1. |
- Leebens-Mack, James H., et al.
(author)
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One thousand plant transcriptomes and the phylogenomics of green plants
- 2019
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 574:7780, s. 679-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Green plants (Viridiplantae) include around 450,000-500,000 species(1,2) of great diversity and have important roles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, as part of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative, we sequenced the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta). Our analysis provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining the evolution of green plants. Most inferred species relationships are well supported across multiple species tree and supermatrix analyses, but discordance among plastid and nuclear gene trees at a few important nodes highlights the complexity of plant genome evolution, including polyploidy, periods of rapid speciation, and extinction. Incomplete sorting of ancestral variation, polyploidization and massive expansions of gene families punctuate the evolutionary history of green plants. Notably, we find that large expansions of gene families preceded the origins of green plants, land plants and vascular plants, whereas whole-genome duplications are inferred to have occurred repeatedly throughout the evolution of flowering plants and ferns. The increasing availability of high-quality plant genome sequences and advances in functional genomics are enabling research on genome evolution across the green tree of life.
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2. |
- Figlioli, G, et al.
(author)
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The FANCM:p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer
- 2019
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In: NPJ breast cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2374-4677. ; 5, s. 38-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2 are associated with breast cancer risk. FANCM, which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. We tested the three recurrent protein-truncating variants FANCM:p.Arg658*, p.Gln1701*, and p.Arg1931* for association with breast cancer risk in 67,112 cases, 53,766 controls, and 26,662 carriers of pathogenic variants of BRCA1 or BRCA2. These three variants were also studied functionally by measuring survival and chromosome fragility in FANCM−/− patient-derived immortalized fibroblasts treated with diepoxybutane or olaparib. We observed that FANCM:p.Arg658* was associated with increased risk of ER-negative disease and TNBC (OR = 2.44, P = 0.034 and OR = 3.79; P = 0.009, respectively). In a country-restricted analysis, we confirmed the associations detected for FANCM:p.Arg658* and found that also FANCM:p.Arg1931* was associated with ER-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.96; P = 0.006). The functional results indicated that all three variants were deleterious affecting cell survival and chromosome stability with FANCM:p.Arg658* causing more severe phenotypes. In conclusion, we confirmed that the two rare FANCM deleterious variants p.Arg658* and p.Arg1931* are risk factors for ER-negative and TNBC subtypes. Overall our data suggest that the effect of truncating variants on breast cancer risk may depend on their position in the gene. Cell sensitivity to olaparib exposure, identifies a possible therapeutic option to treat FANCM-associated tumors.
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3. |
- Guerreiro, Rita, et al.
(author)
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Genome-wide analysis of genetic correlation in dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
- 2016
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 1558-1497 .- 0197-4580. ; 38, s. 7-214
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The similarities between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and both Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are many and range from clinical presentation, to neuropathological characteristics, to more recently identified, genetic determinants of risk. Because of these overlapping features, diagnosing DLB is challenging and has clinical implications since some therapeutic agents that are applicable in other diseases have adverse effects in DLB. Having shown that DLB shares some genetic risk with PD and AD, we have now quantified the amount of sharing through the application of genetic correlation estimates, and show that, from a purely genetic perspective, and excluding the strong association at the APOE locus, DLB is equally correlated to AD and PD.
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4. |
- Höglinger, Günter U, et al.
(author)
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Clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy : The movement disorder society criteria
- 2017
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In: Movement Disorders. - : Wiley. - 0885-3185. ; 32:6, s. 853-864
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: PSP is a neuropathologically defined disease entity. Clinical diagnostic criteria, published in 1996 by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/Society for PSP, have excellent specificity, but their sensitivity is limited for variant PSP syndromes with presentations other than Richardson's syndrome. Objective: We aimed to provide an evidence- and consensus-based revision of the clinical diagnostic criteria for PSP. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, and PSYCInfo databases for articles published in English since 1996, using postmortem diagnosis or highly specific clinical criteria as the diagnostic standard. Second, we generated retrospective standardized clinical data from patients with autopsy-confirmed PSP and control diseases. On this basis, diagnostic criteria were drafted, optimized in two modified Delphi evaluations, submitted to structured discussions with consensus procedures during a 2-day meeting, and refined in three further Delphi rounds. Results: Defined clinical, imaging, laboratory, and genetic findings serve as mandatory basic features, mandatory exclusion criteria, or context-dependent exclusion criteria. We identified four functional domains (ocular motor dysfunction, postural instability, akinesia, and cognitive dysfunction) as clinical predictors of PSP. Within each of these domains, we propose three clinical features that contribute different levels of diagnostic certainty. Specific combinations of these features define the diagnostic criteria, stratified by three degrees of diagnostic certainty (probable PSP, possible PSP, and suggestive of PSP). Clinical clues and imaging findings represent supportive features. Conclusions: Here, we present new criteria aimed to optimize early, sensitive, and specific clinical diagnosis of PSP on the basis of currently available evidence.
