Neuroanatomical differences in Latinx children from rural farmworker families and urban non-farmworker families and related associations with pesticide exposure

Exposure to pesticides in humans may lead to changes in brain structure and function and increase the likelihood of experiencing neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite the potential risks, there is limited neuroimaging research on the effects of pesticide exposure on children, particularly during the critical period of brain development. Here we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) from magnetic resonance images (MRI) to investigate neuroanatomical differences between Latinx children (n = 71) from rural, farmworker families (FW; n = 48) and urban, non-farmworker families (NFW; n = 23). Data presented here serves as a baseline for our ongoing study examining the longitudinal effects of living in a rural environment on neurodevelopment and cognition in children. The VBM analysis revealed that NFW children had higher volume in several distinct regions of white matter compared to FW children. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) of DTI data also indicated NFW children had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in several key white matter tracts. Although the difference was not as pronounced as white matter, the VBM analysis also found higher gray matter volume in selected regions of the frontal lobe in NFW children. Notably, white matter and gray matter findings demonstrated a high degree of overlap in the medial frontal lobe, a brain region predominantly linked to decision-making, error processing, and attention functions. To gain further insights into the underlying causes of the observed differences in brain structure between the two groups, we examined the association of organochlorine (OC) and organophosphate (OP) exposure collected from passive dosimeter wristbands with brain structure. Based on our previous findings within this data set, demonstrating higher OC exposure in children from non-farmworker families, we hypothesized OC might play a critical role in structural differences between NFW and FW children. We discovered a significant positive correlation between the number of types of OC exposure and the structure of white matter. The regions with significant association with OC exposure were in agreement with the findings from the FW-NFW groups comparison analysis. In contrast, OPs did not have a statistically significant association with brain structure. This study is among the first multimodal neuroimaging studies examining the brain structure of children exposed to agricultural pesticides, specifically OC. These findings suggest OC pesticide exposure may disrupt normal brain development in children, highlighting the need for further neuroimaging studies within this vulnerable population.

Transcriptional profiles in olfactory pathway-associated brain regions of African green monkeys: Associations with age and Alzheimer's disease neuropathology

Introduction

Olfactory impairment in older individuals is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Characterization of age versus neuropathology‐associated changes in the brain olfactory pathway may elucidate processes underlying early AD pathogenesis. Here, we report age versus AD neuropathology–associated differential transcription in four brain regions in the olfactory pathway of 10 female African green monkeys (vervet, Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus), a well‐described model of early AD‐like neuropathology.

Methods

Transcriptional profiles were determined by microarray in the olfactory bulb (OB), piriform cortex (PC), temporal lobe white matter (WM), and inferior temporal cortex (ITC). Amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque load in parietal and temporal cortex was determined by immunohistochemistry, and concentrations of Aβ42, Aβ40, and norepinephrine in ITC were determined by enzyme‐linked immuosorbent assay (ELISA). Transcriptional profiles were compared between middle‐aged and old animals, and associations with AD‐relevant neuropathological measures were determined.

Results

Transcriptional profiles varied by brain region and age group. Expression levels of TRO and RNU4‐1 were significantly lower in all four regions in the older group. An additional 29 genes were differentially expressed by age in three of four regions. Analyses of a combined expression data set of all four regions identified 77 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by age group. Among these DEGs, older subjects had elevated levels of CTSB, EBAG9, LAMTOR3, and MRPL17, and lower levels of COMMD10 and TYW1B. A subset of these DEGs was associated with neuropathology biomarkers. Notably, CTSB was positively correlated with Aβ plaque counts, Aβ42:Aβ40 ratios, and norepinephrine levels in all brain regions.

Discussion

These data demonstrate age differences in gene expression in olfaction‐associated brain regions. Biological processes exhibiting age‐related enrichment included the regulation of cell death, vascular function, mitochondrial function, and proteostasis. A subset of DEGs was specifically associated with AD phenotypes. These may represent promising targets for future mechanistic investigations and perhaps therapeutic intervention.

