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Yadollahi-Farsani Y, Vanani VR, Lorigooini Z, Farahzad A, Amini-Khoei H. Anethole via increase in the gene expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR mitigates the autistic-like behaviors induced by maternal separation stress in mice. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2024; 16:1-7. [PMID: 38145174 PMCID: PMC10733685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodegenerative disease with increasing incidence in the world. The maternal separation (MS) stress at early life with its own neuroendocrine and neurostructural changes can provide the basis for development of ASD. Previously it has been reported neuroprotective characteristics for anethole. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway has pivotal role in the function of central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of anethole on the autistic-like behaviors in the maternally separated (MS) mice focusing on the potential role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Forty male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were assigned to five groups (n = 8) comprising a control group (treated with normal saline) and four groups subjected to MS and treated with normal saline and or anethole at doses of 31.25, 62.5 and 125 mg/kg, respectively. All gents were administrated via intraperitoneal (i.p.) route for 14 constant days. Behavioral tests were conducted, including the three-chamber test, shuttle box and resident-intruder test. The gene expression of the PI3K, AKT and mTOR assessed in the hippocampus by qRT-PCR. Findings indicated that MS is associated with autistic-like behaviors. Anethole increased the sociability and social preference indexes in the three-chamber test, increased duration of secondary latency in the shuttle box test and decreased aggressive behaviors in the resident-intruder test. Also, anethole increased the gene expression of PI3K, AKT and mTOR in the hippocampus of MS mice. We concluded that anethole through increase in the gene expression of PI3K/ AKT/mTOR mitigated autistic-like behaviors induced by MS in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman Yadollahi-Farsani
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Vahid Reisi Vanani
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Zahra Lorigooini
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Anahita Farahzad
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Hossein Amini-Khoei
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
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2
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Higuchi Y, Tachigori SI, Arakawa H. Faded neural projection from the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the lateral habenula contributes to social signaling deficit in male BTBR mice as a mouse model of autism. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 149:106004. [PMID: 36543023 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.106004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mice display several behavioral characteristics, including social deficits resembling the core symptoms of human autism. Atypical social behaviors include sequential processes of assembled cognitive-behavior components, such as recognition, investigatory assessment, and signaling response. This study aimed to elucidate the neural circuits responsible for the regulation of the social signaling response, as shown by scent marking behavior in male mice. We first assessed the recognition and investigatory patterns of male BTBR mice compared to those of C57BL/6 J (B6) mice. Next, we examined their scent-marking behavior as innate social signaling responses adjusted to a confronted feature of social stimuli and situations, along with the expression of c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity in selected brain areas involved in the regulation of social behavior. The function of the targeted brain area was confirmed by chemogenetic manipulation. We also examined the social peptides, oxytocin and vasopressin neurons of the major brain regions that are associated with the regulation of social behavior. Our data indicate that male BTBR mice are less responsive to the presentation of social stimuli and the expression of social signaling responses, which is paralleled by blunted c-Fos responsivity and vasopressin neurons morphological changes in selected brain areas, including the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (pBnST) and lateral habenula (LHb) in BTBR mice. Further investigation of LHb function revealed that chemogenetic inhibition and activation of LHb activity can induce a change in scent marking responses in both B6 and BTBR mice. Our elucidation of the downstream LHb circuits controlling scent marking behavior indicates intact function in BTBR mice. The altered morphological characteristics of oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and vasopressin-positive neurons and axonal projections in the pBnST and LHb appear to underlie the dysfunction of scent marking responses in BTBR mice. (300/300 words).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Higuchi
- Department of Systems Physiology, University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Shun-Ichi Tachigori
- Department of Systems Physiology, University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Arakawa
- Department of Systems Physiology, University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan.
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Koevoet D, Deschamps PKH, Kenemans JL. Catecholaminergic and cholinergic neuromodulation in autism spectrum disorder: A comparison to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:1078586. [PMID: 36685234 PMCID: PMC9853424 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1078586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Treatment of ASD is notoriously difficult and might benefit from identification of underlying mechanisms that overlap with those disturbed in other developmental disorders, for which treatment options are more obvious. One example of the latter is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), given the efficacy of especially stimulants in treatment of ADHD. Deficiencies in catecholaminergic systems [dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE)] in ADHD are obvious targets for stimulant treatment. Recent findings suggest that dysfunction in catecholaminergic systems may also be a factor in at least a subgroup of ASD. In this review we scrutinize the evidence for catecholaminergic mechanisms underlying ASD symptoms, and also include in this analysis a third classic ascending arousing system, the acetylcholinergic (ACh) network. We complement this with a comprehensive review of DA-, NE-, and ACh-targeted interventions in ASD, and an exploratory search for potential treatment-response predictors (biomarkers) in ASD, genetically or otherwise. Based on this review and analysis we propose that (1) stimulant treatment may be a viable option for an ASD subcategory, possibly defined by genetic subtyping; (2) cerebellar dysfunction is pronounced for a relatively small ADHD subgroup but much more common in ASD and in both cases may point toward NE- or ACh-directed intervention; (3) deficiency of the cortical salience network is sizable in subgroups of both disorders, and biomarkers such as eye blink rate and pupillometric data may predict the efficacy of targeting this underlying deficiency via DA, NE, or ACh in both ASD and ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Koevoet
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Damian Koevoet,
| | - P. K. H. Deschamps
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - J. L. Kenemans
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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4
