rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Cocaine and sucrose rewards recruit different seeking ensembles in the nucleus accumbens core.
Molecular psychiatry, 2020

Poorly regulated reward seeking is a central feature of substance use disorder. Recent research shows that rewarding drug-related experiences induce synchronous activation of a discrete number of neurons in the nucleus accumbens that are causally linked to reward-related contexts. Here we comprehensively characterize the specific ensemble of neurons built through experience that are linked to seeking behavior. We additionally address the question of whether or not addictive drugs usurp the neuronal networks recruited by natural rewards by evaluating cocaine- and sucrose-associated ensembles within the same mouse. We used Fos
Response inhibition alterations in migraine: evidence from event-related potentials and evoked oscillations.
The journal of headache and pain, 2020

Migraine is characterized by a hypersensitivity to environmental stimulation which climaxes during headache attacks but persists during attack-free period. Despite ongoing debates about the nature of the mechanisms giving rise to this abnormality, the presence of deficient inhibitory cortical processes has been proposed to be one possible mechanism underlying its pathogenesis. Empirical evidence supporting this claim is mainly based on previous accounts showing functional cortical disexcitability in the sensory domain. Considering that a general inhibitory control process can play an important role across early to later stage of information processing, this may indicate the important role other dimensions of inhibitory control can play in migraine disability. The present study examined the pathophysiological features of inhibitory control that takes place during suppression of prepotent responses in migraineurs.
Trem2 Splicing and Expression are Preserved in a Human Aβ-producing, Rat Knock-in Model of Trem2-R47H Alzheimer's Risk Variant.
Scientific reports, 2020

The R47H variant of the Triggering-Receptor-Expressed on Myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Mutagenesis of exon 2 in Knock-in (KI) mouse models of the R47H variant introduced a cryptic splice site, leading to nonsense mediated decay. Since haploinsufficiency does not model Trem2-R47H function, a new rat KI model, the Trem2
Strictly Lobar Microbleeds Reflect Amyloid Angiopathy Regardless of Cerebral and Cerebellar Compartments.
Stroke, 2020

We aimed to determine whether lobar cerebellar microbleeds or concomitant lobar cerebellar and deep microbleeds, in the presence of lobar cerebral microbleeds, attribute to underlying advanced cerebral amyloid angiopathy pathology or hypertensive arteriopathy.
Injured Axons Instruct Schwann Cells to Build Constricting Actin Spheres to Accelerate Axonal Disintegration.
Cell reports, 2019

After a peripheral nerve lesion, distal ends of injured axons disintegrate into small fragments that are subsequently cleared by Schwann cells and later by macrophages. Axonal debris clearing is an early step of the repair process that facilitates regeneration. We show here that Schwann cells promote distal cut axon disintegration for timely clearing. By combining cell-based and in vivo models of nerve lesion with mouse genetics, we show that this mechanism is induced by distal cut axons, which signal to Schwann cells through PlGF mediating the activation and upregulation of VEGFR1 in Schwann cells. In turn, VEGFR1 activates Pak1, leading to the formation of constricting actomyosin spheres along unfragmented distal cut axons to mediate their disintegration. Interestingly, oligodendrocytes can acquire a similar behavior as Schwann cells by enforced expression of VEGFR1. These results thus identify controllable molecular cues of a neuron-glia crosstalk essential for timely clearing of damaged axons.
Body mass index as an independent prognostic factor in glioblastoma.
Cancer causes & control : CCC, 2021

Glioblastoma prognosis remains dismal despite gross total removal (GTR) followed by chemoradiotherapy. Other known prognostic factors include functional status, age and IDH mutation status. However, to improve patient outcome, a search for other features with impact on survival is needed. We aimed to analyse the impact of body mass index (BMI) on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of surgically resected primary glioblastoma and evaluate if BMI constitutes an independent prognostic factor.
Chemogenesis of an antiangiogenic glycosaminoglycan.
ACS medicinal chemistry letters, 2014

In this letter we report a facile chemical conversion of heparin, a potent anticoagulant with minimal antiangiogenic activity, into an effective antiangiogenic glycosaminoglycan through optimized chemical approaches. This work highlights the potential for industrial scale production of a therapeutic anticancer glycosaminoglycan.
A method for the study of the effects of combining multiple pseudorandom fusimotor stimulation on the responses of muscle-spindle primary-ending afferents.
Journal of neuroscience methods, 2009

