Background: Trichotillomania (repetitive hair-pulling) is an Axis I psychiatric disorder whose neurobiological basis is incompletely understood. Whole-brain trichotillomania neuroimaging studies are lacking.
Aims: To investigate grey and white matter abnormalities over the whole brain in patients with trichotillomania.
Method: Eighteen patients with DSM-IV trichotillomania and 19 healthy controls undertook structural magnetic resonance imaging after providing written informed consent. Differences in grey and white matter were investigated using computational morphometry.
Results: Patients with trichotillomania showed increased grey matter densities in the left striatum, left amygdalo-hippocampal formation, and multiple (including cingulate, supplementary motor, and frontal) cortical regions bilaterally.
Conclusions: Trichotillomania was associated with structural grey matter changes in neural circuitry implicated in habit learning, cognition and affect regulation. These findings inform animal models of the disorder and highlight key regions of interest for future translational research.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.048314 | DOI Listing |
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Division of Neurology, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, London, London, United Kingdom.
Background: Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Preclinical evidence in transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease suggests that liraglutide exerts neuroprotective effects by reducing amyloid oligomers, normalising synaptic plasticity and cerebral glucose uptake, and increasing the proliferation of neuronal progenitor cells.
Method: This is a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IIb trial of liraglutide in participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's dementia, conducted at several centres in the UK.
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Background: Loneliness has been linked to cognitive decline and an elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies measured loneliness at a single point time, which may not accurately capture the longitudinal changes of different loneliness types (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Fairway, KS, USA.
Background: Aerobic exercise may positively affect brain health, although relationships with cognitive change are mixed. This likely is due to individual differences in the systemic physiological response to exercise. However, the acute effects of exercise on brain metabolism and biomarker responses are not well characterized in older adults or cognitively impaired individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
Nova Southeastern Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine - TBR, Clearwater, FL, USA.
Background: Research heavily suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vital for neuronal growth and plasticity, and cholecystokinin (CCK), a satiety hormone that regulates BDNF levels, are altered in Alzheimer's Disease pathophysiology. Factors such as dysbiosis of gut microbiota and poor food habits may affect CCK and BDNF release and brain function. The objective is to evaluate the effects of dietary habits, gut microbiota, and exercise on BDNF and CCK release in Alzheimer's Disease patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
Department of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Background: Dysphagia is an important feature of neurodegenerative diseases and potentially life-threatening in primary progressive aphasia (PPA), but remains poorly characterised in these syndromes. We hypothesised that dysphagia would be more prevalent in nonfluent/agrammatic variant (nfv)PPA than other PPA syndromes, predicted by accompanying motor features and associated with atrophy affecting regions implicated in swallowing control.
Methods: In a retrospective case-control study at our tertiary referral centre, we recruited 56 patients with PPA (21 nfvPPA, 22 semantic variant (sv)PPA, 13 logopenic variant (lv)PPA).
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