rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Dopamine neurons create Pavlovian conditioned stimuli with circuit-defined motivational properties.
Nature neuroscience, 2018

Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that guide animals toward the acquisition of rewards (for example, food) that are necessary for survival. We tested the fundamental role of midbrain dopamine neurons in conferring predictive and motivational properties to cues, independent of external rewards. We found that brief phasic optogenetic excitation of dopamine neurons, when presented in temporal association with discrete sensory cues, was sufficient to instantiate those cues as conditioned stimuli that subsequently both evoked dopamine neuron activity on their own and elicited cue-locked conditioned behavior. Notably, we identified highly parcellated functions for dopamine neuron subpopulations projecting to different regions of striatum, revealing dissociable dopamine systems for the generation of incentive value and conditioned movement invigoration. Our results indicate that dopamine neurons orchestrate Pavlovian conditioning via functionally heterogeneous, circuit-specific motivational signals to create, gate, and shape cue-controlled behaviors.
Functional connectivity changes and symptoms improvement after personalized, double-daily dosing, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A pilot study.
Journal of psychiatric research, 2021

intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that characterize obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are associated to aberrant resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns within the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits. A high percentage of OCD patients do not respond to conventional pharmacological treatments or psychotherapy. In these patients, inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) resulted in a significant clinical benefit.
Detailed neuronal distribution of GPR3 and its co-expression with EF-hand calcium-binding proteins in the mouse central nervous system.
Brain research, 2021

The G-protein coupled receptor 3 (GPR3), a member of the class A rhodopsin-type GPR family, constitutively activates Gαs proteins without any ligands. Although there have been several reports concerning the functions of GPR3 in neurons, the physiological roles of GPR3 have not been fully elucidated. To address this issue, we analyzed GPR3 distribution in detail using fluorescence-based X-gal staining in heterozygous GPR3 knockout/LacZ knock-in mice, and further investigated the types of GPR3-expressing neurons using fluorescent double labeling with various EF-hand Ca
Identifying a supramodal language network in human brain with individual fingerprint.
NeuroImage, 2020

Where is human language processed in the brain independent of its form? We addressed this issue by analyzing the cortical responses to spoken, written and signed sentences at the level of individual subjects. By applying a novel fingerprinting method based on the distributed pattern of brain activity, we identified a left-lateralized network composed by the superior temporal gyrus/sulcus (STG/STS), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), precentral gyrus/sulcus (PCG/PCS), and supplementary motor area (SMA). In these regions, the local distributed activity pattern induced by any of the three language modalities can predict the activity pattern induced by the other two modalities, and such cross-modal prediction is individual-specific. The prediction is successful for speech-sign bilinguals across all possible modality pairs, but fails for monolinguals across sign-involved pairs. In comparison, conventional group-mean focused analysis detects shared cortical activations across modalities only in the STG, PCG/PCS and SMA, and the shared activations were found in both groups. This study reveals the core language system in the brain that is shared by spoken, written and signed language, and demonstrates that it is possible and desirable to utilize the information of individual differences for functional brain mapping.
Fat graft for reducing pain in chronic wounds.
Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society, 2020

Chronic wounds are one of the most important challenge for regenerative surgery. Plastic surgeon can use fat graft to increase wound healing because its growth factors can enhance tissue regeneration. In a recent study, the authors evaluated a reduction of pain in a cohort of patients submitted to breast reconstruction with breast implant and lipofilling, putting into evidence that growth factors in fat graft can reduce post-surgical pain. The aim of this work is to evaluate ultra-filtered fat graft potential in reducing pain in chronic wounds.
Cathodoluminescence Nanoscopy of 3D Plasmonic Networks.
Nano letters, 2020

Nanoporous metallic networks are endowed with the distinctive optical properties of strong field enhancement and spatial localization, raising the necessity to map the optical eigenmodes with high spatial resolution. In this work, we used cathodoluminescence (CL) to map the local electric fields of a three-dimensional (3D) silver network made of nanosized ligaments and holes over a broad spectral range. A multitude of neighboring hotspots at different frequencies and intensities are observed at subwavelength distances over the network. In contrast to well-defined plasmonic structures, the hotspots do not necessarily correlate with the network morphology, emphasizing the complexity and energy dissipation through the network. In addition, we show that the inherent connectivity of the networked structure plays a key optical role because a ligament with a single connected linker shows localized modes whereas an octopus-like ligament with multiple connections permits energy propagation through the network.
Externalization of tunneled hemodialysis catheter in patients with tunnel or exit-site infections and limited access options.
Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR, 2014

