Article
Clinical Neurology
Jose A. Pineda-Pardo, Alvaro Sanchez-Ferro, Mariana H. G. Monje, Nicola Pavese, Jose A. Obeso
Summary: The striatal dopaminergic deficit in Parkinson's disease follows a somatotopically related pattern, with an upper-limb onset and progression to other regions of the striatum. The denervation of the putamen was confirmed in both hemispheres and corresponding hemibodies. The findings suggest a precise somatotopic onset of nigrostriatal denervation in Parkinson's disease.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hayden Wilkinson, Kristina A. Thomsson, Ana L. Rebelo, Mark Hilliard, Abhay Pandit, Pauline M. Rudd, Niclas G. Karlsson, Radka Saldova
Summary: This study provides a detailed analysis of O-glycosylation in neurodegenerative conditions such as PD and ILBD, revealing significant differences in glycosylation levels. Potential disease biomarkers are identified, highlighting the benefits of employing orthogonal techniques for glycan analysis.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kyungduk Hurh, Minah Park, Sung-in Jang, Eun-Cheol Park, Suk-Yong Jang
Summary: This study evaluated the association between serum lipid levels and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). The results showed an inverse association between serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and the risk of PD. However, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not related to PD risk.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Han-Kyeol Kim, Tae Won Kim, Min Seok Baek, Eung Yeop Kim, Young Hee Sung, Jae Hoon Lee, Young Hoon Ryu, Sung Jun Ahn, Han Soo Yoo, Chul Hyoung Lyoo
Summary: In this study, the visibility of NG1 in SMwI was found to be associated with the degree of nigrostriatal degeneration in PD patients. It was concluded that SMwI can be used for diagnosing PD only after the onset of motor symptoms.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Loredana Leggio, Francesca L'Episcopo, Andrea Magri, Maria Jose Ulloa-Navas, Greta Paterno, Silvia Vivarelli, Carlos A. P. Bastos, Cataldo Tirolo, Nunzio Testa, Salvatore Caniglia, Pierpaolo Risiglione, Fabrizio Pappalardo, Alessandro Serra, Patricia Garcia-Tarraga, Nuno Faria, Jonathan J. Powell, Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti, Stefano Pluchino, Jose Manuel Garcia-Verdugo, Angela Messina, Bianca Marchetti, Nunzio Iraci
Summary: Extracellular vesicles released by astrocytes in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients play a significant role in cell-to-cell communication and have neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons. Nigrostriatal astrocytes release the highest number of EVs, especially in response to CCL3, which promotes dopaminergic neuroprotection. These EVs specifically protect differentiated cells from oxidative stress-induced caspase-3 activation and restore impaired mitochondrial function caused by the neurotoxin MPP+. EVs from VMB-astrocytes fully restore ATP production in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ingrid Morales, Ricardo Puertas-Avendano, Alberto Sanchez, Adrian Perez-Barreto, Clara Rodriguez-Sabate, Manuel Rodriguez
Summary: The study revealed the essential role of astrocytes in clearing axonal debris produced by the degeneration of dopaminergic axons, which can prevent the activation of microglia and hinder the progression of PD.
TRANSLATIONAL NEURODEGENERATION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yukai Lv, Bo Xu, Xuejuan Zhang, Chunhuan Chen, Yan Gao, Ning Li
Summary: Among statin-free newly diagnosed PD patients, low LDL-C levels may be associated with the occurrence of PD.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jin Xue, Yingbao Zhu, Liyi Wei, Hongjing Huang, Guangxu Li, Wen Huang, Hua Zhu, Ranhui Duan
Summary: NgBR, encoded by NUS1 gene, is involved in cholesterol transport and the risk of Parkinson's disease. Knockdown of tango14, the ortholog of NUS1, in fruit flies leads to decreased locomotive abilities, loss of dopaminergic neurons, and cholesterol accumulation. This study also reveals neurodegenerative effects and increased alpha-synuclein neurotoxicity in tango14 knockdown flies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Lopez de Frutos, Francisco Almeida, Jessica Murillo-Saich, Vasco A. Conceicao, Monica Guma, Oswald Queheberger, Pilar Giraldo, Gabriel Miltenberger-Miltenyi
Summary: This study found changes in serum phospholipid levels in patients with Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease, supporting the role of these lipids in disease development and as potential biomarkers. The normalizing effect of miglustat on the altered phosphatidylcholine/lyso-phosphatidylcholine ratio further strengthens this hypothesis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura A. Struzyna, Kevin D. Browne, Justin C. Burrell, Wisberty J. Gordian Velez, Kathryn L. Wofford, Hilton M. Kaplan, N. Sanjeeva Murthy, H. Isaac Chen, John E. Duda, Rodrigo A. Espana, D. Kacy Cullen
Summary: This study successfully created a tissue-engineered nigrostriatal pathway (TE-NSP) using microtissue engineering techniques. The implanted TE-NSP showed survival, dopamine release, and integration with host tissue in a rat PD model, providing a potential strategy for replacing lost neuroarchitecture in PD patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Antonina Luca, Roberto Monastero, Calogero Edoardo Cicero, Roberta Baschi, Giulia Donzuso, Giovanni Mostile, Vincenzo Restivo, Lucia Di Giorgi, Maria Caccamo, Mario Zappia, Alessandra Nicoletti
Summary: The study found that female Parkinson's disease patients had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than males. Among female patients, there was a positive association between hypertriglyceridemia and FAB score below cutoff, while among male patients, there were negative associations between hypercholesterolemia/high LDL levels and FAB score below cutoff. This suggests a sex-specific different role of lipids in executive functioning.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Wisberty J. Gordian-Velez, Dimple Chouhan, Rodrigo A. Espana, H. Isaac Chen, Jason A. Burdick, John E. Duda, D. Kacy Cullen
