M.M.-G and E.G.J are supported by The Ann S. Bowers Womens Brain Health Initiative. A.-M.G.d.L. is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (PZ00P3_193658). S.C. is supported by a Miguel Servet Type II research contract (CPII21/00016), and co-funded by the European Social Fund Investing in your future.
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Advancing the neuroscience of human pregnancy - Nature.com
Published: April 10, 2024
CU Psychology and Neuroscience ProfessorAngela Bryan(Social) was awarded the Hazel Barnes Prize for 2024. From the Office the Chancellor's website: This is "the largest and most prestigious single faculy award funded by the University of Colorado Boulder.It was established in 1991 by former Chancellor James Corbridge in honor of Philosophy Professor Emerita Hazel Barnes to recognize 'the enriching interrelationship between teaching and research'.
"Nominees are regionally and nationally recognized, tenured faculty members who are not only outstanding teachers, but who also have distinguished records in research and scholarship. The Hazel Barnes Prize selection committee is comprised of past recipients."
Read more about the prize and check out thelist of past recipients on the chancellor's website.
DENVER, CO and NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Ltd.(NYSE: BHVN) announced today that 20 abstracts, including 8 oral presentations and 12 posters, will be featured this weekend starting April 13th at the 2024 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, taking place in Denver, Colorado. The presentations highlight Biohaven's leadership in neuroscience and extensive development programs evaluating novel therapies to treat neurological diseases, with abstracts covering programs that includeKv7 ion channel modulation, molecular degraders of extracellular protein (MoDEs), TRPM3 antagonism, TYK2/JAK1 inhibition, glutamate modulation, and myostatin inhibition.
Irfan Qureshi, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Biohaven, commented, "The research being presented at the AAN Annual Meeting emphasizes Biohaven's commitment to developing new therapeutic options across a range of neurological diseases. By targeting novel mechanisms of action, differentiated from currently available treatments and other therapies in development, and following innovative science, Biohaven continues to strive for better treatments for people living with neurological disorders. We are particularly honored that the AAN Science Committee selected our BHV-2100 (TRPM3) abstract as an AAN Abstract of Distinction, recognizing it as the top abstract in the pain category. Following the completion of Phase 1 studies in the first half of 2024, we look forward to initiating a Phase 2 study with BHV-2100 in migraine in the second half of the year and are excited by the potential for this novel nonopioid approach to treat pain."
Vlad Coric M.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Biohaven, added, "Our leadership in neuroscience research is on full display at the AAN Annual Meeting with the breadth and depth of clinical, epidemiological, and preclinical programs highlighted in our scientific presentations. Central nervous system (CNS) disorders continue to represent one of the highest unmet medical needs facing our society and we must act urgently to bring better treatments to patients and improve clinical outcomes. We believe that the next generation of therapies for CNS disorders will include MoDEs for autoimmune disorders, ion channel modulation for epilepsy, migraine and other pain disorders, immune modulation for neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, myostatin targeting drugs for neuromuscular disorders and glutamate modulating agents for neuropsychiatric disorders. I am so proud of the team at Biohaven who are working tirelessly to alleviate the burden of these devastating disorders."
The complete list of Biohaven's accepted abstract titles is below. Full abstracts can be viewed online at https://index.mirasmart.com/AAN2024/.
Oral Presentations:
Poster Presentations:
Posters and presentations will be available on thePosters and Presentationspage after the conference atwww.biohaven.com.
About BiohavenBiohavenis a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of life-changing treatments in key therapeutic areas, including immunology, neuroscience, and oncology. The company is advancing its innovative portfolio of therapeutics, leveraging its proven drug development experience and multiple proprietary drug development platforms.Biohaven'sextensive clinical and preclinical programs include Kv7 ion channel modulation for epilepsy and mood disorders; extracellular protein degradation for immunological diseases; TRPM3 antagonism for migraine and neuropathic pain; TYK2/JAK1 inhibition for neuroinflammatory disorders; glutamate modulation for OCD and SCA; myostatin inhibition for neuromuscular and metabolic diseases, including SMA and obesity; and antibody recruiting, bispecific molecules and antibody drug conjugates for cancer.
Forward-looking StatementsThis news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of certain words, including "continue", "plan", "will", "believe", "may", "expect", "anticipate" and similar expressions, is intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the future development, timing and potential marketing approval and commercialization of development candidates, are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results, developments and events may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including: the expected timing, commencement and outcomes ofBiohaven'splanned and ongoing clinical trials; the timing of planned interactions and filings with the FDA; the timing and outcome of expected regulatory filings; complying with applicableU.S.regulatory requirements; the potential commercialization ofBiohaven'sproduct candidates; the potential forBiohaven'sproduct candidates to be first in class therapies; and the effectiveness and safety ofBiohaven'sproduct candidates. Additional important factors to be considered in connection with forward-looking statements are described inBiohaven'sfilings with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, including within the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, andBiohavendoes not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investor Contact:Jennifer Porcelli Vice President, Investor Relations [emailprotected] 201-248-0741
Media Contact:Mike Beyer Sam Brown Inc. [emailprotected] 312-961-2502
MoDE is a trademark of Biohaven Therapeutics Ltd.
