Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene L. Gutierrez, Cinzia Dello Russo, Fabiana Novellino, Javier R. Caso, Borja Garcia-Bueno, Juan C. Leza, Jose L. M. Madrigal
Summary: This article summarizes the role of noradrenaline in Alzheimer's disease and suggests the use of noradrenaline-modulating drugs as a therapeutic option.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Song Cao, Daniel W. Fisher, Guadalupe Rodriguez, Tian Yu, Hongxin Dong
Summary: The study found that in APP/PS1 mice, there was increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and microglial activation in the cortex, hippocampus, and spinal cord. Additionally, there was more evident loss of LC-NE neurons and fibers, as well as reduced NET expression, in the APP/PS1 mice compared to wild-type mice.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2021)
Review
Biology
Dilek Mercan, Michael Thomas Heneka
Summary: This article summarizes the important contribution of Locus coeruleus degeneration to the pathogenic progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Degeneration of LC leads to decreased noradrenaline levels, causing increased neuroinflammation, enhanced amyloid and tau burden, as well as impairment in cognition and synaptic plasticity.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Michael A. Urbin, Charles W. Lafe, Tyler W. Simpson, George F. Wittenberg, Bharath Chandrasekaran, Douglas J. Weber
Summary: The study investigated the acute pupillary responses elicited by transcutaneous stimulation of the external ear, finding that stimulation at different locations can provoke such responses, with effects influenced by pulse amplitude and frequency. Further research is needed to distinguish the roles of vagal and non-vagal afferents in mediating biomarker activation.
Article
Immunology
Juan Li, Yiyong Wei, Junli Zhou, Helin Zou, Lulin Ma, Chengxi Liu, Zhi Xiao, Xingfeng Liu, Xinran Tan, Tian Yu, Song Cao
Summary: Selective activation of the LC:SC pathway alleviates neuropathic pain in mice by increasing noradrenaline release and reducing neuroinflammation of astrocytes and microglia in the spinal dorsal horn.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
F. Krohn, E. Lancini, M. Ludwig, M. Leiman, G. Guruprasath, L. Haag, J. Panczyszyn, E. Duezel, D. Haemmerer, M. Betts
Summary: The locus coeruleus (LC), a small structure in the brainstem, is the main source of noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. It modulates cognition, autonomic functions, and the brain's immune response. Degeneration of the LC may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Understanding early LC degeneration could provide insights into the mechanisms of these neurodegenerative diseases.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Joost M. Riphagen, Maxime van Egroo, Heidi I. L. Jacobs
Summary: The study indicates that elevated NE-metabolism can predict decline in learning, supporting the role of the LC-NE system in early Alzheimer's disease processes.
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Nanna Bertin Markussen, Rasmus West Knopper, Stine Hasselholt, Christian Stald Skoven, Jens Randel Nyengaard, Leif Ostergaard, Brian Hansen
Summary: The Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem region that supplies noradrenaline to key brain structures and affects various behaviors and physiological phenomena. Its dysfunction may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases. Animal models with LC dysfunction are essential for understanding its function and role in diseases.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Negin Holland, Trevor W. Robbins, James B. Rowe
Summary: This review highlights the important role of noradrenergic projections from the locus coeruleus in regulating cognition and behavior, as well as their loss in neurodegenerative diseases. Advances in human imaging and computational methods for quantifying the locus coeruleus and potential new noradrenergic treatment strategies are also discussed.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nico Bast, Sebastian B. Gaigg, Dermot M. Bowler, Veit Roessner, Christine M. Freitag, Melanie Ring
Summary: This study investigates pupil dilation during a memory task in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results show that adults with ASD have reduced memory accuracy compared to neurotypical individuals (TD), and this is related to altered pupil responses during encoding and retrieval processes. Higher pupil dilation during encoding and lower pupil dilation during retrieval are associated with decreased recognition accuracy, suggesting an altered modulation of memory encoding and retrieval in ASD.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuxiao Zhang, Yan Chen, Yushi Xin, Beibei Peng, Shuai Liu
Summary: Reward learning is crucial for survival and attention plays a key role in the recognition of reward cues and formation of reward memories. However, the neurological processes of the interaction between reward and attention are not well understood due to the diverse neural substrates involved in these processes.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Alexa F. Iannitelli, David Weinshenker
Summary: The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is an early affected region in both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), but the reasons for this selective vulnerability are not fully understood. This review focuses on the presence of neuromelanin (NM), a dark pigment unique to catecholaminergic cells, as a contributing factor to dysfunction and degeneration of LC neurons. The authors discuss the limitations of historical approaches and introduce a new human tyrosinase (hTyr) model for studying NM production and its potential therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative diseases.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Tony James, Bartosz Kula, Seowon Choi, Shahzad S. Khan, Lane K. Bekar, Nathan A. Smith
