NEWS BRIEFS
New research points to mercury’s long-term effects Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known neurotoxin that can impact brain development, particularly in utero. A series of new studies from researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center indicate that exposure may disrupt the early development of the connections between muscles and the brain, which could lead to motor control problems later in life. The new research comes from the lab of Matthew Rand, Ph.D., with the Department of Environmental Medicine, and appears in the journals Neurotoxicology and Teratology and Toxicological Sciences. It was conducted in the fruit fly Drosophilia, a longestablished and important research tool in neuroscience because it enables researchers to study the entire nervous system. The researchers found that when fruit fly larva were exposed to MeHg, it impacted the early formation of flight muscles and ultimately impaired flight ability when the flies reached adulthood. They identified a gene called Nlg1 that encodes a protein found in muscles that plays an important role in forming the connections between muscles and neurons, known as the neuromuscular junction. The Nlg1 gene expression is altered when exposed to MeHg during the larva stage.
Software uses selfies to detect early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease Machine learning lets Rochester researchers accurately identify signs of the neurological disease by analyzing facial muscles. Ehsan Hoque, Ph.D., associate professor of Computer Science at the University of Rochester, and collaborators developed algorithms to analyze brief videos, including short clips while taking selfies, to detect subtle movements in facial muscles that are not visible to the naked eye. The study, published in Nature Digital Medicine, found this software can then predict with remarkable accuracy whether a person who takes a selfie is likely to develop Parkinson’s disease; it is as reliable as current technology used to make a similar prediction such as expensive, wearable digital biomarkers that monitor motor symptoms.
Multiple sclerosis drug improves memory in mice modeling Alzheimer’s disease Researchers at the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester found that glatiramer acetate, a prescription drug currently used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis, improved memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. “This research extends our information about glatiramer acetate’s potential use in Alzheimer’s disease,” said M. Kerry O’Banion, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Neuroscience and senior author of the study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. “This isn’t a cure, but it could be a step in the right direction for a treatment to slow the symptoms of this debilitating disease.”
Using a mouse model, researchers found changes in microglia – part of the brain’s immune system – and improvements in cognitive behavior when glatiramer acetate was used. These changes were associated with less amyloid plaques and modifications to tau pathology – a protein found in neurodegenerative diseases – in the brain, indicating that molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease had been impacted. Previous studies have found that glatiramer acetate can alter brain pathology in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models, but the exact mechanisms that are impacted in the brain are still unknown.
NEUROSCIENCE | VOL 12, 2022
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