Biohaven AAN 2024 Oral & Poster Presentations:
Functional Impairments in Patients with KCNQ2-DEE: Associations Among Key Clinical Features Sunday 4/14/24: 8:00-9:00 P1- Poster Session 1 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall B-E
The Phase 3 RESILIENT Study: Taldefgrobep Alfa in Spinal Muscular Atrophy Sunday 4/14/24: 11:45 - 12:45 P2 - Poster Session 2 Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
Association of Anti-inflammatory Therapy Use with the Incidence of Parkinson's Disease: A Person-Time Analysis Among Patients with Autoimmune Diseases Sunday 4/14/24: 1:00-3:00 (1:24-1:36) S2 Movement Disorders: Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects Colorado Convention Center- Mile High 4CD
Re-weighting MDS-UPDRS Motor Items for Optimal Sensitivity to Parkinson's Disease Progression in Untreated Patients Using Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative Data Sunday 4/14/24: 1:00-3:00 (1:36-1:48) S2 Movement Disorders: Epidemiology and Clinical Aspects Colorado Convention Center- Mile High 4CD
Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Riluzole After Administration of a Next Generation Prodrug Troriluzole Sunday 4/14/24: 1:00 - 3:00 (2:12-2:24) S3 - General Neurology 1 Colorado Convention Center - Four Seasons 2/3
Next Generation Prodrug Troriluzole: Increased Bioavailability of Riluzole with No Food Effect in Healthy Subjects Sunday 4/14/24: 3:30 - 5:30 (4:30-4:42) S5 - ALS and CMT: New Therapeutic Approaches Colorado Convention Center - Four Seasons 1
BHV-2100, A First-In-Class TRPM3 Antagonist for the Treatment of Pain Monday 4/15/24: 11:15-12:15 (11:27-11:39) S13 Pain Research Colorado Convention Center 605
Troriluzole Exhibits Favorable Hepatic Safety Profile Across a Diverse Range of Disorders Monday 4/15/24: 11:45 - 12:45 P4 - Poster Session 4 Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of Single and Multiple Rising Doses of a Next Generation Prodrug Troriluzole in Healthy Subjects Monday 4/15/24: 11:45 - 12:45 P4 - Poster Session 4 Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
No Clinically Relevant Effects of Hepatic Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics of a Next Generation Prodrug Troriluzole Monday 4/15/24: 11:45 - 12:45 P4 - Poster Session Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
Automated Video-based Characterization of Movement Quality in a Phase III Clinical Trial of Troriluzole in Subjects with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Tuesday 4/16/24: 8:00-9:00 P6- Poster Session 6 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall
Psychometric Validation of the Modified-functional Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxias Tuesday 4/16/24: 11:45-12:45 P7 Poster Session 7 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall
Development of a Novel Composite Measure (SCACOMS) to Assess Disease Progression in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Tuesday 4/16/24: 11:45-12:45 P7 - Poster Session 7 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall
Phase 1 Study Evaluating the Safety and Tolerability of BHV-7000, a Novel, Selective Kv7.2/7.3 Potassium Channel Activator, in Healthy Adults Tuesday 4/16/24: 5:30 - 6:30 P8 - Poster Session 8 Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
Novel, Selective Kv7.2/7.3 Potassium Channel Activator, BHV-7000, Demonstrates Dose-dependent Pharmacodynamic Effects on EEG Parameters in Healthy Adults
Tuesday 4/16/24: 5:30 - 6:30 P8 - Poster Session 8 Colorado Convention Center - Exhibit Hall
Determinants of Health-related Quality of Life of Patients with Focal Epilepsy: A Systematic Literature Review Wednesday 4/17/24: 8:00-9:00 P9- Poster Session 9 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall
Characterization of BHV-7000: A Novel Kv7/2/7.3 Activator for the Treatment of Seizures Wednesday 4/17/24: 1:00-3:00 (2:00-2:12) S29- Epilepsy Diagnostics and Therapeutics Colorado Convention Center 605
Matching-adjusted Indirect Comparison of Troriluzole Versus Untreated Natural History Cohort in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Wednesday 4/17/24: 3:30-5:30 (5:06-5:18) S35 Movement Disorders: Hyperkinetic Movement Disorders Colorado Convention Center Four Seasons 4
Re-weighting MDS-UPDRS Part II Items for Optimal Sensitivity to Parkinson's Disease Progression Using Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative Natural History Data Wednesday 4/17/24: 5:30-6:30 P11 Poster Session 11 Colorado Convention Center Exhibit Hall
Novel Bispecific Degrader BHV-1300 Achieves Rapid, Robust, and Selective IgG Reduction in Preclinical Models Including Nonhuman Primates Thursday 4/18/24: 1:00 - 3:00 (1:36-1:48) S43 - General Neurology 2 Colorado Convention Center - 108/110/112
SOURCE Biohaven Ltd.