We describe a new method of investigation of the integrative action of fusimotor inputs in mammalian muscle spindles by stimulation of multiple fusimotor axons using independent pseudorandom pulse trains, each of low mean rate with pseudorandomly distributed stimulus intervals. Technically it was feasible only because of the development of (1) a novel, highly efficient approach to functional isolation of fusimotor efferents in ventral-root filaments, which we have called the isodyne strategy; (2) a real-time, microprocessor-based stimulus artefact cancellation device (SACAD); and (3) a highly adjustable, multi-branch stimulation electrode array. The general approach of using multiple, independent, pseudorandom stimulation of several input channels has wider applications in controlled-activation paradigms.
The links between diabetes mellitus and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2021

ALS etiology and prognostic factors are mostly unknown. Metabolic diseases and especially diabetes mellitus (DM) have been variously related to ALS. However, pieces of evidence have been variegated and often conflicting so far. This review aims to give an overview of recent contributions focusing on the relationship between DM and ALS. DM seems to reduce the risk of developing ALS if diagnosed at a younger age; conversely, when diagnosed at an older age, DM seems protective against ALS. Such a relationship was not confirmed in Asian countries where DM increases the risk of ALS independently of the age of onset. Interestingly, DM does not affect ALS prognosis, possibly weakening the potential causal relationship between the two diseases. However, since most studies are observational, it is difficult to state the exact nature of such a relationship and several hypotheses have been made. A recent study using Mendelian randomization suggested that DM is indeed protective against ALS in the European population. However, these analyses are not without limits and further evidence is needed. DM is usually the core of a larger metabolic syndrome. Thus, other metabolic changes such as dyslipidemia, body mass index, and cardiovascular diseases should be collectively considered. Finally, hypermetabolism usually found in ALS patients should be considered too since all these metabolic changes could be compensation (or the cause) of the higher energy expenditure.
Clinical utility of FDG-PET for the differential diagnosis among the main forms of dementia.
European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, 2018

To assess the clinical utility of FDG-PET as a diagnostic aid for differentiating Alzheimer's disease (AD; both typical and atypical forms), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), vascular dementia (VaD) and non-degenerative pseudodementia.
Flexible Working Memory Through Selective Gating and Attentional Tagging.
Neural computation, 2021

Working memory is essential: it serves to guide intelligent behavior of humans and nonhuman primates when task-relevant stimuli are no longer present to the senses. Moreover, complex tasks often require that multiple working memory representations can be flexibly and independently maintained, prioritized, and updated according to changing task demands. Thus far, neural network models of working memory have been unable to offer an integrative account of how such control mechanisms can be acquired in a biologically plausible manner. Here, we present WorkMATe, a neural network architecture that models cognitive control over working memory content and learns the appropriate control operations needed to solve complex working memory tasks. Key components of the model include a gated memory circuit that is controlled by internal actions, encoding sensory information through untrained connections, and a neural circuit that matches sensory inputs to memory content. The network is trained by means of a biologically plausible reinforcement learning rule that relies on attentional feedback and reward prediction errors to guide synaptic updates. We demonstrate that the model successfully acquires policies to solve classical working memory tasks, such as delayed recognition and delayed pro-saccade/anti-saccade tasks. In addition, the model solves much more complex tasks, including the hierarchical 12-AX task or the ABAB ordered recognition task, both of which demand an agent to independently store and updated multiple items separately in memory. Furthermore, the control strategies that the model acquires for these tasks subsequently generalize to new task contexts with novel stimuli, thus bringing symbolic production rule qualities to a neural network architecture. As such, WorkMATe provides a new solution for the neural implementation of flexible memory control.
COVID-19 and eating disorders during confinement: Analysis of factors associated with resilience and aggravation of symptoms.
European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 2020

To assess the level of deterioration in functioning of ED patients during confinement, due to COVID-19, and examine potential contributing factors (coping strategies, anxiety-depressive symptomatology and personality traits).
Shining a light on optogenetics: Advances in electronics and protein engineering advance the field of optogenetics to study the activity of neuronal networks.
EMBO reports, 2016

The rapidly emerging field of optogenetics merges cell science with microelectronics. Bionic implants to manipulate gene expression and cell physiology with great spatial precision are revolutionizing research and show potential for new therapeutic approaches. [Image: see text]
Altered synaptic ultrastructure in the prefrontal cortex of Shank3-deficient rats.
Molecular autism, 2020

Deletion or mutations of SHANK3 lead to Phelan-McDermid syndrome and monogenic forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). SHANK3 encodes its eponymous scaffolding protein at excitatory glutamatergic synapses. Altered morphology of dendrites and spines in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and striatum have been associated with behavioral impairments in Shank3-deficient animal models. Given the attentional deficit in these animals, our study explored whether deficiency of Shank3 in a rat model alters neuron morphology and synaptic ultrastructure in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).
C-reactive protein as a predictor of mild cognitive impairment conversion into Alzheimer's disease dementia.
Experimental gerontology, 2020

Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in brain aging and neurodegeneration. Pathological studies demonstrate the presence of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue suggesting that CRP may play a role in its neuropathological processes. Some findings suggest that midlife elevations of serum CRP are a risk factor for AD. However, others found lower CRP levels in mild or moderate AD than in controls, suggesting that CRP levels could be different in different stages of disease. We aimed to assess the role of CRP as a predictor of Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) conversion into AD dementia.
Brain embolization of a healthy artery fragment as a complication of a cardiac catheterization.
Journal of neuroradiology = Journal de neuroradiologie, 2020

Ischemic stroke is the most common neurological complication of cardiac catheterization resulting in a high morbidity and mortality. We present a 44-year-old man admitted for vasospastic angina that suffered a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion after a cardiac catheterization. Mechanical thrombectomy was indicated and complete arterial recanalization was achieved. The material obtained showed a fragment of a healthy artery. Partial radial endarterectomy and cerebral embolization may be a rare complication of cardiac catheterization.
Pre- and post-synaptic roles of action potential activity in synapse elimination revealed by using ectopic neuromuscular junction formation by a foreign nerve.
Neuroscience letters, 2020

The formation of the neuromuscular junction (nmj) is based on molecular cascades initiated by neural agrin as well as electrical activity in the neuromuscular structures. This review focuses on the latter factor, emphasizing the multiplicity of its mechanisms in the process of synapse elimination following initial polyneuronal innervation. Pre- and post-synaptic components of activity have in fact been identified through experiments on an adult model of nmj formation: ectopic reinnervation of the rat soleus muscle by the fibular nerve. Two activity-dependent elimination processes are thus compared: competition between distributed nmjs, which depends on evoked muscle impulse activity, and competition between axons converging on single nmjs, which instead depends on differences in the timing of impulses in the converging axons.
Subjective ratings of fear are associated with frontal late positive potential asymmetry, but not with early brain activity over the occipital and centro-parietal cortices.
Psychophysiology, 2020

The human frontal cortex is asymmetrically involved in motivational and affective processing. Several studies have shown that the left-frontal hemisphere is related to positive and approach-related affect, whereas the right-frontal hemisphere is related to negative and withdrawal-related affect. The present study aimed to investigate whether evolutionarily threatening stimuli modulate asymmetrical frontal activity. We examined hemispheric differences in frontal late positive potentials (f-LPP asymmetry) and frontal alpha power activation (frontal alpha asymmetry, FAA) in response to images depicting snakes, spiders, butterflies, and birds. Results showed that the late component of f-LPP asymmetry, but not FAA, was modulated by the category of stimuli. Specifically, threatening stimuli (snakes and spiders) evoked a relatively large late f-LPP over the right-frontal hemisphere than non-threatening stimuli (birds and butterflies). Moreover, this relatively great right-frontal activity was positively associated with the subjective ratings of fear. Importantly, the subjective ratings of fear were not associated with early brain activity over the occipital or centro-parietal cortices. These results suggest that late f-LPP asymmetry may reflect higher order affective processes, specifically the subjective appraisal of threatening stimuli and the subjective experience of fear, that are independent of the fast and automatic processing of evolutionarily significant and affectively arousing stimuli.
Modeling Mixed Vascular and Alzheimer's Dementia Using Focal Subcortical Ischemic Stroke in Human ApoE4-TR:5XFAD Transgenic Mice.
Translational stroke research, 2020

Subcortical white matter ischemic lesions are increasingly recognized to have pathologic overlap in individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The interaction of white matter ischemic lesions with amyloid pathology seen in AD is poorly characterized. We designed a novel mouse model of subcortical white matter ischemic stroke and AD that can inform our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of mixed vascular and AD dementia. Subcortical white matter ischemic stroke underlying forelimb motor cortex was induced by local stereotactic injection of an irreversible eNOS inhibitor. Subcortical white matter ischemic stroke or sham procedures were performed on human ApoE4-targeted-replacement (TR):5XFAD mice at 8 weeks of age. Behavioral tests were done at 7, 10, 15, and 20 weeks. A subset of animals underwent
Anatomical measurements correlate with individual magnetostimulation thresholds for kHz-range homogeneous magnetic fields.
Medical physics, 2020

