Scholarly Works, School of Neuroscience

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Research articles, presentations, and other scholarship

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Neural Signatures of Cognitive Control Predict Future Adolescent Substance Use Onset and Frequency
Chen, Ya-Yun; Lindenmuth, Morgan; Lee, Tae-Ho; Lee, Jacob; Casas, Brooks; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen (Elsevier, 2024-11-29)
BACKGROUND: Adolescent substance use is a significant predictor of future addiction and related disorders. Understanding neural mechanisms underlying substance use initiation and frequency during adolescence is critical for early prevention and intervention. METHODS: The current longitudinal study followed 91 substance-naïve adolescents annually for 7 years from ages 14 to 21 years to identify potential neural precursors that predict substance use initiation and frequency. Cognitive control processes were examined using the Multi-Source Interference Task to assess functional neural connectivity. A questionnaire was used to assess substance use frequency. RESULTS: Stronger connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) at time 1 predicted a delayed onset of substance use, indicative of a protective effect. A notable decline in this dACC–dlPFC connectivity was observed 1 year prior to substance use initiation. Conversely, lower connectivity of the dACC with the supplementary motor area and heightened connectivity of the anterior insula with the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus were predictive of greater frequency of future substance use. These findings remained after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the critical role of cognitive control–related neural connectivity in predicting substance use initiation and frequency during adolescence. The results imply that efforts to strengthen and monitor the development of the top-down cognitive control system in the brain from early adolescence can be protective and deter progression into problematic substance use. Furthermore, for adolescents with heightened frequency of substance use, interventions may prove more effective by targeting interoceptive processes in cognitive control training.
Making an Effective Flipped Neuroscience Lab by Approaching Students from Their Limbic Brain
Fu, Zhuo (Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, 2024-07-21)
During the pandemic, we filmed our neuroscience labs, and now the videos provide a great resource to flip the lab. Our lab, however, covers a wide range of complicated topics, ranging from gross anatomy, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and fluorescence imaging to cockroach microscopic surgery and measuring nerve conduction velocity on worms and human subjects, and it is challenging to get students to finish watching these complicated experiments. The biggest challenge that students face while watching these experiment demonstrations is their own emotions. When we were editing the films of the labs, we did not reduce the complexity, but we explained concepts by using concepts and objects that students are already familiar with so we do not trigger anxiety. To reduce boredom, we employed three major methods: questioning, humor, and increasing the pace. To address potential anxiety or reluctance about the in-person part of the lab, we mention at the beginning of every lab session that making mistakes is completely acceptable and, as they make mistakes, we help them understand what went wrong and how to correct it. We also introduce additional activities in some lab sessions to pique their interest. For instance, we ask students to test the effects of Red Bull on crickets and investigate whether students who play more video games have higher conduction velocities in the median nerve. Thus far, our flipped lab has been quite successful in terms of maintaining video retention rates and in-person attendance rates. A notable example of the effectiveness of improved hands-on skills is the cockroach microscopic surgery. Before implementing the flipped lab, only 10% of students were able to successfully complete the surgery and acquire nerve activity recordings. With the flipped lab, 90% of students were able to obtain a recording independently.
