Publications by authors named "Roberto Britto Sassi"
Cognitive Development and Brain Gray Matter Susceptibility to Prenatal Adversities: Moderation by the Prefrontal Cortex Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Co-expression Network.
Front Neurosci
November 2021
Article Synopsis
- Previous research has mainly looked at how prenatal conditions affect neurodevelopment, but this study examines how gene networks (specifically the BDNF gene) interact with these conditions to influence cognitive development and gray matter density in children.
- The researchers created a polygenic score (ePRS) to quantify the expression of genes related to BDNF in the prefrontal cortex, and assessed cognitive development in a cohort of 157 children at multiple ages using standardized mental scales.
- Findings indicated that children with a higher BDNF ePRS had slower cognitive growth when experiencing higher levels of prenatal adversity; notable brain areas linked to visual processing and attention also showed differences in gray matter density based on the level of prenatal adversity.
During development, genetic and environmental factors interact to modify specific phenotypes. Both in humans and in animal models, early adversities influence cognitive flexibility, an important brain function related to behavioral adaptation to variations in the environment. Abnormalities in cognitive functions are related to changes in synaptic connectivity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and altered levels of synaptic proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Genetic variation in the guidance cue gene is linked to psychopathologies involving dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex. We created an expression-based polygenic risk score (ePRS) based on the coexpression gene network in the prefrontal cortex, hypothesizing that it would be associated with individual differences in total brain volume.
Methods: We filtered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genes coexpressed with in the prefrontal cortex obtained from an adult postmortem donors database (BrainEAC) for genes enriched in children 1.
Amygdala 5-HTT Gene Network Moderates the Effects of Postnatal Adversity on Attention Problems: Anatomo-Functional Correlation and Epigenetic Changes.
Front Neurosci
March 2020
Variations in serotoninergic signaling have been related to behavioral outcomes. Alterations in the genome, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, are affected by serotonin neurotransmission. The amygdala is an important brain region involved in emotional responses and impulsivity, which receives serotoninergic input.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrefrontal Cortex Dopamine Transporter Gene Network Moderates the Effect of Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Conditions on Cognitive Flexibility and Brain Gray Matter Density in Children.
Biol Psychiatry
October 2019
Background: Genetic polymorphisms of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and perinatal complications associated with poor oxygenation are risk factors for attentional problems in childhood and may show interactive effects.
Methods: We created a novel expression-based polygenic risk score (ePRS) reflecting variations in the function of the DAT1 gene network (ePRS-DAT1) in the prefrontal cortex and explored the effects of its interaction with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic-associated conditions on cognitive flexibility and brain gray matter density in healthy children from two birth cohorts-MAVAN from Canada (n = 139 boys and girls) and GUSTO from Singapore (n = 312 boys and girls).
Results: A history of exposure to several perinatal hypoxic-ischemic-associated conditions was associated with impaired cognitive flexibility only in the high-ePRS group, suggesting that variation in the prefrontal cortex expression of genes involved in dopamine reuptake is associated with differences in this behavior.