Serum folate deficiency and the risks of dementia and all-cause mortality: a national study of old age

The association between serum folate deficiency and the risk of dementia in old age is unclear, perhaps owing to small sample sizes, the competing risk of mortality or reverse causation. Objective To examine the associations between serum folate deficiency and the risks of incident dementia and all-cause mortality in a large national sample of older… Continue reading Serum folate deficiency and the risks of dementia and all-cause mortality: a national study of old age

Antibody cross-reactivity between casein and myelin-associated glycoprotein results in central nervous system demyelination

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most prevalent autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), leading to irreversible deficits in young adults. Its pathophysiology is believed to be influenced by environmental determinants. As far back as the 1990s, it had been suggested that there is a correlation between the consumption of cow’s milk and the… Continue reading Antibody cross-reactivity between casein and myelin-associated glycoprotein results in central nervous system demyelination

Mediobasal hypothalamic FKBP51 acts as a molecular switch linking autophagy to whole-body metabolism

The mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) is the central region in the physiological response to metabolic stress. The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is a major modulator of the stress response and has recently emerged as a scaffolder regulating metabolic and autophagy pathways. However, the detailed protein-protein interactions linking FKBP51 to autophagy upon metabolic challenges remain elusive. We… Continue reading Mediobasal hypothalamic FKBP51 acts as a molecular switch linking autophagy to whole-body metabolism

Endothelial Piezo1 sustains muscle capillary density and contributes to physical activity

Piezo1 forms mechanically activated nonselective cation channels that contribute to endothelial response to fluid flow. Here we reveal an important role in the control of capillary density. Conditional endothelial cell–specific deletion of Piezo1 in adult mice depressed physical performance. Muscle microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis and capillary rarefaction were evident and sufficient to account for the… Continue reading Endothelial Piezo1 sustains muscle capillary density and contributes to physical activity

Assessment of Risk Factors and Early Presentations of Parkinson Disease in Primary Care in a Diverse UK Population

Importance Early features of Parkinson disease (PD) have been described through population-based studies that overrepresent White, affluent groups and may not be generalizable. Objective To investigate the association between risk factors and prediagnostic presentations of PD in an ethnically diverse UK population with high socioeconomic deprivation but universal access to health care. Design, Setting, and… Continue reading Assessment of Risk Factors and Early Presentations of Parkinson Disease in Primary Care in a Diverse UK Population

Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank

Heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with brain atrophy, neuronal loss, and poorer white matter fiber integrity. However, there is conflicting evidence on whether light-to-moderate alcohol consumption shows similar negative associations with brain structure. To address this, we examine the associations between alcohol intake and brain structure using multimodal imaging data from 36,678 generally healthy… Continue reading Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank

Comprehensive genetic diagnosis of tandem repeat expansion disorders with programmable targeted nanopore sequencing

More than 50 neurological and neuromuscular diseases are caused by short tandem repeat (STR) expansions, with 37 different genes implicated to date. We describe the use of programmable targeted long-read sequencing with Oxford Nanopore’s ReadUntil function for parallel genotyping of all known neuropathogenic STRs in a single assay. Our approach enables accurate, haplotype-resolved assembly and… Continue reading Comprehensive genetic diagnosis of tandem repeat expansion disorders with programmable targeted nanopore sequencing

Longitudinal Associations of Mental Disorders With Dementia30-Year Analysis of 1.7 Million New Zealand Citizens

Mental disorders are an underappreciated category of modifiable risk factors for dementia. Developing an evidence base about the link between mental disorders and dementia risk requires studies that use large, representative samples, consider the full range of psychiatric conditions, ascertain mental disorders from early life, use long follow-ups, and distinguish between Alzheimer disease and related… Continue reading Longitudinal Associations of Mental Disorders With Dementia30-Year Analysis of 1.7 Million New Zealand Citizens

Validation of Plasma Amyloid-β 42/40 for Detecting Alzheimer Disease Amyloid Plaques

AbstractBackground and Objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 assay in classifying amyloid PET status across global research studies using samples collected by multiple centers that utilize different blood collection and processing protocols. Methods Plasma samples (n = 465) were obtained from 3 large Alzheimer disease (AD) research cohorts in the United… Continue reading Validation of Plasma Amyloid-β 42/40 for Detecting Alzheimer Disease Amyloid Plaques