•A virtual reality action observation and motor imagery (VR-AOMI) task was developed.•Effect of VR-AOMI on neuroplasticity was evaluated in twenty healthy adults.•The foundational basis for an early ...form of LTP synaptic plasticity was quantified.•VR-AOMI was safe, well tolerated, and increased capacity for neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is important for learning, development and recovery from injury. Therapies that can upregulate neuroplasticity are therefore of interest across a range of fields. We developed a novel virtual reality action observation and motor imagery (VR-AOMI) intervention and evaluated whether it could enhance the efficacy of mechanisms of neuroplasticity in the human motor cortex of healthy adults. A secondary question was to explore predictors of the change in neuroplasticity following VR-AOMI. A pre-registered, pilot randomized controlled cross-over trial was performed. Twenty right-handed adults (13 females; mean age: 23.0 ± 4.53 years) completed two experimental conditions in separate sessions; VR-AOMI and control. We used intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) to induce long term potentiation-like plasticity in the motor cortex and recorded motor evoked potentials at multiple timepoints as a measure of corticospinal excitability. The VR-AOMI task did not significantly increase the change in MEP amplitude following iTBS when compared to the control task (Group × Timepoint interaction p = 0.17). However, regression analysis identified the change in iTBS response following VR-AOMI was significantly predicted by the baseline iTBS response in the control task. Specifically, participants that did not exhibit the expected increase in MEP amplitude following iTBS in the control condition appear to have greater excitability following iTBS in the VR-AOMI condition (r = −0.72, p < 0.001). Engaging in VR-AOMI might enhance capacity for neuroplasticity in some people who typically do not respond to iTBS. VR-AOMI may prime the brain for enhanced neuroplasticity in this sub-group.
The structure of neuronal circuits that subserve cognitive functions in the brain is shaped and refined throughout development and into adulthood. Evidence from human and animal studies suggests that ...the cellular and synaptic substrates of these circuits are atypical in neuropsychiatric disorders, indicating that altered structural plasticity may be an important part of the disease biology. Advances in genetics have redefined our understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders and have revealed a spectrum of risk factors that impact pathways known to influence structural plasticity. In this Review, we discuss the importance of recent genetic findings on the different mechanisms of structural plasticity and propose that these converge on shared pathways that can be targeted with novel therapeutics.
Chronic alcohol intake is associated with a wide variety of adverse health outcomes including depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms through which these ...effects are conveyed are not clearly understood. To examine the potential role of epigenetic factors in this process, we examined the relationship of recent alcohol intake to genome wide methylation patterns using the Illumina 450 Methylation Bead Chip and lymphoblast DNA derived from 165 female subjects participating in the Iowa Adoption Studies. We found that the pattern of alcohol use over the 6-months immediately prior to phlebotomy was associated with, severity-dependent changes in the degree of genome wide methylation that preferentially hypermethylate the central portion of CpG islands with methylation at cg05600126, a probe in ABR, and the 5' untranslated region of BLCAP attaining genome wide significance in two point and sliding window analyses of probe methylation data, respectively. We conclude that recent alcohol use is associated with widespread changes in DNA methylation in women and that further study to confirm these findings and determine their relationship to somatic function are in order.
Hidden talents in harsh environments Ellis, Bruce J; Abrams, Laura S; Masten, Ann S ...
Development and psychopathology,
02/2022, Letnik:
34, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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Although early-life adversity can undermine healthy development, children growing up in harsh environments may develop intact, or even enhanced, skills for solving problems in high-adversity contexts ...(i.e., "hidden talents"). Here we situate the hidden talents model within a larger interdisciplinary framework. Summarizing theory and research on hidden talents, we propose that stress-adapted skills represent a form of adaptive intelligence that enables individuals to function within the constraints of harsh, unpredictable environments. We discuss the alignment of the hidden talents model with current knowledge about human brain development following early adversity; examine potential applications of this perspective to multiple sectors concerned with youth from harsh environments, including education, social services, and juvenile justice; and compare the hidden talents model with contemporary developmental resilience models. We conclude that the hidden talents approach offers exciting new directions for research on developmental adaptations to childhood adversity, with translational implications for leveraging stress-adapted skills to more effectively tailor education, jobs, and interventions to fit the needs and potentials of individuals from a diverse range of life circumstances. This approach affords a well-rounded view of people who live with adversity that avoids stigma and communicates a novel, distinctive, and strength-based message.
