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DeCasien AR, Chiou KL, Testard C, Mercer A, Negrón-Del Valle JE, Bauman Surratt SE, González O, Stock MK, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Martínez MI, Antón SC, Walker CS, Sallet J, Wilson MA, Brent LJN, Montague MJ, Sherwood CC, Platt ML, Higham JP, Snyder-Mackler N. Evolutionary and biomedical implications of sex differences in the primate brain transcriptome. CELL GENOMICS 2024:100589. [PMID: 38942023 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Humans exhibit sex differences in the prevalence of many neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we generated one of the largest multi-brain-region bulk transcriptional datasets for the rhesus macaque and characterized sex-biased gene expression patterns to investigate the translatability of this species for sex-biased neurological conditions. We identify patterns similar to those in humans, which are associated with overlapping regulatory mechanisms, biological processes, and genes implicated in sex-biased human disorders, including autism. We also show that sex-biased genes exhibit greater genetic variance for expression and more tissue-specific expression patterns, which may facilitate rapid evolution of sex-biased genes. Our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms underlying sex-biased disease and support the rhesus macaque model for the translational study of these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA; Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Kenneth L Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arianne Mercer
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Olga González
- Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Michala K Stock
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | - Melween I Martínez
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA
| | - Susan C Antón
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christopher S Walker
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, Université Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Melissa A Wilson
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behavior, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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Grissom NM, Glewwe N, Chen C, Giglio E. Sex mechanisms as nonbinary influences on cognitive diversity. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105544. [PMID: 38643533 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Essentially all neuropsychiatric diagnoses show some degree of sex and/or gender differences in their etiology, diagnosis, or prognosis. As a result, the roles of sex-related variables in behavior and cognition are of strong interest to many, with several lines of research showing effects on executive functions and value-based decision making in particular. These findings are often framed within a sex binary, with behavior of females described as less optimal than male "defaults"-- a framing that pits males and females against each other and deemphasizes the enormous overlap in fundamental neural mechanisms across sexes. Here, we propose an alternative framework in which sex-related factors encompass just one subset of many sources of valuable diversity in cognition. First, we review literature establishing multidimensional, nonbinary impacts of factors related to sex chromosomes and endocrine mechanisms on cognition, focusing on value- based decision-making tasks. Next, we present two suggestions for nonbinary interpretations and analyses of sex-related data that can be implemented by behavioral neuroscientists without devoting laboratory resources to delving into mechanisms underlying sex differences. We recommend (1) shifting interpretations of behavior away from performance metrics and towards strategy assessments to avoid the fallacy that the performance of one sex is worse than another; and (2) asking how much variance sex explains in measures and whether any differences are mosaic rather than binary, to avoid assuming that sex differences in separate measures are inextricably correlated. Nonbinary frameworks in research on cognition will allow neuroscience to represent the full spectrum of brains and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Grissom
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
| | - Nic Glewwe
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Cathy Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Erin Giglio
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
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Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Kelvington B, Peterson Z, Baldwin E, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:1310-1321. [PMID: 38278994 PMCID: PMC11189748 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02411-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del/+) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and highlighted three genes within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 (Taok2), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 (Sez6l2), and major vault protein (Mvp). Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp (3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+)). Hemi-deletion of these 3 genes recapitulates sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks observed in 16p11.2 del/+ mice, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice exclusively in males. Subsequent analysis identified translation dysregulation and/or extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling as plausible molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Interestingly, ribosomal profiling supported the notion of translation dysregulation in both 3g del/+ and 16p11.2 del/+ male mice. However, mice carrying a 4-gene deletion (with an additional deletion of Mapk3) exhibited fewer phenotypic similarities with 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and underscore that the effects of the large genetic deletions result from complex interactions between multiple candidate genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaekyoon Kim
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Yann Vanrobaeys
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Benjamin Kelvington
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Zeru Peterson
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Emily Baldwin
- The Iowa Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Marie E Gaine
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Thomas Nickl-Jockschat
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
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Michaelovsky E, Carmel M, Gothelf D, Weizman A. Lymphoblast transcriptome analysis in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. World J Biol Psychiatry 2024; 25:242-254. [PMID: 38493364 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2024.2327030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES 22q11.2 deletion is the most prominent risk factor for schizophrenia (SZ). The aim of the present study was to identify unique transcriptome profile for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS)-related SZ-spectrum disorder (SZ-SD). METHODS We performed RNA-Seq screening in lymphoblasts collected from 20 individuals with 22q11.2DS (10 men and 10 women, four of each sex with SZ-SD and six with no psychotic disorders (Np)). RESULTS Sex effect in RNA-Seq descriptive analysis led to separating the analyses between men and women. In women, only one differentially expressed gene (DEG), HLA-DQA2, was associated with SZ-SD. In men, 48 DEGs (adjp < 0.05) were found to be associated with SZ-SD. Ingenuity pathway analysis of top 85 DEGs (p < 4.66E - 04) indicated significant enrichment for immune-inflammatory response (IIR) and neuro-inflammatory signalling pathways. Additionally, NFATC2, IFNG, IFN-alpha, STAT1 and IL-4 were identified as upstream regulators. Co-expression network analysis revealed the contribution of endoplasmic reticulum protein processing and N-Glycan biosynthesis. These findings indicate dysregulation of IIR and post-translational protein modification processes in individuals with 22q11.2DS-related SZ-SD. CONCLUSIONS Candidate pathways and upstream regulators may serve as novel biomarkers and treatment targets for SZ. Future transcriptome studies, including larger samples and proteomic analysis, are needed to substantiate our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Michaelovsky
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Miri Carmel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Doron Gothelf
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Behavioral Neurogenetics Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Abraham Weizman
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Research Unit, Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
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Quiñones-Labernik P, Blocklinger KL, Bruce MR, Ferri SL. Excess neonatal testosterone causes male-specific social and fear memory deficits in wild-type mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.18.562939. [PMID: 37905064 PMCID: PMC10614869 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.18.562939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) disproportionately affect males compared to females, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in particular exhibits a 4:1 male bias. The biological mechanisms of this female protection or male susceptibility have not been identified. There is some evidence to suggest that fetal/neonatal gonadal hormones, which play pivotal roles in many aspects of development, may contribute. Here, we investigate the role of testosterone administration during a critical period of development, and its effects on social approach and fear learning in C57BL/6J wildtype mice. Male, but not female mice treated with testosterone on the day of birth (PN0) exhibited deficits in both social behavior and contextual fear conditioning, whereas mice treated with the same dose of testosterone on postnatal day 18 (PN18) did not display such impairments. Testosterone administration did not induce anxiogenic effects or lead to changes in body weight compared to the vehicle-treated group. These impairmeants are relevant to ND and may help identify novel treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sarah L Ferri
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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Nkire N, Kinsella A, Russell V, Waddington JL. Duration of the psychosis prodrome and its relationship to duration of untreated psychosis across all 12 DSM-IV psychotic diagnoses: Evidence for a trans-diagnostic process associated with resilience. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2024; 80:5-13. [PMID: 38128335 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
