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McKenzie S, Sommer AL, Donaldson TN, Pimentel I, Kakani M, Choi IJ, Newman EL, English DF. Event boundaries drive norepinephrine release and distinctive neural representations of space in the rodent hippocampus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.30.605900. [PMID: 39131365 PMCID: PMC11312532 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.30.605900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Episodic memories are temporally segmented around event boundaries that tend to coincide with moments of environmental change. During these times, the state of the brain should change rapidly, or reset, to ensure that the information encountered before and after an event boundary is encoded in different neuronal populations. Norepinephrine (NE) is thought to facilitate this network reorganization. However, it is unknown whether event boundaries drive NE release in the hippocampus and, if so, how NE release relates to changes in hippocampal firing patterns. The advent of the new GRABNE sensor now allows for the measurement of NE binding with sub-second resolution. Using this tool in mice, we tested whether NE is released into the dorsal hippocampus during event boundaries defined by unexpected transitions between spatial contexts and presentations of novel objections. We found that NE binding dynamics were well explained by the time elapsed after each of these environmental changes, and were not related to conditioned behaviors, exploratory bouts of movement, or reward. Familiarity with a spatial context accelerated the rate in which phasic NE binding decayed to baseline. Knowing when NE is elevated, we tested how hippocampal coding of space differs during these moments. Immediately after context transitions we observed relatively unique patterns of neural spiking which settled into a modal state at a similar rate in which NE returned to baseline. These results are consistent with a model wherein NE release drives hippocampal representations away from a steady-state attractor. We hypothesize that the distinctive neural codes observed after each event boundary may facilitate long-term memory and contribute to the neural basis for the primacy effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam McKenzie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Alexandra L Sommer
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Tia N Donaldson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Infania Pimentel
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts School of Engineering, Medford MA 02155
| | - Meenakshi Kakani
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284
| | - Irene Jungyeon Choi
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
| | - Ehren L Newman
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
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2
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Wengler K, Trujillo P, Cassidy CM, Horga G. Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI for mechanistic research and biomarker development in psychiatry. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01934-y. [PMID: 39160355 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01934-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI is a burgeoning non-invasive neuroimaging method with an increasing number of applications in psychiatric research. This MRI modality is sensitive to the concentration of neuromelanin, which is synthesized from intracellular catecholamines and accumulates in catecholaminergic nuclei including the dopaminergic substantia nigra and the noradrenergic locus coeruleus. Emerging data suggest the utility of neuromelanin-sensitive MRI as a proxy measure for variability in catecholamine metabolism and function, even in the absence of catecholaminergic cell loss. Given the importance of catecholamine function to several psychiatric disorders and their treatments, neuromelanin-sensitive MRI is ideally positioned as an informative and easy-to-acquire catecholaminergic index. In this review paper, we examine basic aspects of neuromelanin and neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and focus on its psychiatric applications in the contexts of mechanistic research and biomarker development. We discuss ongoing debates and state-of-the-art research into the mechanisms of the neuromelanin-sensitive MRI contrast, standardized protocols and optimized analytic approaches, and application of cutting-edge methods such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance the feasibility and predictive power of neuromelanin-sensitive-MRI-based tools. We finally lay out important future directions to allow neuromelanin-sensitive-MRI to fulfill its potential as a key component of the research, and ultimately clinical, toolbox in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wengler
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paula Trujillo
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt, TN, USA
| | - Clifford M Cassidy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Horga
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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3
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McCall A, Forouhandehpour R, Celebi S, Richard-Malenfant C, Hamati R, Guimond S, Tuominen L, Weinshenker D, Jaworska N, McQuaid RJ, Shlik J, Robillard R, Kaminsky Z, Cassidy CM. Evidence for Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine System Abnormality in Military Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Revealed by Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 96:268-277. [PMID: 38296219 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.013] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The complex neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) calls for the characterization of specific disruptions in brain functions that require targeted treatment. One such alteration could be an overactive locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine system, which may be linked to hyperarousal symptoms, a characteristic and burdensome aspect of the disorder. METHODS Study participants were Canadian Armed Forces veterans with PTSD related to deployment to combat zones (n = 34) and age- and sex-matched healthy control participants (n = 32). Clinical measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, and neuroimaging measures included a neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging scan to measure the LC signal. Robust linear regression analyses related the LC signal to clinical measures. RESULTS Compared with control participants, the LC signal was significantly elevated in the PTSD group (t62 = 2.64, p = .010), and this group difference was most pronounced in the caudal LC (t56 = 2.70, Cohen's d = 0.72). The caudal LC signal was also positively correlated with the severity of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 hyperarousal symptoms in the PTSD group (t26 = 2.16, p = .040). CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence indicative of elevated LC-norepinephrine system function in PTSD. Furthermore, they indicate the promise of neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging as a noninvasive method to probe the LC-norepinephrine system that has the potential to support subtyping and treatment of PTSD or other neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelina McCall
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Seyda Celebi
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Rami Hamati
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Synthia Guimond
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Département de psychoéducation et de psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lauri Tuominen
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Natalia Jaworska
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robyn J McQuaid
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jakov Shlik
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebecca Robillard
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zachary Kaminsky
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Clifford M Cassidy
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
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4
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Parent JH, Cassady K, Jagust WJ, Berry AS. Pathological and neurochemical correlates of locus coeruleus functional network activity. Biol Psychol 2024; 192:108847. [PMID: 39038634 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) produces the neuromodulators norepinephrine and dopamine, and projects widely to subcortical and cortical brain regions. The LC has been a focus of neuroimaging biomarker development for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) since it was identified as one of the earliest brain regions to develop tau pathology. Our recent research established the use of positron emission tomography (PET) to measure LC catecholamine synthesis capacity in cognitively unimpaired older adults. We extend this work by investigating the possible influence of pathology and LC neurochemical function on LC network activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In separate sessions, participants underwent PET imaging to measure LC catecholamine synthesis capacity ([18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine), tau pathology ([18F]Flortaucipir), and amyloid-β pathology ([11C]Pittsburgh compound B), and fMRI imaging to measure LC functional network activity at rest. Consistent with a growing body of research in aging and preclinical AD, we find that higher functional network activity is associated with higher tau burden in individuals at risk of developing AD (amyloid-β positive). Critically, relationships between higher LC network activity and higher pathology (amyloid-β and tau) were moderated by LC catecholamine synthesis capacity. High levels of LC catecholamine synthesis capacity reduced relationships between higher network activity and pathology. Broadly, these findings support the view that individual differences in functional network activity are shaped by interactions between pathology and neuromodulator function, and point to catecholamine systems as potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jourdan H Parent
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA.
| | - Kaitlin Cassady
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Anne S Berry
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA; Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
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5
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Bennett IJ, Langley J, Sun A, Solis K, Seitz AR, Hu XP. Locus coeruleus contrast and diffusivity metrics differentially relate to age and memory performance. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15372. [PMID: 38965363 PMCID: PMC11224383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66238-z] [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: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurocognitive aging researchers are increasingly focused on the locus coeruleus, a neuromodulatory brainstem structure that degrades with age. With this rapid growth, the field will benefit from consensus regarding which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics of locus coeruleus structure are most sensitive to age and cognition. To address this need, the current study acquired magnetization transfer- and diffusion-weighted MRI images in younger and older adults who also completed a free recall memory task. Results revealed significantly larger differences between younger and older adults for maximum than average magnetization transfer-weighted contrast (MTC), axial than mean or radial single-tensor diffusivity (DTI), and free than restricted multi-compartment diffusion (NODDI) metrics in the locus coeruleus; with maximum MTC being the best predictor of age group. Age effects for all imaging modalities interacted with sex, with larger age group differences in males than females for MTC and NODDI metrics. Age group differences also varied across locus coeruleus subdivision for DTI and NODDI metrics, and across locus coeruleus hemispheres for MTC. Within older adults, however, there were no significant effects of age on MTC or DTI metrics, only an interaction between age and sex for free diffusion. Finally, independent of age and sex, higher restricted diffusion in the locus coeruleus was significantly related to better (lower) recall variability, but not mean recall. Whereas MTC has been widely used in the literature, our comparison between the average and maximum MTC metrics, inclusion of DTI and NODDI metrics, and breakdowns by locus coeruleus subdivision and hemisphere make important and novel contributions to our understanding of the aging of locus coeruleus structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilana J Bennett
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 900 University Avenue, 2127 Psychology Building, Riverside, CA, 92521-0426, USA.
