rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Firm parenting and youth adjustment: Stress reactivity and dyadic synchrony of respiratory sinus arrhythmia.
Developmental psychobiology, 2021

Parental behaviors are potent risk and protective factors for youth development of externalizing problems. Firm control is a parenting strategy that is inconsistently linked to youth adjustment, possibly due to variations in individual biological contexts. Growing research shows that dyadic coregulation of the autonomic nervous system (e.g., parent-child physiological synchrony) is a neurobiological mechanism that links parenting to youth adjustment. However, physiological synchrony may be context-dependent (e.g., adaptive in positive interactions, maladaptive in negative interactions). We aimed to test the role of dyadic synchrony in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during parent-child conflict as a mediator between parent firm control and youth's externalizing problems. To capture youth's stress reactivity, we also tested how galvanic skin response reactivity (GSR-R) moderated this indirect path. The sample included 101 dyads of low socioeconomic-status at-risk preadolescents and parents. Results indicated that youth higher levels of GSR-R significantly intensified the link between parent firm control and dyadic RSA synchrony during conflict. Dyadic RSA synchrony further predicted youth increased in externalizing problems. Overall, results suggest that when parents employ firm control parenting with highly reactive teens, dyadic RSA synchrony elevates, potentially modeling less optimal coping with conflict for the youth, which is associated with increased externalizing problems.
The Risk of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in Acute Neurological Disease.
Neurocritical care, 2019

Case series have reported reversible left ventricular dysfunction, also known as stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), in the setting of acute neurological diseases such as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The relative associations between various neurological diseases and Takotsubo remain incompletely understood.
Neuroaesthetics: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Aesthetic Experience.
Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 2016

The field of neuroaesthetics has gained in popularity in recent years but also attracted criticism from the perspectives both of the humanities and the sciences. In an effort to consolidate research in the field, we characterize neuroaesthetics as the cognitive neuroscience of aesthetic experience, drawing on long traditions of research in empirical aesthetics on the one hand and cognitive neuroscience on the other. We clarify the aims and scope of the field, identifying relations among neuroscientific investigations of aesthetics, beauty, and art. The approach we advocate takes as its object of study a wide spectrum of aesthetic experiences, resulting from interactions of individuals, sensory stimuli, and context. Drawing on its parent fields, a cognitive neuroscience of aesthetics would investigate the complex cognitive processes and functional networks of brain regions involved in those experiences without placing a value on them. Thus, the cognitive neuroscientific approach may develop in a way that is mutually complementary to approaches in the humanities.
State-dependent effects of transcranial oscillatory currents on the motor system: what you think matters.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2013

Imperceptible transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) changes the endogenous cortical oscillatory activity in a frequency-specific manner. In the human motor system, tACS coincident with the idling beta rhythm of the quiescent motor cortex increased the corticospinal output. We reasoned that changing the initial state of the brain (i.e., from quiescence to a motor imagery task that desynchronizes the local beta rhythm) might also change the susceptibility of the corticospinal system to resonance effects induced by beta-tACS. We tested this hypothesis by delivering tACS at different frequencies (theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) on the primary motor cortex at rest and during motor imagery. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were obtained by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the primary motor cortex with an online-navigated TMS-tACS setting. During motor imagery, the increase of corticospinal excitability was maximal with theta-tACS, likely reflecting a reinforcement of working memory processes required to mentally process and "execute" the cognitive task. As expected, the maximal MEPs increase with subjects at rest was instead obtained with beta-tACS, substantiating previous evidence. This dissociation provides new evidence of state and frequency dependency of tACS effects on the motor system and helps discern the functional role of different oscillatory frequencies of this brain region. These findings may be relevant for rehabilitative neuromodulatory interventions.
Interactions of nitric oxide with α2 -adrenoceptors within the locus coeruleus underlie the facilitation of inhibitory avoidance memory by agmatine.
British journal of pharmacology, 2016

Agmatine, a putative neurotransmitter, plays a vital role in learning and memory. Although it is considered an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, agmatine exhibits high affinity for α-adrenoceptors, NOS and NMDA receptors. These substrates within the locus coeruleus (LC) are critically involved in learning and memory processes.
Rewiring neuronal microcircuits of the brain via spine head protrusions--a role for synaptopodin and intracellular calcium stores.
Acta neuropathologica communications, 2016