While duration of the psychosis prodrome (DPP) attracts attention in relation to the developmental trajectory of psychotic illness and service models, fundamental issues endure in the context of dimensional-spectrum models of psychosis. Among 205 epidemiologically representative subjects in the Cavan-Monaghan First Episode Psychosis Study, DPP was systematically quantified and compared, for the first time, across all 12 DSM-IV psychotic diagnoses. DPP was also compared with duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and each was then analysed in relation to premorbid features across three age ranges: <12, 12-15 and 16-18 years. For each diagnosis, medians for both DPP and DUP were shorter than means, indicating common right-skewed distributions. Rank orders for both DPP and DUP were longest for schizophrenia, intermediate for other schizophrenia-spectrum psychoses, psychotic depression and psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, and shortest for brief psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder and substance-induced psychotic disorder, though with overlapping right-skewed distributions. DPP was longer than DUP for all diagnoses except substance-induced psychotic disorder. Across functional psychotic diagnoses, longer DPP was predicted by higher premorbid intelligence and better premorbid adjustment during age 16-18 years. These findings indicate that, trans-diagnostically, DPP and DUP share right-skewed continuities, in accordance with a dimensional-spectrum model of psychotic illness, and may reflect a unitary process that has been dichotomized at a subjective threshold along its trajectory. Better premorbid functioning during age 16-18 years appears to confer resilience by delaying progression to overt psychotic symptoms and may constitute a particular target period for psychosocial interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nnamdi Nkire
- Drumalee Primary Care Centre, Cavan-Monaghan Mental Health Service, Cavan, Ireland; School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anthony Kinsella
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Vincent Russell
- Drumalee Primary Care Centre, Cavan-Monaghan Mental Health Service, Cavan, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - John L Waddington
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research and Therapy for Neuro-Psychiatric-Disorders and Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
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7
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Boerner KE, Keogh E, Inkster AM, Nahman-Averbuch H, Oberlander TF. A developmental framework for understanding the influence of sex and gender on health: Pediatric pain as an exemplar. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105546. [PMID: 38272336 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences are a robust finding in many areas of adult health, including cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain. However, many sex differences are not consistently observed until after the onset of puberty. This has led to the hypothesis that hormones are primary contributors to sex differences in health outcomes, largely ignoring the relative contributions of early developmental influences, emerging psychosocial factors, gender, and the interaction between these variables. In this paper, we argue that a comprehensive understanding of sex and gender contributions to health outcomes should start as early as conception and take an iterative biopsychosocial-developmental perspective that considers intersecting social positions. We present a conceptual framework, informed by a review of the literature in basic, clinical, and social science that captures how critical developmental stages for both sex and gender can affect children's health and longer-term outcomes. The literature on pediatric chronic pain is used as a worked example of how the framework can be applied to understanding different chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelynn E Boerner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Edmund Keogh
- Department of Psychology & Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Inkster
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hadas Nahman-Averbuch
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tim F Oberlander
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Huang H, Zhang KP, Sun KK, Yu G. Association between type 2 inflammatory diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders in low-birth-weight children and adolescents. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1292071. [PMID: 38455122 PMCID: PMC10918750 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1292071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Evidence of the association of certain neurodevelopmental disorder with specific type 2 inflammatory (T2) disease has been found. However, the association of various neurodevelopmental disorders with T2 diseases as a whole remains unclear in low-birth-weight (LBW) infants. Objective To evaluate the association of type 2 inflammatory (T2) diseases with intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and learning disability (LD) in LBW children and adolescents. Methods The study sample was derived from 2005 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey sample child files. LBW children and adolescents aged 3-17 were included. History of T2 diseases (including asthma and atopic dermatitis) and four neurodevelopmental disorders were reported by adults in families. The relationship between T2 diseases and the risk of four neurodevelopmental disorders was investigated through multiple-weighted logistic regression. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, region, highest education in family and ratio of family income to the poverty threshold were adjusted as covariates for model estimation. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age stratification (3-11 and 12-17 years), sex (male and female), and race (white and non-white). Results 11,260 LBW children aged 3-17 years [mean age (SE), 9.73 (0.05) years] were included, in which 3,191 children had T2 diseases. History of T2 diseases was associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, with an OR of 1.35 (95% CI, 0.99-1.84) for ID, 1.47 (95% CI, 1.05-2.05) for ASD, 1.81 (95% CI, 1.51-2.16) for ADHD, and 1.74 (95% CI, 1.49-2.04) for LD following the adjustment of all the covariates. The correlations between T2 disorders and each of the four neurodevelopmental disorders were significantly different by sex and race (all P for interaction < 0.001), and no differences were found in age stratification (all P for interaction > 0.05). Conclusion In a nationally representative sample of children, we found a significant association of T2 diseases with ASD, ADHD, and LD, even after adjusting for demographic baseline. We also found that the association of T2 disease with neurodevelopmental disorders differed between sex and race. Further investigation is needed to evaluate causal relationships and elucidate their potential mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengye Huang
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kelvin Pengyuan Zhang
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Karol Kexin Sun
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Guangjun Yu
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Big Data in Pediatric Precision Medicine, Center for Biomedical Informatics, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Fenske SJ, Liu J, Chen H, Diniz MA, Stephens RL, Cornea E, Gilmore JH, Gao W. Sex differences in brain-behavior relationships in the first two years of life. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578147. [PMID: 38352542 PMCID: PMC10862872 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Background Evidence for sex differences in cognition in childhood is established, but less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms for these differences. Recent findings suggest the existence of brain-behavior relationship heterogeneities during infancy; however, it remains unclear whether sex underlies these heterogeneities during this critical period when sex-related behavioral differences arise. Methods A sample of 316 infants was included with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans at neonate (3 weeks), 1, and 2 years of age. We used multiple linear regression to test interactions between sex and resting-state functional connectivity on behavioral scores of working memory, inhibitory self-control, intelligence, and anxiety collected at 4 years of age. Results We found six age-specific, intra-hemispheric connections showing significant and robust sex differences in functional connectivity-behavior relationships. All connections are either with the prefrontal cortex or the temporal pole, which has direct anatomical pathways to the prefrontal cortex. Sex differences in functional connectivity only emerge when associated with behavior, and not in functional connectivity alone. Furthermore, at neonate and 2 years of age, these age-specific connections displayed greater connectivity in males and lower connectivity in females in association with better behavioral scores. Conclusions Taken together, we critically capture robust and conserved brain mechanisms that are distinct to sex and are defined by their relationship to behavioral outcomes. Our results establish brain-behavior mechanisms as an important feature in the search for sex differences during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja J Fenske
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Janelle Liu
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Haitao Chen
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025
| | - Marcio A Diniz
- The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Rebecca L Stephens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - Emil Cornea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599
| | - Wei Gao
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025
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Miao Z, Chen L, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Zhang H. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 alleviates abnormal behavior and regulates gut microbiota in a mouse model suffering from autism. mSystems 2024; 9:e0101323. [PMID: 38108654 PMCID: PMC10804959 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01013-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Probiotics can effectively improve a variety of neurological diseases, but there is little research on autism, and the specific mechanism is unclear. In this study, shotgun metagenomics analysis was used to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 on autism. The results showed that Probio-M8 treatment significantly alleviated valproate (VPA)-induced autism in mice, with autistic symptoms characterized by increased stereotyped behaviors such as grooming, reduced learning ability, and decreased desire to socialize. Further studies have found that Probio-M8 can alleviate autism by optimizing gut microbiota diversity and regulating metabolic levels. Probio-M8 regulates gut microbiota structure by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium globosum and Akkermansia muciniphila. In addition, Probio-M8 regulates metabolic activity by increasing levels of choline, which corrects CAZy disorders. In conclusion, Probio-M8 is therapeutic in the VPA-induced autism mouse model by regulating the gut microbiome and metabolic levels.IMPORTANCEIndividuals with autism often exhibit symptoms of social invariance, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and repetitive behaviors. However, early intervention and treatment can be effective in improving social skills and mitigating autism symptoms, including behaviors related to irritability. Although taking medication for autism may lead to side effects such as weight gain, probiotics can be an ideal intervention for alleviating these symptoms. In this study, we investigated the effects of Probio-M8 intervention on the behavior of autistic mice using an open-field test, a three-chamber sociability test, and a novel object recognition test. Metagenomic analysis revealed differences in gut microbiota diversity among groups, predicted changes in metabolite levels, and functionally annotated CAZy. Additionally, we analyzed serum neurotransmitter levels and found that probiotics were beneficial in mitigating neurotransmitter imbalances in mice with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuangzhuang Miao