| | - Jason Langley
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Sun
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kitzia Solis
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 900 University Avenue, 2127 Psychology Building, Riverside, CA, 92521-0426, USA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 900 University Avenue, 2127 Psychology Building, Riverside, CA, 92521-0426, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaoping P Hu
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
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6
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Ludwig M, Yi YJ, Lüsebrink F, Callaghan MF, Betts MJ, Yakupov R, Weiskopf N, Dolan RJ, Düzel E, Hämmerer D. Functional locus coeruleus imaging to investigate an ageing noradrenergic system. Commun Biol 2024; 7:777. [PMID: 38937535 PMCID: PMC11211439 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06446-5] [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: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC), our main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, declines with age and is a potential epicentre of protein pathologies in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). In vivo measurements of LC integrity and function are potentially important biomarkers for healthy ageing and early ND onset. In the present study, high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI), a reversal reinforcement learning task, and dedicated post-processing approaches were used to visualise age differences in LC function (N = 50). Increased LC responses were observed during emotionally and task-related salient events, with subsequent accelerations and decelerations in reaction times, respectively, indicating context-specific adaptive engagement of the LC. Moreover, older adults exhibited increased LC activation compared to younger adults, indicating possible compensatory overactivation of a structurally declining LC in ageing. Our study shows that assessment of LC function is a promising biomarker of cognitive aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
- CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Yeo-Jin Yi
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Falk Lüsebrink
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- NMR Methods Development Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martina F Callaghan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew J Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Renat Yakupov
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK
| | - Emrah Düzel
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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7
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Kim AJ, Nguyen K, Mather M. Eye movements reveal age differences in how arousal modulates saliency priority but not attention processing speed. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.06.592619. [PMID: 38766110 PMCID: PMC11100628 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.06.592619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The arousal-biased competition theory posits that inducing arousal increases attentional priority of salient stimuli while reducing priority of non-pertinent stimuli. However, unlike in young adults, older adults rarely exhibit shifts in priority under increased arousal, and prior studies have proposed different neural mechanisms to explain how arousal differentially modulates selective attention in older adults. Therefore, we investigated how the threat of unpredictable shock differentially modulates attentional control mechanisms in young and older adults by observing eye movements. Participants completed two oculomotor search tasks in which the salient distractor was typically captured by attention (singleton search) or proactively suppressed (feature search). We found that arousal did not modulate attentional priority for any stimulus among older adults nor affect the speed of attention processing in either age group. Furthermore, we observed that arousal modulated pupil sizes and found a correlation between evoked pupil responses and oculomotor function. Our findings suggest age differences in how the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system interacts with neural networks of attention and oculomotor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Jeesu Kim
- University of Southern California, School of Gerontology
| | | | - Mara Mather
- University of Southern California, School of Gerontology
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8
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Podvalny E, Sanchez-Romero R, Cole MW. Functionality of arousal-regulating brain circuitry at rest predicts human cognitive abilities. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae192. [PMID: 38745558 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae192] [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: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Arousal state is regulated by subcortical neuromodulatory nuclei, such as locus coeruleus, which send wide-reaching projections to cortex. Whether higher-order cortical regions have the capacity to recruit neuromodulatory systems to aid cognition is unclear. Here, we hypothesized that select cortical regions activate the arousal system, which, in turn, modulates large-scale brain activity, creating a functional circuit predicting cognitive ability. We utilized the Human Connectome Project 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset (n = 149), acquired at rest with simultaneous eye tracking, along with extensive cognitive assessment for each subject. First, we discovered select frontoparietal cortical regions that drive large-scale spontaneous brain activity specifically via engaging the arousal system. Second, we show that the functionality of the arousal circuit driven by bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (associated with the default mode network) predicts subjects' cognitive abilities. This suggests that a cortical region that is typically associated with self-referential processing supports cognition by regulating the arousal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Podvalny
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102, United States
| | - Ruben Sanchez-Romero
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102, United States
| | - Michael W Cole
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102, United States
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9
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Bueichekú E, Diez I, Kim CM, Becker JA, Koops EA, Kwong K, Papp KV, Salat DH, Bennett DA, Rentz DM, Sperling RA, Johnson KA, Sepulcre J, Jacobs HIL. Spatiotemporal patterns of locus coeruleus integrity predict cortical tau and cognition. NATURE AGING 2024; 4:625-637. [PMID: 38664576 PMCID: PMC11108787 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00626-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Autopsy studies indicated that the locus coeruleus (LC) accumulates hyperphosphorylated tau before allocortical regions in Alzheimer's disease. By combining in vivo longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging measures of LC integrity, tau positron emission tomography imaging and cognition with autopsy data and transcriptomic information, we examined whether LC changes precede allocortical tau deposition and whether specific genetic features underlie LC's selective vulnerability to tau. We found that LC integrity changes preceded medial temporal lobe tau accumulation, and together these processes were associated with lower cognitive performance. Common gene expression profiles between LC-medial temporal lobe-limbic regions map to biological functions in protein transport regulation. These findings advance our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of initial tau spreading from the LC and LC's selective vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease pathology. LC integrity measures can be a promising indicator for identifying the time window when individuals are at risk of disease progression and underscore the importance of interventions mitigating initial tau spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Bueichekú
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ibai Diez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chan-Mi Kim
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John Alex Becker
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kenneth Kwong
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn V Papp
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David H Salat
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dorene M Rentz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Reisa A Sperling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Keith A Johnson
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Yale PET Center, Yale Medical School, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
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10
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Matt RA, Martin RS, Evans AK, Gever JR, Vargas GA, Shamloo M, Ford AP. Locus Coeruleus and Noradrenergic Pharmacology in Neurodegenerative Disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2024; 285:555-616. [PMID: 37495851 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Adrenoceptors (ARs) throughout the brain are stimulated by noradrenaline originating mostly from neurons of the locus coeruleus, a brainstem nucleus that is ostensibly the earliest to show detectable pathology in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The α1-AR, α2-AR, and β-AR subtypes expressed in target brain regions and on a range of cell populations define the physiological responses to noradrenaline, which includes activation of cognitive function in addition to modulation of neurometabolism, cerebral blood flow, and neuroinflammation. As these heterocellular functions are critical for maintaining brain homeostasis and neuronal health, combating the loss of noradrenergic tone from locus coeruleus degeneration may therefore be an effective treatment for both cognitive symptoms and disease modification in neurodegenerative indications. Two pharmacologic approaches are receiving attention in recent clinical studies: preserving noradrenaline levels (e.g., via reuptake inhibition) and direct activation of target adrenoceptors. Here, we review the expression and role of adrenoceptors in the brain, the preclinical studies which demonstrate that adrenergic stimulation can support cognitive function and cerebral health by reversing the effects of noradrenaline depletion, and the human data provided by pharmacoepidemiologic analyses and clinical trials which together identify adrenoceptors as promising targets for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrew K Evans
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Mehrdad Shamloo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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Suwabe K, Kuwamizu R, Hyodo K, Yoshikawa T, Otsuki T, Zempo-Miyaki A, Yassa MA, Soya H. Improvement of mnemonic discrimination with acute light exercise is mediated by pupil-linked arousal in healthy older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 133:107-114. [PMID: 37939430 PMCID: PMC10843052 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.09.006] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Physical exercise has positive impacts on hippocampal memory decline with aging. One of the postulated neurobiological mechanisms of the decline is reduced catecholaminergic projections from the locus coeruleus to the hippocampus. Recent human studies revealed that very light exercise rapidly enhances memory and pupil diameter, which suggests that light exercise may improve memory via neural circuits involved in the ascending arousal system, including the locus coeruleus, even in older adults. Thus, we aimed to clarify the effects of a single bout of light-intensity exercise (60% ventilatory threshold) on mnemonic discrimination performance, an index of hippocampal memory function, in healthy older adults using a randomized crossover design. Pupil diameter was measured during exercise as a physiological marker of the ascending arousal system. Discrimination of highly similar stimuli to the targets improved after exercise when compared to the resting control performance. Importantly, causal mediation analysis showed that pupil dilation during exercise mediated the memory improvement. These results suggest that brief light exercise rapidly enhances memory, possibly by upregulating the ascending arousal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Suwabe
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ibaraki, Japan; Sports Neuroscience Division, Department of Mind, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Ryuta Kuwamizu
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kazuki Hyodo
- Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toru Yoshikawa
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takeshi Otsuki
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Asako Zempo-Miyaki
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Ryutsu Keizai University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Michael A Yassa
- Sports Neuroscience Division, Department of Mind, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hideaki Soya
- Sports Neuroscience Division, Department of Mind, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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12
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Galgani A, Giorgi FS. Exploring the Role of Locus Coeruleus in Alzheimer's Disease: a Comprehensive Update on MRI Studies and Implications. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023; 23:925-936. [PMID: 38064152 PMCID: PMC10724305 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01324-9] [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] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Performing a thorough review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies assessing locus coeruleus (LC) integrity in ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and contextualizing them with current preclinical and neuropathological literature. RECENT FINDINGS MRI successfully detected LC alterations in ageing and AD, identifying degenerative phenomena involving this nucleus even in the prodromal stages of the disorder. The degree of LC disruption was also associated with the severity of AD cortical pathology, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and the risk of clinical progression. Locus coeruleus-MRI has proved to be a useful tool to assess the integrity of the central noradrenergic system in vivo in humans. It allowed to test in patients preclinical and experimental hypothesis, thus confirming the specific and marked involvement of the LC in AD and its key pathogenetic role. Locus coeruleus-MRI-related data might represent the theoretical basis on which to start developing noradrenergic drugs to target AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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13
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Bachman SL, Cole S, Yoo HJ, Nashiro K, Min J, Mercer N, Nasseri P, Thayer JF, Lehrer P, Mather M. Daily heart rate variability biofeedback training decreases locus coeruleus MRI contrast in younger adults in a randomized clinical trial. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 193:112241. [PMID: 37647944 PMCID: PMC10591988 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.08.014] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
As an arousal hub region in the brain, the locus coeruleus (LC) has bidirectional connections with the autonomic nervous system. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measures of LC structural integrity have been linked to cognition and arousal, but less is known about factors that influence LC structure and function across time. Here, we tested the effects of heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, an intervention targeting the autonomic nervous system, on LC MRI contrast and sympathetic activity. Younger and older participants completed daily HRV biofeedback training for five weeks. Those assigned to an experimental condition performed biofeedback involving slow, paced breathing designed to increase heart rate oscillations, whereas those assigned to a control condition performed biofeedback to decrease heart rate oscillations. At the pre- and post-training timepoints, LC contrast was assessed using turbo spin echo MRI scans, and RNA sequencing was used to assess cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated gene expression in circulating blood cells, an index of sympathetic nervous system signaling. We found that left LC contrast decreased in younger participants in the experimental group, and across younger participants, decreases in left LC contrast were related to the extent to which participants increased their heart rate oscillations during training. Furthermore, decreases in left LC contrast were associated with decreased expression of CREB-associated gene transcripts. On the contrary, there were no effects of biofeedback on LC contrast among older participants in the experimental group. These findings provide novel evidence that in younger adults, HRV biofeedback involving slow, paced breathing can decrease both LC contrast and sympathetic nervous system signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby L Bachman
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Steve Cole
- University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
| | - Hyun Joo Yoo
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Kaoru Nashiro
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Jungwon Min
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Noah Mercer
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Padideh Nasseri
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - Julian F Thayer
- University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States of America
| | - Paul Lehrer
- Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08852, United States of America
| | - Mara Mather
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America.