Neurological diseases associated with neuronal death are also accompanied by axonal denervation of connected brain regions. In these areas, denervation leads to a decrease in afferent drive, which may in turn trigger active central nervous system (CNS) circuitry rearrangement. This rewiring process is important therapeutically, since it can partially recover functions and can be further enhanced using modern rehabilitation strategies. Nevertheless, the cellular mechanisms of brain rewiring are not fully understood. We recently reported a mechanism by which neurons remodel their local connectivity under conditions of network-perturbance: hippocampal pyramidal cells can extend spine head protrusions (SHPs), which reach out toward neighboring terminals and form new synapses. Since this form of activity-dependent rewiring is observed only on some spines, we investigated the required conditions. We speculated, that the actin-associated protein synaptopodin, which is involved in several synaptic plasticity mechanisms, could play a role in the formation and/or stabilization of SHPs. Using hippocampal slice cultures, we found that ~70 % of spines with protrusions in CA1 pyramidal neurons contained synaptopodin. Analysis of synaptopodin-deficient neurons revealed that synaptopodin is required for the stability but not the formation of SHPs. The effects of synaptopodin could be linked to its role in Ca(2+) homeostasis, since spines with protrusions often contained ryanodine receptors and synaptopodin. Furthermore, disrupting Ca(2+) signaling shortened protrusion lifetime. By transgenically reintroducing synaptopodin on a synaptopodin-deficient background, SHP stability could be rescued. Overall, we show that synaptopodin increases the stability of SHPs, and could potentially modulate the rewiring of microcircuitries by making synaptic reorganization more efficient.
A map of object space in primate inferotemporal cortex.
Nature, 2020

The inferotemporal (IT) cortex is responsible for object recognition, but it is unclear how the representation of visual objects is organized in this part of the brain. Areas that are selective for categories such as faces, bodies, and scenes have been found
Cocaine withdrawal impairs metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2011

Neuroadaptation in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a central component of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, has been implicated in the development of cocaine-induced psychomotor sensitization and relapse to cocaine seeking. However, little is known about the cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying such adaptation. Using a mouse model of behavioral sensitization, we show that animals withdrawn from repeated cocaine exposure have a selective deficit in the ability to elicit metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the shell of the NAc in response to bath application of the group I mGluR agonist (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG). Experiments conducted in the presence of the selective mGluR1 antagonists 7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropachromen-carboxylate ethyl ester and (S)-(+)-α-amino-4-carboxy-2-methylbenzeneacetic acid, or the mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine, demonstrated that the impaired DHPG-LTD is likely attributable to a loss of mGluR5 function. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR and Western blot analysis revealed significant downregulation of mGluR5, but not mGluR1, mRNA and protein levels in the NAc shell. The inhibitory effect of repeated cocaine exposure on DHPG-LTD was selectively prevented when cocaine was coadministered with the selective D(1)-like DA receptor antagonist (R)-(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine. Furthermore, the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein in the NAc shell increased progressively after cocaine withdrawal, and the impairment of DHPG-LTD in the NAc shell was not found in slices from BDNF-knock-out mice after cocaine withdrawal. These results suggest that withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure may result in increased BDNF levels in the NAc shell, which leads to a selective downregulation of mGluR5 and thereby impairs the induction of mGluR-dependent LTD.
Diet Quality and Mental Health Amongst Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Patients.
Cureus, 2021

This is the first study that explored the self-reported dietary habits of acute psychiatric inpatients. We found that 75% of the psychiatric inpatients have an unhealthy diet, which correlates with higher body mass index (BMI) and lower education level. We also found an increased sugar consumption in inpatients with schizophrenia. The link between nutrition and mental health has been explored to a limited extent owing to the cumbersome nature of conducting research that involves specific dietary intervention and follow up. Yet, there is existing literature linking poor diet with impaired mental health and poor recovery from depression, amongst other disorders. Good nutrition can be exemplified with diets like the Mediterranean diet with a focus on certain food groups that provide the nutrients linked to neurotransmitters and a fairly new concept of the gut-brain axis. A Mediterranean-style dietary intervention supplemented with fish oil improves diet quality and mental health in people with depression. A randomised controlled trial published in the nutritional neuroscience journal yielded a positive outcome and improvement in the overall well-being of the patients enrolled. We explored the dietary habits of acute inpatients. After gathering a detailed diet history, their food habits were compared to a Mediterranean dietary index to assess their dietary patterns. Additionally, variables such as socio-economic characteristics, physical activity, income, BMI, and educational achievement were taken into consideration, with the intention to understand the effect of these factors on a diet consumed by acute patients and the relationship of the diet with their mental wellbeing. Ultimately, this study aims at an important aspect of preventive mental health, i.e., improved dietary habits (e.g., Mediterranean diet) may contribute to more rapid symptoms resolution and acute stabilization on a short-stay inpatient unit.
Post-thrombolysis rupture of small lenticulostriate aneurysms: A report of 2 consecutive cases.
Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 2019

