Astrocytes provide key neuronal support, and their phenotypic transformation is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Metabolically, astrocytes possess low mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) activity, but its pathophysiological role in neurodegeneration remains unclear. Here, we show that the brain critically depends on astrocytic OxPhos to degrade fatty acids (FAs) and maintain lipid homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAge, genetics, and chromosomal sex have been identified as critical risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). The predominant genetic risk factor for LOAD is the apolipoprotein E allele (), and the prevalence of LOAD is higher in females. However, the translational validity of mouse models for AD-related cognitive impairment remains to be fully determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Repetitive sub-concussive head impacts (RSHIs) are common in American football and result in changes to the microstructural integrity of white matter. Both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaoic acid (EPA) supplementation exerted neuroprotective effects against RSHIs in animal models and in a prior study in football players supplemented with DHA alone.
Objective: Here, we present exploratory neuroimaging outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of DHA + EPA supplementation in American football players.
There are limited studies on neuroprotection from repeated subconcussive head impacts (RSHI) following docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) + eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) supplementation in contact sports athletes. We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, parallel-group design trial to determine the impact of 26 weeks of DHA+EPA supplementation (n = 12) vs. placebo (high-oleic safflower oil) (n = 17) on serum concentrations of neurofilament light (NfL), a biomarker of axonal injury, and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a)) in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I American football athletes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Allopregnanolone (ALLO), an endogenous neurosteroid, promoted neurogenesis and oligogenesis and restored cognitive function in animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on these discovery research findings, we conducted a randomized-controlled phase 1b/2a multiple ascending dose trial of ALLO in persons with early AD (NCT02221622) to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. Exploratory imaging outcomes to determine whether ALLO impacted hippocampal structure, white matter integrity, and functional connectivity are reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Emerging evidence suggests that post concussive symptoms, including mood changes, may be improved through morning blue-wavelength light therapy (BLT). However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown. We hypothesize that BLT may influence the effective brain connectivity (EC) patterns within the default-mode network (DMN), particularly involving the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), which may contribute to improvements in mood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlue wavelength light has been used successfully as a treatment method for certain mood disorders, but, the underlying mechanisms behind the mood enhancing effects of light remain poorly understood. We investigated the effects of a single dose of 30 min of blue wavelength light ( = 17) vs. amber wavelength light ( = 12) exposure in a sample of healthy adults on subsequent resting-state functional and directed connectivity, and associations with changes in state affect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) are associated with novel or worsened sleep disruption. Several studies indicate that daily morning blue light therapy (BLT) is effective for reducing post-mTBI daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Studies demonstrating changes in brain structure and function following BLT are limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExposure to light, particularly blue-wavelength light, has been shown to acutely increase brain activation, alertness, and some elementary aspects of cognitive performance such as working memory and emotional anticipation. Whether blue light exposure can have effects on brain activation and performance during more complex cognitive control tasks up to 30 min after light cessation is unknown. In a sample of 32 healthy adults, we examined the effects of a 30 min exposure to either blue (n = 16) or amber control (n = 16) light on subsequent brain activation and performance during the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) measured a half-hour after light exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Identify the treatment effects of 6 weeks of daily 30-minute sessions of morning blue light therapy compared with placebo amber light therapy in the treatment of sleep disruption following mild traumatic brain injury.
Design: Placebo-controlled randomized trial.
Participants: Adults aged 18 to 45 years with a mild traumatic brain injury within the past 18 months (n = 35).
Objective/background: Poor quality and inadequate sleep are associated with impaired cognitive, motor, and behavioral components of sport performance and increased injury risk. While prior work identifies sports-related concussions as predisposing factors for poor sleep, the role of sleep as a sports-related concussion risk factor is unknown. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of poor sleep quality and insomnia symptoms on future sports-related concussion risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep loss contributes to obesity through a variety of mechanisms, including neuroendocrine functioning, increased hunger, and increased food intake. Additionally, sleep loss alters functional activation within brain regions associated with reward and behavioral control. However, it remains unknown whether individual differences in baseline neural functioning can predict eating behaviors during total sleep deprivation (TSD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective/background: Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are frequently associated with long-term, self-reported sleep disruption. Objective corroboration of these self-reports is sparse and limited by small sample sizes. The purpose of this study was to report on actigraphically-measured sleep outcomes in individuals with and without a history of recent mTBI in two U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLight affects almost all aspects of human physiological functioning, including circadian rhythms, sleep-wake regulation, alertness, cognition and mood. We review the existing relevant literature on the effects of various wavelengths of light on these major domains, particularly as they pertain to recovery from mild traumatic brain injuries. Evidence suggests that light, particularly in the blue wavelengths, has powerful alerting, cognitive and circadian phase shifting properties that could be useful for treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Previous work suggests that sleep restriction (SR) reduces cognitive control and may increase negative implicit biases. Here we investigated whether SR might influence decision making on a social-evaluative task where individuals had to make judgments of threat based on facial photographs. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of changes in negative implicit biases as a result of sleep restriction on this decision-making task.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can alter the structure of the brain and result in a range of symptoms, including elevated aggression. Neurological damage associated with mTBI is traditionally viewed as transient, yet a growing number of studies suggest long-lasting psychological and neurological changes following mTBI. However, research examining the neural basis of emotion processing in the chronic stage of mTBI recovery remains sparse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) remains the most commonly reported head injury in the United States, and is associated with a wide range of post-concussive symptoms including physical, cognitive and affective impairments. Elevated aggression has been documented in mTBI; however, the neural mechanisms associated with aggression at the chronic stage of recovery remain poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the association between white matter integrity and aggression in mTBI using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) are a significant social, sport, and military health issue. In spite of advances in the clinical management of these injuries, the underlying pathophysiology is not well-understood. There is a critical need to advance objective biomarkers, allowing the identification and tracking of the long-term evolution of changes resulting from mTBI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Previous research has reported that younger adults make fewer cognitive errors on an auditory vigilance task while in chest-deep water compared with on land. The purpose of this study was to extend this previous work to include older adults and to examine the effect of environment (water vs land) on linear and nonlinear measures of postural control under single- and dual-task conditions.
Methods: Twenty-one older adult participants (age = 71.
Objectives: Long-term monitoring of concussion recovery requires time- and cost-effective methods. Physiologic complexity may be useful in evaluating visual-motor integration following concussion. The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent to which prior number of concussions influenced visual-motor tracking force complexity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic sleep restriction and obesity are two major public health concerns. This study investigated how chronic sleep restriction changes implicit attitudes towards low- and high-calorie foods. In a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over design, 17 participants (eight females, nine males) underwent two laboratory testing sessions where they were either sleep-restricted for 3 weeks (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objectives: A number of subjective and objective studies provide compelling evidence of chronic post-concussion changes in sleep, yet very little is known about the acute effects of concussion on sleep quality and quantity. Therefore, the purpose of this prospective pilot study was to use actigraphy to examine the changes in sleep quality and quantity acutely following concussion at home rather than in a hospital or sleep laboratory.
Methods: Seventeen young adults (7 with acute concussion, 10 controls) were recruited for this study.