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Molinaro G, Bowles JE, Croom K, Gonzalez D, Mirjafary S, Birnbaum SG, Razak KA, Gibson JR, Huber KM. Female-specific dysfunction of sensory neocortical circuits in a mouse model of autism mediated by mGluR5 and estrogen receptor α. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114056. [PMID: 38581678 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114056] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Little is known of the brain mechanisms that mediate sex-specific autism symptoms. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-risk gene, Pten, in neocortical pyramidal neurons (NSEPten knockout [KO]) results in robust cortical circuit hyperexcitability selectively in female mice observed as prolonged spontaneous persistent activity states. Circuit hyperexcitability in females is mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and estrogen receptor α (ERα) signaling to mitogen-activated protein kinases (Erk1/2) and de novo protein synthesis. Pten KO layer 5 neurons have a female-specific increase in mGluR5 and mGluR5-dependent protein synthesis. Furthermore, mGluR5-ERα complexes are generally elevated in female cortices, and genetic reduction of ERα rescues enhanced circuit excitability, protein synthesis, and neuron size selectively in NSEPten KO females. Female NSEPten KO mice display deficits in sensory processing and social behaviors as well as mGluR5-dependent seizures. These results reveal mechanisms by which sex and a high-confidence ASD-risk gene interact to affect brain function and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Molinaro
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jacob E Bowles
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Katilynne Croom
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Darya Gonzalez
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Saba Mirjafary
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shari G Birnbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Khaleel A Razak
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jay R Gibson
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Kimberly M Huber
- Department of Neuroscience, O'Donnell Brain Institute, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Gao J, Xu Y, Li Y, Lu F, Wang Z. Comprehensive exploration of multi-modal and multi-branch imaging markers for autism diagnosis and interpretation: insights from an advanced deep learning model. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad521. [PMID: 38220572 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad521] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with diverse genetic and brain involvement. Despite magnetic resonance imaging advances, autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and understanding its neurogenetic factors remain challenging. We propose a dual-branch graph neural network that effectively extracts and fuses features from bimodalities, achieving 73.9% diagnostic accuracy. To explain the mechanism distinguishing autism spectrum disorder from healthy controls, we establish a perturbation model for brain imaging markers and perform a neuro-transcriptomic joint analysis using partial least squares regression and enrichment to identify potential genetic biomarkers. The perturbation model identifies brain imaging markers related to structural magnetic resonance imaging in the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, while functional magnetic resonance imaging markers primarily reside in the frontal, temporal, occipital lobes, and cerebellum. The neuro-transcriptomic joint analysis highlights genes associated with biological processes, such as "presynapse," "behavior," and "modulation of chemical synaptic transmission" in autism spectrum disorder's brain development. Different magnetic resonance imaging modalities offer complementary information for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Our dual-branch graph neural network achieves high accuracy and identifies abnormal brain regions and the neuro-transcriptomic analysis uncovers important genetic biomarkers. Overall, our study presents an effective approach for assisting in autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and identifying genetic biomarkers, showing potential for enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Gao
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Yuhang Xu
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Yanling Li
- School of Electrical Engineering and Electronic Information, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, China
| | - Fengmei Lu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Zhengning Wang
- School of Information and Communication Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
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Erdogan MA, Turk M, Doganay GD, Sever IH, Ozkul B, Sogut I, Eroglu E, Uyanikgil Y, Erbas O. Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Exposure Induces Autism-Like Neurobehavioral Changes in Male Neonatal Rats. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2023; 18:573-591. [PMID: 37889404 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-023-10089-4] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent research on placental, embryo, and brain organoids suggests that the COVID-19 virus may potentially affect embryonic organs, including the brain. Given the established link between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and neuroinflammation, we sought to investigate the effects of exposure to this protein during pregnancy. We divided pregnant rats into three groups: Group 1 received a 1 ml/kg saline solution, Group 2 received 150 μg/kg adjuvant aluminum hydroxide (AAH), and Group 3 received 40 μg/kg spike protein + 150 μg/kg AAH at 10 and 14 days of gestation. On postnatal day 21 (P21), we randomly separated 60 littermates (10 male-female) into control, AAH-exposed, and spike protein-exposed groups. At P50, we conducted behavioral analyses on these mature animals and performed MR spectroscopy. Subsequently, all animals were sacrificed, and their brains were subject to biochemical and histological analysis. Our findings indicate that male rats exposed to the spike protein displayed a higher rate of impaired performance on behavioral studies, including the three-chamber social test, passive avoidance learning analysis, open field test, rotarod test, and novelty-induced cultivation behavior, indicative of autistic symptoms. Exposure to the spike protein (male) induced gliosis and neuronal cell death in the CA1-CA3 regions of the hippocampus and cerebellum. The spike protein-exposed male rats exhibited significantly greater levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-17 (IL-17), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and lactate and lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) than the control group. Our study suggests a potential association between prenatal exposure to COVID-19 spike protein and neurodevelopmental problems, such as ASD. These findings highlight the importance of further research into the potential effects of the COVID-19 virus on embryonic and fetal development and the potential long-term consequences for neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mumin Alper Erdogan
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Izmir Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Miray Turk
- Graduate School, Department of Molecular Biology-Genetics and Biotechnology, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gizem Dinler Doganay
- Graduate School, Department of Molecular Biology-Genetics and Biotechnology, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
- Faculty of Science and Letters, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Halil Sever
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Demiroğlu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bahattin Ozkul
- School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ibrahim Sogut
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Demiroğlu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ebru Eroglu
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yigit Uyanikgil
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Oytun Erbas
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Demiroğlu Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey
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Wang Z, Qiao D, Chen H, Zhang S, Zhang B, Zhang J, Hu X, Wang C, Cui H, Wang X, Li S. Effects of Fmr1 Gene Mutations on Sex Differences in Autism-Like Behavior and Dendritic Spine Development in Mice and Transcriptomic Studies. Neuroscience 2023; 534:16-28. [PMID: 37852411 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.10.001] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common single gene disorder contributing to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although significant sex differences are observed in FXS, few studies have focused on the phenotypic characteristics as well as the differences in brain pathological changes and gene expression in FXS by sex. Therefore, we analyzed sex differences in autism-like behavior and dendritic spine development in two-month-old male and female Fmr1 KO and C57 mice and evaluated the mechanisms at transcriptome level. Results suggest that Fmr1 KO mice display sex differences in autism-like behavior and dendritic spine density. Compared to females, male had more severe effects on anxiety, repetitive stereotype-like behaviors, and socializing, with higher dendritic spine density. Furthermore, two male-biased and five female-biased expressed genes were screened based on KEGG pathway enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses. In conclusion, our findings show mutations in the Fmr1 gene lead to aberrant expression of related genes and affect the sex-differentiated behavioral phenotypes of Fmr1 KO mice by affecting brain development and functional architecture, and suggest future studies should focus on including female subjects to comprehensively reflect the differentiation of FXS in both sexes and develop more precise and effective therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Wang
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Dan Qiao
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Huan Chen
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Neuroscience Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shihua Zhang
- Grade 2018, Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bohan Zhang
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jingbao Zhang
- Grade 2020, Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiangting Hu
- Grade 2020, Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Chang Wang
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Neuroscience Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Huixian Cui
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Neuroscience Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xia Wang
- Child Health (Psychological Behavior) Department, Children's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China.
| | - Sha Li
- Department of Anatomy, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Neuroscience Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Disease Mechanism, Shijiazhuang, China; The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
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Li C, Fleck JS, Martins-Costa C, Burkard TR, Themann J, Stuempflen M, Peer AM, Vertesy Á, Littleboy JB, Esk C, Elling U, Kasprian G, Corsini NS, Treutlein B, Knoblich JA. Single-cell brain organoid screening identifies developmental defects in autism. Nature 2023; 621:373-380. [PMID: 37704762 PMCID: PMC10499611 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06473-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
The development of the human brain involves unique processes (not observed in many other species) that can contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders1-4. Cerebral organoids enable the study of neurodevelopmental disorders in a human context. We have developed the CRISPR-human organoids-single-cell RNA sequencing (CHOOSE) system, which uses verified pairs of guide RNAs, inducible CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic disruption and single-cell transcriptomics for pooled loss-of-function screening in mosaic organoids. Here we show that perturbation of 36 high-risk autism spectrum disorder genes related to transcriptional regulation uncovers their effects on cell fate determination. We find that dorsal intermediate progenitors, ventral progenitors and upper-layer excitatory neurons are among the most vulnerable cell types. We construct a developmental gene regulatory network of cerebral organoids from single-cell transcriptomes and chromatin modalities and identify autism spectrum disorder-associated and perturbation-enriched regulatory modules. Perturbing members of the BRG1/BRM-associated factor (BAF) chromatin remodelling complex leads to enrichment of ventral telencephalon progenitors. Specifically, mutating the BAF subunit ARID1B affects the fate transition of progenitors to oligodendrocyte and interneuron precursor cells, a phenotype that we confirmed in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids. Our study paves the way for high-throughput phenotypic characterization of disease susceptibility genes in organoid models with cell state, molecular pathway and gene regulatory network readouts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Li
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria.
| | - Jonas Simon Fleck
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Catarina Martins-Costa
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas R Burkard
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Themann
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlene Stuempflen
- Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Angela Maria Peer
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Ábel Vertesy
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Jamie B Littleboy
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Esk
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ulrich Elling
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nina S Corsini
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Treutlein
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Juergen A Knoblich
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science (IMBA), Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Taheri F, Esmaeilpour K, Sepehri G, Sheibani V, Shekari MA. Amelioration of cognition impairments in the valproic acid-induced animal model of autism by ciproxifan, a histamine H3-receptor antagonist. Behav Pharmacol 2023; 34:179-196. [PMID: 37171458 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behavior. Many studies show that the number of cognitive impairmentscan be reduced by antagonists of the histamine H3 receptor (H3R). In this study, the effects of ciproxifan (CPX) (1 and 3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) on cognitive impairments in rat pups exposed to valproic acid (VPA) (600 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) wereexamined on postnatal day 48-50 (PND 48-50) using marble-burying task (MBT), open field, novel object recognition (NOR), and Passive avoidance tasks. Famotidine (FAM) (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was also used to determine whether histaminergic neurotransmission exerts its procognitive effects via H2 receptors (H2Rs). Furthermore, a histological investigation was conducted to assess the degree of degeneration of hippocampal neurons. The results revealed that repetitive behaviors increased in VPA-exposed rat offspring in the MBT. In addition, VPA-exposed rat offspring exhibited more anxiety-like behaviors in the open field than saline-treated rats. It was found that VPA-exposed rat offspring showed memory deficits in NOR and Passive avoidance tasks. Our results indicated that 3 mg/kg CPX improved cognitive impairments induced by VPA, while 20 mg/kg FAM attenuated them. We concluded that 3 mg/kg CPX improved VPA-induced cognitive impairments through H3Rs. The histological assessment showed that the number of CA1 neurons decreased in the VPA-exposed rat offspring compared to the saline-exposed rat offspring, but this decrease was not significant. The histological assessment also revealed no significant differences in CA1 neurons in VPA-exposed rat offspring compared to saline-exposed rat offspring. However, CPX3 increased the number of CA1 neurons in the VPA + CPX3 group compared to the VPA + Saline group, but this increase was not significant. This study showed that rats prenatally exposed to VPA exhibit cognitive impairments in the MBT, open field, NOR, and Passive avoidance tests, which are ameliorated by CPX treatment on PND 48-50. In addition, morphological investigations showed that VPA treatment did not lead to neuronal degeneration in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus in rat pups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farahnaz Taheri
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Esmaeilpour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
- Physics and Astronomy Department, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gholamreza Sepehri
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Majid Asadi Shekari
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Muller K. Exploring the Clinical Feasibility of Alternative Word-Understanding Measures for Autistic Children With Minimal Spoken Language. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2023; 32:1322-1335. [PMID: 37059076 DOI: 10.1044/2023_ajslp-22-00267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The primary aim of this study was to explore the clinical feasibility of using alternate word-understanding assessment modalities for autistic children who have minimal verbal skills. Specifically, assessment duration, occurrence of disruptive behavior, and no-response trials were examined across three word-understanding assessment conditions: a low-tech condition, a touchscreen condition, and a condition that used real-object stimuli. A secondary aim was to examine the relationship between disruptive behavior and assessment outcomes. METHOD Twenty-seven autistic children between the ages of 3 and 12 years who had minimal verbal skills completed 12 test items on the three assessment conditions. Repeated-measures analyses of variance with post hoc Bonferroni procedures were used to describe and compare assessment duration, occurrence of disruptive behavior, and no-response trials across conditions. A Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between disruptive behavior and assessment outcomes. RESULTS The real-object assessment condition took significantly longer than the low-tech and touchscreen conditions. Participants engaged in disruptive behavior most frequently during the low-tech condition; however, differences among conditions were not significant. There were significantly more no-response trials in the low-tech condition than in the touchscreen condition. There was a significant, weak negative correlation between disruptive behavior and experimental assessment outcomes. CONCLUSION Results show there is promise in using real objects and touchscreen devices to assess word understanding in autistic children who have minimal verbal skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Muller
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Baylor University, Waco, TX
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Uddin MN, Mondal T, Yao Y, Manley K, Lawrence DA. Oxidative stress and neuroimmune proteins in a mouse model of autism. Cell Stress Chaperones 2023; 28:201-217. [PMID: 36795226 PMCID: PMC10050529 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-023-01331-2] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress including decreased antioxidant enzyme activities, elevated lipid peroxidation, and accumulation of advanced glycation end products in the blood from children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been reported. The mechanisms affecting the development of ASD remain unclear; however, toxic environmental exposures leading to oxidative stress have been proposed to play a significant role. The BTBRT+Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) strain provides a model to investigate the markers of oxidation in a mouse strain exhibiting ASD-like behavioral phenotypes. In the present study, we investigated the level of oxidative stress and its effects on immune cell populations, specifically oxidative stress affecting surface thiols (R-SH), intracellular glutathione (iGSH), and expression of brain biomarkers that may contribute to the development of the ASD-like phenotypes that have been observed and reported in BTBR mice. Lower levels of cell surface R-SH were detected on multiple immune cell subpopulations from blood, spleens, and lymph nodes and for sera R-SH levels of BTBR mice compared to C57BL/6 J (B6) mice. The iGSH levels of immune cell populations were also lower in the BTBR mice. Elevated protein expression of GATA3, TGM2, AhR, EPHX2, TSLP, PTEN, IRE1α, GDF15, and metallothionein in BTBR mice is supportive of an increased level of oxidative stress in BTBR mice and may underpin the pro-inflammatory immune state that has been reported in the BTBR strain. Results of a decreased antioxidant system suggest an important oxidative stress role in the development of the BTBR ASD-like phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nizam Uddin
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Tapan Mondal
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Yunyi Yao
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - Kevin Manley
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA
| | - David A Lawrence
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA.