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5. |
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6. |
- Kalia, Lorraine V, et al.
(author)
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Clinical Correlations With Lewy Body Pathology in LRRK2-Related Parkinson Disease.
- 2015
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In: JAMA Neurology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6157 .- 2168-6149. ; 72:1, s. 100-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common cause of genetic Parkinson disease (PD) known to date. The clinical features of manifesting LRRK2 mutation carriers are generally indistinguishable from those of patients with sporadic PD. However, some PD cases associated with LRRK2 mutations lack Lewy bodies (LBs), a neuropathological hallmark of PD. We investigated whether the presence or absence of LBs correlates with different clinical features in LRRK2-related PD.
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7. |
- Konno, Takuya, et al.
(author)
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Autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease caused by SNCA duplications.
- 2016
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In: Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-5126 .- 1353-8020. ; 22:sep 3, s. 1-6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The discovery in 1997 that mutations in the SNCA gene cause Parkinson's disease (PD) greatly advanced our understanding of this illness. There are pathogenic missense mutations and multiplication mutations in SNCA. Thus, not only a mutant protein, but also an increased dose of wild-type protein can produce autosomal dominant parkinsonism. We review the literature on SNCA duplications and focus on pathologically-confirmed cases. We also report a newly-identified American family with SNCA duplication whose proband was autopsied. We found that over half of the reported cases with SNCA duplication had early-onset parkinsonism and non-motor features, such as dysautonomia, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), hallucinations (usually visual) and cognitive deficits leading to dementia. Only a few cases have presented with typical features of PD. Our case presented with depression and RBD that preceded parkinsonism, and dysautonomia that led to an initial diagnosis of multiple system atrophy. Dementia and visual hallucinations followed. Our patient and the other reported cases with SNCA duplications had widespread cortical Lewy pathology. Neuronal loss in the hippocampal cornu ammonis 2/3 regions were seen in about half of the autopsied SNCA duplication cases. Similar pathology was also observed in SNCA missense mutation and triplication carriers.
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8. |
- Kovacs, Gabor G., et al.
(author)
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Aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG) : harmonized evaluation strategy
- 2016
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In: Acta Neuropathologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0001-6322 .- 1432-0533. ; 131:1, s. 87-102
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pathological accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau protein in astrocytes is a frequent, but poorly characterized feature of the aging brain. Its etiology is uncertain, but its presence is sufficiently ubiquitous to merit further characterization and classification, which may stimulate clinicopathological studies and research into its pathobiology. This paper aims to harmonize evaluation and nomenclature of aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), a term that refers to a morphological spectrum of astroglial pathology detected by tau immunohistochemistry, especially with phosphorylation-dependent and 4R isoform-specific antibodies. ARTAG occurs mainly, but not exclusively, in individuals over 60 years of age. Tau-immunoreactive astrocytes in ARTAG include thorn-shaped astrocytes at the glia limitans and in white matter, as well as solitary or clustered astrocytes with perinuclear cytoplasmic tau immunoreactivity that extends into the astroglial processes as fine fibrillar or granular immunopositivity, typically in gray matter. Various forms of ARTAG may coexist in the same brain and might reflect different pathogenic processes. Based on morphology and anatomical distribution, ARTAG can be distinguished from primary tauopathies, but may be concurrent with primary tauopathies or other disorders. We recommend four steps for evaluation of ARTAG: (1) identification of five types based on the location of either morphologies of tau astrogliopathy: subpial, subependymal, perivascular, white matter, gray matter; (2) documentation of the regional involvement: medial temporal lobe, lobar (frontal, parietal, occipital, lateral temporal), subcortical, brainstem; (3) documentation of the severity of tau astrogliopathy; and (4) description of subregional involvement. Some types of ARTAG may underlie neurological symptoms; however, the clinical significance of ARTAG is currently uncertain and awaits further studies. The goal of this proposal is to raise awareness of astroglial tau pathology in the aged brain, facilitating communication among neuropathologists and researchers, and informing interpretation of clinical biomarkers and imaging studies that focus on tau-related indicators.
