scholarly journals The impact of bilingualism on brain reserve and metabolic connectivity in Alzheimer's dementia

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 1690-1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Perani ◽  
Mohsen Farsad ◽  
Tommaso Ballarini ◽  
Francesca Lubian ◽  
Maura Malpetti ◽  
...  

Cognitive reserve (CR) prevents cognitive decline and delays neurodegeneration. Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that lifelong bilingualism may act as CR delaying the onset of dementia by ∼4.5 y. Much controversy surrounds the issue of bilingualism and its putative neuroprotective effects. We studied brain metabolism, a direct index of synaptic function and density, and neural connectivity to shed light on the effects of bilingualism in vivo in Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). Eighty-five patients with probable AD and matched for disease duration (45 German-Italian bilingual speakers and 40 monolingual speakers) were included. Notably, bilingual individuals were on average 5 y older than their monolingual peers. In agreement with our predictions and with models of CR, cerebral hypometabolism was more severe in the group of bilingual individuals with AD. The metabolic connectivity analyses crucially supported the neuroprotective effect of bilingualism by showing an increased connectivity in the executive control and the default mode networks in the bilingual, compared with the monolingual, AD patients. Furthermore, the degree of lifelong bilingualism (i.e., high, moderate, or low use) was significantly correlated to functional modulations in crucial neural networks, suggesting both neural reserve and compensatory mechanisms. These findings indicate that lifelong bilingualism acts as a powerful CR proxy in dementia and exerts neuroprotective effects against neurodegeneration. Delaying the onset of dementia is a top priority of modern societies, and the present in vivo neurobiological evidence should stimulate social programs and interventions to support bilingual or multilingual education and the maintenance of the second language among senior citizens.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Claire Rühlmann ◽  
David Dannehl ◽  
Marcus Brodtrück ◽  
Andrew C. Adams ◽  
Jan Stenzel ◽  
...  

Background: To date, there are no effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Thus, a significant need for research of therapies remains. Objective: One promising pharmacological target is the hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), which is thought to be neuroprotective. A clinical candidate for medical use could be the FGF21 analogue LY2405319 (LY), which has a specificity and potency comparable to FGF21. Methods: The present study investigated the potential neuroprotective effect of LY via PPARγ/apoE/abca1 pathway which is known to degrade amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques by using primary glial cells and hippocampal organotypic brain slice cultures (OBSCs) from 30- and 50-week-old transgenic APPswe/PS1dE9 (tg) mice. By LY treatment of 52-week-old tg mice with advanced Aβ deposition, we further aimed to elaborate the effect of LY on AD pathology in vivo. Results: LY application to primary glial cells caused an upregulation of pparγ, apoE, and abca1 mRNA expression and significantly decreased number and area of Aβ plaques in OBSCs. LY treatment in tg mice increased cerebral [18F] FDG uptake and N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio indicating enhanced neuronal activity and integrity. Although LY did not reduce the number of Aβ plaques in tg mice, the number of iba1-positive cells was significantly decreased indicating reduced microgliosis. Conclusion: These data identified LY in vitro as an activator of Aβ degrading genes leading to cerebral Aβ load amelioration in early and late AD pathology. Although Aβ plaque reduction by LY failed in vivo, LY may be used as therapeutic agent to treat AD-related neuroinflammation and impaired neuronal integrity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Mattioli ◽  
Antonio Francioso ◽  
Maria d’Erme ◽  
Maurizio Trovato ◽  
Patrizia Mancini ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder and the primary form of dementia in the elderly. One of the main features of AD is the increase in amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide production and aggregation, leading to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects and have been proposed as possible therapeutic agents against AD. Here, we investigated the effects of a polyphenolic extract of Arabidopsis thaliana (a plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family) on inflammatory response induced by Aβ. BV2 murine microglia cells treated with both Aβ25–35 peptide and extract showed a lower pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) and a higher anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokine production compared to cells treated with Aβ only. The activation of the Nrf2-antioxidant response element signaling pathway in treated cells resulted in the upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 mRNA and in an increase of NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity. To establish whether the extract is also effective against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in vivo, we evaluated its effect on the impaired climbing ability of AD Drosophila flies expressing human Aβ1–42. Arabidopsis extract significantly restored the locomotor activity of these flies, thus confirming its neuroprotective effects also in vivo. These results point to a protective effect of the Arabidopsis extract in AD, and prompt its use as a model in studying the impact of complex mixtures derived from plant-based food on neurodegenerative diseases.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Chen ◽  
Haiyan Sun ◽  
Liyong Huang ◽  
Juxiang Li ◽  
Wenke Zhou ◽  
...  