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Biohaven Showcases Innovative Neuroscience Portfolio with 20 Presentations at the 2024 American Academy of ... - PR Newswire
Summary: Individuals who rely on willpower to resist temptations are perceived as more trustworthy than those using external commitment strategies like swear jars or internet-blocking apps. This study involved over 2,800 U.S. participants in online experiments, comparing perceptions of integrity between those using internal versus external methods for achieving goals.
The findings suggest a societal bias favors self-reliance over external aids, impacting the adoption of potentially beneficial commitment strategies. This research highlights how personal choices in goal achievement can influence social trustworthiness perceptions.
Key Facts:
Source: APA
People who use willpower to overcome temptations and achieve their goals are perceived as more trustworthy than those who use strategies that involve external incentives or deterrents such as swear jars or internet-blocking apps according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
The knowledge that people can use external commitment strategies to overcome self-control problems has existed in some form for thousands of years. Since at least the time of Homer and Odysseus, the focus has primarily been on the efficacy of these strategies for the person choosing to engage in them, said lead author Ariella Kristal, PhD, of Columbia University.
This prior work has demonstrated, for example, that Odysseus made the right decision to tie himself to the mast rather than attempting to use willpower to resist the sirens in the moment.
Known as commitment strategies, these approaches have been shown to improve success for a variety of goals, including smoking cessation, weight loss, academic achievement and saving money, according to Kristal. Despite the benefits of commitment strategies, though, little research has been done on how they affect others perceptions of people using them.
To better understand how peoples use of commitment strategies over willpower affects others perceptions of them, Kristal and her co-author, Julian Zlatev, PhD, of Harvard Business School, conducted a series of online experiments involving more than 2,800 participants from the United States.
The research was published in theJournal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In most of the experiments, participants were presented with a hypothetical situation involving individuals who attempted to achieve a goal using willpower or a commitment strategy.
In one experiment, they were asked to rate the integrity of hypothetical individuals who used willpower to avoid an unwanted behavior (e.g., eating junk food or drinking alcohol) versus paying $5 every time they engaged in the unwanted behavior. In another scenario, hypothetical individuals either used willpower or an app to avoid distracting websites like Facebook or Instagram.
Overall, individuals who were described as using commitment strategies to achieve their goals were judged to be less trustworthy than those who used willpower alone.
In two experiments, researchers found that participants were more likely to rate hypothetical users of commitment strategies as less trustworthy, even though the participants recognized the strategies were more effective than willpower alone.
In another, participants were less likely to choose an external commitment strategy if they thought others might find out.
People appear particularly hesitant to adopt commitment strategies when their use will be made public and, while not as high, peoples resistance continues to remain elevated even when the use of strategies will be kept private, said Kristal.
This occurs despite the fact that people do recognize and acknowledge the benefits of these commitment strategies.
The researchers believe that the choice to use a commitment strategy signals to others a deficiency in an individuals character. That is, people believe those who require external aid (as opposed to using just willpower) are more likely to have failed in the past and therefore are less capable of overcoming self-control problems on their own.
Past failures of self-control can be seen by others as moral failures. Because morality is an important component of integrity in particular, and trustworthiness more broadly, people who rely on commitment strategies may be viewed as less trustworthy than those who simply use willpower, said Kristal.
These findings have important implications for developing programs and initiatives that rely on external strategies to help people achieve their goals, according to Kristal.
By examining the role of interpersonal judgments in self-control strategy choice, we can begin to understand why people may fail to adopt these beneficial strategies and how to better promote effective strategy use.
Author: James Sliwa Source: APA Contact: James Sliwa APA Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. Going Beyond the Self in Self-Control: Interpersonal Consequences of Commitment Strategies by Ariella Kristal et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Abstract
Going Beyond the Self in Self-Control: Interpersonal Consequences of Commitment Strategies
Commitment strategies are effective mechanisms individuals can use to overcome self-control problems. Across seven studies (and two supplemental studies), we explore the negative interpersonal consequences of commitment strategy choice and use.
In Study 1, using an incentivized trust game, we demonstrate that individuals trust people who choose to use a commitment strategy less than those who choose to use willpower to achieve their goals.
Study 2 shows this relationship holds across four domains and for integrity-based trust in particular.
Study 3 provides evidence that it is the choice to use the strategy rather than strategy use itself that incurs this integrity penalty.
In Studies 45b, we demonstrate that this effect is driven, at least in part, by the fact that people infer past performance from strategy choice.
Finally, Study 6 provides evidence that people select commitment strategies more in private than in public, which is consistent with the notion that people anticipate the negative consequences of commitment strategy choice.
Thus, we establish the role of willpower as a positive signal in impression formation as well as the negative interpersonal consequences of choosing to rely on external aides when faced with temptation.