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Zhao F, Zhang H, Wang P, Cui W, Xu K, Chen D, Hu M, Li Z, Geng X, Wei S. Oxytocin and serotonin in the modulation of neural function: Neurobiological underpinnings of autism-related behavior. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:919890. [PMID: 35937893 PMCID: PMC9354980 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.919890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a group of generalized neurodevelopmental disorders. Its main clinical features are social communication disorder and repetitive stereotyped behavioral interest. The abnormal structure and function of brain network is the basis of social dysfunction and stereotyped performance in patients with autism spectrum disorder. The number of patients diagnosed with ASD has increased year by year, but there is a lack of effective intervention and treatment. Oxytocin has been revealed to effectively improve social cognitive function and significantly improve the social information processing ability, empathy ability and social communication ability of ASD patients. The change of serotonin level also been reported affecting the development of brain and causes ASD-like behavioral abnormalities, such as anxiety, depression like behavior, stereotyped behavior. Present review will focus on the research progress of serotonin and oxytocin in the pathogenesis, brain circuit changes and treatment of autism. Revealing the regulatory effect and neural mechanism of serotonin and oxytocin on patients with ASD is not only conducive to a deeper comprehension of the pathogenesis of ASD, but also has vital clinical significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhao
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Peng Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Cui
- Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kaiyong Xu
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Dan Chen
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Minghui Hu
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Zifa Li
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Zifa Li,
| | - Xiwen Geng
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Xiwen Geng,
| | - Sheng Wei
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Classical Theory, Ministry of Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- TAIYUE Postdoctoral Innovation and Practice Base, Jinan, China
- Chinese Medicine and Brain Science Core Facility, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Sheng Wei,
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Athnaiel O, Job GA, Ocampo R, Teneqexhi P, Messer WS, Ragozzino ME. Effects of the Partial M1 Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptor Agonist CDD-0102A on Stereotyped Motor Behaviors and Reversal Learning in the BTBR Mouse Model of Autism. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2021; 25:64-74. [PMID: 34791301 PMCID: PMC8756088 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a set of neurodevelopmental disorders marked by a lack of social interaction, restrictive interests, and repetitive behaviors. There is a paucity of pharmacological treatments to reduce core ASD symptoms. Various lines of evidence indicate that reduced brain muscarinic cholinergic receptor activity may contribute to an ASD phenotype. METHODS The present experiments examined whether the partial M1 muscarinic receptor agonist, 5-(3-ethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidine hydrochloride (CDD-0102A), alleviates behavioral flexibility deficits and/or stereotyped motor behaviors in the BTBR mouse model of autism. Behavioral flexibility was tested using a reversal learning test. Stereotyped motor behaviors were measured by eliciting digging behavior after removal of nesting material in a home cage and by measuring repetitive grooming. RESULTS CDD-0102A (0.2 and 0.6 mg/kg but not 1.2 mg/kg) injected prior to reversal learning attenuated a deficit in BTBR mice but did not affect performance in B6 mice. Acute CDD-0102A treatment (1.2 and 3 mg/kg) reduced self-grooming in BTBR mice and reduced digging behavior in B6 and BTBR mice. The M1 muscarinic receptor antagonist VU0255035 (3 mg/kg) blocked the effect of CDD-0102A on grooming behavior. Chronic treatment with CDD-0102A (1.2 mg/kg) attenuated self-grooming and digging behavior in BTBR mice. Direct CDD-0102A infusions (1 µg) into the dorsal striatum reduced elevated digging behavior in BTBR mice. In contrast, CDD-0102A injections in the frontal cortex were not effective. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that treatment with a partial M1 muscarinic receptor agonist may reduce repetitive behaviors and restricted interests in autism in part by stimulating striatal M1 muscarinic receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onella Athnaiel
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA,Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Greeshma A Job
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Roberto Ocampo
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Pamela Teneqexhi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA,Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - William S Messer
- Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Michael E Ragozzino
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA,Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, USA,Correspondence: Dr Michael E. Ragozzino, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA ()
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6
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Arakawa H. Implication of the social function of excessive self-grooming behavior in BTBR T +ltpr3 tf/J mice as an idiopathic model of autism. Physiol Behav 2021; 237:113432. [PMID: 33901528 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by two core behavioral characteristics, namely, restricted repetitive behaviors and impaired social-communicative functioning. BTBR T+ltpr3tf/J (BTBR) mice provide a valuable animal model for ASD to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these two behavioral characteristics of ASD. This study examined the social function of excessive grooming behavior in BTBR mice as a phenotype of restricted repetitive behaviors. Compared to the control C57BL/6 J (B6) strain, BTBR mice showed increased self-grooming when placed alone in a test apparatus, and this behavior was even more evident when confronted with a stimulus mouse (either B6 or BTBR) in a three-chamber test apparatus. While B6 mice tended to groom their face/snout region on the empty side of the chamber, BTBR mice showed excessive grooming with frequent transitions among grooming body regions on the side of the chamber containing a social stimulus. Acute systemic injection of buspirone,a serotonin 1A receptor agonist, as an anxiolytic, facilitated approach behavior toward social stimuli in the three-chamber setting in both B6 and BTBR mice. However, this treatment did not affect grooming behavior in B6 mice and significantly enhanced self-grooming in BTBR mice. These behaviors in BTBR mice suggest a potential signaling function of grooming in response to social stimuli, in which bodywide grooming of BTBR mice expressed in the proximity of social opponents may stimulate the release of olfactory (possibly dismissive) signals. Consequently, the putative neural mechanisms underlying excessive grooming may differ from those regulating social approaches that are associated with anxiolytic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Arakawa
- Department of Psychology, Tokiwa University, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan; Department of Systems Physiology, University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Medicine, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.