The 2018 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines stated that the administration of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rTPA) for acute ischaemic stroke is probably safe for patients with small (i.e. <10 mm) unruptured intracranial aneurysms. We present 2 cases of small (2 and 5 mm) lenticulostriate artery (LSA) aneurysms which ruptured immediately following rtPA infusion. The ensuing acute intracranial haemorrhages resulted in the death of one patient and severe functional impairment for the other. Given the limited literature available, the natural history of LSA aneurysms is largely unknown. This report suggests that LSA aneurysms, regardless of size, be considered separately from other conventional aneurysms as "high-risk" lesions and a contraindication to thrombolysis.
Path mediation analysis reveals GBA impacts Lewy body disease status by increasing α-synuclein levels.
Neurobiology of disease, 2019

Synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are characterized by the accumulation of abnormal α-synuclein in intraneuronal inclusions, named Lewy bodies. Mutations in GBA1, the gene encoding the lysosomal hydrolase glucocerebrosidase, have been identified as the most common genetic risk factor for PD and DLB. However, despite extensive research, the mechanism by which glucocerebrosidase dysfunction increases the risk for PD or DLB still remains elusive. In our study we expand the toolbox for PD-DLB post-mortem studies by introducing new quantitative biochemical assays for glucocerebrosidase and α-synuclein. Applying causal modelling, we determine how these parameters are interrelated and ultimately impact disease manifestation. We developed quantitative immuno-based assays for glucocerebrosidase and α-synuclein (total and phosphorylated at Serine 129) protein levels, as well as a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the detection of the glucocerebrosidase lipid substrate glucosylsphingosine. These assays were applied on tissue samples from frontal cortex, putamen and substantia nigra of PD (n = 15) and DLB (n = 15) patients and age-matched non-demented controls (n = 15). Our results confirm elevated p-129 over total α-synuclein levels in the insoluble fraction of PD and DLB post-mortem brain tissue and we found significantly increased α-synuclein levels in the soluble fractions in PD and DLB. Furthermore, we identified an inverse correlation between reduced glucocerebrosidase enzyme activity and protein levels with increased glucosylsphingosine levels. In the substantia nigra, a brain region particularly vulnerable in Parkinson's disease, we found a significant correlation between glucocerebrosidase protein reduction and increased p129/total α-synuclein ratios. We assessed the direction and strength of the interrelation between all measured parameters by confirmatory path analysis. Interestingly, we found that glucocerebrosidase dysfunction impacts the PD-DLB status by increasing α-synuclein ratios in the substantia nigra, which was partly mediated by increasing glucosylsphingosine levels. In conclusion, we show that the introduced immuno-based assays enable the quantitative assessment of glucocerebrosidase and α-synuclein parameters in post-mortem brain. In the substantia nigra, reduced glucocerebrosidase levels contribute to the increase in α-synuclein levels and to PD-DLB disease manifestation partly by increasing its glycolipid substrate glucosylsphingosine. This interrelation between glucocerebrosidase, glucosylsphingosine and α-synuclein parameters supports the hypothesis that glucocerebrosidase acts as a modulator of PD-DLB.
Prefrontal dynamics underlying rapid instructed task learning reverse with practice.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2010

The ability to rapidly reconfigure our minds to perform novel tasks is important for adapting to an ever-changing world, yet little is understood about its basis in the brain. Furthermore, it is unclear how this kind of task preparation changes with practice. Previous research suggests that prefrontal cortex (PFC) is essential when preparing to perform either novel or practiced tasks. Building upon recent evidence that PFC is organized in an anterior-to-posterior hierarchy, we postulated that novel and practiced task preparation would differentiate hierarchically distinct regions within PFC across time. Specifically, we hypothesized and confirmed using functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography with humans that novel task preparation is a bottom-up process that involves lower-level rule representations in dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) before a higher-level rule-integrating task representation in anterior PFC (aPFC). In contrast, we identified a complete reversal of this activity pattern during practiced task preparation. Specifically, we found that practiced task preparation is a top-down process that involves a higher-level rule-integrating task representation (recalled from long-term memory) in aPFC before lower-level rule representations in DLPFC. These findings reveal two distinct yet highly inter-related mechanisms for task preparation, one involving task set formation from instructions during rapid instructed task learning and the other involving task set retrieval from long-term memory to facilitate familiar task performance. These two mechanisms demonstrate the exceptional flexibility of human PFC as it rapidly reconfigures cognitive brain networks to implement a wide variety of possible tasks.
RNA binding proteins accumulate at the postsynaptic density with synaptic activity.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2012

