It is generally accepted that a weakening of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation caused the Younger Dryas cooling. Although the role of seasonality was emphasized previously, this aspect is rarely considered yet, and it remains elusive how this impacted hydroclimate during winters and summers across Central Europe. Here, we coupled biomarker-based δO and δH from Bergsee in southern Germany to reconstruct deuterium excess as a proxy for evaporation history from the Bølling-Allerød to the Preboreal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Single gene variants can cause cerebral palsy (CP) phenotypes, yet the impact of genetic diagnosis on CP clinical management has not been systematically evaluated.
Objective: To evaluate how frequently genetic testing results would prompt changes in care for individuals with CP and the clinical utility of precision medicine therapies.
Data Sources: Published pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in OMIM genes identified with exome sequencing in clinical (n = 1345) or research (n = 496) cohorts of CP were analyzed.
Advances in genetic technologies and disease modeling have greatly accelerated the pace of introducing and validating molecular-genetic contributors to disease. In dystonia, there is a growing convergence across multiple distinct forms of the disease onto core biological processes. Here, we discuss two of these, the endosome-autophagosome-lysosome pathway and the integrated stress response, to highlight recent advances in the field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobally, siltation of water reservoirs is a major risk and cost to the provision of fresh water. Therefore, managing reservoir sedimentation is a significant task for water management agencies. In Kenya, the Ruiru water reservoir, one of four water reservoirs supplying Nairobi with drinking water has experienced a significant loss of volume since construction in 1949.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) encoded by ATP2B genes have been implicated in Mendelian diseases with ataxia, dystonia, and intellectual disability. Work to date has shown that ATP2B2 (encoding PMCA2) is required for synaptic function and Purkinje-cell integrity in the cerebellum. A recent case series has linked ATP2B2 to a novel entity, characterized by neurodevelopmental and movement phenotypes, in only seven individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y)
September 2024
Members of the leucine rich repeat (LRR) and PDZ domain (LAP) protein family are essential for animal development and histogenesis. Densin-180, encoded by LRRC7, is the only LAP protein selectively expressed in neurons. Densin-180 is a postsynaptic scaffold at glutamatergic synapses, linking cytoskeletal elements with signalling proteins such as the α-subunit of Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDissecting biological pathways highlighted by Mendelian gene discovery has provided critical insights into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and neurodegeneration. This approach ultimately catalyzes the identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Here, we identify as a new gene implicated in PD and childhood neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrotubule associated proteins (MAPs) are widely expressed in the central nervous system, and have established roles in cell proliferation, myelination, neurite formation, axon specification, outgrowth, dendrite, and synapse formation. We report eleven individuals from seven families harboring predicted pathogenic biallelic, de novo, and heterozygous variants in the NAV3 gene, which encodes the microtubule positive tip protein neuron navigator 3 (NAV3). All affected individuals have intellectual disability (ID), microcephaly, skeletal deformities, ocular anomalies, and behavioral issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y)
April 2024
Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia 21 (SCA21) is a rare neurological disorder caused by heterozygous variants in . A growing, yet still limited number of reports suggested that hyperkinetic movements should be considered a defining component of the disease.
Case Series: We describe two newly identified families harboring the recurrent pathogenic p.