Quantification of Tyrosine Hydroxylase and ErbB4 in the Locus Coeruleus of Mood Disorder Patients Using a Multispectral Method to Prevent Interference with Immunocytochemical Signals by Neuromelanin.

The locus coeruleus (LC) has been studied in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). A major problem of immunocytochemical studies in the human LC is interference with the staining of the immunocytochemical end-product by the omnipresent natural brown pigment neuromelanin. Here, we used a multispectral method to untangle the two colors: blue immunocytochemical staining and brown neuromelanin.

Brain Microdialysate Monoamines in Relation to Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Sleep Deprivation - a Systematic Review, Network Meta-analysis, and New Primary Data.

Disruption of the monoaminergic system, e.g. by sleep deprivation (SD), seems to promote certain diseases.

Optimizing fMRI experimental design for MVPA-based BCI control: Combining the strengths of block and event-related designs.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has been successfully used for Brain Computer Interfacing (BCI) to classify (imagined) movements of different limbs. However, reliable classification of more subtle signals originating from co-localized neural networks in the sensorimotor cortex, e.g.

Intrinsic Determinants of Axon Regeneration.

The failure of axons to regenerate in the damaged mammalian CNS is the main impediment to functional recovery. There are many molecules and structures in the environment of the injured nervous system that can inhibit regeneration, but even when these are removed or replaced with a permissive environment, most CNS neurons exhibit little regeneration of their axons. This contrasts with the extensive and vigorous axon growth that may occur when embryonic neurons are transplanted into the adult CNS.

Distinctive tics suppression network in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome distinguished from suppression of natural urges using multimodal imaging.

Background And Objectives: Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by tics. A hallmark of GTS is the ability to voluntarily suppress tics. Our aim was to distinguish the neural circuits involved in the voluntary suppression of ocular tics in GTS patients from blink suppression in healthy subjects.

The bovine anterior hypothalamus: Characterization of the vasopressin-oxytocin containing nucleus and changes in relation to sexual differentiation.

In an effort to systematically describe the neurochemical anatomy of the bovine anterior hypothalamus, we used a series of immunocytochemical markers such as acetylcholine esterase (AChE), arginine-vasopressin (AVP), calbindin (Calb), galanin (Gal), neuropeptide-Y (NPY), oxytocin (OXT), somatostatin (SST), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). We also investigated the potential sex difference present in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the vasopressin-oxytocin containing nucleus (VON) of six male and six female Bos taurus. Our study revealed that the cytochemical structure of the cattle anterior hypothalamus follows the blueprint of other mammals.

Visual Processing by Calretinin Expressing Inhibitory Neurons in Mouse Primary Visual Cortex.

Inhibition in the cerebral cortex is delivered by a variety of GABAergic interneurons. These cells have been categorized by their morphology, physiology, gene expression and connectivity. Many of these classes appear to be conserved across species, suggesting that the classes play specific functional roles in cortical processing.

From coarse to fine: Interactive feature processing precedes local feature analysis in human face perception.

Face perception depends on a dynamic interplay of a "holistic" Interactive Feature Processing (IFP) and a Local Feature Processing (LFP) style. However, it is unclear whether features are processed locally before they are integrated into a holistic percept (Fine-to-Coarse strategy), or whether local feature processing occurs only after a holistic percept is established (Coarse-to-Fine strategy). The present Event-Related Potentials study investigates whether IFP precedes LFP (Coarse-to-Fine) or vice versa (Fine-to-Coarse).

The prestimulus default mode network state predicts cognitive task performance levels on a mental rotation task.

Background: Linking individual task performance to preceding, regional brain activation is an ongoing goal of neuroscientific research. Recently, it could be shown that the activation and connectivity within large-scale brain networks prior to task onset influence performance levels. More specifically, prestimulus default mode network (DMN) effects have been linked to performance levels in sensory near-threshold tasks, as well as cognitive tasks.

Possible Obesogenic Effects of Bisphenols Accumulation in the Human Brain.

Evidence of bisphenols' obesogenic effects on humans is mixed and inconsistent. We aimed to explore the presence of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF) and chlorinated BPA (ClBPA), collectively called the bisphenols, in different brain regions and their association with obesity using post-mortem hypothalamic and white matter brain material from twelve pairs of obese (body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m) and normal-weight individuals (BMI <25 kg/m). Mean ratios of hypothalamus:white matter for BPA, BPF and ClBPA were 1.

Sex hormones affect acute and chronic stress responses in sexually dimorphic patterns: Consequences for depression models.

Background: Alterations in peripheral sex hormones may play an important role in sex differences in terms of stress responses and mood disorders. It is not yet known whether and how stress-related brain systems and brain sex steroid levels fluctuate in relation to changes in peripheral sex hormone levels, or whether the different sexes show different patterns. We aimed to investigate systematically, in male and female rats, the effect of decreased circulating sex hormone levels following gonadectomy on acute and chronic stress responses, manifested as changes in plasma and hypothalamic sex steroids and hypothalamic stress-related molecules.

Whole-Exome Sequencing in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Identifies Rare Variants in COL8A1, a Component of Bruch's Membrane.

