment, patients with stage 1 hypertension still exhibited higher carotid artery stiffness and impaired endothelial function. Therefore, lower blood pressure targets should be sought to prevent these complications.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN HYPERTENSION
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Hediyeh Baradaran, Amir Hossein Sarrami, Ajay Gupta
Summary: The development of cognitive dysfunction and dementia is a complex, multifactorial process, with carotid atherosclerosis as one of the contributors to different types of cognitive dysfunction. The various manifestations of carotid atherosclerosis may lead to cerebral parenchymal damage, contributing to cognitive dysfunction.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nuria Puig, Pol Camps-Renom, Arnau Sole, Ana Aguilera-Simon, Elena Jimenez-Xarrie, Alejandro Fernandez-Leon, Mercedes Camacho, Marina Guasch-Jimenez, Rebeca Marin, Joan Marti-Fabregas, Alejandro Martinez-Domeno, Luis Prats-Sanchez, Francesca Casoni, Belen Perez, Francesc Jimenez-Altayo, Jose Luis Sanchez-Quesada, Sonia Benitez
Summary: This study aimed to identify modified LDLs and antioxidant enzymes associated with plaque vulnerability in patients with ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerosis. Patients showed lower levels of cholesterol and apolipoproteins, as well as lower enzymatic activities of PAF-AH and PON-1 in HDL and higher levels of oxidized LDL and electronegative LDL. The proportion of LDL(-) was independently associated with carotid stenosis, hypoechoic plaque presence, and diffuse neovessels.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yoichi Miura, Hidenori Suzuki
Summary: Both fasting and non-fasting hypertriglyceridemia are risk factors for atherosclerotic disease, but it is uncertain whether they increase the risks of carotid artery stenosis progression. Statins can prevent carotid plaque progression and improve plaque stability. However, there is currently no evidence that combining non-statin lipid-lowering drugs with statins provides additional benefits in preventing cerebrovascular events and stenosis progression in patients with carotid artery stenosis. This article explores the relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and carotid artery stenosis, as well as the potential role of lipid-lowering drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Paul B. Fitzgerald, Shane Gill, Michael Breakspear, Jayashri Kulkarni, Leo Chen, Saxby Pridmore, Subramanian Purushothaman, Cherrie Galletly, Patrick Clarke, Felicity Ng, Salam Hussain, Suneel Chamoli, Tibi Csizmadia, Patrick Tolan, Luca Cocchi, Samir Ibrahim Oam, Kavitha Shankar, Shanthi Sarma, Michael Lau, Colleen Loo, Tarun Yadav, Kate E. Hoy
Summary: This article discusses the controversy surrounding repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of depression as addressed in the Royal Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, while also highlighting the strong evidence supporting the safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of this treatment method.
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Anton Tokariev, Michael Breakspear, Mari Videman, Susanna Stjerna, Lianne H. Scholtens, Martijn P. van den Heuvel, Luca Cocchi, Sampsa Vanhatalo
Summary: In utero exposure to antiepileptic medication can impact cortical activity during neonatal sleep, with effects differing between drugs. These effects on functional brain networks provide prognostic information for later neurodevelopment. This study offers bedside metrics sensitive to the effects of antiepileptic drugs on postnatal neurodevelopment.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ashleigh E. Smith, Alexandra T. Wade, Timothy Olds, Dorothea Dumuid, Michael J. Breakspear, Kate Laver, Mitchell R. Goldsworthy, Michael C. Ridding, Monica Fabiani, Jillian Dorrian, Montana Hunter, Bryan Paton, Mahmoud Abdolhoseini, Fayeem Aziz, Maddison L. Mellow, Clare Collins, Karen J. Murphy, Gabriele Gratton, Hannah Keage, Ross T. Smith, Frini Karayanidis
Summary: This study aims to explore the associations between time-use and diet compositions with cognition and brain function, and identify optimal time-use behaviors and diet compositions for optimizing cognition and brain function.
