Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Walaa F. Alsanie, Sherin Abdelrahman, Majid Alhomrani, Ahmed Gaber, Hamza Habeeballah, Heba A. Alkhatabi, Raed I. Felimban, Charlotte A. E. Hauser, Hossam H. Tayeb, Abdulhakeem S. Alamri, Bassem M. Raafat, Sirajudheen Anwar, Khaled A. Alswat, Yusuf S. Althobaiti, Yousif A. Asiri
Summary: Research has shown that gabapentin interferes with the development of fetal ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons, affecting morphology and expression of key developmental genes. This suggests that the use of gabapentin may lead to serious complications for pregnant women and their babies, warranting caution in prescription decisions.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Virginie J. Oberto, Jumpei Matsumoto, Marco N. Pompili, Ralitsa Todorova, Francesco Papaleo, Hisao Nishijo, Laurent Venance, Marie Vandecasteele, Sidney I. Wiener
Summary: This study compares the oscillations of different frequencies in dopaminergic neurons and their relationship with behavior. It shows that dopaminergic neurons have stronger activity in the moderate to fast frequency bands and play an important role in operant olfactory and visual discrimination tasks.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Theodoros Tsetsenis, Julia K. Badyna, Julianne A. Wilson, Xiaowen Zhang, Elizabeth N. Krizman, Manivannan Subramaniyan, Kechun Yang, Steven A. Thomas, John A. Dani
Summary: This study identifies a cluster of midbrain dopamine neurons near the hippocampus that send direct projections and play a crucial role in aversive memory formation. The neuromodulation of midbrain dopamine in the hippocampus is sufficient to maintain aversive memory formation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Federico Miozzo, Luca Stickley, Eva P. Valencia-Alarcon, Michaela Dorcikova, Francesco Petrelli, Damla Tas, Nicolas Loncle, Irina Nikonenko, Peter Bou Dib, Emi Nagoshi
Summary: This study identifies a conserved mechanism by which a transcription factor regulates mitochondrial health in dopaminergic neurons. By studying fruit fly and mouse models, the researchers demonstrate that this transcription factor maintains mitochondrial structure and function during aging, playing a crucial role in neuroprotection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Yu-Kai Wang, Lin Feng, Ai-Jin Ma, Jie Hao, Ying Zhang, Yue-Jun Chen, Zhi-Guo Chen, Jun-Ying Yu, Yan Liu, Chang-Mei Liu, Yu Zhang, Chang-Lin Wang, Zhao-Qian Teng, Jia-Xi Zhou, Tian-Qing Li, Liu Wang, Bo-Qiang Fu, Yu Vincent Fu, Li-Jun Zhu, Ling-Min Liang, Jia-Ni Cao, Lei Wang, Qi Zhou, Andy Peng Xiang, Bao-Yang Hu, Tong-Biao Zhao
Summary: The "Guideline for Human Midbrain Dopaminergic Progenitors" is the first guideline in China specifically addressing human midbrain dopaminergic progenitors. It provides detailed technical requirements, test methods, and instructions for usage, which are crucial for quality control in this field. The publication of this guideline is expected to promote the establishment and implementation of proper protocols, and encourage international standardization in the clinical development and therapeutic applications of human midbrain dopaminergic progenitors.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jin Yi Han, Eun-Hye Lee, Sang-Mi Kim, Chang-Hwan Park
Summary: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, bradykinesia, and rigidity. Stem cell-based therapy using astrocytes as a source for dopamine neurons shows potential as a treatment option. By overexpressing certain transcription factors, astrocytes can be directly converted into dopamine neurons and neural progenitor cells (NPCs). This direct conversion strategy may provide a cell therapy approach for neurodegenerative diseases.
BIOMOLECULES & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jia Shang, Bin Li, Han Fan, Peidi Liu, Wen Zhao, Tao Chen, Pu Chen, Longqiu Yang
Summary: This study investigated the effects of sevoflurane on the midbrain's development using human physiologically-relevant midbrain organoids. The results showed that long-term exposure to sevoflurane could promote premature differentiation of midbrain organoids and inhibit cell proliferation, indicating a potential adverse effect on the midbrain development in fetuses.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Walaa F. Alsanie, Majid Alhomrani, Ahmed Gaber, Hamza Habeeballah, Heba A. Alkhatabi, Raed I. Felimban, Sherin Abdelrahman, Charlotte A. E. Hauser, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Abdulhakeem S. Alamri, Bassem M. Raafat, Abdulwahab Alamri, Sirajudheen Anwar, Khaled A. Alswat, Yusuf S. Althobaiti, Yousif A. Asiri
Summary: This study found that early exposure to pregabalin could interfere with the development of ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons, which is crucial for clinical consideration of its use during pregnancy.
