Publications by authors named "Amy Reichelt"

Introduction: The literature primarily examines the mental health effects of dietary patterns, with 'healthy' diets linked to fewer depressive symptoms, although no standardised definition of a 'healthy' diet exists. Many individuals adopt restrictive diets such as caloric or nutrient restriction or medically prescribed patterns (eg, diabetic diets) to improve health, yet their impact on depressive symptoms remains understudied. This study aims to evaluate the association between restrictive dietary patterns and depressive symptoms stratified by sex and body mass index (BMI).

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Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have emerged as potential therapeutic options for psychiatric symptoms due to their effects on mood and behavior. However, their use has been primarily for metabolic diseases, and limited research has evaluated their psychiatric efficacy. This systematic review examined the impact of GLP-1 RAs on psychiatric symptoms, categorizing studies based on whether psychiatric outcomes were primary or secondary.

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Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, may have therapeutic benefits for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), but its overall efficacy and safety remain uncertain. This systematic review assessed the safety and efficacy of psilocybin for SUDs through a systematic database search conducted via OVID on May 22, 2024, and summarized 26 ongoing clinical trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov.

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Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic with demonstrated preliminary clinical efficacy in a range of psychiatric disorders. Evaluating the impact of psilocybin on cognitive function is essential to unravel its potential benefits and risks. In this systematic review, we assessed psilocybin's effect on cognitive function through a comprehensive search of electronic databases from inception to January 2024, identifying 20 articles involving 2,959 participants.

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Structure-activity studies of 4-substituted-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamines led to the discovery of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-thiotrifluoromethylphenethylamines, including CYB210010, a potent and long-acting serotonin 5-HT receptor agonist. CYB210010 exhibited high agonist potency at 5-HT and 5-HT receptors, modest selectivity over 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, and adrenergic α receptors, and lacked activity at monoamine transporters and over 70 other proteins. CYB210010 (0.

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Although aging, repeat mild traumatic brain injury (RmTBI), and microbiome modifications independently change social behavior, there has been no investigation into their cumulative effects on social behavior and neuroplasticity within the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, we examined how microbiome depletion prior to RmTBI affected social behavior and neuroplasticity in adolescent and adult rats. Play, temperament analysis, elevated plus maze, and the hot/cold plate assessed socio-emotional function.

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Article Synopsis
  • Learning to associate signals with rewards is super important for survival and helps animals behave in ways that get them what they want.
  • This learning process uses a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which relies on special brain cells that release chemicals like dopamine and acetylcholine.
  • The study looked at how these brain chemicals work together in mice when they learn to approach signals that predict rewards, showing that their communication is always changing to help with learning.
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Cortical gyrification, as a specific measure derived from magnetic resonance imaging, remains understudied in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Local gyrification index (GI) and mean curvature are related measures indexing the patterned folding of the cortex,ml which reflect distinct properties of cortical morphology and geometry. Using both metrics, we examined cortical gyrification morphology in 59 adult males with mTBI ( = 29) versus those without ( = 30) mTBI in the subacute phase of injury (between 2 weeks and 3 months).

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Recent biochemical and behavioural evidence indicates that metabolic hormones not only regulate energy intake and nutrient content, but also modulate plasticity and cognition in the central nervous system. Disruptions in metabolic hormone signalling may provide a link between metabolic syndromes like obesity and diabetes, and cognitive impairment. For example, altered metabolic homeostasis in obesity is a strong determinant of the severity of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease.

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Obesity and mood disorders are two of the most serious health issues of modern times. These health conditions are often linked, with obesity acting both as a cause and consequence of anxiety and depression. Although sex differences in the relationship between obesity and mood disorders are observed in clinical populations, the relative influence of biology versus societal conditioning is unclear.

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In the striatum, cholinergic interneurons (CINs) have the ability to release both acetylcholine and glutamate, due to the expression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and the vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3). However, the relationship these neurotransmitters have in the regulation of behavior is not fully understood. Here we used reward-based touchscreen tests in mice to assess the individual and combined contributions of acetylcholine/glutamate co-transmission in behavior.

