川陈皮素改善衰老认知功能损伤的作用与机制

随着世界人口的老龄化,与年龄相关认知功能障碍的威胁越来越大.研究年龄相关认知功能损伤的发病机制及寻找有效的防治策略具有重要意义.我们之前的研究表明,衰老小鼠海马中S-亚硝基谷胱甘肽还原酶(S-nitrosoglutathione reductase,GSNOR)显著升高,神经元特异性高表达GSNOR转基因小鼠在行为学检测中表现出认知功能障碍.然而,其分子机制仍不清楚.在本研究中发现,CREB信号通路在GSNOR高表达转基因小鼠及原代培养小鼠海马神经元中均被GSNOR下调.在Y迷宫中检测表明,连续7 d腹腔注射CREB激活剂川陈皮素,能改善GSNOR过表达小鼠的认知损伤.进一步通过恐惧箱实验及Y迷宫测试研究川陈皮素对自然衰老小鼠认知功能的作用,发现川陈皮素能显著提高自然衰老小鼠在Y迷宫测试中的正确选择率以及在恐惧箱中的冻结时间,表明川陈皮素能显著改善衰老相关的认知功能.同样,川陈皮素上调了CREB磷酸化以及PSD95和Glu R1的水平,表明CREB信号上调在改善自然衰老认知功能损伤中发挥了重要作用.本研究为衰老认知功能损伤机制及改善方法提供了新的依据,GSNOR转基因小鼠也可能成为一种新的认知功能损伤模型.     

MicroRNA在阿尔茨海默病发病机制中的作用

microRNA通过转录后水平调控细胞的蛋白质表达,在神经系统的发育、分化及功能行使中发挥着重要作用。阿尔茨海默病是一种以进行性认知功能障碍为特征的神经退行性疾病,患者脑内microRNA的表达发生改变,异常表达的microRNA可从多种途径影响疾病的发生与发展,对microRNA在阿尔茨海默病中作用的研究不仅有利于疾病发病机制的诠释也有利于microRNA调控机制的探讨。     

川陈皮素改善衰老认知功能损伤的作用与机制（英文）

随着世界人口的老龄化,与年龄相关认知功能障碍的威胁越来越大.研究年龄相关认知功能损伤的发病机制及寻找有效的防治策略具有重要意义.我们之前的研究表明,衰老小鼠海马中S-亚硝基谷胱甘肽还原酶(S-nitrosoglutathione reductase,GSNOR)显著升高,神经元特异性高表达GSNOR转基因小鼠在行为学检测中表现出认知功能障碍.然而,其分子机制仍不清楚.在本研究中发现,CREB信号通路在GSNOR高表达转基因小鼠及原代培养小鼠海马神经元中均被GSNOR下调.在Y迷宫中检测表明,连续7 d腹腔注射CREB激活剂川陈皮素,能改善GSNOR过表达小鼠的认知损伤.进一步通过恐惧箱实验及Y迷宫测试研究川陈皮素对自然衰老小鼠认知功能的作用,发现川陈皮素能显著提高自然衰老小鼠在Y迷宫测试中的正确选择率以及在恐惧箱中的冻结时间,表明川陈皮素能显著改善衰老相关的认知功能.同样,川陈皮素上调了CREB磷酸化以及PSD95和Glu R1的水平,表明CREB信号上调在改善自然衰老认知功能损伤中发挥了重要作用.本研究为衰老认知功能损伤机制及改善方法提供了新的依据,GSNOR转基因小鼠也可能成为一种新的认知功能损伤模型.     

肠道菌群与孤独症发病关系的研究进展

肠道菌群与人体的健康或疾病状态息息相关,在营养摄取、免疫与内分泌调节、药物代谢中都起着重要的作用,并能通过微生物群-肠-脑轴影响中枢神经系统的发育与功能。流行病学数据显示,肠道菌群的组成变化与多种中枢系统疾病相关。其中,孤独症是一类以社交障碍、刻板行为、兴趣狭隘为主要临床特征的神经发育障碍性疾病。由于孤独症与胃肠道疾病之间联系紧密且其发病率正逐年上升,人们愈发关注肠道菌群在孤独症发病过程中的作用。研究发现,肠道菌群能够影响孤独症患者的中枢神经系统发育,导致异常的行为表现并诱发胃肠症状等。本文总结了影响肠道菌群组成的因素,并从微生物群-肠-脑轴的角度讨论了肠道菌群影响孤独症的方式,同时介绍了孤独症患者肠道菌群疗法的有效性与临床前景。     