Redox homeostasis has been implicated in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). As a result, antioxidants and/or free radical scavengers have become an important therapeutic modality. Considering that radix trichosanthis (RT) saponins exhibited strong antioxidant ability bothin vivoandin vitro, the present study aimed to reveal whether the neuroprotective activities of RT saponins were mediated by p38/p53 signal pathway after SAH. An established SAH model was used and superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), p-p38, and p53 activation were detected after 48 h of SAH. The results showed that RT saponins inhibited iNOS expression to restore NO to basal level. Moreover, compared with Cu/Zn-SOD, RT saponins (2 mg/kg/d dosage) significantly increased Mn-SOD activity after SAH. Accompanied with lowered NO and elevated SOD, decreased p38 phosphorylation and p53 activities were observed, especially for RT saponins at 2 mg/kg/d dosage. In this setting, the neurological outcome was also improved with less neuronal cells damage after RT saponins pretreatment. Our findings demonstrated the beneficial effects of RT saponins in enhancing neuroprotective effects by deducing iNOS activity, normalizing SOD level, and inhibiting p-p38 and p53 expression, hence offering significant therapeutic implications for SAH.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qun Shan ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Yuanlin Zheng ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Zhong Zhou ◽  
...  

Purple sweet potato color (PSPC), a naturally occurring anthocyanin, has a powerful antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo. This study explores whether PSPC has the neuroprotective effect on the aging mouse brain induced by D-galactose (D-gal). The mice administrated with PSPC (100 mg/kg.day, 4 weeks, from 9th week) via oral gavage showed significantly improved behavior performance in the open field and passive avoidance test compared with D-gal-treated mice (500 mg/kg.day, 8 weeks). We further investigate the mechanism involved in neuroprotective effects of PSPC on mouse brain. Interestingly, we found, PSPC decreased the expression level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inhibited nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), increased the activity of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and catalase (CAT), and reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), respectively. Our data suggested that PSPC attenuated D-gal-induced cognitive impairment partly via enhancing the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S12-S12
Author(s):  
T.C. Russ ◽  
K. Ritchie ◽  
G.M. Terrera ◽  
C.W. Ritchie

Alzheimer's disease has long been considered a neurodegenerative disorder of late life for which there is currently no disease-modifying treatment. This view is now being revised as increasing evidence suggests a long pre-clinical phase extending back into mid-life during which there is exposure to multiple potentially reversible risk factors. Further thought is now being given to the possibility of both early life intervention programs and development of new drug treatments focusing on the pre-dementia period. But how can the impact of such treatments be measured at this early stage since overt dementia may not be diagnosed for decades? In the four talks in this symposium, we will discuss evidence for pre-clinical change, theoretical models which have been used to project the possible impact of risk factor modification in mid-life and their integration into a future public health strategies. The development of new statistical risk models to determine the impact of such prevention measures will be outlined. We will consider the possibilities for drug development targeting the pre-clinical period before presenting the PREVENT Project and EPAD (http://ep-ad.org/), a multi-million euro IMI-Horizon 2020 funded project for the development of pre-clinical proof of concept trials. Titles of the four presentations: 1. Setting the scene: the evidence for pre-clinical change, projections of the impact of intervention, and implications for public health (TCR) 2. New statistical risk models for determining the impact of prevention measures in the pre-dementia period (GMT) 3. The PREVENT Study: a prospective cohort study to identify mid-life biomarkers of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (KR) 4. The European Prevention of Alzheimer's Dementia (EPAD) Project: developing interventions for the secondary prevention of Alzheimer's dementia (CWR)Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 730-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fox ◽  
G. Livingston ◽  
I. D. Maidment ◽  
S. Coulton ◽  
D. G. Smithard ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irini Papazian ◽  
Eleni Tsoukala ◽  
Athena Boutou ◽  
Maria Karamita ◽  
Konstantinos Kambas ◽  
...  