To evaluate the viability and effectiveness of temporary externalization of a tunneled hemodialysis (HD) catheter in catheter-dependent HD patients presenting with catheter-related tunnel or exit-site infection, documented central venous stenosis, and limited alternative venous access.
Does a brief functional assessment in the emergency department predict outcomes of patients admitted with heart failure? The FASTER-HF study.
Archives of cardiovascular diseases, 2020

Evaluation of patients with acute decompensated heart failure includes symptom review, biomarker measurement and comorbidity assessment. Early objective evaluation of functional status is generally not performed.
Spectrum of medulloblastoma subtypes and frequency of MYC amplification; Experience from a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia.
Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), 2020

To clarify the spectrum of morphological and molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma (MBL), in addition to MYC and MYCN amplification statuses in a cohort of Saudi patients. The latter was correlated with patient outcome.
Synaptic organization of cortico-cortical communication in primates.
The European journal of neuroscience, 2020

In cortical circuitry, synaptic communication across areas is based on two types of axon terminals, small and large, with modulatory and driving roles, respectively. In contrast, it is not known whether similar synaptic specializations exist for intra-areal projections. Using anterograde tracing and three-dimensional reconstruction by electron microscopy (3D-EM), we asked whether large boutons form synapses in the circuit of somatosensory cortical areas 3b and 1. In contrast to observations in macaque visual cortex, light microscopy showed both small and large boutons not only in inter-areal pathways, but also in long-distance intrinsic connections. 3D-EM showed that correlation of surface and volume provides a powerful tool for classifying cortical endings. Principal component analysis supported this observation and highlighted the significance of the size of mitochondria as a distinguishing feature of bouton type. The larger mitochondrion and higher degree of perforated postsynaptic density associated with large rather than to small boutons support the driver-like function of large boutons. In contrast to bouton size and complexity, the size of the postsynaptic density appeared invariant across the bouton types. Comparative studies in human supported that size is a major distinguishing factor of bouton type in the cerebral cortex. In conclusion, the driver-like function of the large endings could facilitate fast dissemination of tactile information within the intrinsic and inter-areal circuitry of areas 3b and 1.
Characterization of UMi028-A-1 stem cell line that contains a CRISPR/Cas9 induced hearing loss-associated variant (V60L (c.178G > T)) in the P2RX2 gene.
Stem cell research, 2020

UMi028-A-1 hiPSC line contains a CRISPR/Cas9-induced heterozygous, hearing loss-associated variant (V60L (GTA > TTA)) in the Purinergic Receptor P2X2 (P2RX2) gene. This line, derived from an unaffected male iPSC line, has been successfully characterized for its cellular and genetic properties. The c.178G > T variant in P2RX2 is associated with non-syndromic, dominant, progressive hearing loss. Once differentiated into inner ear cell types, UMi028-A-1 will serve as a resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying hearing loss and serve as a potential platform for testing therapeutic approaches to restore inner ear function.
The Important Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Reorganization of a Rehabilitation Unit in a National Healthcare System Hospital in Italy: Lessons From Our Experience.
American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 2021

Since March 2020, when COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the world's healthcare systems' main concern has been fighting the pandemic. However, patients with other diseases, also requiring rehabilitation evaluations and treatments, continued to need care. Our rehabilitation unit managed to maintain contact with patients through alternative communication methods even during the lockdown period and in a situation of staff shortage. If face-to-face evaluations and treatments were necessary, preventive measures were followed to avoid hospital-associated contagion. Rehabilitation beds were cleared to leave them to the acute wards, and consultations for the acute care patients were carried out using personal protective equipment. In the future, the lessons from our experience could contribute toward drawing a plan of measures applicable in similar situations and some of these actions could become part of the rehabilitative practice.
Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 serology assays reveals a range of test performance.
Nature biotechnology, 2020

Appropriate use and interpretation of serological tests for assessments of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposure, infection and potential immunity require accurate data on assay performance. We conducted a head-to-head evaluation of ten point-of-care-style lateral flow assays (LFAs) and two laboratory-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies in 5-d time intervals from symptom onset and studied the specificity of each assay in pre-coronavirus disease 2019 specimens. The percent of seropositive individuals increased with time, peaking in the latest time interval tested (>20 d after symptom onset). Test specificity ranged from 84.3% to 100.0% and was predominantly affected by variability in IgM results. LFA specificity could be increased by considering weak bands as negative, but this decreased detection of antibodies (sensitivity) in a subset of SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR-positive cases. Our results underline the importance of seropositivity threshold determination and reader training for reliable LFA deployment. Although there was no standout serological assay, four tests achieved more than 80% positivity at later time points tested and more than 95% specificity.
Game-Based Community Cognitive Health Intervention for Minority and Lower Socioeconomic Status Older Adults: A Feasibility Pilot Study.
Games for health journal, 2014