The Predictive Value of Plasma Bioactive Lipids on Craving in Human Volunteers With Alcohol Use Disorder
Miliano, Cristina; Natividad, Luis A.; Quello, Susan; Stoolmiller, Mike; Gregus, Ann M.; Buczynski, Matthew W.; Mason, Barbara J. (Elsevier, 2024-07-26)
Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by alcohol seeking and consumption despite negative consequences. Despite the availability of multiple treatments, patients continue to exhibit high relapse rates. Thus, biomarkers that can identify patients at risk for heightened craving are urgently needed. Mounting preclinical and clinical evidence implicates perturbations in bioactive lipid signaling in the neurobiology of craving in AUD. We hypothesize that these lipids are potential biomarkers for predicting alcohol craving in patients with AUD. Methods: This study used archival deidentified clinical data and corresponding plasma specimens from 157 participants in 3 clinical studies of AUD. We evaluated plasma levels of 8 lipid species as predictors of craving in response to in vivo alcohol and affective cues during abstinence. Results: Participants were 109 men and 48 women who met DSM-5 criteria for severe AUD. We found that plasma levels of 12- and 15-HETE, 12/15-lipoxygenase–produced proinflammatory lipids, and palmitoylethanolamide, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid amide hydrolase–regulated lipid metabolite, were differentially correlated with alcohol craving during abstinence, predicting higher craving independent of demographics, alcohol use history, and multiple therapeutic treatments. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the promise of these lipid metabolites as biomarkers of heightened alcohol craving. The results open a novel opportunity for further research and clinical evaluation of these biomarkers to optimize existing treatments and develop new therapeutics for AUD.
Effect of chronic vapor nicotine exposure on affective and cognitive behavior in male mice
Murdaugh, Laura B.; Miliano, Cristina; Chen, Irene; Faunce, Christine L.; Natividad, Luis A.; Gregus, Ann M.; Buczynski, Matthew W. (Nature Portfolio, 2024-03-19)
Nicotine use is a leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, and most of those who attempt to quit will relapse. While electronic cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) were presented as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes and promoted as devices to help traditional tobacco smokers reduce or quit smoking, they have instead contributed to increasing nicotine use among youths. Despite this, ENDS also represent a useful tool to create novel preclinical animal models of nicotine exposure that more accurately represent human nicotine use. In this study, we validated a chronic, intermittent, ENDS-based passive vapor exposure model in mice, and then measured changes in multiple behaviors related to nicotine abstinence. First, we performed a behavioral dose curve to investigate the effects of different nicotine inter-vape intervals on various measures including body weight, locomotor activity, and pain hypersensitivity. Next, we performed a pharmacokinetic study to measure plasma levels of nicotine and cotinine following chronic exposure for each inter-vape interval. Finally, we utilized a behavior test battery at a single dosing regimen that produces blood levels equivalent to human smokers in order to characterize the effects of chronic nicotine, vehicle, or passive airflow and identified nicotine-induced impairments in cognitive behavior.
Differential roles of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) enzymes in nicotine withdrawal
Buzzi, Belle; Koseli, Eda; Alkhlaif, Yasmin; Parker, Abigail; Mustafa, Mohammed A.; Lichtman, Aron H.; Buczynski, Matthew W.; Damaj, M. Imad (Elsevier, 2023-07-11)
Nicotine and tobacco-related deaths remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Several studies indicate that modulation of the endocannabinoid system, primarily of the endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), alters nicotinic dependence behaviors in rodents. This study, using transgenic knock-out (KO) mice, evaluated the role of the two 2-AG biosynthesis enzymes, (Diacylglycerol lipase-α) DAGL-α and DAGL-β in spontaneous nicotine withdrawal. DAGL-α deletion prevents somatic and affective signs of nicotine withdrawal, while DAGL-β deletion plays a role in hyperalgesia due to nicotine withdrawal. These results suggest a differential role of these enzymes in the various signs of nicotine withdrawal. Our behavioral findings relate to the distribution of these enzymes with DAGL-β being highly expressed in macrophages and DAGL-α in neurons. This study offers new potential targets for smoking cessation therapies.