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Those Who Use Willpower Deemed More Trustworthy - Neuroscience News
Summary: Researchers released a new study examining how sex and gender influence cognitive abilities. The study analyzed eight cognitive tasks and found that while spatial cognition correlates more with biological factors such as sex at birth and hormones, verbal cognition is more influenced by sociocultural factors like gender identity.
This research underscores the complexity of cognitive differences and stresses the importance of considering both sex-based and gender-based factors in psychological and neuroscientific research. The teams approach encourages the inclusion of diverse populations to better understand and accurately depict the nuances of cognitive abilities.
Key Facts:
Source: University of Montreal
Many studies have found sex differences in cognitive abilities. In general, women outperform men on verbal and fine motor tasks, while men outperform women on spatial orientation and mental rotation tasks.
However, few studies have considered the influence of sociocultural factors such asgender identity,gender expression(stereotypical male and female behaviors) andsexual orientationin explaining these differences.
Now a new study by scientists at Universit de Montral does just that, by examining performance on eight cognitive tasks in relation to both sex-based and gender-based factors.
The ongoing research is being done by Mina Gurin, a Ph.D. student in neuropsychology, and Fanny Saulnier, an MSc student in psychiatric sciences, under the supervision of psychiatry professor Robert-Paul Juster.
Their results werepublishedin January in the journalBiology of Sex Differences.
The findings confirm thatsex differencesin spatial cognition are indeed better explained by biological factors, i.e., sex assigned at birth and sex hormones. But they also show that sex differences in verbal cognition are better explained by sociocultural factors, i.e., gender identity.
In short, spatial cognition seems more related to sex, while verbal cognition seems more related to gender. Sex assigned at birth is not always the most important variable in explaining sex differences in cognition.
Our findings highlight the importance of considering gender diversity when seeking to understand sex differences and gender diversity in cognition, said Juster.
The research team believes their findings will encourage researchers to use more sophisticated methodologies that use both sex and gender measures.
By including people from diverse backgrounds, we can incorporate more sex- and gender-related variables into the analysis and ultimately get a more accurate picture of cognitive differences, said Gurin.
Author: Batrice St-Cyr-Leroux Source: University of Montreal Contact: Batrice St-Cyr-Leroux University of Montreal Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Sex and gender correlates of sexually polymorphic cognition by Louis Cartier et al. Biology of Sex Differences
Abstract
Sex and gender correlates of sexually polymorphic cognition
Sexually polymorphic cognition (SPC) results from the interaction between biological (birth-assigned sex (BAS), sex hormones) and socio-cultural (gender identity, gender roles, sexual orientation) factors. The literature remains quite mixed regarding the magnitude of the effects of these variables. This project used a battery of classic cognitive tests designed to assess the influence of sex hormones on cognitive performance. At the same time, we aimed to assess the inter-related and respective effects that BAS, sex hormones, and gender-related factors have on SPC.
We recruited 222 adults who completed eight cognitive tasks that assessed a variety of cognitive domains during a 150-min session. Subgroups were separated based on gender identity and sexual orientation and recruited as follows: cisgender heterosexual men (n=46), cisgender non-heterosexual men (n=36), cisgender heterosexual women (n=36), cisgender non-heterosexual women (n=38), gender diverse (n=66). Saliva samples were collected before, during, and after the test to assess testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone. Psychosocial variables were derived from self-report questionnaires.
Cognitive performance reflects sex and gender differences that are partially consistent with the literature. Interestingly, biological factors seem to better explain differences in male-typed cognitive tasks (i.e., spatial), while psychosocial factors seem to better explain differences in female-typed cognitive tasks (i.e., verbal).
Our results establish a better comprehension of SPC over and above the effects of BAS as a binary variable. We highlight the importance of treating sex as a biological factor and gender as a socio-cultural factor together since they collectively influence SPC.
Sexually polymorphic cognition (SPC) results from the interaction between biological (birth-assigned sex (BAS), sex hormones) and socio-cultural (gender identity, gender roles, sexual orientation) factors. The literature remains quite mixed regarding the magnitude of the effects of these variables. This project used a battery of classic cognitive tests designed to assess the influence of sex hormones on cognitive performance. At the same time, we aimed to assess the inter-related and respective effects that BAS, sex hormones, and gender-related factors have on SPC.
We recruited 222 adults who completed eight cognitive tasks that assessed a variety of cognitive domains during a 150-min session. Subgroups were separated based on gender identity and sexual orientation and recruited as follows: cisgender heterosexual men (n=46), cisgender non-heterosexual men (n=36), cisgender heterosexual women (n=36), cisgender non-heterosexual women (n=38), gender diverse (n=66). Saliva samples were collected before, during, and after the test to assess testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone. Psychosocial variables were derived from self-report questionnaires.
Cognitive performance reflects sex and gender differences that are partially consistent with the literature. Interestingly, biological factors seem to better explain differences in male-typed cognitive tasks (i.e., spatial), while psychosocial factors seem to better explain differences in female-typed cognitive tasks (i.e., verbal).
