Evidence for association between structural variants in lissencephaly-related genes and executive deficits in schizophrenia or bipolar patients from a Spanish isolate population.
There is evidence for an association between structural variants in genes for lissencephaly, which are involved in neuronal migration, and prefrontal cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar patients. On the basis of these intriguing findings, we analyzed 16 markers located in the lissencephaly critical region (LCR in chromosome 17p13.3) in 124 schizophrenic, 56 bipolar, and 141 healthy individuals. All recruits were from a Spanish population isolate of Basque origin that is characterized by low genetic heterogeneity. In addition, we examined whether structural genomic variations in the LCR were associated with executive cognition. Twenty-three patients (12.8%), but none of the contr…
Mesenchymal stromal-cell transplants induce oligodendrocyte progenitor migration and remyelination in a chronic demyelination model.
Demyelinating disorders such as leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the progressive loss of myelin that may lead toward a chronic demyelination of the brain’s white matter, impairing normal axonal conduction velocity and ultimately causing neurodegeneration. Current treatments modifying the pathological mechanisms are capable of ameliorating the disease; however, frequently, these therapies are not sufficient to repress the progressive demyelination into a chronic condition and permanent loss of function. To this end, we analyzed the effect that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (BM-MSC) grafts exert in a chronically demyelinate…
Postnatal alterations of the inhibitory synaptic responses recorded from cortical pyramidal neurons in the Lis1/sLis1 mutant mouse
Mutations in the mouse Lis1 gene produce severe alterations in the developing cortex. We have examined some electrophysiological responses of cortical pyramidal neurons during the early postnatal development of Lis/sLis1 mutant mice. In P7 and P30 Lis1/sLis1 neurons we detected a lower frequency and slower decay phase of mIPSCs, and at P30 the mIPSCs amplitude and the action potential duration were reduced. Zolpidem (an agonist of GABAA receptors containing the alpha1 subunit) neither modified the amplitude nor the decay time of mIPSCs at P7 in Lis1/sLis1 neurons, whereas it increased the decay time at P30. The levels of GABAA receptor alpha1 subunit mRNA were reduced in the Lis1/sLis1 brai…
Corrigendum: Intraventricular injections of mesenchymal stem cells activate endogenous functional remyelination in a chronic demyelinating murine model.
Current treatments for demyelinating diseases are generally only capable of ameliorating the symptoms, with little to no effect in decreasing myelin loss nor promoting functional recovery. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown by many researchers to be a potential therapeutic tool in treating various neurodegenerative diseases, including demyelinating disorders. However, in the majority of the cases, the effect was only observed locally, in the area surrounding the graft. Thus, in order to achieve general remyelination in various brain structures simultaneously, bone marrow-derived MSCs were transplanted into the lateral ventricles (LVs) of the cuprizone murine model. In this manner…
Variations in genes regulating neuronal migration predict reduced prefrontal cognition in schizophrenia and bipolar subjects from mediterranean Spain: A preliminary study
Both neural development and prefrontal cortex function are known to be abnormal in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In order to test the hypothesis that these features may be related with genes that regulate neuronal migration, we analyzed two genomic regions: the lissencephaly critical region (chromosome 17p) encompassing the LIS1 gene and which is involved in human lissencephaly; and the genes related to the platelet-activating-factor, functionally related to LIS1, in 52 schizophrenic patients, 36 bipolar I patients and 65 normal control subjects. In addition, all patients and the 25 control subjects completed a neuropsychological battery. Thirteen (14.8%) patients showed genetic varia…
Mutations in genes regulating neuronal migration predict reduced prefrontal cognition in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a preliminary study
El artículo se basa en la presentación de un póster en International Society on Brain and Behaviour: 2nd International Congress on Brain and Behaviour Thessaloniki, Greece. 17–20 November 2005