孤独症与MeCP2基因相关性研究进展CSCD

研究表明甲基化Cp G结合蛋白2(methyl Cp G binding protein 2,Me CP2)基因的突变和功能缺失会导致神经系统障碍,有些孤独症患儿中存在Me CP2基因编码区突变。本文根据国内外阐述Me CP2与神经系统疾病的文献,梳理孤独症患儿与Me CP2基因的相关性,探讨Me CP2基因对孤独症发病的影响。     

孤独症与MeCP2基因相关性研究进展

研究表明甲基化Cp G结合蛋白2(methyl Cp G binding protein 2,Me CP2)基因的突变和功能缺失会导致神经系统障碍,有些孤独症患儿中存在Me CP2基因编码区突变。本文根据国内外阐述Me CP2与神经系统疾病的文献,梳理孤独症患儿与Me CP2基因的相关性,探讨Me CP2基因对孤独症发病的影响。     

儿童孤独症与拷贝数变异的研究

儿童孤独症是一种复杂的神经发育性障碍,患儿常表现有认知、情感和行为等多方面的异常,主要临床表现为社会交往障碍,言语交流障碍,重复刻板行为。孤独症多起病于三岁之前,男女发病比例约为4:1,患儿常伴有明显的精神发育迟滞。近年来,其发病率呈现逐年上升的趋势,最新的流行病学调查显示孤独症在美国的患病率约为9.1‰。据公认的假说"常见疾病-常见变异"推测,孤独症的风险等位基因和其他复杂疾病一样,在普通人群中将会变得很常见。由于该病起病早,难以进行早期识别,而且尚无特效药或方法可以彻底治愈这种病症,因而给社会及患儿家庭带来了沉重的负担。目前其发病原因和机制尚不明确,但关于儿童孤独症的双生子研究和家系研究都显示它是一个高度遗传性疾病,而且很多证据都表明孤独症是受多因素影响的遗传性疾病,近年来关于孤独症和拷贝数变异(CNVS)研究的报道越来越多,本文将主要就儿童孤独症的拷贝数变异研究现状和最新进展进行论述。     

线粒体功能障碍与孤独症

孤独症谱系障碍（ASDs）患儿中约有5%伴有线粒体功能紊乱.线粒体功能紊乱会损害对能量高度依赖的生理进程,如神经发育和神经可塑性,从而导致孤独症.本文综述了孤独症个体中线粒体过量的活性氧（reactive oxygen species,ROS）产生及其抗氧化系统减弱、呼吸链复合物异常、线粒体基因突变及与线粒体功能相关的基因组DNA编码的蛋白质异常等方面的研究,旨在阐述线粒体系统多方面的紊乱在孤独症个体中均有所体现,希望能够对孤独症的发病机制和治疗提供帮助.     

孤独症的神经生物学研究

孤独症是一种严重的神经发育性疾病,主要症状有重复刻板行为、社交沟通障碍及语言发育迟缓等,多发于2~5岁幼儿中,症状往往伴随患者终生.经过长期的遗传学研究,基因的变异包括点突变与大片段缺失及重复在孤独症的发病因素中占到了很大的比例.但是目前并未发现有某些少数主效基因占到孤独症遗传变异的主要地位,提示孤独症是一种多基因致病,并与环境因素密切相关的复杂疾病.对孤独症的神经生物学研究揭示,在孤独症中发生突变的基因多编码影响神经系统发育及突触传导的重要蛋白,因此神经发育及突触传导的异常很可能是导致孤独症的重要因素.目前在多种模式生物,包括大小鼠及非人灵长类中构建了基于基因操作的孤独症模型.随着基础研究的不断深入,最终将揭示孤独症致病因素并找到有效干预方法.     

钙/钙调蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶Ⅱ与学习记忆相关疾病的研究进展

智力障碍、阿尔兹海默氏病等学习记忆相关疾病由于致病原因复杂,发病机制不明确,至今仍缺少有效的防治措施。钙/钙调蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶Ⅱ(CaMKⅡ)作为神经信号传递通路中重要的信号分子,是与学习和记忆相关的重要调节蛋白。CaMKⅡ功能的失调会诱发多种与学习记忆相关的疾病。目前在编码CaMKⅡ的基因上已发现多种引起智力障碍的从头突变,但具体的致病机理仍有待进一步研究。该文重点介绍了CaMKⅡ在学习和记忆中的作用,总结了CaMKⅡ突变引起的学习记忆相关疾病及在智力障碍上可能的致病机理,并讨论了如何以其作为新的靶点开发针对神经系统疾病的个性化治疗药物。     