Phenelzine-based probes reveal Secernin-3 is involved in thermal nociception
Bustin, Katelyn A.; Shishikura, Kyosuke; Chen, Irene; Lin, Zongtao; McKnight, Nate; Chang, Yuxuan; Wang, Xie; Li, Jing Jing; Arellano, Eric; Pei, Liming; Morton, Paul D.; Gregus, Ann M.; Buczynski, Matthew W.; Matthews, Megan L. (Academic Press - Elsevier, 2023-03-15)
Chemical platforms that facilitate both the identification and elucidation of new areas for therapeutic development are necessary but lacking. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) leverages active site-directed chemical probes as target discovery tools that resolve activity from expression and immediately marry the targets identified with lead compounds for drug design. However, this approach has traditionally focused on predictable and intrinsic enzyme functionality. Here, we applied our activity-based proteomics discovery platform to map non-encoded and post-translationally acquired enzyme functionalities (e.g. cofactors) in vivo using chemical probes that exploit the nucleophilic hydrazine pharmacophores found in a classic antidepressant drug (e.g. phenelzine, Nardil®). We show the probes are in vivo active and can map proteome-wide tissue-specific target engagement of the drug. In addition to engaging targets (flavoenzymes monoamine oxidase A/B) that are associated with the known therapeutic mechanism as well as several other members of the flavoenzyme family, the probes captured the previously discovered N-terminal glyoxylyl (Glox) group of Secernin-3 (SCRN3) in vivo through a divergent mechanism, indicating this functional feature has biochemical activity in the brain. SCRN3 protein is ubiquitously expressed in the brain, yet gene expression is regulated by inflammatory stimuli. In an inflammatory pain mouse model, behavioral assessment of nociception showed Scrn3 male knockout mice selectively exhibited impaired thermal nociceptive sensitivity. Our study provides a guided workflow to entangle molecular (off)targets and pharmacological mechanisms for therapeutic development.
Enumerating rights: more is not always better
Ball, Sheryl B.; Dave, Chetan; Dodds, Stefan (Springer, 2023-05-11)
Contemporary political and policy debate rhetoric increasingly employs the language of ‘rights’: how they are assigned and what entitlements individuals in a society are due. While the obvious constitution design issues surround how rights enumeration affects the relationship between a government and its citizens, we instead analyze how rights framing impacts how citizens interact with each other. We design and implement a novel experiment to test whether social cooperation depends on the enumeration and positive or negative framing of the right of subjects to take a particular action. We find that when rights are framed positively, there exists an ‘entitlement effect’ that reduces social cooperation levels and crowds-out the tendency of individuals to act pro-socially.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Betrayal Aversion
Alsharawy, Abdelaziz; Dwibedi, Esha; Aimone, Jason; Ball, Sheryl B. (Springer, 2022-05-17)
The determinants of vaccine hesitancy remain complex and context specific. Betrayal aversion occurs when an individual is hesitant to risk being betrayed in an environment involving trust. In this pre-registered vignette experiment, we show that betrayal aversion is not captured by current vaccine hesitancy measures despite representing a significant source of unwillingness to be vaccinated. Our survey instrument was administered to 888 United States residents via Amazon Mechanical Turk in March 2021. We find that over a third of participants have betrayal averse preferences, resulting in an 8–26% decline in vaccine acceptance, depending on the betrayal source. Interestingly, attributing betrayal risk to scientists or government results in the greatest declines in vaccine acceptance. We explore an exogenous message intervention and show that an otherwise effective message acts narrowly and fails to reduce betrayal aversion. Our results demonstrate the importance of betrayal aversion as a preference construct in the decision to vaccinate.
Emotional words evoke region- and valence-specific patterns of concurrent neuromodulator release in human thalamus and cortex
Batten, Seth R.; Hartle, Alec E.; Barbosa, Leonardo S.; Hadj-Amar, Beniamino; Bang, Dan; Melville, Natalie; Twomey, Tom; White, Jason P.; Torres, Alexis; Celaya, Xavier; McClure, Samuel M.; Brewer, Gene A.; Lohrenz, Terry; Kishida, Kenneth T.; Bina, Robert W.; Witcher, Mark R.; Vannucci, Marina; Casas, Brooks; Chiu, Pearl; Montague, P. Read; Howe, William M. (Elsevier, 2025-01-28)
Words represent a uniquely human information channel—humans use words to express thoughts and feelings and to assign emotional valence to experience. Work from model organisms suggests that valence assignments are carried out in part by the neuromodulators dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Here, we ask whether valence signaling by these neuromodulators extends to word semantics in humans by measuring sub-second neuromodulator dynamics in the thalamus (N = 13) and anterior cingulate cortex (N = 6) of individuals evaluating positive, negative, and neutrally valenced words. Our combined results suggest that valenced words modulate neuromodulator release in both the thalamus and cortex, but with regionand valence-specific response patterns, as well as hemispheric dependence for dopamine release in the anterior cingulate. Overall, these experiments provide evidence that neuromodulator-dependent valence signaling extends to word semantics in humans, but not in a simple one-valence-per-transmitter fashion.
