Neurology Commons^™

Bdnf-Related Gene Expression Of Laser Capture Microdissected Glutamate Neurons From The Anterior Cingulate Cortex In Mouse Models Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Misty Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social behaviors. ASD affects 1 in 59 children with males affected more frequently. ASD is postulated to result from excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission imbalances. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling affects ASD by influencing synaptogenesis, plasticity, and survival. Studying early in-utero neuropathological changes within ASD requires the use of animal models. Expression of BDNF-associated genes were analyzed within laser capture microdissected pyramidal neurons from the anterior cingulate cortex of male and female BTBR and valproic acid mouse models. No expression differences were found in any gene comparing the three groups. Gender comparisons …

De Novo Variants Of Nr4a2 Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Disorder And Epilepsy., Sakshi Singh, Aditi Gupta, Michael Zech, Ashley N. Sigafoos, Karl J. Clark, Yasemin Dincer, Matias Wagner, Jennifer B. Humberson, Sarah Green, Koen Van Gassen, Tracy Brandt, Rhonda E. Schnur, Francisca Millan, Yue Si, Volker Mall, Juliane Winkelmann, Ralitza H. Gavrilova, Eric W. Klee, Kendra Engleman, Nicole P. Safina, Rachel Slaugh, Emily M. Bryant, Wen-Hann Tan, Jorge Granadillo, Sunita N. Misra, G Bradley Schaefer, Shelley Towner, Eva H. Brilstra, Bobby P C Koeleman

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: This study characterizes the clinical and genetic features of nine unrelated patients with de novo variants in the NR4A2 gene.

METHODS: Variants were identified and de novo origins were confirmed through trio exome sequencing in all but one patient. Targeted RNA sequencing was performed for one variant to confirm its splicing effect. Independent discoveries were shared through GeneMatcher.

RESULTS: Missense and loss-of-function variants in NR4A2 were identified in patients from eight unrelated families. One patient carried a larger deletion including adjacent genes. The cases presented with developmental delay, hypotonia (six cases), and epilepsy (six cases). De novo status was …

Veterans Helping Veterans Mid-Day Talk: Gulf War Illness Research, Bill Watts, Elizabeth G. Balbin

INIM Research Seminar Series

• Meet the Gulf War Illness Research Team.
• Learn about the ease of participating in research.
• Hear from veterans who have participated in research.
• Learn about different studies currently available.

In Vivo Evidence Of Exosome-Mediated Aβ Neurotoxicity, Ahmed Elsherbini, Haiyan Qin, Zhihui Zhu, Priyanka Tripathi, Simone M. Crivelli, Erhard Bieberich

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Pathogenic Variants In Kptn Gene Identified By Clinical Whole-Genome Sequencing, Isabelle Thiffault, Andrea Atherton, Bryce Heese, Ahmed Abdelmoity, Kailash Pawar, Emily G. Farrow, Lee Zellmer, Neil A. Miller, Sarah E. Soden, Carol J. Saunders

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Status epilepticus is not rare in critically ill intensive care unit patients, but its diagnosis is often delayed or missed. The mortality for convulsive status epilepticus is dependent on the underlying aetiologies and the age of the patients and thus varies from study to study. In this context, effective molecular diagnosis in a pediatric patient with a genetically heterogeneous phenotype is essential. Homozygous or compound heterozygous variants in KPTN have been recently associated with a syndrome typified by macrocephaly, neurodevelopmental delay, and seizures. We describe a comprehensive investigation of a 9-yr-old male patient who was admitted to the intensive care …

Impact Of Order Set Use On Stroke Care, Bilal Nadeem, Edward Waseleski, Meryem Maras-Casey, Sabih Alam, Adnan Faruqui, Michael Gutierrez, Maruthsakhi Molugu, Christina Oricompil, Ashar Mahmood, Katherine Torralba, Fatima Agha, Nour Tlimat, Olu Oyesanmi, Irina Davis, Salman Muddassir, Nikolay Mitzov

