Publications by authors named "Giulia Porcari"

Background: CREB-dependent transcription necessary for long-term memory is driven by interactions with CREB-binding protein (CBP), a multi-domain protein that binds numerous transcription factors potentially affecting expression of thousands of genes. Identifying specific domain functions for multi-domain proteins is essential to understand processes such as cognitive function and circadian clocks. We investigated the function of the CBP KIX domain in hippocampal memory and gene expression using CBP mice with mutations that prevent phospho-CREB (Ser133) binding.

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Long-term memory depends on the control of activity-dependent neuronal gene expression, which is regulated by epigenetic modifications. The epigenetic modification of histones is orchestrated by the opposing activities of 2 classes of regulatory complexes: permissive coactivators and silencing corepressors. Much work has focused on coactivator complexes, but little is known about the corepressor complexes that suppress the expression of plasticity-related genes.

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Background: Perinatal hemorrhagic stroke in late preterm and term neonates is understudied. We describe two-month and two-year neurological outcomes in a prospective cohort.

Methods: Neonates ≥36 weeks' gestation with spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke (parenchymal and intraventricular) presenting at age ≤28 days were enrolled between March 2007 and May 2015 at three tertiary pediatric centers.

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Background And Purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage is a considerable source of morbidity and mortality. This 3-center study describes outcomes of pediatric intracerebral hemorrhage and identifies 2-year neurological outcome predictors.

Methods: Children 29 days to 18 years of age presenting with intracerebral hemorrhage from March 2007 to May 2015 were enrolled prospectively.

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Medically refractory epilepsy continues to be a challenge worldwide, and despite an increasing number of medical therapies, approximately 1 in 3 patients continues to have seizures. Cannabidiol (CBD), one of many constituents of the Cannabis sativa or marijuana plant, has received renewed interest in the treatment of epilepsy. While highly purified CBD awaits Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, artisanal formulations of CBD are readily available and are seeing increased use in our patient population.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder that is associated with genetic risk factors. Most human disease-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are not located in genes but rather are in regulatory regions that control gene expression. The function of regulatory regions is determined through epigenetic mechanisms.

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The process of memory consolidation requires transcription and translation to form long-term memories. Significant effort has been dedicated to understanding changes in hippocampal gene expression after contextual fear conditioning. However, alternative splicing by differential transcript regulation during this time period has received less attention.

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