rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Glutamatergic synaptic input to glioma cells drives brain tumour progression.
Nature, 2019

A network of communicating tumour cells that is connected by tumour microtubes mediates the progression of incurable gliomas. Moreover, neuronal activity can foster malignant behaviour of glioma cells by non-synaptic paracrine and autocrine mechanisms. Here we report a direct communication channel between neurons and glioma cells in different disease models and human tumours: functional bona fide chemical synapses between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic glioma cells. These neurogliomal synapses show a typical synaptic ultrastructure, are located on tumour microtubes, and produce postsynaptic currents that are mediated by glutamate receptors of the AMPA subtype. Neuronal activity including epileptic conditions generates synchronised calcium transients in tumour-microtube-connected glioma networks. Glioma-cell-specific genetic perturbation of AMPA receptors reduces calcium-related invasiveness of tumour-microtube-positive tumour cells and glioma growth. Invasion and growth are also reduced by anaesthesia and the AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel, respectively. These findings reveal a biologically relevant direct synaptic communication between neurons and glioma cells with potential clinical implications.
Pre- and postoperative need for pituitary hormone replacement in non-adenomatous sellar and parasellar lesions: importance of the sellar encroachment score.
Acta neurochirurgica, 2020

Pre-/postoperative pituitary endocrine deficiencies in patients with sellar/parasellar non-adenomatous lesions are poorly described and studies have not considered the effect of sellar invasion on endocrine outcome. The aim of this study was to relate the need for pituitary hormone replacement pre-/postoperatively, with sellar invasion, in non-adenomatous sellar/parasellar lesions.
Are guidelines for measurement of quality of life contrary to patient-centred care?
Journal of advanced nursing, 2018

A discussion of how quality-adjusted life years are used to inform resource allocation decisions and highlight how assumptions underpinning the measurement of quality of life are contrary to the principles of patient-centred care.
First and Second Line Chemotherapeutic Regimens for Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas - The Efficacy of Platinum, Non-Platinum and Combination Therapy: A Literature Review.
Cureus, 2020

Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) account for a major part of all lung cancer diagnoses. The current literature review is aimed to analyze the varied chemotherapeutic treatment regimens available and to provide a standard for their use in the present and future scenarios. The current literature review focuses on platinum, non-platinum and combination therapeutic modalities, in the first and second line setting. The review also ensures that docetaxel and/or gemcitabine is a part of the study. A PubMed search for NSCLC identified 70,077 articles. A total of 36 research articles were obtained following the application of keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria to narrow down our search to meet with the research objective. These articles consider NSCLC and chemotherapeutic treatment modalities as its primary endpoint. These 36 articles included 15 randomized clinical trials, five randomized control trials, five retrospective cohort studies, one case-control study, six review articles and four observational studies. Our analysis shows that there is an increasing potential for the use of non-platinum based drugs in the clinical setting with an efficacy that is at par with that of platinum-based treatment modalities. In fact, the studies have proven a greater advantage with the use of combination therapy (non-platinum + platinum), which can be readily applied as an alternative in the clinical setting while the use of non-platinum drugs (other than docetaxel) as a monotherapy or in combination with other non-platinum based drugs does require further research.
Phox2a Defines a Developmental Origin of the Anterolateral System in Mice and Humans.
Cell reports, 2020

Anterolateral system neurons relay pain, itch, and temperature information from the spinal cord to pain-related brain regions, but the differentiation of these neurons and their specific contribution to pain perception remain poorly defined. Here, we show that most mouse spinal neurons that embryonically express the autonomic-system-associated Paired-like homeobox 2A (Phox2a) transcription factor innervate nociceptive brain targets, including the parabrachial nucleus and the thalamus. We define the Phox2a anterolateral system neuron birth order, migration, and differentiation and uncover an essential role for Phox2a in the development of relay of nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the brain. Finally, we also demonstrate that the molecular identity of Phox2a neurons is conserved in the human fetal spinal cord, arguing that the developmental expression of Phox2a is a prominent feature of anterolateral system neurons.
Additional methodological considerations regarding optimization of the dose of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin A response to: "Optimization of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin dose for the induction of neuroinflammation and memory impairments in rats" by Ghosh et al., Metab Brain Dis 2020 July 21.
Metabolic brain disease, 2021