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14
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Riley E, Cicero N, Swallow K, De Rosa E, Anderson A. Locus coeruleus neuromelanin accumulation and dissipation across the lifespan. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.17.562814. [PMID: 37905002 PMCID: PMC10614878 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.17.562814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
The pigment neuromelanin, produced in the locus coeruleus (LC) as a byproduct of catecholamine synthesis, gives the "blue spot" its name, and both identifies LC neurons and is thought to play an important yet complex role in normal and pathological aging. Using neuromelanin-sensitive T1-weighted turbo spin echo MRI scans we characterized volume and neuromelanin signal intensity in the LC of 96 participants between the ages of 19 and 86. Although LC volume did not change significantly throughout the lifespan, LC neuromelanin signal intensity increased from early adulthood, peaked around age 60 and precipitously declined thereafter. Neuromelanin intensity was greater in the caudal relative to rostral extent and in women relative to men. With regard to function, rostral LC neuromelanin intensity was associated with fluid cognition in older adults (60+) only in those above the 50th percentile of cognitive ability for age. The gradual accumulation of LC neuromelanin across the lifespan, its sudden dissipation in later life, and relation to preserved cognitive function, is consistent with its complex role in normal and pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eve De Rosa
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University
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15
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Bell TR, Elman JA, Beck A, Fennema-Notestine C, Gustavson DE, Hagler DJ, Jak AJ, Lyons MJ, Puckett OK, Toomey R, Franz CE, Kremen WS. Rostral-middle locus coeruleus integrity and subjective cognitive decline in early old age. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2023; 29:763-774. [PMID: 36524301 PMCID: PMC10272292 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617722000881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Abnormal tau, a hallmark Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, may appear in the locus coeruleus (LC) decades before AD symptom onset. Reports of subjective cognitive decline are also often present prior to formal diagnosis. Yet, the relationship between LC structural integrity and subjective cognitive decline has remained unexplored. Here, we aimed to explore these potential associations. METHODS We examined 381 community-dwelling men (mean age = 67.58; SD = 2.62) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging who underwent LC-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Everyday Cognition scale to measure subjective cognitive decline along with their selected informants. Mixed models examined the associations between rostral-middle and caudal LC integrity and subjective cognitive decline after adjusting for depressive symptoms, physical morbidities, and family. Models also adjusted for current objective cognitive performance and objective cognitive decline to explore attenuation. RESULTS For participant ratings, lower rostral-middle LC contrast to noise ratio (LCCNR) was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory, executive function, and visuospatial abilities. For informant ratings, lower rostral-middle LCCNR was associated with significantly greater subjective decline in memory only. Associations remained after adjusting for current objective cognition and objective cognitive decline in respective domains. CONCLUSIONS Lower rostral-middle LC integrity is associated with greater subjective cognitive decline. Although not explained by objective cognitive performance, such a relationship may explain increased AD risk in people with subjective cognitive decline as the LC is an important neural substrate important for higher order cognitive processing, attention, and arousal and one of the first sites of AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Jeremy A. Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Asad Beck
- Center for Neurotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Daniel E. Gustavson
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
| | - Donald J. Hagler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Amy J. Jak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Olivia K. Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - Rosemary Toomey
- Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 02215
| | - Carol E. Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
| | - William S. Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093
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16
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Chen HY, Parent JH, Ciampa CJ, Dahl MJ, Hämmerer D, Maass A, Winer JR, Yakupov R, Inglis B, Betts MJ, Berry AS. Interactive effects of locus coeruleus structure and catecholamine synthesis capacity on cognitive function. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1236335. [PMID: 37744395 PMCID: PMC10516288 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1236335] [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: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The locus coeruleus (LC) produces catecholamines (norepinephrine and dopamine) and is implicated in a broad range of cognitive functions including attention and executive function. Recent advancements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approaches allow for the visualization and quantification of LC structure. Human research focused on the LC has since exploded given the LC's role in cognition and relevance to current models of psychopathology and neurodegenerative disease. However, it is unclear to what extent LC structure reflects underlying catecholamine function, and how LC structure and neurochemical function are collectively associated with cognitive performance. Methods A partial least squares correlation (PLSC) analysis was applied to 19 participants' LC structural MRI measures and catecholamine synthesis capacity measures assessed using [18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine ([18F]FMT) positron emission tomography (PET). Results We found no direct association between LC-MRI and LC-[18F]FMT measures for rostral, middle, or caudal portions of the LC. We found significant associations between LC neuroimaging measures and neuropsychological performance that were driven by rostral and middle portions of the LC, which is in line with LC cortical projection patterns. Specifically, associations with executive function and processing speed arose from contributions of both LC structure and interactions between LC structure and catecholamine synthesis capacity. Conclusion These findings leave open the possibility that LC MRI and PET measures contribute unique information and suggest that their conjoint use may increase sensitivity to brain-behavior associations in small samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Chen
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Jourdan H. Parent
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Claire J. Ciampa
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Martin J. Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Psychological Institute, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anne Maass
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Joseph R. Winer
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Renat Yakupov
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ben Inglis
- Henry H. Wheeler Jr. Brain Imaging Center, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Matthew J. Betts
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne S. Berry
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
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17
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Krohn F, Lancini E, Ludwig M, Leiman M, Guruprasath G, Haag L, Panczyszyn J, Düzel E, Hämmerer D, Betts M. Noradrenergic neuromodulation in ageing and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105311. [PMID: 37437752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105311] [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: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem structure located in the lower pons and is the main source of noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. Via its phasic and tonic firing, it modulates cognition and autonomic functions and is involved in the brain's immune response. The extent of degeneration to the LC in healthy ageing remains unclear, however, noradrenergic dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite their differences in progression at later disease stages, the early involvement of the LC may lead to comparable behavioural symptoms such as preclinical sleep problems and neuropsychiatric symptoms as a result of AD and PD pathology. In this review, we draw attention to the mechanisms that underlie LC degeneration in ageing, AD and PD. We aim to motivate future research to investigate how early degeneration of the noradrenergic system may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AD and PD which may also be relevant to other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Krohn
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Lancini
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - M Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - M Leiman
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - G Guruprasath
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - L Haag
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - J Panczyszyn
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - D Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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18
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruiz E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts M, Jacobs HIL, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus and their implications for cognitive and affective functions. eLife 2023; 12:RP87188. [PMID: 37650882 PMCID: PMC10471162 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87188] [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] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging, and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here, we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years of age (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project [HCP] 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory, and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography, and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUnited Kingdom
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water BayHong KongChina
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - Heidi IL Jacobs
- Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
- Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund UniversityLundSweden
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19
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Chen HY, Marxen M, Dahl MJ, Glöckner F. Effects of Adult Age and Functioning of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrinergic System on Reward-Based Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6185-6196. [PMID: 37541835 PMCID: PMC10476638 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2006-22.2023] [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: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related impairments in value representations and updating during decision-making and reward-based learning are often related to age-related attenuation in the catecholamine system such as dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). However, it is unclear to what extent age-related declines in NE functioning in humans affect reward-based decision-making. We conducted a probabilistic decision-making task and applied a Q-learning model to investigate participants' anticipatory values and value sensitivities. Task-related pupil dilations and locus coeruleus (LC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast, which served as a potential window of the LC-NE functions, were assessed in younger and older adults. Results showed that in both choice and feedback phases, younger adults' (N = 42, 22 males) pupil dilations negatively correlated with anticipatory values, indicating uncertainty about outcome probabilities. Uncertainty-evoked pupil dilations in older adults (N = 41, 27 males) were smaller, indicating age-related impairments in value estimation and updating. In both age groups, participants who showed a larger uncertainty-evoked pupil dilation exhibited a higher value sensitivity as reflected in the β parameter of the reinforcement Q-learning model. Furthermore, older adults (N = 34, 29 males) showed a lower LC-MRI contrast than younger adults (N = 25, 15 males). The LC-MRI contrast positively correlated with value sensitivity only in older but not in younger adults. These findings suggest that task-related pupillary responses can reflect age-related deficits in value estimation and updating during reward-based decision-making. Our evidence with the LC-MRI contrast further showed the age-related decline of the LC structure in modulating value representations during reward-based learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related impairments in value representation and updating during reward-based learning are associated with declines in the catecholamine modulation with age. However, it is unclear how age-related declines in the LC-NE system may affect reward-based learning. Here, we show that compared with younger adults, older adults exhibited reduced uncertainty-induced pupil dilations, suggesting age-related deficits in value estimation and updating. Older adults showed a lower structural MRI of the LC contrast than younger adults, indicating age-related degeneration of the LC structure. The association between the LC-MRI contrast and value sensitivity was only observed in older adults. Our findings may demonstrate a pioneering model to unravel the role of the LC-NE system in reward-based learning in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Chen
