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The Brain That Changes Itself
October 31, 2021
The Brain That Changes Itself

Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they’ve transformed—people...

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Category:  Blog, Books
Brain areas involved with obsessive-compulsive disorder present different DNA methylation modulation

de Oliveira, K.C., Camilo, C., Gastaldi, V.D. et al. Brain areas involved with obsessive-compulsive disorder present different DNA methylation modulation. BMC Genom Data 22, 45 (2021). DOI:10.1186/s12863-021-00993-0

  • Confirms involvement of previously associated genes and biological processes in OCD as well as reports differences related to specific brain areas
  • Findings point to a role of cellular communication, inflammatory processes and behavior mediated by DNA methylation in OCD brain tissues.
  • Findings were related to the immune system, reaffirming the current literature findings about its involvement with OCD.
  • Changes in DNA methylation are involved with OCD and further studies are needed to characterize alterations in different paths in each brain area.
Disruptions and Adaptations in Family Functioning: A Study of Families’ Experiences with PANS/PANDAS

Dolce, J.L., LaRusso, M.D. & Abadia-Barrero, C. Disruptions and Adaptations in Family Functioning: A Study of Families’ Experiences with PANS/PANDAS. J Child Fam Stud (2021). DOI:10.1007/s10826-021-02101-3

  • Examined family functioning utilizing online parent forums and nine semi-structured interviews with PANS/PANDAS families.
  • Unpredictability & relapsing-remitting nature of neuropsychiatric symptoms cause significant disruptions to daily life.
  • Financial strain, social isolation, and lack of support from schools and medical institutions transform family functioning.
  • Parents’ frequent use of trauma metaphors to describe experience diverges from literature on other chronic illnesses.
Clinical Features in Patients With PANDAS/PANS and Therapeutic Approaches: A Retrospective Study

Rea I, Guido CA, Spalice A. Clinical Features in Patients With PANDAS/PANS and Therapeutic Approaches: A Retrospective Study. Frontiers in Neurology. Vol. 12, 2021. DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.741176  

  • 62 patients with a clinical diagnosis of PANDAS/PANS.
    • 15 with PANS. 47 with PANDAS
  • Mean age at onset of PANDAS/PANS symptoms was 6.2 ± 1.2 years
    • 6.2 for PANDAS. 6.0 for PANS
  • Neurological and psychiatric symptoms were mostly evident in both groups with little difference
  • 93.5% had vocal tics
  • 79% had OCD
  • PANS kids had more irritability, aggressivity, and food restriction
  • PANDAS kids had 10 times higher levels of anti-streptolysin O and anti-DNAse B
  • PANS kid had a higher percentage of metabolic disorders
  • Psychotherapy significantly relieved OCD the most and reduced stress in patients and parents
  • Antibiotic prophylaxis was the most frequently used (90%) for acute neurological symptoms

 

 

Postnatal immune activation causes social deficits in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis: Role of microglia and clinical implications

Manuel F. López-Aranda, Ishanu Chattopadhya, Gayle M. Boxx, Elizabeth R. Fraley, Tawnie K. Silva, Miou Zhou, Miranda Phan, Isaiah Herrera, Sunrae Talomam Rochelle Mandanas, Karen Bach and Michael Gandal and Daniel H. Geschwind, Genhong Cheng, Andrey Rzhetsky and Stephanie A. White, Alcino J. Silva. Postnatal immune activation causes social deficits in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis: Role of microglia and clinical implications. Science Advances, vol 7. 38, 2021. DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abf2073

There is growing evidence that prenatal viral infections triggering immune activation contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders

Kids who had severe infections and are genetically predisposed to autism were more likely to develop the condition. So, the genetic factors don’t trigger autism but environmental factors play a significant role. One of the scientists said that childhood infections may be linked to higher instances of depression m, anxiety, schizophrenia.
  • Study links significant childhood infections to developing autism later.
  • In mouse models, mice that had an immune response later were no longer able to recognize familiar faces. This study was replicated with a focus on social interactions and the mice whose immune system was activated had increased difficulty communicating.
  • A different study reinforces the mouse model that tracked 3.6 million hospitalized children shoeing that hospitalizations due to infections during early childhood can predict a future diagnosis of ASD