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Zhang J, Chen D, Srirangarajan T, Theriault J, Kragel PA, Hartley L, Lee KM, McVeigh K, Wager TD, Wald LL, Satpute AB, Quigley KS, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Barrett LF, Bianciardi M. Cortical and subcortical mapping of the allostatic-interoceptive system in the human brain: replication and extension with 7 Tesla fMRI. bioRxiv 2023:2023.07.20.548178. [PMID: 37546889 PMCID: PMC10401932 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.20.548178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The brain continuously anticipates the energetic needs of the body and prepares to meet those needs before they arise, a process called allostasis. In support of allostasis, the brain continually models the internal state of the body, a process called interoception. Using published tract-tracing studies in non-human animals as a guide, we previously identified a large-scale system supporting allostasis and interoception in the human brain with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3 Tesla. In the present study, we replicated and extended this system in humans using 7 Tesla fMRI (N = 91), improving the precision of subgenual and pregenual anterior cingulate topography as well as brainstem nuclei mapping. We verified over 90% of the anatomical connections in the hypothesized allostatic-interoceptive system observed in non-human animal research. We also identified functional connectivity hubs verified in tract-tracing studies but not previously detected using 3 Tesla fMRI. Finally, we demonstrated that individuals with stronger fMRI connectivity between system hubs self-reported greater interoceptive awareness, building on construct validity evidence from our earlier paper. Taken together, these results strengthen evidence for the existence of a whole-brain system supporting interoception in the service of allostasis and we consider the implications for mental and physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahe Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Danlei Chen
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - Jordan Theriault
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139
| | | | - Ludger Hartley
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kent M. Lee
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kieran McVeigh
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Tor D. Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
| | - Lawrence L. Wald
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139
| | - Ajay B. Satpute
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Karen S. Quigley
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
| | | | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139
| | - Marta Bianciardi
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA
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Lloyd CS, Nicholson AA, Densmore M, Théberge J, Neufeld RWJ, Jetly R, McKinnon MC, Lanius RA. Shame on the brain: Neural correlates of moral injury event recall in posttraumatic stress disorder. Depress Anxiety 2021; 38:596-605. [PMID: 33369799 DOI: 10.1002/da.23128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Moral injury (MI) is consistently associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidality. METHODS We investigated neural activation patterns associated with MI event recall using functional magnetic resonance imaging in participants with military and public safety-related PTSD, relative to civilian MI-exposed controls. RESULTS MI recall in the PTSD as compared to control group was associated with increased neural activation among salience network nodes involved in viscerosensory processing and hyperarousal (right posterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; dACC), regions involved in defensive responding (left postcentral gyrus), and areas responsible for top-down cognitive control of emotions (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; dlPFC). Within the PTSD group, measures of state and trait shame correlated negatively with activity among default mode network regions associated with self-related processing and moral cognition (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; dmPFC) and salience network regions associated with viscerosensory processing (left posterior insula), respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that MI event processing is altered in military and public safety-related PTSD, relative to MI-exposed controls. Here, it appears probable that as individuals with PTSD recall their MI event, they experience a surge of blame-related processing of bodily sensations within salience network regions, including the right posterior insula and the dACC, which in turn, prompt regulatory strategies at the level of the left dlPFC aimed at increasing cognitive control and inhibiting emotional affect. These results are consistent with previous findings showing enhanced sensory processing and altered top-down control in PTSD samples during autobiographical memory recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle S Lloyd
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew A Nicholson
- Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria Densmore
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Imaging Division, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean Théberge
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Imaging Division, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Richard W J Neufeld
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rakesh Jetly
- Canadian Forces, Health Services, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margaret C McKinnon
- Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Homewood Health, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.,Imaging Division, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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Petrovich GD. The Function of Paraventricular Thalamic Circuitry in Adaptive Control of Feeding Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:671096. [PMID: 33986649 PMCID: PMC8110711 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.671096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is a complex area that is uniquely embedded across the core feeding, reward, arousal, and stress circuits. The PVT role in the control of feeding behavior is discussed here within a framework of adaptive behavioral guidance based on the body’s energy state and competing drives. The survival of an organism depends on bodily energy resources and promotion of feeding over other behaviors is adaptive except when in danger or sated. The PVT is structurally set up to respond to homeostatic and hedonic needs to feed, and to integrate those signals with physiological and environmental stress, as well as anticipatory needs and other cognitive inputs. It can regulate both food foraging (seeking) and consumption and may balance their expression. The PVT is proposed to accomplish these functions through a network of connections with the brainstem, hypothalamic, striatal, and cortical areas. The connectivity of the PVT further indicates that it could broadcast the information about energy use/gain and behavioral choice to impact cognitive processes—learning, memory, and decision-making—through connections with the medial and lateral prefrontal cortical areas, the hippocampal formation, and the amygdala. The PVT is structurally complex and recent evidence for specific PVT pathways in different aspects of feeding behavior will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States
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Kupari J, Häring M, Agirre E, Castelo-Branco G, Ernfors P. An Atlas of Vagal Sensory Neurons and Their Molecular Specialization. Cell Rep 2020; 27:2508-2523.e4. [PMID: 31116992 PMCID: PMC6533201 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory functions of the vagus nerve are critical for conscious perceptions and for monitoring visceral functions in the cardio-pulmonary and gastrointestinal systems. Here, we present a comprehensive identification, classification, and validation of the neuron types in the neural crest (jugular) and placode (nodose) derived vagal ganglia by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) transcriptomic analysis. Our results reveal major differences between neurons derived from different embryonic origins. Jugular neurons exhibit fundamental similarities to the somatosensory spinal neurons, including major types, such as C-low threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs), A-LTMRs, Aδ-nociceptors, and cold-, and mechano-heat C-nociceptors. In contrast, the nodose ganglion contains 18 distinct types dedicated to surveying the physiological state of the internal body. Our results reveal a vast diversity of vagal neuron types, including many previously unanticipated types, as well as proposed types that are consistent with chemoreceptors, nutrient detectors, baroreceptors, and stretch and volume mechanoreceptors of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems. A comprehensive molecular identification of neuronal types in vagal ganglion complex Prdm12+ jugular ganglion neurons share features with spinal somatosensory neurons Phox2b+ viscerosensory nodose neurons are molecularly versatile and highly specialized Nodose neuron types are consistent with chemo-, baro-, stretch-, tension-, and volume-sensors
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Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Kupari
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Häring
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eneritz Agirre
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gonçalo Castelo-Branco
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Stockholm node, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik Ernfors
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Thek KR, Ong SJM, Carter DC, Bassi JK, Allen AM, McDougall SJ. Extensive Inhibitory Gating of Viscerosensory Signals by a Sparse Network of Somatostatin Neurons. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8038-50. [PMID: 31471471 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3036-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Integration and modulation of primary afferent sensory information begins at the first terminating sites within the CNS, where central inhibitory circuits play an integral role. Viscerosensory information is conveyed to the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) where it initiates neuroendocrine, behavioral, and autonomic reflex responses that ensure optimal internal organ function. This excitatory input is modulated by diverse, local inhibitory interneurons, whose functions are not clearly understood. Here we show that, in male rats, 65% of somatostatin-expressing (SST) NTS neurons also express GAD67, supporting their likely role as inhibitory interneurons. Using whole-cell recordings of NTS neurons, from horizontal brainstem slices of male and female SST-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and SST-channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2)-YFP mice, we quantified the impact of SST-NTS neurons on viscerosensory processing. Light-evoked excitatory photocurrents were reliably obtained from SST-ChR2-YFP neurons (n = 16) and the stimulation-response characteristics determined. Most SST neurons (57%) received direct input from solitary tract (ST) afferents, indicating that they form part of a feedforward circuit. All recorded SST-negative NTS neurons (n = 72) received SST-ChR2 input. ChR2-evoked PSCs were largely inhibitory and, in contrast to previous reports, were mediated by both GABA and glycine. When timed to coincide, the ChR2-activated SST input suppressed ST-evoked action potentials at second-order NTS neurons, demonstrating strong modulation of primary viscerosensory input. These data indicate that the SST inhibitory network innervates broadly within the NTS, with the potential to gate viscerosensory input to powerfully alter autonomic reflex function and other behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory afferent input is modulated according to state. For example the baroreflex is altered during a stress response or exercise, but the basic mechanisms underpinning this sensory modulation are not fully understood in any sensory system. Here we demonstrate that the neuronal processing of viscerosensory information begins with synaptic gating at the first central synapse with second-order neurons in the NTS. These data reveal that the somatostatin subclass of inhibitory interneurons are driven by visceral sensory input to play a major role in gating viscerosensory signals, placing them within a feedforward circuit within the NTS.