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Methods of Psychology and Cognitive Modeling, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Marxen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Franka Glöckner
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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20
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Lawn T, Howard MA, Turkheimer F, Misic B, Deco G, Martins D, Dipasquale O. From neurotransmitters to networks: Transcending organisational hierarchies with molecular-informed functional imaging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105193. [PMID: 37086932 PMCID: PMC10390343 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
The human brain exhibits complex interactions across micro, meso-, and macro-scale organisational principles. Recent synergistic multi-modal approaches have begun to link micro-scale information to systems level dynamics, transcending organisational hierarchies and offering novel perspectives into the brain's function and dysfunction. Specifically, the distribution of micro-scale properties (such as receptor density or gene expression) can be mapped onto macro-scale measures from functional MRI to provide novel neurobiological insights. Methodological approaches to enrich functional imaging analyses with molecular information are rapidly evolving, with several streams of research having developed relatively independently, each offering unique potential to explore the trans-hierarchical functioning of the brain. Here, we address the three principal streams of research - spatial correlation, molecular-enriched network, and in-silico whole brain modelling analyses - to provide a critical overview of the different sources of molecular information, how this information can be utilised within analyses of fMRI data, the merits and pitfalls of each methodology, and, through the use of key examples, highlight their promise to shed new light on key domains of neuroscientific inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Lawn
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Matthew A Howard
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Federico Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Bratislav Misic
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27, Barcelona 08005, Spain; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ottavia Dipasquale
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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21
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruis E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts MJ, Jacobs H, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus: implications for cognitive and affective functions. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.25.23286442. [PMID: 37333117 PMCID: PMC10274957 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.23286442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years old (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Mathew J. Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Heidi Jacobs
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Joana B. Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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22
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Orlando IF, Shine JM, Robbins TW, Rowe JB, O'Callaghan C. Noradrenergic and cholinergic systems take centre stage in neuropsychiatric diseases of ageing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105167. [PMID: 37054802 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Noradrenergic and cholinergic systems are among the most vulnerable brain systems in neuropsychiatric diseases of ageing, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy. As these systems fail, they contribute directly to many of the characteristic cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. However, their contribution to symptoms is not sufficiently understood, and pharmacological interventions targeting noradrenergic and cholinergic systems have met with mixed success. Part of the challenge is the complex neurobiology of these systems, operating across multiple timescales, and with non-linear changes across the adult lifespan and disease course. We address these challenges in a detailed review of the noradrenergic and cholinergic systems, outlining their roles in cognition and behaviour, and how they influence neuropsychiatric symptoms in disease. By bridging across levels of analysis, we highlight opportunities for improving drug therapies and for pursuing personalised medicine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella F Orlando
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
| | - Claire O'Callaghan
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
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23
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Yi YJ, Lüsebrink F, Ludwig M, Maaß A, Ziegler G, Yakupov R, Kreißl MC, Betts M, Speck O, Düzel E, Hämmerer D. It is the locus coeruleus! Or… is it?: a proposition for analyses and reporting standards for structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 129:137-148. [PMID: 37329853 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the protein pathology epicenters in neurodegenerative diseases. In contrast to PET (positron emission tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) offers the spatial resolution necessary to investigate the 3-4 mm wide and 1.5 cm long LC. However, standard data postprocessing is often too spatially imprecise to allow investigating the structure and function of the LC at the group level. Our analysis pipeline uses a combination of existing toolboxes (SPM12, ANTs, FSL, FreeSurfer), and is tailored towards achieving suitable spatial precision in the brainstem area. Its effectiveness is demonstrated using 2 datasets comprising both younger and older adults. We also suggest quality assessment procedures which allow to quantify the spatial precision obtained. Spatial deviations below 2.5 mm in the LC area are achieved, which is superior to current standard approaches. Relevant for ageing and clinical researchers interested in brainstem imaging, we provide a tool for more reliable analyses of structural and functional LC imaging data which can be also adapted for investigating other nuclei of the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeo-Jin Yi
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Falk Lüsebrink
- Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Medicine and Digitalization, Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mareike Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Maaß
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Renat Yakupov
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael C Kreißl
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Speck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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24
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Lancini E, Haag L, Bartl F, Rühling M, Ashton NJ, Zetterberg H, Düzel E, Hämmerer D, Betts MJ. Cerebrospinal fluid and positron-emission tomography biomarkers for noradrenergic dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad085. [PMID: 37151227 PMCID: PMC10154713 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The noradrenergic system shows pathological modifications in aging and neurodegenerative diseases and undergoes substantial neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. While a coherent picture of structural decline in post-mortem and in vivo MRI measures seems to emerge, whether this translates into a consistent decline in available noradrenaline levels is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of noradrenergic differences in Alzheimer's disease dementia and Parkinson's disease using CSF and PET biomarkers. CSF noradrenaline and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol levels as well as noradrenaline transporters availability, measured with PET, were summarized from 26 articles using a random-effects model meta-analysis. Compared to controls, individuals with Parkinson's disease showed significantly decreased levels of CSF noradrenaline and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, as well as noradrenaline transporters availability in the hypothalamus. In Alzheimer's disease dementia, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol but not noradrenaline levels were increased compared to controls. Both CSF and PET biomarkers of noradrenergic dysfunction reveal significant alterations in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease dementia. However, further studies are required to understand how these biomarkers are associated to the clinical symptoms and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Lancini
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lena Haag
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Bartl
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Maren Rühling
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nicholas J Ashton
- Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health & Biomedical Research Unit for Dementia at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience & Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Matthew J Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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25
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Lorents A, Ruitenberg M, Schomaker J. Novelty-induced memory boosts in humans: The when and how. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14410. [PMID: 36942255 PMCID: PMC10023963 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel information potentially signals danger or reward and behavioral and psychophysiological studies have suggested that the brain prioritizes its processing. Some effects of novelty even go beyond the stimulus itself. Studies in animals have robustly shown that exposure to novel stimulation can promote memory for information presented before or after this exposure. Research regarding effects of novelty on memory in humans is lagging, but in the last few years, several studies have emerged that suggest that memory-facilitating effects of novelty also exist in humans. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of these studies. We identified several factors that have been shown to influence whether novelty promotes memory or not, including the timing between the novel experience and the learning events, the involvement with the novel material, and population characteristics (such as clinical diagnosis or age). Finally, we link the behavioral findings to potential neurobiological mechanisms and discuss the relevance of specific findings in light of potential clinical and educational applications that could leverage novelty to improve memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Lorents
- Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - M.F.L. Ruitenberg
- Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands
| | - J. Schomaker
- Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands
- Corresponding author. Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
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26
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Schomaker J, Ruitenberg MFL, Takeuchi T. Memory's penumbra in the older or pathological brain. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:118-119. [PMID: 36517379 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Judith Schomaker
- Institute of Psychology, Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
| | - Marit F L Ruitenberg
- Institute of Psychology, Department of Health Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
| | - Tomonori Takeuchi
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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27
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Eckert MA, Iuricich F, Harris KC, Hamlett ED, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G. Locus coeruleus and dorsal cingulate morphology contributions to slowed processing speed. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108449. [PMID: 36528219 PMCID: PMC9906468 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108449] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowed information processing speed is a defining feature of cognitive aging. Nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and medial prefrontal regions are targets for understanding slowed processing speed because these brain regions influence neural and behavioral response latencies through their roles in optimizing task performance. Although structural measures of medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently related to processing speed, it is unclear if 1) declines in LC structure underlie this association because of reciprocal connections between LC and medial prefrontal cortex, or 2) if LC declines provide a separate explanation for age-related changes in processing speed. LC and medial prefrontal structural measures were predicted to explain age-dependent individual differences in processing speed in a cross-sectional sample of 43 adults (19-79 years; 63% female). Higher turbo-spin echo LC contrast, based on a persistent homology measure, and greater dorsal cingulate cortical thickness were significantly and each uniquely related to faster processing speed. However, only dorsal cingulate cortical thickness appeared to statistically mediate age-related differences in processing speed. The results suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing speed can be attributed, in part, to structural variation in nucleus LC and medial prefrontal cortex, with the latter key to understanding why older adults exhibit slowed processing speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA.
