1,721,035 research outputs found
The interface between depression and cerebrovascular disease--some hope but no hype
No full textMedical complications after stroke are an important problem not only for patients, but also for their families and the clinicians who take care of them, thus representing a major public health problem. Among medical illnessess complicating stroke, in the last several years much efforts has been directed to determine the role of affective disorders. Although depression coexisting with stroke has been shown to increase levels of functional disability and reduce the effectiveness of rehabilitation, we still have much to learn about the clinical interface between such disorders. This review focuses on the data concerning the potential relationship between depression and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and the emerging insights which may be relevant to provide directions for the development of novel research strategies on the pathogenesis and treatment of post-stroke depression
Implications of cAMP signaling in affective disorders: new answers more questions
No full textThe last decade brought about a shift in the theoretical framework, addressing the issue of affective disorders. During this period, the research endeavors have been directed towards investigating the biochemical mechanisms involved in the transduction of informations from the self surface to the cell interior. Nowadays, the emerging picture is that various signal transduction pathways could be linked to the pharmacotherapy and pathophysiology of affective disorders. Among these pathways, in this review the role of the cAMP signaling system will be highlighted. In particular, a summary of the preclinical and clinical data suggesting the involvement of the downstream components of this system in affective disorders will be given. This framework has the potential to improve our knowledge providing clues for the development of novel research strategies in the field of affective disorders
Micro spies from the brain to the periphery: new clues from studies on microRNAs in neuropsychiatric disorders.
No full textmicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (20-22 nucleotides) playing a major role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRNAs are predicted to regulate more than 50% of all the protein-coding genes. Increasing evidence indicates that they may play key roles in the biological pathways that regulate neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, as well as in neurotransmitter homeostasis in the adult brain. In this article we review recent studies suggesting that miRNAs may be involved in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and in the action of psychotropic drugs, in particular by analyzing the contribution of genomic studies in patients' peripheral tissues. Alterations in miRNA expression have been observed in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neuropsychiatric conditions. In particular, intriguing findings concern the identification of disease-associated miRNA signatures in peripheral tissues, or modifications in miRNA profiles induced by drug treatments. Furthermore, genetic variations in miRNA sequences and miRNA-related genes have been described in neuropsychiatric diseases. Overall, though still at a preliminary stage, several lines of evidence indicate an involvement of miRNAs in both the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this regard, the data obtained in peripheral tissues may provide further insights into the etiopathogenesis of several brain diseases and contribute to identify new biomarkers for diagnostic assessment improvement and treatment personalization
Micro spies from the brain to the periphery: new clues from studies on microRNAs in neuropsychiatric disorders.
No full textBlues in the brain and beyond: Molecular bases of major depressive disorder and relative pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments
No full textDespite the extensive research conducted in recent decades, the molecular mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder (MDD) and relative evidence-based treatments remain unclear. Various hypotheses have been successively proposed, involving different biological systems. This narrative review aims to critically illustrate the main pathogenic hypotheses of MDD, ranging from the historical ones based on the monoaminergic and neurotrophic theories, through the subsequent neurodevelopmental, glutamatergic, GABAergic, inflammatory/immune and endocrine explanations, until the most recent evidence postulating a role for fatty acids and the gut microbiota. Moreover, the molecular effects of established both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for MDD are also reviewed. Overall, the existing literature indicates that the molecular mechanisms described in the context of these different hypotheses, rather than representing alternative ones to each other, are likely to contribute together, often with reciprocal interactions, to the development of MDD and to the effectiveness of treatments, and points at the need for further research efforts in this field
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Protein kinase A activity in platelets from patients with bipolar disorder
No full textBackground: Abnormal levels of protein kinase A (PKA) were found in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Since altered levels are generally accompanied by functional modifications, the purpose of this study was to investigate PKA activity in patients with BD.
Methods: PKA activity was assessed in platelets from 20 drug-free bipolar patients and 19 controls.
Results: The cAMP-stimulated PKA activity was significantly increased in bipolar patients compared with controls.
Limitations: This study made use of platelets, which may not fully represent changes occurring in specific brain regions.
Conclusion: This study adds to the growing evidence suggesting that abnormalities of PKA are associated with BD
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