Purpose: Genome-wide association studies and targeted sequencing studies of candidate genes have identified common and rare variants that are associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Whole-exome sequencing (WES) studies allow a more comprehensive analysis of rare coding variants across all genes of the genome and will contribute to a better understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms. To date, the number of WES studies in AMD case-control cohorts remains scarce and sample sizes are limited.

The art of matching brain tissue from patients and controls for postmortem research.

The quality of postmortem research depends strongly on a thorough clinical investigation and documentation of the patient's disorder and therapies. In addition, a systematic and professional neuropathologic investigation of both cases and controls is absolutely crucial. In the experience of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB), about 20% of clinical neurologic diagnoses, despite being made in first-rate clinics, have to be revised or require an extra diagnosis after a complete and thorough review by the NBB.

Progressive multiple sclerosis patients show substantial lesion activity that correlates with clinical disease severity and sex: a retrospective autopsy cohort analysis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a highly heterogeneous disease with large inter-individual differences in disease course. MS lesion pathology shows considerable heterogeneity in localization, cellular content and degree of demyelination between patients. In this study, we investigated pathological correlates of disease course in MS using the autopsy cohort of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB), containing 182 MS brain donors.

Task-related effective connectivity reveals that the cortical rich club gates cortex-wide communication.

Higher cognition may require the globally coordinated integration of specialized brain regions into functional networks. A collection of structural cortical hubs-referred to as the rich club-has been hypothesized to support task-specific functional integration. In the present paper, we use a whole-cortex model to estimate directed interactions between 68 cortical regions from functional magnetic resonance imaging activity for four different tasks (reflecting different cognitive domains) and resting state.

Insomnia heterogeneity: Characteristics to consider for data-driven multivariate subtyping.

Meta-analyses and systematic reviews have reported surprisingly few consistent insomnia-characteristics with respect to cognitions, mood, traits, history of life events and family history. One interpretation of this limited consistency is that different subtypes of insomnia exist, each with its own specific multivariate profile of characteristics. Because previously unrecognized subtypes will be differentially represented in individual studies and dilute effect sizes of subtype-dependent characteristics of importance, they are unlikely to be reported consistently in individual studies, let alone in meta-analyses.

The effects of overnight nutrient intake on hypothalamic inflammation in a free-choice diet-induced obesity rat model.

Consumption of fat and sugar induces hyperphagia and increases the prevalence of obesity and diabetes type 2. Low-grade inflammation in the hypothalamus, a key brain area involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis is shown to blunt signals of satiety after long term high fat diet. The fact that this mechanism can be activated after a few days of hyperphagia before apparent obesity is present led to our hypothesis that hypothalamic inflammation is induced with fat and sugar consumption.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of the spectrum of GFAP autoimmunity: a case series of 22 patients.

Objective: To report the clinical and immunological characteristics of 22 new patients with glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) autoantibodies.

Methods: From January 2012 to March 2017, we recruited 451 patients with suspected neurological autoimmune disease at the Catholic University of Rome. Patients' serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were tested for neural autoantibodies by immunohistochemistry on mouse and rat brain sections, by cell-based assays (CBA) and immunoblot.

Distribution of Non-Persistent Endocrine Disruptors in Two Different Regions of the Human Brain.

Non-persistent endocrine disrupting chemicals (npEDCs) can affect multiple organs and systems in the body. Whether npEDCs can accumulate in the human brain is largely unknown. The major aim of this pilot study was to examine the presence of environmental phenols and parabens in two distinct brain regions: the hypothalamus and white-matter tissue.

TUB gene expression in hypothalamus and adipose tissue and its association with obesity in humans.

Background/objectives: Mutations in the Tubby gene (TUB) cause late-onset obesity and insulin resistance in mice and syndromic obesity in humans. Although TUB gene function has not yet been fully elucidated, studies in rodents indicate that TUB is involved in the hypothalamic pathways regulating food intake and adiposity. Aside from the function in central nervous system, TUB has also been implicated in energy metabolism in adipose tissue in rodents.

Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Europe: The Past and the Future.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a frequent, complex disorder in elderly of European ancestry. Risk profiles and treatment options have changed considerably over the years, which may have affected disease prevalence and outcome. We determined the prevalence of early and late AMD in Europe from 1990 to 2013 using the European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium, and made projections for the future.

Increased glutamic acid decarboxylase expression in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus in depression.

In depression, disrupted circadian rhythms reflect abnormalities in the central circadian pacemaker, the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Although many SCN neurons are said to be GABAergic, it was not yet known whether and how SCN GABA changes occur in the SCN in depression. We, therefore, studied GABA in the SCN in relation to the changes in arginine vasopressin (AVP), which is one of the major SCN output systems.

Genome-wide association analysis of insomnia complaints identifies risk genes and genetic overlap with psychiatric and metabolic traits.

Persistent insomnia is among the most frequent complaints in general practice. To identify genetic factors for insomnia complaints, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a genome-wide gene-based association study (GWGAS) in 113,006 individuals. We identify three loci and seven genes associated with insomnia complaints, with the associations for one locus and five genes supported by joint analysis with an independent sample (n = 7,565).