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Reynolds CA, O'Leary DS, Ly C, Smith SA, Minic Z. Development of a decerebrate model for investigating mechanisms mediating viscero-sympathetic reflexes in the spinalized rat. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2019; 316:H1332-H1340. [PMID: 30875256 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00724.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) often occurs in individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) and is characterized by uncontrolled hypertension in response to otherwise innocuous stimuli originating below the level of the spinal lesion. Visceral stimulation is a predominant cause of AD in humans and effectively replicates the phenotype in rodent models of SCI. Direct assessment of sympathetic responses to viscerosensory stimulation in spinalized animals is challenging and requires invasive surgical procedures necessitating the use of anesthesia. However, administration of anesthesia markedly affects viscerosensory reactivity, and the effects are exacerbated following spinal cord injury (SCI). Therefore, the major goal of the present study was to develop a decerebrate rodent preparation to facilitate quantification of sympathetic responses to visceral stimulation in the spinalized rat. Such a preparation enables the confounding effect of anesthesia to be eliminated. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to SCI at the fourth thoracic segment. Four weeks later, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) responses to visceral stimuli were quantified in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized and decerebrate preparations. Visceral stimulation was elicited via colorectal distension (CRD) for 1 min. In the decerebrate preparation, CRD produced dose-dependent increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and RSNA and dose-dependent decreases in heart rate (HR). These responses were significantly greater in magnitude among decerebrate animals when compared with urethane/chloralose-anesthetized controls and were markedly attenuated by the administration of urethane/chloralose anesthesia after decerebration. We conclude that the decerebrate preparation enables high-fidelity quantification of neuronal reactivity to visceral stimulation in spinalized rats. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In animal models commonly used to study spinal cord injury, quantification of sympathetic responses is particularly challenging due to the increased susceptibility of spinal reflex circuits to the anesthetic agents generally required for experimentation. This constitutes a major limitation to understanding the mechanisms mediating regionally specific neuronal responses to visceral activation in chronically spinalized animals. In the present study, we describe a spinalized, decerebrate rodent preparation that facilitates quantification of sympathetic reactivity in response to visceral stimuli following spinal cord injury. This preparation enables reliable and reproducible quantification of viscero-sympathetic reflex responses resembling those elicited in conscious animals and may provide added utility for preclinical evaluation of neuropharmacological agents for the management of autonomic dysreflexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian A Reynolds
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan
| | - Donal S O'Leary
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan.,Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan
| | - Cheng Ly
- Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research, Virginia Commonwealth University , Richmond, Virginia
| | - Scott A Smith
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas.,Department of Health Care Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas, Texas
| | - Zeljka Minic
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit, Michigan
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Abstract
Fundamental structure and dynamics of spontaneous neuronal activities without apparent peripheral inputs were analyzed in the vagal complex (VC), whose activities had been generally thought to be produced almost passively to peripheral cues. The analysis included the caudal nucleus of the tractus solitarius—a main gateway for viscerosensory peripheral afferents and involved dynamically and critically in cardiorespiratory brainstem networks. In the present study, a possibility of self-organized brain activity was addressed in the VC. While VC neurons exhibited sparse firing in anesthetized rats and in in vitro preparations, we identified peculiar features of the emergent electrical population activity: (1) Spontaneous neuronal activity, in most cases, comprised both respiration and cardiac cycle components. (2) Population potentials of polyphasic high amplitudes reaching several millivolts emerged in synchrony with the inspiratory phase of respiratory cycles and exhibited several other characteristic temporal dynamics. (3) The spatiotemporal dynamics of local field potentials (LFPs), recorded simultaneously over multiple sites, were characterized by a stochastic emergence of high-amplitude synchrony. By adjusting amplitude and frequency (phase) over both space and time, the traveling synchrony exhibited varied degrees of coherence and power with a fluctuating balance between mutual oscillators of respiratory and cardiac frequency ranges. Full-fledged large-scale oscillatory synchrony over a wide region of the VC emerged after achieving a maximal stable balance between the two oscillators. Distinct somatic (respiratory; ~1 Hz) and visceral (autonomic; ~5 Hz) oscillators seemed to exist and communicate co-operatively in the brainstem network. Fluctuating oscillatory coupling may reflect varied degrees of synchrony influenced by the varied amplitude and frequency of neuronal activity in the VC. Intranuclear micro-, intrabulbar meso-, and wide-ranging macro-circuits involving the VC are likely to form nested networks and strategically interact to maintain a malleable whole-body homeostasis. These two brainstem oscillators could orchestrate neuronal activities of the VC, and other neuronal groups, through a phase-phase coupling mechanism to perform specific physiological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinori Kawai
- Department of Anatomy, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Center for Neuroscience of Pain, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Ek M, Kurosawa M, Lundeberg T, Ericsson A. Activation of vagal afferents after intravenous injection of interleukin-1beta: role of endogenous prostaglandins. J Neurosci 1998; 18:9471-9. [PMID: 9801384 PMCID: PMC6792875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Intravenous administration of interleukin-1 (IL-1) activates central autonomic neuronal circuitries originating in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). The mechanism(s) by which blood-borne IL-1 regulates brain functions, whether by operating across the blood-brain barrier and/or by activating peripheral sensory afferents, remains to be characterized. It has been proposed that vagal afferents originating in the periphery may monitor circulating IL-1 levels, because neurons within the NTS are primary recipients of sensory information from the vagus nerve and also exhibit exquisite sensitivity to blood-borne IL-1. In this study, we present evidence that viscerosensory afferents of the vagus nerve respond to intravenously administered IL-1beta. Specific labeling for mRNAs encoding the type 1 IL-1 receptor and the EP3 subtype of the prostaglandin E2 receptor was detected in situ over neuronal cell bodies in the rat nodose ganglion. Moreover, intravenously applied IL-1 increased the number of sensory neurons in the nodose ganglion that express the cellular activation marker c-Fos, which was matched by an increase in discharge activity of vagal afferents arising from gastric compartments. This response to IL-1 administration was attenuated in animals pretreated with the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, suggesting partial mediation by prostaglandins. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that somata and/or fibers of sensory neurons of the vagus nerve express receptors to IL-1 and prostaglandin E2 and that circulating IL-1 stimulates vagal sensory activity via both prostaglandin-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ek
- Department of Medicine, Unit of Rheumatology, The Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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