A recent article by Ghosh et al. entitled "Optimization of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin dose for the induction of neuroinflammation and memory impairments in rats" provides an important new set of information on neuroinflammation and cognitive deficit in a rat model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) based on intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocin (STZ-icv) in Charles-Foster rats in the early post-treatment period of 21 days. This comment is supposed to supplement the aforementioned manuscript by providing additional perspective on important factors that should be taken into account in the process of optimization of the streptozotocin (STZ) dose for intracerebroventricular treatment, and provides a brief overview of possible sources of variation of experimental results reported by different groups working with STZ-icv rodent models.
Intra-pituitary administration revisited: development of a novel in vivo approach to investigate the ovine hypophysis.
Journal of neuroscience methods, 2011

The anterior pituitary gland regulates physiological processes via the secretion of hormones, which are under the control of factors produced either in the hypothalamus or the pituitary gland itself. Studies investigating how the pituitary gland functions have employed both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Although in vitro analysis has the advantage that it is pituitary specific, the results may be incomplete because the tissue is isolated from other physiological inputs that could affect function under natural conditions. Without vascular input, such studies are inherently of short duration. Conversely, in vivo experiments that rely upon systemic hormone injections require high doses, are non-target specific and the precise hormone concentrations reaching the pituitary gland are difficult to control. Intracerebroventricular hormone infusions are reliant on assumptions that factors are transported to the pituitary gland from the cerebrospinal fluid and are without cerebral effects. Here we describe an innovative method to investigate anterior pituitary function in conscious sheep by direct infusion of peptides into the pituitary tissue surrounding the hypophyseal portal blood vessels. This approach is an adaptation of the hypophyseal portal cannulation technique whereby an indwelling cannula provides direct access to the rostral aspect of the adenohypophysis. Peptide infusions were achieved by insertion of a needle through the implanted cannula such that it penetrated the pituitary. Using this technique, infusion of TRH (17 ng/1 μl/min for up to 6h) induced a sustained rise in systemic prolactin levels that lasted for the duration of the infusion.
Linking L2 proficiency and patterns of functional connectivity during L1 word retrieval.
Brain and language, 2021

Second language (L2) learners differ greatly in language proficiency, which is partially explained by variability in native language (L1) skills. The present fMRI study explored the neural underpinnings of the L1-L2 link. Twenty L2 learners completed a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) task that required retrieving words in L1. Low-proficiency L2 learners showed greater functional connectivity for correct and TOT responses between the left inferior frontal gyrus and right-sided homologues of the temporoparietal regions that support phonological processing (e.g., supramarginal gyrus), possibly reflecting difficulty with phonological retrieval. High-proficiency L2 learners showed greater connectivity for erroneous responses (TOT in particular) between the left inferior frontal gyrus and regions of left medial temporal lobe (e.g., hippocampus), associated with implicit learning processes. The difference between low- and high-proficiency L2 learners in functional connectivity, which is evident even during L1 processing, may affect L2 learning processes and outcomes.
Interdependence of metals and its binding proteins in Parkinson's disease for diagnosis.
NPJ Parkinson's disease, 2021