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Lin Chen
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), Beijing, China
| | - Jiachao Zhang
- School of Food Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Heping Zhang
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
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11
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Kretz PF, Wagner C, Mikhaleva A, Montillot C, Hugel S, Morella I, Kannan M, Fischer MC, Milhau M, Yalcin I, Brambilla R, Selloum M, Herault Y, Reymond A, Collins SC, Yalcin B. Dissecting the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus identifies multiple drivers in neuroanatomical phenotypes and unveils a male-specific role for the major vault protein. Genome Biol 2023; 24:261. [PMID: 37968726 PMCID: PMC10647150 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03092-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Using mouse genetic studies and systematic assessments of brain neuroanatomical phenotypes, we set out to identify which of the 30 genes causes brain defects at the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus. RESULTS We show that multiple genes mapping to this region interact to regulate brain anatomy, with female mice exhibiting far fewer brain neuroanatomical phenotypes. In male mice, among the 13 genes associated with neuroanatomical defects (Mvp, Ppp4c, Zg16, Taok2, Slx1b, Maz, Fam57b, Bola2, Tbx6, Qprt, Spn, Hirip3, and Doc2a), Mvp is the top driver implicated in phenotypes pertaining to brain, cortex, hippocampus, ventricles, and corpus callosum sizes. The major vault protein (MVP), the main component of the vault organelle, is a conserved protein found in eukaryotic cells, yet its function is not understood. Here, we find MVP expression highly specific to the limbic system and show that Mvp regulates neuronal morphology, postnatally and specifically in males. We also recapitulate a previously reported genetic interaction and show that Mvp+/-;Mapk3+/- mice exhibit behavioral deficits, notably decreased anxiety-like traits detected in the elevated plus maze and open field paradigms. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights multiple gene drivers in neuroanatomical phenotypes, interacting with each other through complex relationships. It also provides the first evidence for the involvement of the major vault protein in the regulation of brain size and neuroanatomy, specifically in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perrine F Kretz
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Christel Wagner
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Anna Mikhaleva
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Sylvain Hugel
- Institute of Cellular and Integrative neuroscience, CNRS, UPR321267000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Ilaria Morella
- School of Biosciences, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Meghna Kannan
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Marie-Christine Fischer
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Maxence Milhau
- Inserm UMR1231, Université de Bourgogne, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Ipek Yalcin
- Institute of Cellular and Integrative neuroscience, CNRS, UPR321267000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Riccardo Brambilla
- School of Biosciences, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Lazzaro Spallanzani", Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mohammed Selloum
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA, PHENOMIN, ICS, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Yann Herault
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA, PHENOMIN, ICS, 67400, Illkirch, France
| | - Alexandre Reymond
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephan C Collins
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France
- Current address: Université de Bourgogne, Inserm UMR1231, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Binnaz Yalcin
- Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology, UMR7104, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, U964, 67400, Illkirch, France.
- Current address: Université de Bourgogne, Inserm UMR1231, 21000, Dijon, France.
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12
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Shuffrey LC, Morales S, Jacobson MH, Enlow MB, Ghassabian A, Margolis AE, Lucchini M, Carroll KN, Crum RM, Dabelea D, Deutsch A, Fifer WP, Goldson B, Hockett CW, Mason WA, Jacobson LT, O’Connor TG, Pini N, Rayport Y, Sania A, Trasande L, Wright RJ, Lee S, Monk C. Association of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Perinatal Maternal Depression with Early Childhood Behavioral Problems: An Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Study. Child Dev 2023; 94:1595-1609. [PMID: 37132048 PMCID: PMC10620104 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the association of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), prenatal, and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms with externalizing, internalizing, and autism spectrum problems on the Preschool Child Behavior Checklist in 2379 children aged 4.12 ± 0.60 (48% female; 47% White, 32% Black, 15% Mixed Race, 4% Asian, <2% American Indian/Alaskan Native, <2% Native Hawaiian; 23% Hispanic). Data were collected from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program from 2009-2021. GDM, prenatal, and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were each associated with increased child externalizing and internalizing problems. GDM was associated with increased autism behaviors only among children exposed to perinatal maternal depressive symptoms above the median level. Stratified analyses revealed a relation between GDM and child outcomes in males only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C. Shuffrey
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Santiago Morales
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Melanie H. Jacobson
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Environmental Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Akhgar Ghassabian
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Amy E. Margolis
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Maristella Lucchini
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kecia N. Carroll
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rosa M. Crum
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Dana Dabelea
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | | | - William P. Fifer
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute
| | - Brandon Goldson
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christine W. Hockett
- Avera Research Institute; Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
| | - W. Alex Mason
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Lisette T. Jacobson
- Department of Population Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, Kansas, USA
| | - Thomas G O’Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Nicolò Pini
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yael Rayport
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ayesha Sania
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Seonjoo Lee
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Catherine Monk
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Division of Behavioral Medicine, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
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13
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László K, Vörös D, Correia P, Fazekas CL, Török B, Plangár I, Zelena D. Vasopressin as Possible Treatment Option in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2603. [PMID: 37892977 PMCID: PMC10603886 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rather common, presenting with prevalent early problems in social communication and accompanied by repetitive behavior. As vasopressin was implicated not only in salt-water homeostasis and stress-axis regulation, but also in social behavior, its role in the development of ASD might be suggested. In this review, we summarized a wide range of problems associated with ASD to which vasopressin might contribute, from social skills to communication, motor function problems, autonomous nervous system alterations as well as sleep disturbances, and altered sensory information processing. Beside functional connections between vasopressin and ASD, we draw attention to the anatomical background, highlighting several brain areas, including the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, medial preoptic area, lateral septum, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, amygdala, hippocampus, olfactory bulb and even the cerebellum, either producing vasopressin or containing vasopressinergic receptors (presumably V1a). Sex differences in the vasopressinergic system might underline the male prevalence of ASD. Moreover, vasopressin might contribute to the effectiveness of available off-label therapies as well as serve as a possible target for intervention. In this sense, vasopressin, but paradoxically also V1a receptor antagonist, were found to be effective in some clinical trials. We concluded that although vasopressin might be an effective candidate for ASD treatment, we might assume that only a subgroup (e.g., with stress-axis disturbances), a certain sex (most probably males) and a certain brain area (targeting by means of virus vectors) would benefit from this therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristóf László
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Dávid Vörös
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Pedro Correia
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csilla Lea Fazekas
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Imola Plangár
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary; (K.L.); (D.V.); (P.C.); (C.L.F.); (B.T.); (I.P.)