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2020

• A case control study on stroke patients was recently completed for a quality improvement (QI) investigation.
• The objective was to determine if the use of either Hemorrhagic or Ischemic Stroke Order Set had an effect on the length of stay (LOS) or adherence to current stroke guideline recommendations

Two Nights Of Recovery Sleep Restores Hippocampal Connectivity But Not Episodic Memory After Total Sleep Deprivation, Ya Chai, Zhuo Fang, Fan Nils Yang, Sihua Xu, Yao Deng, Andrew Raine, Jieqiong Wang, Meichen Yu, Mathias Basner, Namni Goel, Junghoon J. Kim, David A. Wolk, John A. Detre, David F. Dinges, Hengyi Rao

Publications and Research

Sleep deprivation significantly impairs a range of cognitive and brain function, particularly episodic memory and the underlying hippocampal function. However, it remains controversial whether one or two nights of recovery sleep following sleep deprivation fully restores brain and cognitive function. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and examined the effects of two consecutive nights (20-hour time-in-bed) of recovery sleep on resting-state hippocampal connectivity and episodic memory deficits following one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD) in 39 healthy adults in a controlled in-laboratory protocol. TSD significantly reduced memory performance in a scene recognition task, impaired hippocampal …

Brain Structure Changes Over Time In Normal And Mildly Impaired Aged Persons, Charles D. Smith, Linda J. Van Eldik, Gregory A. Jicha, Frederick A. Schmitt, Peter T. Nelson, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Richard R. Murphy, Anders H. Andersen

Neurology Faculty Publications

Structural brain changes in aging are known to occur even in the absence of dementia, but the magnitudes and regions involved vary between studies. To further characterize these changes, we analyzed paired MRI images acquired with identical protocols and scanner over a median 5.8-year interval. The normal study group comprised 78 elders (25M 53F, baseline age range 70-78 years) who underwent an annual standardized expert assessment of cognition and health and who maintained normal cognition for the duration of the study. We found a longitudinal grey matter (GM) loss rate of 2.56 ± 0.07 ml/year (0.20 ± 0.04%/year) and a …

The Current Neuroscientific Understanding Of Alzheimer's Disease, Rachel A. Brandes

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative neurological illness characterized by the deterioration of brain regions implicated in memory and cognitive function. While researchers have yet to find a cure or effective treatment, they have gained a better understanding of its pathology and development. Through years of neuroscience research, scientists have discovered much of what happens in the brain during Alzheimer’s disease onset and how this causes its symptoms; many hypotheses regarding this aspect of the illness involve temporal lobe atrophy, neurofibrillary tangles, and amyloid plaques. Although Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people every day, it seems that most are unaware of …

A Protocol Driven Stroke Code's Impact On Door-To-Needle Times, Jesse Osborne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is most effective the faster it is able to be administered to a patient that has been affected by stroke. A Stroke Code is a strategy that acute care facilities implement to reduce the time from diagnosing a stroke to administering tPA. The purpose of this study was to determine if the initiation of a Stroke Code in an acute care hospital reduces the door-to-needle time for patients affected by a stroke. In particular, does a Stroke Code reduce door-to-needle times. The research was conducted using data from April 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014 (pre-Stroke …

Baclofen-Induced Changes In The Resting Brain Modulate Smoking Cue Reactivity: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study In Cigarette Smokers, Ariel Ketcherside, Kanchana Jagannathan, Sudipto Dolui, Nathan Hager, Nathaniel Spilka, Chaela Nutor, Hengyi Rao, Teresa Franklin, Reagan Wetherill

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: Smoking cue-(SC) elicited craving can lead to relapse in SC-vulnerable individuals. Thus, identifying treatments that target SC-elicited craving is a top research priority. Reduced drug cue neural activity is associated with recovery and is marked by a profile of greater tonic (resting) activation in executive control regions, and increased connectivity between executive and salience regions. Evidence suggests the GABA-B agonist baclofen can reduce drug cue-elicited neural activity, potentially through its actions on the resting brain. Based on the literature, we hypothesize that baclofen’s effects in the resting brain can predict its effects during SC exposure.