| | - Federico Iuricich
- Visual Computing Division, School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 29634, USA
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Eric D Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003-9297, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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28
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Levinson S, Miller M, Iftekhar A, Justo M, Arriola D, Wei W, Hazany S, Avecillas-Chasin JM, Kuhn TP, Horn A, Bari AA. A structural connectivity atlas of limbic brainstem nuclei. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2023; 1:1009399. [PMID: 37555163 PMCID: PMC10406319 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.1009399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Background Understanding the structural connectivity of key brainstem nuclei with limbic cortical regions is essential to the development of therapeutic neuromodulation for depression, chronic pain, addiction, anxiety and movement disorders. Several brainstem nuclei have been identified as the primary central nervous system (CNS) source of important monoaminergic ascending fibers including the noradrenergic locus coeruleus, serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus, and dopaminergic ventral tegmental area. However, due to practical challenges to their study, there is limited data regarding their in vivo anatomic connectivity in humans. Objective To evaluate the structural connectivity of the following brainstem nuclei with limbic cortical areas: locus coeruleus, ventral tegmental area, periaqueductal grey, dorsal raphe nucleus, and nucleus tractus solitarius. Additionally, to develop a group average atlas of these limbic brainstem structures to facilitate future analyses. Methods Each nucleus was manually masked from 197 Human Connectome Project (HCP) structural MRI images using FSL software. Probabilistic tractography was performed using FSL's FMRIB Diffusion Toolbox. Connectivity with limbic cortical regions was calculated and compared between brainstem nuclei. Results were aggregated to produce a freely available MNI structural atlas of limbic brainstem structures. Results A general trend was observed for a high probability of connectivity to the amygdala, hippocampus and DLPFC with relatively lower connectivity to the orbitofrontal cortex, NAc, hippocampus and insula. The locus coeruleus and nucleus tractus solitarius demonstrated significantly greater connectivity to the DLPFC than amygdala while the periaqueductal grey, dorsal raphe nucleus, and ventral tegmental area did not demonstrate a significant difference between these two structures. Conclusion Monoaminergic and other modulatory nuclei in the brainstem project widely to cortical limbic regions. We describe the structural connectivity across the several key brainstem nuclei theorized to influence emotion, reward, and cognitive functions. An increased understanding of the anatomic basis of the brainstem's role in emotion and other reward-related processing will support targeted neuromodulatary therapies aimed at alleviating the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Levinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Stanford Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto CA, United States
| | - Michelle Miller
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ahmed Iftekhar
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Monica Justo
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Daniel Arriola
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Wenxin Wei
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Saman Hazany
- Department of Radiology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Taylor P. Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Andreas Horn
- Movement Disorder and Neuromodulation Unit, Department of Neurology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt–Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital Neurosurgery and Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery (CNTR) at MGH Neurology Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ausaf A. Bari
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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29
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Engels-Domínguez N, Koops EA, Prokopiou PC, Van Egroo M, Schneider C, Riphagen JM, Singhal T, Jacobs HIL. State-of-the-art imaging of neuromodulatory subcortical systems in aging and Alzheimer's disease: Challenges and opportunities. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104998. [PMID: 36526031 PMCID: PMC9805533 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Primary prevention trials have shifted their focus to the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autopsy data indicates that the neuromodulatory subcortical systems' (NSS) nuclei are specifically vulnerable to initial tau pathology, indicating that these nuclei hold great promise for early detection of AD in the context of the aging brain. The increasing availability of new imaging methods, ultra-high field scanners, new radioligands, and routine deep brain stimulation implants has led to a growing number of NSS neuroimaging studies on aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we review findings of current state-of-the-art imaging studies assessing the structure, function, and molecular changes of these nuclei during aging and AD. Furthermore, we identify the challenges associated with these imaging methods, important pathophysiologic gaps to fill for the AD NSS neuroimaging field, and provide future directions to improve our assessment, understanding, and clinical use of in vivo imaging of the NSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Engels-Domínguez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Elouise A Koops
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Prokopis C Prokopiou
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Christoph Schneider
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joost M Riphagen
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tarun Singhal
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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30
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Gallant SN, Kennedy BL, Bachman SL, Huang R, Cho C, Lee TH, Mather M. Behavioral and fMRI evidence that arousal enhances bottom-up selectivity in young but not older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 120:149-166. [PMID: 36198230 PMCID: PMC9805381 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system integrates signals about arousal states throughout the brain and helps coordinate cognitive selectivity. However, age-related changes in this system may impact how arousal coordinates selectivity in older adults. To examine this, we compared how increases in emotional arousal modulates cognitive selectivity for images differing in perceptual salience in young and older adults. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found that relative to older adults, hearing an arousing sound enhanced young adults' bottom-up processing and incidental memory for high versus low salience category-selective body images. We also examined how arousing sounds impacted a top-down goal to detect dot-probes that appeared immediately after high or low salience images. We found that young adults were slower to detect probes appearing after high salience body images on arousing trials, whereas older adults showed this pattern on non-arousing trials. Taken together, our findings show that arousal's effect on selectivity changes with age and differs across bottom-up and top-down processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara N. Gallant
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Briana L. Kennedy
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Shelby L. Bachman
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Ringo Huang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Christine Cho
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Tae-Ho Lee
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Mara Mather
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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31
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Schomaker J, Baumann V, Ruitenberg MFL. Effects of exploring a novel environment on memory across the lifespan. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16631. [PMID: 36198743 PMCID: PMC9533976 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20562-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploration of a novel environment has been shown to promote memory formation in healthy adults. Studies in animals have suggested that such novelty-induced memory boosts are mediated by hippocampal dopamine. The dopaminergic system is known to develop and deteriorate over the lifespan, but so far, the effects of novelty on memory across the lifespan have not yet been investigated. In the current study, we had children, adolescents, younger, and older adults (n = 439) explore novel and previously familiarized virtual environments to pinpoint the effects of spatial novelty on declarative memory in humans across different age groups. After exploration, words were presented while participants performed a deep or shallow encoding task. Incidental memory was quantified in a surprise test. Results showed that participants in the deep encoding condition remembered more words than those in the shallow condition, while novelty did not influence this effect. Interestingly, however, children, adolescents and younger adults benefitted from exploring a novel compared to a familiar environment as evidenced by better word recall, while these effects were absent in older adults. Our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of novelty on memory follow the deterioration of neural pathways involved in novelty-related processes across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Schomaker
- Department Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Valentin Baumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marit F L Ruitenberg
- Department Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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32
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Elman JA, Puckett OK, Hagler DJ, Pearce RC, Fennema-Notestine C, Hatton SN, Lyons MJ, McEvoy LK, Panizzon MS, Reas ET, Dale AM, Franz CE, Kremen WS. Associations between MRI-assessed locus coeruleus integrity and cortical gray matter microstructure. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4191-4203. [PMID: 34969072 PMCID: PMC9528780 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the earliest sites of tau pathology, making it a key structure in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. As the primary source of norepinephrine for the brain, reduced LC integrity may have negative consequences for brain health, yet macrostructural brain measures (e.g. cortical thickness) may not be sensitive to early stages of neurodegeneration. We therefore examined whether LC integrity was associated with differences in cortical gray matter microstructure among 435 men (mean age = 67.5; range = 62-71.7). LC structural integrity was indexed by contrast-to-noise ratio (LCCNR) from a neuromelanin-sensitive MRI scan. Restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), an advanced multi-shell diffusion technique, was used to characterize cortical microstructure, modeling total diffusion in restricted, hindered, and free water compartments. Higher LCCNR (greater integrity) was associated with higher hindered and lower free water diffusion in multiple cortical regions. In contrast, no associations between LCCNR and cortical thickness survived correction. Results suggest lower LC integrity is associated with patterns of cortical microstructure that may reflect a reduction in cytoarchitectural barriers due to broader neurodegenerative processes. These findings highlight the potential utility for LC imaging and advanced diffusion measures of cortical microstructure in assessing brain health and early identification of neurodegenerative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Elman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Olivia K Puckett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Donald J Hagler
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Rahul C Pearce
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christine Fennema-Notestine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sean N Hatton
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael J Lyons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Linda K McEvoy
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Matthew S Panizzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Emilie T Reas
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Anders M Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Carol E Franz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - William S Kremen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Health Care System, La Jolla, CA 92161, USA
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Calarco N, Cassidy CM, Selby B, Hawco C, Voineskos AN, Diniz BS, Nikolova YS. Associations between locus coeruleus integrity and diagnosis, age, and cognitive performance in older adults with and without late-life depression: An exploratory study. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103182. [PMID: 36088841 PMCID: PMC9474922 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Late-life depression (LLD) is a risk factor for age-dependent cognitive deterioration. Norepinephrine-related degeneration in the locus coeruleus (LC) may explain this link. To examine the LC norepinephrine system in vivo, we acquired neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) in a sample of 48 participants, including 25 with LLD (18 women, age 68.08 ± 5.41) and 23 never-depressed comparison participants (ND, 12 women, age 70 ± 8.02), matched on age and cognitive status. We employed a semi-automated procedure to segment the LC into three bilateral sections along its rostro-caudal extent, and calculated relative contrast as a proxy of integrity. Then, we examined associations between integrity and LLD diagnosis, age, and cognition, as measured via the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). We did not identify an effect of LLD diagnosis nor age on LC integrity, but exploratory canonical correlation analysis across the combined participant sample revealed a strong (Rc = 0.853) and significant multivariate relationship between integrity and cognition (Wilks' λ = 0.03, F(84, 162.44) = 1.66, p = <.01). The first and only significant variate explained 72.83% model variance, and linked better attention and delayed memory performance, faster processing speed, and lower verbal fluency performance with higher integrity in the right rostral but lower integrity in the left caudal LC. Our results complement prior evidence of LC involvement in cognition in healthy older adults, and extend this association to individuals with LLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navona Calarco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Clifford M. Cassidy
- The University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ben Selby
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Colin Hawco
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Aristotle N. Voineskos
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Breno S. Diniz
- UConn Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Yuliya S. Nikolova
- Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,Corresponding author at: Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 250 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8, Canada.