- Center of Neuroscience, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Szentágothai Research Center, University of Pécs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary
- Hungarian Research Network, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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14
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Pavlova MA, Moosavi J, Carbon CC, Fallgatter AJ, Sokolov AN. Emotions behind a mask: the value of disgust. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 9:58. [PMID: 37709796 PMCID: PMC10502067 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00388-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The impact of face masks on social cognition and interaction became a popular topic due to the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic. This theme persists in the focus of attention beyond the pandemic, since face covering not only reduces the overall amount of face information available but also introduces biases and prejudices affecting social perception at large. Many questions are still open. One of them is whether gender of beholders affects inferring of emotions covered by face masks. Reading covered faces may be particularly challenging for individuals with mental disorders, most of which are gender-specific. Previous findings are not only sparse, but inconclusive because most research had been conducted online with resulting samples heavily dominated by females. Here in a face-to-face study, females and males were presented with a randomized set of faces covered by masks. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, participants had to indicate facial emotions displayed by posers. In general, the outcome dovetails with earlier findings that face masks affect emotion recognition in a dissimilar way: Inferring some emotions suffers more severely than others, with the most pronounced influence of mask wearing on disgust and close to ceiling recognition of fear and neutral expressions. Contrary to our expectations, however, males were on overall more proficient in emotion recognition. In particular, males substantially excelled in inferring disgust. The findings help to understand gender differences in recognition of disgust, the forgotten emotion of psychiatry, that is of substantial value for a wide range of mental disorders including schizophrenia. Watch Prof. Marina Pavlova discussing this her work and this article: https://vimeo.com/860126397/5966610f49?share=copy .
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Jonas Moosavi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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15
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Szakats S, McAtamney A, Cross H, Wilson MJ. Sex-biased gene and microRNA expression in the developing mouse brain is associated with neurodevelopmental functions and neurological phenotypes. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:57. [PMID: 37679839 PMCID: PMC10486049 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00538-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences pose a challenge and an opportunity in biomedical research. Understanding how sex chromosomes and hormones affect disease-causing mechanisms will shed light on the mechanisms underlying predominantly idiopathic sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism. Gene expression is a crucial conduit for the influence of sex on developmental processes; therefore, this study focused on sex differences in gene expression and the regulation of gene expression. The increasing interest in microRNAs (miRNAs), small, non-coding RNAs, for their contribution to normal and pathological neurodevelopment prompted us to test how miRNA expression differs between the sexes in the developing brain. METHODS High-throughput sequencing approaches were used to identify transcripts, including miRNAs, that showed significantly different expression between male and female brains on day 15.5 of development (E15.5). RESULTS Robust sex differences were identified for some genes and miRNAs, confirming the influence of biological sex on RNA. Many miRNAs that exhibit the greatest differences between males and females have established roles in neurodevelopment, implying that sex-biased expression may drive sex differences in developmental processes. In addition to highlighting sex differences for individual miRNAs, gene ontology analysis suggested several broad categories in which sex-biased RNAs might act to establish sex differences in the embryonic mouse brain. Finally, mining publicly available SNP data indicated that some sex-biased miRNAs reside near the genomic regions associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. CONCLUSIONS Together, these findings reinforce the importance of cataloguing sex differences in molecular biology research and highlight genes, miRNAs, and pathways of interest that may be important for sexual differentiation in the mouse and possibly the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Szakats
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alice McAtamney
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Hugh Cross
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Megan J Wilson
- Developmental Genomics Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
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16
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Rumble ME, Okoyeh P, Benca RM. Sleep and Women's Mental Health. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2023; 46:527-537. [PMID: 37500248 DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2023.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Women have increased risks for both sleep disturbances and disorders and for mental health issues throughout their lives, starting in adolescence. Women have a higher prevalence of insomnia disorder and restless legs syndrome (RLS) versus men, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more likely as women age. Hormonal transitions are important to consider in women's sleep. For women, insomnia, OSA, and RLS are predictive of depression, and insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing are predictive of Alzheimer disease. These findings underscore the importance of assessment, treatment, and future research examining sleep and mental health in women, given their unique and increased vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith E Rumble
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, WI 53719, USA.