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of implementing a noncomputerized, game-based, community cognitive health intervention with minority and/or lower socioeconomic status (SES) older adults in order to improve cognitive performance and quality of life.
Late-onset depression is associated to age-related central auditory processing disorder in an older population in Southern Italy.
GeroScience, 2021

The association between late-life depression (LLD) and age-related hearing loss (ARHL) was suggested by preliminary studies, but reliance on LLD subtypes may introduce significant bias. We examined the association between ARHL and LLD according to the age of onset (early-onset depression (EOD) and late-onset depression (LOD)). We investigated the association between ARHL and LLD diagnosed according to the Semi-structured Clinical Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV-TR in 1749 Italian community-dwelling older subjects from the population-based GreatAGE Study, Southern Italy. Peripheral ARHL was assessed as a pure tone average (PTA) threshold > 40 dB hearing level in the better ear- and age-related CAPD as a score of < 50% to the Synthetic Sentences Identification with Ipsilateral Competitive Message (SSI-ICM) test. LLD amounted at 10.29% of the sample, subdivided in LOD (6.21%) and EOD (4.08%). Age-related CAPD tended to be higher in LOD (28.91%) than in EOD (19.05%). After accounting for covariates, LOD was tendentially associated to age-related CAPD, but not to peripheral ARHL. This trend was confirmed by the linear models in which LOD was significantly associated to worsen SSI-ICM percentages (odds ratio 2.38, 95% confidence interval 1.32-4.30, p = 0.004), but not to PTA values. In a fully adjusted model of LOD, the effect of the association between CAPD and LOD was explained by social dysfunction. LLD was not associated to peripheral ARHL. Age-related CAPD was associated to LOD, a form of depression with cognitive dysfunction hallmark. The ARHL assessment may be an important opportunity to prevent depressive disorders in later life, particularly for LOD.
Modulation of Dopamine for Adaptive Learning: A Neurocomputational Model.
Computational brain & behavior, 2021

There have been many proposals that learning rates in the brain are adaptive, in the sense that they increase or decrease depending on environmental conditions. The majority of these models are abstract and make no attempt to describe the neural circuitry that implements the proposed computations. This article describes a biologically detailed computational model that overcomes this shortcoming. Specifically, we propose a neural circuit that implements adaptive learning rates by modulating the gain on the dopamine response to reward prediction errors, and we model activity within this circuit at the level of spiking neurons. The model generates a dopamine signal that depends on the size of the tonically active dopamine neuron population and the phasic spike rate. The model was tested successfully against results from two single-neuron recording studies and a fast-scan cyclic voltammetry study. We conclude by discussing the general applicability of the model to dopamine mediated tasks that transcend the experimental phenomena it was initially designed to address.
Acetylcholine Muscarinic M
Biological psychiatry, 2020

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major socioeconomic burden on society, and current pharmacotherapeutic treatment options are inadequate. Aberrant alcohol use and seeking alters frontostriatal function.
Modelling change in neurocognition, symptoms and functioning in young people with emerging mental disorders.
Journal of psychiatric research, 2020

Mental disorders and their functional impacts evolve dynamically over time. Neurocognition and clinical symptoms are commonly modelled as predictors of functioning, however, studies tend to rely on static variables and adult samples with chronic disorders, with limited research investigating change in these variables in young people with emerging mental disorders. These relationships were explored in a longitudinal clinical cohort of young people accessing early intervention mental health services in Australia, around three-quarters of whom presented with a mood disorder (N = 176, aged 12-30 at baseline). Bivariate latent change score models quantified associations between neurocognition (a latent variable of working memory, verbal memory, visuospatial memory, and cognitive flexibility), global clinical symptoms, and functioning (self- and clinician-rated) and their relative change over follow-up (median = 20 months). We found that longitudinal changes in functioning were coupled with changes in global clinical symptoms (β = -0.43, P < 0.001), such that improvement in functioning was related to improvement in clinical symptoms. Changes in neurocognition were not significantly associated with changes in functioning or clinical symptoms. Main findings were upheld in three sensitivity analyses restricting the sample to: (a) adults aged 18-30; (b) participants with 12-24 months of follow-up; and (c) participants without a psychotic disorder. Our findings show that global symptom reduction and functional improvement are related in young people with emerging mental disorders. More work is needed to determine the temporal precedence of change in these variables. Future studies should apply this methodology to intervention studies to untangle the causal dynamics between neurocognition, symptoms, and functioning.
The value of C-reactive protein in symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.
The International journal of neuroscience, 2013