- University at Albany School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
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Rhodus EK, Barber J, Kryscio RJ, Abner EL, Bahrani AA, Lewis KES, Carey B, Nelson PT, Van Eldik LJ, Jicha GA. Frontotemporal neurofibrillary tangles and cerebrovascular lesions are associated with autism spectrum behaviors in late-life dementia. J Neurol 2022; 269:5105-5113. [PMID: 35596794 PMCID: PMC9644295 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11167-y] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The pathologic substrates or neuroanatomic regions responsible for similarities in behavioral features seen in autism spectrum disorder and late-life dementia remain unknown. The present study examined the neuropathologic features of late-life dementia in research volunteers with and without antemortem behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. METHODS Antemortem cross-sectional assessment of autistic spectrum behaviors proximal to death in persons with diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia was completed using the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, 2nd edition (GARS-2), followed by postmortem quantitative and semiquantitative neuropathologic assessment. All individuals who completed the GARS-2 prior to autopsy were included (n = 56) and we note that no participants had known diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The GARS-2 was used as an antemortem screening tool to stratify participants into two groups: "Autism Possible/Very Likely" or "Autism Unlikely." Data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics comparing location and scale to evaluate between-group differences in pathologic features. RESULTS Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT; p = 0.028) density and tau burden (p = 0.032) in the frontal region, the NFT density (p = 0.048) and neuritic plaque burden (p = 0.042), and the tau burden (p = 0.032) of the temporal region, were significantly different in scale between groups. For measures with significant group differences, the medians of the Autism Possible/Very Likely group were roughly equal to the 75th percentile of the Autism Unlikely group (i.e., the distributions were shifted to the right). DISCUSSION This study links behaviors characteristic of autism to increased pathologic tau burden in the frontal and temporal lobes in persons with late-life dementia. Additional studies are needed to determine causal factors and treatment options for behaviors characteristic of autism behaviors in late-life dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Rhodus
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA.
- Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
| | - Justin Barber
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Richard J Kryscio
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Statistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Erin L Abner
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ahmed A Bahrani
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Kristine E Shady Lewis
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Brandi Carey
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
| | - Peter T Nelson
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Pathology and Division of Neuropathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Linda J Van Eldik
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Gregory A Jicha
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, 1030 S. Broadway, Ste 5, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA
- Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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Elesawy RO, El-Deeb OS, Eltokhy AK, Arakeep HM, Ali DA, Elkholy SS, Kabel AM. Postnatal baicalin ameliorates behavioral and neurochemical alterations in valproic acid-induced rodent model of autism: The possible implication of sirtuin-1/mitofusin-2/ Bcl-2 pathway. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 150:112960. [PMID: 35447549 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112960] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by pervasive impairments in social communication along with repetitive or stereotyped behaviors. Although its distinctive etiology isn`t completely understood, genetic and environmental risk factors were incriminated. Being a flavonoid of high biomedical value, baicalin was recently verified as an emerging medicinal herb with numerous pharmacological activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasible effects of baicalin on valproic acid (VPA)-induced autism regarding its potential mitochondrial modulatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects. The present study was performed using a rodent model of autism by exposing rat fetuses to VPA on the 12.5th day of gestation. Ten male Wistar rats that were born from control pregnant females were considered as group I (control group). Twenty male Wistar rats that were born from prenatal VPA- treated females were further divided into two groups: Group II (VPA- induced ASD) and group III (VPA + Baicalin). Postnatal baicalin promoted postnatal growth and maturation. In addition, it improved motor development and ameliorated repetitive behavior as well as social deficits in prenatally exposed VPA rats. Moreover, baicalin enhanced neuronal mitochondrial functions as evidenced by elevation of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level and promotion of mitofusin-2 expression. Furthermore, baicalin elevated sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) level in VPA rats' brain tissues and restored the antioxidant defense mechanisms. Besides, it abrogated the neuronal histopathological changes in the brain tissues. Based on the data herein, baicalin may provide a promising pre-clinical therapeutic line in ASD as a mitochondrial function modulator, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasha O Elesawy
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Omnia S El-Deeb
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Amira K Eltokhy
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Heba M Arakeep
- Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Dina A Ali
- Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Sanad S Elkholy
- Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Shaikh, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Kabel
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
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11
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Zhang M, Liu S, Miao Z, Han F, Gottardo R, Sun W. IDEAS: individual level differential expression analysis for single-cell RNA-seq data. Genome Biol 2022; 23:33. [PMID: 35073995 PMCID: PMC8784862 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02605-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We consider an increasingly popular study design where single-cell RNA-seq data are collected from multiple individuals and the question of interest is to find genes that are differentially expressed between two groups of individuals. Towards this end, we propose a statistical method named IDEAS (individual level differential expression analysis for scRNA-seq). For each gene, IDEAS summarizes its expression in each individual by a distribution and then assesses whether these individual-specific distributions are different between two groups of individuals. We apply IDEAS to assess gene expression differences of autism patients versus controls and COVID-19 patients with mild versus severe symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Zhang
- Public Health Science Division, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA
- Present Address: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - Si Liu
- Public Health Science Division, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA
| | - Zhen Miao
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Fang Han
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Raphael Gottardo
- Biomedical Data Sciences Center, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wei Sun
- Public Health Science Division, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
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12
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Okano H, Takashima K, Takahashi Y, Ojiro R, Tang Q, Ozawa S, Ogawa B, Koyanagi M, Maronpot RR, Yoshida T, Shibutani M. Ameliorating effect of continuous alpha-glycosyl isoquercitrin treatment starting from late gestation in a rat autism model induced by postnatal injection of lipopolysaccharides. Chem Biol Interact 2022; 351:109767. [PMID: 34863679 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2021.109767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the role of neuroinflammation and brain oxidative stress induced by neonatal treatment with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like behaviors and disruptive hippocampal neurogenesis in rats by exploring the chemopreventive effects of alpha-glycosyl isoquercitrin (AGIQ) as an antioxidant. AGIQ was dietary administered to dams at 0.25% or 0.5% (w/w) from gestational day 18 until postnatal day (PND) 21 on weaning and then to pups until the adult stage on PND 77. The pups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (1 mg/kg body weight) on PND 3. At PND 6, LPS alone increased Iba1+ and CD68+ cell numbers without changing the CD163+ cell number and strongly upregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression (Il1a, Il1b, Il6, Nfkb1, and Tnf) in the hippocampus, and increased brain malondialdehyde levels. At PND 10, pups decreased ultrasonic vocalization (USV), suggesting the induction of pro-inflammatory responses and oxidative stress to trigger communicative deficits. By contrast, LPS alone upregulated Nfe2l2 expression at PND 6, increased Iba1+, CD68+, and CD163+ cell numbers, and upregulated Tgfb1 at PND 21, suggesting anti-inflammatory responses until the weaning period. However, LPS alone disrupted hippocampal neurogenesis at weaning and suppressed social interaction parameters and rate of freezing time at fear acquisition and extinction during the adolescent stage. On PND 77, neuroinflammatory responses had mostly disappeared; however, disruptive neurogenesis and fear memory deficits were sustained. AGIQ ameliorated most changes on acute pro-inflammatory responses and oxidative stress at PND 6, and the effects on USVs at PND 10 and neurogenesis and behavioral parameters throughout the adult stage. These results suggested that neonatal LPS treatment induced acute but transient neuroinflammation, triggering the progressive disruption of hippocampal neurogenesis leading to abnormal behaviors in later life. AGIQ treatment was effective for ameliorating LPS-induced progressive changes by critically suppressing initial pro-inflammatory responses and oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromu Okano
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Kazumi Takashima
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Yasunori Takahashi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Ryota Ojiro
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Qian Tang
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Shunsuke Ozawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Bunichiro Ogawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Mihoko Koyanagi
- Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc., 1-1-11 Sanwa-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 561-8588, Japan.
| | - Robert R Maronpot
- Maronpot Consulting, LLC, 1612 Medfield Road, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.
| | - Toshinori Yoshida
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
| | - Makoto Shibutani
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Cooperative Division of Veterinary Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan; Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan.
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Clarke RA, Eapen V. LRRTM4 Terminal Exon Duplicated in Family with Tourette Syndrome, Autism and ADHD. Genes (Basel) 2021; 13:genes13010066. [PMID: 35052406 PMCID: PMC8774418 DOI: 10.3390/genes13010066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by motor and vocal tics and strong association with autistic deficits, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The genetic overlap between TS and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes those genes that encode the neurexin trans-synaptic connexus (NTSC) inclusive of the presynaptic neurexins (NRXNs) and postsynaptic neuroligins (NLGNs), cerebellin precursors (CBLNs in complex with the glutamate ionotropic receptor deltas (GRIDs)) and the leucine-rich repeat transmembrane proteins (LRRTMs). In this study, we report the first evidence of a TS and ASD association with yet another NTSC gene family member, namely LRRTM4. Duplication of the terminal exon of LRRTM4 was found in two females with TS from the same family (mother and daughter) in association with autistic traits and ASD.