| | - Paul Okoyeh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 791 Jonestown Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
| | - Ruth M Benca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 791 Jonestown Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
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17
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Zarrei M, Burton CL, Engchuan W, Higginbotham EJ, Wei J, Shaikh S, Roslin NM, MacDonald JR, Pellecchia G, Nalpathamkalam T, Lamoureux S, Manshaei R, Howe J, Trost B, Thiruvahindrapuram B, Marshall CR, Yuen RKC, Wintle RF, Strug LJ, Stavropoulos DJ, Vorstman JAS, Arnold P, Merico D, Woodbury-Smith M, Crosbie J, Schachar RJ, Scherer SW. Gene copy number variation and pediatric mental health/neurodevelopment in a general population. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2411-2421. [PMID: 37154571 PMCID: PMC10360394 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We assessed the relationship of gene copy number variation (CNV) in mental health/neurodevelopmental traits and diagnoses, physical health and cognition in a community sample of 7100 unrelated children and youth of European or East Asian ancestry (Spit for Science). Clinically significant or susceptibility CNVs were present in 3.9% of participants and were associated with elevated scores on a continuous measure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits (P = 5.0 × 10-3), longer response inhibition (a cognitive deficit found in several mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders; P = 1.0 × 10-2) and increased prevalence of mental health diagnoses (P = 1.9 × 10-6, odds ratio: 3.09), specifically ADHD, autism spectrum disorder anxiety and learning problems/learning disorder (P's < 0.01). There was an increased burden of rare deletions in gene-sets related to brain function or expression in brain associated with more ADHD traits. With the current mental health crisis, our data established a baseline for delineating genetic contributors in pediatric-onset conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Zarrei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Christie L Burton
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Worrawat Engchuan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Edward J Higginbotham
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - John Wei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sabah Shaikh
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Nicole M Roslin
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R MacDonald
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Giovanna Pellecchia
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Thomas Nalpathamkalam
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sylvia Lamoureux
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Roozbeh Manshaei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, Cardiac Genome Clinic, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jennifer Howe
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Brett Trost
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | | | - Christian R Marshall
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Genome Diagnostics, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ryan K C Yuen
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Richard F Wintle
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Lisa J Strug
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Departments of Statistical Sciences, Computer Science and Biostatistics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada
| | - Dimitri J Stavropoulos
- Genome Diagnostics, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jacob A S Vorstman
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
- Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Paul Arnold
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
- Departments of Psychiatry & Medical Genetics, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Daniele Merico
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Deep Genomics Inc., Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Marc Woodbury-Smith
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Jennifer Crosbie
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Russell J Schachar
- Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
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18
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Kianičková K, Pažitná L, Kundalia PH, Pakanová Z, Nemčovič M, Baráth P, Katrlíková E, Šuba J, Trebatická J, Katrlík J. Alterations in the Glycan Composition of Serum Glycoproteins in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108745. [PMID: 37240090 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in protein glycosylation are associated with most biological processes, and the importance of glycomic analysis in the research of disorders is constantly increasing, including in the neurodevelopmental field. We glycoprofiled sera in 10 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 10 matching healthy controls for 3 types of samples: whole serum, sera after depletion of abundant proteins (albumin and IgG), and isolated IgG. The analytical methods used were a lectin-based glycoprotein microarray enabling high-throughput glycan analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) as a standard method for the identification of glycan structures. For microarray analysis, the samples printed on microarray slides were incubated with biotinylated lectins and detected using the fluorescent conjugate of streptavidin by a microarray scanner. In the ADHD patient samples, we found increased antennary fucosylation, decreased di-/triantennary N-glycans with bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), and decreased α2-3 sialylation. The results obtained by both independent methods were consistent. The study's sample size and design do not allow far-reaching conclusions to be drawn. In any case, there is a strong demand for a better and more comprehensive diagnosis of ADHD, and the obtained results emphasize that the presented approach brings new horizons to studying functional associations of glycan alterations in ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristína Kianičková
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lucia Pažitná
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Paras H Kundalia
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Pakanová
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Marek Nemčovič
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Baráth
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eva Katrlíková
- Department of Paediatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, The National Institute of Children's Diseases, SK-83340 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ján Šuba
- Department of Paediatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, The National Institute of Children's Diseases, SK-83340 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Trebatická
- Department of Paediatric Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, The National Institute of Children's Diseases, SK-83340 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jaroslav Katrlík
- Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-84538 Bratislava, Slovakia
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19
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Santos S, Martins B, Sereno J, Martins J, Castelo-Branco M, Gonçalves J. Neurobehavioral sex-related differences in Nf1 +/- mice: female show a "camouflaging"-type behavior. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:24. [PMID: 37101298 PMCID: PMC10131355 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00509-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited neurocutaneous disorder associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This condition has been associated with an increase of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission and, consequently, an excitation/inhibition imbalance associated with autistic-like behavior in both human and animal models. Here, we explored the influence of biological sex in the GABAergic system and behavioral alterations induced by the Nf1+/- mutation in a murine model. METHODS Juvenile male and female Nf1+/- mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates were used. Hippocampus size was assessed by conventional toluidine blue staining and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Hippocampal GABA and glutamate levels were determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), which was complemented by western blot for the GABA(A) receptor. Behavioral evaluation of on anxiety, memory, social communication, and repetitive behavior was performed. RESULTS We found that juvenile female Nf1+/- mice exhibited increased hippocampal GABA levels. Moreover, mutant female displays a more prominent anxious-like behavior together with better memory performance and social behavior. On the other hand, juvenile Nf1+/- male mice showed increased hippocampal volume and thickness, with a decrease in GABA(A) receptor levels. We observed that mutant males had higher tendency for repetitive behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested a sexually dimorphic impact of Nf1+/- mutation in hippocampal neurochemistry, and autistic-like behaviors. For the first time, we identified a "camouflaging"-type behavior in females of an animal model of ASD, which masked their autistic traits. Accordingly, like observed in human disorder, in this animal model of ASD, females show larger anxiety levels but better executive functions and production of normative social patterns, together with an imbalance of inhibition/excitation ratio. Contrary, males have more externalizing disorders, such as hyperactivity and repetitive behaviors, with memory deficits. The ability of females to camouflage their autistic traits creates a phenotypic evaluation challenge that mimics the diagnosis difficulty observed in humans. Thus, we propose the study of the Nf1+/- mouse model to better understand the sexual dimorphisms of ASD phenotypes and to create better diagnostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Santos
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Martins
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - José Sereno
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Martins
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Joana Gonçalves
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Institute of Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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20
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Ford A, Kovacs-Balint ZA, Wang A, Feczko E, Earl E, Miranda-Domínguez Ó, Li L, Styner M, Fair D, Jones W, Bachevalier J, Sánchez MM. Functional maturation in visual pathways predicts attention to the eyes in infant rhesus macaques: Effects of social status. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101213. [PMID: 36774827 PMCID: PMC9925610 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Differences in looking at the eyes of others are one of the earliest behavioral markers for social difficulties in neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism. However, it is unknown how early visuo-social experiences relate to the maturation of infant brain networks that process visual social stimuli. We investigated functional connectivity (FC) within the ventral visual object pathway as a contributing neural system. Densely sampled, longitudinal eye-tracking and resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected from infant rhesus macaques, an important model of human social development, from birth through 6 months of age. Mean trajectories were fit for both datasets and individual trajectories from subjects with both eye-tracking and rs-fMRI data were used to test for brain-behavior relationships. Exploratory findings showed infants with greater increases in FC between left V1 to V3 visual areas have an earlier increase in eye-looking before 2 months. This relationship was moderated by social status such that infants with low social status had a stronger association between left V1 to V3 connectivity and eye-looking than high status infants. Results indicated that maturation of the visual object pathway may provide an important neural substrate supporting adaptive transitions in social visual attention during infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiden Ford
- Neuroscience Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Marcus Autism Center, USA.
