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Topic Review
KCNQ Channels
The broad distribution of voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKCs) in the human body makes them a critical component for the study of physiological and pathological function. Within the KCNQ family of VGKCs, these aqueous conduits serve an array of critical roles in homeostasis, especially in neural tissue.
  • 1.7K
  • 19 May 2022
Topic Review
Ly6c as New Marker of Mouse Blood Vessels
During our research we have observed that Ly6c, which is traditionally only used as a classic and non-classical monocyte / macrophage differentiating antigen, can be used as a new specific marker of the mouse vasculature and to assess qualitatively and quantitatively vascular changes in health and disease. Researchers believe that this innovative application of Ly6c immunodetection, which has shown three advantages (brighter signal, homogeneous staining and greater selectivity) compared to traditional vessel markers such as IB4 isolectin, will be of high interest to researchers in this field.
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis in Mood Disorders
The microbiota–gut–brain axis is a bidirectional communication pathway that enables the gut microbiota to communicate with the brain through direct and indirect signaling pathways to influence brain physiology, function, and even behavior. Several taxonomic changes in the gut microbiota have been reported in neurodevelopmental disorders, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. 
  • 1.6K
  • 17 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Neurodegeneration in NPC Disease
Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive storage disorder, characterized by abnormal sequestration of unesterified cholesterol in the late endo-lysosomal system of cells. Progressive neurological deterioration and the onset of symptoms, such as ataxia, seizures, cognitive decline, and severe dementia, are pathognomonic features of the disease. In addition, different pathological similarities, including degeneration of hippocampal and cortical neurons, hyperphosphorylated tau, and neurofibrillary tangle formation, have been identified between NPC disease and other neurodegenerative pathologies.
  • 1.6K
  • 22 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Diagnosis and Assessment of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy
Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) manifests as the primary cause of spinal cord dysfunction and is non-traumatic, chronic and progressive in nature. Decompressive surgery is typically utilised to halt further disability and neurological dysfunction and as such, early diagnosis and assessment is a vital means of slowing the disease process. Currently, there exists a plethora of methods for diagnosing DCM, each with their own unique limitations. The limitations of current diagnostic techniques and some novel quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques for assessing spinal cord integrity in DCM were described here.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
The Effect of Menopause on Antipsychotic Response
Whenever estrogen levels decline, psychosis symptoms in women increase. At menopause, this can happen in two main ways: (a) the loss of estrogen (mainly estradiol) can directly affect central neurotransmission, leading to increase in schizophrenia-related symptoms, and (b) the loss of estrogen can decrease the synthesis of enzymes that metabolize antipsychotic drugs, thus weakening their efficacy.
  • 1.6K
  • 04 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Synaptotagmin Isoforms and SYT1 Function
Synaptic dysregulations often result in damaging effects on the central nervous system, resulting in a wide range of brain and neurodevelopment disorders that are caused by mutations disrupting synaptic proteins. Synaptotagmin-1 (SYT1), an identified synaptotagmin protein, plays an essential role in mediating the release of calcium-triggered neurotransmitters (NT) involved in regular synaptic vesicle exocytosis. 
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Intestinal Enteroendocrine Cells in Parkinson’s Disease
Intestinal epithelial enteroendocrine cells (EECs) residing in the epithelium throughout intestine are the key regulators orchestrating the communication along the brain-gut-microbiota axis. On one hand, EECs sense changes in luminal microorganisms via microbial metabolites; on the other hand, they communicate with host body systems via neuroendocrine molecules. Therefore, EECs are believed to play important roles in neurological and psychiatric disorders.
  • 1.6K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Paliperidone to Treat Psychotic Disorders
This is a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the use of paliperidone in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. It covers the background and presentation of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, as well as the mechanism of action and drug information for paliperidone. It covers the existing evidence of the use of paliperidone for the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. 
  • 1.6K
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
“Omic” Studies and Cadasil
CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy; OMIM#125310) is a systemic arteriopathy of non-atherosclerotic and non-amyloid cause. It is a rare disease affecting fewer than 2/1000 individuals, caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene. It has autosomal dominant inheritance, although it can also occur due to de novo mutations. 
