Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
O. A. Gonzalez, S. Kirakodu, L. Nguyen, J. L. Ebersole
Summary: This study investigated the microbiome features related to host macrophage polarization in periodontitis using a nonhuman primate model. The results showed that macrophage-related gene patterns increased significantly in gingival tissues during disease progression. The microbiome had similar relative abundance between different age groups, but there were significant alterations in the adult group compared to the younger animals. These findings enhance our understanding of the interaction between host macrophages and the oral microbiome in periodontitis.
JOURNAL OF PERIODONTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jason F. Moody, Nakul Aggarwal, Douglas C. Dean, Do P. M. Tromp, Steve R. Kecskemeti, Jonathan A. Oler, Ned H. Kalin, Andrew L. Alexander
Summary: Alterations in white matter development are related to neuropsychiatric disorders. Quantitative relaxometry can be used to evaluate white matter microstructural changes. A study on infant non-human primates found correlations between quantitative relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging metrics, with gestational age being a stronger predictor for relaxometry metrics. This provides a basis for future studies.
Article
Neurosciences
Nakul Aggarwal, Jonathan A. Oler, Do P. M. Tromp, Patrick H. Roseboom, Marissa K. Riedel, Victoria R. Elam, Melissa A. Brotman, Ned H. Kalin
Summary: Myelination is important for neuronal communication, and changes in white matter microstructure are associated with psychiatric disorders, including anxiety. Recent studies in rodents suggest that muscarinic antagonists can enhance myelination and improve behavior, but the effects of muscarinic antagonists on non-human primates have not been studied. This study investigates the effects of the muscarinic receptor antagonist solifenacin on anxious behaviors and white matter microstructure in preadolescent rhesus macaques.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Christos Karoussiotis, Aggeliki Sotiriou, Alexia Polissidis, Alexandra Symeonof, Danae Papavranoussi-Daponte, Vassiliki Nikoletopoulou, Zafiroula Georgoussi
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) directly sense autophagy and opioid receptors regulate neuronal plasticity and neurotransmission through an unknown mechanism. In this study, the researchers demonstrate that the selective kappa-opioid receptor (kappa-OR) agonist U50,488H induces autophagy in a time- and dose-dependent manner in neuronal cells, upregulating specific autophagic markers. Molecular analysis reveals that kappa-OR activation upregulates the becn1 gene through the ERK1,2-dependent activation of the CREB transcription factor. Furthermore, sub-chronic administration of U50,488H in mice leads to increased autophagic markers and decreased synaptic proteins in the hippocampus, while administration of the kappa-OR selective antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (norBNI) blocks autophagy induction and stress-induced reduction of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus. These findings provide new insights into the role of autophagic machinery in the regulation of brain plasticity by kappa-OR signaling.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Du Lei, Xueling Suo, Kun Qin, Walter H. L. Pinaya, Yuan Ai, Wenbin Li, Weihong Kuang, Su Lui, Graham J. Kemp, John A. Sweeney, Qiyong Gong
Summary: This study aimed to explore the changes in brain magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and their correlation with symptom severity. The results showed that individuals with FES had higher MTR values in certain brain regions, such as the left thalamus, precuneus, cuneus, and paracentral lobule, which were positively correlated with the severity of schizophrenia symptoms. A whole-brain MTR map was able to distinguish FES patients from healthy controls with a 75.5% accuracy using a support vector machine approach.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lin Jiang, Yueheng Peng, Runyang He, Qingqing Yang, Chanlin Yi, Yuqin Li, Bin Zhu, Yajing Si, Tao Zhang, Bharat B. Biswal, Dezhong Yao, Lan Xiong, Fali Li, Peng Xu
Summary: Human cognition is supported by intrinsic structure and functional neural co-activation in spatially distributed brain regions. This study proposes a multimodal covariance network (MCN) construction approach to capture interregional covarying of the structural skeleton and transient functional activities for a single individual. The findings reveal the correlation between structural-functional differences and brain-wide gene expression patterns, providing insights into cognitive processes and psychiatric disorders.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xinyan Wang, Zhenshu Li, Yun Zhu, Jing Yan, Huan Liu, Guowei Huang, Wen Li
Summary: Genes and pathways associated with neurodevelopment and learning/memory abilities were differentially methylated in male rat offspring in response to maternal FA deficiency or supplementation during pregnancy. The study identified 1939 DMGs in the folate-deficient diet group and 1498 DMGs in the folate-supplemented diet group, with 298 overlapping DMGs. The pathways linked to neurodevelopment and learning/memory abilities showed differential methylation patterns under varying maternal FA intake.
GENES AND NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Kari L. Hanson, Simone E. Grant, Lucy H. Funk, Cynthia M. Schumann, Melissa D. Bauman
Summary: Late adolescence is a period of dynamic changes in the brain, particularly in the prefrontal cortical regions, which orchestrate cognitive control. Early challenges may lead to aberrant PFC connectivity and function, while activation of the mother's immune system during pregnancy could contribute to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Jill L. Silverman, Audrey Thurm, Sarah B. Ethridge, Makayla M. Soller, Stela P. Petkova, Ted Abel, Melissa D. Bauman, Edward S. Brodkin, Hala Harony-Nicolas, Markus Woehr, Alycia Halladay
Summary: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are prevalent and lifelong disorders without evidence-based interventions. Optimal utilization of preclinical animal models is crucial. A workshop in the field of behavioral neuroscience reviewed current studies and proposed solutions, including re-evaluating animal model links to NDDs.
GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefano Berto, Alex H. Treacher, Emre Caglayan, Danni Luo, Jillian R. Haney, Michael J. Gandal, Daniel H. Geschwind, Albert A. Montillo, Genevieve Konopka
Summary: This study integrates gene expression data from brains of neurotypical individuals and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to identify disrupted brain expression patterns in individuals with ASD, particularly genes associated with voltage-gated ion channels and inhibitory neurons. The research also highlights differences in the developmental trajectory of certain genes in individuals with ASD compared to controls, and shows that the primary visual cortex is the most affected region in ASD.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Katherine E. Lawrence, Zvart Abaryan, Emily Laltoo, Leanna M. Hernandez, Michael J. Gandal, James T. McCracken, Paul M. Thompson
Summary: Sex differences in white matter microstructure were examined in over 6000 children between 9 and 10 years old. Significant and replicable differences were found in both conventional and advanced diffusion-weighted imaging metrics. Boys exhibited greater diffusion metrics, while girls showed increased cell density. These findings provide an important foundation for understanding sex differences in health and disease.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Letter
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriel E. Hoffman, Andrew E. Jaffe, Michael J. Gandal, Leonardo Collado-Torres, Solveig K. Sieberts, Bernie Devlin, Daniel H. Geschwind, Daniel R. Weinberger, Panos Roussos
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Gandal, Jillian R. Haney, Brie Wamsley, Chloe X. Yap, Sepideh Parhami, Prashant S. Emani, Nathan Chang, George T. Chen, Gil D. Hoftman, Diego de Alba, Gokul Ramaswami, Christopher L. Hartl, Arjun Bhattacharya, Chongyuan Luo, Ting Jin, Daifeng Wang, Riki Kawaguchi, Diana Quintero, Jing Ou, Ye Emily Wu, Neelroop N. Parikshak, Vivek Swarup, T. Grant Belgard, Mark Gerstein, Bogdan Pasaniuc, Daniel H. Geschwind
Summary: This study demonstrates widespread transcriptomic changes in the cerebral cortex of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with an anterior-to-posterior gradient. These changes primarily affect gene expression in excitatory neurons and glia. Additionally, both rare and common ASD-associated genetic variations converge within specific co-expression modules involving synaptic signaling and protein chaperone genes.
Article
Neurosciences
Jason Smucny, Roza M. Vlasova, Tyler A. Lesh, Douglas J. Rowland, Guobao Wang, Abhijit J. Chaudhari, Shuai Chen, Ana-Maria Iosif, Casey E. Hogrefe, Jeffrey L. Bennett, Cynthia M. Shumann, Judy A. Van de Water, Richard J. Maddock, Martin A. Styner, Daniel H. Geschwind, A. Kimberley McAllister, Melissa D. Bauman, Cameron S. Carter
Summary: Epidemiological studies suggest that maternal immune activation is a significant risk factor for future neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia. This study found an association between maternal immune activation in the late first trimester and dopamine hyperfunction in young adult offspring. These findings have important implications for understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the mechanisms by which maternal immune activation increases risk for later illness in offspring.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY-COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Kari L. Hanson, Ruth K. Weir, Ana-Maria Iosif, Judy Van de Water, Cameron S. Carter, Kimberley McAllister, Melissa D. Bauman, Cynthia M. Schumann
Summary: Women who contract an infection during pregnancy, either viral or bacterial, are at a higher risk of having a child with a neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorder. Maternal immune response plays a crucial role in mediating the effects of maternal infection, as evidenced by previous studies on animal models. This study focuses on the impact of maternal immune activation during the first or second trimester on neuronal morphology in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and hippocampus of male rhesus monkeys. The findings reveal that offspring exposed to maternal immune activation exhibit increased dendritic branching in DLPFC pyramidal cells, particularly in the infra- and supragranular layers, and a decreased diameter of apical dendrites in the infragranular layer of DLPFC, independent of trimester exposure. However, no noticeable alterations in hippocampal neuronal morphology were observed. These results highlight the long-term consequences of maternal immune challenge on dendritic structure in a brain region crucial for socioemotional and cognitive development.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pan Zhang, Alicja Omanska, Bradley P. Ander, Michael J. Gandal, Boryana Stamova, Cynthia M. Schumann
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder with gene and pathway dysregulation in the brain. Transcriptomic analyses were performed on both bulk tissue and laser-capture microdissected neurons from postmortem human brains. Dysregulation of synaptic signaling, inflammation, and RNA splicing were observed in ASD. Alterations in GABA and glutamate signaling pathways were age-dependent. Moreover, dysregulation of inflammatory pathways and splicing disruption were found in ASD neurons.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amy N. Costa, Bradley J. Ferguson, Emily Hawkins, Adriana Coman, Joseph Schauer, Alex Ramirez-Celis, Patrick M. Hecht, Danielle Bruce, Michael Tilley, Zohreh Talebizadeh, Judy van de Water, David Q. Beversdorf