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9. |
- Kovacs, Gabor G., et al.
(author)
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Multisite Assessment of Aging-Related Tau Astrogliopathy (ARTAG)
- 2017
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In: Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0022-3069 .- 1554-6578. ; 76:7, s. 605-619
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG) is a recently introduced terminology. To facilitate the consistent identification of ARTAG and to distinguish it from astroglial tau pathologies observed in the primary frontotemporal lobar degeneration tauopathies we evaluated how consistently neuropathologists recognize (1) different astroglial tau immunoreactivities, including those of ARTAG and those associated with primary tauopathies (Study 1); (2) ARTAG types (Study 2A); and (3) ARTAG severity (Study 2B). Microphotographs and scanned sections immunostained for phosphorylated tau (AT8) were made available for download and preview. Percentage of agreement and kappa values with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each evaluation. The overall agreement for Study 1 was > 60% with a kappa value of 0.55 (95% CI 0.433-0.645). Moderate agreement (> 90%, kappa 0.48, 95% CI 0.457-0.900) was reached in Study 2A for the identification of ARTAG pathology for each ARTAG subtype (kappa 0.37-0.72), whereas fair agreement (kappa 0.40, 95% CI 0.341-0.445) was reached for the evaluation of ARTAG severity. The overall assessment of ARTAG showed moderate agreement (kappa 0.60, 95% CI 0.534-0.653) among raters. Our study supports the application of the current harmonized evaluation strategy for ARTAG with a slight modification of the evaluation of its severity.
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10. |
- Kun-Rodrigues, Celia, et al.
(author)
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A comprehensive screening of copy number variability in dementia with Lewy bodies.
- 2019
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In: Neurobiology of aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 1558-1497 .- 0197-4580. ; 75
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The role of genetic variability in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is now indisputable; however, data regarding copy number variation (CNV) in this disease has been lacking. Here, we used whole-genome genotyping of 1454 DLB cases and 1525 controls to assess copy number variability. We used 2 algorithms to confidently detect CNVs, performed a case-control association analysis, screened for candidate CNVs previously associated with DLB-related diseases, and performed a candidate gene approach to fully explore the data. We identified 5 CNV regions with a significant genome-wide association to DLB; 2 of these were only present in cases and absent from publicly available databases: one of the regions overlapped LAPTM4B, a known lysosomal protein, whereas the other overlapped the NME1 locus and SPAG9. We also identified DLB cases presenting rare CNVs in genes previously associated with DLB or related neurodegenerative diseases, such as SNCA, APP, and MAPT. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting genome-wide CNVs in a large DLB cohort. These results provide preliminary evidence for the contribution of CNVs in DLB risk.
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11. |
- Kun-Rodrigues, Celia, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of C9orf72 repeat expansions in a large international cohort of dementia with Lewy bodies
- 2017
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580 .- 1558-1497. ; 49
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- . C9orf72 repeat expansions are a common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. To date, no large-scale study of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has been undertaken to assess the role of . C9orf72 repeat expansions in the disease. Here, we investigated the prevalence of . C9orf72 repeat expansions in a large cohort of DLB cases and identified no pathogenic repeat expansions in neuropathologically or clinically defined cases, showing that . C9orf72 repeat expansions are not causally associated with DLB.
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12. |
- Labbé, Catherine, et al.
(author)
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Role for the microtubule-associated protein tau variant p.A152T in risk of α-synucleinopathies.