The autism candidate gene Neurobeachin encodes a scaffolding protein implicated in membrane trafficking and signaling

Autism is a developmental disorder of the central nervous system characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication and restricted repetitive and stereotyped behavior. It is generally assumed that in most cases autism has a polygenic cause, but the pathogenesis is still unknown. Neurobeachin (NBEA) has recently been identified as a candidate gene for autism in a patient with a de novo chromosomal translocation and three patients with a monoallelic deletion. This multidomain scaffolding protein has been suggested to be involved in neuronal post-Golgi membrane traffic. Knockout of Nbea in two independent mouse models has demonstrated a role in neurotransmitter release and synaptic functioning. Knockdown in a cell line has shown a role as negative regulator of secretion of large dense-core vesicles (LDCVs) and haploinsufficiency in blood platelets results in dense granules with an aberrant morphology. A potential role in vesicle transport is further supported by a study of SEL-2, the C.elegans homologue of NBEA. This protein was identified as a negative regulator of LIN-12/Notch activity, probably due to defects in endosomal trafficking. Members of the Notch pathway have also been shown to be modifiers of the NBEA homologue in Drosophila, rugose. These new insights in the function of NBEA may help identifying novel pathways affected in autistic patients. In particular, it suggests that impaired functionality of LDCVs, which contain neurotrophins, neuropeptides and monoamines, might contribute to the pathogenesis of autism in at least a subgroup of patients.     

Genetic architecture,epigenetic influence and environment exposure in the pathogenesis of Autism

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD) is a spectral neurodevelopment disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population. ASD is characterized by impairments in reciprocal social interaction, communication deficits and restricted patterns of behavior. Multiple factors, including genetic/genomic, epigenetic/epigenomic and environmental, are thought to be necessary for autism development. Recent reviews have provided further insight into the genetic/genomic basis of ASD. It has long been suspected that epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, chromatin structures and long non-coding RNAs may play important roles in the pathology of ASD. In addition to genetic/genomic alterations and epigenetic/epigenomic influences, environmental exposures have been widely accepted as an important role in autism etiology, among which immune dysregulation and gastrointestinal microbiota are two prominent ones.     

The Mitochondrial Aspartate/Glutamate Carrier AGC1 and Calcium Homeostasis: Physiological Links and Abnormalities in Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe, complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in reciprocal social interaction and communication, and restricted and stereotyped patterns of interests and behaviors. Recent evidence has unveiled an important role for calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling in the pathogenesis of ASD. Post-mortem studies of autistic brains have pointed toward abnormalities in mitochondrial function as possible downstream consequences of altered Ca²⁺ signaling, abnormal synapse formation, and dysreactive immunity. SLC25A12, an ASD susceptibility gene, encodes the Ca²⁺-regulated mitochondrial aspartate–glutamate carrier, isoform 1 (AGC1). AGC1 is an important component of the malate/aspartate shuttle, a crucial system supporting oxidative phosphorylation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Here, we review the physiological roles of AGC1, its links to calcium homeostasis, and its involvement in autism pathogenesis.     

Genetic investigation of quantitative traits related to autism: use of multivariate polygenic models with ascertainment adjustment

Autism is a severe developmental disorder of unknown etiology but with evidence for genetic influences. Here, we provide evidence for a genetic basis of several quantitative traits that are related to autism. These traits, from the Broader Phenotype Autism Symptom Scale (BPASS), were measured in nuclear families, each ascertained through two probands affected by autism spectrum disorder. The BPASS traits capture the continuum of severity of impairments and may be more informative for genetic studies than are the discrete diagnoses of autism that have been used by others. Using a sample of 201 nuclear families consisting of a total of 694 individuals, we implemented multivariate polygenic models with ascertainment adjustment to estimate heritabilities and genetic and environmental correlations between these traits. Our ascertainment adjustment uses conditioning on the phenotypes of probands, requires no modeling of the ascertainment process, and is applicable to multiplex ascertainment and multivariate traits. This appears to be the first such implementation for multivariate quantitative traits. The marked difference between heritability estimates of the trait for language onset with and without an ascertainment adjustment (0.08 and 0.22, respectively) shows that conclusions are sensitive to whether or not an ascertainment adjustment is used. Among the five BPASS traits that were analyzed, the traits for social motivation and range of interest/flexibility show the highest heritability (0.19 and 0.16, respectively) and also have the highest genetic correlation (0.92). This finding suggests a shared genetic basis of these two traits and that they may be most promising for future gene mapping and for extending pedigrees by phenotyping additional relatives.     