Methods: In this longitudinal, …

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, Ashan Hatharasinghe, Hossein Akhondi, Don Pepito

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction: Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a rare autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Clinical manifestations include encephalopathy, motor deficits, ataxia, and meningeal signs. In most cases, ADEM is preceded by either vaccination or viral illness. Here, we present a case with neither of the two predisposing elements.

Discussion: A 28-year-old Hispanic female presenting with substance use and suicidal ideation was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold, started on olanzapine and scheduled for a psychiatric facility transfer. The following day, she was noted to have neurological deficits when ambulating. Computed tomography of the brain showed a right frontal …

Association Of Aβ With Ceramide-Enriched Astrosomes Mediates Aβ Neurotoxicity, Ahmed Elsherbini, Alexander S. Kirov, Michael B. Dinkins, Guanghu Wang, Haiyan Qin, Zhihui Zhu, Priyanka Tripathi, Simone M. Crivelli, Erhard Bieberich

Physiology Faculty Publications

Amyloid-β (Aβ) associates with extracellular vesicles termed exosomes. It is not clear whether and how exosomes modulate Aβ neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We show here that brain tissue and serum from the transgenic mouse model of familial AD (5xFAD) and serum from AD patients contains ceramide-enriched and astrocyte-derived exosomes (termed astrosomes) that are associated with Aβ. In Neuro-2a cells, primary cultured neurons, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, Aβ-associated astrosomes from 5xFAD mice and AD patient serum were specifically transported to mitochondria, induced mitochondrial clustering, and upregulated the fission protein Drp-1 at a concentration corresponding to 5 femtomoles …

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation-Paired Rehabilitation For Oromotor Feeding Problems In Newborns: An Open-Label Pilot Study, Bashar W. Badran, Dorothea D. Jenkins, Daniel Cook, Sean Thompson, Morgan Darcy, William H. Devries, Georgia Mappin, Philipp Summers, Marom Bikson, Mark S. George

Publications and Research

Neonates born premature or who suffer brain injury at birth often have oral feeding dysfunction and do not meet oral intake requirements needed for discharge. Low oral intake volumes result in extended stays in the hospital (>2 months) and can lead to surgical implant and explant of a gastrostomy tube (G-tube). Prior work suggests pairing vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) with motor activity accelerates functional improvements after stroke, and transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) has emerged as promising noninvasive form of VNS. Pairing taVNS with bottle-feeding rehabilitation may improve oromotor coordination and lead to improved oral intake volumes, ultimately avoiding the …

Management Of Childhood Migraine By Headache Specialist Versus Non-Headache Specialists, Kelly Valentini, Radhika Gutta, Gunjanpreet Kaur, Ahmad Farooqi, Lalitha Sivaswamy

Medical Student Research Symposium

This study aims to compare the management practices of a headache specialist with non-headache specialists in the treatment of pediatric migraine. The use of appropriate rescue medications and prophylactic agents, application of neuro-imaging, and short-term outcomes are compared in children treated by the two groups of physicians. A retrospective cohort study was conducted utilizing the electronic medical records of children 3-18 years of age with migraine, who were evaluated at a tertiary care children’s hospital from 2016-2018. Of the 849 patients that met the study criteria, 469 were classified as having chronic migraine or high-frequency episodic migraine and were followed …

Novel Rvd6 Stereoisomer Induces Corneal Nerve Regeneration And Wound Healing Post-Injury By Modulating Trigeminal Transcriptomic Signature, Thang L. Pham, Azucena H. Kakazu, Jiucheng He, Bokkyoo Jun, Nicolas G. Bazan, Haydee E.P. Bazan

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The high-density corneal innervation plays a pivotal role in sustaining the integrity of the ocular surface. We have previously demonstrated that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) promotes corneal nerve regeneration; here, we report the mechanism involved and the discovery of a stereospecific Resolvin D6-isomer (RvD6si) that drives the process. RvD6si promotes corneal wound healing and functional recovery by restoring corneal innervation after injury. RvD6si applied to the eye surface elicits a specific transcriptome signature in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) that includes Rictor, the rapamycin-insensitive complex-2 of mTOR (mTORC2), and genes involved in axon growth, whereas genes related …