Neuronal activity elicits changes in synaptic composition that play an important role in experience-dependent plasticity (Choquet and Triller, 2003; Lisman and Raghavachari, 2006; Bourne and Harris, 2008; Holtmaat and Svoboda, 2009). We used a modified version of stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture to identify activity-dependent modifications in the composition of postsynaptic densities (PSDs) isolated from rat primary neuronal cultures. We found that synaptic activity altered ∼2% of the PSD proteome, which included an increase in diverse RNA binding proteins (RNABPs). Indeed, 12 of the 37 identified proteins whose levels changed with synaptic activity were RNABPs and included the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) G, A2/B1, M, and D. Knockdown of hnRNPs M and G using shRNAs resulted in altered numbers of dendritic spines, suggesting a crucial role for these proteins in spine density. Synaptic activity also resulted in a concomitant increase in dendritic and synaptic poly(A) mRNA. However, this increase was not affected by knockdown of hnRNPs M or G. Our results suggest that hnRNP proteins regulate dendritic spine density and may play a role in synaptodendritic mRNA metabolism.
Normal Olfactory Functional Connectivity Despite Lifelong Absence of Olfactory Experiences.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 2021

Congenital blindness is associated with atypical morphology and functional connectivity within and from visual cortical regions; changes that are hypothesized to originate from a lifelong absence of visual input and could be regarded as a general (re) organization principle of sensory cortices. Challenging this is the fact that individuals with congenital anosmia (lifelong olfactory sensory loss) display little to no morphological changes in the primary olfactory cortex. To determine whether olfactory input from birth is essential to establish and maintain normal functional connectivity in olfactory processing regions, akin to the visual system, we assessed differences in functional connectivity within the olfactory cortex between individuals with congenital anosmia (n = 33) and matched controls (n = 33). Specifically, we assessed differences in connectivity between core olfactory processing regions as well as differences in regional homogeneity and homotopic connectivity within the primary olfactory cortex. In contrast to congenital blindness, none of the analyses indicated atypical connectivity in individuals with congenital anosmia. In fact, post-hoc Bayesian analysis provided support for an absence of group differences. These results suggest that a lifelong absence of olfactory experience has a limited impact on the functional connectivity in the olfactory cortex, a finding that indicates a clear difference between sensory modalities in how sensory cortical regions develop.
RNA binding protein Caprin-2 is a pivotal regulator of the central osmotic defense response.
eLife, 2015

In response to an osmotic challenge, the synthesis of the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) increases in the hypothalamus, and this is accompanied by extension of the 3' poly(A) tail of the AVP mRNA, and the up-regulation of the expression of RNA binding protein Caprin-2. Here we show that Caprin-2 binds to AVP mRNAs, and that lentiviral mediated shRNA knockdown of Caprin-2 in the osmotically stimulated hypothalamus shortens the AVP mRNA poly(A) tail at the same time as reducing transcript abundance. In a recapitulated in vitro system, we confirm that Caprin-2 over-expression enhances AVP mRNA abundance and poly(A) tail length. Importantly, we show that Caprin-2 knockdown in the hypothalamus decreases urine output and fluid intake, and increases urine osmolality, urine sodium concentration, and plasma AVP levels. Thus Caprin-2 controls physiological mechanisms that are essential for the body's response to osmotic stress.
Cytoarchitectonics of the Rolandic operculum: morphofunctional ponderings.
Brain structure & function, 2021

Constantin von Economo (1876-1931) had a long-standing interest in the cellular structure of the human cerebral cortex. In the present article I highlight a historical paper that von Economo published in 1930 on the cytoarchitectonics of the Rolandic operculum, an English translation of which I provide as supplementary material. I further discuss some morphofunctional aspects of the human opercular cortex from a modern perspective, as well as the clinical relevance to language dysfunctions, the operculum syndrome, and epilepsy.
Vigilin interacts with signal peptide peptidase.
Proteome science, 2012

Signal peptide peptidase (SPP), a member of the presenilin-like intra-membrane cleaving aspartyl protease family, migrates on Blue Native (BN) gels as 100 kDa, 200 kDa and 450 kDa species. SPP has recently been implicated in other non-proteolytic functions such as retro-translocation of MHC Class I molecules and binding of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These high molecular weight SPP complexes might contain additional proteins that regulate the proteolytic activity of SPP or support its non-catalytic functions.