The choroid plexus and cerebrospinal fluid have recently begun to emerge as essential regulators of neural function. Factors produced by the choroid plexus are released into the ventricular environment and thus provide a rich source of extracellular signaling molecules throughout the central nervous system. Identified factors in the cerebrospinal fluid include growth factors, hormones, proteins, peptides, lipids, glucose, microRNAs (miRNAs), messenger RNA (mRNA), and enzymes. In addition to mediating neural function, these factors have the potential to serve as biomarkers of disease states. In this review, we highlight recent advances demonstrating the importance of extracellular signaling mechanisms in mediating neural function and provide recent evidence for their role in neuropathology.
Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. However, limited number of molecularly targeted therapy exists for stroke. Recent studies have shown that Li-pocalin-2 (LCN2) is an acute phase protein mediating neuroinflammation after ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. This review is an attempt to summarize some LCN2-related research findings and discuss its role in stroke.
Background: Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have previously been associated with structural gray matter changes in normal healthy adults. However, it remains unknown if standardized MBIs can induce similar changes in older adults and those with health complaints as well. The objective of this investigation was to examine the effect of a standardized MBI on the gray matter tissue of older adults with sleep disturbances.
Methods: This exploratory single-group pilot longitudinal study examined local gray matter changes over a six-week MBI period. Participants included six older adult community volunteers (M=66.5 years of age, SD=5.5, range=58-75; 66% female) with sleep disturbances recruited through advertisement in local newspapers/flyers posted at a university medical center and affiliated clinics in Los Angeles, CA. The MBI was delivered as a weekly, two-hour, six-session, group-based course in mindfulness meditation. Gray matter was measured voxel-wise pre- and post-intervention.
Results: A significant gray matter increase was identified within the precuneus, possibly implicating meditation-induced changes of the default mode network. In contrast, observed significant gray matter decreases may have been driven by MBI-related remediation of brain architecture subserving sleep complaints.
Conclusions: Exploratory findings suggest that mindfulness meditation practice is associated with a detectable alteration of cerebral gray matter in older adults.
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