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14
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Bruno LP, Doddato G, Valentino F, Baldassarri M, Tita R, Fallerini C, Bruttini M, Lo Rizzo C, Mencarelli MA, Mari F, Pinto AM, Fava F, Fabbiani A, Lamacchia V, Carrer A, Caputo V, Granata S, Benetti E, Zguro K, Furini S, Renieri A, Ariani F. New Candidates for Autism/Intellectual Disability Identified by Whole-Exome Sequencing. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413439. [PMID: 34948243 PMCID: PMC8707363 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) is characterized by impairments in the cognitive processes and in the tasks of daily life. It encompasses a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders often associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social and communication abilities are strongly compromised in ASD. The prevalence of ID/ASD is 1–3%, and approximately 30% of the patients remain without a molecular diagnosis. Considering the extreme genetic locus heterogeneity, next-generation sequencing approaches have provided powerful tools for candidate gene identification. Molecular diagnosis is crucial to improve outcome, prevent complications, and hopefully start a therapeutic approach. Here, we performed parent–offspring trio whole-exome sequencing (WES) in a cohort of 60 mostly syndromic ID/ASD patients and we detected 8 pathogenic variants in genes already known to be associated with ID/ASD (SYNGAP1, SMAD6, PACS1, SHANK3, KMT2A, KCNQ2, ACTB, and POGZ). We found four de novo disruptive variants of four novel candidate ASD/ID genes: MBP, PCDHA1, PCDH15, PDPR. We additionally selected via bioinformatic tools many variants in unknown genes that alone or in combination can contribute to the phenotype. In conclusion, our data confirm the efficacy of WES in detecting pathogenic variants of known and novel ID/ASD genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Pia Bruno
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Gabriella Doddato
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Floriana Valentino
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Margherita Baldassarri
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Rossella Tita
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Chiara Fallerini
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Mirella Bruttini
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Caterina Lo Rizzo
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Maria Antonietta Mencarelli
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Francesca Mari
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Anna Maria Pinto
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Francesca Fava
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Alessandra Fabbiani
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Vittoria Lamacchia
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Anna Carrer
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Valentina Caputo
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Stefania Granata
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Elisa Benetti
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Kristina Zguro
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Simone Furini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
| | - Alessandra Renieri
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
| | - Francesca Ariani
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.P.B.); (G.D.); (F.V.); (M.B.); (C.F.); (M.B.); (F.M.); (F.F.); (A.F.); (V.L.); (A.C.); (V.C.); (S.G.); (A.R.)
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (E.B.); (K.Z.); (S.F.)
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, 53100 Siena, Italy; (R.T.); (C.L.R.); (M.A.M.); (A.M.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0577-233303
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15
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MacInnis AG. Time-to-event estimation of birth prevalence trends: A method to enable investigating the etiology of childhood disorders including autism. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260738. [PMID: 34855847 PMCID: PMC8638887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
An unbiased, widely accepted estimate of the rate of occurrence of new cases of autism over time would facilitate progress in understanding the causes of autism. The same may also apply to other disorders. While incidence is a widely used measure of occurrence, birth prevalence-the proportion of each birth year cohort with the disorder-is the appropriate measure for disorders and diseases of early childhood. Studies of autism epidemiology commonly speculate that estimates showing strong increases in rate of autism cases result from an increase in diagnosis rates rather than a true increase in cases. Unfortunately, current methods are not sufficient to provide a definitive resolution to this controversy. Prominent experts have written that it is virtually impossible to solve. This paper presents a novel method, time-to-event birth prevalence estimation (TTEPE), to provide accurate estimates of birth prevalence properly adjusted for changing diagnostic factors. It addresses the shortcomings of prior methods. TTEPE is based on well-known time-to-event (survival) analysis techniques. A discrete survival process models the rates of incident diagnoses by birth year and age. Diagnostic factors drive the probability of diagnosis as a function of the year of diagnosis. TTEPE models changes in diagnostic criteria, which can modify the effective birth prevalence when new criteria take effect. TTEPE incorporates the development of diagnosable symptoms with age. General-purpose optimization software estimates all parameters, forming a non-linear regression. The paper specifies all assumptions underlying the analysis and explores potential deviations from assumptions and optional additional analyses. A simulation study shows that TTEPE produces accurate parameter estimates, including trends in both birth prevalence and the probability of diagnosis in the presence of sampling effects from finite populations. TTEPE provides high power to resolve small differences in parameter values by utilizing all available data points.
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Ansell BRE, Thomas SN, Bonelli R, Munro JE, Freytag S, Bahlo M. A survey of RNA editing at single-cell resolution links interneurons to schizophrenia and autism. RNA 2021; 27:1482-1496. [PMID: 34535545 PMCID: PMC8594476 DOI: 10.1261/rna.078804.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Conversion of adenosine to inosine in RNA by ADAR enzymes, termed "RNA editing," is essential for healthy brain development. Editing is dysregulated in neuropsychiatric diseases, but has not yet been investigated at scale at the level of individual neurons. We quantified RNA editing sites in nuclear transcriptomes of 3055 neurons from six cortical regions of a neurotypical female donor, and found 41,930 sites present in at least ten nuclei. Most sites were located within Alu repeats in introns or 3' UTRs, and approximately 80% were cataloged in public RNA editing databases. We identified 9285 putative novel editing sites, 29% of which were also detectable in unrelated donors. Intersection with results from bulk RNA-seq studies provided cell-type and spatial context for 1730 sites that are differentially edited in schizophrenic brain donors, and 910 such sites in autistic donors. Autism-related genes were also enriched with editing sites predicted to modify RNA structure. Inhibitory neurons showed higher overall transcriptome editing than excitatory neurons, and the highest editing rates were observed in the frontal cortex. We used generalized linear models to identify differentially edited sites and genes between cell types. Twenty nine genes were preferentially edited in excitatory neurons, and 43 genes were edited more heavily in inhibitory neurons, including RBFOX1, its target genes, and genes in the autism-associated Prader-Willi locus (15q11). The abundance of SNORD115/116 genes from locus 15q11 was positively associated with editing activity across the transcriptome. We contend that insufficient editing of autism-related genes in inhibitory neurons may contribute to the specific perturbation of those cells in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Robert E Ansell
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Simon N Thomas
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roberto Bonelli
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacob E Munro
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Saskia Freytag
- Molecular Medicine Division, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands 6009, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
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17
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Nadeem MS, Hosawi S, Alshehri S, Ghoneim MM, Imam SS, Murtaza BN, Kazmi I. Symptomatic, Genetic, and Mechanistic Overlaps between Autism and Alzheimer's Disease. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1635. [PMID: 34827633 PMCID: PMC8615882 DOI: 10.3390/biom11111635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders affecting two opposite ends of life span, i.e., childhood and old age. Both disorders pose a cumulative threat to human health, with the rate of incidences increasing considerably worldwide. In the context of recent developments, we aimed to review correlated symptoms and genetics, and overlapping aspects in the mechanisms of the pathogenesis of ASD and AD. Dementia, insomnia, and weak neuromuscular interaction, as well as communicative and cognitive impairments, are shared symptoms. A number of genes and proteins linked with both disorders have been tabulated, including MECP2, ADNP, SCN2A, NLGN, SHANK, PTEN, RELN, and FMR1. Theories about the role of neuron development, processing, connectivity, and levels of neurotransmitters in both disorders have been discussed. Based on the recent literature, the roles of FMRP (Fragile X mental retardation protein), hnRNPC (heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein-C), IRP (Iron regulatory proteins), miRNAs (MicroRNAs), and α-, β0, and γ-secretases in the posttranscriptional regulation of cellular synthesis and processing of APP (amyloid-β precursor protein) have been elaborated to describe the parallel and overlapping routes and mechanisms of ASD and AD pathogenesis. However, the interactive role of genetic and environmental factors, oxidative and metal ion stress, mutations in the associated genes, and alterations in the related cellular pathways in the development of ASD and AD needs further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Shahid Nadeem
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (M.S.N.); (S.H.)
| | - Salman Hosawi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (M.S.N.); (S.H.)
| | - Sultan Alshehri
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (S.A.); (S.S.I.)
| | - Mohammed M. Ghoneim
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Ad Diriyah 13713, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Syed Sarim Imam
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (S.A.); (S.S.I.)
| | - Bibi Nazia Murtaza
- Department of Zoology, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology (AUST), Abbottabad 22310, Pakistan;
| | - Imran Kazmi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (M.S.N.); (S.H.)
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18
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Mehta A, Shirai Y, Kouyama-Suzuki E, Zhou M, Yoshizawa T, Yanagawa T, Mori T, Tabuchi K. IQSEC2 Deficiency Results in Abnormal Social Behaviors Relevant to Autism by Affecting Functions of Neural Circuits in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cells 2021; 10:2724. [PMID: 34685703 PMCID: PMC8534507 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
IQSEC2 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6), of which protein is exclusively localized to the postsynaptic density of the excitatory synapse. Human genome studies have revealed that the IQSEC2 gene is associated with X-linked neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy, and autism. In this study, we examined the behavior and synapse function in IQSEC2 knockout (KO) mice that we generated using CRIPSR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to solve the relevance between IQSEC2 deficiency and the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. IQSEC2 KO mice exhibited autistic behaviors, such as overgrooming and social deficits. We identified that up-regulation of c-Fos expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) induced by social stimulation was significantly attenuated in IQSEC2 KO mice. Whole cell electrophysiological recording identified that synaptic transmissions mediated by α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR), N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), and γ-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABAR) were significantly decreased in pyramidal neurons in layer 5 of the mPFC in IQSEC2 KO mice. Reexpression of IQSEC2 isoform 1 in the mPFC of IQSEC2 KO mice using adeno-associated virus (AAV) rescued both synaptic and social deficits, suggesting that impaired synaptic function in the mPFC is responsible for social deficits in IQSEC2 KO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Mehta
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
| | - Yoshinori Shirai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
| | - Emi Kouyama-Suzuki
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
| | - Mengyun Zhou
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
| | - Takahiro Yoshizawa
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan;
| | - Toru Yanagawa
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan;
| | - Takuma Mori
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
- Department of NeuroHealth Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Tabuchi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan; (A.M.); (Y.S.); (E.K.-S.); (M.Z.); (T.M.)