Molecular Basis of Oncogenic PI3K Proteins
Sheng, Zhi; Beck, Patrick; Gabby, Maegan; Habte-Mariam, Semhar; Mitkos, Katherine (MDPI, 2024-12-30)
The dysregulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling plays a pivotal role in driving neoplastic transformation by promoting uncontrolled cell survival and proliferation. This oncogenic activity is primarily caused by mutations that are frequently found in PI3K genes and constitutively activate the PI3K signaling pathway. However, tumorigenesis can also arise from nonmutated PI3K proteins adopting unique active conformations, further complicating the understanding of PI3K-driven cancers. Recent structural studies have illuminated the functional divergence among highly homologous PI3K proteins, revealing how subtle structural alterations significantly impact their activity and contribute to tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of Class I PI3K proteins and aim to unravel the complex mechanism underlying their oncogenic traits. These insights will not only enhance our understanding of PI3K-mediated oncogenesis but also pave the way for the design of novel PI3K-based therapies to combat cancers driven by this signaling pathway.
Embryonic Thermal Programming and Dietary Baicalein Supplementation Post-Hatch: Effects on Broiler Adipose Tissue Deposition
Sulaiman, Usman; Vaughan, Reagan; Siegel, Paul; Liu, Dongmin; Gilbert, Elizabeth; Cline, Mark (MDPI, 2024-12-10)
Optimization of growth performance and fat metabolism in broilers are critical for meat quality and overall production efficiency. This experiment investigated the effects of dietary baicalein supplementation and embryonic heat conditioning (EHC) on the growth performance and adipose tissue metabolism of 10-day old broilers. Fertile eggs were divided into control and EHC groups, with EHC eggs exposed to intermittent heating (39.5 °C) from day 7 to day 16 of incubation. Hatched chicks were further divided into four groups: CC (control control), CT (control treatment with baicalein), EC (embryonic heat control), and ET (embryonic heat treatment with baicalein), and were fed ad libitum. On day 10 post-hatch, blood and adipose tissue samples were collected for analysis. C/EBPα mRNA was lower in the ET group compared to the EC group and higher in the CT group compared to the CC group. PPARγ and HSL mRNAs were elevated in both the ET and CT groups relative to their controls. Additionally, plasma non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were significantly higher in the CT group compared to the CC group. These results indicate that baicalein supplementation, particularly when combined with embryonic heat conditioning, can modulate fat metabolism and potentially improve the growth performance of broilers, thereby offering insights into strategies for enhancing poultry production.
Cerebellar nuclei cells produce distinct pathogenic spike signatures in mouse models of ataxia, dystonia, and tremor
van der Heijden, Meike E.; Brown, Amanda M.; Kizek, Dominic J.; Sillitoe, Roy (eLife, 2024-07-29)
The cerebellum contributes to a diverse array of motor conditions, including ataxia, dystonia, and tremor. The neural substrates that encode this diversity are unclear. Here, we tested whether the neural spike activity of cerebellar output neurons is distinct between movement disorders with different impairments, generalizable across movement disorders with similar impairments, and capable of causing distinct movement impairments. Using in vivo awake recordings as input data, we trained a supervised classifier model to differentiate the spike parameters between mouse models for ataxia, dystonia, and tremor. The classifier model correctly assigned mouse phenotypes based on single-neuron signatures. Spike signatures were shared across etiologically distinct but phenotypically similar disease models. Mimicking these pathophysiological spike signatures with optogenetics induced the predicted motor impairments in otherwise healthy mice. These data show that distinct spike signatures promote the behavioral presentation of cerebellar diseases.
