Publications by authors named "Joeffre Braga"

Article Synopsis
  • After recovering from acute COVID-19, around 5% of individuals experience prolonged depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments known as COVID-DC, with a focus on the role of astrogliosis in this condition.
  • A study was conducted comparing 21 COVID-DC patients and 21 healthy controls, measuring specific indicators of astrogliosis and cognitive/depressive symptoms using PET scans and standardized tests.
  • Results indicated higher levels of MAO-B density in key brain areas for COVID-DC patients compared to controls, suggesting potential protective effects of astrogliosis, especially noted since the emergence of the omicron variant.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common but little is known why up to a third of patients have persisting symptoms. Astrogliosis, a pathophysiological response to brain injury, may be a potential therapeutic target, but demonstration of astrogliosis in the brain of humans with TBI and persistent symptoms is lacking. Astroglial marker monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) total distribution volume (11C-SL25.

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Importance: Persistent depressive symptoms, often accompanied by cognitive symptoms, commonly occur after COVID-19 illness (hereinafter termed COVID-DC, DC for depressive and/or cognitive symptoms). In patients with COVID-DC, gliosis, an inflammatory change, was suspected, but measurements of gliosis had not been studied in the brain for this condition.

Objective: To determine whether translocator protein total distribution volume (TSPO VT), a marker of gliosis that is quantifiable with positron emission tomography (PET), is elevated in the dorsal putamen, ventral striatum, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus of persons with COVID-DC.

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Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) is a high-density protein in the brain mainly found on outer mitochondrial membranes, primarily in astroglia, but additionally in serotonergic neurons and in the substantia nigra in the midbrain. It is an enzyme that participates in the oxidative metabolism of important monoamines including dopamine, norepinephrine, benzylamine, and phenylethylamine. Elevated MAO-B density may be associated with astrogliosis and inhibiting MAO-B may reduce astrogliosis.

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