Article
Physiology
Toshiyuki Fujita, Naoya Aoki, Chihiro Mori, Shouta Serizawa, Fumiko Kihara-Negishi, Koichi J. J. Homma, Shinji Yamaguchi
Summary: The study revealed the reciprocal regulation between dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in birds, with 5-HTR1A and 5-HTR1B receptors expressed in midbrain dopaminergic nuclei playing a role in the serotonergic regulation of the dopaminergic system. This finding enhances our understanding of the interaction between dopamine and serotonin systems in birds at the molecular level.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jackson Brougher, Umaymah Aziz, Nikitha Adari, Muskaan Chaturvedi, Aryela Jules, Iqra Shah, Saba Syed, Catherine A. Thorn
Summary: The study compared the effects of right cervical vagus nerve stimulation (r-VNS) with traditional left VNS (l-VNS) on self-administration behavior and midbrain dopaminergic activation in rats. The results showed that rats stimulated with r-VNS exhibited significantly more lever presses and greater c-Fos expression in dopamine-related brain regions compared to l-VNS, suggesting a preferential activation of the midbrain dopaminergic system by targeting the right cervical nerve.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Lydia Hellrung, Matthias Kirschner, James Sulzer, Ronald Sladky, Frank Scharnowski, Marcus Herdener, Philippe N. Tobler
Summary: Analysis of real-time fMRI data suggests that reinforcement learning contributes to successful self-regulation in the dopaminergic midbrain. The study found that successful self-regulation is associated with prefrontal reward sensitivity, decreasing relation between prefrontal activity and midbrain learning signals during neurofeedback training, and increased activity within cognitive control areas during transfer.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yi Han Ng, Soham Chanda, Justyna A. Janas, Nan Yang, Yuko Kokubu, Thomas C. Sudhof, Marius Wernig
Summary: Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells can be achieved through signaling pathways activation or transcription factor programming, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Research findings suggest that specific combinations of transcription factors can efficiently induce the generation of functional dopaminergic neurons.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Walaa F. Alsanie, Sherin Abdelrahman, Majid Alhomrani, Ahmed Gaber, Ebtisam Abdulah Alosimi, Hamza Habeeballah, Heba A. Alkhatabi, Raed Felimban, Charlotte A. E. Hauser, Hossam H. Tayeb, Abdulhakeem S. Alamri, Abdulwahab Alamri, Bassem M. Raafat, Khaled A. Alswat, Yusuf S. Althobaiti, Yousif A. Asiri
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of quetiapine fumarate (QEPF) on fetal brain development using primary mouse embryonic neurons. The results showed that QEPF reduced the expression of specific genes in dopaminergic neurons and had variable effects on non-dopaminergic neurons. These findings have important implications for therapeutic decision-making when prescribing second-generation antipsychotics to pregnant women.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ruidong Chen, Vikram Gadagkar, Andrea C. Roeser, Pavel A. Puzerey, Jesse H. Goldberg
Summary: The study found that many VP and VTA neurons exhibit body movement-locked activity exclusively when the bird is not singing, but can switch off their tuning to body movement and become precisely time-locked to specific song syllables when singing. These changes in neuronal tuning occur rapidly at state boundaries, showing that movement-related activity in limbic circuits can be gated by behavioral context.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Scott Bell, Vincent McCarty, Huashan Peng, Malvin Jefri, Nuwan Hettige, Lilit Antonyan, Liam Crapper, Liam A. O'Leary, Xin Zhang, Ying Zhang, Hanrong Wu, Diane Sutcliffe, Ilaria Kolobova, Thad A. Rosenberger, Luc Moquin, Alain Gratton, Jelena Popic, Ilse Gantois, Patrick S. Stumpf, Andreas A. Schuppert, Naguib Mechawar, Nahum Sonenberg, Michel L. Tremblay, Hyder A. Jinnah, Carl Ernst
Summary: Mutations in the HPRT1 gene lead to Lesch-Nyhan disease, characterized by self-injury and motor impairments. By utilizing stem cell and genetic engineering technologies, researchers were able to model the disease in different types of brain cells, finding specific effects on dopaminergic progenitor cells due to purine salvage deficiency. Metabolic analyses revealed significant loss in purine derivatives and impaired glycolysis, highlighting the importance of purine metabolism in dopaminergic cell development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Desiree R. Seib, Delane F. Espinueva, Oren Princz-Lebel, Erin Chahley, Jordann Stevenson, Timothy P. O'Leary, Stan B. Floresco, Jason S. Snyder