Abstract Background During inflammatory demyelination, TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) mediates detrimental proinflammatory effects of soluble TNF (solTNF), whereas TNFR2 mediates beneficial effects of transmembrane TNF (tmTNF) through oligodendroglia, microglia, and possibly other cell types. This model supports the use of selective inhibitors of solTNF/TNFR1 as anti-inflammatory drugs for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. A potential obstacle is the neuroprotective effect of solTNF pretreatment described in cultured neurons, but the relevance in vivo is unknown. Methods To address this question, we generated mice with neuron-specific depletion of TNFR1, TNFR2, or inhibitor of NF-κB kinase subunit β (IKKβ), a main downstream mediator of TNFR signaling, and applied experimental models of inflammatory demyelination and acute and preconditioning glutamate excitotoxicity. We also investigated the molecular and cellular requirements of solTNF neuroprotection by generating astrocyte-neuron co-cultures with different combinations of wild-type (WT) and TNF and TNFR knockout cells and measuring N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) excitotoxicity in vitro. Results Neither neuronal TNFR1 nor TNFR2 protected mice during inflammatory demyelination. In fact, both neuronal TNFR1 and neuronal IKKβ promoted microglial responses and tissue injury, and TNFR1 was further required for oligodendrocyte loss and axonal damage in cuprizone-induced demyelination. In contrast, neuronal TNFR2 increased preconditioning protection in a kainic acid (KA) excitotoxicity model in mice and limited hippocampal neuron death. The protective effects of neuronal TNFR2 observed in vivo were further investigated in vitro. As previously described, pretreatment of astrocyte-neuron co-cultures with solTNF (and therefore TNFR1) protected them against NMDA excitotoxicity. However, protection was dependent on astrocyte, not neuronal TNFR1, on astrocyte tmTNF-neuronal TNFR2 interactions, and was reproduced by a TNFR2 agonist. Conclusions These results demonstrate that neuronal TNF receptors perform fundamentally different roles in CNS pathology in vivo, with neuronal TNFR1 and IKKβ promoting microglial inflammation and neurotoxicity in demyelination, and neuronal TNFR2 mediating neuroprotection in excitotoxicity. They also reveal that previously described neuroprotective effects of solTNF against glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro are indirect and mediated via astrocyte tmTNF-neuron TNFR2 interactions. These results consolidate the concept that selective inhibition of solTNF/TNFR1 with maintenance of TNFR2 function would have combined anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties required for safe treatment of CNS diseases.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Trapali ◽  
Vasiliki Lagouri

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the oldest edible fruits in the Mediterranean area and has been used extensively in the folk medicine. Popularity of pomegranate has increased especially in the last decade because of the health effects of the fruit. Polyphenols, represent the predominant class of phytochemicals of pomegranate, mainly consisting of hydrolysable tannins and ellagic acid. Pomegranate is a rich source of the ellagitannin punicalagin, which has aroused considerable interest in pomegranate fruit as a new therapeutic agent in recent years. Most studies on the effects of pomegranate juice have focused on its ability to cure diabetes and atherosclerosis. The present review summarizes some recent studies on the vasculoprotective and neuroprotective effect of various parts of pomegranate and its main compounds especially hydrolysable tannins ellagitannins, ellagic acid and their metabolites. The in vitro and in vivo studies, showed that the whole parts of pomegranate as well as its main components had a positive influence on blood glucose, lipid levels, oxidation stress and neuro/inflammatory biomarkers. They could be used as a future therapeutic agent towards several vascular and neurodegenerative disorders such as hypertension, coronary heart disease and Alzheimer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Shahazul Islam ◽  
Cristina Quispe ◽  
Rajib Hossain ◽  
Muhammad Torequl Islam ◽  
Ahmed Al-Harrasi ◽  
...  

Quercetin (QUR) is a natural bioactive flavonoid that has been lately very studied for its beneficial properties in many pathologies. Its neuroprotective effects have been demonstrated in many in vitro studies, as well as in vivo animal experiments and human trials. QUR protects the organism against neurotoxic chemicals and also can prevent the evolution and development of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. The present work aimed to summarize the literature about the neuroprotective effect of QUR using known database sources. Besides, this review focuses on the assessment of the potential utilization of QUR as a complementary or alternative medicine for preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases. An up-to-date search was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar for published work dealing with the neuroprotective effects of QUR against neurotoxic chemicals or in neuronal injury, and in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Findings suggest that QUR possess neuropharmacological protective effects in neurodegenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid β peptide, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In summary, this review emphasizes the neuroprotective effects of QUR and its advantages in being used in complementary medicine for the prevention and treatment o of different neurodegenerative diseases.


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