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The global consumption of highly processed, calorie-dense foods has contributed to an epidemic of overweight and obesity, along with negative consequences for metabolic dysfunction and disease susceptibility. As it becomes apparent that overweight and obesity have ripple effects through generations, understanding of the processes involved is required, in both maternal and paternal epigenetic inheritance. We focused on the patrilineal effects of a Western-style high-fat (21%) and high-sugar (34%) diet (WD) compared to control diet (CD) during adolescence and investigated F0 and F1 mice for physiological and behavioral changes.

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The microbes that colonize the small and large intestines, known as the gut microbiome, play an integral role in optimal brain development and function. The gut microbiome is a vital component of the bidirectional communication pathway between the brain, immune system, and gut, also known as the brain-gut-immune axis. To date, there has been minimal investigation into the implications of improper development of the gut microbiome and the brain-gut-immune axis on the sleep-wake cycle, particularly during sensitive periods of physical and neurological development, such as childhood, adolescence, and senescence.

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Keeping similar memories distinct from one another is a critical cognitive process without which we would have difficulty functioning in everyday life. Memories are thought to be kept distinct through the computational mechanism of pattern separation, which reduces overlap between similar input patterns to amplify differences among stored representations. At the behavioral level, impaired pattern separation has been shown to contribute to memory deficits seen in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, and in normal aging.

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Unhealthy lifestyles and mental health problems are increasingly prevalent globally. Not only are 'junk food'-induced overweight and obesity risk factors for the development of brain disorders but they are also associated intergenerationally with ill health. Here, we reflect on the current knowledge of how maternal and paternal diet influences offspring brain development and behaviour, potentially predisposing children to mental health problems.

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Emergent evidence demonstrates that excessive consumption of high fat and high sugar (HFHS) diets has negative consequences on hippocampal and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. Moreover, the delayed maturation of the PFC including the late development of parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons and perineuronal nets (PNNs) may promote vulnerability to HFHS diet-induced nutritional stress. However, the young brain may have some resistance to diet-induced neuroinflammation.

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Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with hippocampal alterations that can increase the risk of short-term memory impairments later in life. Despite the role of hippocampal neurogenesis in learning and memory, research into the long-lasting impact of IUGR on these processes is limited. We aimed to determine the effects of IUGR on neuronal proliferation, differentiation and morphology, and on memory function at adolescent equivalent age.

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Infant colic is a condition of unknown cause which can result in carer distress and attachment difficulties. Recent studies have implicated the gut microbiota in infant colic, and certain probiotics have demonstrated possible efficacy. We aim to investigate whether the intestinal microbiota composition in infants with colic is associated with cry/fuss time at baseline, persistence of cry/fuss at 4-week follow-up, or child behavior at 2 years of age.

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Adolescence represents a key period of brain development underpinned by the ongoing maturation of the prefrontal cortex-a brain region involved in the regulation of behaviour and cognition. Given the high prevalence of obesity in adolescents worldwide, this Review examines neurobiological and neurocognitive evidence describing the adolescent propensity to consume calorie-dense foods, and the neurodevelopmental mechanisms that heighten the adverse impact of these foods on brain function. The excessive consumption of calorie-dense food can undermine self-regulatory processes through effects on brain function and behavioural control.

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Background: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance by Australian young people, including those engaged with youth alcohol and other drug (AOD) systems. While recreational cannabis use in young people may be a developmental activity for some, for others, this usage becomes regular and be associated with poorer long term outcomes. This study reports on the rates of cannabis use and co-existing psychosocial complexity factors in the Youth Needs Census (2013 and 2016) where workers report on all clients in the youth AOD system, a cohort considered highly vulnerable.

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There has been a surge of interest in the structure and function of the mammalian claustrum in recent years. However, most anatomical and physiological studies treat the claustrum as a relatively homogenous structure. Relatively little attention has been directed toward possible compartmentalization of the claustrum complex into anatomical subdivisions, and how this compartmentalization is reflected in claustrum connections with other brain structures.

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Globally, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The rapidly increasing numbers of overweight people can be traced back to overconsumption of energy-dense, poor-quality foods as well as physical inactivity. This development has far-reaching and costly implications.

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The relationship between neurons and perineuronal nets (PNNs) is attracting attention as a central mechanism controlling brain plasticity. In the cortex, PNNs primarily surround inhibitory parvalbumin interneurons, playing roles as both a regulator of synaptic plasticity and a protective barrier. PNNs have a delayed developmental trajectory and are key components in the closure of critical periods of heightened neuroplasticity.

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