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34
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Dolphin H, Dukelow T, Finucane C, Commins S, McElwaine P, Kennelly SP. “The Wandering Nerve Linking Heart and Mind” – The Complementary Role of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Modulating Neuro-Cardiovascular and Cognitive Performance. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:897303. [PMID: 35784842 PMCID: PMC9245542 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.897303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, providing afferent information about visceral sensation, integrity and somatic sensations to the CNS via brainstem nuclei to subcortical and cortical structures. Its efferent arm influences GI motility and secretion, cardiac ionotropy, chonotropy and heart rate variability, blood pressure responses, bronchoconstriction and modulates gag and cough responses via palatine and pharyngeal innervation. Vagus nerve stimulation has been utilized as a successful treatment for intractable epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression, and new non-invasive transcutaneous (t-VNS) devices offer equivalent therapeutic potential as invasive devices without the surgical risks. t-VNS offers exciting potential as a therapeutic intervention in cognitive decline and aging populations, classically affected by reduced cerebral perfusion by modulating both limbic and frontal cortical structures, regulating cerebral perfusion and improving parasympathetic modulation of the cardiovascular system. In this narrative review we summarize the research to date investigating the cognitive effects of VNS therapy, and its effects on neurocardiovascular stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Dolphin
- Department of Age-Related Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Medical Gerontology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- *Correspondence: Helena Dolphin,
| | - Tim Dukelow
- Department of Age-Related Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ciaran Finucane
- Department of Medical Physics, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sean Commins
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Paul McElwaine
- Department of Age-Related Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Medical Gerontology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sean P. Kennelly
- Department of Age-Related Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Medical Gerontology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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35
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Prefrontal Cortical Connectivity Mediates Locus Coeruleus Noradrenergic Regulation of Inhibitory Control in Older Adults. J Neurosci 2022; 42:3484-3493. [PMID: 35277392 PMCID: PMC9034774 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1361-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Response inhibition is a core executive function enabling adaptive behavior in dynamic environments. Human and animal models indicate that inhibitory control and control networks are modulated by noradrenaline, arising from the locus coeruleus. The integrity (i.e., cellular density) of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system can be estimated from magnetization transfer (MT)-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in view of neuromelanin present in noradrenergic neurons of older adults. Noradrenergic psychopharmacological studies indicate noradrenergic modulation of prefrontal and frontostriatal stopping-circuits in association with behavioral change. Here, we test the noradrenergic hypothesis of inhibitory control, in healthy adults. We predicted that locus coeruleus integrity is associated with age-adjusted variance in response inhibition, mediated by changes in connectivity between frontal inhibitory control regions. In a preregistered analysis, we used MT MRI images from N = 63 healthy humans aged above 50 years (of either sex) who performed a Stop-Signal Task (SST), with atlas-based measurement of locus coeruleus contrast. We confirm that better response inhibition is correlated with locus coeruleus integrity and stronger connectivity between presupplementary motor area (preSMA) and right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), but not volumes of the prefrontal cortical regions. We confirmed a significant role of prefrontal connectivity in mediating the effect of individual differences in the locus coeruleus on behavior, where this effect was moderated by age, over and above adjustment for the mean effects of age. Our results support the hypothesis that in normal populations, as in clinical settings, the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system regulates inhibitory control.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We show that the integrity of the locus coeruleus, the principal source of cortical noradrenaline, is related to the efficiency of response inhibition in healthy older adults. This effect is in part mediated by its effect on functional connectivity in a prefrontal cortical stopping-network. The behavioral effect, and its mediation by connectivity, are moderated by age. This supports the psychopharmacological and genetic evidence for the noradrenergic regulation of behavioral control, in a population-based normative cohort. Noradrenergic treatment strategies may be effective to improve behavioral control in impulsive clinical populations, but age, and locus coeruleus integrity, are likely to be important stratification factors.
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36
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David M, Malhotra PA. New approaches for the quantification and targeting of noradrenergic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2022; 9:582-596. [PMID: 35293158 PMCID: PMC8994981 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There is clear, early noradrenergic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. This is likely secondary to pathological tau deposition in the locus coeruleus, the pontine nucleus that produces and releases noradrenaline, prior to involvement of cortical brain regions. Disruption of noradrenergic pathways affects cognition, especially attention, impacting memory and broader functioning. Additionally, it leads to autonomic and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Despite the strong evidence of noradrenergic involvement in Alzheimer's, there are no clear trial data supporting the clinical use of any noradrenergic treatments. Several approaches have been tried, including proof-of-principle studies and (mostly small scale) randomised controlled trials. Treatments have included pharmacotherapies as well as stimulation. The lack of clear positive findings is likely secondary to limitations in gauging locus coeruleus integrity and dysfunction at an individual level. However, the recent development of several novel biomarkers holds potential and should allow quantification of dysfunction. This may then inform inclusion criteria and stratification for future trials. Imaging approaches have improved greatly following the development of neuromelanin-sensitive sequences, enabling the use of structural MRI to estimate locus coeruleus integrity. Additionally, functional MRI scanning has the potential to quantify network dysfunction. As well as neuroimaging, EEG, fluid biomarkers and pupillometry techniques may prove useful in assessing noradrenergic tone. Here, we review the development of these biomarkers and how they might augment clinical studies, particularly randomised trials, through identification of patients most likely to benefit from treatment. We outline the biomarkers with most potential, and how they may transform symptomatic therapy for people living with Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael David
- Imperial College London and the University of SurreyUK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology CentreSir Michael Uren Hub, 86 Wood LaneLondonW12 0BZUK
- Imperial College London, Brain SciencesSouth KensingtonLondonSW7 2AZUK
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Clinical NeurosciencesCharing Cross HospitalLondonW2 1NYUK
| | - Paresh A. Malhotra
- Imperial College London and the University of SurreyUK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology CentreSir Michael Uren Hub, 86 Wood LaneLondonW12 0BZUK
- Imperial College London, Brain SciencesSouth KensingtonLondonSW7 2AZUK
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Clinical NeurosciencesCharing Cross HospitalLondonW2 1NYUK
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37
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Dahl MJ, Mather M, Werkle-Bergner M, Kennedy BL, Guzman S, Hurth K, Miller CA, Qiao Y, Shi Y, Chui HC, Ringman JM. Locus coeruleus integrity is related to tau burden and memory loss in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 112:39-54. [PMID: 35045380 PMCID: PMC8976827 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Abnormally phosphorylated tau, an indicator of Alzheimer's disease, accumulates in the first decades of life in the locus coeruleus (LC), the brain's main noradrenaline supply. However, technical challenges in in-vivo assessments have impeded research into the role of the LC in Alzheimer's disease. We studied participants with or known to be at-risk for mutations in genes causing autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease (ADAD) with early onset, providing a unique window into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's largely disentangled from age-related factors. Using high-resolution MRI and tau PET, we found lower rostral LC integrity in symptomatic participants. LC integrity was associated with individual differences in tau burden and memory decline. Post-mortem analyses in a separate set of carriers of the same mutation confirmed substantial neuronal loss in the LC. Our findings link LC degeneration to tau burden and memory in Alzheimer's, and highlight a role of the noradrenergic system in this neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Mara Mather
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Briana L Kennedy
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Samuel Guzman
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kyle Hurth
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carol A Miller
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yuchuan Qiao
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI), USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yonggang Shi
- Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI), USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Helena C Chui
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John M Ringman
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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38
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Ciampa CJ, Parent JH, Harrison TM, Fain RM, Betts MJ, Maass A, Winer JR, Baker SL, Janabi M, Furman DJ, D'Esposito M, Jagust WJ, Berry AS. Associations among locus coeruleus catecholamines, tau pathology, and memory in aging. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1106-1113. [PMID: 35034099 PMCID: PMC8938463 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01269-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the brain's major source of the neuromodulator norepinephrine, and is also profoundly vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related tau pathology. Norepinephrine plays a role in neuroprotective functions that may reduce AD progression, and also underlies optimal memory performance. Successful maintenance of LC neurochemical function represents a candidate mechanism of protection against the propagation of AD-related pathology and may facilitate the preservation of memory performance despite pathology. Using [18F]Fluoro-m-tyrosine ([18F]FMT) PET imaging to measure catecholamine synthesis capacity in LC regions of interest, we examined relationships among LC neurochemical function, AD-related pathology, and memory performance in cognitively normal older adults (n = 49). Participants underwent [11C]Pittsburgh compound B and [18F]Flortaucipir PET to quantify β-amyloid (n = 49) and tau burden (n = 42) respectively. In individuals with substantial β-amyloid, higher LC [18F]FMT net tracer influx (Kivis) was associated with lower temporal tau. Longitudinal tau-PET analyses in a subset of our sample (n = 30) support these findings to reveal reduced temporal tau accumulation in the context of higher LC [18F]FMT Kivis. Higher LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was positively correlated with self-reported cognitive engagement and physical activity across the lifespan, established predictors of successful aging measured with the Lifetime Experiences Questionnaire. LC catecholamine synthesis capacity moderated tau's negative effect on memory, such that higher LC catecholamine synthesis capacity was associated with better-than-expected memory performance given an individual's tau burden. These PET findings provide insight into the neurochemical mechanisms of AD vulnerability and cognitive resilience in the living human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Ciampa
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Jourdan H Parent
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Theresa M Harrison
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Rebekah M Fain
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Matthew J Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, 39106, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, 39120, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Maass
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Magdeburg, 39120, Germany
| | - Joseph R Winer
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Suzanne L Baker
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Mustafa Janabi
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Daniella J Furman
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Mark D'Esposito
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - William J Jagust
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Anne S Berry
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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Pagen LHG, Poser BA, van Boxtel MPJ, Priovoulos N, van Hooren RWE, Verhey FRJ, Jacobs HIL. Worry Modifies the Relationship between Locus Coeruleus Activity and Emotional Mnemonic Discrimination. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030381. [PMID: 35326337 PMCID: PMC8946181 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The locus coeruleus (LC) plays a critical role in modulating emotional memory performance via widespread connections to the medial temporal lobe (MTL). Interestingly, both the LC and MTL are affected during aging. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether worry during cognitive aging changes the relationship between memory performance and the neural activity patterns during an emotional memory task. Methods: Twenty-eight participants aged 60–83 years from the Maastricht Aging study conducted an emotional mnemonic discrimination task during a 7T fMRI-scan. We performed a robust multiple linear regression to examine the association between worry and mnemonic memory performance under different levels of arousal. Subsequently, we examined if worry modifies the relationship between neuronal activity and mnemonic memory performance. Results: We observed that under low arousal, only participants with low compared to high levels of worry benefitted from additional LC activity. Under high arousal, additional LC activity was associated with lower mnemonic memory performance. Conclusion: Our results suggest there might be an optimal involvement of the NA-system for optimal memory discrimination performance, as we observed that under low levels of worry and with lower levels of arousal, higher LC activity might be needed to achieve similar levels of optimal memory performance as achieved under higher arousal when LC activity remained lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda H. G. Pagen
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Benedikt A. Poser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Martin P. J. van Boxtel
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
| | - Nikos Priovoulos
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
| | - Roy W. E. van Hooren
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
| | - Frans R. J. Verhey
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
| | - Heidi I. L. Jacobs
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; (L.H.G.P.); (M.P.J.v.B.); (N.P.); (R.W.E.v.H.); (F.R.J.V.)