Our results establish a better comprehension of SPC over and above the effects of BAS as a binary variable. We highlight the importance of treating sex as a biological factor and gender as a socio-cultural factor together since they collectively influence SPC.
See the article here:
How Sex and Gender Shape Our Cognition - Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study reveals severe mental health impacts among displaced Ukrainians due to the ongoing conflict with Russia. Surveying over 8,000 individuals, researchers found widespread PTSD, anxiety, and flashbacks, particularly among those still in Ukraine, highlighting the compounded mental strain of war and displacement.
Nearly 70% of participants reported experiencing anxiety, with a significant correlation between blast exposure and PTSD symptoms. This research underscores the urgent need for prioritizing mental health support in humanitarian efforts for both refugees and those displaced within Ukraine.
Key Facts:
Source: PLOS
Researchers from the International Blast Injury Research Network at the University of Southampton conducted a survey to understand how the mental health of displaced Ukrainians has been affected by the ongoing war.
Their findings, published in PLOS Global Public Health, describe high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety among both refugees and people displaced within Ukraine.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, at least 13 million people have been displaced from their homes. Both exposure to war and displacementspecifically loss of community, housing and economic resourcesaffect mental health. These impacts tend to be magnified among the elderly, those caring for children, and otherwise vulnerable populations.
Between April and July of 2022, the researchers surveyed over 8,000 participants, all of whom were either refugees or people displaced within Ukraine. The participants answered questions about their current circumstances, their mental health, and their exposures to blastsexplosions caused by bombs or other military actions.
Nearly 8 out of 10 participants who remained in Ukraine and more than half of refugees reported blast exposure. Almost 70 percent of all survey participants reported anxiety, with people remaining in Ukraine reporting higher anxiety and more frequent flashbacks to traumatic events compared to refugees.
Flashbacks are a symptom of PTSD and can range from fleeting, intrusive memories to minutes-long episodes where a person feels they are reliving the traumatic eventsin this study, the frequency of flashbacks was correlated to blast exposure.
Overall, this study suggests displaced people remaining in Ukraine face poorer mental health outcomes compared to refugees, likely because of their ongoing exposure to war.
However, refugees still face considerable mental health challenges. The researchers emphasize, Mental health and psychosocial support must be prioritized within humanitarian relief.
The authors add: Exposure to blast events can be incredibly distressing. Our survey of 8300 Ukrainian respondents show that almost 70% reported witnessing a blast event during the first 4 months of Russias full-scale invasion in 2022. Most worryingly, many respondents who were blast-exposed reported adverse mental health outcomes, including symptoms of PTSD.
Funding:This research was funded by small grants kindly provided from Public Policy@Southampton (MH, KB, BPH), the Clinical Informatics Research Unit, University of Southampton (KB, MH), and the ESRC Centre for Population Change (BPH). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript.
Author: Charlotte Bhaskar Source: PLOS Contact: Charlotte Bhaskar PLOS Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. Effects of blast exposure on anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among displaced Ukrainian populations by Ken Brackstone et al. PLOS Global Public Health
Abstract
Effects of blast exposure on anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among displaced Ukrainian populations
Generalized anxiety and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among individuals forcibly displaced during war and conflict. Blast exposure may be one important contributor of such symptoms.
The aims of this study were to provide data on blast-related experiences of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees following Russias invasion of Ukraine, and to assess the influence of blast exposure on generalized anxiety, and PTSD flashbacks and nightmares.
An online health needs survey was distributed to Ukrainian IDPs and refugees between April and July 2022 using Facebook Ads Manager. Participants reported whether they experienced blast exposure since the beginning of the invasion, and whether they took medication for a mental health condition before the war started.
Finally, they completed measures of generalized anxiety (GAD-2), and PTSD flashbacks and nightmares. Analyses included 3253 IDPs and 5073 refugees (N= 8326). Results revealed that 67.6% of total participants 79.9% of IDPs and 61.7% of refugeesreported blast exposure since Russias invasion.
Further, 69.1% (95% CI: 68.05, 70.15) of total participants met the cut-off for generalized anxiety in which further diagnostic evaluation was warranted. Compared to refugees, IDPs reported higher generalized anxiety and greater frequency of PTSD symptoms, specifically flashbacks and nightmares.
Further analyses revealed that the impact of blast exposure on flashback frequency was stronger among IDPs compared to refugees ( = 0.51;t(8322) = 11.88,p< .0001, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.60) and among participants with pre-existing mental health conditions compared to those without ( = 0.18;t(8157) = 2.50,p= .013, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.33).
Mental health and psychosocial support must be prioritised within humanitarian relief for both IDPs and refugees and especially among people with underlying mental health conditions.
Original post:
War's Toll on the Brain: Widespread PTSD and Anxiety Among Ukrainians - Neuroscience News
Summary: A new study reveals a possible link between storing chemicals in home garages and an increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers identified significant associations between ALS risk and the residential storage of volatile chemicals such as pesticides, gasoline, and paint.