Comparing impact of pesticide exposure on cognitive abilities of Latinx children from rural farmworker and urban non-farmworker families in North Carolina

Pesticide exposure remains a health hazard despite extensive study into adverse effects. Children in vulnerable populations, such as Latinx children in farmworker families, are particularly at risk for exposure. Several studies have demonstrated the detrimental cognitive effects of prenatal exposure to pesticides, particularly organophosphates (OPs) within this high-risk group. However, results from studies investigating the cognitive effects of early childhood pesticide exposure are equivocal. Most studies examining the effects of pesticide exposure have used correlative analyses rather than examining populations with expected high and low exposure. The current study compares 8-year-old children from rural families of farmworkers and urban, non-farmworker families. We used the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth Edition (WISC-V) to assess cognitive performance in these children. We designed this study with the expectation that children from farmworker families would have greater exposure to agricultural pesticides than urban, non-farmworker children. This assumption of exposure to agricultural pesticides was confirmed in a recent report that assessed exposure probabilities using life history calendars. However, data from passive wristband sampling of acute (1-week) pesticide exposure from these same children indicate that both study populations have considerable pesticide exposure but to different chemicals. As expected the children of farmworkers had greater OP exposure than non-farmworker children, but the non-farmworker children had greater exposure to two other classes of insecticides (organochlorines [OCs] and pyrethroids). Our analyses considered these findings. A comparison of the cognitive scores between groups revealed that children from farmworker families had slightly higher performance on the Visual-Spatial Index (VSI) and Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) when compared to children from non-farmworker families. Regression analyses where pesticide exposure was included as covariates revealed that OC exposure accounted for the largest portion of the group differences for both VSI and VCI. However, a post-hoc moderation analysis did not find significant interactions. The main study outcome was that the non-farmworker children exhibited lower WISC-V scores than the children from farmworker families, and the analyses incorporating pesticide exposure measures raise the hypothesis the that pervasive and persistent nature of a variety of pesticides may have adverse effects on the neurodevelopment of young Latinx children whether living in rural or non-farmworker environments.

Increased Small-World Network Topology Following Deployment-Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury Associated with the Development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in active duty and veteran cohorts have both demonstrated that deployment-acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an independent risk factor for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), beyond confounds such as combat exposure, physical injury, predeployment TBI, and pre-deployment psychiatric symptoms. This study investigated how resting-state brain networks differ between individuals who developed PTSD and those who did not following deployment-acquired TBI. Participants included postdeployment veterans with deployment-acquired TBI history both with and without current PTSD diagnosis. Graph metrics, including small-worldness, clustering coefficient, and modularity, were calculated from individually constructed whole-brain networks based on 5-min eyes-open resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. Analyses were adjusted for age and premorbid IQ. Results demonstrated that participants with current PTSD displayed higher levels of small-worldness, F(1,12) = 5.364, p < 0.039, partial eta squared = 0.309, and Cohen's d = 0.972, and clustering coefficient, F(1, 12) = 12.204, p < 0.004, partial eta squared = 0.504, and Cohen's d = 0.905, than participants without current PTSD. There were no between-group differences in modularity or the number of modules present. These findings are consistent with a hyperconnectivity hypothesis of the effect of TBI history on functional networks rather than a disconnection hypothesis, demonstrating increased levels of clustering coefficient rather than a decrease as might be expected; however, these results do not account for potential changes in brain structure. These results demonstrate the potential pathological sequelae of changes in functional brain networks following deployment-acquired TBI and represent potential neurobiological changes associated with deployment-acquired TBI that may increase the risk of subsequently developing PTSD.

