The Action of Thyroid Hormones and Their Influence on Brain Development and Function

1973 ◽  
pp. 295-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Sokoloff ◽  
Charles Kennedy
Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2693
Author(s):  
Gabriella Schiera ◽  
Carlo Maria Di Liegro ◽  
Italia Di Liegro

The development and maturation of the mammalian brain are regulated by thyroid hormones (THs). Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism cause serious anomalies in the organization and function of the nervous system. Most importantly, brain development is sensitive to TH supply well before the onset of the fetal thyroid function, and thus depends on the trans-placental transfer of maternal THs during pregnancy. Although the mechanism of action of THs mainly involves direct regulation of gene expression (genomic effects), mediated by nuclear receptors (THRs), it is now clear that THs can elicit cell responses also by binding to plasma membrane sites (non-genomic effects). Genomic and non-genomic effects of THs cooperate in modeling chromatin organization and function, thus controlling proliferation, maturation, and metabolism of the nervous system. However, the complex interplay of THs with their targets has also been suggested to impact cancer proliferation as well as metastatic processes. Herein, after discussing the general mechanisms of action of THs and their physiological effects on the nervous system, we will summarize a collection of data showing that thyroid hormone levels might influence cancer proliferation and invasion.


Author(s):  
Rachel L. Leon ◽  
Imran N. Mir ◽  
Christina L. Herrera ◽  
Kavita Sharma ◽  
Catherine Y. Spong ◽  
...  

Abstract Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are living longer due to effective medical and surgical management. However, the majority have neurodevelopmental delays or disorders. The role of the placenta in fetal brain development is unclear and is the focus of an emerging field known as neuroplacentology. In this review, we summarize neurodevelopmental outcomes in CHD and their brain imaging correlates both in utero and postnatally. We review differences in the structure and function of the placenta in pregnancies complicated by fetal CHD and introduce the concept of a placental inefficiency phenotype that occurs in severe forms of fetal CHD, characterized by a myriad of pathologies. We propose that in CHD placental dysfunction contributes to decreased fetal cerebral oxygen delivery resulting in poor brain growth, brain abnormalities, and impaired neurodevelopment. We conclude the review with key areas for future research in neuroplacentology in the fetal CHD population, including (1) differences in structure and function of the CHD placenta, (2) modifiable and nonmodifiable factors that impact the hemodynamic balance between placental and cerebral circulations, (3) interventions to improve placental function and protect brain development in utero, and (4) the role of genetic and epigenetic influences on the placenta–heart–brain connection. Impact Neuroplacentology seeks to understand placental connections to fetal brain development. In fetuses with CHD, brain growth abnormalities begin in utero. Placental microstructure as well as perfusion and function are abnormal in fetal CHD.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danya Glaser

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline brain structure and development, the relationship between environment and brain development and implications for practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a selected review of the literature and clinical experience. Findings – While genetics determine the sequence of brain maturation, the nature of brain development and functioning is determined by the young child's caregiving environment, to which the developing brain constantly adapts. The absence of input during sensitive periods may lead to later reduced functioning. There is an undoubted immediate equivalence between every mind function – emotion, cognition, behaviour and brain activity, although the precise location of this in the brain is only very partially determinable, since brain connections and function are extremely complex. Originality/value – This paper provides an overview of key issues in neurodevelopment relating to the development of young children, and implications for policy and practice.


2011 ◽  
pp. 439-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. NOVÁK ◽  
T. SOUKUP

Calsequestrin is the main calcium binding protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, serving as an important regulator of Ca2+. In mammalian muscles, it exists as a skeletal isoform found in fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles and a cardiac isoform expressed in the heart and slow-twitch muscles. Recently, many excellent reviews that summarised in great detail various aspects of the calsequestrin structure, localisation or function both in skeletal and cardiac muscle have appeared. The present review focuses on skeletal muscle: information on cardiac tissue is given, where differences between both tissues are functionally important. The article reviews the known multiple roles of calsequestrin including pathology in order to introduce this topic to the broader scientific community and to stimulate an interest in this protein. Newly we describe our results on the effect of thyroid hormones on skeletal and cardiac calsequestrin expression and discuss them in the context of available literary data on this topic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin Ferro ◽  
Yohan S. S. Auguste ◽  
Lucas Cheadle

Intercellular signaling molecules such as cytokines and their receptors enable immune cells to communicate with one another and their surrounding microenvironments. Emerging evidence suggests that the same signaling pathways that regulate inflammatory responses to injury and disease outside of the brain also play powerful roles in brain development, plasticity, and function. These observations raise the question of how the same signaling molecules can play such distinct roles in peripheral tissues compared to the central nervous system, a system previously thought to be largely protected from inflammatory signaling. Here, we review evidence that the specialized roles of immune signaling molecules such as cytokines in the brain are to a large extent shaped by neural activity, a key feature of the brain that reflects active communication between neurons at synapses. We discuss the known mechanisms through which microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, respond to increases and decreases in activity by engaging classical inflammatory signaling cascades to assemble, remodel, and eliminate synapses across the lifespan. We integrate evidence from (1) in vivo imaging studies of microglia-neuron interactions, (2) developmental studies across multiple neural circuits, and (3) molecular studies of activity-dependent gene expression in microglia and neurons to highlight the specific roles of activity in defining immune pathway function in the brain. Given that the repurposing of signaling pathways across different tissues may be an important evolutionary strategy to overcome the limited size of the genome, understanding how cytokine function is established and maintained in the brain could lead to key insights into neurological health and disease.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Farber ◽  
Dylan Gee ◽  
Ahmad R. Hariri

Studies of early adversity such as trauma, abuse, and neglect highlight the critical importance of quality caregiving in brain development and mental health. However, the impact of normative range variability in caregiving on such biobehavioral processes remains poorly understood. Thus, we lack an essential foundation for understanding broader, population-representative developmental mechanisms of risk and resilience. Here, we conduct a scoping review of the extant literature centered on the question, “Is variability in normative range parenting associated with variability in brain structure and function?” After removing duplicates and screening by title, abstract, and full-text, 23 records were included in a qualitative review. The most striking outcome of this review was not only how few studies have explored associations between brain development and normative range parenting, but also how little methodological consistency exists across published studies. In light of these limitations, we propose recommendations for future research on normative range parenting and brain development. In doing so, we hope to facilitate evidence-based research that will help inform policies and practices that yield optimal developmental trajectories and mental health.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Mills ◽  
Christian K. Tamnes

The development of the human brain involves a prolonged course of maturation, enabling us to learn to navigate our complex social environments. Here, we give short introductions to post-mortem and animal studies on postnatal brain development and selected methodological considerations for longitudinal developmental neuroimaging. We then describe typical developmental changes in brain structure and function from childhood to adulthood. We focus on measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and on longitudinal data. Specifically, we discuss brain structural development based on morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, and functional development based on resting-state and task-based functional MRI. Finally, we highlight selected current overarching research questions and argue that an important step in answering these questions is to study individual differences in longitudinal brain development.


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