Topic: single cell RNA sequencing

Presenilin1 (PSEN1) E280A mutation causes early onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the world’s largest familial AD kindred. We previously published a case report of a carrier from this kindred who was remarkably protected from cognitive decline for thirty years. Positron emission tomography (PET) brain analysis showed lower levels of Tau pathology relative to typical PSEN1 E280A carriers. Whole-genome sequencing revealed homozygosity for an Apolipoprotein E mutation (Christchurch, APOECh). As the ApoECh mutation is found within the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) binding domain, we hypothes

Maternal diet is a key determinant of later child’s metabolic and mental health outcomes. Human and/or animals consuming a western diet (WD), as compared to a healthy diet (HD), exhibit microbiota dysbiosis, low-grade inflammation, behavioral alterations and defects in the central reward circuit. Accordingly, epidemiological studies show that WD consumption during pregnancy is associated with adverse metabolic and mental health outcomes in offspring. We have developed a mouse model to study the impact of maternal WD on the offspring and challenged hypotheses related to dysbiosis, inflammation

The female reproductive cycle is a fundamental physiological process that determines fertility, sexuality, and mood. The regularity of reproductive cycles is closely regulated by neuropeptide- and hormone-mediated communication between neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain and the ovaries. Despite extensive research on the top-down control (hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, HPO), the precise neuronal targets of ovarian hormonal feedback are not well understood. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, the master regulator of the HPO axis, switch between pulsatile and surge release