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Correspondence:
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40
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Ferguson LA, Leal SL. Interactions of Emotion and Memory in the Aging Brain: Neural and Psychological Correlates. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40473-021-00245-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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41
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Liebe T, Kaufmann J, Hämmerer D, Betts M, Walter M. In vivo tractography of human locus coeruleus-relation to 7T resting state fMRI, psychological measures and single subject validity. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4984-4993. [PMID: 36117208 PMCID: PMC9763100 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01761-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) in the brainstem as the main regulator of brain noradrenaline gains increasing attention because of its involvement in neurologic and psychiatric diseases and its relevance in general to brain function. In this study, we created a structural connectome of the LC nerve fibers based on in vivo MRI tractography to gain an understanding into LC connectivity and its impact on LC-related psychological measures. We combined our structural results with ultra-high field resting-state functional MRI to learn about the relationship between in vivo LC structural and functional connections. Importantly, we reveal that LC brain fibers are strongly associated with psychological measures of anxiety and alertness indicating that LC-noradrenergic connectivity may have an important role on brain function. Lastly, since we analyzed all our data in subject-specific space, we point out the potential of structural LC connectivity to reveal individual characteristics of LC-noradrenergic function on the single-subject level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Liebe
- grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany ,grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Department of Radiology, University of Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany ,Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory (CANLAB), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jörn Kaufmann
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- grid.5771.40000 0001 2151 8122Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK-WC1E 6BT UK ,grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew Betts
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, D-07743, Jena, Germany. .,Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory (CANLAB), D-39120, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Tuebingen, D-72076, Tuebingen, Germany. .,Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), D-07743 Jena, Germany. .,German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
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Ludwig M, Wienke C, Betts MJ, Zaehle T, Hämmerer D. Current challenges in reliably targeting the noradrenergic locus coeruleus using transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS). Auton Neurosci 2021; 236:102900. [PMID: 34781120 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), as a non-invasive brain stimulation technique may influence the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (LC-NE system) via modulation of the Vagus Nerve (VN) which projects to the LC. Few human studies exist examining the effects of taVNS on the LC-NE system and studies to date assessing the ability of taVNS to target the LC yield heterogeneous results. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the current challenges in assessing effects of taVNS on LC function and how translational approaches spanning animal and human research can help in this regard. A particular emphasis of the review discusses how the effects of taVNS may be influenced by changes in structure and function of the LC-NE system across the human lifespan and in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike Ludwig
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Christian Wienke
- Department of Neurology, Section of Neuropsychology, Otto-v.-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew J Betts
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, Section of Neuropsychology, Otto-v.-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
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43
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Song I, Neal J, Lee TH. Age-Related Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Changes of Locus Coeruleus from Childhood to Older Adults. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1485. [PMID: 34827484 PMCID: PMC8615904 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus is critical for selective information processing by modulating the brain's connectivity configuration. Increasingly, studies have suggested that LC controls sensory inputs at the sensory gating stage. Furthermore, accumulating evidence has shown that young children and older adults are more prone to distraction and filter out irrelevant information less efficiently, possibly due to the unoptimized LC connectivity. However, the LC connectivity pattern across the life span is not fully examined yet, hampering our ability to understand the relationship between LC development and the distractibility. In this study, we examined the intrinsic network connectivity of the LC using a public fMRI dataset with wide-range age samples. Based on LC-seed functional connectivity maps, we examined the age-related variation in the LC connectivity with a quadratic model. The analyses revealed two connectivity patterns explicitly. The sensory-related brain regions showed a positive quadratic age effect (u-shape), and the frontal regions for the cognitive control showed a negative quadratic age effect (inverted u-shape). Our results imply that such age-related distractibility is possibly due to the impaired sensory gating by the LC and the insufficient top-down controls by the frontal regions. We discuss the underlying neural mechanisms and limitations of our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inuk Song
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (I.S.); (J.N.)
| | - Joshua Neal
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (I.S.); (J.N.)
| | - Tae-Ho Lee
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (I.S.); (J.N.)
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
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44
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Automated Mouse Pupil Size Measurement System to Assess Locus Coeruleus Activity with a Deep Learning-Based Approach. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21217106. [PMID: 34770410 PMCID: PMC8588114 DOI: 10.3390/s21217106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Strong evidence from studies on primates and rodents shows that changes in pupil diameter may reflect neural activity in the locus coeruleus (LC). Pupillometry is the only available non-invasive technique that could be used as a reliable and easily accessible real-time biomarker of changes in the in vivo activity of the LC. However, the application of pupillometry to preclinical research in rodents is not yet fully standardized. A lack of consensus on the technical specifications of some of the components used for image recording or positioning of the animal and cameras have been recorded in recent scientific literature. In this study, a novel pupillometry system to indirectly assess, in real-time, the function of the LC in anesthetized rodents is presented. The system comprises a deep learning SOLOv2 instance-based fast segmentation framework and a platform designed to place the experimental subject, the video cameras for data acquisition, and the light source. The performance of the proposed setup was assessed and compared to other baseline methods using a validation and an external test set. In the latter, the calculated intersection over the union was 0.93 and the mean absolute percentage error was 1.89% for the selected method. The Bland–Altman analysis depicted an excellent agreement. The results confirmed a high accuracy that makes the system suitable for real-time pupil size tracking, regardless of the pupil’s size, light intensity, or any features typical of the recording process in sedated mice. The framework could be used in any neurophysiological study with sedated or fixed-head animals.