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between prenatal stress and maternal antibody response and the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. The study found that although there were high incidences of prenatal stress and maternal antibodies in the sample, they were not associated with each other. The results suggest that prenatal stress and immune dysregulation are independently associated with a diagnosis of ASD, rather than acting through a convergent mechanism. However, further research with a larger sample is needed to confirm these findings.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tyler A. Lesh, Ana-Maria Iosif, Costin Tanase, Roza M. Vlasova, Amy M. Ryan, Jeffrey Bennett, Casey E. Hogrefe, Richard J. Maddock, Daniel H. Geschwind, Judy van de Water, A. Kimberley McAllister, Martin A. Styner, Melissa D. Bauman, Cameron S. Carter
Summary: Maternal infection is an important environmental risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders. Animal models show that maternal immune response plays a significant role in offspring's neurodevelopment. This study on rhesus monkeys provides evidence for the nonhuman primate MIA model's relevance in investigating the pathophysiology of human neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Leanna M. Hernandez, Minsoo Kim, Cristian Hernandez, Wesley Thompson, Chun Chieh Fan, Adriana Galvan, Mirella Dapretto, Susan Y. Bookheimer, Andrew Fuligni, Michael J. Gandal
Summary: This study investigated the genetic architecture of childhood sleep problems and its association with brain development and psychiatric symptoms. The findings suggest a distinct genetic architecture underlying childhood insomnia and brain size, and a genetic overlap between childhood insomnia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomatology. Further research is needed to understand how genetic risk affects developmental trajectories and comorbid sleep/psychiatric symptoms during adolescence.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Marjannie Eloi Akintunde, Yan-ping Lin, Paula Krakowiak, Isaac N. Pessah, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Birgit Puschner, Paul Ashwood, Judy Van de Water
Summary: This study found that immune cell function in children with autism spectrum disorder is more significantly affected by polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure compared to children without autism. Despite similar levels of PBDE in plasma between the two groups, PBDE was associated with reduced immune function in autistic children. Further experiments showed that exposure to BDE-49 stimulated an increased cytokine response in autistic children.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR & IMMUNITY-HEALTH
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Immunology
Erinn L. Donnelly, Nora Cespedes, Judy A. Van de Water, Shirley L. Luckhart
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Jason Smucny, Tyler Lesh, Melissa Bauman, Abhijit Chaudhari, Shuai Chen, Ana-Maria Iosif, Kimberly McAllister, Douglas Rowland, Martin Styner, Roza Vlasova, Guobao Wang, Cameron Carter
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Maya Jammoul, Dareen Jammoul, Kevin K. Wang, Firas Kobeissy, Ralph G. Depalma
Summary: This article reviews the possible mechanisms by which traumatic brain injury (TBI) may stimulate the development of opioid use disorder (OUD) and discusses the interaction between these two processes. CNS damage due to TBI appears to drive adverse effects of subsequent OUD, with pain being a risk factor for opioid use after TBI.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2024)
Article
Neurosciences
Danusa Mar Arcego, Jan-Paul Buschdorf, Nicholas O'Toole, Zihan Wang, Barbara Barth, Irina Pokhvisneva, Nirmala Arul Rayan, Sachin Patel, Euclides Jose de Mendonca Filho, Patrick Lee, Jennifer Tan, Ming Xuan Koh, Chu Ming Sim, Carine Parent, Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima, Andrew Clappison, Kieran J. O'Donnell, Carla Dalmaz, Janine Arloth, Nadine Provencal, Elisabeth B. Binder, Josie Diorio, Patricia Pelufo Silveira, Michael J. Meaney
Summary: This study investigates the impact of environmental influences on mental health by integrating transcriptomic data from animal models with human data. The results suggest that hippocampal glucocorticoid-related transcriptional activity mediates the effects of early adversity on neural mechanisms implicated in psychiatric disorders.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2024)
Article
Neurosciences
Milenna T. van Dijk, Ardesheer Talati, Pratik Kashyap, Karan Desai, Nora C. Kelsall, Marc J. Gameroff, Natalie Aw, Eyal Abraham, Breda Cullen, Jiook Cha, Christoph Anacker, Myrna M. Weissman, Jonathan Posner
Summary: This study found that maternal stress is associated with future depressive symptoms and alterations in microstructure of the dentate gyrus (DG) in offspring. These results were consistent across two independent cohorts.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2024)
Article
Neurosciences
Josephine C. McGowan, Liliana R. Ladner, Claire X. Shubeck, Juliana Tapia, Christina T. LaGamma, Amanda Anqueira-Gonzalez, Ariana DeFrancesco, Briana K. Chen, Holly C. Hunsberger, Ezra J. Sydnor, Ryan W. Logan, Tzong-Shiue Yu, Steven G. Kernie, Christine A. Denny
Summary: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to fear generalization by altering fear memory traces, and this symptom can be improved with (R,S)-ketamine.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2024)