Disruption of Contactin 4 in two subjects with autism in Chinese population

Autism is a heterogeneous childhood neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterised by deficits in verbal communication, impaired social interactions, restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. Using an Illumina HumanCNV370-Quad BeadChip, we identified two Han Chinese individuals with autism and large duplications (~1.6 Mb and ~2.4 Mb) disrupting the same CNTN4 gene. CNTN4 encodes a protein that functions as a cell-adhesion molecule and may play an essential role in the formation of axon connections in the developing nervous system. The disruption of this gene has been reported to be the cause of the 3p deletion syndrome and also a possible susceptibility factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Our results suggest that rare copy number variations (CNVs) in CNTN4 may also influence autism susceptibility in Asian populations. Interestingly, a comparison of the clinical phenotypes between the two subjects revealed that the subject with the 2.4 Mb CNV (involving several other genes) presented with a more severe phenotype than the subject with the 1.6 Mb CNV (disrupting only CNTN4 and CNTN6). This suggests that other genes in the nearby region may contribute to the pathogenesis.     

Identifying neurocognitive phenotypes in autism

Autism is a complex disorder that is heterogeneous both in its phenotypic expression and its etiology. The search for genes associated with autism and the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie its behavioural symptoms has been hampered by this heterogeneity. Recent studies indicate that within autism, there may be distinct subgroups that can be defined based on differences in neurocognitive profiles. This paper presents evidence for two kinds of subtypes in autism that are defined on the basis of language profiles and on the basis of cognitive profiles. The implications for genetic and neurobiological studies of these subgroups are discussed, with special reference to evidence relating these cognitive phenotypes to volumetric studies of brain size and organization in autism.     

Oxidative stress in autism: increased lipid peroxidation and reduced serum levels of ceruloplasmin and transferrin--the antioxidant proteins

Autism is a neurological disorder of childhood with poorly understood etiology and pathology. We compared lipid peroxidation status in the plasma of children with autism, and their developmentally normal non-autistic siblings by quantifying the levels of malonyldialdehyde, an end product of fatty acid oxidation. Lipid peroxidation was found to be elevated in autism indicating that oxidative stress is increased in this disease. Levels of major antioxidant proteins namely, transferrin (iron-binding protein) and ceruloplasmin (copper-binding protein) in the serum, were significantly reduced in autistic children as compared to their developmentally normal non-autistic siblings. A striking correlation was observed between reduced levels of these proteins and loss of previously acquired language skills in children with autism. These results indicate altered regulation of transferrin and ceruloplasmin in autistic children who lose acquired language skills. It is suggested that such changes may lead to abnormal iron and copper metabolism in autism, and that increased oxidative stress may have pathological role in autism.     

Targeting the mitochondrial electron transport chain in autism,a systematic review and synthesis of a novel therapeutic approach

Autism is a complex developmental disorder with an unknown etiology and without any curative treatment. The mitochondrial electron transfer chains play a major role in the production of ATP, and the generation and management of reactive oxidative stress (ROS). This paper is a systematic review of the role of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in autism, and a consequent hypothesis for treating autism is synthesized.An electronic search with pre-specified inclusion criteria was conducted in order to retrieve all the published articles about the mitochondrial electron transport chain in autism. The two databases of PUBMED and Google Scholar were searched.From one hundred twenty five retrieved titles, 12 (three case control study and 9 case reports) articles met inclusion criteria. All of the included studies indicated dysfunction of electron transport chain in autism.The mitochondrial electron transfer chain seems impaired in some children with autism and ROS production is additionally enhanced. It is hypothesized that interventions involving alternative electron shuttling may improve autism through lowering the production of ROS. In addition, it is expected that this alternative electron shuttling to cytochrome c might enhance the production of ATP which is impaired in the disorder.     

Investigating individual differences in brain abnormalities in autism

Autism is a psychiatric syndrome characterized by impairments in three domains: social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. Recent findings implicate the amygdala in the neurobiology of autism. In this paper, we report the results of a series of novel experimental investigations focusing on the structure and function of the amygdala in a group of children with autism. The first section attempts to determine if abnormality of the amygdala can be identified in an individual using magnetic resonance imaging in vivo. Using single-case voxel-based morphometric analyses, abnormality in the amygdala was detected in half the children with autism. Abnormalities in other regions were also found. In the second section, emotional modulation of the startle response was investigated in the group of autistic children. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences between the patterns of emotional modulation of the startle response in the autistic group compared with the controls.