Metalloproteins utilizes cellular metals which plays a crucial function in brain that linked with neurodegenerative disorders. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects geriatric population world-wide. Twenty-four metal-binding protein networks were investigated to identify key regulating protein hubs in PD blood and brain. Amongst, aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, and magnesium protein hubs are the key regulators showing the ability to classify PD from control based on thirty-four classification algorithms. Analysis of these five metal proteins hubs showed involvement in environmental information processing, immune, neuronal, endocrine, aging, and signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, gene expression of functional protein in each hub showed significant upregulation of EFEMP2, MMP9, B2M, MEAF2A, and TARDBP in PD. Dysregulating hub proteins imprint the metal availability in a biological system. Hence, metal concentration in serum and cerebrospinal fluid were tested, which were altered and showed significant contribution towards gene expression of metal hub proteins along with the previously reported PD markers. In conclusion, analyzing the levels of serum metals along with the gene expression in PD opens up an ideal and feasible diagnostic intervention for PD. Hence, this will be a cost effective and rapid method for the detection of Parkinson's disease.
Thiamine Deficiency Increases Intrinsic Excitability of Mouse Cerebellar Purkinje Cells.
Cerebellum (London, England), 2021

Thiamine deficiency is associated with cerebellar dysfunction; however, the consequences of thiamine deficiency on the electrophysiological properties of cerebellar Purkinje cells are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated these parameters in brain slices containing cerebellar vermis. Adult mice were maintained for 12-13 days on a thiamine-free diet coupled with daily injections of pyrithiamine, an inhibitor of thiamine phosphorylation. Morphological analysis revealed a 20% reduction in Purkinje cell and nuclear volume in thiamine-deficient animals compared to feeding-matched controls, with no reduction in cell count. Under whole-cell current clamp, thiamine-deficient Purkinje cells required significantly less current injection to fire an action potential. This reduction in rheobase was not due to a change in voltage threshold. Rather, thiamine-deficient neurons presented significantly higher input resistance specifically in the voltage range just below threshold, which increases their sensitivity to current at these critical membrane potentials. In addition, thiamine deficiency caused a significant decrease in the amplitude of the action potential afterhyperpolarization, broadened the action potential, and decreased the current threshold for depolarization block. When thiamine-deficient animals were allowed to recover for 1 week on a normal diet, rheobase, threshold, action potential half-width, and depolarization block threshold were no longer different from controls. We conclude that thiamine deficiency causes significant but reversible changes to the electrophysiology properties of Purkinje cells prior to pathological morphological alterations or cell loss. Thus, the data obtained in the present study indicate that increased excitability of Purkinje cells may represent a leading indicator of cerebellar dysfunction caused by lack of thiamine.
Rabbit retinal ganglion cells survive optic nerve transection and entubulation repair with type I collagen nerve guide tubes.
Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 1989

The major objective of the experiments reported in this paper was to qualitatively test the hypothesis that rabbit retinal ganglion cells survive optic nerve transection and entubulation repair of the proximal optic nerve stump. The optic nerve of rabbits was transected immediately behind the globe, and a 1-cm length of a Type I collagen nerve guide tube was sutured onto the short proximal stump. The nerve guide was either left empty or was filled with a Type I collagen gel (Vitrogen, Collagen Corp.). Following 8-12 weeks survival time, the animals were sacrificed and the retinae were prepared as whole mounts and processed for immunocytochemistry using an antibody which selectively labels the retinal ganglion cells. Although no formal cell counts were carried out, the animals which received Vitrogen within the nerve guide showed a qualitative enhancement of retinal ganglion cell survival compared to the group with the nerve guide alone. The results suggest that specific manipulations of the central nervous system microenvironment may enhance neuronal survival following axonal transection.
Integrating visuospatial information across distinct experiences.
Cognitive processing, 2019

In two experiments, we examined whether the presence of stable visual information and the confluence of the viewpoints would cause participants to integrate in a single memory representation spatial locations they encoded at different points in time. Participants studied from the same or from different viewpoints two layouts of objects within a common visually cluttered room. Then, they carried out a series of pointing trials that involved objects from either the same or different layouts. Results showed that participants were faster for within- than between-layout judgments when they had studied the two layouts from different viewpoints but were equally fast across the two types of judgment after studying the layouts from the same viewpoint (Experiment 1). This finding suggests that they integrated locations into a single representation only when encoding the layouts from the same viewpoint. However, when participants' memory for the layout studied first was refreshed prior to testing (Experiment 2), no difference in response time was found, suggesting that they had integrated all locations in a single representation before the beginning of testing.
Meal skipping and cognition along a spectrum of restrictive eating.
Eating behaviors, 2020