Converging and Diverging Cerebellar Pathways for Motor and Social Behaviors in Mice
van der Heijden, Meike E. (Springer, 2024-05-23)
Evidence from clinical and preclinical studies has shown that the cerebellum contributes to cognitive functions, including social behaviors. Now that the cerebellum’s role in a wider range of behaviors has been confirmed, the question arises whether the cerebellum contributes to social behaviors via the same mechanisms with which it modulates movements. This review seeks to answer whether the cerebellum guides motor and social behaviors through identical pathways. It focuses on studies in which cerebellar cells, synapses, or genes are manipulated in a cell-type specific manner followed by testing of the effects on social and motor behaviors. These studies show that both anatomically restricted and cerebellar cortex-wide manipulations can lead to social impairments without abnormal motor control, and vice versa. These studies suggest that the cerebellum employs different cellular, synaptic, and molecular pathways for social and motor behaviors. Future studies warrant a focus on the diverging mechanisms by which the cerebellum contributes to a wide range of neural functions.
More Than a Small Brain: The Importance of Studying Neural Function during Development
Dooley, James C.; van der Heijden, Meike E. (Society for Neuroscience, 2024-11-27)
The nervous system contains complex circuits comprising thousands of cell types and trillions of connections. Here, we discuss how the field of "developmental systems neuroscience" combines the molecular and genetic perspectives of developmental neuroscience with the (typically adult-focused) functional perspective of systems neuroscience. This combination of approaches is critical to understanding how a handful of cells eventually produce the wide range of behaviors necessary for survival. Functional circuit development typically lags behind neural connectivity, leading to intermediate stages of neural activity that are either not seen in adults or, if present, are considered pathophysiological. Developmental systems neuroscience examines these intermediate stages of neural activity, mapping out the critical phases and inflection points of neural circuit function to understand how neural activity and behavior emerge across development. Beyond understanding typical development, this approach provides invaluable insight into the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders by identifying when and how functional development diverges between health and disease. We argue that developmental systems neuroscience will identify important periods of neural development, reveal novel therapeutic windows for treatment, and set the stage to answer fundamental questions about the brain in health and disease.
Spatial Transcriptomics and Single-Nucleus Multi-Omics Analysis Revealing the Impact of High Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation on Offspring Brain Development
Xu, Xiguang; Lin, Yu; Yin, Liduo; Serpa, Priscila da Silva; Conacher, Benjamin; Pacholec, Christina; Carvallo, Francisco; Hrubec, Terry; Farris, Shannon; Zimmerman, Kurt; Wang, Xiaobin; Xie, Hehuang (MDPI, 2024-11-07)
Background: Folate, an essential vitamin B9, is crucial for diverse biological processes, including neurogenesis. Folic acid (FA) supplementation during pregnancy is a standard practice for preventing neural tube defects (NTDs). However, concerns are growing over the potential risks of excessive maternal FA intake. Objectives/Methods: Here, we employed a mouse model and spatial transcriptomic and single-nucleus multi-omics approaches to investigate the impact of high maternal FA supplementation during the periconceptional period on offspring brain development. Results: Maternal high FA supplementation affected gene pathways linked to neurogenesis and neuronal axon myelination across multiple brain regions, as well as gene expression alterations related to learning and memory in thalamic and ventricular regions. Single-nucleus multi-omics analysis revealed that maturing excitatory neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) are particularly vulnerable to high maternal FA intake, leading to aberrant gene expressions and chromatin accessibility in pathways governing ribosomal biogenesis critical for synaptic formation. Conclusions: Our findings provide new insights into specific brain regions, cell types, gene expressions and pathways that can be affected by maternal high FA supplementation.