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7
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Ashitha SNM, Ramachandra NB. Integrated Functional Analysis Implicates Syndromic and Rare Copy Number Variation Genes as Prominent Molecular Players in Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neuroscience 2020; 438:25-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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8
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Elhawary NA, Tayeb MT, Sindi IA, Qutub N, Rashad M, Mufti A, Arab AH, Khogeer A, Elhawary EN, Dannoun A, Bogari N. Genetic biomarkers predict susceptibility to autism spectrum disorder through interactive models of inheritance in a Saudi community. COGENT BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/23312025.2019.1606555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nasser A. Elhawary
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca 21955, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Mohammed T. Tayeb
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Ikhlas A. Sindi
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nermeen Qutub
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mona Rashad
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Ahmad Mufti
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Arwa H. Arab
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asim Khogeer
- Department of Plan and Research, General Directorate of Health Affairs, Mecca Region, Ministry of Health, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ezzeldin N. Elhawary
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Modern Sciences and Arts University, 6th October City, Giza, Egypt
| | - Anas Dannoun
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Neda Bogari
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Medical Genetics Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
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9
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Enabling Precision Medicine through Integrative Network Models. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:2913-2923. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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10
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Duda M, Zhang H, Li HD, Wall DP, Burmeister M, Guan Y. Brain-specific functional relationship networks inform autism spectrum disorder gene prediction. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:56. [PMID: 29507298 PMCID: PMC5838237 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0098-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder with strong evidence of genetic contribution, and increased research efforts have resulted in an ever-growing list of ASD candidate genes. However, only a fraction of the hundreds of nominated ASD-related genes have identified de novo or transmitted loss of function (LOF) mutations that can be directly attributed to the disorder. For this reason, a means of prioritizing candidate genes for ASD would help filter out false-positive results and allow researchers to focus on genes that are more likely to be causative. Here we constructed a machine learning model by leveraging a brain-specific functional relationship network (FRN) of genes to produce a genome-wide ranking of ASD risk genes. We rigorously validated our gene ranking using results from two independent sequencing experiments, together representing over 5000 simplex and multiplex ASD families. Finally, through functional enrichment analysis on our highly prioritized candidate gene network, we identified a small number of pathways that are key in early neural development, providing further support for their potential role in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlena Duda
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Hongjiu Zhang
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Hong-Dong Li
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA ,0000 0001 0379 7164grid.216417.7Center for Bioinformatics, School of Information Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Dennis P. Wall
- 0000000419368956grid.168010.eDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Systems Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA ,0000000419368956grid.168010.eDepartment of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Margit Burmeister
- 0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA ,0000000086837370grid.214458.eMolecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA ,0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA ,0000000086837370grid.214458.eDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI USA
| | - Yuanfang Guan
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. .,Department of Internal Medicine, Usniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. .,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Shen L, Zhang K, Feng C, Chen Y, Li S, Iqbal J, Liao L, Zhao Y, Zhai J. iTRAQ-Based Proteomic Analysis Reveals Protein Profile in Plasma from Children with Autism. Proteomics Clin Appl 2018; 12:e1700085. [PMID: 29274201 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201700085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Autism is a childhood neurological disorder with poorly understood etiology and pathology. This study is designed to identify differentially expressed proteins that might serve as potential biomarkers for autism. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We perform iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) analysis for normal and autistic children's plasma of the same age group. RESULTS The results show that 24 differentially expressed proteins were identified between autistic subjects and controls. For the first time, differential expression of complement C5 (C5) and fermitin family homolog 3 (FERMT3) are related to autism. Five proteins, that is, complement C3 (C3), C5, integrin alpha-IIb (ITGA2B), talin-1 (TLN1), and vitamin D-binding protein (GC) were validated via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). By ROC (receiver operating characteristic) analysis, combinations of these five proteins C3, C5, GC, ITGA2B, and TLN1 distinguished autistic children from healthy controls with a high AUC (area under the ROC curve) value (0.982, 95% CI, 0.957-1.000, p < 0.000). CONCLUSION These above described proteins are found involved in different pathways that have previously been linked to the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The results strongly support that focal adhesions, acting cytoskeleton, cell adhesion, motility and migration, synaptogenesis, and complement system are involved in the pathogenesis of autism, and highlight the important role of platelet function in the pathophysiology of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Shen
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Kaoyuan Zhang
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Chengyun Feng
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Baoan, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Youjiao Chen
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China.,Xiang Ya Changde Hospital, Changde City, Hunan Province, P. R. China
| | - Shuiming Li
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbial Genetic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Javed Iqbal
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Liping Liao
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Yuxi Zhao
- College of Life Science and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China
| | - Jian Zhai
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Baoan, Shenzhen, P. R. China
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12
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Ahmad F, Singh K, Das D, Gowaikar R, Shaw E, Ramachandran A, Rupanagudi KV, Kommaddi RP, Bennett DA, Ravindranath V. Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Loss of Synaptic Akt1 Signaling Leads to Deficient Activity-Dependent Protein Translation Early in Alzheimer's Disease. Antioxid Redox Signal 2017; 27:1269-1280. [PMID: 28264587 PMCID: PMC5655421 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2016.6860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Synaptic deficits are known to underlie the cognitive dysfunction seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by β-amyloid has also been implicated in AD pathogenesis. However, it is unclear whether ROS contributes to synaptic dysfunction seen in AD pathogenesis and, therefore, we examined whether altered redox signaling could contribute to synaptic deficits in AD. RESULTS Activity dependent but not basal translation was impaired in synaptoneurosomes from 1-month old presymptomatic APPSwe/PS1ΔE9 (APP/PS1) mice, and this deficit was sustained till middle age (MA, 9-10 months). ROS generation leads to oxidative modification of Akt1 in the synapse and consequent reduction in Akt1-mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, leading to deficiency in activity-dependent protein translation. Moreover, we found a similar loss of activity-dependent protein translation in synaptoneurosomes from postmortem AD brains. INNOVATION Loss of activity-dependent protein translation occurs presymptomatically early in the pathogenesis of AD. This is caused by ROS-mediated loss of pAkt1, leading to reduced synaptic Akt1-mTOR signaling and is rescued by overexpression of Akt1. ROS-mediated damage is restricted to the synaptosomes, indicating selectivity. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that ROS-mediated oxidative modification of Akt1 contributes to synaptic dysfunction in AD, seen as loss of activity-dependent protein translation that is essential for synaptic plasticity and maintenance. Therapeutic strategies promoting Akt1-mTOR signaling at synapses may provide novel target(s) for disease-modifying therapy in AD. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 1269-1280.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz Ahmad
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India
| | - Kunal Singh
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India
| | - Debajyoti Das
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India
| | - Ruturaj Gowaikar
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India
| | - Eisha Shaw
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India
| | | | | | | | - David A Bennett
- 2 Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center , Chicago, Illinois
| | - Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath
- 1 Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore, India .,3 Centre for Brain Research , Bangalore, India
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13
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Taye B, Vaz C, Tanavde V, Kuznetsov VA, Eisenhaber F, Sugrue RJ, Maurer-Stroh S. Benchmarking selected computational gene network growing tools in context of virus-host interactions. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5805. [PMID: 28724991 PMCID: PMC5517527 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06020-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Several available online tools provide network growing functions where an algorithm utilizing different data sources suggests additional genes/proteins that should connect an input gene set into functionally meaningful networks. Using the well-studied system of influenza host interactions, we compare the network growing function of two free tools GeneMANIA and STRING and the commercial IPA for their performance of recovering known influenza A virus host factors previously identified from siRNA screens. The result showed that given small (~30 genes) or medium (~150 genes) input sets all three network growing tools detect significantly more known host factors than random human genes with STRING overall performing strongest. Extending the networks with all the three tools significantly improved the detection of GO biological processes of known host factors compared to not growing networks. Interestingly, the rate of identification of true host factors using computational network growing is equal or better to doing another experimental siRNA screening study which could also be true and applied to other biological pathways/processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biruhalem Taye
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore. .,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore. .,Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, P.O.BOX 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Candida Vaz
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore
| | - Vivek Tanavde
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.,Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, 8A Biomedical Grove, #06-06 Immunos, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Vladimir A Kuznetsov
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.,School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637553, Singapore
| | - Frank Eisenhaber
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.,School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637553, Singapore
| | - Richard J Sugrue
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Sebastian Maurer-Stroh
- Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street #07-01 Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.,National Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, 3 Biopolis Drive, Synapse #05-14/16, Singapore, 138623, Singapore
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14
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Candidate Biomarkers in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of MRI Studies. Neurosci Bull 2017; 33:219-237. [PMID: 28283808 PMCID: PMC5360855 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-017-0118-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Searching for effective biomarkers is one of the most challenging tasks in the research field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive and powerful tool for investigating changes in the structure, function, maturation, connectivity, and metabolism of the brain of children with ASD. Here, we review the more recent MRI studies in young children with ASD, aiming to provide candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of childhood ASD. The review covers structural imaging methods, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Future advances in neuroimaging techniques, as well as cross-disciplinary studies and large-scale collaborations will be needed for an integrated approach linking neuroimaging, genetics, and phenotypic data to allow the discovery of new, effective biomarkers.