Summary: Catecholamine neurons of the locus coeruleus play a crucial role in regulating various functions such as attention, arousal, sleep, learning, memory, anxiety, pain, mood, and brain metabolism. The release of norepinephrine and dopamine from LC terminals in the hippocampus is involved in all stages of hippocampal memory processing. The firing modes of LC neurons in awake animals have different effects on post-synaptic dendritic spines, regulating long-term potentiation and depression in the hippocampus. Loss of catecholaminergic regulation from LC degeneration in Alzheimer's disease contributes to memory dysfunction and impaired attention and task completion functions.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Nils Korte, Greg James, Haoming You, Chanawee Hirunpattarasilp, Isabel Christie, Huma Sethi, David Attwell
Summary: Noradrenaline released from Locus coeruleus axons induces vascular contraction in arteriolar smooth muscle and capillary pericytes. This contraction is mediated via alpha(2) adrenergic receptors and does not elevate intracellular calcium levels. Activation of alpha(2) adrenergic receptors can stimulate pericyte contraction while blocking them reduces noradrenaline-induced pericyte contraction. These findings suggest that alpha(2) adrenergic receptors play a role in regulating cerebral blood flow and could be targeted for therapeutic purposes.
JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Amaia Nazabal, Aitziber Mendiguren, Joseba Pineda
Summary: EP3 receptors modulate the activity of locus coeruleus neurons through a G(i/o) protein and GIRK-mediated mechanism.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jon E. Grant, Richard A. Bethlehem, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Tara S. Peris, Emily J. Ricketts, Joseph O'Neill, Darin D. Dougherty, Dan Stein, Christine Lochner, Douglas W. Woods, John Piacentini, Nancy J. Keuthen
Summary: This study found that there are differences in brain structure among different subtypes of Trichotillomania (TTM), which may have implications for understanding clinical presentations and treatment response.
Article
Neurosciences
Katharina Zuhlsdorff, Jeffrey W. Dalley, Trevor W. Robbins, Sharon Morein-Zamir
Summary: Behavioral and cognitive flexibility enable individuals to adapt to a changing environment. This study introduces a novel "change your mind task" to assess volitional switching under uncertainty, without the need for rule-based learning. The findings suggest that individuals are more likely to change their response when the feedback is negative or when their initial response is incorrect.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jon E. Grant, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: Despite years of research, there are currently no FDA-approved medications for trichotillomania. However, monoamine oxidase inhibitors have shown efficacy in treating depression and may have potential for treating obsessive compulsive disorder.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Nana Feng, Lena Palaniyappan, Trevor W. Robbins, Luolong Cao, Shuanfeng Fang, Xingwei Luo, Xiang Wang, Qiang Luo
Summary: Impaired working memory (WM) is a core dysfunction in schizophrenia, characterized by deficits in both attention and WM processing. Patients show linear modulation of brain activation in frontoparietal and dorsal attention networks, while controls exhibit an inverted U-shaped response pattern in the left anterior cingulate cortex. These modulation effects are associated with gene expressions related to the dopamine neurotransmitter system.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Samuel R. Chamberlain, Betul Aslan, Anthony Quinn, Amith Anilkumar, Janine Robinson, Jon E. Grant, Julia Sinclair
Summary: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which are common and often associated with substance use disorders, may also have a connection with gambling disorder. Previous studies have examined the cognitive aspects of the relationship between autism and gambling and found mixed results, with autistic individuals showing either lower, equal, or higher performance than non-autistic individuals. The most consistent finding is that autistic individuals tend to have slower responses in gambling tasks. However, there is a lack of research on the neurocognitive overlap between autism and gambling, and future studies should investigate this relationship using validated tools and sufficient sample sizes.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Jeggan Tiego, William Trender, Peter J. Hellyer, Jon E. Grant, Adam Hampshire, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: Compulsivity is relevant to various psychiatric disorders, but it lacks characterization and validated measures at large scale. This study used the Cambridge-Chicago Compulsivity Trait Scale to describe the multidimensional latent structure of self-reported compulsivity in a population-based sample. The results revealed a two-factor model consisting of Perfectionism and Reward Drive dimensions, with discriminant validity and acceptable test-retest reliability. The scale, validated at a large scale, is suitable for studying compulsivity in clinical and nonclinical participants, and normative data are provided for future interpretation.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Roxanne W. Hook, Masanori Isobe, George Savulich, Jon E. Grant, Konstantinos Ioannidis, David Christmas, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: This study found that single-dose istradefylline can impact human cognition, particularly in the social information preference task with emotional loading. This indicates the under-studied role of the adenosine neurochemical system in human cognition, which requires further exploration.
