MicroRNA Alterations in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Repetitive head impacts (RHI) and traumatic brain injuries are risk factors for the neurodegenerative diseases chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS and CTE are distinct disorders, yet in some instances, share pathology, affect similar brain regions, and occur together. The pathways involved and biomarkers for diagnosis of both diseases are largely unknown.

Neuropathological profile of long-duration amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in military Veterans.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting both the upper and lower motor neurons. Although ALS typically leads to death within 3 to 5 years after initial symptom onset, approximately 10% of patients with ALS live more than 10 years after symptom onset. We set out to determine similarities and differences in clinical presentation and neuropathology in persons with ALS with long vs.

Age at mating and male quality influence female patterns of reproductive investment and survival.

The trade-off between the allocation of resources toward somatic maintenance or reproduction is one of the fundamentals of life history theory and predicts that females invest in offspring at the expense of their longevity or vice versa. Mate quality may also affect life history trade-offs through mechanisms of sexual conflict; however, few studies have examined the interaction between mate quality and age at first mating in reproductive decisions. Using house crickets (), this study examines how survival and reproductive trade-offs change based on females' age at first reproduction and exposure to males of varying size.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Within an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Brain Bank Cohort.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder linked to repetitive head impacts and has been associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal, degenerative neuromuscular disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs Biorepository Brain Bank (VABBB) is a tissue repository that collects antemortem disease progression data and postmortem central nervous system tissue from veterans with ALS. We set out to determine the frequency of co-morbid ALS and CTE in the VABBB cohort and to characterize the clinical, genetic, and pathological distinctions between participants with ALS only and those with both ALS and CTE (ALS+CTE).