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15
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Tao C, Nichols TE, Hua X, Ching CRK, Rolls ET, Thompson PM, Feng J. Generalized reduced rank latent factor regression for high dimensional tensor fields, and neuroimaging-genetic applications. Neuroimage 2016; 144:35-57. [PMID: 27666385 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2015] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose a generalized reduced rank latent factor regression model (GRRLF) for the analysis of tensor field responses and high dimensional covariates. The model is motivated by the need from imaging-genetic studies to identify genetic variants that are associated with brain imaging phenotypes, often in the form of high dimensional tensor fields. GRRLF identifies from the structure in the data the effective dimensionality of the data, and then jointly performs dimension reduction of the covariates, dynamic identification of latent factors, and nonparametric estimation of both covariate and latent response fields. After accounting for the latent and covariate effects, GRLLF performs a nonparametric test on the remaining factor of interest. GRRLF provides a better factorization of the signals compared with common solutions, and is less susceptible to overfitting because it exploits the effective dimensionality. The generality and the flexibility of GRRLF also allow various statistical models to be handled in a unified framework and solutions can be efficiently computed. Within the field of neuroimaging, it improves the sensitivity for weak signals and is a promising alternative to existing approaches. The operation of the framework is demonstrated with both synthetic datasets and a real-world neuroimaging example in which the effects of a set of genes on the structure of the brain at the voxel level were measured, and the results compared favorably with those from existing approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyang Tao
- Centre for Computational Systems Biology and School of Mathematical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, Coventry, UK
| | | | - Xue Hua
- Imaging Genetics Center, Institute for Neuroimaging & Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher R K Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, Institute for Neuroimaging & Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Graduate Program, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Edmund T Rolls
- Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, Coventry, UK; Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Institute for Neuroimaging & Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Engineering, Pediatrics, and Ophthalmology, USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jianfeng Feng
- Centre for Computational Systems Biology and School of Mathematical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, PR China; Department of Computer Science, Warwick University, Coventry, UK; School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
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16
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Genome-wide prediction and functional characterization of the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder. Nat Neurosci 2016; 19:1454-1462. [PMID: 27479844 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 242] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic basis. Yet, only a small fraction of potentially causal genes-about 65 genes out of an estimated several hundred-are known with strong genetic evidence from sequencing studies. We developed a complementary machine-learning approach based on a human brain-specific gene network to present a genome-wide prediction of autism risk genes, including hundreds of candidates for which there is minimal or no prior genetic evidence. Our approach was validated in a large independent case-control sequencing study. Leveraging these genome-wide predictions and the brain-specific network, we demonstrated that the large set of ASD genes converges on a smaller number of key pathways and developmental stages of the brain. Finally, we identified likely pathogenic genes within frequent autism-associated copy-number variants and proposed genes and pathways that are likely mediators of ASD across multiple copy-number variants. All predictions and functional insights are available at http://asd.princeton.edu.
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17
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Lima LDA, Feio-dos-Santos AC, Belangero SI, Gadelha A, Bressan RA, Salum GA, Pan PM, Moriyama TS, Graeff-Martins AS, Tamanaha AC, Alvarenga P, Krieger FV, Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Jackowski AP, Brietzke E, Sato JR, Polanczyk GV, Mari JDJ, Manfro GG, do Rosário MC, Miguel EC, Puga RD, Tahira AC, Souza VN, Chile T, Gouveia GR, Simões SN, Chang X, Pellegrino R, Tian L, Glessner JT, Hashimoto RF, Rohde LA, Sleiman PMA, Hakonarson H, Brentani H. An integrative approach to investigate the respective roles of single-nucleotide variants and copy-number variants in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22851. [PMID: 26947246 PMCID: PMC4780010 DOI: 10.1038/srep22851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Many studies have attempted to investigate the genetic susceptibility of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but without much success. The present study aimed to analyze both single-nucleotide and copy-number variants contributing to the genetic architecture of ADHD. We generated exome data from 30 Brazilian trios with sporadic ADHD. We also analyzed a Brazilian sample of 503 children/adolescent controls from a High Risk Cohort Study for the Development of Childhood Psychiatric Disorders, and also previously published results of five CNV studies and one GWAS meta-analysis of ADHD involving children/adolescents. The results from the Brazilian trios showed that cases with de novo SNVs tend not to have de novo CNVs and vice-versa. Although the sample size is small, we could also see that various comorbidities are more frequent in cases with only inherited variants. Moreover, using only genes expressed in brain, we constructed two "in silico" protein-protein interaction networks, one with genes from any analysis, and other with genes with hits in two analyses. Topological and functional analyses of genes in this network uncovered genes related to synapse, cell adhesion, glutamatergic and serotoninergic pathways, both confirming findings of previous studies and capturing new genes and genetic variants in these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro de Araújo Lima
- Inter-institutional Grad Program on Bioinformatics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Sintia Iole Belangero
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ary Gadelha
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Giovanni Abrahão Salum
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Pedro Mario Pan
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Tais Silveira Moriyama
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Soledade Graeff-Martins
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Carina Tamanaha
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro Alvarenga
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Valle Krieger
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Bacy Fleitlich-Bilyk
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Andrea Parolin Jackowski
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Elisa Brietzke
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - João Ricardo Sato
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Center of Mathematics, Computation and Cognition. Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Vanoni Polanczyk
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jair de Jesus Mari
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gisele Gus Manfro
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Maria Conceição do Rosário
- National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Eurípedes Constantino Miguel
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renato David Puga
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Clinical Research, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Tahira
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Viviane Neri Souza
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Thais Chile
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gisele Rodrigues Gouveia
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Sérgio Nery Simões