Traditional Prostate Cancer Risk Assessment Scales Do Not Predict Outcomes from Brain Metastases: A Population-Based Predictive Nomogram
Ladner, Liliana R.; Adhikari, Srijan; Bhutada, Abhishek S.; Cuoco, Joshua A.; Patel, Vaibhav M.; Entwistle, John J.; Rogers, Cara M.; Marvin, Eric A. (MDPI, 2024-08-30)
Brain metastases are an uncommon yet life-limiting manifestation of prostate cancer. However, there is limited insight into the natural progression, therapeutics, and patient outcomes for prostate cancer once metastasized to the brain. This is a retrospective study of 461 patients with metastatic prostate cancer to the brain with a primary outcome of median overall survival (OS). The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was examined using Cox regression univariate and multivariable analyses, and a corresponding nomogram was developed. The median overall survival was 15 months. In the multivariable analysis, Hispanic patients had significantly increased OS (median OS 17 months, p = 0.005). Patients with tumor sizes greater than three centimeters exhibited significantly reduced OS (median OS 19 months, p = 0.014). Patients with additional metastases to the liver exhibited significantly reduced OS (median OS 3.5 months, p < 0.001). Increased survival was demonstrated in patients treated with chemotherapy or systemic treatment (median OS 19 months, p = 0.039), in addition to radiation and chemotherapy (median OS 25 months, p = 0.002). The nomogram had a C-index of 0.641. For patients with prostate metastases to the brain, median OS is influenced by race, tumor size, presence of additional metastases, and treatment. The lack of an association between traditional prostate cancer prognosis metrics, including Gleason and ISUP grading, and mortality highlights the need for individualized, metastasis-specific prognosis metrics. This prognostic nomogram for prostate metastases to the brain can be used to guide the management of affected patients.
T-DOpE probes reveal sensitivity of hippocampal oscillations to cannabinoids in behaving mice
Kim, Jongwoon; Huang, Hengji; Gilbert, Earl T.; Kaiser C., Arndt; English, Daniel Fine; Jia, Xiaoting (Nature Research, 2024-02-24)
Understanding the neural basis of behavior requires monitoring and manipulating combinations of physiological elements and their interactions in behaving animals. We developed a thermal tapering process enabling fabrication of low-cost, flexible probes combining ultrafine features: dense electrodes, optical waveguides, and microfluidic channels. Furthermore, we developed a semi-automated backend connection allowing scalable assembly. We demonstrate T-DOpE (Tapered Drug delivery, Optical stimulation, and Electrophysiology) probes achieve in single neuron-scale devices (1) highfidelity electrophysiological recording (2) focal drug delivery and (3) optical stimulation. The device tip can beminiaturized (as small as 50 μm) tominimize tissue damage while the ~20 times larger backend allows for industrial-scale connectorization. T-DOpE probes implanted in mouse hippocampus revealed canonical neuronal activity at the level of local field potentials (LFP) and neural spiking. Taking advantage of the triple-functionality of these probes, we monitored LFP while manipulating cannabinoid receptors (CB1R; microfluidic agonist delivery) and CA1 neuronal activity (optogenetics). Focal infusion of CB1R agonist downregulated theta and sharp wave-ripple oscillations (SPWRs). Furthermore, we found that CB1R activation reduces sharp wave-ripples by impairing the innate SPW-R-generating ability of the CA1 circuit.