Summary: Adult hippocampal neurogenesis plays a crucial role in decision making regarding future rewards, with inhibition of neurogenesis leading to aversion towards delayed rewards and preference for immediately available rewards. This suggests a specific role for newborn neurons in regulating choices involving future-oriented cognition.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Correction
Developmental Biology
Karol Kaiser, Ahram Jang, Petra Kompanikova, Melody P. Lun, Jan Prochazka, Ondrej Machon, Neil Dani, Michaela Prochazkova, Benoit Laurent, Daniel Gyllborg, Renee van Amerongen, Ryann M. Fame, Suhasini Gupta, Feizhen Wu, Roger A. Barker, Ivana Bukova, Radislav Sedlacek, Zbynek Kozmik, Ernest Arenas, Maria K. Lehtinen, Vitezslav Bryja
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oliver L. Eichmueller, Nina S. Corsini, Abel Vertesy, Ilaria Morassut, Theresa Scholl, Victoria-Elisabeth Gruber, Angela M. Peer, Julia Chu, Maria Novatchkova, Johannes A. Hainfellner, Mercedes F. Paredes, Martha Feucht, Juergen A. Knoblich
Summary: The evolutionary development of the human brain involves the expansion of different brain regions. This study focuses on the specific developmental processes in humans that lead to malformations of cortical development, resulting in developmental delay and epilepsy in children. By creating a human cerebral organoid model for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), researchers identified a neural stem cell type called caudal late interneuron progenitor (CLIP) cells that overproliferate in TSC, leading to excessive interneurons, brain tumors, and cortical malformations. Inhibiting the epidermal growth factor receptor has potential therapeutic effects for TSC and related disorders. The discovery of CLIP cells highlights the vulnerability to disease in the extended generation of interneurons in the human brain, while also demonstrating the importance of analyzing malformations of cortical development in gaining insights into human-specific aspects of brain development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hairuo Dang, Ana Martin-Villalba, Elmar Schiebel
Summary: This study reveals the importance of centrosome cohesion in sperm production, stem cell maintenance, and fertility. Disruption of centrosome cohesion in these mice prevents the formation of sperm and leads to asymmetric cell division and premature stem cell differentiation, ultimately resulting in infertility.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ryan J. Tomm, Desiree R. Seib, George Kachkovski, Helen R. Schweitzer, Daniel J. Tobiansky, Stan B. Floresco, Kiran K. Soma
Summary: The study found that neurally-produced androgens modulate behavioral flexibility through modification of dopamine signaling, which in turn affects executive functions.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Ernest Arenas
Summary: This study reveals the existence of ten distinct dopamine-producing neuron subpopulations in the substantia nigra, but only one of them is associated with significant PD genetic risk and vulnerable to neurodegeneration in PD.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Timothy P. O'Leary, Baran Askari, Bonnie H. Lee, Kathryn Darby, Cypress Knudson, Alyssa M. Ash, Desiree R. Seib, Delane F. Espinueva, Jason S. Snyder
Summary: Adult-born neurons in the hippocampus contribute to spatial learning, especially in stressful conditions, and exhibit sex differences in their behavioral functions. This study found that ablating neurogenesis had different effects on male and female rats in cold water, with males showing slower maze escape and females showing faster escape. Neurogenesis also influenced search strategy differently in males and females, and male rats displayed greater experience-dependent plasticity compared to females.
Article
Neurosciences
Desiree R. Seib, Oren Princz-Lebel, Erin R. Chahley, Stan B. Floresco, Jason S. Snyder
Summary: A fundamental trait of depression is low motivation. This study used a rat model to investigate the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in motivation and found that reducing neurogenesis decreased response vigor to obtain rewards, providing further insights into how neurogenesis shapes depression.