- Inter-institutional Grad Program on Bioinformatics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Federal Institute of Espírito Santo, Serra, ES, Brazil
| | - Xiao Chang
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Renata Pellegrino
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lifeng Tian
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joseph T Glessner
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ronaldo Fumio Hashimoto
- Inter-institutional Grad Program on Bioinformatics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Mathematics &Statistics Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Luis Augusto Rohde
- Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Patrick M A Sleiman
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Helena Brentani
- Inter-institutional Grad Program on Bioinformatics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Department &Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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18
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Poopal AC, Schroeder LM, Horn PS, Bassell GJ, Gross C. Increased expression of the PI3K catalytic subunit p110δ underlies elevated S6 phosphorylation and protein synthesis in an individual with autism from a multiplex family. Mol Autism 2016; 7:3. [PMID: 26770665 PMCID: PMC4712554 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0066-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dysfunctions in the PI3K/mTOR pathway have gained a lot of attention in autism research. This was initially based on the discovery of several monogenic autism spectrum disorders with mutations or defects in PI3K/mTOR signaling components. Recent genetic studies corroborate that defective PI3K/mTOR signaling might be a shared pathomechanism in autism disorders of so far unknown etiology, but functional molecular analyses in human cells are rare. The goals of this study were to perform a functional screen of cell lines from patients with idiopathic autism for defects in PI3K/mTOR signaling, to test if further functional analyses are suitable to detect underlying molecular mechanisms, and to evaluate this approach as a biomarker tool to identify therapeutic targets. Methods We performed phospho-S6- and S6-specific ELISA experiments on 21 lymphoblastoid cell lines from the AGRE collection and on 37 lymphoblastoid cell lines from the Simons Simplex Collection and their healthy siblings. Cell lines from one individual with increased S6 phosphorylation and his multiplex family were analyzed in further detail to identify upstream defects in PI3K signaling associated with autism diagnosis. Results We detected significantly increased S6 phosphorylation in 3 of the 21 lymphoblastoid cell lines from AGRE compared to a healthy control and in 1 of the 37 lymphoblastoid cell lines from the Simons Simplex Collection compared to the healthy sibling. Further analysis of cells from one individual with elevated S6 phosphorylation showed increased expression of the PI3K catalytic subunit p110δ, which was also observed in lymphoblastoid cells from other autistic siblings but not unaffected members in his multiplex family. The p110δ-selective inhibitor IC87114 reduced elevated S6 phosphorylation and protein synthesis in this cell line. Conclusions Our results suggest that functional analysis of PI3K/mTOR signaling is a biomarker tool to identify disease-associated molecular defects that could serve as therapeutic targets in autism. Using this approach, we discovered impaired signaling and protein synthesis through the PI3K catalytic subunit p110δ as an underlying molecular defect and potential treatment target in select autism spectrum disorders. Increased p110δ activity was recently associated with schizophrenia, and our results suggest that p110δ may also be implicated in autism. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13229-015-0066-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini C Poopal
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University Medical School, 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Lindsay M Schroeder
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA
| | - Paul S Horn
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA ; Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA
| | - Gary J Bassell
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University Medical School, 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Christina Gross
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University Medical School, 615 Michael Street, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ; Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA
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19
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Ander BP, Barger N, Stamova B, Sharp FR, Schumann CM. Atypical miRNA expression in temporal cortex associated with dysregulation of immune, cell cycle, and other pathways in autism spectrum disorders. Mol Autism 2015; 6:37. [PMID: 26146533 PMCID: PMC4491207 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0029-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) likely involve dysregulation of multiple genes related to brain function and development. Abnormalities in individual regulatory small non-coding RNA (sncRNA), including microRNA (miRNA), could have profound effects upon multiple functional pathways. We assessed whether a brain region associated with core social impairments in ASD, the superior temporal sulcus (STS), would evidence greater transcriptional dysregulation of sncRNA than adjacent, yet functionally distinct, primary auditory cortex (PAC). METHODS We measured sncRNA expression levels in 34 samples of postmortem brain from STS and PAC to find differentially expressed sncRNA in ASD compared with control cases. For differentially expressed miRNA, we further analyzed their predicted mRNA targets and carried out functional over-representation analysis of KEGG pathways to examine their functional significance and to compare our findings to reported alterations in ASD gene expression. RESULTS Two mature miRNAs (miR-4753-5p and miR-1) were differentially expressed in ASD relative to control in STS and four (miR-664-3p, miR-4709-3p, miR-4742-3p, and miR-297) in PAC. In both regions, miRNA were functionally related to various nervous system, cell cycle, and canonical signaling pathways, including PI3K-Akt signaling, previously implicated in ASD. Immune pathways were only disrupted in STS. snoRNA and pre-miRNA were also differentially expressed in ASD brain. CONCLUSIONS Alterations in sncRNA may underlie dysregulation of molecular pathways implicated in autism. sncRNA transcriptional abnormalities in ASD were apparent in STS and in PAC, a brain region not directly associated with core behavioral impairments. Disruption of miRNA in immune pathways, frequently implicated in ASD, was unique to STS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley P Ander
- Department of Neurology, MIND Institute, University of California at Davis Medical Center, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
| | - Nicole Barger
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California at Davis Medical Center, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
| | - Boryana Stamova
- Department of Neurology, MIND Institute, University of California at Davis Medical Center, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
| | - Frank R Sharp
- Department of Neurology, MIND Institute, University of California at Davis Medical Center, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
| | - Cynthia M Schumann
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California at Davis Medical Center, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
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20
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21