Multi-Domain Cognitive Assessment Of Male Mice Shows Space Radiation Is Not Harmful To High-Level Cognition And Actually Improves Pattern Separation, Cody W. Whoolery, Sanghee Yun, Ryan P. Reynolds, Melanie J. Lucero, Ivan Soler, Fionya H. Tran, Naoki Ito, Rachel L. Redfield, Devon R. Richardson, Hung-Ying Shih, Phillip D. Rivera, Benjamin P. C. Chen, Shari G. Birnbaum, Ann M. Stowe, Amelia J. Eisch

Neurology Faculty Publications

Astronauts on interplanetary missions - such as to Mars - will be exposed to space radiation, a spectrum of highly-charged, fast-moving particles that includes ⁵⁶Fe and ²⁸Si. Earth-based preclinical studies show space radiation decreases rodent performance in low- and some high-level cognitive tasks. Given astronaut use of touchscreen platforms during training and space flight and given the ability of rodent touchscreen tasks to assess functional integrity of brain circuits and multiple cognitive domains in a non-aversive way, here we exposed 6-month-old C57BL/6J male mice to whole-body space radiation and subsequently assessed them on a touchscreen battery. Relative to …

Hierarchical Clustering Analyses Of Plasma Proteins In Subjects With Cardiovascular Risk Factors Identify Informative Subsets Based On Differential Levels Of Angiogenic And Inflammatory Biomarkers, Zachary Winder, Tiffany L. Sudduth, David W. Fardo, Qiang Cheng, Larry B. Goldstein, Peter T. Nelson, Frederick A. Schmitt, Gregory A. Jicha, Donna M. Wilcock

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) is a commonly used unsupervised machine learning approach for identifying informative natural clusters of observations. HCA is performed by calculating a pairwise dissimilarity matrix and then clustering similar observations until all observations are grouped within a cluster. Verifying the empirical clusters produced by HCA is complex and not well studied in biomedical applications. Here, we demonstrate the comparability of a novel HCA technique with one that was used in previous biomedical applications while applying both techniques to plasma angiogenic (FGF, FLT, PIGF, Tie-2, VEGF, VEGF-D) and inflammatory (MMP1, MMP3, MMP9, IL8, TNFα) protein data to …

Lavender Aromatherapy: Ready For Prime-Time Office Use?, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The editor-in-chief of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews comments on the perioperative use of lavender aromatherapy and its potential to relieve pain and anxiety during minor primary care office procedures.

Review Of Alterations In Perlecan-Associated Vascular Risk Factors In Dementia, Amanda L. Trout, Ibolya Rutkai, Ifechukwude J. Biose, Gregory J. Bix

Neurology Faculty Publications

Perlecan is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan protein in the extracellular matrix that structurally and biochemically supports the cerebrovasculature by dynamically responding to changes in cerebral blood flow. These changes in perlecan expression seem to be contradictory, ranging from neuroprotective and angiogenic to thrombotic and linked to lipid retention. This review investigates perlecan's influence on risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and amyloid that effect Vascular contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID). VCID, a comorbidity with diverse etiology in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), is thought to be a major factor that drives the overall clinical burden of dementia. Accordingly, changes …

Expression Of Cytokines And Chemokines As Predictors Of Stroke Outcomes In Acute Ischemic Stroke, Sarah R. Martha, Qiang Cheng, Justin F. Fraser, Liyu Gong, Lisa A. Collier, Stephanie M. Davis, Doug Lukins, Abdulnasser Alhajeri, Stephen Grupke, Keith R. Pennypacker

Institute for Biomedical Informatics Faculty Publications

Introduction: Ischemic stroke remains one of the most debilitating diseases and is the fifth leading cause of death in the US. The ability to predict stroke outcomes within the acute period of stroke would be essential for care planning and rehabilitation. The Blood and Clot Thrombectomy Registry and Collaboration (BACTRAC; clinicaltrials.gov NCT03153683) study collects arterial blood immediately distal and proximal to the intracranial thrombus at the time of mechanical thrombectomy. These blood samples are an innovative resource in evaluating acute gene expression changes at the time of ischemic stroke. The purpose of this study was to identify inflammatory genes and …

