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Bartesaghi R. Brain circuit pathology in Down syndrome: from neurons to neural networks. Rev Neurosci 2022; 34:365-423. [PMID: 36170842 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), a genetic pathology caused by triplication of chromosome 21, is characterized by brain hypotrophy and impairment of cognition starting from infancy. While studies in mouse models of DS have elucidated the major neuroanatomical and neurochemical defects of DS, comparatively fewer investigations have focused on the electrophysiology of the DS brain. Electrical activity is at the basis of brain functioning. Therefore, knowledge of the way in which brain circuits operate in DS is fundamental to understand the causes of behavioral impairment and devise targeted interventions. This review summarizes the state of the art regarding the electrical properties of the DS brain, starting from individual neurons and culminating in signal processing in whole neuronal networks. The reported evidence derives from mouse models of DS and from brain tissues and neurons derived from individuals with DS. EEG data recorded in individuals with DS are also provided as a key tool to understand the impact of brain circuit alterations on global brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Bartesaghi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Moreno DG, Utagawa EC, Arva NC, Schafernak KT, Mufson EJ, Perez SE. Postnatal Cytoarchitecture and Neurochemical Hippocampal Dysfunction in Down Syndrome. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10153414. [PMID: 34362198 PMCID: PMC8347520 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10153414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the prenatal hippocampus displays deficits in cellular proliferation/migration and volume, which are later associated with memory deficits, little is known about the effects of trisomy 21 on postnatal hippocampal cellular development in Down syndrome (DS). We examined postnatal hippocampal neuronal profiles from autopsies of DS and neurotypical (NTD) neonates born at 38-weeks’-gestation up to children 3 years of age using antibodies against non-phosphorylated (SMI-32) and phosphorylated (SMI-34) neurofilament, calbindin D-28k (Calb), calretinin (Calr), parvalbumin (Parv), doublecortin (DCX) and Ki-67, as well as amyloid precursor protein (APP), amyloid beta (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau). Although the distribution of SMI-32-immunoreactive (-ir) hippocampal neurons was similar at all ages in both groups, pyramidal cell apical and basal dendrites were intensely stained in NTD cases. A greater reduction in the number of DCX-ir cells was observed in the hippocampal granule cell layer in DS. Although the distribution of Calb-ir neurons was similar between the youngest and oldest NTD and DS cases, Parv-ir was not detected. Conversely, Calr-ir cells and fibers were observed at all ages in DS, while NTD cases displayed mainly Calr-ir fibers. Hippocampal APP/Aβ-ir diffuse-like plaques were seen in DS and NTD. By contrast, no Aβ1–42 or p-tau profiles were observed. These findings suggest that deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis and pyramidal cell maturation and increased Calr immunoreactivity during early postnatal life contribute to cognitive impairment in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G. Moreno
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA; (D.G.M.); (E.C.U.); (E.J.M.)
| | - Emma C. Utagawa
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA; (D.G.M.); (E.C.U.); (E.J.M.)
| | - Nicoleta C. Arva
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA;
| | - Kristian T. Schafernak
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ 85016, USA;
| | - Elliott J. Mufson
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA; (D.G.M.); (E.C.U.); (E.J.M.)