- 2015
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In: Neurology. - 1526-632X. ; 85:19, s. 1680-1686
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective:To assess the importance of MAPT variant p.A152T in the risk of synucleinopathies. Methods:In this case-control study, we screened a large global series of patients and controls, and assessed associations between p.A152T and disease risk. We included 3,229 patients with clinical Parkinson disease (PD), 442 with clinical dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), 181 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), 832 with pathologically confirmed Lewy body disease (LBD), and 2,456 healthy controls. Results:The minor allele frequencies (MAF) in clinical PD cases (0.28%) and in controls (0.2%) were not found to be significantly different (odds ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-2.98, p = 0.42). However, a significant association was observed with clinical DLB (MAF 0.68%, OR 5.76, 95% CI 1.62-20.51, p = 0.007) and LBD (MAF 0.42%, OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.04-12.17, p = 0.04). Additionally, p.A152T was more common in patients with MSA compared to controls (MAF 0.55%, OR 4.68, 95% CI 0.85-25.72, p = 0.08) but this was not statistically significant and therefore should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions:Overall, our findings suggest that MAPT p.A152T is a rare low penetrance variant likely associated with DLB that may be influenced by coexisting LBD and AD pathology. Given the rare nature of the variant, further studies with greater sample size are warranted and will help to fully explain the role of p.A152T in the pathogenesis of the synucleinopathies
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13. |
- Mahiti, Gladys Reuben, et al.
(author)
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Women's perceptions of antenatal, delivery, and postpartum services in rural Tanzania
- 2015
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In: Global Health Action. - : co-action publishing. - 1654-9716 .- 1654-9880. ; 8, s. 1-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Maternal health care provision remains a major challenge in developing countries. There is agreement that the provision of quality clinical services is essential if high rates of maternal death are to be reduced. However, despite efforts to improve access to these services, a high number of women in Tanzania do not access them. The aim of this study is to explore women's views about the maternal health services (pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period) that they received at health facilities in order to identify gaps in service provision that may lead to low-quality maternal care and increased risks associated with maternal morbidity and mortality in rural Tanzania. Design: We gathered qualitative data from 15 focus group discussions with women attending a health facility after child birth and transcribed it verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used for analysis. Results: 'Three categories emerged that reflected women's perceptions of maternal health care services: "mothers perceive that maternal health services are beneficial," "barriers to accessing maternal health services" such as availability and use of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and the long distances between some villages, and "ambivalence regarding the quality of maternal health services" reflecting that women had both positive and negative perceptions in relation to quality of health care services offered'. Conclusions: Mothers perceived that maternal health care services are beneficial during pregnancy and delivery, but their awareness of postpartum complications and the role of medical services during that stage were poor. The study revealed an ambivalence regarding the perceived quality of health care services offered, partly due to shortages of material resources. Barriers to accessing maternal health care services, such as the cost of transport and the use of TBAs, were also shown. These findings call for improvement on the services provided. Improvements should address, accessibility of services, professionals' attitudes and stronger promotion of the importance of postpartum check-ups, both among health care professionals and women.
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14. |
- Nelson, Peter T., et al.
(author)
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Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) : consensus working group report
- 2019
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In: Brain. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 142, s. 1503-1527
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe a recently recognized disease entity, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). LATE neuropathological change (LATE-NC) is defined by a stereotypical TDP-43 proteinopathy in older adults, with or without coexisting hippocampal sclerosis pathology. LATE-NC is a common TDP-43 proteinopathy, associated with an amnestic dementia syndrome that mimicked Alzheimer's-type dementia in retrospective autopsy studies. LATE is distinguished from frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology based on its epidemiology (LATE generally affects older subjects), and relatively restricted neuroanatomical distribution of TDP-43 proteinopathy. In community-based autopsy cohorts, similar to 25% of brains had sufficient burden of LATE-NC to be associated with discernible cognitive impairment. Many subjects with LATE-NC have comorbid brain pathologies, often including amyloid-beta plaques and tauopathy. Given that the oldest-old' are at greatest risk for LATE-NC, and subjects of advanced age constitute a rapidly growing demographic group in many countries, LATE has an expanding but under-recognized impact on public health. For these reasons, a working group was convened to develop diagnostic criteria for LATE, aiming both to stimulate research and to promote awareness of this pathway to dementia. We report consensus-based recommendations including guidelines for diagnosis and staging of LATE-NC. For routine autopsy workup of LATE-NC, an anatomically-based preliminary staging scheme is proposed with TDP-43 immunohistochemistry on tissue from three brain areas, reflecting a hierarchical pattern of brain involvement: amygdala, hippocampus, and middle frontal gyrus. LATE-NC appears to affect the medial temporal lobe structures preferentially, but other areas also are impacted. Neuroimaging studies demonstrated that subjects with LATE-NC also had atrophy in the medial temporal lobes, frontal cortex, and other brain regions. Genetic studies have thus far indicated five genes with risk alleles for LATE-NC: GRN, TMEM106B, ABCC9, KCNMB2, and APOE. The discovery of these genetic risk variants indicate that LATE shares pathogenetic mechanisms with both frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer's disease, but also suggests disease-specific underlying mechanisms. Large gaps remain in our understanding of LATE. For advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, there is an urgent need for research focused on LATE, including in vitro and animal models. An obstacle to clinical progress is lack of diagnostic tools, such as biofluid or neuroimaging biomarkers, for ante-mortem detection of LATE. Development of a disease biomarker would augment observational studies seeking to further define the risk factors, natural history, and clinical features of LATE, as well as eventual subject recruitment for targeted therapies in clinical trials.