- Department of NeuroHealth Innovation, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan
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19
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Abstract
The alteration of excitatory–inhibitory (E–I) balance has been implicated in various neurological and psychiatric diseases, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a single-gene disorder that is the most common known cause of ASD. Understanding the molecular and physiological features of FXS is thought to enhance our knowledge of the pathophysiology of ASD. Accumulated evidence implicates deficits in the inhibitory circuits in FXS that tips E–I balance toward excitation. Deficits in interneurons, the main source of an inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), have been reported in FXS, including a reduced number of cells, reduction in intrinsic cellular excitability, or weaker synaptic connectivity. Manipulating the interneuron activity ameliorated the symptoms in the FXS mouse model, which makes it reasonable to conceptualize FXS as an interneuronopathy. While it is still poorly understood how the developmental profiles of the inhibitory circuit go awry in FXS, recent works have uncovered several developmental alterations in the functional properties of interneurons. Correcting disrupted E–I balance by potentiating the inhibitory circuit by targeting interneurons may have a therapeutic potential in FXS. I will review the recent evidence about the inhibitory alterations and interneuron dysfunction in ASD and FXS and will discuss the future directions of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Nomura
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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20
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Padhi EM, Hayeck TJ, Cheng Z, Chatterjee S, Mannion BJ, Byrska-Bishop M, Willems M, Pinson L, Redon S, Benech C, Uguen K, Audebert-Bellanger S, Le Marechal C, Férec C, Efthymiou S, Rahman F, Maqbool S, Maroofian R, Houlden H, Musunuri R, Narzisi G, Abhyankar A, Hunter RD, Akiyama J, Fries LE, Ng JK, Mehinovic E, Stong N, Allen AS, Dickel DE, Bernier RA, Gorkin DU, Pennacchio LA, Zody MC, Turner TN. Coding and noncoding variants in EBF3 are involved in HADDS and simplex autism. Hum Genomics 2021; 15:44. [PMID: 34256850 PMCID: PMC8278787 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-021-00342-3] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) has indicated an important contribution of protein-coding (coding) de novo variants (DNVs) within specific genes. The role of de novo noncoding variation has been observable as a general increase in genetic burden but has yet to be resolved to individual functional elements. In this study, we assessed whole-genome sequencing data in 2671 families with autism (discovery cohort of 516 families, replication cohort of 2155 families). We focused on DNVs in enhancers with characterized in vivo activity in the brain and identified an excess of DNVs in an enhancer named hs737. RESULTS We adapted the fitDNM statistical model to work in noncoding regions and tested enhancers for excess of DNVs in families with autism. We found only one enhancer (hs737) with nominal significance in the discovery (p = 0.0172), replication (p = 2.5 × 10-3), and combined dataset (p = 1.1 × 10-4). Each individual with a DNV in hs737 had shared phenotypes including being male, intact cognitive function, and hypotonia or motor delay. Our in vitro assessment of the DNVs showed they all reduce enhancer activity in a neuronal cell line. By epigenomic analyses, we found that hs737 is brain-specific and targets the transcription factor gene EBF3 in human fetal brain. EBF3 is genome-wide significant for coding DNVs in NDDs (missense p = 8.12 × 10-35, loss-of-function p = 2.26 × 10-13) and is widely expressed in the body. Through characterization of promoters bound by EBF3 in neuronal cells, we saw enrichment for binding to NDD genes (p = 7.43 × 10-6, OR = 1.87) involved in gene regulation. Individuals with coding DNVs have greater phenotypic severity (hypotonia, ataxia, and delayed development syndrome [HADDS]) in comparison to individuals with noncoding DNVs that have autism and hypotonia. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we identify DNVs in the hs737 enhancer in individuals with autism. Through multiple approaches, we find hs737 targets the gene EBF3 that is genome-wide significant in NDDs. By assessment of noncoding variation and the genes they affect, we are beginning to understand their impact on gene regulatory networks in NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evin M Padhi
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Tristan J Hayeck
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Zhang Cheng
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sumantra Chatterjee
- Center for Human Genetics and Genomics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Brandon J Mannion
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | - Marjolaine Willems
- University of Montpellier, département de Génétique, maladies rares médecine personnalisée, U 1298, CHU Montpellier, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Lucile Pinson
- University of Montpellier, département de Génétique, maladies rares médecine personnalisée, U 1298, CHU Montpellier, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sylvia Redon
- CHU Brest, Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS,UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200, Brest, France
| | - Caroline Benech
- CHU Brest, Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS,UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200, Brest, France
| | - Kevin Uguen
- CHU Brest, Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS,UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200, Brest, France
| | | | - Cédric Le Marechal
- CHU Brest, Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS,UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200, Brest, France
| | - Claude Férec
- CHU Brest, Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS,UMR 1078, GGB, F-29200, Brest, France
| | - Stephanie Efthymiou
- Department of Neuromuscular Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Fatima Rahman
- Development and Behavioral Pediatrics Department, Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Shazia Maqbool
- Department of Neuromuscular Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- Development and Behavioral Pediatrics Department, Institute of Child Health and Children Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Reza Maroofian
- Department of Neuromuscular Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | | | | | | | - Riana D Hunter
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jennifer Akiyama
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Lauren E Fries
- Center for Human Genetics and Genomics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Jeffrey K Ng
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Elvisa Mehinovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nick Stong
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Andrew S Allen
- Center for Statistical Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Division of Integrative Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Diane E Dickel
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Raphael A Bernier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - David U Gorkin
- Center for Epigenomics, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Len A Pennacchio
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | | | - Tychele N Turner
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 4523 Clayton Avenue, Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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21
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Rosenfeld JA, Xiao R, Bekheirnia MR, Kanani F, Parker MJ, Koenig MK, van Haeringen A, Ruivenkamp C, Rosmaninho-Salgado J, Almeida PM, Sá J, Pinto Basto J, Palen E, Oetjens KF, Burrage LC, Xia F, Liu P, Eng CM, Yang Y, Posey JE, Lee BH. Heterozygous variants in SPTBN1 cause intellectual disability and autism. Am J Med Genet A 2021; 185:2037-2045. [PMID: 33847457 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Spectrins are common components of cytoskeletons, binding to cytoskeletal elements and the plasma membrane, allowing proper localization of essential membrane proteins, signal transduction, and cellular scaffolding. Spectrins are assembled from α and β subunits, encoded by SPTA1 and SPTAN1 (α) and SPTB, SPTBN1, SPTBN2, SPTBN4, and SPTBN5 (β). Pathogenic variants in various spectrin genes are associated with erythroid cell disorders (SPTA1, SPTB) and neurologic disorders (SPTAN1, SPTBN2, and SPTBN4), but no phenotypes have been definitively associated with variants in SPTBN1 or SPTBN5. Through exome sequencing and case matching, we identified seven unrelated individuals with heterozygous SPTBN1 variants: two with de novo missense variants and five with predicted loss-of-function variants (found to be de novo in two, while one was inherited from a mother with a history of learning disabilities). Common features include global developmental delays, intellectual disability, and behavioral disturbances. Autistic features (4/6) and epilepsy (2/7) or abnormal electroencephalogram without overt seizures (1/7) were present in a subset. Identification of loss-of-function variants suggests a haploinsufficiency mechanism, but additional functional studies are required to fully elucidate disease pathogenesis. Our findings support the essential roles of SPTBN1 in human neurodevelopment and expand the knowledge of human spectrinopathy disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill A Rosenfeld
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Rui Xiao
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mir Reza Bekheirnia
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Renal Section, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Farah Kanani
- Sheffield Clinical Genetics Service, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Michael J Parker
- Sheffield Clinical Genetics Service, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK
| | - Mary K Koenig
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Arie van Haeringen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Claudia Ruivenkamp
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Joana Rosmaninho-Salgado
- Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital Pediátrico, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Pedro M Almeida
- Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital Pediátrico, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joaquim Sá
- Medical Genetics Unit, Hospital Pediátrico, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jorge Pinto Basto
- Molecular Diagnostics and Clinical Genomics, CGC Genetics, Porto, Portugal
| | - Emily Palen
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kathryn F Oetjens
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lindsay C Burrage
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Pengfei Liu
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Christine M Eng
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Yaping Yang
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Baylor Genetics Laboratories, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jennifer E Posey
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Brendan H Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
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22
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Priolo M, Radio FC, Pizzi S, Pintomalli L, Pantaleoni F, Mancini C, Cordeddu V, Africa E, Mammì C, Dallapiccola B, Tartaglia M. Co-Occurring Heterozygous CNOT3 and SMAD6 Truncating Variants: Unusual Presentation and Refinement of the IDDSADF Phenotype. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12071009. [PMID: 34208845 PMCID: PMC8303239 DOI: 10.3390/genes12071009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective, the application of genomic sequencing in clinical practice has allowed us to appreciate the contribution of co-occurring pathogenic variants to complex and unclassified clinical phenotypes. Besides the clinical relevance, these findings have provided evidence of previously unrecognized functional links between genes in the context of developmental processes and physiology. Patients and Methods, a 5-year-old patient showing an unclassified phenotype characterized by developmental delay, speech delay, peculiar behavioral features, facial dysmorphism and severe cardiopathy was analyzed by trio-based whole exome sequencing (WES) analysis to identify the genomic events underlying the condition. Results, two co-occurring heterozygous truncating variants in CNOT3 and SMAD6 were identified. Heterozygous loss-of-function variants in CNOT3, encoding a subunit of the CCR4-NOT protein complex, have recently been reported to cause a syndromic condition known as intellectual developmental disorder with speech delay, autism and dysmorphic facies (IDDSADF). Enrichment of rare/private variants in the SMAD6 gene, encoding a protein negatively controlling transforming growth factor β/bone morphogenetic protein (TGFB/BMP) signaling, has been described in association with a wide spectrum of congenital heart defects. We dissected the contribution of individual variants to the complex clinical manifestations and profiled a previously unappreciated set of facial features and signs characterizing IDDSADF. Conclusions, two concomitant truncating variants in CNOT3 and SMAD6 are the cause of the combination of features documented in the patient resulting in the unique multisystem neurodevelopmental condition. These findings provide evidence for a functional link between the CCR4-NOT complex and TGFB/BMP signaling in processes controlling cardiac development. Finally, the present revision provides evidence that IDDSADF is characterized by a distinctive facial gestalt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Priolo
- Unità di Genetica Medica, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (L.P.); (C.M.)
- Correspondence: (M.P.); (M.T.); Tel.: +39-0965397319 (M.P.); +39-0668593742 (M.T.)
| | - Francesca Clementina Radio
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
| | - Simone Pizzi
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
| | - Letizia Pintomalli
- Unità di Genetica Medica, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (L.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Francesca Pantaleoni
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
| | - Cecilia Mancini
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
| | - Viviana Cordeddu
- Dipartimento di Oncologia e Medicina Molecolare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Emilio Africa
- UOC di Neuroradiologia, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy;
| | - Corrado Mammì
- Unità di Genetica Medica, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, 89124 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (L.P.); (C.M.)
| | - Bruno Dallapiccola
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
| | - Marco Tartaglia
- Area di Ricerca Genetica e Malattie Rare, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy; (F.C.R.); (S.P.); (F.P.); (C.M.); (B.D.)
- Correspondence: (M.P.); (M.T.); Tel.: +39-0965397319 (M.P.); +39-0668593742 (M.T.)
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Nolin SL, Napoli E, Flores A, Hagerman RJ, Giulivi C. Deficits in Prenatal Serine Biosynthesis Underlie the Mitochondrial Dysfunction Associated with the Autism-Linked FMR1 Gene. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115886. [PMID: 34070950 PMCID: PMC8198117 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Fifty-five to two hundred CGG repeats (called a premutation, or PM) in the 5′-UTR of the FMR1 gene are generally unstable, often expanding to a full mutation (>200) in one generation through maternal inheritance, leading to fragile X syndrome, a condition associated with autism and other intellectual disabilities. To uncover the early mechanisms of pathogenesis, we performed metabolomics and proteomics on amniotic fluids from PM carriers, pregnant with male fetuses, who had undergone amniocentesis for fragile X prenatal diagnosis. The prenatal metabolic footprint identified mitochondrial deficits, which were further validated by using internal and external cohorts. Deficits in the anaplerosis of the Krebs cycle were noted at the level of serine biosynthesis, which was confirmed by rescuing the mitochondrial dysfunction in the carriers’ umbilical cord fibroblasts using alpha-ketoglutarate precursors. Maternal administration of serine and its precursors has the potential to decrease the risk of developing energy shortages associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and linked comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Nolin
- Department of Human Genetics, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA;
| | - Eleonora Napoli
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.N.); (A.F.)
| | - Amanda Flores
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.N.); (A.F.)
- Medical Sciences Campus, Department of Biochemistry, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan PR00936, Puerto Rico
| | - Randi J. Hagerman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA;
- The MIND Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Cecilia Giulivi
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.N.); (A.F.)