Magnetostimulation, also known as peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS), is the dominant safety constraint in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the gradient magnetic fields that operate around 0.1-1 kHz, and for the homogeneous drive field in magnetic particle imaging (MPI) that operates around 10-150 kHz. Previous studies did not report correlations between anatomical measures and magnetostimulation thresholds for the gradient magnetic fields in MRI. In contrast, a strong linear correlation was shown between the thresholds and the inverse of body part size in MPI. Yet, the effects of other anatomical measures on the thresholds for the drive field remain unexplored. Here, we investigate the effects of fat percentage on magnetostimulation thresholds for kHz-range homogeneous magnetic fields such as the drive field in MPI, with the ultimate goal of predicting subject-specific thresholds based on simple anatomical measures.
Serine/threonine protein phosphatases have no role in the inhibitory effects of low-frequency stimulation in perforant path kindling acquisition in rats.
Neuroscience letters, 2009

The use of low-frequency stimulation (LFS) as a therapy for epilepsy is currently being studied in experimental animals and patients with epilepsy. In the present study, the role of serine/threonine protein phosphatases in the inhibitory effects of LFS on perforant path kindling acquisition was investigated in rats. Animals were kindled by stimulation of perforant path in a stimulation using rapid kindling procedure (six stimulations per day). LFS (1Hz) was applied immediately after termination of each kindling stimulation. FK506 (1microM; i.c.v.), a serine/threonine protein phosphatase PP2B inhibitor and okadaic acid (1microM; i.c.v.), a serine/threonine protein phosphatases PP1/2A inhibitor, were daily microinjected into the left ventricle 10min before starting the stimulation protocol. Application of LFS retarded the kindling acquisition and delayed the expression of different kindled seizure stages significantly. In addition, LFS reduced the increment of daily afterdischarge duration during kindling development. Neither FK506 nor okadaic acid microinjection interfere with the antiepileptogenic effect of LFS on kindling parameters. Obtained results showed that activation of PP1/2A and PP2B, which play a critical role in LFS induced down-regulation of synaptic strength, had no role in mediating the inhibitory effects of LFS on perforant path kindling acquisition.
Did We Get Sensorimotor Adaptation Wrong? Implicit Adaptation as Direct Policy Updating Rather than Forward-Model-Based Learning.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2021

The human motor system can rapidly adapt its motor output in response to errors. The prevailing theory of this process posits that the motor system adapts an internal forward model that predicts the consequences of outgoing motor commands and uses this forward model to plan future movements. However, despite clear evidence that adaptive forward models exist and are used to help track the state of the body, there is no definitive evidence that such models are used in movement planning. An alternative to the forward-model-based theory of adaptation is that movements are generated based on a learned policy that is adjusted over time by movement errors directly ("direct policy learning"). This learning mechanism could act in parallel with, but independent of, any updates to a predictive forward model. Forward-model-based learning and direct policy learning generate very similar predictions about behavior in conventional adaptation paradigms. However, across three experiments with human participants (
Clivus Chordoma: Case Report and Current Considerations on Treatment Strategies.
The journal of international advanced otology, 2020

Chordomas are the rare malignant bone lesions derived from the embryonic notochord. They are slow-growing tumors with a locally aggressive behavior. The clival chordomas are extradural, exophytic, and lytic lesions centered on the clivus, and are managed differently from those arising elsewhere because of the emphasis on preserving the neurological function. The gold standard for therapy is the complete resection followed by radiation therapy for a better local control of the tumor. This case report concerns a 20-year old girl with an incidental diagnosis of the clival chordoma, which was first treated via an endoscopic anterior approach to remove the exophytic portion of the tumor. The adjuvant radiation therapy was not feasible because of the macroscopic intradural residual tumor being at the level of jugular foramen. The girl was referred to our institute for the removal of the intradural residual tumor via a petro-occipital trans-sigmoid (POTS) approach followed by adjuvant proton beam therapy. The choice of the surgical approach depends on the size of the tumor, its location, and its anatomical distribution, but should also be balanced against the morbidity, considering the patient's age, and the feasibility of postoperative rehabilitation.
Longitudinal trajectories of hippocampal volume in middle to older age community dwelling individuals.
Neurobiology of aging, 2021

Understanding heterogeneity in brain aging trajectories is important to estimate the extent to which aging outcomes can be optimized. Although brain changes in late life are well-characterized, brain changes in middle age are not well understood. In this study, we investigated hippocampal change in a generally healthy community-living population of middle (n = 421, mean age 47.2 years) and older age (n = 411, mean age 63.0 years) individuals, over a follow-up of up to 12 years. Manually traced hippocampal volumes were analyzed using multilevel models and latent class analysis to investigate longitudinal aging trajectories and laterality and sex effects, and to identify subgroups that follow different aging trajectories. Hippocampal volumes decreased on average by 0.18%/year in middle age and 0.3%/year in older age. Men tended to experience steeper declines than women in middle age only. Three subgroups of individuals following different trajectories were identified in middle age and 2 in older age. Contrary to expectations, the subgroup containing two-thirds of older age participants maintained stable hippocampal volumes across the follow-up.