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15. |
- Nelson, Peter T., et al.
(author)
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Reply : LATE to the PART-y
- 2019
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In: Brain. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 142
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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16. |
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17. |
- Ogaki, Kotaro, et al.
(author)
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Multiple system atrophy and apolipoprotein E
- 2018
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In: Movement Disorders. - : Wiley. - 0885-3185 .- 1531-8257. ; 33:4, s. 647-650
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Dysregulation of the specialized lipid metabolism involved in myelin synthesis and maintenance by oligodendrocytes has been associated with the unique neuropathology of MSA. We hypothesized that apolipoprotein E, which is associated with neurodegeneration, may also play a role in the pathogenesis of MSA. Objective: This study evaluated genetic associations of Apolipoprotein E alleles with risk of MSA and -synuclein pathology, and also examined whether apolipoprotein E isoforms differentially affect -synuclein uptake in a oligodendrocyte cell.Methods: One hundred sixty-eight pathologically confirmed MSA patients, 89 clinically diagnosed MSA patients, and 1,277 control subjects were genotyped for Apolipoprotein E. Human oligodendrocyte cell lines were incubated with -synuclein and recombinant human apolipoprotein E, with internalized -synuclein imaged by confocal microscopy and cells analyzed by flow cytometry.Results: No significant association with risk of MSA or was observed for either Apolipoprotein E 2 or 4. -Synuclein burden was also not associated with Apolipoprotein E alleles in the pathologically confirmed patients. Interestingly, in our cell assays, apolipoprotein E 4 significantly reduced -synuclein uptake in the oligodendrocytic cell line.Conclusions: Despite differential effects of apolipoprotein E isoforms on -synuclein uptake in a human oligodendrocytic cell, we did not observe a significant association at the Apolipoprotein E locus with risk of MSA or -synuclein pathology.
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18. |
- Power, Brian D., et al.
(author)
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Morphometric analysis of thalamic volume in progressive supranuclear palsy : In vivo evidence of regionally specific bilateral thalamic atrophy
- 2017
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In: Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-4927. ; 265, s. 65-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated whether differences were detectable in the volume and shape of the dorsal thalamus on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Manual segmentation of the left and right thalami on magnetic resonance imaging scans occurred in 22 patients with clinically diagnosed PSP and 23 healthy controls; thalamic volumes (left, right, total) were calculated. Between group differences were explored by multivariate analysis of co-variance, using age and intracranial volume as covariates. Analysis of the shape of the thalamus was performed using the spherical harmonic point distribution method software package. Patients with PSP were found to have significant bilateral thalamic atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging; there was significant shape deflation over the anterior-lateral and anterior-ventral surfaces bilaterally, and over the right caudal thalamus. Recognizing decreased thalamic morphology in PSP patients in vivo may be an important component of an ensemble of diagnostic biomarkers in the future, particularly given the difficulty of distinguishing PSP from other Parkinsonian conditions early in the disease course.
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19. |
- Power, Brian D, et al.
(author)
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Validation of a protocol for manual segmentation of the thalamus on magnetic resonance imaging scans.
- 2015
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In: Psychiatry Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-7123 .- 0925-4927. ; 232:1, s. 98-105
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a validated protocol for manual segmentation of the thalamus on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using brain image analysis software. The MRI scans of five normal control subjects were randomly selected from a larger cohort recruited from Lund University Hospital and Landskrona Hospital, Sweden. MRIs were performed using a 3.0T Philips MR scanner, with an eight-channel head coil, and high resolution images were acquired using a T1-weighted turbo field echo (T1 TFE) pulse sequence, with resulting voxel size 1×1×1mm(3). Manual segmentation of the left and right thalami and volume measurement was performed on 28-30 contiguous coronal slices, using ANALYZE 11.0 software. Reliability of image analysis was performed by measuring intra-class correlations between initial segmentation and random repeated segmentation of the left and right thalami (in total 10 thalami for segmentation); inter-rater reliability was measured using volumes obtained by two other experienced tracers. Intra-class correlations for two independent raters were 0.95 and 0.98; inter-class correlations between the expert rater and two independent raters were 0.92 and 0.98. We anticipate that mapping thalamic morphology in various neuropsychiatric disorders may yield clinically useful disease-specific biomarkers.
