Publications by authors named "Monica Emili Garcia-Segura"

Article Synopsis
  • * The researchers found that dark microglia interact with blood vessels and synapses and engage in trogocytosis, meaning they take pieces of pre-synaptic axon terminals.
  • * They discovered that dark microglia express specific proteins like CLEC7a, LPL, and TREM2, and that TREM2 is crucial for their function, indicating their important role in synaptic pruning and brain development.
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Article Synopsis
  • * The chapter focuses on 'immunometabolism,' which looks at how the metabolism of microglia influences their immune roles during different CNS conditions, such as normal functioning, aging, and inflammation.
  • * It highlights how changes in microglial metabolism can affect inflammation processes, and discusses the potential for targeting these metabolic pathways as a treatment strategy for chronic CNS disorders involving immune cell activation.
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Functional and pathological recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) is often incomplete due to the limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system (CNS), which is further impaired by several mechanisms that sustain tissue damage. Among these, the chronic activation of immune cells can cause a persistent state of local CNS inflammation and damage. However, the mechanisms that sustain this persistent maladaptive immune response in SCI have not been fully clarified yet.

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The small, ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is a post-translational modifier with a profound influence on several key biological processes, including the mammalian stress response. Of particular interest are its neuroprotective effects, first recognized in the 13-lined ground squirrel (), in the context of hibernation torpor. Although the full scope of the SUMO pathway is yet to be elucidated, observations of its importance in managing neuronal responses to ischemia, maintaining ion gradients, and the preconditioning of neural stem cells make it a promising therapeutic target for acute cerebral ischemia.

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Ischemic stroke results in a loss of tissue homeostasis and integrity, the underlying pathobiology of which stems primarily from the depletion of cellular energy stores and perturbation of available metabolites . Hibernation in thirteen-lined ground squirrels (TLGS), , provides a natural model of ischemic tolerance as these mammals undergo prolonged periods of critically low cerebral blood flow without evidence of central nervous system (CNS) damage . Studying the complex interplay of genes and metabolites that unfolds during hibernation may provide novel insights into key regulators of cellular homeostasis during brain ischemia.

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Background: Somatic α-synuclein (SNCA) copy number variants (CNVs, specifically gains) occur in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease brains.

Objective: The aim was to compare somatic SNCA CNVs in MSA subtypes (striatonigral degeneration [SND] and olivopontocerebellar atrophy [OPCA]) and correlate with inclusions.

Methods: We combined fluorescent in situ hybridization with immunofluorescence for α-synuclein and in some cases oligodendrocyte marker tubulin polymerization promoting protein (TPPP).

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Despite increasing evidence of the importance of metabolic dysregulation in AD, the underlying metabolic changes that may impact amyloid plaque formation are not understood, particularly for late-onset AD. This study analyzed genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptomics, and proteomics data obtained from several data repositories to obtain differentially expressed (DE) multi-omics elements in mouse models of AD.

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GBA variants carriers are at increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). The presence of pseudogene GBAP1 predisposes to structural variants, complicating genetic analysis. We present two methods to resolve recombinant alleles and other variants in GBA: Gauchian, a tool for short-read, whole-genome sequencing data analysis, and Oxford Nanopore sequencing after PCR enrichment.

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Background: Meningiomas are the most common tumors occurring in the central nervous system, with variable recurrence rates depending on World Health Organization grading. Atypical (Grade II) meningioma has a higher rate of recurrence than benign (Grade I) meningioma. The efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) to improve tumor control has been questioned.

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Background: Aberrant motor behavior (AMB) is a neuropsychiatric symptom (NPS) prevalent in Alzheimer's disease (AD), known to cause great distress to both patients and caregivers. Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is the most important genetic predictor of AD, and it has been associated with high NPS prevalence.

Objective: To investigate the neuropathological substrates and risk factors associated with AMB in AD patients.

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