- The MIND Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-530-754-8603
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Liang Y, Yu H, Ke X, Eyles D, Sun R, Wang Z, Huang S, Lin L, McGrath JJ, Lu J, Guo X, Yao P. Vitamin D deficiency worsens maternal diabetes induced neurodevelopmental disorder by potentiating hyperglycemia-mediated epigenetic changes. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1491:74-88. [PMID: 33305416 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have shown that vitamin D (VD) deficiency may be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia, although causative mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential role and effect of VD on maternal diabetes induced autism-related phenotypes. The in vitro study found that enhancing genomic VD signaling by overexpressing the VD receptor (VDR) in human neural progenitor cells ACS-5003 protects against hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and inflammation by activating Nrf2 and its target genes, including SOD2 and HMOX1, and accordingly, VDR gene knockdown worsens the problem. In the two in vivo models we explored, maternal diabetes was used to establish an animal model of relevance to ASD, and mice lacking 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1-alpha-hydroxylase (the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D3) were used to develop a model of VD deficiency (VDD). We show that although prenatal VDD itself does not produce ASD-relevant phenotypes, it significantly potentiates maternal diabetes induced epigenetic modifications and autism-related phenotypes. Postnatal manipulation of VD has no effect on maternal diabetes induced autism-related phenotypes. We conclude that VDD potentiates maternal diabetes induced autism-related phenotypes in offspring by epigenetic mechanisms. This study adds to other preclinical studies linking prenatal VDD with a neurodevelopmental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Liang
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Hong Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, Foshan University, Foshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Foshan, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyin Ke
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Darryl Eyles
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, the Park Centre for Mental Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ruoyu Sun
- Department of Pediatrics, Foshan University, Foshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Foshan, P.R. China
| | - Zichen Wang
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Saijun Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Foshan University, Foshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Foshan, P.R. China
| | - Ling Lin
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - John J McGrath
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, the Park Centre for Mental Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- National Centre for Register-based Research, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jianping Lu
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoling Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, Foshan University, Foshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Foshan, P.R. China
| | - Paul Yao
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Kangning Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, P.R. China
- Department of Pediatrics, Foshan University, Foshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Foshan, P.R. China
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25
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Sase T, Kitajo K. The metastable brain associated with autistic-like traits of typically developing individuals. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008929. [PMID: 33861737 PMCID: PMC8081345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008929] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastability in the brain is thought to be a mechanism involved in the dynamic organization of cognitive and behavioral functions across multiple spatiotemporal scales. However, it is not clear how such organization is realized in underlying neural oscillations in a high-dimensional state space. It was shown that macroscopic oscillations often form phase-phase coupling (PPC) and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), which result in synchronization and amplitude modulation, respectively, even without external stimuli. These oscillations can also make spontaneous transitions across synchronous states at rest. Using resting-state electroencephalographic signals and the autism-spectrum quotient scores acquired from healthy humans, we show experimental evidence that the PAC combined with PPC allows amplitude modulation to be transient, and that the metastable dynamics with this transient modulation is associated with autistic-like traits. In individuals with a longer attention span, such dynamics tended to show fewer transitions between states by forming delta-alpha PAC. We identified these states as two-dimensional metastable states that could share consistent patterns across individuals. Our findings suggest that the human brain dynamically organizes inter-individual differences in a hierarchy of macroscopic oscillations with multiple timescales by utilizing metastability. The human brain organizes cognitive and behavioral functions dynamically. For decades, the dynamic organization of underlying neural oscillations has been a fundamental topic in neuroscience research. Even without external stimuli, macroscopic oscillations often form phase-phase coupling and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) that result in synchronization and amplitude modulation, respectively, and can make spontaneous transitions across synchronous states at rest. Using resting-state electroencephalography signals acquired from healthy humans, we show evidence that these two neural couplings enable amplitude modulation to be transient, and that this transient modulation can be viewed as the transition among oscillatory states with different PAC strengths. We also demonstrate that such transition dynamics are associated with the ability to maintain attention to detail and to switch attention, as measured by autism-spectrum quotient scores. These individual dynamics were visualized as a trajectory among states with attracting tendencies, and involved consistent brain states across individuals. Our findings have significant implications for unraveling the variability in the individual brains showing typical and atypical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Sase
- Rhythm-based Brain Information Processing Unit, CBS-TOYOTA Collaboration Center, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- * E-mail: (TS); (KK)
| | - Keiichi Kitajo
- Rhythm-based Brain Information Processing Unit, CBS-TOYOTA Collaboration Center, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Division of Neural Dynamics, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- * E-mail: (TS); (KK)
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26
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Kawamura A, Katayama Y, Kakegawa W, Ino D, Nishiyama M, Yuzaki M, Nakayama KI. The autism-associated protein CHD8 is required for cerebellar development and motor function. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108932. [PMID: 33826902 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the gene encoding the chromatin remodeler chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 8 (CHD8) are a highly penetrant risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although cerebellar abnormalities have long been thought to be related to ASD pathogenesis, it has remained largely unknown whether dysfunction of CHD8 in the cerebellum contributes to ASD phenotypes. We here show that cerebellar granule neuron progenitor (GNP)-specific deletion of Chd8 in mice impairs the proliferation and differentiation of these cells as well as gives rise to cerebellar hypoplasia and a motor coordination defect, but not to ASD-like behavioral abnormalities. CHD8 is found to regulate the expression of neuronal genes in GNPs. It also binds preferentially to promoter regions and modulates local chromatin accessibility of transcriptionally active genes in these cells. Our results have thus uncovered a key role for CHD8 in cerebellar development, with important implications for understanding the contribution of this brain region to ASD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuki Kawamura
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Yuta Katayama
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
| | - Wataru Kakegawa
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ino
- Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Masaaki Nishiyama
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan; Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Michisuke Yuzaki
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Keiichi I Nakayama
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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Adamou M, Jones SL, Fullen T, Galab N, Abbott K, Yasmeen S. Remote assessment in adults with Autism or ADHD: A service user satisfaction survey. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249237. [PMID: 33765076 PMCID: PMC7993762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249237] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in digital health have enabled clinicians to move away from a reliance on face to face consultation methods towards making use of modern video and web-based conferencing technology. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote telecommunication methods have become much more common place in mental health settings. The current study sought to investigate whether remote telecommunication methods are preferable to face to face consultations for adults referred to an Autism and ADHD Service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, whether there are any differences in preferred consultation methods between adults who were referred for an assessment of Autism as opposed to ADHD. 117 service users who undertook assessment by the ADHD and Autism Service at South West Yorkshire NHS Partnership Foundation Trust from April to September 2020 completed an adapted version of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ). Results demonstrated that service users found remote telecommunication to be useful, effective, reliable and satisfactory. Despite this, almost half of service users stated a general preference for face to face consultations. There was no difference in the choice of methods of contact between Autism and ADHD pathways. Remote telecommunication methods were found to be an acceptable medium of contact for adults who undertook an assessment of Autism and ADHD at an NHS Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marios Adamou
- University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L. Jones
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Fullen
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
| | - Nazmeen Galab
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Abbott
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
| | - Salma Yasmeen
- South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Wakefield, United Kingdom
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28
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Benincá C, Zanette V, Brischigliaro M, Johnson M, Reyes A, Valle DAD, J Robinson A, Degiorgi A, Yeates A, Telles BA, Prudent J, Baruffini E, S F Santos ML, R de Souza RL, Fernandez-Vizarra E, Whitworth AJ, Zeviani M. Mutation in the MICOS subunit gene APOO (MIC26) associated with an X-linked recessive mitochondrial myopathy, lactic acidosis, cognitive impairment and autistic features. J Med Genet 2021; 58:155-167. [PMID: 32439808 PMCID: PMC7116790 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2020-106861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mitochondria provide ATP through the process of oxidative phosphorylation, physically located in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM). The mitochondrial contact site and organising system (MICOS) complex is known as the 'mitoskeleton' due to its role in maintaining IMM architecture. APOO encodes MIC26, a component of MICOS, whose exact function in its maintenance or assembly has still not been completely elucidated. METHODS We have studied a family in which the most affected subject presented progressive developmental delay, lactic acidosis, muscle weakness, hypotonia, weight loss, gastrointestinal and body temperature dysautonomia, repetitive infections, cognitive impairment and autistic behaviour. Other family members showed variable phenotype presentation. Whole exome sequencing was used to screen for pathological variants. Patient-derived skin fibroblasts were used to confirm the pathogenicity of the variant found in APOO. Knockout models in Drosophila melanogaster and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were employed to validate MIC26 involvement in MICOS assembly and mitochondrial function. RESULTS A likely pathogenic c.350T>C transition was found in APOO predicting an I117T substitution in MIC26. The mutation caused impaired processing of the protein during import and faulty insertion into the IMM. This was associated with altered MICOS assembly and cristae junction disruption. The corresponding mutation in MIC26 or complete loss was associated with mitochondrial structural and functional deficiencies in yeast and D. melanogaster models. CONCLUSION This is the first case of pathogenic mutation in APOO, causing altered MICOS assembly and neuromuscular impairment. MIC26 is involved in the assembly or stability of MICOS in humans, yeast and flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiane Benincá
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Zanette
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Mark Johnson
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Aurelio Reyes
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | | | - Alan J Robinson
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Andrea Degiorgi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Parma, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
| | - Anna Yeates
- Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | | | - Julien Prudent
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Enrico Baruffini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Parma, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Massimo Zeviani
- Medical Research Council, Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Padova, Veneto, Italy
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Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains one of the most detrimental neurodevelopmental conditions in society today. Common symptoms include diminished social and communication ability. Investigations on autism etiology remain largely ambiguous. Previous studies have highlighted exposure to lead (Pb) may play a role in ASD. In addition, lead has been shown to be one of the most prevalent metal exposures associated with neurological deficits. A semi-systematic review was conducted using public databases in order to evaluate the extent of lead's role in the etiology of autism. This review examines the relationship between autistic comorbid symptoms-such as deterioration in intelligence scores, memory, language ability, and social interaction-and lead exposure. Specifically, the mechanisms of action of lead exposure, including changes within the cholinergic, dopaminergic, glutamatergic, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic systems, are discussed. The goal of this review is to help illustrate the connections between lead's mechanistic interference and the possible furthering of the comorbidities of ASD. Considerations of the current data and trends suggest a potential strong role for lead in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, New York, NY 10461, USA;
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30
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Marsack-Topolewski CN, Samuel PS, Tarraf W. Empirical evaluation of the association between daily living skills of adults with autism and parental caregiver burden. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244844. [PMID: 33400706 PMCID: PMC7785247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the joy of parenting, the burden of daily caregiving for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be overwhelming and constant. Parents can expect to provide enduring care for their children with ASD. Given that the majority of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remain in their family homes well into adulthood, often the need for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) is placed on parents. Providing ongoing support to adult children who have difficulty with completing ADLs can increase parental caregiving demands. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the ability of adults with ASD to perform ADLs with parental perceptions of caregiver burden. METHODS Quantitative analysis of cross-sectional multi-state data gathered electronically using Qualtrics from 320 aging parents of adults with ASD was conducted. Regression models were fit to examine the association of ADL challenges with total caregiver burden and its four domains (emotional, financial, time dependence, and developmental). RESULTS Parental perceptions of caregiver burden decreased, particularly time dependence and developmental burden, when adult children were less dependent in ADLs, even after adjusting for parental health and behavioral challenges. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the need for family-centered interventions to improve the capacity of adults with ASD to perform ADLs independently.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Preethy Sarah Samuel
- Occupational Therapy Program, Department of Health Care Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Wassim Tarraf
- Occupational Therapy Program, Department of Health Care Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
- Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
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31
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Pays E. The function of apolipoproteins L (APOLs): relevance for kidney disease, neurotransmission disorders, cancer and viral infection. FEBS J 2021; 288:360-381. [PMID: 32530132 PMCID: PMC7891394 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The discovery that apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) is the trypanolytic factor of human serum raised interest about the function of APOLs, especially following the unexpected finding that in addition to their protective action against sleeping sickness, APOL1 C-terminal variants also cause kidney disease. Based on the analysis of the structure and trypanolytic activity of APOL1, it was proposed that APOLs could function as ion channels of intracellular membranes and be involved in mechanisms triggering programmed cell death. In this review, the recent finding that APOL1 and APOL3 inversely control the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P) by the Golgi PI(4)-kinase IIIB (PI4KB) is commented. APOL3 promotes Ca2+ -dependent activation of PI4KB, but due to their increased interaction with APOL3, APOL1 C-terminal variants can inactivate APOL3, leading to reduction of Golgi PI(4)P synthesis. The impact of APOLs on several pathological processes that depend on Golgi PI(4)P levels is discussed. I propose that through their effect on PI4KB activity, APOLs control not only actomyosin activities related to vesicular trafficking, but also the generation and elongation of autophagosomes induced by inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Pays
- Laboratory of Molecular ParasitologyIBMMUniversité Libre de BruxellesGosseliesBelgium
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32
