Neuroscience
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Iron is one of the crucial elements for CNS development and function and its deficiency (ID) is the most common worldwide nutrient deficit in the world. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women and infants is a worldwide health problem due to its high prevalence and its irreversible long-lasting effects on brain development. Even with iron supplementation, IDA during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding can result in irreversible cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments. ⋯ This review summarizes the potential effects of ID/IDA on brain development, myelination and neuronal function and discusses the role of NVU cells in iron metabolism, BBB, vasculogenesis/angiogenesis, neurovascular coupling and metabolic waste clearance. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to view the NVU as a whole and as a potential target for ID/IDA. However, it remains unclear to what extent NVU alterations contribute to neuronal dysfunction, myelination abnormalities, and synaptic disturbances described in IDA.
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Widespread white matter (WM) microstructural abnormalities have been reported in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), whereas the ability of DTI to detect WM degeneration over short-term period remains insufficiently explored. Additionally, WM dysfunction remains entirely unknown in this disease. This study aims to investigate WM structural and functional alterations in SCA3, and provide promising progression biomarkers for short-term clinical trials. ⋯ The longitudinal analysis further showed decreased ALFF in the right PLIC and increased mean diffusivity in the left inferior cerebellar peduncle and right medial lemniscus over time in SCA3 patients. These findings emphasized that pons and the CST were the most vulnerable WM areas in SCA3, and have the potential to become therapeutic targets of SCA3 for upcoming interventional trials. In addition, both DT metrics and WM ALFF were efficient progression biomarkers for SCA3 even in short-term period.
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The brain of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) was characterized by increased phosphorylation and oligomerization of α-synuclein (α-syn) and altered activity of enzymes regulating α-syn phosphorylation and oligomerization. Whether increased α-syn phosphorylation and oligomerization as well as related enzyme changes can be detected in the plasma of PD patients remains unclear. ⋯ Moreover, they were both positively correlated with Hoehn and Yahr staging and polo-like kinase 2 (PLK2, an enzyme promoting α-syn phosphorylation) levels, and negatively correlated with protein phosphatase 2A levels (PP2A, an enzyme dephosphorylating α-syn) and glucocerebrosidase (GCase, an enzyme whose deficiency causes α-syn oligomerization) activity and ceramide (a product of GCase and a natural PP2A activator) levels. The above results suggest that increased α-syn oligomerization and phosphorylation rates and related enzyme changes can be detected in PD plasma and used to discriminate PD patients from HC subjects and predict PD progression.
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Uremic pruritus (UP) significantly compromises the quality of life in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Although the precise pathophysiological mechanisms of UP remain elusive, the thalamus, which is integral to processing sensory information, is potentially implicated in its development. This study aimed to investigate alterations in the structure and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of thalamic subregions in patients with UP. ⋯ The decreased volume of thalamic subregions and rsFC were closely associated with UP severity. It was found that the volume of R_Stha directly influences the severity of pruritus in UP patients, but this effect does not manifest through rsFC between R_Stha and left supplementary motor area or left paracentral lobule. Patients with UP exhibited changes in structural and functional connectivity within specific thalamic subregions, providing neuroimaging insights into the neural mechanisms of UP.
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The mechanisms underlying esketamine's therapeutic effects remain elusive. The study aimed to explore the impact of single esketamine treatment on LPS-induced adolescent depressive-like behaviors and the role of Nrf2 regulated neuroinflammatory response in esketamine-produced rapid antidepressant efficacy. ⋯ Esketamine treatment exerts rapid antidepressant effects and attenuates neuroinflammation in LPS-induced adolescent depressive-like behaviors, potentially through the activation of Nrf2-mediated anti-inflammatory signaling.