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Caligiore D, Giocondo F, Silvetti M. The Neurodegenerative Elderly Syndrome (NES) hypothesis: Alzheimer and Parkinson are two faces of the same disease. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 13:330-343. [PMID: 36247524 PMCID: PMC9554826 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) share monoamine and alpha-synuclein (αSyn) dysfunctions, often beginning years before clinical manifestations onset. The triggers for these impairments and the causes leading these early neurodegenerative processes to become AD or PD remain unclear. We address these issues by proposing a radically new perspective to frame AD and PD: they are different manifestations of one only disease we call "Neurodegenerative Elderly Syndrome (NES)". NES goes through three phases. The seeding stage, which starts years before clinical signs, and where the part of the brain-body affected by the initial αSyn and monoamine dysfunctions, influences the future possible progression of NES towards PD or AD. The compensatory stage, where the clinical symptoms are still silent thanks to compensatory mechanisms keeping monoamine concentrations homeostasis. The bifurcation stage, where NES becomes AD or PD. We present recent literature supporting NES and discuss how this hypothesis could radically change the comprehension of AD and PD comorbidities and the design of novel system-level diagnostic and therapeutic actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Caligiore
- Computational and Translational Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CTNLab-ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, Rome 00185, Italy
- AI2Life s.r.l., Innovative Start-Up, ISTC-CNR Spin-Off, Via Sebino 32, Rome 00199, Italy
| | - Flora Giocondo
- Laboratory of Embodied Natural and Artificial Intelligence, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (LENAI-ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Massimo Silvetti
- Computational and Translational Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CTNLab-ISTC-CNR), Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, Rome 00185, Italy
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2
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Juárez-Cedillo T, González-Figueroa E, Martínez-Rodríguez N, Fragosos JM, Garrido-Acosta O, Vargas-Alarcón G. Influence of COMT polymorphism in cognitive performance on dementia in community-dwelling elderly Mexican (SADEM study). Metab Brain Dis 2021; 36:1223-1229. [PMID: 33900525 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-021-00740-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
There is an inconsistent finding about the relationship of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) with dementia susceptibility, as well as with cognitive impairment. To substantiate this, we examined COMT genotype effects in certain cognitive domains in dementia. To evaluate the effects of COMT Val158Met on cognitive performance, we used The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive (ADAS-cog) and the Syndrome Kurz Test (SKT). The results show COMT Val/Met, Val/Val genotype polymorphisms had a significant effect on cognition performance (OR = 1.75 (95 %CI 1.22-2.54) and (OR = 2.76 (95 %CI 1.78-4.26), p < 0.001), and with adjustment for all cognitive test scores together, Val/Val (OR = 4.98 (95 % CI 1.47-16.86) and Val/Met (OR = 3.62 (95 % CI 1.37-9.56) had effect. Our study allows us to understand the role of COMT in cognitive performance in dementia, as well as interaction with other known risk factors for this pathology. This data might help in developing new therapeutic targets for cognitive impairment, main symptom of dementia. Other risk genotypes or haplotypes should be evaluated to determine the association with cognitive decline in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Juárez-Cedillo
- Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud Área Envejecimiento, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Mexico City, Mexico.
- Unidad de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Hospital General Regional No 1 Doctor Carlos Mac Gregor Sánchez Navarro. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social , Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Evangelina González-Figueroa
- Unidad de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Hospital General Regional No 1 Doctor Carlos Mac Gregor Sánchez Navarro. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social , Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nancy Martínez-Rodríguez
- Epidemiology, Endocrinology & Nutrition Research Unit, Hospital Infantil de México "Federico Gómez", Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jose M Fragosos
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología 'Ignacio Chávez', Mexico City, México
| | - Osvaldo Garrido-Acosta
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gilberto Vargas-Alarcón
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología 'Ignacio Chávez', Mexico City, México
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3
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Impact of COMT val158met on tDCS-induced cognitive enhancement in older adults. Behav Brain Res 2021; 401:113081. [PMID: 33359367 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest that genetic polymorphisms and aging modulate inter-individual variability in brain stimulation-induced plasticity. However, the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and behavioral modulation through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in older adults remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE Link individual tDCS responsiveness, operationalized as performance difference between tDCS and sham condition, to common genetic polymorphisms in healthy older adults. METHODS 106 healthy older participants from five tDCS-studies were re-invited to donate blood for genotyping of apoliproprotein E (APOE: ε4 carriers and ε4 non-carriers), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT: val/val, val/met, met/met), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF: val/val, val/met, met/met) and KIdney/BRAin encoding gene (KIBRA: C/C, C/T, T/T). Studies had assessed cognitive performance during tDCS and sham in cross-over designs. We now asked whether the tDCS responsiveness was related to the four genotypes using a linear regression models. RESULTS We found that tDCS responsiveness was significantly associated with COMT polymorphism; i.e., COMT val carriers (compared to met/met) showed higher tDCS responsiveness. No other significant associations emerged. CONCLUSION Using data from five brain stimulation studies conducted in our group, we showed that only individual variation of COMT genotypes modulated behavioral response to tDCS. These findings contribute to the understanding of inherent factors that explain inter-individual variability in functional tDCS effects in older adults, and might help to better stratify participants for future clinical trials.