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Michal M. Graczyk, Barbara J. Sahakian, Trevor W. Robbins, Karen D. Ersche
Summary: Not everyone who uses drugs loses control over their intake, which is a hallmark of addiction. Although familial risk studies suggest significant addiction heritability, the genetic basis of vulnerability to drug addiction remains largely unknown. In this study, the researchers examined the relationship between self-control, cocaine use, and a specific gene variant (rs36024) associated with the noradrenaline transporter gene. They found that individuals carrying the C-allele of this gene exhibited impaired self-control, particularly in the context of chronic cocaine use. Patients with cocaine use disorder who had the CC genotype showed longer stop-signal reaction time and fewer successful stops compared to healthy controls and patients with the TT genotype. These findings suggest that rs36024 may be a potential genetic vulnerability marker for cocaine addiction.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Biographical-Item
Neurosciences
Barbara J. Sahakian, Eileen M. Joyce, Trevor W. Robbins
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nace Mikus, Christoph Eisenegger, Christoph Mathys, Luke Clark, Ulrich Mueller, Trevor W. Robbins, Claus Lamm, Michael Naef
Summary: The study investigates the impact of the D2/D3 dopamine receptor antagonist sulpiride on learning about other people's prosocial attitudes. The results show that sulpiride increases the volatility of beliefs, leading to higher precision weights on prediction errors. This effect is more significant in participants with genetically conferred higher dopamine availability and remains even after controlling for working memory performance. The findings demonstrate the importance of D2 receptors in regulating belief updating in a social context.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Campbell Ince, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Adrian Carter, Lucy Albertella, Jeggan Tiego, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Kristian Rotaru
Summary: Problematic pornography use is a complex and growing research area, but limited knowledge exists regarding the lived experience of individuals with this issue. An online qualitative study revealed dimensions that have not been fully explored, including various mental and physical complaints, sexual functioning deficits with real partners, and subjective changes in sexual arousal while using pornography. The study also expanded on understanding the inner conflict associated with problematic pornography use and clarified ways in which users can progress to more intensified patterns of use.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shane A. Thomas, Colette J. Browning, Fadi J. Charchar, Britt Klein, Marcia G. Ory, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: Chronic illnesses pose a major threat to global population health, with an increasing prevalence over time. This paper discusses strategies to address chronic diseases, including the development of risk prediction tools, enhancing preventive measures and chronic disease management, and utilizing digital health systems. Limited research has been conducted on the combined population-level health effects of these strategies.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Jon E. Grant, Madison Collins, Eve Chesivoir, Samuel R. Chamberlain
Summary: This study finds that the relationship between trichotillomania and alcohol use problems has received little research attention. Among individuals with trichotillomania, 13.2% had hazardous alcohol use in the past year, but this difference was not statistically significant. However, past year hazardous drinking was associated with higher trait impulsivity.
PSYCHIATRIC QUARTERLY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Shitong Xiang, Tianye Jia, Chao Xie, Zhichao Zhu, Wei Cheng, Gunter Schumann, Trevor W. Robbins, Jianfeng Feng
Summary: How to retrieve latent neurobehavioural processes from complex neurobiological signals is a challenge that has not been fully addressed. This study presents a novel approach, DeCoP, that outperforms traditional decoding methods in terms of false inference and robustness. The research reveals distinct evaluation and readiness processes during reward/punishment anticipation, modulated by different dopamine systems. Only a few brain regions encode exact input information, while others encode abstract information.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Erynn Christensen, Lucy Albertella, Samuel R. Chamberlain, Maja Brydevall, Chao Suo, Jon E. Grant, Murat Yucel, Rico Sze Chun Lee
Summary: This study evaluated the neurocognitive correlates of problem alcohol use and three non-substance-related addictive behaviors using a large community sample. The results showed differential associations between neurocognition and each addictive behavior, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of non-substance addiction.
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
(2024)