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Amodeo DA, Yi J, Sweeney JA, Ragozzino ME. Oxotremorine treatment reduces repetitive behaviors in BTBR T+ tf/J mice. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2014; 6:17. [PMID: 25165445 PMCID: PMC4131251 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2014.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive behaviors with restricted interests is one of the core criteria for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Current pharmacotherapies that target the dopaminergic or serotonergic systems have limited effectiveness in treating repetitive behaviors. Previous research has demonstrated that administration of muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) antagonists can exacerbate motor stereotypies while mAChR agonists reduce stereotypies. The present study determined whether the mAChR agonist, oxotremorine affected repetitive behaviors in the BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mouse model of autism. To test the effects of oxotremorine on repetitive behaviors, marble burying and grooming behavior were measured in BTBR mice and compared to that in C57BL/6J (B6) mice. The effects of oxotremorine on locomotor activity was also measured. Thirty minutes before each test, mice received an intraperitoneal (ip) injection of saline, 0.001 mg or 0.01 mg of oxotremorine methiodide. Saline- treated BTBR mice exhibited increased marble burying and self-grooming behavior compared to that of saline-treated B6 mice. Oxotremorine significantly reduced marble burying and self-grooming behavior in BTBR mice, but had no significant effect in B6 mice. In addition, oxotremorine did not affect locomotor activity in BTBR mice, but significantly reduced locomotor activity in B6 mice at the 0.01 mg dose. These findings demonstrate that activation of mAChRs reduces repetitive behavior in the BTBR mouse and suggest that treatment with a mAChR agonist may be effective in reducing repetitive behaviors in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dionisio A Amodeo
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Julia Yi
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John A Sweeney
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Michael E Ragozzino
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
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22
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Molas S, Dierssen M. The role of nicotinic receptors in shaping and functioning of the glutamatergic system: a window into cognitive pathology. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 46 Pt 2:315-25. [PMID: 24879992 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2013] [Revised: 04/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The involvement of the cholinergic system in learning, memory and attention has long been recognized, although its neurobiological mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent evidence identifies the endogenous cholinergic signaling via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as key players in determining the morphological and functional maturation of the glutamatergic system. Here, we review the available experimental and clinical evidence of nAChRs contribution to the establishment of the glutamatergic system, and therefore to cognitive function. We provide some clues of the putative underlying molecular mechanisms and discuss recent human studies that associate genetic variability of the genes encoding nAChR subunits with cognitive disorders. Finally, we discuss the new avenues to therapeutically targeting nAChRs in persons with cognitive dysfunction for which the α7-nAChR subunit is an important etiological mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Molas
- Systems Biology Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona E-08003, Spain; University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Barcelona E-08003, Spain
| | - Mara Dierssen
- Systems Biology Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona E-08003, Spain; University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Barcelona E-08003, Spain.
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Jung JY, DeLuca TF, Nelson TH, Wall DP. A literature search tool for intelligent extraction of disease-associated genes. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2014; 21:399-405. [PMID: 23999671 PMCID: PMC3994846 DOI: 10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Revised: 07/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To extract disorder-associated genes from the scientific literature in PubMed with greater sensitivity for literature-based support than existing methods. METHODS We developed a PubMed query to retrieve disorder-related, original research articles. Then we applied a rule-based text-mining algorithm with keyword matching to extract target disorders, genes with significant results, and the type of study described by the article. RESULTS We compared our resulting candidate disorder genes and supporting references with existing databases. We demonstrated that our candidate gene set covers nearly all genes in manually curated databases, and that the references supporting the disorder-gene link are more extensive and accurate than other general purpose gene-to-disorder association databases. CONCLUSIONS We implemented a novel publication search tool to find target articles, specifically focused on links between disorders and genotypes. Through comparison against gold-standard manually updated gene-disorder databases and comparison with automated databases of similar functionality we show that our tool can search through the entirety of PubMed to extract the main gene findings for human diseases rapidly and accurately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae-Yoon Jung
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Todd F DeLuca
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tristan H Nelson
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dennis P Wall
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Ruggeri B, Sarkans U, Schumann G, Persico AM. Biomarkers in autism spectrum disorder: the old and the new. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1201-16. [PMID: 24096533 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3290-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 09/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder with onset during early childhood and typically a life-long course. The majority of ASD cases stems from complex, 'multiple-hit', oligogenic/polygenic underpinnings involving several loci and possibly gene-environment interactions. These multiple layers of complexity spur interest into the identification of biomarkers able to define biologically homogeneous subgroups, predict autism risk prior to the onset of behavioural abnormalities, aid early diagnoses, predict the developmental trajectory of ASD children, predict response to treatment and identify children at risk for severe adverse reactions to psychoactive drugs. OBJECTIVES The present paper reviews (a) similarities and differences between the concepts of 'biomarker' and 'endophenotype', (b) established biomarkers and endophenotypes in autism research (biochemical, morphological, hormonal, immunological, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical, neuropsychological, behavioural), (c) -omics approaches towards the discovery of novel biomarker panels for ASD, (d) bioresource infrastructures and (e) data management for biomarker research in autism. RESULTS Known biomarkers, such as abnormal blood levels of serotonin, oxytocin, melatonin, immune cytokines and lymphocyte subtypes, multiple neuropsychological, electrophysiological and brain imaging parameters, will eventually merge with novel biomarkers identified using unbiased genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic methods, to generate multimarker panels. Bioresource infrastructures, data management and data analysis using artificial intelligence networks will be instrumental in supporting efforts to identify these biomarker panels. CONCLUSIONS Biomarker research has great heuristic potential in targeting autism diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Ruggeri
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
