Publications by authors named "Alexandra Barnett"

Article Synopsis
  • Researchers explored the connection between heavy alcohol use and obesity as midlife risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), uncovering a link to disrupted lipophagy and lysosomal function.
  • The study found that the loss of lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) in neurons leads to the accumulation of neuronal lysosomal lipids (NLL), which interferes with the clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ), a key component of Alzheimer's pathology.
  • As LAL levels decline with age in both mice and humans, its reduction is associated with increased Aβ and cognitive deficits, highlighting the importance of maintaining LAL function to potentially mitigate Alzheimer's risk as we age.
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Epidemiological studies have found that heavy alcohol use is associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), with frequent drinking earlier in adulthood increasing risk. The increases in neuroinflammation featured in both heavy alcohol use and AD may be partially responsible for this link. However, it is unknown if abstinence mitigates this risk.

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Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is involved in learning and memory as well as regulation of mood. Binge ethanol reduces AHN, though the mechanism is unknown. Microglia in the neurogenic niche are important regulators of AHN, and ethanol promotes proinflammatory microglia activation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heavy alcohol use in adolescence is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the specific mechanisms connecting the two remain unclear.
  • A study using a mouse model showed that binge drinking during adolescence led to heightened levels of toxins associated with AD and increased inflammation in the brain, particularly in females.
  • Treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug minocycline during the binge drinking period mitigated some of the harmful effects, including increased anxiety and memory loss, suggesting that inflammation plays a critical role in these changes.
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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key regulators of immune function across multiple diseases. Severe burn injury is a devastating trauma with significant immune dysfunction that results in an ∼12% mortality rate due to sepsis-induced organ failure, pneumonia, and other infections. Severe burn causes a biphasic immune response: an early (0-72 h) hyper-inflammatory state, with release of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules, such as high-mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1), and proinflammatory cytokines (e.

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Although the cause of progressive neurodegeneration is often unclear, neuronal death can occur through several mechanisms. In conditions such as Alzheimer's or alcohol use disorder (AUD), Toll-like receptor (TLR) induction is observed with neurodegeneration. However, links between TLR activation and neurodegeneration are lacking.

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The current study explores how organizational norms within mentoring organizations predict mentor outcomes over and above individual mentor characteristics. Specifically, this study examines whether mean levels (as an indicator of organizational norms) of mentors' perceptions of their relationship quality with mentees' families predict mentor satisfaction, mentor intent to stay and mentor extra-role prosocial behavior over and above individual mentor perception of their relationship quality with mentees' families. Multilevel modeling was used to assess 204 mentors nested within 37 mentoring organizations.

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This manuscript summarizes an iterative process used to develop a new intervention for low-income urban youth at risk for negative academic outcomes (e.g., disengagement, failure, drop-out).

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