The studys findings underscore the importance of the ALS exposomea concept describing the cumulative exposure to environmental toxins linked to ALS. Insights from the study suggest interventions to minimize exposure and potentially reduce ALS risk by modifying storage practices in homes.
Key Facts:
Source: University of Michigan
Over the last decade, researchers at University of Michigan continue to find that exposure to environmental toxins from pesticides used in agriculture to volatile organic compounds in themanufacturing industry is linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
The buildup of exposures, which researchers call the ALS exposome, is possibly associated with recreational activities such as woodworking and gardening.
Now, a Michigan Medicine study finds thatstoring chemicals in a garage at home may associate with an increased risk of ALS.
The results are published inAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration.
Identifying disease-provoking exposures can inform and motivate interventions to reduce exposure, risk and, ultimately, the ALS burden, said first authorStephen Goutman, M.D., M.S., director of thePranger ALS Clinicand associate director of theALS Center of Excellence at University of Michigan.
Exposures in the home setting are an important part of the ALS exposome, as it is one place where behavior modifications could possibly lessen ALS risk.
Storage containing volatile chemicals in garages is extremely common, whether its in a car or motorcycle, equipment like a chainsaw, or solvents, cleaners, paints and other items.
Investigators assessed exposures in the residential setting from a survey of more than 600 participants both with and without ALS. Through statistical analysis, they found that the storage of chemicals including gasoline and gasoline powered equipment, lawn care products, pesticides, paint and woodworking supplies were significantly associated with ALS risk.
All of the reported chemicals linked to disease development were volatile with toxic components. Most participants reported storing several of the items in their attached garage.
Storing chemicals in a detached garage, however, did not show as strong of an association with risk.
Researchers say the flow of air and airborne pollutants from attached garages to the living space may explain the finding.
Especially in colder climates, air in the garage tends to rush into the house when the entry door is opened, and air flows occur more or less continuously through small cracks and openings in walls and floors, said Stuart Batterman, Ph.D., senior author and professor of environmental health science at the U-M School of Public Health.
Thus, it makes sense that keeping volatile chemicals in an attached garage shows the stronger effect.
The latest building codes, Batterman notes, tackle this problem by specifying measures to reduce or eliminate these air flows.
We are beginning to see risk factors across multiple settings that may associate with a greater ALS risk; we also see some relationships across the studies, for example, woodworking and woodworking supplies and gardening and lawn care supplies, Goutman said.
This begs the question: is it the activities that associate with ALS risk or the exposures to related products? This requires further research.
In 2016, the research team found that people with ALS hadhigher concentrations of pesticides in their bloodcompared to people without the condition.
A subsequent study published in 2019 linked organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBS, to worsening survival for ALS.
With each study, we better understand the types of exposures that increase the risk of developing ALS, said seniorauthor Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.,director of the ALS Center of Excellence at U-M and James W. Albers Distinguished University Professor at U-M.
We now need to build on these discoveries to understand how these exposures increase ALS risk. In parallel, we must continue to advocate to make ALS a reportable disease. Only then we will fully understand the array of exposures that increase disease risk.
Studies to understand how environmental exposures contribute to the development of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, both of peoplewithandwithoutfamily history of the condition, are underway.
Additional authors:Include Jonathan Boss, Ph.D., Dae Gyu Jang, Ph.D., Caroline Piecuch, Hasan Farid, Madeleine Batra, Bhramar Mukherjee, Ph.D all of University of Michigan.
Funding:This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, The National ALS Registry/CDC/ATSDR, the ALS Association, the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies, the Robert and Katherine Jacobs Environmental Health Initiative, the NeuroNetwork Therapeutic Discovery Fund, the Peter R. Clark Fund for ALS Research, theSinai Medical Staff Foundation, Scott L. Pranger, and theUniversity of Michigan.
Author: Noah Fromson Source: University of Michigan Contact: Noah Fromson University of Michigan Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. Residential exposure associations with ALS risk, survival, and phenotype: a Michigan-based case-control study by Stephen Goutman et al. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration
Abstract
Residential exposure associations with ALS risk, survival, and phenotype: a Michigan-based case-control study
Background: Environmental exposures impact amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) risk and progression, a fatal and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Better characterization of these exposures is needed to decrease disease burden.
Objective: To identify exposures in the residential setting that associate with ALS risk, survival, and onset segment.
Methods: ALS and control participants recruited from University of Michigan completed a survey that ascertained exposure risks in the residential setting. ALS risk was assessed using logistic regression models followed by latent profile analysis to consider exposure profiles. A case-only analysis considered the contribution of the residential exposure variables via a Cox proportional hazards model for survival outcomes and multinomial logistic regression for onset segment, a polytomous outcome.
Results: This study included 367 ALS and 255 control participants. Twelve residential variables were associated with ALS risk after correcting for multiple comparison testing, with storage in an attached garage of chemical products including gasoline or kerosene (odds ratio (OR)=1.14,padjusted<0.001), gasoline-powered equipment (OR = 1.16,padjusted<0.001), and lawn care products (OR = 1.15,padjusted<0.001) representing the top three risk factors sorted byadjusted.
