Disparities in healthcare transition support received by adolescents with special healthcare needs.

Background: Transitioning to adult healthcare systems can be challenging, especially if left unaddressed for adolescents with special healthcare needs (ASHCN), such as those with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. While there is evidence of disparities between different demographics regarding general healthcare services, research on healthcare-specific transition planning is lacking. Thus, there is a critical need to continually investigate these disparities.

Altered splicing of ATP6AP2 causes X-linked parkinsonism with spasticity (XPDS).

We report a novel gene for a parkinsonian disorder. X-linked parkinsonism with spasticity (XPDS) presents either as typical adult onset Parkinson's disease or earlier onset spasticity followed by parkinsonism. We previously mapped the XPDS gene to a 28 Mb region on Xp11.

Differential response of the central noradrenergic nervous system to the loss of locus coeruleus neurons in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

In Parkinson's disease (PD), there is a significant loss of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) in addition to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). The goal of this study was to determine if the surviving LC noradrenergic neurons in PD demonstrate compensatory changes in response to the neuronal loss, as observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) mRNA expression in postmortem LC tissue of control and age-matched PD subjects demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of noradrenergic neurons in the LC of PD subjects.

A novel X-linked four-repeat tauopathy with Parkinsonism and spasticity.

The parkinsonian syndromes comprise a highly heterogeneous group of disorders. Although 15 loci are linked to predominantly familial Parkinson's disease (PD), additional PD loci are likely to exist. We recently identified a multigenerational family of Danish and German descent in which five males in three generations presented with a unique syndrome characterized by parkinsonian features and variably penetrant spasticity for which X-linked disease transmission was strongly suggested (XPDS).

Changes in adrenoreceptors in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with dementia: evidence of compensatory changes.

In Alzheimer's disease (AD) there is a significant loss of locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons. However, recent work has shown the surviving noradrenergic neurons to display many compensatory changes, including axonal sprouting to the hippocampus. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a forebrain region that is affected in dementia, and receives innervation from the LC noradrenergic neurons.

Compensatory changes in the noradrenergic nervous system in the locus ceruleus and hippocampus of postmortem subjects with Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a significant loss of locus ceruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons. However, functional and anatomical evidence indicates that the remaining noradrenergic neurons may be compensating for the loss. Because the noradrenergic system plays an important role in learning and memory, it is important to determine whether compensation occurs in noradrenergic neurons in the LC and hippocampus of subjects with AD or a related dementing disorder, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Alpha1-adrenoreceptor in human hippocampus: binding and receptor subtype mRNA expression.

Alpha1-adrenoreceptors (AR), of which three subtypes exist (alpha1A-, alpha1B- and alpha1D-AR) are G-protein-coupled receptors that mediate the actions of norepinephrine and epinephrine both peripherally and centrally. In the CNS, alpha1-ARs are found in the hippocampus where animal studies have shown the ability of alpha1-AR agents to modulate long-term potentiation and memory; however, the precise distribution of alpha1-AR expression and its subtypes in the human brain is unknown making functional comparisons difficult. In the human hippocampus, 3H-prazosin (alpha1-AR antagonist) labels only the dentate gyrus (molecular, granule and polymorphic layers) and the stratum lucidum of the CA3 homogeneously.

Chronic cortisol suppresses pituitary and hypothalamic peptide message expression in pigtailed macaques.

The effects of chronic elevations in circulating glucocorticoids on the expression of peptides and peptide receptors of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have been studied extensively in rodents, but they have not been examined in primates. To determine the responses of the HPA axis in primates to elevated cortisol, hypothalamic and pituitary tissue from normal older pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) that had received daily oral administration of cortisol or placebo for 1 year were studied. Pro-opiomelanocortin in the anterior pituitary and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were significantly reduced in cortisol-treated monkeys in comparison with controls.

The representation of transference through serial grids: a methodological study.

During a patient's psychotherapy serial grids were collected so that aspects of 'transference' defined as the interrelationships of dyadic elements such as 'me now with the therapist', 'me with father when I was a child' could be measured. By forming composite grids of the same two elements from each testing occasion, changes could be traced over time. Content analysis of tape-recordings of the sessions showed that changes on the grid measures could be related to the therapist's interventions.