Topic: cognitive functions

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. Accumulating experimental evidence shows the important role of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) signaling in AD, but the exact role of TNF-α in AD is still not completely understood. Although TNF-inhibitors are successfully used for treatment of several autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, total inhibition of TNF-α can cause adverse side effects in neurological diseases. This is attributed to the opposing roles of the two receptors of TNF-α. TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) predominantly

Metabolic cost for the nervous system is very high due to the complexity of neuronal morphology and the processes to sustain neuronal transmission and synaptic plasticity. Cognitive functions underlying complex behaviors further increase brain energy demands. Despite the interest given to brain metabolism during the last years, how modification of metabolism might contribute to cognitive dysfunctions in brain disorders is not clear. Thus, we aim to identify the key metabolic pathways activated during complex cognitive functions. In this study, we will focus on metabolic pathways activated by d

Adult cerebral ischemia (stroke) is a neurological injury caused by the occlusion of cerebral blood vessels and it is one of the leading causes of long-term disability. Notably, an ischemic stroke can occur also during brain development with the early perinatal period being characterized by critical period windows when experience provides essential information for the proper maturation of sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Despite the large amount of evidence on adult stroke, very little it is still known about the impact of a stroke occurring during perinatal ages in the developing brai

The cerebellum is classically associated with coordination and motor learning. Yet, a growing body of evidence now indicates that the cerebellum also contributes to cognitive aspects including social behavior and navigation skills. Although monoamines such as noradrenaline (NE) and dopamine (DA) are key neuromodulators implicated in these cognitive functions, the modus operandi of monoaminergic systems and their relevance to cerebellar functioning remains poorly understood. Interestingly, we found that while in this brain region monoaminergic innervations are sparse, the main vesicular transpo

The cerebellum is a brain structure that has been studied for many years, but its anatomy and physiology are still widely debated. While the importance of the cerebellum has been demonstrated in the motor domain, mainly through neuroimaging studies, its involvement in cognitive functions remains a matter of debate. In this project, we carried out a lesion study on children operated for cerebellar tumors. Cerebellar tumors are the most common brain tumors in children and lead to heterogeneous post-operative motor and cognitive deficits, ranging from minor deficits to major ones drastically affe

Brain aging is a relative process characterized by a progressive decline in homeostasis, stress responses and cognitive functions. At cellular level, it is associated with molecular markers such as telomere length and DNA methylation clocks, which are believed to capture different aspects of relative aging. Additionally, changes in histone modifications and gene transcription also occur. However, a complete description of epigenetic changes in middle- to old-aged brains is still missing. Here, we provide a comprehensive characterization of age-associated DNA methylation changes in the healthy

Cognitive functions, including memory, perception, learning, attention, language abilities, problem solving, and decision making, are impaired in a range of neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Current therapeutic options are limited to the pharmacological and behavioral therapies. Neuromodulation therapies that target specific neural activities and brain areas require robust electrophysiological biomarkers that indicate cognitive performance in clinically validated tests. To identify specific cortical areas and spectral activities that indicate behavioral diff

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents a significant challenge to therapeutic interventions, necessitating the exploration of innovative strategies to manage its complex pathology. This study explores the relationship between autophagy and Transcription factor EB (TFEB) as a potential avenue for AD treatment. We demonstrate the therapeutic potential of TFEB in mitigating AD pathology by enhancing autophagy. Our strategy employs exosomes as vehicles for the targeted and efficient delivery of TFEB to affected cells. Exosomes, small extracellular vesicles, are recognized for their ability to cross bio

Aim: 40 Hz auditory-visual entrainment has a neuroprotective effect and could maintain synaptic integrity and reduce tau phosphorylation levels in Alzheimer’s Disease mouse models. The effect of 40 Hz entrainment on the cognitive functions of healthy controls is unknown. The present study aims to analyze the 40 Hz entrainment on the cognitive functions of healthy middle-aged subjects and compare it with the effect of 40 Hz gamma tACS.Methods: 13 subjects were applied auditory-visual 40 Hz entrainment, nine subjects were applied 40 Hz gamma tACS on the left temporoparietal area for ten days, ni