Neurological conditions have sex biases found in brain protein expression

 A team from Emory University used more than 1200 donated post-mortem brains to identify 10,200 proteins for sex-based differences. From the 10,200 proteins, 1200 of them showed differences in expressed levels based on biological sex. As the article explains, "They assessed protein expression between alleles with single nucleotide polymorphisms and looked for pQTL differences to determine if sex influenced this allele expression" (The Scientist). Ultimately, they found that these 1200 proteins corresponded to about 150 proteins with sex-based expression. The team compared these proteins to other sex-based proteins associated with psychiatric, neurologic, or morphologic traits and found 35 similarities. The team currently believes that with extended research, time, and genomic studies, this data could improve treatments and therapeutic remedies in the future. 

While reading about the research done, I found it important to take note of such a big sample size provided by the donation of the brains but also from the 10,200 proteins found during the study, having a large protein database can offer a lot to a study. The connection that was shown between specific protein expression levels and neurological conditions is crucial to understanding the condition itself but can also lead to other benefits. The findings could hopefully help those affected by these neurological conditions by refining treatments that accommodates these specific proteins and reviewing treatment plans in general. 

https://www.the-scientist.com/biological-sex-influences-brain-protein-expression-71763

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-reveals-biological-sex-brain-proteins.html#google_vignette

 

Gene Associated With Higher Risk of MS

MS is a pretty big deal for people who have it because it is an autoimmune disorder which attacks the patient's nerve cells. It primarily is found in women aged from 20-50 years of age and could cause problems with their movements and bodily function. There is no cure, however treatments are available.
Researchers are currently putting more study into two particular genes, IL7R and DDX39B, which they claim that if one has variations of these two genes then it they could be up to 3 times more likely to get MS than one who does not. When there are two variations of these genes, then an overproduction of a protein called sIL7R is created, however the entire function of this protein is not entirely understood.
Overall, it's a step towards finding more effective treatments or possibly a cure.

 Article
More Info About MS

Inherited Neurological Disorder Understood More Clearly

Researchers discovered a certain gene associated with dystonia, a neurological disorder which causes repetitive muscle contractions which can be painful for a patient. The muscles affected can vary from either a single muscle or to the entire body. There is no cure, but it is a pretty well managed disorder. The gene found codes for hippocalcin, which has recently been put under a spot light to figure out what it does specifically for dystonia. It was found to mess with certain calcium pathways for neural activities and made the channel overactive, and thus caused problems.
By doing this research, it is now not too impossible to find a cure for dystonia and help many lives. Article
 More about Dystonia

OCD-like Behavior Linked to Gene Mutation in the Brain

Honor Whiteman, a writer for Medical News Today, states that "Researchers have provided further evidence of how gene mutations in a certain brain region might fuel behaviors associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder."

OCD is a disorder where the affected have uncontrollable thoughts, obsessions, and/or compulsions. These thoughts can trigger a persons anxiety which makes it difficult for the person to live their daily lives. The compulsions refer to physical urges that are used to respond to the obsessions, some examples of common OCD include excessive cleaning (hands, clothes, etc.), rearranging items in a particular way, or compulsive counting counting. One percent of adults are affected by this disorder, however within that one percent, 50 percent of individuals severely suffer from OCD. The main causes of this disease are unknown, however, previous studies have show that it may be caused by specific gene mutations in the brain. A new study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University found that certain gene mutations in the corticostriatal region of the brain led to OCD symptoms in mice. This region of the brain is responsible for the regulation in repeating behavior. KAR (kainate receptors) genes play a key role in how the corticostriatal region is developed, and when KAR genes were erased in mice they showed numerous OCD-like behaviors.

I believe that the research done on OCD will prove its worth and help the people suffering from the disease. With the discoveries made by the research team at Northwestern, these KAR genes may be a major cause of OCD. With further studies on these genes and the region of the brain that they are located, doctors and scientist could develop treatments or medications in the very near future.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316039.php
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/february/ocd-like-behavior-linked-to-genetic-mutation/

Depression with cancer

Most people understand the tremendous emotional sometimes financial and spiritual pressure being diagnosed with cancer may have on an adult. But the notion of one being depressed in addition to being diagnosed with cancer for many years, has been a taboo. No one is really talking about it in-depth to the extent actions were taken. There is a recent study that showed depression and anxiety increase the mortality of those with cancer.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/well/mind/depression-and-anxiety-tied-to-cancer-deaths.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/431269

New disorders found in children

Congenital disorder is one of the leading cause of infant mortalities worldwide. For the most part, researchers weren't able to find the cause nor find which children were at greater risks. All that researchers have learned was that genetic play a role in children with those disorders. Recently scientist with deep regrets have discovered fourteen new genetic disorders in children. Such news is bitter sweet because on one end, being able to identify the disorder creates hope that one day, there may be ways to treat or cure it.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170125145851.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSFWN1FD0D1

Viruses and Brain Development

Who would've known that something considered acellular and is debated within the biological science community whether or not its living may have contributed to the development of the human brain 35 to 45 million years ago along with impacting gene expression.

Johan Jakobsson and his colleagues at Lund University have been working with a specific group of retrovirus known as endogenous retrovirus (ERV). An amazing fact is that the human gene only accounts up to 2% of the total genome while ERV can account for up 10% of the total genome. The unique thing about the ERV is the attractive force it has with the TRIM28 protein. Once the TRIM28 protein "docks" onto the ERV it has influence on any genes located by the ERV to be activated or turned off. The TRIM28 protein may also turn off the ERV itself.

In my opinion I believe with continuous studies on how ERV affects gene expression, neurological disease, and brain development may lead to new methods on treating or preventing neurological diseases such as ALS, Schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112110840.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIM28