Neuroscience

WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute reports breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s – WV News

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WVU's Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute reports breakthrough in treating Alzheimer's - WV News

Neuroscience

Love’s Chemistry: How Dopamine Shapes Bonds and Breakups – Neuroscience News

Summary: Researchers uncover how dopamine, a key neurotransmitter, varies in response to social interactions, distinguishing between intimate and casual relationships. Their research, conducted on prairie voles, sheds light on the neurochemical dynamics of pair bonding and grief.

The study demonstrates that dopamine surges in the presence of a life partner, fueling the desire to maintain the bond. Interestingly, this surge diminishes after prolonged separation, suggesting a neurological reset that might aid in overcoming heartbreak.

Key Facts

Source: University of Colorado

Hop in the car to meet your lover for dinner and a flood of dopamine the same hormone underlying cravings for sugar, nicotine and cocaine likely infuses your brains reward center, motivating you to brave the traffic to keep that unique bond alive. But if that dinner is with a mere work acquaintance, that flood might look more like a trickle, suggests new research by University of Colorado Boulder neuroscientists.

What we have found, essentially, is a biological signature of desire that helps us explain why we want to be with some people more than other people, said senior author Zoe Donaldson, associate professor of behavioral neuroscience at CU Boulder.

The study, published Jan. 12 in the journalCurrent Biology, centers around prairie voles, which have the distinction of being among the 3% to 5% of mammals that form monogamous pair bonds.

Like humans, these fuzzy, wide-eyed rodents tend to couple up long-term, share a home, raise offspring together, and experience something akin to grief when they lose their partner.

By studying them, Donaldson seeks to gain new insight into what goes on inside the human brain to make intimate relationships possible and how we get over it, neurochemically speaking,when those bonds are severed.

The new study gets at both questions, showing for the first time that the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a critical role in keeping love alive.

As humans, our entire social world is basically defined by different degrees of selective desire to interact with different people, whether its your romantic partner or your close friends, said Donaldson. This research suggests that certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brain that drives us to maintain these bonds over time.

For the study, Donaldson and her colleagues used state-of-the art neuroimaging technology to measure, in real time, what happens in the brain as a vole tries to get to its partner. In one scenario, the vole had to press a lever to open a door to the room where her partner was. In another, she had to climb over a fence for that reunion.

Meanwhile a tiny fiber-optic sensor tracked activity, millisecond by millisecond, in the animals nucleus accumbens, a brain region responsible for motivating humans to seek rewarding things, from water and food to drugs of abuse. (Human neuroimaging studies have shown it is the nucleus accumbens that lights up when we hold our partners hand).

Each time the sensor detects a spurt of dopamine, it lights up like a glow stick, explained first-author Anne Pierce, who worked on the study as a graduate student in Donaldsons lab. When the voles pushed the lever or climbed over the wall to see their life partner, the fiber lit up like a rave, she said. And the party continued as they snuggled and sniffed one another.

In contrast, when a random vole is on the other side of that door or wall, the glow stick dims.

This suggests that not only is dopamine really important for motivating us to seek out our partner, but theres actually more dopamine coursing through our reward center when we are with our partner than when we are with a stranger, said Pierce.

In another experiment, the vole couple was kept apart for four weeksan eternity in the life of a rodent and long enough for voles in the wild to find another partner.

When reunited, they remembered one another, but their signature dopamine surge had almost vanished. In essence, that fingerprint of desire was gone. As far as their brains were concerned, their former partner was indistinguishable from any other vole.

We think of this as sort of a reset within the brain that allows the animal to now go on and potentially form a new bond, Donaldson said.

This could be good news for humans who have undergone a painful break-up, or even lost a spouse, suggesting that the brain has an inherent mechanism to protect us from endless unrequited love.

The authors stress that more research is necessary to determine how well results in voles translate to their bigger-brained, two-legged counterparts. But they believe their work could ultimately have important implications for people who either have trouble forming close relationships or those who struggle to get over loss a condition known as Prolonged Grief Disorder.

The hope is that by understanding what healthy bonds look like within the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental illnesses that affect their social world, said Donaldson.

Author: Lisa Marshall Source: University of Colorado Contact: Lisa Marshall University of Colorado Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: The findings will appear in Current Biology

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Love's Chemistry: How Dopamine Shapes Bonds and Breakups - Neuroscience News

Neuroscience

Unveiling the Secrets of the Brain Cortex: New Discoveries in Neuroscience – Medriva

Unveiling the Secrets of the Brain Cortex

In a breakthrough study, a team of neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has discovered distinct patterns of electrical activity in the brains cortex. This discovery uncovers the complex mechanisms of the brain and reveals new understandings of how our brain processes information and what could be going wrong when disorders occur. The research findings are consistent across many brain regions and animal species, including humans, suggesting a fundamental principle of brain organization.

The brains cortex, the outermost layer responsible for our complex thinking abilities, is divided into six layers. Each layer has its unique role and function. The MIT team found that these layers exhibit different patterns of electrical activity when the brain is in various states, such as awake, asleep, or anesthetized. The topmost layers show rapid gamma wave activity, while the deeper layers display slower alpha and beta wave activity. This discovery provides valuable insights into how the brain separates external sensory information from internal cognitive states.

The findings from this research also shed light on neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy. Imbalances in these oscillations the gamma, alpha, and beta waves could be implicated in these disorders. The researchers are exploring the potential of measuring and rebalancing these oscillations for diagnosing and treating neurological disorders. This discovery could eventually lead to the development of new treatments that target the specific electrical patterns associated with different disorders.

Further reinforcing the complexity of the brain cortex, the research also shows that different types of neurons in the cortex exhibit unique patterns of electrical activity. These unique patterns could be key to understanding the different cognitive functions associated with each neuron type. From sensory processing to decision-making, these patterns could underpin our most complex cognitive abilities.

While this discovery is a significant step forward, there is still much to learn about the brain and its complex mechanisms. The MIT teams findings are a promising start to a new era of neuroscience, one that leverages a deeper understanding of the brains electrical activity to improve diagnoses and treatments for neurological disorders. As we continue to unravel the mysteries of the brain, we move closer to more effective and targeted interventions for a range of debilitating neurological conditions.

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Unveiling the Secrets of the Brain Cortex: New Discoveries in Neuroscience - Medriva

Neuroscience

Tackling the Poor Sleep Pandemic: FRENZ Brainband by Earable Neuroscience Announces Global Sales After CES … – PR Newswire

FRENZ Brainband, a pioneering AI-powered sleep wearable initially introduced as a prototype at CES 2023, is now available for global delivery, heralding a new era in sleep tech and digital therapeutics for home use. FRENZ was early funded by Founders Fund and Samsung Ventures.

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its CES Innovation Award for Aging Technology, Earable Neuroscience announced the global sales of FRENZ Brainband, a groundbreaking AI-powered sleep tech wearable designed to help people sleep better. FRENZ Brainband, paired with the complimentary FRENZ AI Sleep Science app, has been clinically proven to help people fall asleep 24 minutes faster on average, as published on Nature Scientific Report. FRENZ is now ready for shipping globally from frenzband.com. The product is currently trending in the Fitness & Activity Monitors category on Amazon.

FRENZ Brainband represents a significant advancement in sleep technology, offering precise tracking and real-time brain activity stimulation using non-invasive audio therapy. Its unique comfortable design includes bone-conduction speakers and sophisticated AI algorithms to promote quicker sleep onset and longer deep sleep periods. This year, Earable showcased this revolutionary product at CES Eureka Park and was among the finalists for the CTA Foundation Pitch.

Prof. Tam Vu, Founder and CEO of Earable Neuroscience and former professor at the University of Colorado and the University of Oxford, passionately presented the Brainband at CES. "FRENZ is a comprehensive, comfortable, all-in-one sleep wearable that provides real-time, direct stimulation with precise data to effectively address sleep issues. FRENZ's science-backed audio therapies are especially beneficial for individuals who struggle to fall asleep or return to sleep after waking up at night, particularly those suffering from stress, anxiety, and running thoughts," said Vu. He highlighted the Brainband's proven efficacy in large-scale trials, with an 89% precision rate compared to the gold standard Polysomnography (PSG), and its significant impact on reducing sleep onset time.

Vu further shared, "As the CES Innovation Honoree for Aging Tech, we have received numerous accolades and interest from forward-thinking healthcare providers in the States this year. With mass production at Foxconn underway, we are poised to scale up the sleep tech market significantly. We are actively seeking strategic B2B partnerships and investments for market expansion in the healthcare and digital therapeutics space."

The Brainband is designed for a broad user base, from wellness enthusiasts to the elderly with chronic sleep issues, to those with mild sleep difficulties. It retails as a wellness device with an MSRP of $490, which includes lifetime access to the standard Fast Sleep and Back to Sleep CBT-i library. Premium content and features are anticipated for future release.

To order a FRENZ Brainband, visit http://www.frenzband.com

About Earable NeuroscienceEarable Neuroscience is a US deep tech company dedicated to delivering scalable and human-centric solutions. The FRENZ Brainband by Earable is the world's first sleep tech wearable capable of tracking and stimulating brain activities through audio therapy to promote better sleep quality.

Media Contact: [emailprotected]

Kimi Doan [emailprotected] +16178555995

SOURCE Earable Neuroscience

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Tackling the Poor Sleep Pandemic: FRENZ Brainband by Earable Neuroscience Announces Global Sales After CES ... - PR Newswire

Neuroscience

Neuroscientists find the importance of dopamine in relationships – The Jerusalem Post

If you want to remain in love with your partner, your brain had better keep the dopamine flowing. The same hormone that is behind cravings for sugar, nicotine, and cocaine apparently infuses your brains reward center, motivating you to keep that unique bond alive.

But if you are spending time in a businesslike way with an acquaintance at work, the hormone will probably look more like a trickle instead of a flood, according to new research by neuroscientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

What we have found, essentially, is a biological signature of desire that helps us explain why we want to be with some people more than other people, said senior author and behavioral neuroscience Prof. Zoe Donaldson. The study was just published in the journal Current Biology under the title Nucleus accumbens dopamine release is necessary and sufficient to promote the behavioral response to reward-predictive cues.

The nucleus accumbens is part of the neural circuit that controls reward-seeking in response to reward-predictive cues. Dopamine release in the accumbens is essential for the normal functioning of this circuit.

The team didnt study human couples but prairie voles cute rodents with greyish-brownish fur on their backs and yellowish fur on their abdomens, a short tail, and small ears. Unusually for mammals, they pick a partner with whom they monogamously share their whole lives and raise their young. Only three to five percent of non-human mammals are monogamous. Because of predators and natural factors, however, their life expectancy is only about two years, and they even experience something like grief when they lose their partner.

By studying voles, Donaldson sought to gain new insight into what goes on inside the human brain to make intimate relationships possible and how we get over it, neurochemically speaking. The new study looked for answers to both questions, showing for the first time that the neurotransmitter dopamine plays a critical role in keeping love alive.

As humans, our entire social world is basically defined by different degrees of selective desire to interact with different people, whether its your romantic partner or your close friends, said Donaldson. This research suggests that certain people leave a unique chemical imprint on our brain that drives us to maintain these bonds over time.

For the study, Donaldson and her colleagues used state-of-the art neuroimaging technology to measure, in real time, what happens in the brain as a vole tries to get to its partner. In one scenario, the vole had to press a lever to open a door to the room where her partner was. In another, she had to climb over a fence for that reunion.

Meanwhile a tiny fiber-optic sensor tracked activity, millisecond by millisecond, in the animals nucleus accumbens, a brain region responsible for motivating humans to seek rewarding things, from water and food to drugs of abuse. Human neuroimaging studies have shown it is the nucleus accumbens that lights up when we hold our loved ones hand.

Each time the sensor detects a spurt of dopamine, it lights up like a glow stick, explained first-author Anne Pierce, who worked on the study as a graduate student in Donaldsons lab. When the voles pushed the lever or climbed over the wall to see their life partner, the fiber lit up like a rave, she said, and the party continued as they snuggled and sniffed one another.

In contrast, when a random vole is on the other side of that door or wall, the glow stick dims. This suggests that not only is dopamine really important for motivating us to seek out our partner, but theres actually more dopamine coursing through our reward center when we are with our partner than when we are with a stranger, said Pierce.

In another experiment, the vole couple were kept apart for four weeks -- an eternity in the life of these rodents and long enough for voles in the wild to find another partner. When reunited, they remembered one another, but their signature dopamine surge had almost vanished. In essence, that fingerprint of desire was gone. As far as their brains were concerned, their former partner was indistinguishable from any other vole. We think of this as sort of a reset within the brain that allows the animal to now go on and potentially form a new bond, Donaldson said.

This could be good news for humans who have undergone a painful break-up or even lost a spouse, suggesting that the brain has an inherent mechanism to protect us from endless unrequited love, the authors suggested. They stressed that more research is necessary to learn whether results in voles translate to their bigger-brained humans. But they believe their work could ultimately have important implications for people who either have trouble forming close relationships or those who struggle to get over loss a condition known as prolonged grief disorder.

The hope is that by understanding what healthy bonds look like within the brain, we can begin to identify new therapies to help the many people with mental illnesses that affect their social world, Donaldson concluded.

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Neuroscientists find the importance of dopamine in relationships - The Jerusalem Post

Neuroscience

Fly brain, mouse brain, worm brain: They all network the same – EurekAlert

image:

(Left) Network of the strongest connections among over 20,000 neurons in the fruit fly brain. (Right) Model of network formation. Some random connections are pruned, while other connections become stronger through a mixture of Hebbian and random growth.

Credit: Christopher Lynn

New York, January 17, 2024 In all species, brain function relies on an intricate network of connections that allows neurons to send information back and forth between one another, commanding thought and physical activity. But within those networks a small number of neurons share much stronger connections to one another than all the others. These abnormally strong connectionsknown as heavy tailed based on the shape of their distributionare thought to play an outsized role in brain function.

Researchers have long wondered how neural networks are able to rearrange to form these rare connections and whether the formation process is species specific or governed by a deeper shared principle. With the publication of a new paper in the journal Nature Physics, scientists at the CUNY Graduate Center Initiative for the Theoretical Sciences (ITS), Yale, University of Chicago, and Harvard are getting closer to answering these questions.

To understand these very strong connections between neurons, you can think of a social network: Some connections, like those with your best friends and family, are much stronger than most, and these are very important in the network, explains Christopher Lynn, the papers first author, previously a postdoctoral fellow with the ITS program and now an Assistant Professor of Physics at Yale. Until recently, we didnt have a way of teasing out the mechanism by which these rare connections come together, but advances in particular forms of microscopy and imaging now allow us to take a peek into how it happens.

The researchers analyzed large, openly available datasets of the wiring between neurons in fruit flies, mice and two worm species (C. elegans and Platynereis). The catalogued data, which was collected using volume electron microscopy and high-throughput image processing, allowed them to compare networks across multiple species, looking for similarities and differences in the way heavy tailed connections form.

The scientists created a mathematical model to describe how they believed wiring between neurons can rearrange to develop these strong connections. This model was based on a decades-old mechanism from neuroscience known as Hebbian plasticity, which says when neurons fire together, they wire together. The researchers showed that this Hebbian plasticity leads neurons to form the types of heavy tailed connections they observed in the data. Whats more, when they included neural activity in the model, a second key feature of neural network structure emerged: clustering, or the tendency for neurons to form tightly knit groups.

Our model was based on the assumption that neurons rearrange and connect under a mixture of Hebbian and random dynamics, said Lynn, noting that neurons sometimes connect for specific reasons, but other times randomly. The research teams model proved applicable across species, showing how simple and general principles of cellular self-organization can lead to the very strong connections and tightly connected networks that exist in the brain. The findings suggest that neuronal network formation isnt dependent on species-specific mechanisms, but instead might be governed by a simple principle of self-organization. This new knowledge could provide an important foundation for investigating brain structure in other animals and may even help to better understand human brain function.

About the Graduate Center of The City University of New York The CUNY Graduate Center is a leader in public graduate education devoted to enhancing the public good through pioneering research, serious learning, and reasoned debate. The Graduate Center offers ambitious students nearly 50 doctoral and masters programs of the highest caliber, taught by top faculty from throughout CUNY the nations largest urban public university. Through its nearly 40 centers, institutes, initiatives, and the Advanced Science Research Center, the Graduate Center influences public policy and discourse and shapes innovation. The Graduate Centers extensive public programs make it a home for culture and conversation.

Data/statistical analysis

Not applicable

Heavy-tailed neuronal connectivity arises from Hebbian self-organization

17-Jan-2024

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Fly brain, mouse brain, worm brain: They all network the same - EurekAlert

Neuroscience

Insights from a Leading Pain Expert – Dr. Sean Mackey on HubermanLab Podcast – Medriva

Insights from a Leading Pain Expert

Dr. Sean Mackey, a renowned pain expert and professor at Stanford University, recently featured on the HubermanLab podcast. This episode offers a deep dive into the fascinating world of pain management and neuroscience, providing valuable insights that could benefit anyone interested in these topics. The podcast, hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, explores various aspects of human performance, neuroscience, and pain through in-depth interviews with field experts.

During the podcast, Dr. Mackey presents an enlightening discussion about different pain types and the latest treatments available. He addresses chronic pain, a condition impacting millions worldwide, and shares practical advice on managing it to improve overall well-being. Dr. Mackeys expertise offers a unique perspective on our understanding of pain, helping demystify this complex physiological and psychological phenomenon.

One of the highlights of the episode is Dr. Mackeys discussion on the neuroscience of pain. He explains how the brain processes pain, enhancing our understanding of this crucial aspect. The podcast also delves into the impact of emotions on pain perception, a topic that is garnering increased attention in the field of neuroscience.

In addition to discussing the science of pain, Dr. Mackey also touches on the placebo effect and non-pharmacological treatments for chronic pain. These topics are particularly significant given the current opioid crisis and the need for effective, non-addictive pain management strategies. Dr. Mackeys insights into these areas offer hope for those suffering from chronic pain.

The conversation also covers the impact of stress and anxiety on pain perception, another crucial aspect of pain management. As Dr. Mackey explains, understanding the role of these factors can significantly influence how we approach pain treatment.

Looking towards the future, the podcast explores the potential of technologies like virtual reality to alleviate pain. As research progresses, these innovative solutions could revolutionize the field of pain management, offering new hope for those living with pain.

The HubermanLab podcast episode featuring Dr. Sean Mackey offers an enlightening look into the complex world of pain and neuroscience. Whether youre a professional in the field, a patient seeking understanding, or simply interested in the subject, this episode is a valuable resource.

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Insights from a Leading Pain Expert - Dr. Sean Mackey on HubermanLab Podcast - Medriva

Anesthesiology

New database of more than 83000 surgical outcomes aimed at advancing research and training artificial intelligence … – UCLA Health Connect

A team of researchers from UCLA and UC Irvine have created a unique repository of electronic health record data and high-fidelity physiological waveform data from tens of thousands of surgeries that will integrate artificial intelligence to improve patient outcomes.

The project led is by Dr. Maxime Cannesson, professor and chair of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; and Dr. Pierre Baldi, Distinguished Professor of information and computer sciences and Dr. Joe Rinehart, clinical professor of anesthesiology, both at UC Irvine. It is freely available to legitimate researchers who sign a data use agreement (DUA).

All data in the repository, called the Medical Informatics Operating Room Vitals and Events Repository (MOVER), has been stripped of patient identifiers in accordance with patient privacy laws. It can be downloaded athttps://doi.org/10.24432/C5VS5G

The team has published a paper describing the database and its uses in JAMIA Open.

We expect it to help the research community to develop new algorithms, new predictive tools, to improve the care of surgical patients basically globally, Cannesson said. Its the first time a surgical database like this has been released. Its a very wide spectrum of surgeries.

The repository, which had been in the works since 2012, fills a gap in publicly accessible databases that researchers can use to train and test AI algorithms.It is intended to advance a wide variety of healthcare research and serve as a resource to evaluate new clinical decision support and monitoring algorithms for patients undergoing surgery and anesthesia.

It contains data, collected over seven years, of hospital visits for patients undergoing surgery at UCI Medical Center, consisting of comprehensive electronic health record and high-fidelity physiological waveforms. Waveforms are data from monitors such as EKGs that measure the physiology of the patient either minute by minute or sometimes in real time, for instance during a high-risk surgical procedure.

Specifically, the dataset contains general information about each patient and their medical history, including details about the surgical procedure, medicines used, lines or drains utilized during the procedures, and postoperative complications. In all, it now contains data from nearly 59,000 patients who underwent about 83,500 surgeries.

This information is truly information that physicians and the care team use to make clinical decisions in the acute care setting, Cannesson said. Before this there was no single repository where a very, very large volume of data that includes the physiological waveforms are accessible to researchers.

The MOVER team took the project through a rigorous process to ensure that patient privacy is preserved.

Patient privacy has been at the forefront of the development of MOVER, Cannesson said. Its been through a lot of de-identification process. There is no patient identifier, no date of surgery. Patients above 90 years old, their age is not available. So its been through a lot of de-identification to make sure that no patient identifier is available.

There is a precedent for sharing datasets like this for patients in the intensive care unit, the largest and most widely known being MIMIC, which also includes de-identified electronic health record patient information and waveforms, he noted. Our main innovation was to start more than 10 years ago recording these waveforms during surgery, he said. This could be helpful to the whole perioperative surgical community.

At this point the focus is on sharing the UC Irvine information with qualified physicians and researchers, he said. But a National Institutes of Health initiative called Bridge to AI, of which UCLA is a part, aims to standardize this data across multiple institutions to eventually create a single repository with the same vocabulary and data architecture.

It is designed so that the data can be thoroughly checked, achieving transparency. The goal is eventually to increase the trust that clinicians and patients have with what you are going to see in the near future the development of more and more artificial intelligence-based models, especially for the surgical setting, Cannesson said.

The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (R01EB029751).

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New database of more than 83000 surgical outcomes aimed at advancing research and training artificial intelligence ... - UCLA Health Connect

Genetics

Unlocking tree genetic diversity: advanced hyperspectral phenotyping for enhanced Scots pine selection – EurekAlert

image:

Experimental and technical design.

Credit: Plant Phenomics

Hyperspectral reflectance reveals critical leaf functional traits indicativeof a plant's physiological status, providing a powerful tool for distinguishing seedlings adapted to specific environments. Current researchexplores intrapopulation variability and the necessity of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) in forestry for selection of resilient genotypes underchanging climatic conditions. However, challenges persist in managing large-scale phenotypic data and in the compatibility of reflectance data acquired from various measurement approaches.

In November 2023, Plant Phenomicspublished a research article entitled by Making the Genotypic Variation Visible: Hyperspectral Phenotyping in Scots Pine Seedlings.

This research utilized two non-destructive methods to measure hyperspectral reflectance on 1,788 Scots pine seedlings, distinguishing between lowland and upland ecotypes from the Czech Republic. Leaflevel measurements wereperformedwith a spectroradiometer and contact probe (CP) for biconical reflectance factor (BCRF) of needle samples, while proximal canopy measurements employed the same spectroradiometer with a fiber optical cable (OC) under natural light for hemispherical conical reflectance factor (HCRF). Results showed statistically significant differences among pine populations across the entire spectral range. Using machine learning algorithms, the proximal data predicted the different Scots pine populations with up to 83% accuracy.

Specifically, BCRF and HCRF indicated significant differences in pairwise comparisons among populations, particularly in visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) regions. The most pronounced differences occurred in VIS and red edge (RE) for BCRF, while HCRF showed more variance in shortwave infrared (SWIR) regions. Both BCRF and HCRF data maintained similar trends across the very shortwave infrared (VSWIR) spectral range, with BCRF P values generally closer to zero than HCRF in many spectral intervals. Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms were employed to test the prediction accuracy of population origin based on reflectance factors. The highest accuracy was obtained from raw whole seedling HCRF. The importance of specific spectral regions for RF separation was evidenced by peaks in VIS and RE. HCRF displayed more spectral regions with high importance for RF prediction compared to BCRF, which was mainly limited to VIS and RE. This difference likely contributed to the higher prediction accuracy of RF models based on HCRF data.

The study concluded that both leaf-level BCRF and whole seedling HCRF are suitable for hyperspectral phenotyping to differentiate the phenotypic and genetic variation within Scots pine seedlings. Overall, these methods offer valuable tools for forestry and breeding programs, particularly for non-destructive genetic evaluation and effective nursery practices. Despite some limitations related to light conditions and measurement methods, the research demonstrated the potential of using hyperspectral reflectance and machine learning for accurate prediction and classification of tree populations in breeding and conservation efforts.

###

References

Authors

Jan Stejskal1*, Jaroslav epl1, Eva Neuwirthov1,3,Olusegun Olaitan Akinyemi1,2, Ji Chuchlk1, Daniel Provaznk1, Markku Keinnen2,4, Petya Campbell5,6, Jana Albrechtov3, Milan Lstibrek1, and Zuzana Lhotkov3

Affiliations

1Department of Genetics and Physiology of Forest Trees, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.

2Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.

3Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

4Center for Photonic Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.

5Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.

6Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.

About Jan Stejskal

He is a researcher in the Department of Genetics and Physiology of Forest Trees at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. The domain of Dr. Jan Stejskal is the statistical evaluation of complex experiments with the connection of physiological and genetic data. His research includes the design and evaluation of comparative experiments based on growth and physiological traits. He currently focuses on evaluating adaptive traits of selected populations (fertility, phenology, etc.) to test the usability of genetic correlations between physiological, adaptive, and production traits.

Experimental study

Not applicable

Making the Genotypic Variation Visible: Hyperspectral Phenotyping in Scots Pine Seedlings

14-Nov-2023

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Unlocking tree genetic diversity: advanced hyperspectral phenotyping for enhanced Scots pine selection - EurekAlert

Genetics

The Role of Genetics in Cancer Care Continues to Expand – OncLive

Susan D. Klugman, MD, FACOG, FACMG

Genetic screening and testing have been a part of clinical practice for decades. However, it is only recently that genetics has become an integral part of cancer care.

The BRCA1/2 genes were discovered in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and many other cancer predisposition genes have been identified in more recent years. People with BRCA1/2 mutations are considered to have the most common hereditary cancer syndrome, called hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC).1 The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) provides detailed recommendations regarding cancer surveillance and risk reduction for patients with HBOC. The impact on clinical care and management was initially unknown, but research and ongoing studies have provided guidance and NCCN guidelines are updated annually.2

Up to 10% of cancers arise in those who carry an inherited gene mutation.3 This is particularly important for Black patients, as research at our Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center found that not only are Black patients more likely than White patients to have a specific type of colorectal cancer that has worse outcomes, but they are also more likely to have tumors with more genetic mutations that preclude them from receiving certain therapies.4

In the 1970s, Montefiore Einstein was one of the first academic medical centers to offer population carrier screening for Tay-Sachs disease, an autosomal recessive neurologic genetic disorder that results in death in early childhood.5 In the late 1990s, we participated in the first BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing of more than 1000 Ashkenazi Jewish women in the New York area, which led to a pivotal paper by Mary-Claire King, PhD, published in Science in 2003.6

Lifetime risk of breast cancer among female mutation carriers was 82%, and lifetime risk of ovarian cancer was 54% for BRCA1 and 23% for BRCA2 mutation carriers. Additionally, risk appeared to increase with time: Breast cancer risk by age 50 was 24% among mutation carriers born before 1940 and was 67% among women born after 1940. This was one of the first studies to show physical exercise and lack of obesity in adolescence was associated with delayed breast cancer onset.6

As the inheritance of most cancer predisposition genes is autosomal dominant, population screening is challenging and guidelines have evolved. Additionally, there are ethical, legal, and social implications of genetic testing, especially in diverse populations.

In 1987, during my gynecologic oncology rotation as a fourth-year medical student, I participated in the care of a 65-year-old woman with ovarian cancer. Fast forward 12 years, I am a practicing obstetrician- gynecologist and I see a patient who tells me her mother was diagnosed in 1987 with ovarian cancer and had surgery at the same hospital, and during the same month that I did my acting internship. We were able to ascertain that I took care of her mother in 1987!

We then discussed the importance of BRCA1/2 testing, which was not available to her mother at the time. Today, it is standard of care to test for hereditary cancer syndromes for any patient with a first- or second-degree relative with ovarian cancer. My patient, in fact, did have a mutation or pathogenic variant in BRCA1, likely inherited from her mother.

Over the past 20-plus years, my patient has had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and has been involved in research looking for predisposition to pancreatic cancer. She has had annual dermatologic and ophthalmologic examinations and has never had cancer. She is considered a previvor, a patient with a pathogenic variant who has never had cancer. We have reviewed and discussed the research and the clinical management of BRCA over the past 2 decades together. We have also discussed the options of in vitro fertilization and preimplantation genetic testing of embryos for her children, which would avoid hereditary cancer caused by the familial variant in future generations. This patient has also been instrumental as a resource for other previvors in their decision-making regarding proactive medical and surgical options. She has told her story at community events and is willing to talk to community members who are struggling.

At Montefiore Einstein, genetic testing started in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Womens Health, where women with ovarian cancer were treated and those with breast cancer received their gynecologic care. We used grants and appealed to companies to cover testing for our patients.

Today, screening and testing occur within the Division of Reproductive and Medical Genetics. We see adults at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes as well as those with cancer and those without, such as their family members. Each patient meets with a genetic counselor and a medical geneticist to discuss their options. Pre- and posttest counseling are critical.

There is also a discussion about insurance and out-of-pocket costs, which today are considered minimal. Additionally, I review the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 with patients, which does not protect their genetic information if they apply for life and long-term disability insurance. It is critical that this specialty is experienced as comprehensive clinical care. As such, our genetics program is also embedded in our new breast cancer center, which we designed to be a singular location for breast health, advancing our ability to deliver the most personalized care to our patients.

At Montefiore Einstein and across the country, 2013 was a pivotal year for genetic testing in cancer care. Angelina Jolie wrote an editorial in The New York Times discussing her BRCA1 status and revealed that she voluntarily had a prophylactic mastectomy. Genetic testing often has a stigma, and Jolie helped others realize that genetic testing was crucial, offering many benefits.7

Jolies family history was significant, and a pathogenic variant was found. However, a pathogenic variant was not found for many families that had significant breast and ovarian cancer, signaling there may be other genetic mutations not yet accounted for. In 2015, panel testing for hereditary cancer syndromes expanded to involve many genes, such as PALB2, CHEK2, and ATM, and others involved in Lynch syndrome; but again, these new tests were not always covered by insurance. Over the past 8 years, we have seen that many of these genes can be actionable clinically and because of this change in management and the possibility of improved health care outcomes, insurance coverage is almost always available.

Genetic testing is now an integral part of cancer care, partly due to the Precision Medicine Initiative launched by former President Barack Obama and the National Institutes of Health, which aims to understand how a persons genetics, environment, and lifestyle can help determine the best approach to prevent or treat disease. Despite these great strides, at the national level, we continue to see a significant number of individuals who should be offered genetic testing but never get it. Lack of knowledge about genetic testing among professionals and patients alike contribute to this trend. At Montefiore Einstein, members of our division are participating in seminars, grand rounds, and lectures to educate patient and physicians in hopes of overcoming the misconceptions and fears associated with genetic testing in our communities.

In 2017, we conducted a study at Montefiore Einstein that asked patients about their perceived cancer risk. We found that more than 30% of patients had a mother with breast cancer did not think that they were high risk. Moreover, more than 30% of patients deemed high risk were never offered genetic screening or testing from a health care professional. This is an issue I have witnessed in my practice.8

I recently saw a 36-year-old patient with colon cancer. The father of my patient had kidney cancer and the grandmother had uterine cancer, both at young ages. No one had discussed the possibility of a hereditary cancer syndrome with this patient.

Montefiore Einstein genetic counselors and genetic physicians help our patients understand the advantages of genetic testing and the clinical actionability. We have found that this team approach works very well. We also encourage patients to inform their family members for their own well-being and future generations; however, we sometimes find they are not available or willing.

We conduct germline genetic testing as well as somatic testing. The outcomes of both tests affect clinical management and recruitment for clinical trials. Research is ongoing to analyze the correlation of somatic testing with germline genetic testing.

We have a long way to go to educate our community, including patients and health care professionals, on the value of genetic consultation and testing when there is any family history of cancer.

The research we conduct where we practice in the Bronx and Westchester, New York, is critical for advancing literature and clinical practice because our population is incredibly diverse. Many people in our population are hesitant to undergo genetic testing as there is an underlying distrust likely stemming from historical events, which is why it is important for members of the medical community to advocate on behalf of their patients. Ongoing research regarding quality improvement initiatives for screening and prevention as well as adherence to guidelines recommended preventive care will help address these issues.

When Einstein clinicians went door-to-door testing for Tay-Sachs disease in the 1970s, they used the adage knowledge is power. We use that same adage today and hope that our cancer genetic testing helps save lives.

Susan D. Klugman, MD, FACOG, FACMG, is program director of Medical Genetics and Genomics, director of Reproductive and Medical Genetics, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, women's health, and pediatrics at Montefiore Health System & Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. She is also president of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

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The Role of Genetics in Cancer Care Continues to Expand - OncLive