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Clipperton-Allen AE, Page DT. Pten haploinsufficient mice show broad brain overgrowth but selective impairments in autism-relevant behavioral tests. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 23:3490-505. [PMID: 24497577 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Accelerated head and brain growth (macrocephaly) during development is a replicated biological finding in a subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the relationship between brain overgrowth and the behavioral and cognitive symptoms of ASD is poorly understood. The PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway regulates cellular growth; several genes encoding negative regulators of this pathway are ASD risk factors, including PTEN. Mutations in PTEN have been reported in individuals with ASD and macrocephaly. We report that brain overgrowth is widespread in Pten germline haploinsufficient (Pten(+/-)) mice, reflecting Pten mRNA expression in the developing brain. We then ask if broad brain overgrowth translates into general or specific effects on the development of behavior and cognition by testing Pten(+/-) mice using assays relevant to ASD and comorbidities. Deficits in social behavior were observed in both sexes. Males also showed abnormalities related to repetitive behavior and mood/anxiety. Females exhibited circadian activity and emotional learning phenotypes. Widespread brain overgrowth together with selective behavioral impairments in Pten(+/-) mice raises the possibility that most brain areas and constituent cell types adapt to an altered trajectory of growth with minimal impact on the behaviors tested in our battery; however, select areas/cell types relevant to social behavior are more vulnerable or less adaptable, thus resulting in social deficits. Probing dopaminergic neurons as a candidate vulnerable cell type, we found social behavioral impairments in mice with Pten conditionally inactivated in dopaminergic neurons that are consistent with the possibility that desynchronized growth in key cell types may contribute to ASD endophenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy E Clipperton-Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter 33458, FL, USA
| | - Damon T Page
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter 33458, FL, USA
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26
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Janušonis S. Functional associations among G protein-coupled neurotransmitter receptors in the human brain. BMC Neurosci 2014; 15:16. [PMID: 24438157 PMCID: PMC3898241 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-15-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The activity of neurons is controlled by groups of neurotransmitter receptors rather than by individual receptors. Experimental studies have investigated some receptor interactions, but currently little information is available about transcriptional associations among receptors at the whole-brain level. Results A total of 4950 correlations between 100 G protein-coupled neurotransmitter receptors were examined across 169 brain regions in the human brain using expression data published in the Allen Human Brain Atlas. A large number of highly significant correlations were found, many of which have not been investigated in hypothesis-driven studies. The highest positive and negative correlations of each receptor are reported, which can facilitate the construction of receptor sets likely to be affected by altered transcription of one receptor (such sets always exist, but their members are difficult to predict). A graph analysis isolated two large receptor communities, within each of which receptor mRNA levels were strongly cross-correlated. Conclusions The presented systematic analysis shows that the mRNA levels of many G protein-coupled receptors are interdependent. This finding is not unexpected, since the brain is a highly integrated complex system. However, the analysis also revealed two novel properties of global brain structure. First, receptor correlations are described by a simple statistical distribution, which suggests that receptor interactions may be guided by qualitatively similar processes. Second, receptors appear to form two large functional communities, which might be differentially affected in brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skirmantas Janušonis
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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27
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Goldani AAS, Downs SR, Widjaja F, Lawton B, Hendren RL. Biomarkers in autism. Front Psychiatry 2014; 5:100. [PMID: 25161627 PMCID: PMC4129499 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2013] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are complex, heterogeneous disorders caused by an interaction between genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. In an effort to better target the underlying roots of ASD for diagnosis and treatment, efforts to identify reliable biomarkers in genetics, neuroimaging, gene expression, and measures of the body's metabolism are growing. For this article, we review the published studies of potential biomarkers in autism and conclude that while there is increasing promise of finding biomarkers that can help us target treatment, there are none with enough evidence to support routine clinical use unless medical illness is suspected. Promising biomarkers include those for mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and immune function. Genetic clusters are also suggesting the potential for useful biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan R Downs
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco , San Francisco, CA , USA
| | - Felicia Widjaja
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco , San Francisco, CA , USA
| | - Brittany Lawton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco , San Francisco, CA , USA
| | - Robert L Hendren
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco , San Francisco, CA , USA
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28
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Rossignol DA, Frye RE. The use of medications approved for Alzheimer's disease in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. Front Pediatr 2014; 2:87. [PMID: 25202686 PMCID: PMC4141213 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2014.00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 68 children in the United States. Even though it is a common disorder, only two medications (risperidone and aripiprazole) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat symptoms associated with ASD. However, these medications are approved to treat irritability, which is not a core symptom of ASD. A number of novel medications, which have not been approved by the FDA to treat ASD have been used off-label in some studies to treat ASD symptoms, including medications approved for Alzheimer's disease. Interestingly, some of these studies are high-quality, double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) studies. This article systematically reviews studies published through April, 2014, which examined the use of Alzheimer's medications in ASD, including donepezil (seven studies, two were DBPC, five out of seven reported improvements), galantamine (four studies, two were DBPC, all reported improvements), rivastigmine (one study reporting improvements), tacrine (one study reporting improvements), and memantine (nine studies, one was DBPC, eight reported improvements). An evidence-based scale was used to rank each medication. Collectively, these studies reported improvements in expressive language and communication, receptive language, social interaction, irritability, hyperactivity, attention, eye contact, emotional lability, repetitive or self-stimulatory behaviors, motor planning, disruptive behaviors, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, lethargy, overall ASD behaviors, and increased REM sleep. Reported side effects are reviewed and include irritability, gastrointestinal problems, verbal or behavioral regression, headaches, irritability, rash, tremor, sedation, vomiting, and speech problems. Both galantamine and memantine had sufficient evidence ranking for improving both core and associated symptoms of ASD. Given the lack of medications approved to treat ASD, further studies on novel medications, including Alzheimer's disease medications, are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard E Frye
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock, AR , USA
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29
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Mass spectrometry for the study of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2014; 806:525-44. [PMID: 24952201 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-06068-2_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) has been increasingly used to study central nervous system disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The first studies of ASD using MS focused on the identification of external toxins, but current research is more directed at understanding endogenous protein changes that occur in ASD (ASD proteomics). This chapter focuses on how MS has been used to study ASDs, with particular focus on proteomic analysis. Other neurodevelopmental disorders have been investigated using this technique, including genetic syndromes associated with autism such as fragile X syndrome and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome.
