Expanded applications of knotless tissue control devices in neurosurgical cranial and spinal applications.

Objectives: Effective wound closure is essential to neurosurgical procedures. Historical rates of neurosurgical wound complications range from 7 to 14 %. Knotless suturing with barbed sutures may offer effective closure rates but has had limited evaluation of safety in neurosurgical applications.

Fluoxetine exposure throughout neurodevelopment differentially influences basilar dendritic morphology in the motor and prefrontal cortices.

The significance of serotonin (5HT) in mental health is underscored by the serotonergic action of many classes of psychiatric medication. 5HT is known to have a significant role in neurodevelopment, thus 5HT disruption during development may have a long term impact on brain structure and circuits. We previously generated a model of 5HT alteration throughout neurodevelopment by maternal administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine.

A MYT1L syndrome mouse model recapitulates patient phenotypes and reveals altered brain development due to disrupted neuronal maturation.

Human genetics have defined a new neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by loss-of-function mutations in MYT1L, a transcription factor known for enabling fibroblast-to-neuron conversions. However, how MYT1L mutation causes intellectual disability, autism, ADHD, obesity, and brain anomalies is unknown. Here, we developed a Myt1l haploinsufficient mouse model that develops obesity, white-matter thinning, and microcephaly, mimicking common clinical phenotypes.