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Lahiri DK, Maloney B, Wang R, Sokol DK, Rogers JT, Westmark CJ. How autism and Alzheimer's disease are TrAPPed. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:26-29. [PMID: 33184495 PMCID: PMC9487718 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00928-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Debomoy K Lahiri
- Department of Psychiatry and Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - Bryan Maloney
- Department of Psychiatry and Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ruizhi Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Deborah K Sokol
- Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jack T Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Neurochemistry lab, MGH, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Cara J Westmark
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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33
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Wang L, Chen M, Yan G, Zhao S. DNA Methylation Differences Between Zona Pellucida-Bound and Manually Selected Spermatozoa Are Associated With Autism Susceptibility. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:774260. [PMID: 34858344 PMCID: PMC8630694 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.774260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Children conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have been reported to have a higher risk of many abnormalities and disorders, including autism and intellectual disability, which may be due to bypassing of the natural sperm selection process during ICSI. Zona pellucida (ZP)-bound spermatozoa (ZPBS) have normal morphology and nuclear DNA. Using these spermatozoa for ICSI results in better outcomes compared with conventional ICSI. However, differences besides morphology that exist between sperm selected by ZP and by an embryologist and whether these differences affect the risk of autism in offspring after ICSI are unclear. To explore these questions, we compared genome-wide DNA methylation profiles between ZPBS and manually selected spermatozoa (MSS)using single-cell bisulfite sequencing. Global DNA methylation levels were significantly lower in ZPBS than in MSS. Using gene ontology (GO) analysis, genes overlapping differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were enriched in biological processes involving neurogenesis. Furthermore, we found that 47.8% of autism candidate genes were associated with DMRs, compared with 37.1% of matched background genes (P<0.001). This was mainly because of the high proportion of autism candidate genes with bivalent chromatin structure. In conclusion, bivalent chromatin structure results in large differences in the methylation of autism genes between MSS and ZPBS. ICSI using MSS, which increases the risk of methylation mutations compared with ZPBS, may lead to a higher risk of autism in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longda Wang
- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Mengxiang Chen
- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Gaofeng Yan
- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Shuhua Zhao
- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
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Reichova A, Bacova Z, Bukatova S, Kokavcova M, Meliskova V, Frimmel K, Ostatnikova D, Bakos J. Abnormal neuronal morphology and altered synaptic proteins are restored by oxytocin in autism-related SHANK3 deficient model. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:110924. [PMID: 32619581 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin has been suggested as a potential therapeutic agent in autism and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Although, the link between the deficit in "SH3 domain and ankyrin repeat containing protein 3" (SHANK3) and autism spectrum disorders is highly studied topic, developmental mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this study, we clearly confirm that SHANK3 deficiency is accompanied with abnormalities in neurite number and length, which are reversed by oxytocin treatment (1 μM, 48h) in primary hippocampal neurons. Transient silencing for the SHANK3 gene (siSHANK3) in neuron-like cell line (SH-SY5Y) revealed a significant decrease in the expression levels of Neurexins 1α, 1β, 2α and 2β. Oxytocin treatment compensated reduced levels of Synapsin I, PSD95 and Neuroligin 3 in siSHANK3 cells suggesting a marked potential of oxytocin to ameliorate defects present in conditions of SHANK3 deficiency. Further analysis of hippocampal tissue revealed that oxytocin application (0.1 μg/μl, s.c. at P2 and P3 day) affects levels of synaptic proteins and GTPases in both WT and SHANK3 deficient mice on day P5. Oxytocin stimulated the mRNA expression of RhoB and Rac1 in both WT and SHANK3 deficient mice. Our data suggest that autism relevant synaptic pathologies could be reversed by oxytocin treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Reichova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Bacova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Stanislava Bukatova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martina Kokavcova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Veronika Meliskova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karel Frimmel
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Daniela Ostatnikova
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jan Bakos
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Endres D, Decher N, Röhr I, Vowinkel K, Domschke K, Komlosi K, Tzschach A, Gläser B, Schiele MA, Runge K, Süß P, Schuchardt F, Nickel K, Stallmeyer B, Rinné S, Schulze-Bahr E, Tebartz van Elst L. New Cav1.2 Channelopathy with High-Functioning Autism, Affective Disorder, Severe Dental Enamel Defects, a Short QT Interval, and a Novel CACNA1C Loss-Of-Function Mutation. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228611. [PMID: 33203140 PMCID: PMC7696251 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex neuropsychiatric-cardiac syndromes can be genetically determined. For the first time, the authors present a syndromal form of short QT syndrome in a 34-year-old German male patient with extracardiac features with predominant psychiatric manifestation, namely a severe form of secondary high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD), along with affective and psychotic exacerbations, and severe dental enamel defects (with rapid wearing off his teeth) due to a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in the CACNA1C gene (NM_000719.6: c.2399A > C; p.Lys800Thr). This mutation was found only once in control databases; the mutated lysine is located in the Cav1.2 calcium channel, is highly conserved during evolution, and is predicted to affect protein function by most pathogenicity prediction algorithms. L-type Cav1.2 calcium channels are widely expressed in the brain and heart. In the case presented, electrophysiological studies revealed a prominent reduction in the current amplitude without changes in the gating behavior of the Cav1.2 channel, most likely due to a trafficking defect. Due to the demonstrated loss of function, the p.Lys800Thr variant was finally classified as pathogenic (ACMG class 4 variant) and is likely to cause a newly described Cav1.2 channelopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Endres
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.R.); (K.N.); (L.T.v.E.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-761-270-66360
| | - Niels Decher
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Vegetative Physiology and Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior-Philipps-University Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany; (N.D.); (I.R.); (K.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Isabell Röhr
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Vegetative Physiology and Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior-Philipps-University Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany; (N.D.); (I.R.); (K.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Kirsty Vowinkel
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Vegetative Physiology and Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior-Philipps-University Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany; (N.D.); (I.R.); (K.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
- Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katalin Komlosi
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (K.K.); (A.T.); (B.G.)
| | - Andreas Tzschach
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (K.K.); (A.T.); (B.G.)
| | - Birgitta Gläser
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (K.K.); (A.T.); (B.G.)
| | - Miriam A. Schiele
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
| | - Kimon Runge
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.R.); (K.N.); (L.T.v.E.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
| | - Patrick Süß
- Department of Molecular Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Florian Schuchardt
- Department of Neurology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany;
| | - Kathrin Nickel
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.R.); (K.N.); (L.T.v.E.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
| | - Birgit Stallmeyer
- Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (B.S.); (E.S.-B.)
| | - Susanne Rinné
- Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Vegetative Physiology and Marburg Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior-Philipps-University Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany; (N.D.); (I.R.); (K.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Eric Schulze-Bahr
- Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; (B.S.); (E.S.-B.)
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.R.); (K.N.); (L.T.v.E.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; (K.D.); (M.A.S.)
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Mei T, Llera A, Floris DL, Forde NJ, Tillmann J, Durston S, Moessnang C, Banaschewski T, Holt RJ, Baron-Cohen S, Rausch A, Loth E, Dell'Acqua F, Charman T, Murphy DGM, Ecker C, Beckmann CF, Buitelaar JK. Gray matter covariations and core symptoms of autism: the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project. Mol Autism 2020; 11:86. [PMID: 33126911 PMCID: PMC7596954 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00389-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in autism spectrum disorder (autism) have yielded diverging results. This might partly be attributed to structural alterations being associating with the combined influence of several regions rather than with a single region. Further, these structural covariation differences may relate to continuous measures of autism rather than with categorical case-control contrasts. The current study aimed to identify structural covariation alterations in autism, and assessed canonical correlations between brain covariation patterns and core autism symptoms. METHODS We studied 347 individuals with autism and 252 typically developing individuals, aged between 6 and 30 years, who have been deeply phenotyped in the Longitudinal European Autism Project. All participants' VBM maps were decomposed into spatially independent components using independent component analysis. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to examine case-control differences. Next, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was performed to separately explore the integrated effects between all the brain sources of gray matter variation and two sets of core autism symptoms. RESULTS GLM analyses showed significant case-control differences for two independent components. The first component was primarily associated with decreased density of bilateral insula, inferior frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and increased density of caudate nucleus in the autism group relative to typically developing individuals. The second component was related to decreased densities of the bilateral amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus in the autism group relative to typically developing individuals. The CCA results showed significant correlations between components that involved variation of thalamus, putamen, precentral gyrus, frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes, and the cerebellum, and repetitive, rigid and stereotyped behaviors and abnormal sensory behaviors in autism individuals. LIMITATIONS Only 55.9% of the participants with autism had complete questionnaire data on continuous parent-reported symptom measures. CONCLUSIONS Covaried areas associated with autism diagnosis and/or symptoms are scattered across the whole brain and include the limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, precentral gyrus, and parts of the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Some of these areas potentially subserve social-communicative behavior, whereas others may underpin sensory processing and integration, and motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Mei
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Alberto Llera
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Dorothea L Floris
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Natalie J Forde
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Julian Tillmann
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Durston
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Carolin Moessnang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rosemary J Holt
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Annika Rausch
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eva Loth
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Tony Charman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Declan G M Murphy
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Christine Ecker
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christian F Beckmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Minio-Paluello I, Porciello G, Pascual-Leone A, Baron-Cohen S. Face individual identity recognition: a potential endophenotype in autism. Mol Autism 2020; 11:81. [PMID: 33081830 PMCID: PMC7576748 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00371-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Face individual identity recognition skill is heritable and independent of intellectual ability. Difficulties in face individual identity recognition are present in autistic individuals and their family members and are possibly linked to oxytocin polymorphisms in families with an autistic child. While it is reported that developmental prosopagnosia (i.e., impaired face identity recognition) occurs in 2-3% of the general population, no prosopagnosia prevalence estimate is available for autism. Furthermore, an autism within-group approach has not been reported towards characterizing impaired face memory and to investigate its possible links to social and communication difficulties. METHODS The present study estimated the prevalence of prosopagnosia in 80 autistic adults with no intellectual disability, investigated its cognitive characteristics and links to autism symptoms' severity, personality traits, and mental state understanding from the eye region by using standardized tests and questionnaires. RESULTS More than one third of autistic participants showed prosopagnosia. Their face memory skill was not associated with their symptom's severity, empathy, alexithymia, or general intelligence. Face identity recognition was instead linked to mental state recognition from the eye region only in autistic individuals who had prosopagnosia, and this relationship did not depend on participants' basic face perception skills. Importantly, we found that autistic participants were not aware of their face memory skills. LIMITATIONS We did not test an epidemiological sample, and additional work is necessary to establish whether these results generalize to the entire autism spectrum. CONCLUSIONS Impaired face individual identity recognition meets the criteria to be a potential endophenotype in autism. In the future, testing for face memory could be used to stratify autistic individuals into genetically meaningful subgroups and be translatable to autism animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Minio-Paluello
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giuseppina Porciello
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Guttmann Brain Health Institute, Institut Guttmann de Neurorehabilitació, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Khalid M, Raza H, M. Driessen T, J. Lee P, Tejwani L, Sami A, Nawaz M, Mehmood Baig S, Lim J, Kaukab Raja G. Genetic Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Pakistani Population. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11101206. [PMID: 33076578 PMCID: PMC7602870 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex multifactorial neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders in children characterized by impairment of communication and social interaction. Several genes with associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified for ASD in different genetic association studies, meta-analyses, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, associations between different SNPs and ASD vary from population to population. Four SNPs in genes CNTNAP2, EIF4E, ATP2B2, CACNA1C, and SNP rs4307059 (which is found between CDH9 and CDH10 genes) have been identified and reported as candidate risk factors for ASD. The aim of the present study was, for the first time, to assess the association of SNPs in these genes with ASD in the Pakistani population. PCR-based genotyping was performed using allele-specific primers in 93 ASD and 93 control Pakistani individuals. All genetic associations, genotype frequencies, and allele frequencies were computed as odds’ ratios (ORs) using logistic regression with a threshold of p ≤ 0.01 to determine statistical significance. We found that the homozygous genotypes of mutant T alleles of CNTNAP2 and ATP2B2 were significantly associated with Pakistani ASD patients in unadjusted ORs (p < 0.01), but their significance score was lost in the adjusted model. Other SNPs such as rs4307059, rs17850950 of EIF4E, and rs1006737 of CACNA1C were not statistically significant. Based on this, we conclude that SNPs are not associated with, or are not the main cause of, autism in the Pakistani population, indicating the involvement of additional players, which need to be investigated in future studies in a large population size. One of the limitations of present study is its small sample size. However, this study, being the first on Pakistani ASD patients, may lay the foundations for future studies in larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madiha Khalid
- Department of Biochemistry, University Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan; (M.K.); (A.S.)
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Hashim Raza
- Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan;
| | - Terri M. Driessen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Paul J. Lee
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (P.J.L.); (L.T.)
| | - Leon Tejwani
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (P.J.L.); (L.T.)
| | - Abdul Sami
- Department of Biochemistry, University Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan; (M.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Muhammad Nawaz
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, 41346 Gothenburg, Sweden;
| | - Shahid Mehmood Baig
- Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Health Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan;
| | - Janghoo Lim
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (P.J.L.); (L.T.)
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Correspondence: (J.L.); (G.K.R.); Tel.: +1-203-737-6268 (J.L.); +92-(051)-9062-742 (G.K.R.)
| | - Ghazala Kaukab Raja
- Department of Biochemistry, University Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan; (M.K.); (A.S.)
- Correspondence: (J.L.); (G.K.R.); Tel.: +1-203-737-6268 (J.L.); +92-(051)-9062-742 (G.K.R.)
