Publications by authors named "A Plaitakis"
Article Synopsis
- - Human evolution involved significant brain growth and unique cognitive abilities, marked by special adaptations in synaptic transmission and energy use in the brain.
- - A specific gene, hGDH2, evolved in our common ancestor with apes, enhancing glutamate metabolism and playing a key role in strengthening synaptic connections, notably in vital brain areas linked to cognition.
- - Research with transgenic mice shows that hGDH2 boosts synaptic plasticity and neuron-glia communication, which likely supports enhanced memory and complex cognitive functions in humans.
The human brain is characterized by the upregulation of synaptic, mainly glutamatergic, transmission, but its evolutionary origin(s) remain elusive. Here we approached this fundamental question by studying mice transgenic (Tg) for , a human gene involved in glutamate metabolism that emerged in the hominoid and evolved concomitantly with brain expansion. We demonstrate that Tg mice express the human enzyme in hippocampal astrocytes and CA1-CA3 pyramidal neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) interconverts glutamate to a-ketoglutarate and ammonia, interconnecting amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. In humans, two functional GDH genes, and , encode for hGDH1 and hGDH2, respectively. evolved from retrotransposition of the gene in the common ancestor of modern apes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study analyzed 196 participants from the Cretan Aging Cohort, focusing on genetic variants associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
- The research found a significant prevalence of the APOE ε4 allele in AD patients compared to cognitively normal controls and identified additional genetic variants linked to both AD and other neurodegenerative conditions.
- Notably, a specific variant in the GLUD2 gene appeared to be less common in AD patients, hinting at a potential protective effect, although further studies are needed to confirm these results.
Background And Objectives: Our goal was to study hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis (hATTR) in Crete, Greece.
Methods: We aimed at ascertaining all hATTR cases in Crete, an island of 0.62 million people.