Featured Research

Updated September 26, 2023

 Research Spotlight

Estradiol- and Progesterone-Associated Changes in microRNA-Induced Silencing and Reduced Antiseizure Efficacy of an Antagomir in Female Mice

Durgesh Tiwari, Valerine Rajathi, Jeffrey K. Rymer, Lindsay N. Beasley, Amanda M. McGann, Alexander T. Bunk, Emma V. Parkins, McKenzie F. Rice, Katie E. Smith, David M. Ritter, Angela R. White, Carolyn M. Doerning, and Christina Gross

Epilepsy affects men and women in different ways and susceptibility to seizures can differ as per the menstrual cycle stage in women. The underlying mechanisms of this sex difference and the effects of female hormones in epilepsy are not fully understood however are crucial for developing effective treatments for men and women. Tiwari and colleagues showed in a mouse model that a mechanism involving microRNAs, small RNAs that regulate gene expression and affect seizure susceptibility, functionally correlated with plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone in female mice. These results may have implications for designing future therapeutic strategies targeting microRNAs in epilepsy.

Chronic Alcohol Drinking Drives Sex-Specific Differences in Affective Behavior and Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity in CRF1:Cre:tdTomato Transgenic Rats

Sema G. Quadir, Gillian M. Arleth, Meredith G. Cone, Margaret W. High, Maria C. Ramage, Devin P. Effinger, Maria Echeveste Sanchez, and Melissa A. Herman

Despite alcohol use being extremely comorbid with mood and pain disorders, there is still a limited understanding of the interaction and directionality between them. To investigate this problem, Quadir and colleagues tested rats for affective behavior before and after being allowed to drink alcohol for 6 weeks. While baseline behavior did not predict subsequent intake, alcohol intake predicted subsequent affective behavior on an individual subject basis. These findings were accompanied by increased activity of the corticotropin releasing factor 1 containing neurons in the infralimbic region of the prefrontal cortex. Together, these findings reveal a new mechanism for understanding alcohol use.

Distinct Frontoparietal Brain Dynamics Underlying the Co-Occurrence of Autism and ADHD

Daichi Watanabe and Takamitsu Watanabe

Autism and ADHD have seemingly opposite symptoms but are known to co-exist in one person frequently. How can such a comorbid condition happen? This human neuroimaging study from Watanabe and Watanabe revealed brain mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD, and the results may indicate the necessity of a new bespoke diagnosis and treatment for the comorbidity.

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