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Alam J, Sharma L. Potential Enzymatic Targets in Alzheimer's: A Comprehensive Review. Curr Drug Targets 2020; 20:316-339. [PMID: 30124150 DOI: 10.2174/1389450119666180820104723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 06/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's, a degenerative cause of the brain cells, is called as a progressive neurodegenerative disease and appears to have a heterogeneous etiology with main emphasis on amyloid-cascade and hyperphosphorylated tau-cascade hypotheses, that are directly linked with macromolecules called enzymes such as β- & γ-secretases, colinesterases, transglutaminases, and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3), cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk-5), microtubule affinity-regulating kinase (MARK). The catalytic activity of the above enzymes is the result of cognitive deficits, memory impairment and synaptic dysfunction and loss, and ultimately neuronal death. However, some other enzymes also lead to these dysfunctional events when reduced to their normal activities and levels in the brain, such as α- secretase, protein kinase C, phosphatases etc; metabolized to neurotransmitters, enzymes like monoamine oxidase (MAO), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) etc. or these abnormalities can occur when enzymes act by other mechanisms such as phosphodiesterase reduces brain nucleotides (cGMP and cAMP) levels, phospholipase A2: PLA2 is associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production etc. On therapeutic fronts, several significant clinical trials are underway by targeting different enzymes for development of new therapeutics to treat Alzheimer's, such as inhibitors for β-secretase, GSK-3, MAO, phosphodiesterase, PLA2, cholinesterases etc, modulators of α- & γ-secretase activities and activators for protein kinase C, sirtuins etc. The last decades have perceived an increasing focus on findings and search for new putative and novel enzymatic targets for Alzheimer's. Here, we review the functions, pathological roles, and worth of almost all the Alzheimer's associated enzymes that address to therapeutic strategies and preventive approaches for treatment of Alzheimer's.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jahangir Alam
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P., Pin 173229, India
| | - Lalit Sharma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P., Pin 173229, India
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Porter T, Burnham SC, Milicic L, Savage G, Maruff P, Sohrabi HR, Peretti M, Lim YY, Weinborn M, Ames D, Masters CL, Martins RN, Rainey-Smith S, Rowe CC, Salvado O, Groth D, Verdile G, Villemagne VL, Laws SM. COMT val158met is not associated with Aβ-amyloid and APOE ε4 related cognitive decline in cognitively normal older adults. IBRO Rep 2019; 6:147-152. [PMID: 31080907 PMCID: PMC6506436 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibror.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), Val158Met within the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been associated with altered levels of cognition and memory performance in cognitively normal adults. This study aimed to investigate the independent and interactional effects of COMT Val158Met on cognitive performance. In particular, it was hypothesised that COMT Val158Met would modify the effect of neocortical Aβ-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation and carriage of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele on cognition in preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). In 598 cognitively normal older adults with known neocortical Aβ levels, linear mixed modelling revealed no significant independent or interactional associations between COMT Val158Met and cognitive decline. These findings do not support previous associations between COMT Val158Met and cognitive performance and suggest this variant does not influence Aβ-amyloid or APOE ε4 driven cognitive decline in a well characterised cohort of cognitively normal older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tenielle Porter
- Collaborative Genomics Group, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Australia
| | - Samantha C Burnham
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia.,Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Lidija Milicic
- Collaborative Genomics Group, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Australia
| | - Greg Savage
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, North Ryde 2113, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul Maruff
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia.,CogState Ltd., Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hamid R Sohrabi
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Madeline Peretti
- Collaborative Genomics Group, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Australia
| | - Yen Ying Lim
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Weinborn
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David Ames
- Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, St. Vincent's Health, The University of Melbourne, Kew 3101, Victoria, Australia.,National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Colin L Masters
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ralph N Martins
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Stephanie Rainey-Smith
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher C Rowe
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Centre for PET, Austin Health, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
| | - Olivier Salvado
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity/Australian e-Health Research Centre, Herston 4029, Queensland, Australia
| | - David Groth
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley 6102, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Giuseppe Verdile
- Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley 6102, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Victor L Villemagne
