Neuroscience
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Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a convolution of latent neural activity and the hemodynamic response function (HRF). According to prior studies, the neurodegenerative process in idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (PD) interacts significantly with neuromuscular abnormalities. Although these underlying neuromuscular changes might influence the temporal characteristics of HRF and fMRI signals, relatively few studies have explored this possibility. ⋯ The results suggested that neglecting HRF variability may cultivate false-positive and false-negative FC group differences. Furthermore, HRF was related to dopamine receptor type 2 (DRD2) gene expression (P < 0.001, t = -7.06, false discover rate-corrected). Taken together, these findings reveal HRF variation and its possible underlying molecular mechanism in PD, and suggest that deconvolution could reduce the impact of HRF variation on FC group differences.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by decreased learning ability and memory deficits. Our previous findings suggested that benzene, 1,2,4-trimethoxy-5-(2-methyl-1-propen-1-yl) (BTY) can ameliorate the dysfunction of GABAergic inhibitory neurons associated with neurological diseases. On this basis, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of BTY on AD and explored the underlying mechanism. ⋯ Besides, histopathological experiments indicated that BTY could maintain the morphology and function of neurons, reduce amyloid β-protein 42 (Aβ42) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) accumulation, and decrease the levels of inflammatory cytokines. Finally, western blot experiments showed that BTY could inhibit the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and promote the expression of memory-related proteins. In conclusion, this study indicated that BTY may be a promising drug candidate for AD.
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Numerous blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) imaging studies have shown that generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can lead to abnormal activation of specific brain regions in patients. However, these methods lack sufficient temporal resolution to explain the underlying brain dynamics of GAD. The electroencephalogram (EEG) microstate allows us to explore brain dynamics at the subsecond level. ⋯ The optimal configuration combined the spatial features of source-level data with microstate features and achieved the highest classification accuracy. Collectively, the statistical results indicated remarkable differences in dynamic brain parameters between the two groups, and patients with GAD may have abnormalities in their higher sensory cortex that affect the processing of anxiety signals. Furthermore, our proposed fusion framework provides a reliable method for GAD automatic detection.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease, with pathogenic causes elusive and short of effective treatment options. Investigations have found that dairy products positively correlate with the onset of PD, but the mechanisms remain unexplored. As casein is an antigenic component in dairy products, this study assessed if casein could exacerbate PD-related symptoms by stimulating intestinal inflammation and unbalanced intestinal flora and be a risk factor for PD. ⋯ Therefore, our results suggested that casein could reactivate dopaminergic nerve injury and intestinal inflammation and exacerbate intestinal flora disorder and its metabolites in convalescent PD mice. These damaging effects might be related to disordered protein digestion and gut microbiota in these mice. These findings will provide new insights into the impact of milk/dairy products on PD progression and supply information on dietary options for PD patients.
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The glymphatic system is a fluid-clearance pathway that clears cerebral waste products, and its dysfunction has been associated with protein aggregation diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. To understand how the glymphatic system changes with aging, we enrolled 433 cognitive unimpaired participants (236 women and 197 men, 13-88 years) and evaluated the glymphatic function by calculating diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (ALPS) index and explored how the ALPS index is associated with cortical atrophy and cognitive decline in older people. ⋯ Declines in mental manipulation and short-term memory performance in the older participants were associated with a lower ALPS index and cortical atrophy in the amygdala, anterior and posterior cingulate, thalamus and middle frontal regions. Our findings highlight that the ALPS index could be used to evaluate brain reserve and cognitive reserve in older people.