Inadequate nutrition adversely impacts brain development and cognitive functioning (Pollitt et al., 1983). Studies examining the acute impact of eating regular meals on cognition have reported inconsistent findings, necessitating the exploration of individual differences in samples contributing to equivocal results. The present study examines the impact of skipping lunch on cognitive ability in college-aged students by including eating restraint as a moderator.
White Matter Microstructure of the Cerebellar Peduncles Is Associated with Balance Performance during Sensory Re-Weighting in People with Multiple Sclerosis.
Cerebellum (London, England), 2021

People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) exhibit impaired balance during different sensory environments and poor cerebellar peduncle microstructure. We aimed to examine associations between microstructures of the superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles (CP) with visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive-based balance in PwMS. Twenty-seven PwMS and twenty-nine healthy controls (HC) underwent MRI and balance assessments. We assessed CP microstructure with radial diffusivity (RD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) and balance with center of pressure-derived measures of path length and root mean square of sway during proprioceptive (C2), visual (C3), and vestibular (C4) balance conditions of the modified clinical test of sensory integration on balance (mCTSIB). PwMS exhibited significantly lower FA (p < 0.001) and greater RD (p < 0.001) across all CP and greater path length (p < 0.05) in the mCTSIB compared with HC. In PwMS, significant associations were detected between inferior CP white matter microstructure and proprioceptive-based balance control (rho = -0.43, p < 0.05) and middle CP white matter microstructure and visual-based balance control (rho = 0.39, p < 0.05). PwMS may rely more on cerebellar-regulated proprioceptive- and visual-based balance control than HC.
Inhibitor Kappa B Kinase β, Modulated by DJ-1/p-VHL, Reduces Phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) Accumulation via Autophagy in Alzheimer's Disease Model.
Neuroscience, 2021

It has been demonstrated Inhibitor Kappa B Kinase β (IKKβ) facilitates autophagy, which in turn mediates p-Tau protein clearance. However, the specific regulatory mechanism in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. Firstly, AD model was generated by the intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of the Β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ
Semantics and metaphysics in informatics: toward an ontology of tasks.
Topics in cognitive science, 2011

This article clarifies three principles that should guide the development of any cognitive ontology. First, that an adequate cognitive ontology depends essentially on an adequate task ontology; second, that the goal of developing a cognitive ontology is independent of the goal of finding neural implementations of the processes referred to in the ontology; and third, that cognitive ontologies are neutral regarding the metaphysical relationship between cognitive and neural processes.
Bidirectional modulation of hippocampal and amygdala synaptic plasticity by post-weaning obesogenic diet intake in male rats: Influence of the duration of diet exposure.
Hippocampus, 2021

Obesity is a chronic condition associated with adverse memory and emotional outcomes in humans and animal models. We have recently demonstrated that post-weaning (i.e., periadolescent) high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity has opposite effect on hippocampal and amygdala-dependent memory in rodents: while HFD consumption impairs spatial and relational memory, it enhances cue-dependent emotional memory. However, it is still not clear whether this bidirectional HFD effect on memory is related to bidirectional alterations of hippocampal and amygdala synaptic plasticity and if it is influenced by the duration of diet intake. In the current study, we compared in male rats the impact of 2-3 and 6-7 months of HFD intake starting at weaning, thus covering adolescence, on in vivo long-term potentiation (LTP) recorded simultaneously in the hippocampal area CA1 and the basolateral amygdala (BLA). As expected, 6-7 months of HFD intake abolished LTP in the CA1 and enhanced LTP in the BLA. However, 2-3 months of of HFD exposure enhanced LTP in both CA1 and BLA suggesting a transient compensatory mechanism in hippocampus. These results indicate that post-weaning HFD intake progressively leads to bidirectional modulation of hippocampal and amygdala synaptic plasticity, as we previously demonstrated for related memory processes, yet with a different temporal dynamic.
The Sleeping Brain: Harnessing the Power of the Glymphatic System through Lifestyle Choices.
Brain sciences, 2020