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Caroline B. Pantazis, Andrian Yang, Erika Lara, Justin A. McDonough, Cornelis Blauwendraat, Lirong Peng, Hideyuki Oguro, Jitendra Kanaujiya, Jizhong Zou, David Sebesta, Gretchen Pratt, Erin Cross, Jeffrey Blockwick, Philip Buxton, Lauren Kinner-Bibeau, Constance Medura, Christopher Tompkins, Stephen Hughes, Marianita Santiana, Faraz Faghri, Mike A. Nalls, Daniel Vitale, Shannon Ballard, Yue A. Qi, Daniel M. Ramos, Kailyn M. Anderson, Julia Stadler, Priyanka Narayan, Jason Papademetriou, Luke Reilly, Matthew P. Nelson, Sanya Aggarwal, Leah U. Rosen, Peter Kirwan, Venkat Pisupati, Steven L. Coon, Sonja W. Scholz, Theresa Priebe, Miriam Ottl, Jian Dong, Marieke Meijer, Lara J. M. Janssen, Vanessa S. Lourenco, Rik van der Kant, Dennis Crusius, Dominik Paquet, Ana-Caroline Raulin, Guojun Bu, Aaron Held, Brian J. Wainger, Rebecca M. C. Gabriele, Jackie M. Casey, Selina Wray, Dad Abu-Bonsrah, Clare L. Parish, Melinda S. Beccari, Don W. Cleveland, Emmy Li, Indigo V. L. Rose, Martin Kampmann, Carles Calatayud Aristoy, Patrik Verstreken, Laurin Heinrich, Max Y. Chen, Birgitt Schule, Dan Dou, Erika L. F. Holzbaur, Maria Clara Zanellati, Richa Basundra, Mohanish Deshmukh, Sarah Cohen, Richa Khanna, Malavika Raman, Zachary S. Nevin, Madeline Matia, Jonas Van Lent, Vincent Timmerman, Bruce R. Conklin, Katherine Johnson Chase, Ke Zhang, Salome Funes, Daryl A. Bosco, Lena Erlebach, Marc Welzer, Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg, Guochang Lyu, Ernest Arenas, Elena Coccia, Lily Sarrafha, Tim Ahfeldt, John C. Marioni, William C. Skarnes, Mark R. Cookson, Michael E. Ward, Florian T. Merkle
Summary: This study sub-cloned candidate human iPSC lines and characterized their genetic and phenotypic properties. The well-performing iPSC line, KOLF2.1J, was identified and shared with research groups around the world for cross-validation. The findings support the standardization and collaboration in the stem cell field.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Alyssa M. Ash, Elena Regele-Blasco, Desiree R. Seib, Erin Chahley, Patrick D. Skelton, Bryan W. Luikart, Jason S. Snyder
Summary: Ongoing neurogenesis in the DG subregion of the hippocampus leads to a heterogenous population of neurons. Immature ABNs have unique physiological and anatomical properties that may play a role in learning. They have greater excitability and target inhibitory interneurons, potentially inhibiting the activity of mature DBNs during learning.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Kaneyasu Nishimura, Shanzheng Yang, Ka Wai Lee, Emilia Sif Asgrimsdottir, Kasra Nikouei, Wojciech Paslawski, Sabine Gnodde, Guochang Lyu, Lijuan Hu, Carmen Salto, Per Svenningsson, Jens Hjerling-Leffler, Sten Linnarsson, Ernest Arenas
Summary: The study identifies developmental factors important for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into midbrain dopaminergic neurons and reveals a developmental dynamics similar to that of the endogenous human ventral midbrain. The findings open the door for the future application of molecularly defined stem cell-derived cell types in Parkinson disease.
Review
Neurosciences
Ahmed Haider, Nehal H. Elghazawy, Alyaa Dawood, Catherine Gebhard, Thomas Wichmann, Wolfgang Sippl, Marius Hoener, Ernest Arenas, Steven H. Liang
Summary: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting the elderly. PD is characterized by nigrostriatal loss and the formation of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein aggregates. Motor symptoms can be managed with dopaminergic therapy initially, but ultimately become unresponsive. Molecular imaging techniques such as PET and SPECT can be used to study PD.
MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chong Li, Jonas Simon Fleck, Catarina Martins-Costa, Thomas R. Burkard, Jan Themann, Marlene Stuempflen, Angela Maria Peer, Abel Vertesy, Jamie B. Littleboy, Christopher Esk, Ulrich Elling, Gregor Kasprian, Nina S. Corsini, Barbara Treutlein, Juergen A. Knoblich
Summary: The study develops a high-throughput CRISPR screening system in cerebral organoids to identify vulnerable cell types and gene regulatory networks associated with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers found that perturbing members of the chromatin remodelling complex can affect cell fate determination in progenitor cells.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Desiree R. Seib, Daniel J. Tobiansky, John Meitzen, Stan B. Floresco, Kiran K. Soma
Summary: The review summarizes the evidence that cells in the mesocorticolimbic system produce neurosteroids and express steroid receptors, focusing on neuroandrogens and neuroestrogens and their effects on dopamine signaling and executive functions in the system.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Paola Conforti, Vittoria Dickinson Bocchi, Ilaria Campus, Linda Scaramuzza, Maura Galimberti, Tiziana Lischetti, Francesca Talpo, Matteo Pedrazzoli, Alessio Murgia, Ivan Ferrari, Chiara Cordiglieri, Alessandra Fasciani, Ernest Arenas, Dan Felsenfeld, Gerardo Biella, Dario Besusso, Elena Cattaneo
Summary: This study develops a new protocol for generating reproducible striatal medium spiny neurons within a 25-day differentiation process. By modulating cell seeding density and exposure to specific morphogens, the researchers successfully mimic the acquisition of cell fate and increase the yield of medium spiny neurons by modulating the midkine pathway.
CELL REPORTS METHODS
(2022)