Expression of channelrhodopsin-2 localized within the deep CA1 hippocampal sublayer in the Thy1 line 18 mouse

Optogenetic proteins are powerful tools for advancing our understanding of neural circuitry. However, the precision of optogenetics is dependent in part on the extent to which expression is limited to cells of interest. The Thy1-ChR2 transgenic mouse is commonly used in optogenetic experiments. Although general expression patterns in these animals have been characterized, a detailed evaluation of cell-type specificity is lacking. This information is critical for interpretation of experimental results using these animals. We characterized ChR2 expression under the Thy1promoter in line 18 in comparison to known expression profiles of hippocampal cell types using immunohistochemistry in CA1. ChR2 expression did not colocalize with parvalbumin or calbindin expressing interneurons. However, we found ChR2 expression to be localized in the deep sublayer of CA1 in calbindin-negative pyramidal cells. These findings demonstrate the utility of the Thy1-ChR2-YFP mouse to study the activity and functional role of excitatory neurons located in the deep CA1 pyramidal cell layer.

Benzo-α-pyrene induced oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans and the potential involvements of microRNA

In the present study oxidative stress induced by Benzo-α-pyrene (BaP) exposure and the potential involvements of microRNA were investigated. The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was applied as model organism. The C. elegans at L1-stage were randomly divided into 4 groups and exposed to 0, 0.2, 2.0, and 20μM BaP for 30h. Expressions of SKiNhead-1 (SKN-1), gamma-glutamine cysteine synthase heavy chain (GCS-1), and their potential regulatory factors in insulin/IGF-1/FOXO signaling pathway and the p38 MAPK pathway were analyzed. The expressions of potentially involved microRNAs were investigated as well. Results demonstrated that expressions of SKN-1 and GCS-1 were altered significantly following BaP exposure (P<0.05). Meanwhile, expressions of multiple related factors were changed after BaP treatments. The altered factors include AKT-1, DAF-16, glutathione synthetase (GSS-1), glutathione S-transferase-24 (GST-24), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-4 (MKK-4), multidrug resistance-associated protein-1 (MRP-1), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-2 (PDHK-2) (P<0.05). In addition, results showed that exposure to BaP led to altered expressions of microRNA. Out of the 28 tested microRNAs, expressions of miR-1, miR-355, miR-50, miR-51, miR-58, miR-796, miR-797, and miR-84 were modified. Findings of the present study include that BaP exposure caused oxidative stress in C. elegans. The expressional response of GCS-1 to BaP exposure might be independent of the regulation of SKN-1 in C. elegans. The microRNAs might be involved in the regulations of SKN-1 and GCS-1 expression following BaP exposure in C. elegans.

Evaluation and identification of reliable reference genes for toxicological study in Caenorhabditis elegans

To identify reliable reference genes for toxicological studies, 16 commonly-used reference genes were selected as candidates to evaluate their expression stabilities under experimental conditions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sixteen candidates were composed of 12 protein-coding genes and 4 non-coding RNAs, they were act-2, ama-1, arp-6, cdc-42, csq-1, eif-3.C, idhg-1, mdh, pmp-3, rbd-1, tba-1, Y45F10D.4, 18S rRNA, Ce234, U18, and U6. Larval stage 1 synchronized hermaphrodites were exposed to benzo-α-pyrene (BαP), chlorpyrifos, diazinon, gossypol, zinc oxide nanoparticles, and the vehicle control DMSO for 30 h, respectively. Expression stabilities of candidate genes were analyzed using 4 independent evaluating approaches (BestKeeper, the delta Ct approach, geNorm, and NormFinder) followed by a comprehensive method. Results showed that there were slight differences in ranking order between evaluation methods due to their different assumptions and computations. The results also showed that responses of candidate genes to different chemicals were distinct, 18S rRNA was the best for BαP and chlorpyrifos, tba-1 was the most stable gene for diazinon and gossypol treatments, while pmp-3 was more stable for zinc oxide exposure. Additionally, results demonstrated that combinations of multiple genes were more reliable than individual gene, suggesting selecting two or more candidates as reference genes may generate more reliable results for toxicological studies.