The glymphatic system is a "pseudo-lymphatic" perivascular network distributed throughout the brain, responsible for replenishing as well as cleansing the brain. Glymphatic clearance is the macroscopic process of convective fluid transport in which harmful interstitial metabolic waste products are removed from the brain intima. This paper addresses the glymphatic system, its dysfunction and the major consequences of impaired clearance in order to link neurodegeneration and glymphatic activity with lifestyle choices. Glymphatic clearance can be manipulated by sleep deprivation, cisterna magna puncture, acetazolamide or genetic deletion of AQP4 channels, but how lifestyle choices affect this brain-wide clearance system remains to be resolved. This paper will synthesize existing literature on glymphatic clearance, sleep, Alzheimer's disease and lifestyle choices, in order to harness the power of this mass transport system, promote healthy brain ageing and possibly prevent neurodegenerative processes. This paper concludes that 1. glymphatic clearance plays a major role in Alzheimer's pathology; 2. the vast majority of waste clearance occurs during sleep; 3. dementias are associated with sleep disruption, alongside an age-related decline in AQP4 polarization; and 4. lifestyle choices such as sleep position, alcohol intake, exercise, omega-3 consumption, intermittent fasting and chronic stress all modulate glymphatic clearance. Lifestyle choices could therefore alter Alzheimer's disease risk through improved glymphatic clearance, and could be used as a preventative lifestyle intervention for both healthy brain ageing and Alzheimer's disease.
Conversations With Dr. Oleh Hornykiewicz, Founding Father of the Dopamine Era in Parkinson's: How Do You Wish to Be Remembered?
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 2020

On May 26, 2020, Dr. Oleh Hornykiewicz died at the age of 93 years. His twin discoveries in the early 1960s of dopamine deficiency in the brains of subjects with Parkinson's disease and the amelioration of patients' symptoms by levodopa therapy represent milestone events in the history of medicine. These breakthroughs enabled much-needed relief for millions of patients suffering from neurological disorders every year and have given rise to the field of dopamine signaling in the regulation of complex behaviors in primates. What did Dr. Hornykiewicz, who was actively engaged in research until shortly before his 91st birthday, wish to pass on to younger scientists? What were his thoughts regarding the elusive cause of Parkinson's disease? How did he wish to be remembered? Here, the authors, one a former student and the other an admired colleague, recall messages conveyed by Dr. Hornykiewicz in public lectures; they also share the content of conversations and letters exchanged with him since 2004, as he began to reflect on his legacy. Through Dr. Hornykiewicz's own words and writings, the picture emerges of an extraordinarily committed scientist, who was exemplary in his professional integrity, who knew how to deploy a gallous sense of humor, who displayed little patience for physicians offering advice, and who kept any sense of pride over his monumental contributions private. When asked at the age of 91 years about the secrets of his long and fulfilled career in neuroscience, he identified himself as "a mad scientist.…I am someone who continuously fantasizes. I am someone who chases fantastical ideas and who keeps on dreaming…", and as a man who was supported by the loving companionship of his wife, Christine. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Beck depression inventory, second edition, Czech version: demographic correlates, factor structure and comparison with foreign data.
International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice, 2020

We aimed to examine whether demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, age and education) correlate with total scores of the Czech version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), understand the factorial structure of this scale, compare our results with findings of studies conducted in other countries and provide preliminary normative data for use in clinical practice.