Latent profile analysis indicated that storage of these chemical products in both attached and detached garages increased ALS risk. Although residential variables were not associated with poorer ALS survival following multiple testing corrections, storing pesticides, lawn care products, and woodworking supplies in the home were associated with shorter ALS survival using nominalpvalues. No exposures were associated with ALS onset segment.
Conclusion: Residential exposures may be important modifiable components of the ALS susceptibility and prognosis exposome.
Original post:
Paints and Pesticides Linked to ALS Risk - Neuroscience News
Summary: Researchers embark on the AI STORIES project to explore AI-generated narratives and their cultural impacts. The study aims to delve into how large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT interpret and produce stories, challenging the notion that AI merely mimics human language without understanding.
By comparing Scandinavian, Australian, and Indian or Nigerian narratives to dominant American stories, the project seeks to prevent the homogenization of global narratives by AI. The researchers advocate for a new narratology in AI development, emphasizing the importance of narrative theory in shaping ethical and diverse AI technologies.
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Source: University of Bergen
ProfessorJill Walker Rettberg, Co-Director of the Centre for Digital Narrative at the University of Bergen, is awarded an ERC Advanced Grant for the project AI STORIES. The grant consists of 2.5 million Euro over 5 years. This is Rettbergs second ERC Grant.
The AI STORIES project builds on the premise that storytelling is central to human culture, with narratives shaping our understanding of the world. We will study artificial intelligence and how it creates new narratives, says Rettberg.
Generative AI has been dubbed a stochastic parrot, mimics of language patterns who doesnt really understand what they are saying. AI STORIES posits that the large language models (LLMs) which form the foundations for ChatGPT are more influenced by deep narrative structures than previously recognized. To manage AI bias, we need to consider the underlying narratives in the training data and not just proximity of words and images.
WhenMicrosofts AI chatbot expressed its love for a journalist in 2023, was it really in love? Most likely not. Generative AI is, after all, a statistical game, and not actual feelings. This new research will test the hypothesis that the AI said I love you because it is trained on so many of our sci-fi stories where AI gains conscience and human emotions.
Earlier Rettberg has talked about how AI can replace or homogenise stories from certain storytelling traditions, like the Norwegian childrens storyWhen the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town:
This story is more than a shared cultural reference it supports the Norwegian criminal justice systems priority of rehabilitation over punishment. It is distinct from Disney movies, with their unambiguous villains who are punished at the end, and from Hollywood bank heists and gangster movies that glorify criminals.
The project will conduct case studies on Scandinavian, Australian, and Indian or Nigerian narratives, contrasting them with the dominant American and English-speaking narratives in LLMs.
Generative AI might well bury stories likeCardamom Townby stuffing chatbot responses and search results worldwide with homogenized American narratives, says Rettberg.
I think what we need is a new narratology, to see how narrative theory shapes and can be used when we develop and use AI, says Rettberg.
The new narratology will inform policymakers, developers, and educators on the future direction of AI. Current LLMs has mainly been developed by computer scientists and linguists, but Rettberg posits that narratologists should perhaps be just as important to the AI future.
Rettberg and her colleagues will cooperate with developer industry and developer communities.
I congratulate Jill Walker Rettberg, who solidifies her position at the top of her field, demonstrating both quality and originality. Her achievements serve as an inspiration for others at UiB, says University of Bergens RectorMargareth Hagen.
With Rettbergs project, researchers at the University of Bergen have so far secured a total of 50 ERC grants spanning the period from 2010 to 2024.
Rettberg is among the 255 selected outstanding research leaders in Europe to receive this grant, according to a press release from the ERC.
The competition attracted 1,829 proposals which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. The funding is amongst the EUs most prestigious and competitive, providing leading senior researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs.
The new grants are part of the EUs Horizon Europe programme.
Prestigious research funding with applicants from all over the world. Awarded by theEuropean Research Council(ERC).
ERC Advanced Grants are awarded to established world-class researchers with up to2.5 million over 5 years.
Large language models are algorithmic foundations for generative AI chatbots like OpenAIs ChatGPT and Googles Bard. LLMs are fed vast datasets, including articles, books, and internet resources, with the goal of generating human-like responses to questions or prompts from the users.
Based on the training data it can be used to generate everything from wedding speeches to fact boxes to frameworks.
Generative AI has uses across a wide range of industries, but it also poses potential challenges and risks, such as cybercrime, the creation of fake news or deepfakes that can deceive or manipulate people.
AI STORIES is Professor Rettbergs second ERC Grant, the first was a ERC Consolidator Grant on the projectMachine Vision, which ended in 2023. She is also the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Narrative.
Author: shild Nylund Source: University of Bergen Contact: shild Nylund University of Bergen Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
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AI STORIES: A New Vision for AI and Narratives - Neuroscience News
New findings in memory research reveal the role of dendritic translation in learning, identifying thousands of micropeptides and key regulatory proteins, offering insights into intellectual disabilities and broader neurological functions. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Activity taking place within the dendrites that branch off of neuron cell bodies is key to memory formation.