Summary: Parkinson's disease is a global neurodegenerative disease affecting approximately 10 million people worldwide, characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons and axonal fibers leading to dopamine loss in the striatum and motor symptoms. Current treatments focus on symptom reduction, with pathway reconstruction emerging as an alternative approach involving implanting tissue-engineered nigrostriatal pathways into the brain. This method aims to restore proper dopamine release and motor circuit regulation.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Evgeniia Lobanova, Daniel Whiten, Francesco S. Ruggeri, Christopher G. Taylor, Antonina Kouli, Zengjie Xia, Derya Emin, Yu P. Zhang, Jeff Y. L. Lam, Caroline H. Williams-Gray, David Klenerman
Summary: The aggregation of alpha-synuclein is important in the development of Parkinson's disease. Studying the aggregates in biofluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum can provide insights into disease mechanisms and potential diagnostic markers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Victor Blokhin, Maria Shupik, Ulyana Gutner, Ekaterina Pavlova, Albert T. Lebedev, Olga Maloshitskaya, Vsevolod Bogdanov, Sergey Sokolov, Alice Alessenko, Michael Ugrumov
Summary: Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that is incurable due to late diagnosis and treatment. The study found that the expression of key sphingolipid metabolism enzyme genes and the content of sphingolipids play an important role in the preclinical and clinical stages of PD, suggesting their potential as attractive diagnostic markers.
Article
Neurosciences
Daniel Macias-Garcia, Maria Teresa Perinan, Laura Munoz-Delgado, Maria Valle Jimenez-Jaraba, Miguel Angel Labrador-Espinosa, Silvia Jesus, Dolores Buiza-Rueda, Carlota Mendez-Del Barrio, Astrid Adarmes-Gomez, Pilar Gomez-Garre, Pablo Mir
Summary: The study found that serum lipid profiles in PD patients are influenced by genetic background, with GBA-associated PD patients having significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL compared to LRRK2-associated PD patients and healthy controls. This suggests lipid metabolism disruption as a main pathogenic mechanism in GBA-associated PD patients.
NPJ PARKINSONS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Keran Wang, Zhehui Luo, Chenxi Li, Xuemei Huang, Eric J. Shiroma, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Honglei Chen
Summary: The study found that blood total cholesterol levels began to decrease in the prodromal stage of Parkinson's disease, providing a possible explanation for the reported inverse association between circulating cholesterol and PD.
JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Tengfei Ma, Honglei Chen, Qing Lu, Xiaoran Tong
Summary: This study utilized data from a UK Biobank study to conduct polygenic risk score analysis on a multi-ethnic, pre-adult population from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Results showed that the risk scores based on significant nucleotide polymorphisms found in white British adults were a strong predictor of insomnia in children of similar European background, but lacked predictive power in non-European groups.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Cuiping Wang, Jingyu Lin, Yue Niu, Weidong Wang, Jianfen Wen, Lili Lv, Cong Liu, Xihao Du, Qingli Zhang, Bo Chen, Jing Cai, Zhuohui Zhao, Donghai Liang, John S. Ji, Honglei Chen, Renjie Chen, Haidong Kan
Summary: The study revealed that acute ozone exposure can lead to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and an increase in the secretion of neuroendocrine stress hormones, potentially resulting in adverse cardiometabolic effects.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yaqun Yuan, Srishti Shrestha, Zhehui Luo, Chenxi Li, Brenda L. Plassman, Christine G. Parks, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Dale P. Sandler, Honglei Chen
Summary: Among farmers, high pesticide exposures may be associated with dream-enacting behaviors.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Honglei Chen, Keran Wang, Filip Scheperjans, Bryan Killinger
Summary: The lack of understanding of the prodromal phase and factors involved in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has been a major challenge in studying its etiology and preventive strategies. The Braak and dual-hit hypotheses provide a theoretical platform to identify triggers and modifiers of PD development and suggest that the olfactory structures and gut may play a role. This review summarizes available evidence, discusses research gaps and strategies for searching environmental triggers and modifiers for PD.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Renjie Chen, Yixuan Jiang, Jialu Hu, Honglei Chen, Huichu Li, Xia Meng, John S. Ji, Ya Gao, Weidong Wang, Cong Liu, Weiyi Fang, Hongbing Yan, Jiyan Chen, Weimin Wang, Dingcheng Xiang, Xi Su, Bo Yu, Yan Wang, Yawei Xu, Lefeng Wang, Chunjie Li, Yundai Chen, Michelle L. Bell, Aaron J. Cohen, Junbo Ge, Yong Huo, Haidong Kan
Summary: This study found that short-term exposure to air pollutants such as PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO may trigger the onset of ACS and its subtypes. The associations were strongest in the first hour of exposure and attenuated thereafter.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Keran Wang, Zhehui Luo, Chenxi Li, Jayant M. Pinto, Eric J. Shiroma, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Honglei Chen
Summary: In older adults, poor olfaction is associated with lower kidney function but not future risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Zichun Cao, Aiwen Yang, Aimee A. D'Aloisio, Lourdes Suarez, Sandra Deming-Halverson, Chenxi Li, Zhehui Luo, Jayant M. Pinto, Emily J. Werder, Dale P. Sandler, Honglei Chen
Summary: Poor olfaction is common in older adults, but often goes unrecognized. This study examined the self-awareness and reporting accuracy of poor olfaction in middle-aged and older women. It found that self-reports of poor olfaction were lower compared to objective tests, and there were significant associations between poor olfaction and factors such as age, marital status, smoking, coffee drinking, obesity, health status, Parkinson disease, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, and seasonal allergy.