  • 1.6K
  • 26 Jul 2021
Topic Review
CNS Glial Cells FA Synthesis
The central nervous system (CNS) has an exceptionally high lipid content. The brain contains the highest diversity of lipids than any other organ. Fatty acids (FA) are essential monomeric components that define the structural diversity of lipids and determine their functional properties in the CNS. FAs and their metabolites are critical for brain homeostasis and influence many neural functions, including cell survival, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. Glial cells are a highly heterogeneous population of cells and predominate the mammalian brain. Astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia are the major types of glial cells in the CNS. Their main function is to sustain a homeostatic environment for neuronal circuits, providing not only structural or trophic support but also controlling neuronal function and plasticity. To do so, glial cells heavily rely on transient and temporal changes in the FA and lipid metabolism.
  • 1.6K
  • 23 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Neuroprotective Role of Lactoferrin during Early Brain Development
Early adverse fetal environments can significantly disturb central nervous system (CNS) development and subsequently alter brain maturation. Nutritional status is a major variable to be considered during development and increasing evidence links neonate and preterm infant impaired brain growth with neurological and psychiatric diseases in adulthood. Breastfeeding is one of the main components required for healthy newborn development due to the many “constitutive” elements breastmilk contains. Maternal intake of specific nutrients during lactation may alter milk composition, thus affecting newborn nutrition and, potentially, brain development. Lactoferrin (Lf) is a major protein present in colostrum and the main protein in human milk, which plays an important role in the benefits of breastfeeding during postnatal development. It has been demonstrated that Lf has antimicrobial, as well as anti-inflammatory properties, and is potentially able to reduce the incidence of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which are particularly frequent in premature births. The anti-inflammatory effects of Lf can reduce birth-related pathologies by decreasing the release of pro-inflammatory factors and inhibiting premature cervix maturation (also related to commensal microbiome abnormalities) that could contribute to disrupting brain development. Pre-clinical evidence shows that Lf protects the developing brain from neuronal injury, enhances brain connectivity and neurotrophins production, and decreases inflammation in models of perinatal inflammatory challenge, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). Lactoferrin has also been considered a potential biomarker of neurodegeneration and its mechanisms of action make it a good candidate to be tested in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.6K
  • 08 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Gender Differences in Cannabis Use
Gender differences in psychiatric disorders and drug use are well known. Cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug among young people. In recent years, its use has been related to the development of psychiatric pathologies; however, few studies have incorporated the gender perspective as of yet. Men have a higher prevalence using cannabis; however, women show a faster transition from recreational use to compulsive use, higher levels of craving with more relapses, and higher prevalence of dual pathology. Clinical studies clearly show the existence of gender differences in psychiatric symptoms associated with cannabis use. Although these results are not conclusive, they seem to indicate a higher vulnerability of women in the development of psychosis and anxiety, while men seem to be more vulnerable to developing depressive symptoms with long-term cannabis misuses. 
  • 1.6K
  • 02 Apr 2022
Topic Review
CXCL1 in Noncancerous Diseases of the Nervous System
Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines, whose most important function is the chemoattraction of immune cells. CXC motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), a CXC chemokine, is also known as growth-regulated (or -related) oncogene-α (Gro-α) and melanoma growth-stimulatory activity (MGSA). The role CXCL1 plays in the physiology of the nervous system is described. 
  • 1.6K
  • 10 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Approaches to Estimate Minimum Clinically Important Differences
The origin of evidence-based medicine (EBM) dates back to the 1970s. This paradigm emphasizes a methodical evaluation of the evidence for use in health care decision-making, along with the knowledge of decision-makers and the expectations and values of patients. There is a growing awareness of correlating statistically significant results with clinical relevance in clinical trials to avoid the misinterpretation of study findings and prevent patients from being exposed to unnecessary therapies. The concept of “clinically important difference”, which has been developed as a way to overcome the drawbacks of a “statistically significant difference” and which represents a change that the patient feels, is noteworthy. The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) is the threshold value for such a change, first described by Jaeschke and colleagues in 1989. There has been a shift towards considering clinical relevance rather than just statistical significance in interpreting results from clinical trials. Multiple rating scales, such as the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the Barthel Index (BI), are commonly used as outcome measures in both daily neurological practice and clinical trials, including stroke trials.