Inflammatory markers may help establish the diagnosis of carotid atherosclerotic disease and predict the progression and outcomes. We evaluated inflammatory markers in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with moderate to severe carotid artery stenosis, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leukocyte count, leukocyte subgroups and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. There were 32 symptomatic and 16 asymptomatic patients (age ≥50 years) with moderate to severe carotid stenosis detected by color Doppler ultrasonography, and 22 individuals without atherosclerotic findings on Doppler ultrasonography. The mean hs-CRP was significantly greater in the symptomatic (p = 0.001) and asymptomatic (p < 0.001) patients than control subjects; there was no significant difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in mean hs-CRP values. Compared with control subjects, asymptomatic patients had greater mean leukocyte count (p = 0.016). Compared with control subjects, symptomatic patients had greater mean neutrophil count (p = 0.012), monocyte count (p = 0.021) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.001). The hs-CRP was associated with moderate to severe carotid artery stenosis, but it did not differentiate symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
The H
Scientific reports, 2020

Syntaxins are a family of membrane-anchored SNARE proteins that are essential components required for membrane fusion in eukaryotic intracellular membrane trafficking pathways. Syntaxins contain an N-terminal regulatory domain, termed the H
Efficient automated localization of ECoG electrodes in CT images via shape analysis.
International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery, 2021

People with drug-refractory epilepsy are potential candidates for surgery. In many cases, epileptogenic zone localization requires intracranial investigations, e.g., via ElectroCorticoGraphy (ECoG), which uses subdural electrodes to map eloquent areas of large cortical regions. Precise electrodes localization on cortical surface is mandatory to delineate the seizure onset zone. Simple thresholding operations performed on patients' computed tomography (CT) volumes recognize electrodes but also other metal objects (e.g., wires, stitches), which need to be manually removed. A new automated method based on shape analysis is proposed, which provides substantially improved performances in ECoG electrodes recognition.
Recent advances in neurotechnologies with broad potential for neuroscience research.
Nature neuroscience, 2020

Interest in deciphering the fundamental mechanisms and processes of the human mind represents a central driving force in modern neuroscience research. Activities in support of this goal rely on advanced methodologies and engineering systems that are capable of interrogating and stimulating neural pathways, from single cells in small networks to interconnections that span the entire brain. Recent research establishes the foundations for a broad range of creative neurotechnologies that enable unique modes of operation in this context. This review focuses on those systems with proven utility in animal model studies and with levels of technical maturity that suggest a potential for broad deployment to the neuroscience community in the relatively near future. We include a brief summary of existing and emerging neuroscience techniques, as background for a primary focus on device technologies that address associated opportunities in electrical, optical and microfluidic neural interfaces, some with multimodal capabilities. Examples of the use of these technologies in recent neuroscience studies illustrate their practical value. The vibrancy of the engineering science associated with these platforms, the interdisciplinary nature of this field of research and its relevance to grand challenges in the treatment of neurological disorders motivate continued growth of this area of study.
Rituximab associated necrosis: A case report.
Multiple sclerosis and related disorders, 2020

Rituximab is a B-cell-depleting unconjugated monoclonal IgG1 antibody that targets the transmembrane protein CD20. This article reports on a case with the rare complication known as Rituximab-associated mucosal necrosis.
Investigation of CD26, a potential SARS-CoV-2 receptor, as a biomarker of age and pathology.
Bioscience reports, 2020

In some individuals, coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leads to a variety of serious inflammatory symptoms, including blood clotting and acute respiratory distress. Death due to COVID-19 shows a steep rise in relation to age. Comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, and cardiovascular disease also increase susceptibility. It has been reported that T-cell regulatory dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4; cluster of differentiation 26 (CD26)) binds to the external spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 as a receptor, for the viral entry into the host cell. CD26 is expressed on many cells, including T and natural killer (NK) cells of the immune system, as a membrane-anchored form. A soluble form (sCD26) is also found in the blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Approach and results: To investigate a possible relationship between sCD26 levels, age and pathology, serum samples were collected from control, T2DM and age-related dementia (ARD) subjects. A significant reduction in serum sCD26 levels was seen in relation to age. ARD and T2DM were also associated with lower levels of sCD26. The analysis of blood smears revealed different cellular morphologies: in controls, CD26 was expressed around the neutrophil membrane, whereas in T2DM, excessive sCD26 was found around the mononucleated cells (MNCs). ARD subjects had abnormal fragmented platelets and haemolysis due to low levels of sCD26.