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45
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Jacobs HI, Becker JA, Kwong K, Engels-Domínguez N, Prokopiou PC, Papp KV, Properzi M, Hampton OL, Uquillas FD, Sanchez JS, Rentz DM, Fakhri GE, Normandin MD, Price JC, Bennett DA, Sperling RA, Johnson KA. In vivo and neuropathology data support locus coeruleus integrity as indicator of Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive decline. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabj2511. [PMID: 34550726 PMCID: PMC8641759 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj2511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Several autopsy studies recognize the locus coeruleus (LC) as the initial site of hyperphosphorylated TAU aggregation, and as the number of LC neurons harboring TAU increases, TAU pathology emerges throughout the cortex. By conjointly using dedicated MRI measures of LC integrity and TAU and amyloid PET imaging, we aimed to address the question whether in vivo LC measures relate to initial cortical patterns of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) fibrillar proteinopathies or cognitive dysfunction in 174 cognitively unimpaired and impaired older individuals with longitudinal cognitive measures. To guide our interpretations, we verified these associations in autopsy data from 1524 Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project and 2145 National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center cases providing three different LC measures (pigmentation, tangle density, and neuronal density), Braak staging, β-amyloid, and longitudinal cognitive measures. Lower LC integrity was associated with elevated TAU deposition in the entorhinal cortex among unimpaired individuals consistent with postmortem correlations between LC tangle density and successive Braak staging. LC pigmentation ratings correlated with LC neuronal density but not with LC tangle density and were particularly worse at advanced Braak stages. In the context of elevated β-amyloid, lower LC integrity and greater cortical tangle density were associated with greater TAU burden beyond the medial temporal lobe and retrospective memory decline. These findings support neuropathologic data in which early LC TAU accumulation relates to disease progression and identify LC integrity as a promising indicator of initial AD-related processes and subtle changes in cognitive trajectories of preclinical AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi I.L. Jacobs
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University; 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - John A. Becker
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kenneth Kwong
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Nina Engels-Domínguez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University; 6200MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Prokopis C. Prokopiou
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kathryn V. Papp
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Boston, MA,02115, USA
| | - Michael Properzi
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Olivia L. Hampton
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | | | - Justin S. Sanchez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Dorene M. Rentz
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Boston, MA,02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Georges El Fakhri
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Marc D. Normandin
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julie C. Price
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02129, USA
| | - David A. Bennett
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center; Chicago, Illinois, 60612, USA
| | - Reisa A. Sperling
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Boston, MA,02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Keith A. Johnson
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston, MA, 02114, USA
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46
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Holland N, Robbins TW, Rowe JB. The role of noradrenaline in cognition and cognitive disorders. Brain 2021; 144:2243-2256. [PMID: 33725122 PMCID: PMC8418349 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Many aspects of cognition and behaviour are regulated by noradrenergic projections to the forebrain originating from the locus coeruleus, acting through alpha and beta adrenoreceptors. Loss of these projections is common in neurodegenerative diseases and contributes to their cognitive and behavioural deficits. We review the evidence for a noradrenergic modulation of cognition in its contribution to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other cognitive disorders. We discuss the advances in human imaging and computational methods that quantify the locus coeruleus and its function in humans, and highlight the potential for new noradrenergic treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negin Holland
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
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47
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Langley J, Hussain S, Huddleston DE, Bennett IJ, Hu XP. Impact of Locus Coeruleus and Its Projections on Memory and Aging. Brain Connect 2021; 12:223-233. [PMID: 34139886 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of norepinephrine to the brain and its efferent projections innervate many brain regions, including the thalamus. The LC degrades with normal aging, but not much is known regarding whether its structural connectivity evolves with age or predicts aspects of cognition. Methods: Here, we use high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging-based tractography to examine structural connectivity between LC and the thalamus in younger and older adults. Results: We found LC projections to be bundled in a fiber tract anatomically consistent with the central tegmental tract (CTT) and branched from this tract into the thalamus. The older cohort exhibited a significant reduction in mean and radial diffusivity within CTT, as compared with the young cohort. We also observed a significant correlation between CTT mean, axial, and radial diffusivities and memory performance (delayed recall) in the older adult cohort. Discussion: These observations suggest that although LC projections degrade with age, the degree of degradation is associated with cognitive abilities in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Langley
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging and University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Sana Hussain
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | | | - Ilana J Bennett
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Xiaoping P Hu
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging and University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
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48
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Esposito M, Mauri P, Panizza L, Mazza V, Miniussi C, Brignani D. Baseline levels of alertness influence tES effects along different age-related directions. Neuropsychologia 2021; 160:107966. [PMID: 34303718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Normal aging is usually accompanied by several structural and functional physiological changes of the brain, which are closely related to alterations of cognitive functions (e.g., visual short-term memory). As the average age of the population increases, it has become crucial to identify cognitive-behavioural interventions to maintain a healthy level of cognitive performance. Among a variety of approaches, the targeting of specific intrinsic alertness mechanisms has shown a solid rationale and beneficial effects in both healthy and pathological ageing. In a similar vein, the use of non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) represents another promising approach to induce an alerting state that can produce advantages in the information processing in the brain and therefore behaviour. Here, we investigated whether time-locked bursts of tES (i.e., transcranial random noise stimulation) were effective in inducing behavioural and physiological changes, consistently with an alertness increase, in both young and older healthy adults. Namely, we expected to find a beneficial alerting effect on visual short-term memory performance as a function of stimulus perceptual salience and tES. The initial results showed that the performance of younger adults was not affected by tES, while older adults scored lower correct responses for high-salience stimuli during real tES with respect to sham stimulation. However, after including a baseline measure of subjective level of alertness in the analyses, a tES-induced memory improvement did emerge in the less alerted younger adults, while only the more alerted older adults were subject to the worsening effect by tES. We discuss these results in consideration of the evidence on critical age-related differences as well as the interaction between neurostimulation and baseline alerting mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Esposito
- IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, 25125, Brescia, Italy
| | - Piercarlo Mauri
- IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, 25125, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Veronica Mazza
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences CIMeC, University of Trento, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Carlo Miniussi
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences CIMeC, University of Trento, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Debora Brignani
- IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, 25125, Brescia, Italy.
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49
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Prasuhn J, Prasuhn M, Fellbrich A, Strautz R, Lemmer F, Dreischmeier S, Kasten M, Münte TF, Hanssen H, Heldmann M, Brüggemann N. Association of Locus Coeruleus and Substantia Nigra Pathology With Cognitive and Motor Functions in Patients With Parkinson Disease. Neurology 2021; 97:e1007-e1016. [PMID: 34187859 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the contribution of substantia nigra (SN) and locus coeruleus (LC) pathology to clinical signs and symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) by applying neuromelanin-weighted imaging. METHODS Forty-seven patients with PD and 53 matched controls underwent motor assessment, a neuropsychological test battery and neuromelanin-weighted MRI. Patients with PD have been enrolled after fulfilling the criteria for 'clinically established PD' as defined by the Movement Disorders Society Clinical Diagnostic Criteria. Two independent raters identified SN and LC and calculated the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). RESULTS The intra-rater reliability demonstrated a good reliability between raters with an intraclass correlation coefficient of .88 (p<.001) and an inter-rater reliability of .80 (p<.001). Both, SN and LC CNRs were lower in patients with PD (p≤.001) compared to controls. The CNR of SN but not of LC was strongly correlated with disease duration (p≤.001). Neuromelanin pathology of the pars compacta-containing dorso-lateral SN correlated with MDS-UPDRS I, II and III but not cognitive functions. In contrast, neuromelanin pathology of LC was associated with cognitive functions in all tested domains but not with motor impairment or activities of daily living. No such associations were present in controls. CONCLUSIONS Neuromelanin imaging of the SN and LC is well-suited to map neurodegeneration in PD. Neuromelanin pathology of the SN correlates with motor dysfunction whereas LC pathology is related to cognitive impairment. Neuromelanin-weighted imaging of the LC could thus serve as an imaging marker of executive and other cognitive dysfunctions in PD. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This study provides Class I evidence that neuromelanin-weighted imaging was associated with the severity of various signs and symptoms in patients with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannik Prasuhn
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Michelle Prasuhn
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Laboratory for Angiogenesis and Ocular Cell Transplantation, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Anja Fellbrich
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Robert Strautz
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Felicitas Lemmer
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Shalida Dreischmeier
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Meike Kasten
- Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Thomas F Münte
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Henrike Hanssen
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Marcus Heldmann
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Norbert Brüggemann
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany .,Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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Liu J, Tao J, Xia R, Li M, Huang M, Li S, Chen X, Wilson G, Park J, Zheng G, Chen L, Kong J. Mind-Body Exercise Modulates Locus Coeruleus and Ventral Tegmental Area Functional Connectivity in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:646807. [PMID: 34194314 PMCID: PMC8236862 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.646807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common global health problem. Recently, the potential of mind-body intervention for MCI has drawn the interest of investigators. This study aims to comparatively explore the modulation effect of Baduanjin, a popular mind-body exercise, and physical exercise on the cognitive function, as well as the norepinephrine and dopamine systems using the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) method in patients with MCI. 69 patients were randomized to the Baduanjin, brisk walking, or healthy education control group for 6 months. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were applied at baseline and at the end of the experiment. Results showed that (1) compared to the brisk walking, the Baduanjin significantly increased MoCA scores; (2) Baduanjin significantly increased the right locus coeruleus (LC) and left ventral tegmental area (VTA) rsFC with the right insula and right amygdala compared to that of the control group; and the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared to that of the brisk walking group; (3) the increased right LC-right insula rsFC and right LC-right ACC rsFC were significantly associated with the corresponding MoCA score after 6-months of intervention; (4) both exercise groups experienced an increased effective connectivity from the right ACC to the left VTA compared to the control group; and (5) Baduanjin group experienced an increase in gray matter volume in the right ACC compared to the control group. Our results suggest that Baduanjin can significantly modulate intrinsic functional connectivity and the influence of the norepinephrine (LC) and dopamine (VTA) systems. These findings may shed light on the mechanisms of mind-body intervention and aid the development of new treatments for MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Liu
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.,National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Rehabilitation Medicine Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.,Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.,Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation Research Center of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jing Tao
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.,Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation Research Center of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Orthopedics & Traumatology of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Rehabilitation, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, China
| | - Rui Xia
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Moyi Li
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Maomao Huang
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shuzhen Li
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiangli Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Georgia Wilson
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Joe Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Guohua Zheng
- School of Nursing and Health Management, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Lidian Chen
- College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jian Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
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