SARS-CoV-2 Rapidly Infects Peripheral Sensory and Autonomic Neurons, Contributing to Central Nervous System Neuroinvasion before Viremia
Joyce, Jonathan D.; Moore, Greyson A.; Goswami, Poorna; Harrell, Telvin L.; Taylor, Tina M.; Hawks, Seth A.; Green, Jillian C.; Jia, Mo; Irwin, Matthew D.; Leslie, Emma; Duggal, Nisha K.; Thompson, Christopher K.; Bertke, Andrea S. (MDPI, 2024-07-28)
Neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19, acute and long term, suggest SARS-CoV-2 affects both the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS/CNS). Although studies have shown olfactory and hematogenous invasion into the CNS, coinciding with neuroinflammation, little attention has been paid to susceptibility of the PNS to infection or to its contribution to CNS invasion. Here we show that sensory and autonomic neurons in the PNS are susceptible to productive infection with SARS-CoV-2 and outline physiological and molecular mechanisms mediating neuroinvasion. Our infection of K18-hACE2 mice, wild-type mice, and golden Syrian hamsters, as well as primary peripheral sensory and autonomic neuronal cultures, show viral RNA, proteins, and infectious virus in PNS neurons, satellite glial cells, and functionally connected CNS tissues. Additionally, we demonstrate, in vitro, that neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 neuronal entry. SARS-CoV-2 rapidly invades the PNS prior to viremia, establishes a productive infection in peripheral neurons, and results in sensory symptoms often reported by COVID-19 patients.
Editorial: Effects of performing arts training on the brain, (socio)cognitive and motor functions across the lifespan
Kausel, Leonie; Basso, Julia C.; Grinspun, Noemí; Alain, Claude (Frontiers Media, 2023-12-06)
Performing arts are a cultural expression that is ubiquitous around the world and consists of arts that are performed for an audience, such as music, dance, and drama. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in understanding how this expressive, and in essence social activity, impacts brain development and plasticity. This topic aimed to collect evidence on how the brain and (socio)cognitive and motor functions are influenced by performing arts training along the lifespan, deepening the current knowledge on this subject and helping to unravel the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie these changes. The five articles presented in this Research Topic explore research on an acting intervention, cover matters related to dance training, identify variables related to music sophistication, and focus on performing arts and musical training.
Examining the Effect of Increased Aerobic Exercise in Moderately Fit Adults on Psychological State and Cognitive Function
Basso, Julia C.; Oberlin, Douglas J.; Satyal, Medha K.; O’Brien, Catherine E.; Crosta, Christen; Psaras, Zach; Metpally, Anvitha; Suzuki, Wendy A. (Frontiers Media, 2022-07-12)
Regular physical exercise can decrease the risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, increase life expectancy, and promote psychological health and neurocognitive functioning. Cross-sectional studies show that cardiorespiratory fitness level (VO₂ max) is associated with enhanced brain health, including improved mood state and heightened cognitive performance. Interventional studies are consistent with these cross-sectional studies, but most have focused on low-fit populations. Few such studies have asked if increasing levels of physical activity in moderately fit people can significantly enhance mood, motivation, and cognition. Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of increasing aerobic exercise in moderately fit individuals on psychological state and cognitive performance.We randomly assigned moderately fit healthy adults, 25–59 years of age, who were engaged in one or two aerobic exercise sessions per week to either maintain their exercise regimen (n = 41) or increase their exercise regimen (i.e., 4–7 aerobic workouts per week; n = 39) for a duration of 3 months. Both before and after the intervention, we assessed aerobic capacity using a modified cardiorespiratory fitness test, and hippocampal functioning via various neuropsychological assessments including a spatial navigation task and the Mnemonic Similarity Task as well as self-reported measures including the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Rumination Scale, Eating Disorders Examination, Eating Attitudes Test, Body Attitudes Test, and Behavioral Regulation of Exercise Questionnaire. Consistent with our initial working hypotheses, we found that increasing exercise significantly decreased measures of negative affect, including fear, sadness, guilt, and hostility, as well as improved body image. Further, we found that the total number of workouts was significantly associated with improved spatial navigation abilities and body image as well as reduced anxiety, general negative affect, fear, sadness, hostility, rumination, and disordered eating. In addition, increases in fitness levels were significantly associated with improved episodic memory and exercise motivation as well as decreased stress and disordered eating. Our findings are some of the first to indicate that in middle-aged moderately-fit adults, continuing to increase exercise levels in an already ongoing fitness regimen is associated with additional benefits for both psychological and cognitive health.

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