| | | | - Arick Wang
- Emory Natl. Primate Res. Ctr., Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA, USA; Dept of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eric Feczko
- Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Eric Earl
- Data Science and Sharing Team, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Óscar Miranda-Domínguez
- Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Longchuan Li
- Marcus Autism Center, USA; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, GA, USA; Dept. of Pediatrics, Emory University, Sch. of Med., Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Martin Styner
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Damien Fair
- Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Warren Jones
- Marcus Autism Center, USA; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, GA, USA; Dept. of Pediatrics, Emory University, Sch. of Med., Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jocelyne Bachevalier
- Emory Natl. Primate Res. Ctr., Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA, USA; Dept of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mar M Sánchez
- Emory Natl. Primate Res. Ctr., Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA, USA; Dept. Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory Univ., Sch. of Med., Atlanta, GA, USA
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21
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Pais ML, Martins J, Castelo-Branco M, Gonçalves J. Sex Differences in Tryptophan Metabolism: A Systematic Review Focused on Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24066010. [PMID: 36983084 PMCID: PMC10057939 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24066010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan (Tryp) is an essential amino acid and the precursor of several neuroactive compounds within the central nervous system (CNS). Tryp metabolism, the common denominator linking serotonin (5-HT) dysfunctions and neuroinflammation, is involved in several neuropsychiatric conditions, including neurological, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric diseases. Interestingly, most of those conditions occur and progress in a sex-specific manner. Here, we explore the most relevant observations about the influence of biological sex on Tryp metabolism and its possible relation to neuropsychiatric diseases. Consistent evidence suggests that women have a higher susceptibility than men to suffer serotoninergic alterations due to changes in the levels of its precursor Tryp. Indeed, female sex bias in neuropsychiatric diseases is involved in a reduced availability of this amino acid pool and 5-HT synthesis. These changes in Tryp metabolism could lead to sexual dimorphism on the prevalence and severity of some neuropsychiatric disorders. This review identifies gaps in the current state of the art, thus suggesting future research directions. Specifically, there is a need for further research on the impact of diet and sex steroids, both involved in this molecular mechanism as they have been poorly addressed for this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Lapo Pais
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Martins
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Miguel Castelo-Branco
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Gonçalves
- Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS), University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
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22
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Bölte S, Neufeld J, Marschik PB, Williams ZJ, Gallagher L, Lai MC. Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:136-159. [PMID: 36747038 PMCID: PMC10154737 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00774-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Health-related conditions often differ qualitatively or quantitatively between individuals of different birth-assigned sexes and gender identities, and/or with different gendered experiences, requiring tailored care. Studying the moderating and mediating effects of sex-related and gender-related factors on impairment, disability, wellbeing and health is of paramount importance especially for neurodivergent individuals, who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions with uneven sex/gender distributions. Researchers have become aware of the myriad influences that sex-related and gender-related variables have on the manifestations of neurodevelopmental conditions, and contemporary work has begun to investigate the mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. Here we describe topical concepts of sex and gender science, summarize current knowledge, and discuss research and clinical challenges related to autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We consider sex and gender in the context of epidemiology, behavioural phenotypes, neurobiology, genetics, endocrinology and neighbouring disciplines. The available evidence supports the view that sex and gender are important contributors to the biological and behavioural variability in neurodevelopmental conditions. Methodological caveats such as frequent conflation of sex and gender constructs, inappropriate measurement of these constructs and under-representation of specific demographic groups (for example, female and gender minority individuals and people with intellectual disabilities) limit the translational potential of research so far. Future research and clinical implementation should integrate sex and gender into next-generation diagnostics, mechanistic investigations and support practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Janina Neufeld
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter B Marschik
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
- iDN - interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Division of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Zachary J Williams
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
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23
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The Pathological Activation of Microglia Is Modulated by Sexually Dimorphic Pathways. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054739. [PMID: 36902168 PMCID: PMC10003784 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia are the primary immunocompetent cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Their ability to survey, assess and respond to perturbations in their local environment is critical in their role of maintaining CNS homeostasis in health and disease. Microglia also have the capability of functioning in a heterogeneous manner depending on the nature of their local cues, as they can become activated on a spectrum from pro-inflammatory neurotoxic responses to anti-inflammatory protective responses. This review seeks to define the developmental and environmental cues that support microglial polarization towards these phenotypes, as well as discuss sexually dimorphic factors that can influence this process. Further, we describe a variety of CNS disorders including autoimmune disease, infection, and cancer that demonstrate disparities in disease severity or diagnosis rates between males and females, and posit that microglial sexual dimorphism underlies these differences. Understanding the mechanism behind differential CNS disease outcomes between men and women is crucial in the development of more effective targeted therapies.
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24
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Abel T, Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine M, Nickl-Jockschat T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2565823. [PMID: 36824977 PMCID: PMC9949238 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2565823/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and identified 3 genes of particular importance within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 (Taok2), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 (Sez6l2), and major vault protein (Mvp). Using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we generated 3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+) mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp. We assessed striatum-dependent phenotypes of these 3g del/+ mice in behavioral, molecular, and imaging studies. Hemi-deletion of Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp induces sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking, resembling behavioral phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice, but only in males. Pathway analysis identified ribosomal dysfunction and translation dysregulation as molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice, unlike single gene mutation studies. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and our novel strategy to identify genes of interest using gene expression patterns in brain regions, such as the striatum, which are impacted in these disorders.
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25
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Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.09.527866. [PMID: 36798381 PMCID: PMC9934710 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and identified 3 genes of particular importance within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 ( Taok2 ), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 ( Sez6l2 ), and major vault protein ( Mvp ). Using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we generated 3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+) mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2 , and Mvp . We assessed striatum-dependent phenotypes of these 3g del/+ mice in behavioral, molecular, and imaging studies. Hemi-deletion of Taok2, Sez6l2 , and Mvp induces sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking, resembling behavioral phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice, but only in males. Pathway analysis identified ribosomal dysfunction and translation dysregulation as molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice, unlike single gene mutation studies. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and our novel strategy to identify genes of interest using gene expression patterns in brain regions, such as the striatum, which are impacted in these disorders.
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26
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Abstract
Air pollution is a complex mixture of gases and particulate matter, with adsorbed organic and inorganic contaminants, to which exposure is lifelong. Epidemiological studies increasingly associate air pollution with multiple neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, findings supported by experimental animal models. This breadth of neurotoxicity across these central nervous system diseases and disorders likely reflects shared vulnerability of their inflammatory and oxidative stress-based mechanisms and a corresponding ability to produce brain metal dyshomeo-stasis. Future research to define the responsible contaminants of air pollution underlying this neurotoxicity is critical to understanding mechanisms of these diseases and disorders and protecting public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA;
| | - Alyssa Merrill
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA;
| | - Marissa Sobolewski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA;
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27
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Interplay between activation of endogenous retroviruses and inflammation as common pathogenic mechanism in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 107:242-252. [PMID: 36270439 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Human endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are ancestorial retroviral elements that were integrated into our genome through germline infections and insertions during evolution. They have repeatedly been implicated in the aetiology and pathophysiology of numerous human disorders, particularly in those that affect the central nervous system. In addition to the known association of ERVs with multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a growing number of studies links the induction and expression of these retroviral elements with the onset and severity of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Although these disorders differ in terms of overall disease pathology and causalities, a certain degree of (subclinical) chronic inflammation can be identified in all of them. Based on these commonalities, we discuss the bidirectional relationship between ERV expression and inflammation and highlight that numerous entry points to this reciprocal sequence of events exist, including initial infections with ERV-activating pathogens, exposure to non-infectious inflammatory stimuli, and conditions in which epigenetic silencing of ERV elements is disrupted.
