Selected Papers from "Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists (BraYn)

A special issue of Neurology International (ISSN 2035-8377).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 August 2024) | Viewed by 11519

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Experimental Neuroscience Lab, IRCCS San Martino Hospital, 16132 Genoa, Italy
Interests: neuroimmunology; neuroinflammation; multiple sclerosis; experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; encephalitogenic response T and dendritic cells
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 5th edition of the BraYn conference will take place in Rome (Italy) on September 28th-30th. The event is organized by the BraYn Association and is intended for young researchers under the age of 40 working in the field of Neuroscience. Young neuroscientists are often challenged with the difficulties of carrying out their research; the conference aims to help these researchers reach their full research potential through meeting, connecting, collaborating, and sharing with other scientists. The BraYn association aims to encourage cooperation among different research groups to broaden their horizons and improve the quality of neuroscience research. The BraYn conference is open to PhD students, post docs (juniors and seniors), junior PIs, residents in neurology, young neurologists, and clinicians from all around the world. For this conference Special Issue, we welcome original articles or reviews reporting new experimental or clinical data and promoting the understanding of biological processes from different disciplines of neuroscience, including neuroimmunology, neuronal plasticity, neurophysiology, neurodegeneration, neuro-oncology, epilepsy, neurodevelopment, neurogenetics, clinical neuroscience, and neuroimaging. We aim to provide a collection of high-impact manuscripts dissecting the unknown or lesser studied aspects of neuroscience. This Special Issue further hopes to help young neuroscientists to reconsider their basic knowledge. We invite young colleagues from all neuroscience disciplines to systematically exchange knowledge about their clinical or basic research.

Dr. Giovanni Ferrara
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • neuroimmunology
  • neuronal plasticity
  • neurophysiology
  • neurodegeneration
  • neuro-oncology
  • paediatric neuroscience
  • epilepsy
  • neurodevelopment
  • neurogenetic
  • neuroimaging
  • basic research
  • clinical research
  • neurology
  • clinical neuroscience