The menace of obesity to depression and anxiety prevalence Fulton, Stephanie; Décarie-Spain, Léa; Fioramonti, Xavier ...
Trends in endocrinology and metabolism,
January 2022, 2022-01-00, 20220101, 2022, Letnik:
33, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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The incidence of depression and anxiety is amplified by obesity. Mounting evidence reveals that the psychiatric consequences of obesity stem from poor diet, inactivity, and visceral adipose ...accumulation. Resulting metabolic and vascular dysfunction, including inflammation, insulin and leptin resistance, and hypertension, have emerged as key risks to depression and anxiety development. Recent research advancements are exposing the important contribution of these different corollaries of obesity and their impact on neuroimmune status and the neural circuits controlling mood and emotional states. Along these lines, this review connects the clinical manifestations of depression and anxiety in obesity to our current understanding of the origins and biology of immunometabolic threats to central nervous system function and behavior.
Obesity increases the incidence of depression and anxiety as a function of the extent of metabolic dysfunction.Diets that include excess saturated fat and sugar intake promote metabolic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and mental health impairments.Adipose- and gut-derived inflammation and changes in brain nutrient composition stimulate neuroinflammation.Neuroinflammation alters structure, excitability, and connectivity in corticolimbic networks controlling mood, motivation, and emotion.
Depression is one of the most common disorders causing mortality around the world. Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is, along with antidepressants and psychotherapy, one of the three major ...treatments of depression, it is still considered as the last resort for depressed patients. This situation is partially due to limited studies and uncertainty regarding its mechanism. However, decades of increased research have focused on the effects of ECT on depression and its potential mechanism. Furthermore, these investigations may suggest that ECT should be a first-line therapy for depression due to its profound effects in relieving desperation in certain situations. Here, we outline recent clinical and preclinical studies and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of ECT. Thus, this review may provide some hints for clinical application.
Throughout our lifespan, new sensory experiences and learning continually shape our neuronal circuits to form new memories. Plasticity at the level of synapses has been recognized and studied for ...decades, but recent work has revealed an additional form of plasticity - affecting oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheaths they produce - that plays a crucial role in learning and memory. In this Review, we summarize recent work characterizing plasticity in the oligodendrocyte lineage following sensory experience and learning, the physiological and behavioural consequences of manipulating that plasticity, and the evidence for oligodendrocyte and myelin dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders with cognitive symptoms. We also discuss the limitations of existing approaches and the conceptual and technical advances that are needed to move forward this rapidly developing field.
Most research on sensitive periods has focussed on early sensory, motor, and language development, but it has recently been suggested that adolescence might represent a second ‘window of opportunity’ ...in brain development. Here, we explore three candidate areas of development that are proposed to undergo sensitive periods in adolescence: memory, the effects of social stress, and drug use. We describe rodent studies, neuroimaging, and large-scale behavioural studies in humans that have yielded data that are consistent with heightened neuroplasticity in adolescence. Critically however, concrete evidence for sensitive periods in adolescence is mostly lacking. To provide conclusive evidence, experimental studies are needed that directly manipulate environmental input and compare effects in child, adolescent, and adult groups.
Chronic pain is not simply a temporal continuum of acute pain. Studies on functional plasticity in neural circuits of pain have provided mechanistic insights and linked various modulatory factors to ...a change in perception and behaviour. However, plasticity also occurs in the context of structural remodelling and reorganisation of synapses, cells and circuits, potentially contributing to the long-term nature of chronic pain. This Review discusses maladaptive structural plasticity in neural circuits of pain, spanning multiple anatomical and spatial scales in animal models and human patients, and addresses key questions on structure-function relationships.
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