| | - Sylvia E. Perez
- Department of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA; (D.G.M.); (E.C.U.); (E.J.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +6-02-406-3342
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Koenig KA, Oh SH, Stasko MR, Roth EC, Taylor HG, Ruedrich S, Wang ZI, Leverenz JB, Costa ACS. High resolution structural and functional MRI of the hippocampus in young adults with Down syndrome. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab088. [PMID: 33977271 PMCID: PMC8100000 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome is the phenotypic consequence of trisomy 21, with clinical presentation including both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative components. Although the intellectual disability typically displayed by individuals with Down syndrome is generally global, it also involves disproportionate deficits in hippocampally-mediated cognitive processes. Hippocampal dysfunction may also relate to Alzheimer’s disease-type pathology, which can appear in as early as the first decade of life and becomes universal by age 40. Using 7-tesla MRI of the brain, we present an assessment of the structure and function of the hippocampus in 34 individuals with Down syndrome (mean age 24.5 years ± 6.5) and 27 age- and sex-matched typically developing healthy controls. In addition to increased whole-brain mean cortical thickness and lateral ventricle volumes (P < 1.0 × 10−4), individuals with Down syndrome showed selective volume reductions in bilateral hippocampal subfields cornu Ammonis field 1, dentate gyrus, and tail (P < 0.005). In the group with Down syndrome, bilateral hippocampi showed widespread reductions in the strength of functional connectivity, predominately to frontal regions (P < 0.02). Age was not related to hippocampal volumes or functional connectivity measures in either group, but both groups showed similar relationships of age to whole-brain volume measures (P < 0.05). Finally, we performed an exploratory analysis of a subgroup of individuals with Down syndrome with both imaging and neuropsychological assessments. This analysis indicated that measures of spatial memory were related to mean cortical thickness, total grey matter volume and right hemisphere hippocampal subfield volumes (P < 0.02). This work provides a first demonstration of the usefulness of high-field MRI to detect subtle differences in structure and function of the hippocampus in individuals with Down syndrome, and suggests the potential for development of MRI-derived measures as surrogate markers of drug efficacy in pharmacological studies designed to investigate enhancement of cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Koenig
- Imaging Sciences, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Se-Hong Oh
- Imaging Sciences, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin 449-791, Republic of Korea
| | - Melissa R Stasko
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Roth
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - H Gerry Taylor
- Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43215, USA
| | - Stephen Ruedrich
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Z Irene Wang
- Epilepsy Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - James B Leverenz
- Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Alberto C S Costa
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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4
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Gudmundsson S, Wilbe M, Filipek-Górniok B, Molin AM, Ekvall S, Johansson J, Allalou A, Gylje H, Kalscheuer VM, Ledin J, Annerén G, Bondeson ML. TAF1, associated with intellectual disability in humans, is essential for embryogenesis and regulates neurodevelopmental processes in zebrafish. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10730. [PMID: 31341187 PMCID: PMC6656882 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46632-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The TATA-box binding protein associated factor 1 (TAF1) protein is a key unit of the transcription factor II D complex that serves a vital function during transcription initiation. Variants of TAF1 have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, but TAF1's molecular functions remain elusive. In this study, we present a five-generation family affected with X-linked intellectual disability that co-segregated with a TAF1 c.3568C>T, p.(Arg1190Cys) variant. All affected males presented with intellectual disability and dysmorphic features, while heterozygous females were asymptomatic and had completely skewed X-chromosome inactivation. We investigated the role of TAF1 and its association to neurodevelopment by creating the first complete knockout model of the TAF1 orthologue in zebrafish. A crucial function of human TAF1 during embryogenesis can be inferred from the model, demonstrating that intact taf1 is essential for embryonic development. Transcriptome analysis of taf1 zebrafish knockout revealed enrichment for genes associated with neurodevelopmental processes. In conclusion, we propose that functional TAF1 is essential for embryonic development and specifically neurodevelopmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Gudmundsson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden.
| | - Maria Wilbe
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden
| | - Beata Filipek-Górniok
- Department of Organismal Biology, Genome Engineering Zebrafish, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden
| | - Anna-Maja Molin
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden
| | - Sara Ekvall
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden
| | - Josefin Johansson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden
| | - Amin Allalou
- Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University, Sweden and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 05, Sweden
| | - Hans Gylje
- Department of Paediatrics, Central Hospital, Västerås, 721 89, Sweden
| | - Vera M Kalscheuer
- Research Group Development and Disease, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, 141 95, Germany
| | - Johan Ledin
- Department of Organismal Biology, Genome Engineering Zebrafish, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 752 36, Sweden
| | - Göran Annerén
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden.
| | - Marie-Louise Bondeson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala, 751 08, Sweden.
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Daba Feyissa D, Sialana FJ, Keimpema E, Kalaba P, Paunkov A, Engidawork E, Höger H, Lubec G, Korz V. Dopamine type 1- and 2-like signaling in the modulation of spatial reference learning and memory. Behav Brain Res 2019; 362:173-180. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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