A Phantom Of The Past: Withdrawal From Meprobamate Presenting With Focal Seizures., Thomas M. Zink, John E. Erickson

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: Meprobamate (Miltown, Equinil) is a sedative-hypnotic medication that first gained popularity as an anxiolytic and later as a muscle relaxant. It is a major metabolite of the more commonly used muscle relaxant carisoprodol (Soma). In vitro and electroencephalogram studies demonstrated that meprobamate modulates gama-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, similar to barbiturates. Withdrawal from meprobamate manifests in symptoms ranging from mild anxiety to severe autonomic instability and death. Meprobamate is rarely prescribed, but is still given to a small subset of elderly patients.

Clinical findings: In this case of meprobamate withdrawal, the patient initially displayed altered mental status and recurrent seizures …

Effect Of Sleep Deprivation And Sleep Recovery On Heart Rate And Heart Rate Variability In Males Versus Females, Abrianna Lochner Spt, Elena Crooks Pt, Dpt, Phd, Myles Gordon Finlay Ba, Julie A. Erwin Ms, Kimberly Honn Phd

2020 Symposium Posters

Introduction

Elevated heart rate (HR) and low HR variability (HRV) are indicators of increased sympathetic tone and cardiovascular risk. Here, we assess the effect of one night of sleep deprivation and a subsequent night of recovery sleep on HR and HRV in healthy males versus females.

Methods

Fifty-nine subjects (29.5±8.5y, n=35 female) completed a 4-day/3-night laboratory study. Subjects had a baseline sleep opportunity (22:00–08:00), followed by 38h of sleep deprivation, and a recovery sleep opportunity (22:00–08:00). EKG was monitored via Holter monitors to measure HR and the pNN50 and rMMSD variables of HRV. Time points used for analyses included 09:00–09:20 …

Machine Learning Prediction Of Glioblastoma Patient One-Year Survival, Andrew Du '20, Warren Mcgee, Jane Y. Wu

Student Publications & Research

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a grade IV astrocytoma formed primarily from cancerous astrocytes and sustained by intense angiogenesis. GBM often causes non-specific symptoms, creating difficulty for diagnosis. This study aimed to utilize machine learning techniques to provide an accurate one-year survival prognosis for GBM patients using clinical and genomic data from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas. Logistic regression (LR), support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF), and ensemble models were used to identify and select predictors for GBM survival and to classify patients into those with an overall survival (OS) of less than one year and one year or greater. With …

Will "Social Distancing" Lead To Future "Research Distancing": A Reflection On Covid-19 Impacts On Alzheimer's Disease Research, Shoshana H. Bardach, Allison K. Gibson, Elizabeth K. Rhodus, Gregory A. Jicha

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has dramatically altered everyday life, including the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. This perspective article explores some of the ways in which COVID-19 has already impacted the field, anticipates some of the long-lasting effects, and explores strategies for addressing current and future needs. Areas of impact include study integrity, regulatory and industry issues, and participant engagement. Proposed strategies for addressing these challenges include analytic methods to deal with large degrees of missing data and development of patient-centered, user-friendly, remote data collection tools and assessments. We also highlight the importance of maintaining participant well-being as a …

Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurofilament Light Concentration Predicts Brain Atrophy And Cognition In Alzheimer's Disease, Kunal Dhiman, Veer Bala Gupta, Victor L. Villemagne, Dhamidhu Eratne, Petra L. Graham, Christopher Fowler, Pierrick Bourgeat, Qiao-Xin Li, Steven Collins, Ashley I. Bush, Christopher C. Rowe, Colin L. Masters, David Ames, Eugene Hone, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction
This study assessed the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis, its association with amyloid and tau pathology, as well as its potential to predict brain atrophy, cognition, and amyloid accumulation.
Methods
CSF NfL concentration was measured in 221 participants from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL).
Results
CSF NfL levels as well as NfL/amyloid β (Aβ42) were significantly elevated in AD compared to healthy controls (HC; P < .001), and in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared to HC (P = .008 NfL; P< .001 NfL/Aβ42). CSF NfL and NfL/Aβ42 differentiated AD from HC with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.84 and 0.90, respectively. CSF NfL and NfL/Aβ42 predicted cortical amyloid load, brain atrophy, and cognition.
Discussion
CSF NfL is a biomarker of neurodegeneration, correlating with cognitive impairment and brain neuropathology.

Modulation Of Epileptogenesis: A Paradigm For The Integration Of Enzyme-Based Microelectrode Arrays And Optogenetics, Corwin R. Butler, Jeffery A. Boychuk, Francois Pomerleau, Ramona Alcala, Peter Huettl, Yi Ai, Johan Jakobsson, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Greg A. Gerhardt, Bret N. Smith, John T. Slevin

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Genesis of acquired epilepsy includes transformations spanning genetic-to- network-level modifications, disrupting the regional excitatory/inhibitory balance. Methodology concurrently tracking changes at multiple levels is lacking. Here, viral vectors are used to differentially express two opsin proteins in neuronal populations within dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus. When activated, these opsins induced excitatory or inhibitory neural output that differentially affected neural networks and epileptogenesis. In vivo measures included behavioral observation coupled to real-time measures of regional glutamate flux using ceramic-based amperometric microelectrode arrays (MEAs).

RESULTS: Using MEA technology, phasic increases of extracellular glutamate were recorded immediately upon application of blue light/488 nm …

The Comparative Efficacy Of Amantadine Vs. Lcig Therapy For The Treatment Of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia In Patients With Advanced Parkinson's Disease, Katelynn Timony

Capstone Showcase

Introduction: Though levodopa-carbidopa therapy remains the gold standard of Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment to this day, patients often experience increased dyskinetic activity as a result of long-term treatment; known as levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID); the mechanism of which is not completely understood. In this review, the efficacy of two adjunct treatments for LID are compared: 1) the concomitant administration of amantadine, an antiviral medication with antidyskinetic properties; and 2) a new form of levodopa administration in the form of an intestinal gel delivered straight via a device much like an insulin pump.

Methods: Two systematic literature searches of primary, peer-reviewed articles …

Triggering Receptor Expressed On Myeloid Cell 2 R47h Exacerbates Immune Response In Alzheimer's Disease Brain., Olena Korvatska, Kostantin Kiianitsa, Alexander Ratushny, Mark Matsushita, Neal Beeman, Wei-Ming Chien, Jun-Ichi Satoh, Michael O Dorschner, C Dirk Keene, Theo K Bammler, Thomas D Bird, Wendy H Raskind

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The R47H variant in the microglial triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell 2 (TREM2) receptor is a strong risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). To characterize processes affected by R47H, we performed an integrative network analysis of genes expressed in brains of AD patients with R47H, sporadic AD without the variant, and patients with polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL), systemic disease with early-onset dementia caused by loss-of-function mutations in TREM2 or its adaptor TYRO protein tyrosine kinase-binding protein (TYROBP). Although sporadic AD had few perturbed microglial and immune genes, TREM2 R47H AD demonstrated upregulation of interferon type I …

Brain Development: Why The Young Sleep Longer, Budhaditya Chowdhury, Orie T. Shafer

Advanced Science Research Center

From absorbing new languages to mastering musical instruments, young children are wired to learn in ways that adults are not (Johnson and Newport, 1989). This ability coincides with periods of intense brain plasticity during which neurons can easily remodel their connections (Hubel and Wiesel, 1970). Many children are also scandalously good sleepers, typically getting several more hours of sleep per night than their parents (Jenni and Carskadon, 2007). As sleep deprivation has negative effects on learning and memory, learning like a child likely requires sleeping like one (Diekelmann and Born, 2010). Yet, how the ability to sleep for longer is …