JAMA OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD & NECK SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Christine G. Parks, Srishti Shrestha, Stuart Long, Thomas Flottemesch, Sarah Woodruff, Honglei Chen, Gabriella Andreotti, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Dale P. Sandler
Summary: This article describes the experience of linking the Agricultural Health Study cohort to Medicare claims data and explores the possibility of missing data. The study found that incomplete claims data can lead to a reduced sample size in analyses and that the missingness may not be random.
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yang Yang, Mechelle M. Lewis, Lan Kong, Richard B. Mailman
Summary: This study compared the effects of methylphenidate and 2-methyldihydrexidine on spatial working memory (sWM) using a rodent model. The results showed that 2-methyldihydrexidine had a better improvement effect on sWM compared to methylphenidate, while methylphenidate had the potential to impair sWM. These findings suggest that a dopamine D1 receptor agonist may be more effective than methylphenidate in the treatment of ADHD by modulating neural activity in the prefrontal cortex.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shengfang Song, Zhehui Luo, Chenxi Li, Xuemei Huang, Eric J. Shiroma, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Honglei Chen
Summary: This study longitudinally assessed depressive symptoms in older adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) and found that depressive symptoms start to increase a few years prior to PD diagnosis and become significantly different from expected levels one year before diagnosis.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Andrea L. C. Schneider, Rebecca F. Gottesman, Thomas H. Mosley, Srishti Shrestha, Nicholas R. Rowan, A. Richey Sharrett, Honglei Chen, Vidyulata Kamath
Summary: The study found an association between head injury and olfactory dysfunction, particularly in individuals with multiple prior head injuries and more severe head injury. The findings also suggested that individuals with prior head injury were more likely to underestimate or overestimate their olfactory deficits compared to objective olfactory testing.
JAMA OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD & NECK SURGERY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Christiane Reitz, Margaret A. Pericak-Vance, Tatiana Foroud, Richard Mayeux
Summary: The lack of ancestral diversity in study cohorts limits progress in Alzheimer disease genetics. This article summarizes the current knowledge of Alzheimer disease genetics globally and highlights efforts to increase cohort diversity. Identifying genetic causes of Alzheimer disease can lead to potential treatments by uncovering underlying pathological mechanisms. Large-scale genome-wide analyses suggest that multiple genes or loci contribute to the disease. However, most genetic data have been obtained from non-Hispanic white individuals in Europe and North America, hindering the development of personalized approaches for individuals of other ethnicities.
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiaxing Chen, Yashavantha L. Vishweshwaraiah, Richard B. Mailman, Erdem D. Tabdanov, Nikolay Dokholyan
Summary: Single-protein-based devices that integrate signal sensing with logical operations have the potential to monitor and modulate biological systems effectively. However, designing intelligent nanoscale computing agents with sensor domains integrated into functional proteins is challenging. In this study, the researchers incorporated a rapamycin-sensitive sensor and a blue light-responsive domain into a human Src kinase, creating a protein device that functions as a noncom-mutative combinatorial logic circuit. By applying the appropriate input signals, this protein device can reversibly control cell orientation, which has implications for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Andrew J. Foy, Kent E. Vrana, Paul Haidet, Bernice L. Hausman, Nancy E. Adams, Ira Ropson, Daniel R. Wolpaw, David Rabago, Richard B. Mailman, Xuemei Huang
Summary: This study explores the impact of a new medical student education model (Argue-to-Learn) on critical thinking and communication skills. The staged debates and small group discussions create a structured environment for students to engage in discourse and encourage critical thinking on clinically controversial topics. The results of the survey show that students have a positive attitude towards this educational model, believing it helps cultivate critical thinking skills.
ADVANCES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
(2023)