Article
Neurosciences
An-Li Wang, Owen Y. Chao, Susanne Nikolaus, Valeria Lamounier-Zepter, Cornelis P. Hollenberg, Gert Lubec, Svenja V. Trossbach, Carsten Korth, Joseph P. Huston
Summary: The misassembly of DISC1 protein leads to disturbances in cognitive flexibility and social behaviors, and may also be involved in stress sensitization. This finding suggests that the tgDISC1 rat may be a valuable animal model for investigating cognitive, social, and possibly stress-related symptoms of major mental illnesses.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Duco Steven Koenis, Issa Beegun, Charlotte Camille Jouvene, Gabriel Amador Aguirre, Patricia Regina Souza, Maria Gonzalez-Nunez, Lucy Ly, Kimberly Pistorius, Hemant M. Kocher, William Ricketts, Gavin Thomas, Mauro Perretti, Ghassan Alusi, Paul Pfeffer, Jesmond Dalli
Summary: This study revealed that circulating SPM concentrations are correlated with disease severity and dysregulated phagocyte function in COVID-19 patients, and that dexamethasone can potentially upregulate these mediators as a host protective mechanism against COVID-19.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chung-Yao Hsu, Yao-Chung Chuang, Fang-Chia Chang, Hung-Yi Chuang, Terry Ting-Yu Chiou, Chien-Te Lee
Summary: Chronic lead exposure disrupts the sleep-wake cycle in rats, particularly disrupting sleep homeostasis. This disturbance is associated with toxic effects on clock gene expression in the hypothalamus.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brendan M. Gabriel, Jonathon A. B. Smith, Laura Sardon-Puig, Xiping Zhang, Astrid L. Basse, Rhianna C. Laker, Hui Gao, Zhengye Liu, Lucile Dollet, Jonas T. Treebak, Antonio Zorzano, Zhiguang Huo, Mikael Ryden, Johanna T. Lanner, Karyn A. Esser, Romain Barres, Nicolas J. Pillon, Anna Krook, Juleen R. Zierath
Summary: Disruption of circadian rhythms in diabetes affects the cycling of core-clock genes and the expression of inner-mitochondrial genes associated with insulin sensitivity. Treatments restoring mitochondrial function and rhythmic gene expression may help address metabolic dysfunction in diabetes. Bidirectional communication between mitochondrial function and rhythmic gene expression is disturbed in diabetes.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Kyna-Anne Conn, Suzy Alexander, Thomas H. J. Burne, James P. Kesby
Summary: This study examines the role of D1 and D2 receptors in learning induced by amphetamine. The results suggest that overall D1 receptor availability is crucial for learning, while modifying D2 receptor function can ameliorate learning deficits in a state of elevated dopamine.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Jian Han, Pragya Nepal, Anuoluwapo Odelade, Frederick D. Freely, Destiny M. Belton, Joseph L. Graves, Antoniette M. Maldonado-Devincci
Summary: Chronic exposure to a high-fat diet can lead to weight gain and behavioral deficits. In C57BL/6J mice, these effects begin at the 3rd month of dietary exposure and behavioral deficits occur at around 3-4 months after increased body weight.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alexander Gomez-A, Carol A. Dannenhoffer, Amanda Elton, Sung-Ho Lee, Woomi Ban, Yen-Yu Ian Shih, Charlotte A. Boettiger, Donita L. Robinson
Summary: Adolescent alcohol exposure can have significant impacts on behavioral flexibility and brain functional connectivity in adult animals, leading to impairments in attentional set reversals and decreased connectivity among key brain regions supporting flexible behavior. The study demonstrates a crucial link between reduced brain functional connectivity resulting from alcohol exposure during adolescence and deficits in behavioral flexibility.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jillian J. Weeks, Anthony A. Grace, Alan F. Sved
Summary: The study showed that both acute and chronic administration of nicotine improved deficits in schizophrenia-like behaviors and normalized neuronal activity in specific brain regions in the schizophrenia rodent model. These findings support the self-medication hypothesis for smoking in schizophrenia and suggest the potential of nicotinic modulation in future pharmacotherapies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kyriaki Foka, Eirini-Maria Georganta, Ourania Semelidou, Efthimios M. C. Skoulakis
Summary: Habituation is an adaptive process that assesses incoming information and reduces the behavioral response to recurrent irrelevant stimuli. The molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood, but it has been found that habituation is defective in some disorders, such as schizophrenia. The study demonstrates that loss of Furin1, a gene linked to schizophrenia, results in defective habituation to recurrent footshocks in mixed sex populations of fruit flies. This deficit can be reversed by transgenic expression of Furin or oral administration of antipsychotic drugs.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hana Saoud, Elora Kereselidze, Severine Eybrard, Alain Louilot
Summary: The study showed that transient blockade of the VSub after birth can disrupt dopamine release in the dorsomedial shell part of the Nacc in adult male rats, leading to changes in locomotor activity and dopaminergic responses. Further investigation into postsynaptic NMDA receptors-related proteins in this region may provide insights for animal modeling of schizophrenia.
NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Lin Jiang, Jiuju Wang, Jing Dai, Fali Li, Baodan Chen, Runyang He, Yuanyuan Liao, Dezhong Yao, Wentian Dong, Peng Xu
Summary: This study investigates the temporal variability of resting-state brain networks in schizophrenia patients and reveals attenuated temporal variability among multiple electrodes in the frontal and right parietal lobes, as well as strengthened posterior and peripheral flexible connections. These temporal fluctuation distortions reflect an abnormality in the coordination of functional network switching in schizophrenia, which affects task performance and individual complexity metrics.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
David C. Consoli, Brittany D. Spitznagel, Benjamin M. Owen, Hakmook Kang, Shawniqua Williams Roberson, Pratik Pandharipande, E. Wesley Ely, William P. Nobis, Julie A. Bastarache, Fiona E. Harrison
Summary: This study utilized a mouse model to characterize inattention and persistent cognitive deficits following polymicrobial sepsis through concurrent measures of telemetric EEG recordings and neurobehavioral tasks. The results showed that during the 24-hour critical illness period, mice exhibited slow-wave EEG dominance, sleep disruption, and hypersensitivity to auditory stimuli, resembling clinical observations in delirious patients. Furthermore, mice that showed poor nest building ability at 7 days after sepsis induction also exhibited molecular changes in hippocampal long-term potentiation, offering a robust mouse model for investigating the molecular pathways underlying brain and behavioral changes during and after acute illness such as sepsis.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Fu Hung Shiu, Jennifer C. Wong, Takahiro Yamamoto, Trisha Lala, Ryan H. Purcell, Sharon Owino, Dan Zhu, Erwin G. Van Meir, Randy A. Hall, Andrew Escayg
Summary: The adhesion G protein-coupled receptor BAI1/ADGRB1 plays a crucial role in angiogenesis suppression, phagocytosis mediation, and acting as a brain tumor suppressor. It is also involved in dendritic spine and excitatory synapse development and interacts with autism-relevant proteins. Reduced expression of full length Bai1 leads to social behavior deficits, increased seizure susceptibility, delayed growth, reduced brain weight, decreased neuron density, and increased apoptosis during brain development.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yongde Yang, Xuan Yu, Xuebing Liu, Guangya Liu, Kuan Zeng, Gang Wang
Summary: The study revealed alterations in the gut microbiota of METH users, which may play a role in psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment, providing a new paradigm for addiction and METH use disorder treatment. The relationships between these disorders and METH abuse indicate similarities in the pathogenesis of psychosis induced by METH abuse and other causes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Wen-Jie Bian, Oscar C. Gonzalez, Luis de Lecea
Summary: This study reveals that the R1117X mutation in the Shank3 gene causes sleep defects in adolescent mice, which are associated with adult social behavior. The mutant mice exhibit altered electroencephalogram power and increased dopamine activity during REM sleep. These findings provide insights into the relationship between Shank3 gene involvement and sleep phenotypes in schizophrenia.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Carlie A. Black, Meghan L. Bucher, Joshua M. Bradner, Lauren Jonas, Kenny Igarza, Gary W. Miller
Summary: The study developed an assay using a fluorescent false neurotransmitter to visualize alterations in dopamine vesicular packaging. Environmental toxicants showed minor impact on vesicular packaging, suggesting they are weak inhibitors of VMAT2 activity in vitro.
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tina Kroll, Nikola Kornadt-Beck, Angela Oskamp, David Elmenhorst, Chadi Touma, Rupert Palme, Andreas Bauer
Summary: The study investigated the concordance between standardized score sheets and fecal corticosterone metabolites in assessing animal welfare in a preclinical neuroscientific setup. The results showed that subjective scores did not mirror the stress response assessed via fecal corticosterone metabolites, indicating a need for more reliable assessment methods.
Review
Toxicology
Robert Barouki, Karine Audouze, Christel Becker, Ludek Blaha, Xavier Coumoul, Spyros Karakitsios, Jana Klanova, Gary W. Miller, Elliott J. Price, Denis Sarigiannis
Summary: The development of the exposome concept has been significant in environmental and health research and is expected to influence research, practices, and policies. The links between toxicology and the exposome concept are still underdeveloped, but exposome-informed toxicology is expected to emphasize integrating multiple stressors, using mechanistic frameworks, characterizing long-term effects, and improving links between environmental and human health. The exposome concept provides a linkage between the complex environment and contemporary mechanistic toxicology.
TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jijun Wang, Ping Su, Jian Yang, Lihua Xu, Aihua Yuan, Chunbo Li, Tianhong Zhang, Fang Dong, Jingjing Zhou, James Samsom, Albert H. C. Wong, Fang Liu
Summary: This study found elevated levels of the D2R-DISC1 complex in peripheral blood samples of patients with schizophrenia, which were normalized with antipsychotic treatment. The results enhance our understanding of the molecular pathways involved in schizophrenia and antipsychotic medications, and identify novel potential molecular targets for treating schizophrenia.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY & NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas D. Henkel, Xiajoun Wu, Sinead M. O'Donovan, Emily A. Devine, Jessica M. Jiron, Laura M. Rowland, Zoltan Sarnyai, Amy J. Ramsey, Zhexing Wen, Margaret K. Hahn, Robert E. McCullumsmith
Summary: A substantial body of literature suggests that deficits of bioenergetic function are related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. While antipsychotics are effective for positive symptoms, they are not efficacious for negative and cognitive symptoms. This review discusses the dysfunction of various metabolic pathways in different brain regions and suggests that deficits in bioenergetic subprocesses are a core feature of schizophrenia. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions targeting these pathways are discussed as potential ways to improve symptoms.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jannis Achenbach, Andreas Matusch, David Elmenhorst, Andreas Bauer, Carsten Saft
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of caffeine consumption on Huntington's Disease (HD) and finds that consuming more than 3 cups of caffeine per day has beneficial effects on neuropsychological performance, onset of symptoms, and disease progression in manifest HD patients. However, there are no improvements in neuropsychological performance for premanifest HD mutation carriers, and they even show worse cognitive performances and more severe signs of psychiatric impairment. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and test for dosage related effects.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Toni Luise Meister, Yannick Bru, Maximilian K. Nocke, Rainer G. Ulrich, Jonas Schuhenn, Kathrin Sutter, Verian Bader, Konstanze F. Winklhofer, Ruth Broering, Lieven Verhoye, Philip Meuleman, Florian W. R. Vondran, Charline Camuzet, Laurence Cocquerel, Daniel Todt, Eike Steinmann
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of genetic variants of hepatitis E virus (HEV) on its replication and pathogenesis during ribavirin (RBV) treatment. It identified a single-nucleotide variant (SNV) that resulted in noninfectious virus particles and immune evasion.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ping Su, Dongxu Zhai, Albert H. C. Wong, Fang Liu
Summary: SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, has led researchers to develop a protein peptide that can prevent its entry into cells, offering new hope for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
Article
Biology
Simran Goel, Rosario Oliva, Sadasivam Jeganathan, Verian Bader, Laura J. Krause, Simon Kriegler, Isabelle D. Stender, Chadwick W. Christine, Ken Nakamura, Jan -Erik Hoffmann, Roland Winter, Joerg Tatzelt, Konstanze F. Winklhofer
Summary: NEMO is the key regulator of the inhibitor of KB kinase complex, and its phase separation induced by M1-linked ubiquitin chains plays a crucial role in IL-113-induced NF-KB activation. Both the binding and linkage to linear ubiquitin chains are necessary for NEMO phase separation.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Robert Barouki, Michel Samson, Etienne B. Blanc, Massimo Colombo, Jessica Zucman-Rossi, Konstantinos N. Lazaridis, Gary W. Miller, Xavier Coumoul
Summary: Since the development of the exposome concept, efforts have been made to characterize it through studies on its effects on human health. Liver diseases are an ideal focus for such studies due to their association with addictive behaviors, infections, exposure to toxins and chemicals, environmental exposures, microbial metabolites, and the gut-liver axis. Further advancements in exposomics-metabolomics framework, genomic and epigenomic signatures, and biological pathway analysis will enhance our understanding of the impact of the exposome on liver diseases, leading to improved prevention, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessa L. Boschert, Peter Gauger, Anja Bach, Darius Gerlach, Bernd Johannes, Jens Jordan, Zhili Li, David Elmenhorst, Andreas Bauer, Karina Marshall-Goebel, Jens Tank, Jochen Zange, Jorn Rittweger
Summary: In this study, the effect of acute head-down tilt position on the mean flow of the intra- and extracranial vessels was assessed. The results suggest a shift from the external to the internal system that might play an important role in the pathomechanism of SANS.
Article
Neurosciences
Emma E. Russo, Lola E. Zovko, Reza Nazari, Hendrik Steenland, Amy J. Ramsey, Ali Salahpour
Summary: This study validated commercially available dopamine transporter (DAT) antibodies and found that some antibodies did not provide specific DAT signals, while others presented nonspecific bands. The results provide a guide for the selection of DAT antibodies for future molecular studies.
Article
Neurosciences
Naemi L. Tichelman, Anna L. Foerges, Eva-Maria Elmenhorst, Denise Lange, Eva Hennecke, Diego M. Baur, Simone Beer, Tina Kroll, Bernd Neumaier, Andreas Bauer, Hans-Peter Landolt, Daniel Aeschbach, David Elmenhorst
Summary: The genetic variant of ADORA2A affects individual alpha power, while a direct modulatory effect via A1 adenosine receptors is suggested in females.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yuan Li, Ping Su, Yuxiang Chen, Jing Nie, Ti-Fei Yuan, Albert H. C. Wong, Fang Liu
Summary: Proper myelination of axons is crucial for normal sensory, motor, and cognitive function. Demyelination and synaptic deficits were observed in mice exposed to stress or inflammation, and pharmacological restoration of myelination normalized these effects, suggesting a promising strategy for treating depression. Increased expression of EphA4 in excitatory neurons may be a key factor in demyelination and depression-like behaviors, providing insights into the pathology of depressive symptoms.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)
Correction
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yuan Li, Ping Su, Yuxiang Chen, Jing Nie, Ti-Fei Yuan, Albert H. C. Wong, Fang Liu
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)