BDNF expression mediates verbal learning and memory in women in a cohort enriched with risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: This study examined whether sex differences in verbal learning and memory (VLM) are mediated by plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression.

Methods: In a sample of  = 201 participants (63.81 ± 6.

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core: A culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model to advance brain health equity.

Introduction: The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-4 (ADNI-4) Engagement Core was launched to advance Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD-related dementia (ADRD) health equity research in underrepresented populations (URPs). We describe our evidence-based, scalable culturally informed, community-engaged research (CI-CER) model and demonstrate its preliminary success in increasing URP enrollment.

Methods: URPs include ethnoculturally minoritized, lower education (≤ 12 years), and rural populations.

Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens Core Encodes the General Excitatory Components of Learning.

Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC) is generally considered to be a proxy for phasic firing of the ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA) neurons. Thus, dopamine release in NAcC is hypothesized to reflect a unitary role in reward prediction error signaling. However, recent studies reveal more diverse roles of dopamine neurons, which support an emerging idea that dopamine regulates learning differently in distinct circuits.

Fitness-to-drive recommendations in post-stroke patients: a retrospective study.

Background: Stroke sequelae can have an impact on daily life activities such as driving. French legislation stipulates that post-stroke patients should undergo a multi-professional fitness-to-drive assessment before being allowed to drive again. This retrospective study aims to explore the determinants of multi-professional fitness-to-drive recommendations.

Between-sessions test-retest reliability of prefrontal cortical activity during usual walking in patients with Parkinson's Disease: A fNIRS study.

Background: Examining between-sessions test-retest reliability of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data is crucial to better interpret rehabilitation-related changes in the hemodynamic response.

Research Question: This study investigated test-retest reliability of prefrontal activity during usual walking in 14 patients with Parkinson's Disease with a fixed retest intervals of five weeks.

Methods: Fourteen patients performed usual walking in two sessions (T0 and T1).

Interaction between pedestrians and automated vehicles: Perceived safety of yielding behaviors and benefits of an external human-machine interface for elderly people.

This study focuses on Automated Vehicles (AVs) interactions with pedestrians during road crossing situations. A dual-phase experiment was designed: one from the pedestrian's perspective and the other one from the AV passenger's point of view. Eight AV behaviors to yield were investigated.

Dopamine errors drive excitatory and inhibitory components of backward conditioning in an outcome-specific manner.

For over two decades, phasic activity in midbrain dopamine neurons was considered synonymous with the prediction error in temporal-difference reinforcement learning. Central to this proposal is the notion that reward-predictive stimuli become endowed with the scalar value of predicted rewards. When these cues are subsequently encountered, their predictive value is compared to the value of the actual reward received, allowing for the calculation of prediction errors.

Increased prefrontal activity during usual walking in aging.

Executive functions are important for successful accomplishment of walking tasks, particularly during a dual task. Over the past few years, several studies investigated prefrontal cortex activity under different walking conditions in older adults with functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). However, little is known about changes in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity during walking in the early stages of aging.

An intensive exercise-based training program reduces prefrontal activity during usual walking in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) leads to a progressive loss of locomotor automaticity. Consequently, PD patients rely more on executive resources for the control of gait, resulting in increased prefrontal activity while walking. Exercise-based training programs may improve automaticity of walking and reduce prefrontal activity in this population.

Changes in Prefrontal Cortical Activity During Walking and Cognitive Functions Among Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

Walking becomes more and more degraded as Parkinson's Disease (PD) progresses. Previous research examined factors contributing to this deterioration. Among them, changes in brain cortical activity during walking have been less studied in this clinical population.

Measuring the Cognitive Workload During Dual-Task Walking in Young Adults: A Combination of Neurophysiological and Subjective Measures.

Walking while performing a secondary task (dual-task (DT) walking) increases cognitive workload in young adults. To date, few studies have used neurophysiological measures in combination to subjective measures to assess cognitive workload during a walking task. This combined approach can provide more insights into the amount of cognitive resources in relation with the perceived mental effort involving in a walking task.

Charge Characteristics of Agouti-Related Protein Implicate Potent Involvement of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans in Metabolic Function.

The endogenous melanocortin peptide agouti-related protein (AgRP) plays a well-known role in foraging, but its contribution to metabolic regulation is less understood. Mature AgRP has distinct residues for melanocortin receptor binding and heparan sulfate interactions. Here, we show that AgRP increases ad libitum feeding and operant responding for food in mice, decreases oxygen consumption, and lowers body temperature and activity, indicating lower energy expenditure.

Increases in compulsivity, inflammation, and neural injury in HIV transgenic rats with escalated methamphetamine self-administration under extended-access conditions.

The abuse of stimulants, such as methamphetamine (METH), is associated with treatment non-compliance, a greater risk of viral transmission, and the more rapid clinical progression of immunological and central nervous system human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. The behavioral effects of METH in the setting of HIV remain largely uncharacterized. We used a state-of-the-art paradigm of the escalation of voluntary intravenous drug self-administration in HIV transgenic (Tg) and wildtype rats.

Probenecid Reduces Alcohol Drinking in Rodents. Is Pannexin1 a Novel Therapeutic Target for Alcohol Use Disorder?

Aims: The development of novel and more effective medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is an important unmet medical need. Drug repositioning or repurposing is an appealing strategy to bring new therapies to the clinic because it greatly reduces the overall costs of drug development and expedites the availability of treatments to those who need them. Probenecid, p-(di-n-propylsulfamyl)-benzoic acid, is a drug used clinically to treat hyperuricemia and gout due to its activity as an inhibitor of the kidneys' organic anion transporter that reclaims uric acid from urine.

Characterization of the TSU-PR1 cell line by chromosome painting and flow cytometry.

TSU-PR1 was originally reported as a prostatic carcinoma cell line derived from a lymph node metastasis. Recently, however, this cell line was reported to be derived from T24 bladder carcinoma cells, and thus further definition of its origin is needed. Conventional cytogenetic study of TSU-PR1 showed aneuploidy, ranging from 65 to 86 chromosome with a modal number of 80, and with 10 marker chromosomes, thus conventional cytogenetics cannot be used to determine which chromosomes or regions of chromosomes are critical in cancer development and progression of this cell line.