Article
Psychiatry
Gloria Roberts, Alistair Perry, Kate Ridgway, Vivian Leung, Megan Campbell, Rhoshel Lenroot, Philip B. Mitchell, Michael Breakspear
Summary: This study explores the structural dysconnections in the brains of patients with bipolar disorder or at high genetic risk, as well as the longitudinal trajectories of these dysconnections during the peak age range of bipolar disorder onset. The findings suggest that the neurodevelopment from adolescence into early adulthood involves a substantial reorganization of structural brain networks, and individuals at high genetic risk of bipolar disorder show weakened connectivity compared to the control group. These results have important implications for understanding resilience and predicting the conversion to bipolar disorder.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Pierpaolo Sorrentino, Michele Ambrosanio, Rosaria Rucco, Joana Cabral, Leonardo L. Gollo, Michael Breakspear, Fabio Baselice
Summary: This paper proposes a method for estimating phase to phase cross-frequency coupling between brain areas, applied to broadband signals, without any a priori hypothesis about the frequency of the synchronized components. The proposed method, called cross-frequency phase linearity measurement (CF-PLM), utilizes the shape of the interferometric spectrum of the analyzed signals to estimate the strength of cross-frequency coupling. The empirical results demonstrate that the method is effective in estimating n:m synchronization solely based on the phase of the signals, independent of the amplitude, without any a priori hypothesis about the expected frequencies.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
G. Roberts, W. Wen, K. Ridgway, C. Ho, P. Gooch, V Leung, T. Williams, M. Breakspear, P. B. Mitchell
Summary: This study found that individuals with first-degree relatives with bipolar disorder have white matter abnormalities in a key cortico-limbic tract, with this effect being more pronounced in individuals without a mood disorder diagnosis.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jayson Jeganathan, Megan Campbell, Matthew Hyett, Gordon Parker, Michael Breakspear
Summary: This study uses machine vision and systems modeling to analyze dynamic facial expressions of people viewing emotionally salient film clips. The complexity of these expressions can be captured by a few simple spatiotemporal states, each representing a unique combination of facial actions with a distinct spectral fingerprint. This approach has potential applications in studying affective disorders and related mental illnesses.
Article
Psychology, Mathematical
Megan E. J. Campbell, Chase S. Sherwell, Ross Cunnington, Scott Brown, Michael Breakspear
Summary: Dyadic interactions require dynamic correspondence between one's own movements and those of the other agent. This study suggests that the hierarchical Bayesian learning of environmental statistics may underlie response priming during dyadic interactions.
PSYCHONOMIC BULLETIN & REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sebastien Naze, Luke J. Hearne, James A. Roberts, Paula Sanz-Leon, Bjorn Burgher, Caitlin Hall, Saurabh Sonkusare, Zoie Nott, Leo Marcus, Emma Savage, Conor Robinson, Ye Ella Tian, Andrew Zalesky, Michael Breakspear, Luca Cocchi
Summary: The diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with changes in frontostriatal resting-state connectivity. This study replicates and advances previous findings on these changes by using neuroimaging and computational modelling. Participants with OCD showed increased connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and the orbitofrontal cortex, and reduced connectivity between the dorsal putamen and lateral prefrontal cortex. These functional deregulations provide insights into the neural underpinnings of OCD and inform the development of targeted therapies.
Article
Psychiatry
Nikitas C. Koussis, Bjorn Burgher, Jayson Jeganathan, James G. Scott, Luca Cocchi, Michael Breakspear
Summary: Impairments in emotion expression, experience, and recognition are common in early psychosis. This study investigated the role of the cognitive control system (CCS) in emotional deficits in early psychosis using the affective go/no-go task and computational modeling. Results showed that individuals with early psychosis exhibited higher brain activity in the right posterior insula during inhibitory control of fearful faces. Increased top-down connectivity between regions in the CCS and visual input regions was associated with negative symptoms in the early psychosis cohort. These findings suggest potential targets for remediation of emotional deficits in young persons with early psychosis.
SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Bjorn Burgher, James Scott, Luca Cocchi, Michael Breakspear
Summary: The mixed cognitive outcomes in early psychosis have implications for recovery. In this longitudinal study, the researchers investigated whether baseline differences in the cognitive control system in early psychosis participants would normalize over time. They found that activation of the left superior parietal cortex normalized over time, coinciding with improvements in reaction time and social-occupational functioning. The researchers also discovered changes in effective connectivity between regions underlying the task execution, suggesting a shift towards more direct processing in early psychosis participants.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Substance Abuse
Amanda L. Brown, Madeleine Hinwood, Erin Campbell, Carlin Chen, Christopher V. Dayas, Adrian J. Dunlop, Buddhima Lokuge, Tarun Yadav, Saadallah Ramadan, Shiami Luchow, Michael Breakspear, Bryan Paton
DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Psychiatry
J. Jeganathan, M. Campbell, M. Breakspear
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Psychiatry
B. Burgher, N. Koussis, G. Whybird, L. Cocchi, J. G. Scott, M. Breakspear
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Psychiatry
B. Burgher, G. Whybird, N. Koussis, J. G. Scott, L. Cocchi, M. Breakspear
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