Less than twenty minutes after finishing this article, your brain will begin to store the information that youve just read in a coordinated burst of neuronal activity. Underpinning this process is a phenomenon known as dendritic translation, which involves an uptick in localized protein production within dendrites, the spiny branches that project off the neuron cell body and receive signals from other neurons at synapses. Its a process key to memoryand its dysfunction is linked to intellectual disorders.
That makes the inner workings of dendritic translation a holy grail for understanding memory formation, says Rockefellers Robert B. Darnell, whose team just published a study in Nature Neuroscience describing a new platform capable of identifying the specific regulatory mechanisms that drive dendritic translation. The team leveraged a method, dubbed TurboID, to discover an entire suite of previously unknown factors in memory formation, revealing now mechanisms that underlie how protein synthesis in dendrites contributes to learning and memory. The findings may also have implications for intellectual disabilities, such as Fragile X syndrome.
Technological limitations have long prevented a comprehensive inventory of the activity at the synapse involved in memory formation, says lead author Ezgi Hacisuleyman, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral researcher in Darnells laboratory. She is now an assistant professor at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. Our new techniques can accomplish this with extremely high resolution to look at neurons in vitro that are closely mimicking what we see in the brain.
Hacisuleymans work defines a whole new biochemical pathway which fits with, complements, and vastly expands what we already knew about memory and learning, adds Darnell, the Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn professor.
Memory formation centers around the hippocampus, a brain region so central to learning that, when surgeons removed it from people with epilepsy in the 1940s, the patients remembered their childhoods but lost the ability to form new memories. It has since become clear that memories form, in part, because of new protein synthesis made locally in the dendrites of the hippocampus.
Darnell, a physician-scientist, observed the importance of dendritic translation firsthand while working with patients whose immune systems had attacked the hippocampus. I would talk to a patient for 30 minutes, leave the room, walk back in, and it was like they had never seen me before, he says. Thats when I began focusing on why neurons of the hippocampus have their own system for regulating RNA metabolisma system that no other cell in the body uses.
That system, it turns out, lies at the heart of how our brains form memories and learn new information, and became a focus for the Darnell lab, culminating in his teams 2003 development of CLIP, a method that allowed researchers to study the proteins that bind and influence RNA. But limitations remained. Many details about how neurons respond to stimuli at the dendrites were still missing, Hacisuleyman says. We needed that information, because that plays a role in determining how neurons functionand where things often go awry in neurologic disease.
To get a better idea of the role that changes in dendrites play in learning, Hacisuleyman extended the TurboID platform to works in concert with RNA-sequencing, CLIP, translation and protein analysis. The platform allowed the team to track activity in dendrites before, during, and several minutes after the neuron activates, capturing the moments critical to protein synthesis in the cell and, more importantly, the stage considered key to memory formation.
An analysis of these crucial moments revealed a microscopic upheaval in the dendrite. Upon activation, local ribosomes jump onto mRNAs, an action that has all the biochemical hallmarks of memory formation, and which models predicted will cause the dendrite to produce not only new proteins, but 1,000 small proteins known as micropeptides, with as-yet unknown function. The team also identified an RNA-binding protein that helps seal the connection between these ribosomes and mRNA, and demonstrated that if that protein is disabled, the proposed micropeptides and their associated downstream proteins will not form.
We never knew these micropeptides might even exist, Darnell says. It opens a new field of study, where we can ask what these peptides might be doing and how they could play into memory formation. Its such a vast discovery that there are dozens if not hundreds of avenues in which to pursue this.
Among the many observations that researchers will unpack in future studies, one stood out: the team noted that a certain protein stood out for its prolific binding of mRNA in the dendrite. The protein, called FMRP, is key to brain development and function, and genetic mutations that adversely impact FMRP contribute to Fragile X syndrome, one of the most common genetic causes of intellectual disability. Our findings fit nicely with the molecular biology of FMRP, and also open the door to future insights into what is going wrong in Fragile X, Darnell says.
Beyond the papers immediate findings, dendritic-TurboID could also allow researchers to examine RNA regulation and protein synthesis in other brain regions and apply the findings to different diseases. We can now begin to look at many other sites with a fine-toothed comb, Hacisuleyman says.
When you develop a new technique as Hacisuleyman did, you enter a room that nobody has ever been in before, Darnell adds. The light turns on, and the findings just take your breath away.
Reference: Neuronal activity rapidly reprograms dendritic translation via eIF4G2:uORF binding by Ezgi Hacisuleyman, Caryn R. Hale, Natalie Noble, Ji-dung Luo, John J. Fak, Misa Saito, Jin Chen, Jonathan S. Weissman and Robert B. Darnell, 8 April 2024, Nature Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01615-5
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Neuroscience Breakthrough Unveils How We Learn and Remember - SciTechDaily