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Brain Calcifications
Brain calcifications (BC) are intracranial calcium deposits localized in the brain parenchyma and its microvasculature. Their prevalence ranges from 1% in young individuals up to 38% in elderly subjects. Calcified areas are easily identified by clinicians as hyperdense alterations on brain CT. A certain degree of intracranial calcifications, particularly of the basal ganglia, pineal gland, choroid plexus, and habenula, can be considered a normal phenomenon associated with aging. Indeed, BC are often incidental findings on neuroimaging of asymptomatic individuals; however, they can also be associated with many genetic and acquired disorders. BC can be primary, as observed in several early- and late-onset genetic syndromes, or can be secondary to systemic alterations of phosphate–calcium metabolism (genetic and also acquired forms), intrauterine (e.g., TORCH) and post-natal infections (e.g., neurocysticercosis), hypoxic-ischemic injuries, toxic exposures (e.g., lead), brain tumors (e.g., oligodendrogliomas), and autoimmune disorders (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus).
  • 1.6K
  • 10 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Neurodegeneration
The human body is highly complex and comprises a variety of living cells and extracellular material, which forms tissues, organs, and organ systems. Human cells tend to turn over readily to maintain homeostasis in tissues. However, postmitotic nerve cells exceptionally have an ability to regenerate and be sustained for the entire life of an individual, to safeguard the physiological functioning of the central nervous system. For efficient functioning of the CNS, neuronal death is essential, but extreme loss of neurons diminishes the functioning of the nervous system and leads to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases range from acute to chronic severe life-altering conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Millions of individuals worldwide are suffering from neurodegenerative disorders with little or negligible treatment available, thereby leading to a decline in their quality of life. Neuropathological studies have identified a series of factors that explain the etiology of neuronal degradation and its progression in neurodegenerative disease. The onset of neurological diseases depends on a combination of factors that causes a disruption of neurons, such as environmental, biological, physiological, and genetic factors. 
  • 1.6K
  • 16 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for Altered Mitostasis in ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal multisystem disease characterized by progressive death of motor neurons, loss of muscle mass, and impaired energy metabolism. The morphology and dynamics of mitochondrial network, quality control mechanisms, motility, and overall mitochondrial function are closely interrelated pathways that play a fundamental role in the dyshomeostasis of mitochondria in neurons, surrounding glial cells, myocytes, and many other cell types across peripheral tissues. Molecular mechanisms responsible for altered mitostasis in ALS-affected cells contribute to excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, energy deficiency and, ultimately, the death of motoneurons and other cells. Damaged mitochondria can release a number of proapoptotic factors and inflammatory response activators called damage-related molecular patterns, which creates a cycle of direct communication between mitochondrial disorders, inflammation, and cell degeneration.
  • 1.6K
  • 19 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Ursolic and Oleanolic Acids
Ursolic and oleanolic acids are secondary plant metabolites that are known to be involved in the plant defence system against water loss and pathogens. Nowadays these triterpenoids are also regarded as potential pharmaceutical compounds, compounds or triterpenoid-enriched plant extracts exert various beneficial effects, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticancer, on model systems of both human or animal origin. Some of those effects have been linked to the ability of ursolic and oleanolic acids to modulate intracellular antioxidant systems and also inflammation and cell death-related pathways.
  • 1.6K
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
The Gut-Immune-Brain Axis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease comprising two major clinical entities—Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). IBD incidence remains constantly high in industrialized countries and continuously rises in emerging economies. Importantly, IBD is associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms that strongly worsen IBD disease burden. Mounting evidence indicates that chronic gut inflammation induces a systemic immune response that might cause the CNS manifestation in IBD. In line with this, biologicals targeting inflammatory circuits exerted robust positive effects on depressive symptoms in many autoimmune diseases, and in IBD in particular. Therefore, research in recent years increasingly focused on the characterization of local and systemic immune reactions in IBD, and on entry routes of inflammatory cells and molecules into the CNS. The ultimate aim is to understand how the changes in the neuroimmune landscape impair the function of neurons to cause neuropsychiatric symptoms. In addition, the role of intestinal microbiota in the gut–immune–brain axis in IBD will be discussed. 
  • 1.6K
  • 18 Oct 2022
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