Publications by authors named "Carmichael O"

Background: The renin angiotensin system (RAS) has been proposed as a potential modifier of the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, prospective studies of RAS are sparse especially among cognitively normal individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other vascular risk factors. We aimed to determine whether plasma levels or activity of the RAS marker ACE-1 predicts cognitive decline over an 8-year period in this population.

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Background: Compartment model analysis of diffusion MRI data provides unique information on the microstructural properties of white matter in the brain. However, studies relating compartment model microstructural measures to longitudinal cardiometabolic health data are rare.

Method: In this study, 130 cognitively healthy participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study (age 55.

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Background: While a great deal of recent effort has focused on addressing a perceived reproducibility crisis within brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI research communities, less attention has been paid to reproducibility of brain positron emission tomography (PET) research.

Methods: We examined the current landscape of factors that contribute to reproducible neuroimaging data analysis, comparing brain MRI to brain PET. The factors included scientific standards, analytic plan pre-registration, data and code sharing, containerized workflows, and standardized processing pipelines.

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Background: While a great deal of recent effort has focused on addressing a perceived reproducibility crisis within brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI research communities, less attention has been paid to reproducibility of brain positron emission tomography (PET) research.

Methods: We examined the current landscape of factors that contribute to reproducible neuroimaging data analysis, comparing brain MRI to brain PET. The factors included scientific standards, analytic plan pre-registration, data and code sharing, containerized workflows, and standardized processing pipelines.

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Declines in physical and cognitive function are common in older adults. The circulating enzyme glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-specific phospholipase D1 (GPLD1) is elevated after exercise and has been associated with improved cognitive function when administered to aged mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between GPLD1 and both cognitive function and brain structure/function in older adults with either high or low levels of physical activity.

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Article Synopsis
  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) and MR infarcts are key indicators of cerebrovascular disease, and research from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) highlights their impact on cognitive decline.
  • The study found that factors like age, sex, and cognitive impairment correlate with increased WMH volumes, even in participants with minimal other vascular risks.
  • Future ADNI research aims to better understand the role of vascular biomarkers in cognitive health, emphasizing the significance of WMH and MR infarcts in Alzheimer's disease.
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  • Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various developmental and psychiatric disorders, and a study analyzed brain volumes in 74,898 individuals, identifying 254 genetic loci linked to these volumes, which accounted for up to 35% of variation.
  • The research included exploring gene expression in specific neural cell types, focusing on genes involved in intracellular signaling and processes related to brain aging.
  • The findings suggest that certain genetic variants not only influence brain volume but also have potential causal links to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ADHD, highlighting the genetic basis for risks associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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While a great deal of recent effort has focused on addressing a perceived reproducibility crisis within brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI research communities, this article argues that brain positron emission tomography (PET) research stands on even more fragile ground, lagging behind efforts to address MRI reproducibility. We begin by examining the current landscape of factors that contribute to reproducible neuroimaging data analysis, including scientific standards, analytic plan pre-registration, data and code sharing, containerized workflows, and standardized processing pipelines. We then focus on disparities in the current status of these factors between brain MRI and brain PET.

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Article Synopsis
  • Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various disorders, and a study analyzed the genetic basis of brain volumes in nearly 75,000 individuals of European ancestry, revealing 254 loci linked to these volumes.
  • The research identified significant gene expression in neural cells, relating to brain aging and signaling, and found that polygenic scores could predict brain volumes across different ancestries.
  • The study highlights genetic connections between brain volumes and conditions like Parkinson's disease and ADHD, suggesting specific gene expression patterns could be involved in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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As a neurobiological process, addiction involves pathological patterns of engagement with substances and a range of behaviors with a chronic and relapsing course. Neuroimaging technologies assess brain activity, structure, physiology, and metabolism at scales ranging from neurotransmitter receptors to large-scale brain networks, providing unique windows into the core neural processes implicated in substance use disorders. Identified aberrations in the neural substrates of reward and salience processing, response inhibition, interoception, and executive functions with neuroimaging can inform the development of pharmacological, neuromodulatory, and psychotherapeutic interventions to modulate the disordered neurobiology.

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Quantifying the association between components of multivariate random curves is of general interest and is a ubiquitous and basic problem that can be addressed with functional data analysis. An important application is the problem of assessing functional connectivity based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), where one aims to determine the similarity of fMRI time courses that are recorded on anatomically separated brain regions. In the functional brain connectivity literature, the static temporal Pearson correlation has been the prevailing measure for functional connectivity.

