Differential roles of lysosomal cholesterol transporters in the development of NMJs.

Cholesterol homeostasis in neurons is critical for synapse formation and maintenance. Neurons with impaired cholesterol uptake undergo progressive synapse loss and eventual degeneration. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of neuronal cholesterol homeostasis and its role during synapse development, we studied motor neurons of because these neurons rely on dietary cholesterol.

DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 2 (DGCR2), a schizophrenia risk gene, regulates dendritic spine development through cell adhesion.

Background: Dendritic spines are the sites of excitatory synapses on pyramidal neurons, and their development is crucial for neural circuits and brain functions. The spine shape, size, or number alterations are associated with neurological disorders, including schizophrenia. DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 2 (DGCR2) is one of the deleted genes within the 22q11.

Microglia are involved in regulating histamine-dependent and non-dependent itch transmissions with distinguished signal pathways.

Although itch and pain have many similarities, they are completely different in perceptual experience and behavioral response. In recent years, we have a deep understanding of the neural pathways of itch sensation transmission. However, there are few reports on the role of non-neuronal cells in itch.

Prenatal diagnosis and postnatal verification in fetuses with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Objective: To systematically verify the accuracy of a four-step prenatal ultrasonography in diagnosing fetal total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC).

Methods: A total of 62 TAPVC fetuses received prenatal ultrasonography and were confirmed by postnatal echocardiography, surgery, or postabortion autopsy. The suspected TAPVC fetuses were further screened by a four-step prenatal ultrasonography for TAPVC classification, pulmonary venous obstruction, and the associated malformations, and followed postpartum.

LRP4 is required for the olfactory association task in the piriform cortex.

Background: Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4) plays a critical role in the central nervous system (CNS), including hippocampal synaptic plasticity, maintenance of excitatory synaptic transmission, fear regulation, as well as long-term potentiation (LTP).

Results: In this study, we found that Lrp4 was highly expressed in layer II of the piriform cortex. Both body weight and brain weight decreased in Lrp4 mice without TMD (Transmembrane domain) and ICD (intracellular domain) of LRP4.

ErbB4 promotes inhibitory synapse formation by cell adhesion, independent of its kinase activity.

The precise control of the nervous system function under the vitality of synapses is extremely critical. Efforts have been taken to explore the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms for synapse formation. Cell adhesion molecules have been found important for synapse assembly in the brain.

Spine impairment in mice high-expressing neuregulin 1 due to LIMK1 activation.

The genes encoding for neuregulin1 (NRG1), a growth factor, and its receptor ErbB4 are both risk factors of major depression disorder and schizophrenia (SZ). They have been implicated in neural development and synaptic plasticity. However, exactly how NRG1 variations lead to SZ remains unclear.

Transmembrane protein 108 is required for glutamatergic transmission in dentate gyrus.

Neurotransmission in dentate gyrus (DG) is critical for spatial coding, learning memory, and emotion processing. Although DG dysfunction is implicated in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that transmembrane protein 108 (Tmem108), a novel schizophrenia susceptibility gene, is highly enriched in DG granule neurons and its expression increased at the postnatal period critical for DG development.