Biovalue in Human Brain Banking: Applications and Challenges for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Brain pathology expert Dr Jun-ichi Satoh, from the Department of Bioinformatics and Molecular Neuropathology of Meiji Pharmaceutical University in Tokyo, is drawing on his expertise on neurology and neuroimmunology to delve into some of the more complex diseases impacting the human brain. His knowledge and expertise have allowed him to direct his research interests to study neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), and neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), and the analysis of their molecular pathogenesis by using a bioinformatics approach. His current focus is on Nasu-Hakola disease (NHD), a disease whose rarity has posed significant barriers towards performing large-scale clinical research in order to understand what exactly causes this disease and develop effective novel therapies.

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Is There a Brain Microbiome?

Neuroscience Insights ◽

10.1177/26331055211018709 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 263310552110187

Author(s):

Christopher D Link

Keyword(s):

Animal Models ◽

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Ground Truth ◽

Healthy Human ◽

Strong Motivation ◽

The Many ◽

The Brain

Numerous studies have identified microbial sequences or epitopes in pathological and non-pathological human brain samples. It has not been resolved if these observations are artifactual, or truly represent population of the brain by microbes. Given the tempting speculation that resident microbes could play a role in the many neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases that currently lack clear etiologies, there is a strong motivation to determine the “ground truth” of microbial existence in living brains. Here I argue that the evidence for the presence of microbes in diseased brains is quite strong, but a compelling demonstration of resident microbes in the healthy human brain remains to be done. Dedicated animal models studies may be required to determine if there is indeed a “brain microbiome.”

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A Potential Alternative against Neurodegenerative Diseases: Phytodrugs

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2016/8378613 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Jesús Pérez-Hernández ◽

Víctor Javier Zaldívar-Machorro ◽

David Villanueva-Porras ◽

Elisa Vega-Ávila ◽

Anahí Chavarría

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Medicinal Plant ◽

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Disease Burden ◽

Metabolic Analysis ◽

Potential Alternative ◽

Therapeutic Properties ◽

Plant Compounds

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) primarily affect the neurons in the human brain secondary to oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. ND are more common and have a disproportionate impact on countries with longer life expectancies and represent the fourth highest source of overall disease burden in the high-income countries. A large majority of the medicinal plant compounds, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenes, have therapeutic properties. Polyphenols are the most common active compounds in herbs and vegetables consumed by man. The biological bioactivity of polyphenols against neurodegeneration is mainly due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiamyloidogenic effects. Multiple scientific studies support the use of herbal medicine in the treatment of ND; however, relevant aspects are still pending to explore such as metabolic analysis, pharmacokinetics, and brain bioavailability.

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Metabolomics of Human Brain Aging and Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases

Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology ◽

10.1097/nen.0000000000000091 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 73 (7) ◽

pp. 640-657 ◽

Cited By ~ 106

Author(s):

Mariona Jové ◽

Manuel Portero-Otín ◽

Alba Naudí ◽

Isidre Ferrer ◽

Reinald Pamplona

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Brain Aging ◽

Age Related

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From genetics to pathology: tau and a–synuclein assemblies in neurodegenerative diseases

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2000.0767 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 356 (1406) ◽

pp. 213-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Michel Goedert ◽

Maria Grazia Spillantini ◽

Louise C. Serpell ◽

John Berriman ◽

Michael J. Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Frontotemporal Dementia ◽

Glial Cells ◽

Tau Protein ◽

Nerve Cells ◽

Degenerative Diseases ◽

Protein Tau ◽

Microtubule Associated Protein Tau ◽

Filamentous Inclusions

The most common degenerative diseases of the human brain are characterized by the presence of abnormal filamentous inclusions in affected nerve cells and glial cells. These diseases can be grouped into two classes, based on the identity of the major proteinaceous components of the filamentous assemblies. The filaments are made of either the microtubule–associated protein tau or the protein α–synuclein. Importantly, the discovery of mutations in the tau gene in familial forms of frontotemporal dementia and of mutations in the α–synuclein gene in familial forms of Parkinson's disease has established that dysfunction of tau protein and α–synuclein can cause neurodegeneration.

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Genetic control of age-related gene expression and complex traits in the human brain

10.1101/125195 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Trevor Martin ◽

Hunter B. Fraser

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Genetic Variants ◽

Complex Traits ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Related Gene ◽

Age Related

AbstractAge is the primary risk factor for many of the most common human diseases—particularly neurodegenerative diseases—yet we currently have a very limited understanding of how each individual’s genome affects the aging process. Here we introduce a method to map genetic variants associated with age-related gene expression patterns, which we call temporal expression quantitative trait loci (teQTL). We found that these loci are markedly enriched in the human brain and are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Examining potential molecular mechanisms, we found that age-related changes in DNA methylation can explain some cis-acting teQTLs, and that trans-acting teQTLs can be mediated by microRNAs. Our results suggest that genetic variants modifying age-related patterns of gene expression, acting through both cis- and trans-acting molecular mechanisms, could play a role in the pathogenesis of diverse neurological diseases.

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Radiation-Induced Cerebro-Ophthalmic Effects in Humans

Life ◽

10.3390/life10040041 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Konstantin N. Loganovsky ◽

Donatella Marazziti ◽

Pavlo A. Fedirko ◽

Kostiantyn V. Kuts ◽

Katerina Y. Antypchuk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ionizing Radiation ◽

Human Brain ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Brain Damage ◽

Optic Neuropathy ◽

Radiation Effects ◽

Low Dose ◽

Neurocognitive Deficits ◽

Radiation Induced ◽

Available Information

Exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) could affect the human brain and eyes leading to both cognitive and visual impairments. The aim of this paper was to review and analyze the current literature, and to comment on the ensuing findings in the light of our personal contributions in this field. The review was carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines by searching PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO and Google Scholar English papers published from January 2000 to January 2020. The results showed that prenatally or childhood-exposed individuals are a particular target group with a higher risk for possible radiation effects and neurodegenerative diseases. In adulthood and medical/interventional radiologists, the most frequent IR-induced ophthalmic effects include cataracts, glaucoma, optic neuropathy, retinopathy and angiopathy, sometimes associated with specific neurocognitive deficits. According to available information that eye alterations may induce or may be associated with brain dysfunctions and vice versa, we propose to label this relationship “eye-brain axis”, as well as to deepen the diagnosis of eye pathologies as early and easily obtainable markers of possible low dose IR-induced brain damage.

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