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Although epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) might serve as a molecular signature of childhood cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and further promote midlife subclinical CVD, few studies have comprehensively examined these life course associations. This study sought to test whether childhood CVD risk factors predict EAA in adulthood and whether EAA mediates the association between childhood CVD risks and midlife subclinical disease. Among 1,580 Bogalusa Heart Study participants, we estimated extrinsic EAA, intrinsic EAA, PhenoAge acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel), and GrimAge acceleration (GrimAgeAccel) during adulthood.

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Context: Early age at menarche (AAM) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes later in life, but the pathogenic pathways that confer increased risk remain unknown.

Objective: We examined the associations between AAM and inflammatory and glucose metabolism biomarkers among U.S.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dysglycemia is linked to cognitive impairment, but this study aimed to clarify whether issues with insulin sensitivity (ISens) or the β-cell response (IResp) contribute more to cognitive decline in pre-diabetic adults.
  • Using data from 1052 participants over 12 years, the study measured IResp through an insulinogenic index and ISens via fasting insulin, assessing verbal learning and executive function at the end of the follow-up.
  • Findings revealed that a higher β-cell response (IResp) correlated with poorer executive function, indicating that even when controlling for dysglycemia, poor β-cell response may be a risk factor for cognitive decline in those with pre-diabetes.
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Background: Emerging evidence suggests that a number of factors can influence blood-based biomarker levels for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's related dementias (ADRD). We examined the associations that demographic and clinical characteristics have with AD/ADRD blood-based biomarker levels in an observational continuation of a clinical trial cohort of older individuals with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity.

Methods: Participants aged 45-76 years were randomized to a 10-year Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) or a diabetes support and education (DSE) condition.

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Football has one of the highest incidence rates of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among contact sports; however, the effects of repeated sub-concussive head impacts on brain structure and function remain under-studied. We assessed the association between biomarkers of mTBI and structural and functional MRI scans over an entire season among non-concussed NCAA Division I linemen and non-linemen. Concentrations of S100B, GFAP, BDNF, NFL, and NSE were assessed in 48 collegiate football players (32 linemen; 16 non-linemen) before the start of pre-season training (pre-camp), at the end of pre-season training (pre-season), and at the end of the competitive season (post-season).

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Introduction: We present the rationale and design of a double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial combining intranasal insulin (INI) with semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, to improve cognition in older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Since both INI and dulaglutide have beneficial effects on the cerebrovascular disease (CVD), we anticipate that improved CVD will underlie the hypothesized cognitive benefits.

Methods: This 12-months trial will include 80 older adults aged > 60 with MetS and MCI, randomized to 4 groups: INI/oral semaglutide, intranasal placebo/oral semaglutide, INI/oral placebo, and intranasal placebo/oral placebo.

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Rationale: Behavioral effects of testosterone depend on dose, acute versus sustained formulation, duration of administration, personality, genetics, and endogenous levels of testosterone. There are also considerable differences between effects of endogenous and exogenous testosterone.

Objectives: This study was the secondary behavioral arm of a registered clinical trial designed to determine if testosterone protects against loss of lean body mass and lower-body muscle function induced by a severe energy deficit typical of sustained military operations.

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Introduction: Glycemic markers throughout life are associated with increased risk of midlife cognitive decline, yet it is unclear whether these associations differ by race and sex.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional analysis of prospectively maintained cohort. 1,295 participants in the Bogalusa Heart Study, a biracial epidemiological cohort located in a micropolitan area core setting, provided fasting plasma insulin (FPI) and glucose (FPG) biannually from 1973 to 2016.

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Type-2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of dementia, and the underlying mechanism might involve abnormal insulin signaling in the brain. The objective of this study was to examine the association of postmortem brain insulin signaling with late-life cognitive decline. Among participants of Religious Orders Study, a community-based clinical-pathological cohort, 150 deceased and autopsied older individuals (75 with diabetes matched to 75 without by age at death, sex, and education) had postmortem brain insulin signaling measurements collected in the prefrontal cortex using ELISA and immunohistochemistry.

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Observation studies suggest differences in myelination in relation to differences in early life nutrition. This two-center randomized controlled trial investigates the effect of a 12-month nutritional intervention on longitudinal changes in myelination, cognition, and behavior. Eighty-one full-term, neurotypical infants were randomized into an investigational (N = 42) or a control group (N = 39), receiving higher versus lower levels of a blend of nutrients.

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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is common and increasing in prevalence worldwide, with devastating public health consequences. While peripheral insulin resistance is a key feature of most forms of T2DM and has been investigated for over a century, research on brain insulin resistance (BIR) has more recently been developed, including in the context of T2DM and non-diabetes states. Recent data support the presence of BIR in the aging brain, even in non-diabetes states, and found that BIR may be a feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contributes to cognitive impairment.

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