Neuroscience
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Transient receptor vanillin 1 (TRPV1) is widely expressed in the neural axis and surrounding tissues, and is easily activated by harmful stimuli such as pain and inflammatory responses. Previous studies have shown that activated TRPV1 channels regulate all levels of nervous system activity by improving calcium influx and modulating nervous system excitability. Recent studies have suggested that TRPV1 activation in the peripheral nervous system may induce sleep disorders, while activation in the central nervous system may ameliorate sleep disorders and assist memory consolidation processes. Here, we summarize the risk factors for inducing sleep disorders, the alteration of these risk factors by TRPV1 receptor activation, and the driving effect of TRPV1 receptor activity on memory consolidation.
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The conversion of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is related to various factors. The causal relationships among these factors remain unclear. This study aims to investigate pathways of the progression by using causal analysis and build a predictive model with high accuracy. ⋯ Our study elucidated the initiating factors and three independent pathways involved in the conversion of MCI to AD. The predictive value of each factor was clarified and a multi-predictor nomogram was established with high accuracy.
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Loneliness is intricately connected to social cognition, yet the precise brain mechanisms that underscore their relationship need further exploration. The present study employed a theory of mind processing task that engaged participants in assessing the trajectories of geometric shapes while undergoing fMRI scans. The comprehensive data pool encompassed loneliness assessments and brain imaging data from a cohort of 157 participants. ⋯ Furthermore, functional connectivity among the social network, the default mode network, and somatomotor networks emerged as crucial factors in prediction. Brain regions contributed strongly in prediction are involved in a variety of social cognitive processes, including intention inference, empathy, and information integration. The results illuminate the association between brain functional connectivity induced by social cognition and loneliness, which enhance the comprehensive understanding of this complex emotional state and may have implications for its diagnosis and intervention.
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This study explored structural and functional alterations in the whole brain of stroke patients with hemiplegia. ⋯ This study identified key brain regions and characteristics that exhibit structural and functional changes following stroke injury.
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Case Reports
Co-occurrence of Parkinson's disease and Retinitis Pigmentosa: A genetic and in silico analysis.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily driven by the protein Alpha Synuclein (A-Syn) accumulation. Synphilin-1 protein, encoded by the SNCAIP gene, which co-localizes with A-Syn is a known risk factor for PD. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), is a cluster of retinal degenerative disorders, and Cyclic Nucleotide Gated channel subunit Alpha 1 (CNGA1) is one of the initial genes associated with RP. Patients with PD can have various kinds of visual dysfunction as a non-motor manifestation, but to date, CNGA1 mutation and RP as a PD associated visual symptom has not been reported. We report a mutation in the SNCAIP gene in a PD patient, not reported earlier, and its co-occurrence with RP-associated CNGA1 gene mutation. ⋯ The current study has determined the co-occurrence of RP and PD, whole exome sequencing ascertains the mutations in SNCAIP and CNGA1 genes, which could be the cause of PD and RP co-occurrence.