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28
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Romagnano V, Sokolov AN, Steinwand P, Fallgatter AJ, Pavlova MA. Face pareidolia in male schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:112. [PMID: 36517504 PMCID: PMC9751144 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00315-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Faces are valuable signals for efficient social interaction. Yet, social cognition including the sensitivity to a coarse face scheme may be deviant in schizophrenia (SZ). Tuning to faces in non-face images such as shadows, grilled toasts, or ink blots is termed face pareidolia. This phenomenon is poorly investigated in SZ. Here face tuning was assessed in 44 male participants with SZ and person-by-person matched controls by using recently created Face-n-Thing images (photographs of non-face objects to a varying degree resembling a face). The advantage of these images is that single components do not automatically trigger face processing. Participants were administered a set of images with upright and inverted (180° in the image plane) orientation. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, they had to indicate whether an image resembled a face. The findings showed that: (i) With upright orientation, SZ patients exhibited deficits in face tuning: they provided much fewer face responses than controls. (ii) Inversion generally hindered face pareidolia. However, while in neurotypical males, inversion led to a drastic drop in face impression, in SZ, the impact of orientation was reduced. (iii) Finally, in accord with the signal detection theory analysis, the sensitivity index (d-prime) was lower in SZ, whereas no difference occurred in decision criterion. The outcome suggests altered face pareidolia in SZ is caused by lower face sensitivity rather than by alterations in cognitive bias. Comparison of these findings with earlier evidence confirms that tuning to social signals is lower in SZ, and warrants tailored brain imaging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Romagnano
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander N Sokolov
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patrick Steinwand
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina A Pavlova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, and Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
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Cyran A, Piotrowski P, Samochowiec J, Grąźlewski T, Misiak B. Risk factors of deficit and non-deficit schizophrenia: Results from a cross-sectional study. REVISTA DE PSIQUIATRIA Y SALUD MENTAL 2022; 15:223-229. [PMID: 36513398 DOI: 10.1016/j.rpsmen.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
AIM It has been observed that deficit and non-deficit schizophrenia (SCZ-D and SCZ-ND) might be characterized by different risk factors. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess as to whether previously reported risk factors of schizophrenia are specifically associated with SCZ-D and SCZ-ND. METHOD This study was based on a cohort of 118 stable outpatients with schizophrenia. A diagnosis of SCZ-D was established using the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS). Risk factors were recorded using structured interview, the Operational Criteria for Psychotic Illness (OPCRIT) checklist and the Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC). The following risk factors were explored: male sex, a history of schizophrenia in first-degree relatives, seasonality of birth, birth weight <3000g, delivery by cesarean section, a history of childhood trauma (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse) as well as substance abuse (other than nicotine) and cigarette smoking at psychosis onset. RESULTS Individuals with SCZ-D were more likely to be males as well as reported higher rates of birth weight <3000g and any categories of childhood trauma. In turn, substance abuse (other than nicotine) at psychosis onset was significantly more frequent in patients with SCZ-ND. Binary logistic regression, controlling for multiple comparisons, revealed similar findings, except for the association with any categories of childhood trauma that appeared to be not significant. CONCLUSION Our findings partially replicate differential patterns of risk factors for SCZ-D (male sex and birth weight <3000g) and SCZ-ND (substance abuse at psychosis onset), likely attributable to the effects of timing of exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Cyran
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Consultation Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Patryk Piotrowski
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Consultation Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jerzy Samochowiec
- Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Tomasz Grąźlewski
- Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Błażej Misiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
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Teng Y, Li P, Yang M, Han Y, Yan S, Xu Y, Tao F, Huang K. Sex-Specific Effect of Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody and Thyroglobulin Antibody Exposure During Pregnancy on Preschoolers' Emotional and Behavioral Development: A Birth Cohort Study. Thyroid 2022; 32:1229-1242. [PMID: 35920111 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2022.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Epidemiological and experimental studies suggest that thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb)- and thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb)-positive exposure during gestation may contribute to offspring's adverse neural development. However, limited knowledge is available on the association between joint exposure on TPOAb and TGAb and children's emotional and behavioral development. Furthermore, the sex-specific effect on the developmental process of preschoolers' emotions and behaviors is unknown. The present research intends to examine the sex-specific effect of TPOAb- and TGAb-positive exposure in gestation on the developmental process of preschoolers' emotions and behaviors. Methods: A total of 2455 mother-child pairs were included from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort study. The serum TPOAb and TGAb of pregnant women was measured retrospectively by electrochemical immunoassay during the follow-up period. Preschoolers' emotional and behavioral development was assessed by a child behavior checklist 1.5-5. Growth mixture modeling was adopted to fit thyroid antibody (TAb) trajectories. Poisson regression models were used, stratifying by sex, to examine the association between TAb trajectories, as well as four categories of maternal TAb exposure and preschoolers' emotional and behavioral problems. Results: Boys born to mothers with TPOAb positivity in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy had an increased risk of autism spectrum problems after adjusting for confounders, with relative risk (RR) [confidence interval, CI] of 2.01 [1.24-3.27], 2.15 [1.08-4.26], and 2.13 [1.20-3.79], respectively. Maternal TGAb positivity and TPOAb negativity in the first trimester were associated with a high risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems in boys (RR = 1.74 [CI 1.01-2.99]). The prevalence of depressive problems in girls was 33.3% after exposure to TPOAb alone in the third trimester of pregnancy. Exposure to TPOAb alone in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of depressive problems in girls (RR = 1.78 [CI 1.09-2.90]). Conclusions: Maternal TPOAb positivity in all three trimesters was associated with the risk of autism spectrum problems in boys. Isolated maternal TGAb positivity in the first trimester was associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems in boys, whereas isolated maternal TPOAb positivity in the third trimester was associated with depressive problems in girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhu Teng
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
| | - Peixuan Li
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
| | - Mengting Yang
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Han
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
| | - Shuangqin Yan
- Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center (MCHC), Ma'anshan, China
| | - Yeqing Xu
- Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Center (MCHC), Ma'anshan, China
| | - Fangbiao Tao
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
| | - Kun Huang
- Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei, China
- Scientific Research Center in Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University (AHMU), Hefei, China
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Zerman N, Zotti F, Chirumbolo S, Zangani A, Mauro G, Zoccante L. Insights on dental care management and prevention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). What is new? FRONTIERS IN ORAL HEALTH 2022; 3:998831. [PMID: 36238091 PMCID: PMC9551997 DOI: 10.3389/froh.2022.998831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Autistic subjects represent a severe concern to dentistry due to the considerable difficulty in managing their oral health, maintaining routine toothbrushing, and preventing dental and periodontal problems. The social and economic burden of managing dental care in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children is particularly cumbersome for families and public and private health expenditure, especially when children reach the dentist following a late diagnosis with evident oral health problems. An early diagnosis of ASD helps dentists better address these children's oral health. Unfortunately, insufficient attention is paid to the training and education of general pediatricians, dentists, and dental hygienists, allowing them to get to approach the different clinical aspects of ASD. Usually, children diagnosed with ASD are scheduled for dental appointments like their neurotypical peers, whereas their needs are typically complex and personalized. Scant attention is also devoted to these patients by commercial manufacturers of dental products and devices for oral hygiene and prevention of caries and periodontal diseases, leaving parents without the support and often failing when they address the oral health of autistic children. The difficulties of oral care do not derive simply from the behavior of ASD patients, as is commonly assumed, and therefore cannot be overcome solely by the patience and attention of parents and dentists. Genetics, dietary habits, sensory impairments, and cognition disorders are other causes contributing in various degrees to the impact on the mood and psychological reactions of autistic children towards dentists. How can we prevent teeth caries, periodontal disorders, and other oral health impairments by properly managing ASD children? This manuscript gives an up-to-date overview of these problems and helps to provide good remarks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Zerman