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Nuclear Medicine and Centre for PET, Austin Health, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg 3084, Victoria, Australia
| | - Simon M Laws
- Collaborative Genomics Group, Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Western Australia, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Mental Health, Australia.,School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Bentley 6102, Western Australia, Australia
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Hall KT, Loscalzo J, Kaptchuk TJ. Systems pharmacogenomics - gene, disease, drug and placebo interactions: a case study in COMT. Pharmacogenomics 2019; 20:529-551. [PMID: 31124409 PMCID: PMC6563236 DOI: 10.2217/pgs-2019-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Disease, drugs and the placebos used as comparators are inextricably linked in the methodology of the double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Nonetheless, pharmacogenomics, the study of how individuals respond to drugs based on genetic substrate, focuses primarily on the link between genes and drugs, while the link between genes and disease is often overlooked and the link between genes and placebos is largely ignored. Herein, we use the example of the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase to examine the hypothesis that genes can function as pharmacogenomic hubs across system-wide regulatory processes that, if perturbed in andomized controlled trials, can have primary and combinatorial effects on drug and placebo responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn T Hall
- Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Joseph Loscalzo
- Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ted J Kaptchuk
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Program in Placebo Studies, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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7
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Taylor S. Association between COMT Val158Met and psychiatric disorders: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:199-210. [PMID: 28608575 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met is widely regarded as potentially important for understanding the genetic etiology of many different psychiatric disorders. The present study appears to be the first comprehensive meta-analysis of COMT genetic association studies to cover all psychiatric disorders for which there were available data, published in any language, and with an emphasis on investigating disorder subtypes (defined clinically or by demographic or other variables). Studies were included if they reported one or more datasets (i.e., some studies examined more than one clinical group) in which there were sufficient information to compute effect sizes. A total of 363 datasets were included, consisting of 56,998 cases and 74,668 healthy controls from case control studies, and 2,547 trios from family based studies. Fifteen disorders were included. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and panic disorder were associated with the Val allele for Caucasian samples. Substance-use disorder, defined by DSM-IV criteria, was associated with the Val allele for Asian samples. Bipolar disorder was associated with the Met allele in Asian samples. Obsessive-compulsive disorder tended to be associated with the Met allele only for males. There was suggestive evidence that the Met allele is associated with an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia. Results suggest pleiotropy and underscore the importance of examining subgroups-defined by variables such as age of onset, sex, ethnicity, and diagnostic system-rather than examining disorders as monolithic constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Taylor
- University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
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8
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Chang CC, Tsai SJ, Chen NC, Huang CW, Hsu SW, Chang YT, Liu ME, Chang WN, Tsai WC, Lee CC. Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Polymorphism on Striatum Structural Covariance Networks in Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:4637-4649. [PMID: 28707072 PMCID: PMC5948254 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0668-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme metabolizes dopamine in the prefrontal axis, and its genetic polymorphism (rs4680; Val158Met) is a known determinant of dopamine signaling. In this study, we investigated the possible structural covariance networks that may be modulated by this functional polymorphism in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Structural covariance networks were constructed by 3D T1 magnetic resonance imaging. The patients were divided into two groups: Met-carriers (n = 91) and Val-homozygotes (n = 101). Seed-based analysis was performed focusing on triple-network models and six striatal networks. Neurobehavioral scores served as the major outcome factors. The role of seed or peak cluster volumes, or a covariance strength showing Met-carriers > Val-homozygotes were tested for the effect on dopamine. Clinically, the Met-carriers had higher mental manipulation and hallucination scores than the Val-homozygotes. The volume-score correlations suggested the significance of the putaminal seed in the Met-carriers and caudate seed in the Val-homozygotes. Only the dorsal-rostral and dorsal-caudal putamen interconnected peak clusters showed covariance strength interactions (Met-carriers > Val-homozygotes), and the peak clusters also correlated with the neurobehavioral scores. Although the triple-network model is important for a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, our results validated the role of the dorsal-putaminal-anchored network by the catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism in predicting the severity of cognitive and behavior in subjects with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiung-Chih Chang
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan.