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Solmaz V, Erdoğan MA, Alnak A, Meral A, Erbaş O. Erythropoietin shows gender dependent positive effects on social deficits, learning/memory impairments, neuronal loss and neuroinflammation in the lipopolysaccharide induced rat model of autism. Neuropeptides 2020; 83:102073. [PMID: 32736811 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2020.102073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to evaluate the effects of EPO in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced rat model of autism in terms of social deficits, learning and memory impairments, as well as their neurochemical correlates. Sixteen female Sprague Dawley rats randomly distributed into two equel groups, then were caged with fertile males for mating. At the 10th day of pregnancy, 0.5 ml %0,9 NaCl saline was given to first group, 100 μg/kg LPS was given to second group to induce autism. On postnatal 21th day, forty-eight littermates were divided into four groups as; 8 male, 8 female controls, 16 male and 16 female LPS-exposed. Then, LPS groups were also divided in to two groups as saline (1 mg/kg/day) and EPO 600 U/kg/day groups, and animals were treated 45 days. At 50th day, after behavioral evaluations, brain levels of TNF-α, nerve growth factor (NGF) were measured. Histologically, hippocampal neuronal density and GFAP expression were assessed. Three-chamber sociability and social novelty test, passive avoidance learning test were revealed significant differences among the EPO and control groups. Histologically, hippocampal CA1 & CA3 regions displayed significant alterations regarding gliosis (GFAP-positive cells) and regarding frontal cortical thickness in EPO groups compare to controls. Biochemical measurements of the brain levels of TNF-α and NGF levels showed significant differences between controls and EPO groups. According to our findings EPO treatment has beneficial effects on ASD-like symptoms, learning and memory processes, neuronal loss and neuroinflammation in the LPS induced rat model of autism, with some gender differences through inflammatory and neurotrophic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volkan Solmaz
- Memorial Hizmet Hospital, department of Neurology, İstanbul, Turkey..
| | - Mümin Alper Erdoğan
- Katip Celebi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology, İzmir, Turkey..
| | - Alper Alnak
- Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. Sakarya, Turkey..
| | - Ayfer Meral
- Yuzuncü Yıl University, Medical Faculty, Department of Biochemistry, Van, Turkey..
| | - Oytun Erbaş
- Demiroğlu Bilim University, Medical Faculty, Department of Physiology, İstanbul, Turkey
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Yankowitz LD, Herrington JD, Yerys BE, Pereira JA, Pandey J, Schultz RT. Evidence against the "normalization" prediction of the early brain overgrowth hypothesis of autism. Mol Autism 2020; 11:51. [PMID: 32552879 PMCID: PMC7301552 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00353-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frequently cited Early Overgrowth Hypothesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) postulates that there is overgrowth of the brain in the first 2 years of life, which is followed by a period of arrested growth leading to normalized brain volume in late childhood and beyond. While there is consistent evidence for early brain overgrowth, there is mixed evidence for normalization of brain volume by middle childhood. The outcome of this debate is important to understanding the etiology and neurodevelopmental trajectories of ASD. METHODS Brain volume was examined in two very large single-site samples of children, adolescents, and adults. The primary sample comprised 456 6-25-year-olds (ASD n = 240, typically developing controls (TDC) n = 216), including a large number of females (n = 102) and spanning a wide IQ range (47-158). The replication sample included 175 males. High-resolution T1-weighted anatomical MRI images were examined for group differences in total brain, cerebellar, ventricular, gray, and white matter volumes. RESULTS The ASD group had significantly larger total brain, cerebellar, gray matter, white matter, and lateral ventricular volumes in both samples, indicating that brain volume remains enlarged through young adulthood, rather than normalizing. There were no significant age or sex interactions with diagnosis in these measures. However, a significant diagnosis-by-IQ interaction was detected in the larger sample, such that increased brain volume was related to higher IQ in the TDCs, but not in the ASD group. Regions-of-significance analysis indicated that total brain volume was larger in ASD than TDC for individuals with IQ less than 115, providing a potential explanation for prior inconsistent brain size results. No relationships were found between brain volume and measures of autism symptom severity within the ASD group. LIMITATIONS Our cross-sectional sample may not reflect individual changes over time in brain volume and cannot quantify potential changes in volume prior to age 6. CONCLUSIONS These findings challenge the "normalization" prediction of the brain overgrowth hypothesis by demonstrating that brain enlargement persists across childhood into early adulthood. The findings raise questions about the clinical implications of brain enlargement, since we find that it neither confers cognitive benefits nor predicts increased symptom severity in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa D Yankowitz
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 425 S. University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - John D Herrington
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19105, USA
| | - Benjamin E Yerys
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19105, USA
| | - Joseph A Pereira
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Juhi Pandey
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19105, USA
| | - Robert T Schultz
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2716 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19105, USA
- Department of Pediatrics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19105, USA
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Mana S, Paillère Martinot ML, Martinot JL. Brain imaging findings in children and adolescents with mental disorders: A cross-sectional review. Eur Psychiatry 2020; 25:345-54. [PMID: 20620025 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 04/08/2010] [Accepted: 04/22/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundWhile brain imaging studies of juvenile patients has expanded in recent years to investigate the cerebral neurophysiologic correlates of psychiatric disorders, this research field remains scarce. The aim of the present review was to cluster the main mental disorders according to the differential brain location of the imaging findings recently reported in children and adolescents reports. A second objective was to describe the worldwide distribution and the main directions of the recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron tomography (PET) studies in these patients.MethodsA survey of 423 MRI and PET articles published between 2005 and 2008 was performed. A principal component analysis (PCA), then an activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis, were applied on brain regional information retrieved from articles in order to cluster the various disorders with respect to the cerebral structures where alterations were reported. Furthermore, descriptive analysis characterized the literature production.ResultsTwo hundred and seventy-four articles involving children and adolescent patients were analyzed. Both the PCA and ALE methods clustered, three groups of diagnosed psychiatric disorders, according to the brain structural and functional locations: one group of affective disorders characterized by abnormalities of the frontal-limbic regions; a group of mental disorders with “cognition deficits” mainly related to cortex abnormalities; and one psychomotor condition associated with abnormalities in the basal ganglia. The descriptive analysis indicates a focus on attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and autism spectrum disorders, a general steady rise in the number of annual reports, and lead of US research.ConclusionThis cross-sectional review of child and adolescent mental disorders based on neuroimaging findings suggests overlaps of brain locations that allow to cluster the diagnosed disorders into three sets with respectively marked affective, cognitive, and psychomotor phenomenology. Furthermore, the brain imaging research effort was unequally distributed across disorders, and did not reflect their prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mana
- Service hospitalier central de médecine nucléaire et neurospin, INSERM-CEA, Research Unit 1000 Neuroimaging & psychiatry, University Paris Sud and University Paris Descartes, 4, place Gl.-Leclerc, 91401 Orsay, France.
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Jager I, de Koning P, Bost T, Denys D, Vulink N. Misophonia: Phenomenology, comorbidity and demographics in a large sample. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231390. [PMID: 32294104 PMCID: PMC7159231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Analyze a large sample with detailed clinical data of misophonia subjects in order to determine the psychiatric, somatic and psychological nature of the condition. Methods This observational study of 779 subjects with suspected misophonia was conducted from January 2013 to May 2017 at the outpatient-clinic of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location AMC, the Netherlands. We examined DSM-IV diagnoses, results of somatic examination (general screening and hearing tests), and 17 psychological questionnaires (e.g., SCL-90-R, WHOQoL). Results The diagnosis of misophonia was confirmed in 575 of 779 referred subjects (74%). In the sample of misophonia subjects (mean age, 34.17 [SD = 12.22] years; 399 women [69%]), 148 (26%) subjects had comorbid traits of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, 58 (10%) mood disorders, 31 (5%) attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, and 14 (3%) autism spectrum conditions. Two percent reported tinnitus and 1% hyperacusis. In a random subgroup of 109 subjects we performed audiometry, and found unilateral hearing loss in 3 of them (3%). Clinical neurological examination and additional blood test showed no abnormalities. Psychological tests revealed perfectionism (97% CPQ>25) and neuroticism (stanine 7 NEO-PI-R). Quality of life was heavily impaired and associated with misophonia severity (rs (184) = -.34 p = < .001, p = < .001). Limitations This was a single site study, leading to possible selection–and confirmation bias, since AMC-criteria were used. Conclusions This study with 575 subjects is the largest misophonia sample ever described. Based on these results we propose a set of revised criteria useful to diagnose misophonia as a psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Jager
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Pelle de Koning
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tim Bost
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical and Experimental Audiology, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Damiaan Denys
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nienke Vulink
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Li J, Lin X, Wang M, Hu Y, Xue K, Gu S, Lv L, Huang S, Xie W. Potential role of genomic imprinted genes and brain developmental related genes in autism. BMC Med Genomics 2020; 13:54. [PMID: 32216802 PMCID: PMC7099798 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-020-0693-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism is a complex disease involving both environmental and genetic factors. Recent efforts have implicated the correlation of genomic imprinting and brain development in autism, however the pathogenesis of autism is not completely clear. Here, we used bioinformatic tools to provide a comprehensive analysis of the autism-related genes, genomic imprinted genes and the spatially and temporally differentially expressed genes of human brain, aiming to explore the relationship between autism, brain development and genomic imprinting. METHODS This study analyzed the distribution correlation between autism-related genes and imprinted genes on chromosomes using sliding windows and statistical methods. The normal brains' gene expression microarray data were reanalyzed to construct a spatio-temporal coordinate system of gene expression during brain development. Finally, we intersected the autism-related genes, imprinted genes and brain spatio-temporally differentially expressed genes for further analysis to find the major biological processes that these genes involved. RESULTS We found a positive correlation between the autism-related genes' and imprinted genes' distribution on chromosomes. Through the analysis of the normal brain microarray data, we constructed a spatio-temporal coordinate system of gene expression during human brain development, and obtained 13 genes that are differentially expressed in the process of brain development, which are both autism-related genes and imprinted genes. Furthermore, enrichment analysis illustrated that these genes are mainly involved in the biological processes, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid signaling pathway, neuron recognition, learning or memory, and regulation of synaptic transmission. Bioinformatic analysis implied that imprinted genes regulate the development and behavior of the brain. And its own mutation or changes in the epigenetic modification state of the imprinted control region could lead to some diseases, indicating that imprinted genes and brain development play an important role in diagnosis and prognosis of autism. CONCLUSION This study systematically correlates brain development and genomic imprinting with autism, which provides a new perspective for the study of genetic mechanisms of autism, and selected the potential candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis of autism in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Li
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
| | - Xue Lin
- Department of Bioinformatics, School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Mingya Wang
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Yunyun Hu
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Kaiyu Xue
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Shuanglin Gu
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Li Lv
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China
| | - Saijun Huang
- Foshan Women and Children Hospital, Foshan, 528000, China
| | - Wei Xie
- Key Laboratory of DGHD, MOE, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.