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30
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Valsesia A, Macé A, Jacquemont S, Beckmann JS, Kutalik Z. The Growing Importance of CNVs: New Insights for Detection and Clinical Interpretation. Front Genet 2013; 4:92. [PMID: 23750167 PMCID: PMC3667386 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2013.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2013] [Accepted: 05/04/2013] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Differences between genomes can be due to single nucleotide variants, translocations, inversions, and copy number variants (CNVs, gain or loss of DNA). The latter can range from sub-microscopic events to complete chromosomal aneuploidies. Small CNVs are often benign but those larger than 500 kb are strongly associated with morbid consequences such as developmental disorders and cancer. Detecting CNVs within and between populations is essential to better understand the plasticity of our genome and to elucidate its possible contribution to disease. Hence there is a need for better-tailored and more robust tools for the detection and genome-wide analyses of CNVs. While a link between a given CNV and a disease may have often been established, the relative CNV contribution to disease progression and impact on drug response is not necessarily understood. In this review we discuss the progress, challenges, and limitations that occur at different stages of CNV analysis from the detection (using DNA microarrays and next-generation sequencing) and identification of recurrent CNVs to the association with phenotypes. We emphasize the importance of germline CNVs and propose strategies to aid clinicians to better interpret structural variations and assess their clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armand Valsesia
- Genetics Core, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences Lausanne, Switzerland
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31
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Woods AG, Ngounou Wetie AG, Sokolowska I, Russell S, Ryan JP, Michel TM, Thome J, Darie CC. Mass spectrometry as a tool for studying autism spectrum disorder. J Mol Psychiatry 2013; 1:6. [PMID: 25408899 PMCID: PMC4223881 DOI: 10.1186/2049-9256-1-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 11/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are increasing in incidence but have an incompletely understood etiology. Tools for uncovering clues to the cause of ASDs and means for diagnoses are valuable to the field. Mass Spectrometry (MS) has been a useful method for evaluating differences between individuals with ASDs versus matched controls. Different biological substances can be evaluated using MS, including urine, blood, saliva, and hair. This technique has been used to evaluate relatively unsupported hypotheses based on introduction of exogenous factors, such as opiate and heavy metal excretion theories of ASDs. MS has also been used to support disturbances in serotonin-related molecules, which have been more consistently observed in ASDs. Serotonergic system markers, markers for oxidative stress, cholesterol system disturbances, peptide hypo-phosphorylation and methylation have been measured using MS in ASDs, although further analyses with larger numbers of subjects are needed (as well as consideration of behavioral data). Refinements in MS and data analysis are ongoing, allowing for the possibility that future studies examining body fluids and specimens from ASD subjects could continue to yield novel insights. This review summarizes MS investigations that have been conducted to study ASD to date and provides insight into future promising applications for this technique, with focus on proteomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alisa G Woods
- Biochemistry and Proteomics Group Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 USA
| | - Armand G Ngounou Wetie
- Biochemistry and Proteomics Group Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 USA
| | - Izabela Sokolowska
- Biochemistry and Proteomics Group Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 USA
| | - Stefanie Russell
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 USA
| | - Jeanne P Ryan
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 USA
| | - Tanja Maria Michel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimer Straße 20, D-18147 Rostock, Germany
| | - Johannes Thome
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimer Straße 20, D-18147 Rostock, Germany ; College of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP UK
| | - Costel C Darie
- Biochemistry and Proteomics Group Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, NY 13699-5810 USA
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32
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Swanger SA, Bassell GJ. Dendritic protein synthesis in the normal and diseased brain. Neuroscience 2012; 232:106-27. [PMID: 23262237 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/01/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Synaptic activity is a spatially limited process that requires a precise, yet dynamic, complement of proteins within the synaptic micro-domain. The maintenance and regulation of these synaptic proteins is regulated, in part, by local mRNA translation in dendrites. Protein synthesis within the postsynaptic compartment allows neurons tight spatial and temporal control of synaptic protein expression, which is critical for proper functioning of synapses and neural circuits. In this review, we discuss the identity of proteins synthesized within dendrites, the receptor-mediated mechanisms regulating their synthesis, and the possible roles for these locally synthesized proteins. We also explore how our current understanding of dendritic protein synthesis in the hippocampus can be applied to new brain regions and to understanding the pathological mechanisms underlying varied neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Swanger
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - G J Bassell
- Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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33
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Reith RM, McKenna J, Wu H, Hashmi SS, Cho SH, Dash PK, Gambello MJ. Loss of Tsc2 in Purkinje cells is associated with autistic-like behavior in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis complex. Neurobiol Dis 2012; 51:93-103. [PMID: 23123587 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2012.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Revised: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a dominant tumor suppressor disorder caused by mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2. TSC causes substantial neuropathology, often leading to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in up to 60% of patients. The anatomic and neurophysiologic links between these two disorders are not well understood. We have generated and characterized a novel TSC mouse model with Purkinje cell specific Tsc2 loss. These Tsc2f/-;Cre mice exhibit progressive Purkinje cell degeneration. Since loss of Purkinje cells is a well reported postmortem finding in patients with ASD, we conducted a series of behavior tests to asses if Tsc2f/-;Cre mice displayed autistic-like deficits. Tsc2f/-;Cre mice demonstrated increased repetitive behavior as assessed with marble burying activity. Using the three chambered apparatus to asses social behavior, we found that Tsc2f/-;Cre mice showed behavioral deficits, exhibiting no preference between a stranger mouse and an inanimate object, or between a novel and a familiar mouse. We also detected social deficits in Tsc2f/f;Cre mice, suggesting that Purkinje cell pathology is sufficient to induce ASD-like behavior. Importantly, social behavior deficits were prevented with rapamycin treatment. Altogether, these results demonstrate that loss of Tsc2 in Purkinje cells in a Tsc2-haploinsufficient background leads to autistic-like behavioral deficits. These studies provide compelling evidence that Purkinje cell loss and/or dysfunction may be an important link between TSC and ASD as well as a general anatomic phenomenon that contributes to the ASD phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Michelle Reith
- Program in Human and Molecular Genetics, UT Health, Houston, TX, USA
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Clinicians learn less and less about more and more until they know nothing about everything; researchers learn more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing: discuss. Behav Brain Sci 2012; 35:358-9. [PMID: 23095379 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x12001367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A number of recent developments in our understanding of the biology of heritability question commonly held views on the immutability of genetic factors. These have numerous potential implications for improving understanding and practice in pre- and postconceptional care and for infant and child mental health, and they carry a cautionary message against overgeneralization.
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35
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Taurines R, Schwenck C, Westerwald E, Sachse M, Siniatchkin M, Freitag C. ADHD and autism: differential diagnosis or overlapping traits? A selective review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 4:115-39. [PMID: 22851255 DOI: 10.1007/s12402-012-0086-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
According to DSM-IV TR and ICD-10, a diagnosis of autism or Asperger Syndrome precludes a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, despite the different conceptualization, population-based twin studies reported symptom overlap, and a recent epidemiologically based study reported a high rate of ADHD in autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the planned revision of the DSM-IV TR, dsm5 (www.dsm5.org), the diagnoses of autistic disorder and ADHD will not be mutually exclusive any longer. This provides the basis of more differentiated studies on overlap and distinction between both disorders. This review presents data on comorbidity rates and symptom overlap and discusses common and disorder-specific risk factors, including recent proteomic studies. Neuropsychological findings in the areas of attention, reward processing, and social cognition are then compared between both disorders, as these cognitive abilities show overlapping as well as specific impairment for one of both disorders. In addition, selective brain imaging findings are reported. Therapeutic options are summarized, and new approaches are discussed. The review concludes with a prospectus on open questions for research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Taurines
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Würzburg University, Würzburg, Germany
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