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20. |
- Puschmann, Andreas, et al.
(author)
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CHCHD2 and Parkinson's disease
- 2015
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In: Lancet Neurology. - 1474-4465. ; 14:7, s. 679-679
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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21. |
- Sailer, Anna, et al.
(author)
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A genome-wide association study in multiple system atrophy
- 2016
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In: Neurology. - 0028-3878. ; 87:15, s. 1591-1598
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To identify genetic variants that play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple system atrophy (MSA), we undertook a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Methods: We performed a GWAS with >5 million genotyped and imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 918 patients with MSA of European ancestry and 3,864 controls. MSA cases were collected from North American and European centers, one third of which were neuropathologically confirmed. Results: We found no significant loci after stringent multiple testing correction. A number of regions emerged as potentially interesting for follow-up at p < 1 × 10-6, including SNPs in the genes FBXO47, ELOVL7, EDN1, and MAPT. Contrary to previous reports, we found no association of the genes SNCA and COQ2 with MSA. Conclusions: We present a GWAS in MSA. We have identified several potentially interesting gene loci, including the MAPT locus, whose significance will have to be evaluated in a larger sample set. Common genetic variation in SNCA and COQ2 does not seem to be associated with MSA. In the future, additional samples of well-characterized patients with MSA will need to be collected to perform a larger MSA GWAS, but this initial study forms the basis for these next steps.
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22. |
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23. |
- Wang, Li-San, et al.
(author)
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Rarity of the Alzheimer Disease-Protective APP A673T Variant in the United States.
- 2015
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In: JAMA neurology. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2168-6157 .- 2168-6149. ; 72:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, a rare variant in the amyloid precursor protein gene (APP) was described in a population from Iceland. This variant, in which alanine is replaced by threonine at position 673 (A673T), appears to protect against late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD). We evaluated the frequency of this variant in AD cases and cognitively normal controls to determine whether this variant will significantly contribute to risk assessment in individuals in the United States.
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24. |
- Zarb, Yvette, et al.
(author)
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Ossified blood vessels in primary familial brain calcification elicit a neurotoxic astrocyte response
- 2019
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In: Brain. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 142:4, s. 885-902
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Brain calcifications are commonly detected in aged individuals and accompany numerous brain diseases, but their functional importance is not understood. In cases of primary familial brain calcification, an autosomally inherited neuropsychiatric disorder, the presence of bilateral brain calcifications in the absence of secondary causes of brain calcification is a diagnostic criterion. To date, mutations in five genes including solute carrier 20 member 2 (SLC20A2), xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor 1 (XPR1), myogenesis regulating glycosidase (MYORG), platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB) and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB), are considered causal. Previously, we have reported that mutations in PDGFB in humans are associated with primary familial brain calcification, and mice hypomorphic for PDGFB (Pdgfb(ret/ret)) present with brain vessel calcifications in the deep regions of the brain that increase with age, mimicking the pathology observed in human mutation carriers. In this study, we characterize the cellular environment surrounding calcifications in Pdgfb(ret/ret) animals and show that cells around vessel-associated calcifications express markers for osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes, and that bone matrix proteins are present in vessel-associated calcifications. Additionally, we also demonstrate the osteogenic environment around brain calcifications in genetically confirmed primary familial brain calcification cases. We show that calcifications cause oxidative stress in astrocytes and evoke expression of neurotoxic astrocyte markers. Similar to previously reported human primary familial brain calcification cases, we describe high interindividual variation in calcification load in Pdgfb(ret/ret) animals, as assessed by ex vivo and in vivo quantification of calcifications. We also report that serum of Pdgfb(ret/ret) animals does not differ in calcification propensity from control animals and that vessel calcification occurs only in the brains of Pdgfb(ret/ret) animals. Notably, ossification of vessels and astrocytic neurotoxic response is associated with specific behavioural and cognitive alterations, some of which are associated with primary familial brain calcification in a subset of patients.
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