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Beck DB, Petracovici A, He C, Moore HW, Louie RJ, Ansar M, Douzgou S, Sithambaram S, Cottrell T, Santos-Cortez RLP, Prijoles EJ, Bend R, Keren B, Mignot C, Nougues MC, Õunap K, Reimand T, Pajusalu S, Zahid M, Saqib MAN, Buratti J, Seaby EG, McWalter K, Telegrafi A, Baldridge D, Shinawi M, Leal SM, Schaefer GB, Stevenson RE, Banka S, Bonasio R, Fahrner JA. Delineation of a Human Mendelian Disorder of the DNA Demethylation Machinery: TET3 Deficiency. Am J Hum Genet 2020; 106:234-245. [PMID: 31928709 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Germline pathogenic variants in chromatin-modifying enzymes are a common cause of pediatric developmental disorders. These enzymes catalyze reactions that regulate epigenetic inheritance via histone post-translational modifications and DNA methylation. Cytosine methylation (5-methylcytosine [5mC]) of DNA is the quintessential epigenetic mark, yet no human Mendelian disorder of DNA demethylation has yet been delineated. Here, we describe in detail a Mendelian disorder caused by the disruption of DNA demethylation. TET3 is a methylcytosine dioxygenase that initiates DNA demethylation during early zygote formation, embryogenesis, and neuronal differentiation and is intolerant to haploinsufficiency in mice and humans. We identify and characterize 11 cases of human TET3 deficiency in eight families with the common phenotypic features of intellectual disability and/or global developmental delay; hypotonia; autistic traits; movement disorders; growth abnormalities; and facial dysmorphism. Mono-allelic frameshift and nonsense variants in TET3 occur throughout the coding region. Mono-allelic and bi-allelic missense variants localize to conserved residues; all but one such variant occur within the catalytic domain, and most display hypomorphic function in an assay of catalytic activity. TET3 deficiency and other Mendelian disorders of the epigenetic machinery show substantial phenotypic overlap, including features of intellectual disability and abnormal growth, underscoring shared disease mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Beck
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ana Petracovici
- Graduate Group in Genetics and Epigenetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Chongsheng He
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Current address: Hunan Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Developmental Regulation, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 Hunan, P.R. China
| | | | | | - Muhammad Ansar
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, 45320 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sofia Douzgou
- Division of Evolution & Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Sivagamy Sithambaram
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Trudie Cottrell
- Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | | | | | - Renee Bend
- Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA
| | - Boris Keren
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique, Paris 75013, France
| | - Cyril Mignot
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique, Paris 75013, France; Centre de Référence Déficiences Intellectuelles de Causes Rares, Paris 75013, France
| | - Marie-Christine Nougues
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Armand Trousseau Hospital, Department of Neuropediatrics, Paris 75012, France
| | - Katrin Õunap
- Department of Clinical Genetics, United Laboratories, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu 50406, Estonia; Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu 50406, Estonia
| | - Tiia Reimand
- Department of Clinical Genetics, United Laboratories, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu 50406, Estonia; Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu 50406, Estonia; Chair of Human Genetics, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu 50406, Estonia
| | - Sander Pajusalu
- Department of Clinical Genetics, United Laboratories, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu 50406, Estonia; Department of Clinical Genetics, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu 50406, Estonia; Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Muhammad Zahid
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, 45320 Islamabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Julien Buratti
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département de Génétique, Paris 75013, France
| | - Eleanor G Seaby
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | | | - Dustin Baldridge
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Marwan Shinawi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Suzanne M Leal
- Center for Statistical Genetics, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute for Alzheimer's D disease and the Aging Brain, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | | | - Siddharth Banka
- Division of Evolution & Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK; Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation Manchester, Manchester M13 9WL, UK
| | - Roberto Bonasio
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Epigenetics Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jill A Fahrner
- Department of Pediatrics, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Fiore M, Barone R, Copat C, Grasso A, Cristaldi A, Rizzo R, Ferrante M. Metal and essential element levels in hair and association with autism severity. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2020; 57:126409. [PMID: 31630927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2019.126409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder with heterogeneous etiology and wide clinical severity which supports the needs of recognizing biological and clinical features in patient subsets. The present study aimed to understand possible associations between the hair levels of metals and essential elements and some specific features of ASD measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) that represents the gold-standard instrument to objectively confirm ASD diagnosis. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in the province of Catania (Sicily, South Italy). Forty-eight subjects with ASD (70.8% male), aged from 2 to 17 years were studied. Metals (Li, Be, Al, Ni, As, Mo, Cd, Hg, U, Pb) and essential trace elements (Cr, Co, Mn, Zn, Cu, Se) were quantified in hair by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. Participants were characterized by measuring the severity of autism symptoms and cognitive levels. RESULTS A significant and positive correlation was found between hair metal burden (lead, aluminum, arsenic and cadmium levels) and severity of ASD symptoms (social communication deficits and repetitive, restrictive behaviors). Hair zinc level were inversely related with age while there was a negative, significant association between hair zinc level and severity of autistic symptoms (defective functional play and creativity and increase of stereotyped behavior). Lead, molybdenum and manganese hair levels were inversely correlated with cognitive level (full intelligence quotient) in ASD individuals. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests the importance to combine metallomics analysis with pertinent disease features in ASD to identify potential environmental risk factors on an individual level possibly in the early developmental period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Fiore
- Environmental and Food Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA), Department "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
| | - Rita Barone
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Chiara Copat
- Environmental and Food Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA), Department "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Alfina Grasso
- Environmental and Food Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA), Department "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Cristaldi
- Environmental and Food Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA), Department "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Renata Rizzo
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Margherita Ferrante
- Environmental and Food Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA), Department "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Wang W, Fang Y, Nagai Y, Xu D, Fujinami T. Integrating Interactive Clothing and Cyber-Physical Systems: A Humanistic Design Perspective. Sensors (Basel) 2019; 20:E127. [PMID: 31878208 PMCID: PMC6982822 DOI: 10.3390/s20010127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study is aimed at bridging the gap from a transdisciplinary perspective between cyber-physical systems (CPS) architecture in the field of information science and emotional design in the field of humanistic science for interactive fashion innovation. Information related to a familiar feeling in the process of interactive clothing design is used to explain how the transformation could be realized from data. By creating the cyber-physical-clothing systems (CPCS), the architecture model in the hyper world and takes the development process of an interactive parent-child clothing as a case study for analyzing the transformation from the physical signal input to the social symbol recognition output. The experimental results, which from the perspective of clothing art design rather than information discipline, show that interactive parent-child clothing is not only suitable for the rehabilitation of autistic children but also recognized by most parents. The reasonable embedding of sensing technology can greatly enhance the added value of clothing products. This study provides a fruitful practical application reference for designers who are engaged in the field of art and design but not familiar with the relevant information technology. Furthermore, the application principle and the technical process of CPCS for further interactive clothing design is explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weizhen Wang
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fashion Design and Engineering Education, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
| | - Yuan Fang
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Yukari Nagai
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Dong Xu
- School of Arts, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Tsutomu Fujinami
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan
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Bolandparvaz A, Harriman R, Alvarez K, Lilova K, Zang Z, Lam A, Edmiston E, Navrotsky A, Vapniarsky N, Van De Water J, Lewis JS. Towards a nanoparticle-based prophylactic for maternal autoantibody-related autism. Nanomedicine 2019; 21:102067. [PMID: 31349087 PMCID: PMC7197945 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2019.102067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Recently, the causative agents of Maternal Autoantibody-Related (MAR) autism, pathological autoantibodies and their epitopic targets (e.g. lactate dehydrogenase B [LDH B] peptide), have been identified. Herein, we report on the development of Systems for Nanoparticle-based Autoantibody Reception and Entrapment (SNAREs), which we hypothesized could scavenge disease-propagating MAR autoantibodies from the maternal blood. To demonstrate this functionality, we synthesized 15 nm dextran iron oxide nanoparticles surface-modified with citric acid, methoxy PEG(10 kDa) amine, and LDH B peptide (33.8 μg peptide/cm2). In vitro, we demonstrated significantly lower macrophage uptake for SNAREs compared to control NPs. The hallmark result of this study was the efficacy of the SNAREs to remove 90% of LDH B autoantibody from patient-derived serum. Further, in vitro cytotoxicity testing and a maximal tolerated dose study in mice demonstrated the safety of the SNARE formulation. This work establishes the feasibility of SNAREs as the first-ever prophylactic against MAR autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Bolandparvaz
- University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rian Harriman
- University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth Alvarez
- University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Kristina Lilova
- University of California, Davis, Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory and NEAT, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Zexi Zang
- University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Andy Lam
- University of California, Davis, Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory and NEAT, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Edmiston
- University of California, Davis, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Alexandra Navrotsky
- University of California, Davis, Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry Laboratory and NEAT, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Natalia Vapniarsky
- University of California, Davis, Department of Pathology Microbiology and Immunology, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Judy Van De Water
- University of California, Davis, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, Davis, CA, USA; University of California, Davis, M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders), Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jamal S Lewis
- University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA.
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Warrier V, Toro R, Won H, Leblond CS, Cliquet F, Delorme R, De Witte W, Bralten J, Chakrabarti B, Børglum AD, Grove J, Poelmans G, Hinds DA, Bourgeron T, Baron-Cohen S. Social and non-social autism symptoms and trait domains are genetically dissociable. Commun Biol 2019; 2:328. [PMID: 31508503 PMCID: PMC6722082 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0558-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The core diagnostic criteria for autism comprise two symptom domains - social and communication difficulties, and unusually repetitive and restricted behaviour, interests and activities. There is some evidence to suggest that these two domains are dissociable, though this hypothesis has not yet been tested using molecular genetics. We test this using a genome-wide association study (N = 51,564) of a non-social trait related to autism, systemising, defined as the drive to analyse and build systems. We demonstrate that systemising is heritable and genetically correlated with autism. In contrast, we do not identify significant genetic correlations between social autistic traits and systemising. Supporting this, polygenic scores for systemising are significantly and positively associated with restricted and repetitive behaviour but not with social difficulties in autistic individuals. These findings strongly suggest that the two core domains of autism are genetically dissociable, and point at how to fractionate the genetics of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Warrier
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Roberto Toro
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Hyejung Won
- Department of Genetics and Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Claire S. Leblond
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Freddy Cliquet
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Richard Delorme
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Ward De Witte
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Janita Bralten
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Anders D. Børglum
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine - Human Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jakob Grove
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine - Human Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Geert Poelmans
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Thomas Bourgeron
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK
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Leonzino M, Ponzoni L, Braida D, Gigliucci V, Busnelli M, Ceresini I, Duque-Wilckens N, Nishimori K, Trainor BC, Sala M, Chini B. Impaired approach to novelty and striatal alterations in the oxytocin receptor deficient mouse model of autism. Horm Behav 2019; 114:104543. [PMID: 31220463 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Long-standing studies established a role for the oxytocin system in social behavior, social reward, pair bonding and affiliation. Oxytocin receptors, implicated in pathological conditions affecting the social sphere such as autism spectrum disorders, can also modulate cognitive processes, an aspect generally overlooked. Here we examined the effect of acute (pharmacological) or genetic (Oxtr-/-) inactivation of oxytocin receptor-mediated signaling, in male mice, in several cognitive tests. In the novel object recognition test, both oxytocin receptor antagonist treated wild type animals and Oxtr-/- mice lacked the typical preference for novelty. Oxtr-/- mice even preferred the familiar object; moreover, their performance in the Morris water maze did not differ from wild types, suggesting that oxytocin receptor inactivation did not disrupt learning. Because the preference for novel objects could be rescued in Oxtr-/- mice with longer habituation periods, we propose that the loss of novelty preferences following Oxtr inactivation is due to altered processing of novel contextual information. Finally, we observed an increased expression of excitatory synaptic markers in the striatum of Oxtr-/- mice and a greater arborization and higher number of spines/neuron in the dorsolateral area of this structure, which drives habit formation. Our data also indicate a specific reshaping of dorsolateral striatal spines in Oxtr-/- mice after exposure to a novel environment, which might subtend their altered approach to novelty, and support previous work pointing at this structure as an important substrate for autistic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Leonzino
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Ponzoni
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Braida
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marta Busnelli
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Natalia Duque-Wilckens
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Department of Physiology/Neuroscience, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Internal Inflammation, Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Psychology Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Mariaelvina Sala
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Bice Chini
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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50
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Hajri M, Ben Amor A, Abbes Z, Dhouib S, Ouanes S, Mrabet A, Daghfous R, Bouden A. Bumetanide in the management of autism. Tunisian experience in Razi Hospital. Tunis Med 2019; 97:971-977. [PMID: 32173844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism is a multifactorial disease with multiple etiologic hypotheses. Some studies suggest changes in brain GABA mediated inhibition in autism, and a higher intracellular chlorine levels in autistic children. Given these data, clinical trials are conducted to test the efficacy of diuretics in improving clinical symptoms in autism. AIM The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bumetanide in autistic children. METHODS This is an experimental study of cross-type. We included children older than 5 years, with autistic disorder according to the diagnostic criteria of DSM- IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV) and ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised), followed by the child psychiatry consultation Razi hospital. The subjects underwent assessment using the ADI-R, the behavioral scale CARS (Childhood autistic rating scale) and CGI (Clinical Global printing) prior to take diuretic (Bumetanide). In the protocol, the children received checks to day7, day14, day30, day60, day90 comprising: a clinical evaluation (weight gain, blood pressure, general examination for potential adverse effects); biological evaluation; and evaluations by scales (CARS and CGI) after every 3 months of evolution to objectively assess effectiveness. RESULTS Twenty-nine children were included in our study. The average age was 7.9 years.Initiation of medication was carried out with a dose of 1 mg / day, in all children. The average duration of the protocol was 12 months. Sixteen children were excluded from the study for the following reasons: appearance of hypokalemia, poor tolerance of treatment, insufficient efficacy as estimated by parents. Measuring the effectiveness of diuretic, by studying correlations in the CARS showed an efficacy of this treatment at 3 months (p˂10-3), 6 months (p˂10-3), at 9 months (p = 0.010) and 12 months (p = 0.04), and this compared to the initial assessment. Significant improvement (p˂10-3) was found between the 3rd and 6th month. CONCLUSION While our results seem to be promising. A larger sample and a medium and long-term evaluation after the end of treatment are needed.
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