| | - Shih-Jen Tsai
- Psychiatric Department, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Psychiatric Division, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Nai-Ching Chen
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Wei Huang
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Wei Hsu
- Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Chang
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Mu-En Liu
- Psychiatric Department, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Neng Chang
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Chen Tsai
- Department of Neurology, Cognition and Aging Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, #123, Ta-Pei Road, Niaosung, Kaohsiung, 833, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Chang Lee
- Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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Lukiw WJ, Rogaev EI. Genetics of Aggression in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:87. [PMID: 28443016 PMCID: PMC5385328 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a terminal, age-related neurological syndrome exhibiting progressive cognitive and memory decline, however AD patients in addition exhibit ancillary neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) and these include aggression. In this communication we provide recent evidence for the mis-regulation of a small family of genes expressed in the human hippocampus that appear to be significantly involved in expression patterns common to both AD and aggression. DNA array- and mRNA transcriptome-based gene expression analysis and candidate gene association and/or genome-wide association studies (CGAS, GWAS) of aggressive attributes in humans have revealed a surprisingly small subset of six brain genes that are also strongly associated with altered gene expression patterns in AD. These genes encoded on five different chromosomes (chr) include the androgen receptor (AR; chrXq12), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; chr11p14.1), catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT; chr22q11.21), neuronal specific nitric oxide synthase (NOS1; chr12q24.22), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH chr9q34.2) and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH1, chr11p15.1 and TPH2, chr12q21.1). Interestingly, (i) the expression of three of these six genes (COMT, DBH, NOS1) are highly variable; (ii) three of these six genes (COMT, DBH, TPH1) are involved in DA or serotonin metabolism, biosynthesis and/or neurotransmission; and (iii) five of these six genes (AR, BDNF, COMT, DBH, NOS1) have been implicated in the development, onset and/or propagation of schizophrenia. The magnitude of the expression of genes implicated in aggressive behavior appears to be more pronounced in the later stages of AD when compared to MCI. These recent genetic data further indicate that the extent of cognitive impairment may have some bearing on the degree of aggression which accompanies the AD phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter J Lukiw
- Louisiana State University (LSU) Neuroscience Center, Louisiana State University Health Science CenterNew Orleans, LA, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Louisiana State University Health Science CenterNew Orleans, LA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Science CenterNew Orleans, LA, USA.,Bollinger Professor of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Louisiana State University Health Sciences CenterNew Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Evgeny I Rogaev
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of SciencesMoscow, Russia.,Center for Brain Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesNovosibirsk, Russia.,Department of Psychiatry, Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcester, MA, USA.,School of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow, Russia
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10
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Di Giovanni G, Svob Strac D, Sole M, Unzeta M, Tipton KF, Mück-Šeler D, Bolea I, Della Corte L, Nikolac Perkovic M, Pivac N, Smolders IJ, Stasiak A, Fogel WA, De Deurwaerdère P. Monoaminergic and Histaminergic Strategies and Treatments in Brain Diseases. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:541. [PMID: 27932945 PMCID: PMC5121249 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The monoaminergic systems are the target of several drugs for the treatment of mood, motor and cognitive disorders as well as neurological conditions. In most cases, advances have occurred through serendipity, except for Parkinson's disease where the pathophysiology led almost immediately to the introduction of dopamine restoring agents. Extensive neuropharmacological studies first showed that the primary target of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anxiolytic drugs were specific components of the monoaminergic systems. Later, some dramatic side effects associated with older medicines were shown to disappear with new chemical compounds targeting the origin of the therapeutic benefit more specifically. The increased knowledge regarding the function and interaction of the monoaminergic systems in the brain resulting from in vivo neurochemical and neurophysiological studies indicated new monoaminergic targets that could achieve the efficacy of the older medicines with fewer side-effects. Yet, this accumulated knowledge regarding monoamines did not produce valuable strategies for diseases where no monoaminergic drug has been shown to be effective. Here, we emphasize the new therapeutic and monoaminergic-based strategies for the treatment of psychiatric diseases. We will consider three main groups of diseases, based on the evidence of monoamines involvement (schizophrenia, depression, obesity), the identification of monoamines in the diseases processes (Parkinson's disease, addiction) and the prospect of the involvement of monoaminergic mechanisms (epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke). In most cases, the clinically available monoaminergic drugs induce widespread modifications of amine tone or excitability through neurobiological networks and exemplify the overlap between therapeutic approaches to psychiatric and neurological conditions. More recent developments that have resulted in improved drug specificity and responses will be discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Montse Sole
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Mercedes Unzeta
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Keith F. Tipton
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College DublinDublin, Ireland
| | - Dorotea Mück-Šeler
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic InstituteZagreb, Croatia
| | - Irene Bolea
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Nela Pivac
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Rudjer Boskovic InstituteZagreb, Croatia
| | - Ilse J. Smolders
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Analysis, Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrussels, Belgium
| | - Anna Stasiak
- Department of Hormone Biochemistry, Medical University of LodzLodz, Poland
| | - Wieslawa A. Fogel
- Department of Hormone Biochemistry, Medical University of LodzLodz, Poland
| | - Philippe De Deurwaerdère
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Unité Mixte de Recherche 5293), Institut of Neurodegenerative DiseasesBordeaux Cedex, France
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