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Francesca Zotti
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Salvatore Chirumbolo
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alessandro Zangani
- Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Paediatrics and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Leonardo Zoccante
- Autism Veneto Region Center, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Denizli M, Capitano ML, Kua KL. Maternal obesity and the impact of associated early-life inflammation on long-term health of offspring. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:940937. [PMID: 36189369 PMCID: PMC9523142 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.940937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of obesity is increasingly common in the United States, with ~25% of women of reproductive age being overweight or obese. Metaflammation, a chronic low grade inflammatory state caused by altered metabolism, is often present in pregnancies complicated by obesity. As a result, the fetuses of mothers who are obese are exposed to an in-utero environment that has altered nutrients and cytokines. Notably, both human and preclinical studies have shown that children born to mothers with obesity have higher risks of developing chronic illnesses affecting various organ systems. In this review, the authors sought to present the role of cytokines and inflammation during healthy pregnancy and determine how maternal obesity changes the inflammatory landscape of the mother, leading to fetal reprogramming. Next, the negative long-term impact on offspring’s health in numerous disease contexts, including offspring’s risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders (autism, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder), metabolic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes), atopy, and malignancies will be discussed along with the potential of altered immune/inflammatory status in offspring as a contributor of these diseases. Finally, the authors will list critical knowledge gaps in the field of developmental programming of health and diseases in the context of offspring of mothers with obesity, particularly the understudied role of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Denizli
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
| | - Maegan L. Capitano
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
| | - Kok Lim Kua
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
- *Correspondence: Kok Lim Kua,
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Angrand L, Masson JD, Rubio-Casillas A, Nosten-Bertrand M, Crépeaux G. Inflammation and Autophagy: A Convergent Point between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)-Related Genetic and Environmental Factors: Focus on Aluminum Adjuvants. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10090518. [PMID: 36136483 PMCID: PMC9502677 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10090518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are genetically complex and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) resulting from genetic factors and gene-environment (GxE) interactions for which onset occurs in early brain development. Recent progress highlights the link between ASD and (i) immunogenetics, neurodevelopment, and inflammation, and (ii) impairments of autophagy, a crucial neurodevelopmental process involved in synaptic pruning. Among various environmental factors causing risk for ASD, aluminum (Al)-containing vaccines injected during critical periods have received special attention and triggered relevant scientific questions. The aim of this review is to discuss the current knowledge on the role of early inflammation, immune and autophagy dysfunction in ASD as well as preclinical studies which question Al adjuvant impacts on brain and immune maturation. We highlight the most recent breakthroughs and the lack of epidemiological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data constituting a "scientific gap". We propose additional research, such as genetic studies that could contribute to identify populations at genetic risk, improving diagnosis, and potentially the development of new therapeutic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Angrand
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, F-94010 Créteil, France; (L.A.); (J.-D.M.)
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort IMRB, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- INSERM UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France;
- Sorbonne Université, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Daniel Masson
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, F-94010 Créteil, France; (L.A.); (J.-D.M.)
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort IMRB, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Alberto Rubio-Casillas
- Biology Laboratory, Autlán Regional Preparatory School, University of Guadalajara, Autlán 48900, Jalisco, Mexico;
- Autlán Regional Hospital, Health Secretariat, Autlán 48900, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Marika Nosten-Bertrand
- INSERM UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France;
- Sorbonne Université, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Guillemette Crépeaux
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, F-94010 Créteil, France; (L.A.); (J.-D.M.)
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort IMRB, F-94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- Correspondence:
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Zhou J, Teng Y, Zhang F, Ru X, Li P, Wang J, Yan S, Zhu P, Tao F, Huang K. Sex-specific association between placental inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression and preschoolers' behavioral development: The Ma'anshan birth cohort study. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 104:110-121. [PMID: 35661681 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Placental inflammation may contribute to brain abnormalities and childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, but limited knowledge is available on the association of placental inflammatory cytokine levels and offspring's behavioral development. This study aimed to examine the sex-specific association between placental inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression and preschoolers' behavioral development. METHODS 3474 pregnant women were recruited as the initial study population in the Ma'anshan birth cohort (MABC) study. Placentas (n = 2519) were collected during childbirth, and the mRNA expression of IL-8, IL-1β, CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-4 was assessed. The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5) was used to assess children's behavioral development at 4 years old. A T-score ≥ 60 on summary scales or a score ≥ 65 on syndrome scales was regarded as the borderline clinical range. Multiple linear regression models and binary logistic regression models were applied to explore the sex-specific associations between placental inflammatory cytokines mRNA transcript levels and preschoolers' behavioral development. RESULTS Sex-specific associations between placental inflammatory cytokines mRNA expression and preschoolers' behavioral development were observed. There was a positive association between IL-8 and CBCL scores for boys on anxious/depressed problems, aggressive behaviors, externalizing problems and total problems. Logistic regression models showed that high levels of IL-8 were associated with a higher risk of girls' emotionally reactive problems and sleep problems compared to low/medium levels. High TNF-α was correlated with increased sleep problem scores in boys, and medium TNF-α (vs. low levels) was associated with an increased risk of girls' externalizing problems. Medium levels of CRP, IL-1β, and IL-6 were found to be associated with a decreased risk of girls' behavioral problems compared to low/high levels. For anti-inflammatory cytokines, medium IL-10 and IL-4 (vs. low levels) were observed to be associated with a lower risk of internalizing problems in boys and externalizing problems in girls, respectively. High IL-10 was correlated with decreased attention problem scores in boys. CONCLUSION This study indicates that placental inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression of IL-8, CRP, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4 and IL-10 may be associated with preschoolers' behavioral development in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixing Zhou
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yuzhu Teng
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Fu Zhang
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Xue Ru
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Peixuan Li
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Jianqing Wang
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University
| | - Shuangqin Yan
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Maternal and Child Health Care Center of Ma'anshan, No 24 Jiashan Road, Ma'anshan 243011, Anhui, China
| | - Peng Zhu
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Fangbiao Tao
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Kun Huang
- Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University; Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle (AHMU), MOE, Hefei 230032, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Study on Abnormal Gametes and Reproductive Tract, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, Hefei 230032, China; Scientific Research Center in Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Anhui Province, China.
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Risk factors of deficit and non-deficit schizophrenia: Results from a cross-sectional study. REVISTA DE PSIQUIATRIA Y SALUD MENTAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Samuel RM, Majd H, Richter MN, Fattahi F. Androgens increase excitement in brain organoid research. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:495-497. [PMID: 35395183 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite the surrounding controversy, quantitative sex-based differences exist in the human brain. In a recent issue of Nature, Kelava et al. shed light on the mechanisms underlying increased brain volume and neuron density in males, while highlighting the importance of human PSC-derived organoids for studying human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan M Samuel
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Homa Majd
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mikayla N Richter
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Faranak Fattahi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.
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