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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29 pages, 10286 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Protective Effects of a Citrus Flavonoid on the Retardation Morphogenesis of the Oligodendroglia-like Cell Line by Rnd2 Knockdown
by Shoya Fukatsu, Yuki Miyamoto, Yu Oka, Maki Ishibashi, Remina Shirai, Yuki Ishida, Shin Endo, Hironori Katoh and Junji Yamauchi
Neurol. Int. 2024, 16(1), 33-61; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint16010003 - 26 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1381
Abstract
Recent discoveries suggest links between abnormalities in cell morphogenesis in the brain and the functional deficiency of molecules controlling signal transduction in glial cells such as oligodendroglia. Rnd2 is one such molecule and one of the Rho family monomeric GTP-binding proteins. Despite the [...] Read more.
Recent discoveries suggest links between abnormalities in cell morphogenesis in the brain and the functional deficiency of molecules controlling signal transduction in glial cells such as oligodendroglia. Rnd2 is one such molecule and one of the Rho family monomeric GTP-binding proteins. Despite the currently known functions of Rnd2, its precise roles as it relates to cell morphogenesis and disease state remain to be elucidated. First, we showed that signaling through the loss of function of the rnd2 gene affected the regulation of oligodendroglial cell-like morphological differentiation using the FBD-102b cell line, which is often utilized as a differentiation model. The knockdown of Rnd2 using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CasRx system or RNA interference was shown to slow morphological differentiation. Second, the knockdown of Prag1 or Fyn kinase, a signaling molecule acting downstream of Rnd2, slowed differentiation. Rnd2 or Prag1 knockdown also decreased Fyn phosphorylation, which is critical for its activation and for oligodendroglial cell differentiation and myelination. Of note, hesperetin, a citrus flavonoid with protective effects on oligodendroglial cells and neurons, can recover differentiation states induced by the knockdown of Rnd2/Prag1/Fyn. Here, we showed that signaling through Rnd2/Prag1/Fyn is involved in the regulation of oligodendroglial cell-like morphological differentiation. The effects of knocking down the signaling cascade molecule can be recovered by hesperetin, highlighting an important molecular structure involved in morphological differentiation. Full article
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14 pages, 3981 KiB  
Article
FTD/ALS Type 7-Associated Thr104Asn Mutation of CHMP2B Blunts Neuronal Process Elongation, and Is Recovered by Knockdown of Arf4, the Golgi Stress Regulator
by Remina Shirai, Mizuka Cho, Mikinori Isogai, Shoya Fukatsu, Miyu Okabe, Maho Okawa, Yuki Miyamoto, Tomohiro Torii and Junji Yamauchi
Neurol. Int. 2023, 15(3), 980-993; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint15030063 - 11 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1940
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 7 (FTD/ALS7) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the onset of FTD and/or ALS, mainly in adulthood. Patients with some types of mutations, including the Thr104Asn (T104N) mutation of charged multivesicular body protein 2B [...] Read more.
Frontotemporal dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 7 (FTD/ALS7) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the onset of FTD and/or ALS, mainly in adulthood. Patients with some types of mutations, including the Thr104Asn (T104N) mutation of charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B), have predominantly ALS phenotypes, whereas patients with other mutations have predominantly FTD phenotypes. A few mutations result in patients having both phenotypes approximately equally; however, the reason why phenotypes differ depending on the position of the mutation is unknown. CHMP2B comprises one part of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT), specifically ESCRT-III, in the cytoplasm. We describe here, for the first time, that CHMP2B with the T104N mutation inhibits neuronal process elongation in the N1E-115 cell line, a model line undergoing neuronal differentiation. This inhibitory phenotype was accompanied by changes in marker protein expression. Of note, CHMP2B with the T104N mutation, but not the wild-type form, was preferentially accumulated in the Golgi body. Of the four major Golgi stress signaling pathways currently known, the pathway through Arf4, the small GTPase, was specifically upregulated in cells expressing CHMP2B with the T104N mutation. Conversely, knockdown of Arf4 with the cognate small interfering (si)RNA recovered the neuronal process elongation inhibited by the T104N mutation. These results suggest that the T104N mutation of CHMP2B inhibits morphological differentiation by triggering Golgi stress signaling, revealing a possible therapeutic molecular target for recovering potential molecular and cellular phenotypes underlying FTD/ALS7. Full article
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21 pages, 7322 KiB  
Article
Hesperetin Ameliorates Inhibition of Neuronal and Oligodendroglial Cell Differentiation Phenotypes Induced by Knockdown of Rab2b, an Autism Spectrum Disorder-Associated Gene Product
by Yukino Kato, Remina Shirai, Katsuya Ohbuchi, Hiroaki Oizumi, Masahiro Yamamoto, Wakana Miyata, Tomoki Iguchi, Yoshihiro Mimaki, Yuki Miyamoto and Junji Yamauchi
Neurol. Int. 2023, 15(1), 371-391; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint15010025 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2156
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a central nervous system (CNS) neurodevelopmental disorder that includes autism, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger’s syndrome. ASD is characterized by repetitive behaviors and social communication deficits. ASD is thought to be a multifactorial disorder with a range of [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a central nervous system (CNS) neurodevelopmental disorder that includes autism, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger’s syndrome. ASD is characterized by repetitive behaviors and social communication deficits. ASD is thought to be a multifactorial disorder with a range of genetic and environmental factors/candidates. Among such factors is the rab2b gene, although it remains unclear how Rab2b itself is related to the CNS neuronal and glial developmental disorganization observed in ASD patients. Rab2 subfamily members regulate intracellular vesicle transport between the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi body. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report that Rab2b positively regulates neuronal and glial cell morphological differentiation. Knockdown of Rab2b inhibited morphological changes in N1E-115 cells, which are often used as the neuronal cell differentiation model. These changes were accomplished with decreased expression levels of marker proteins in neuronal cells. Similar results were obtained for FBD-102b cells, which are used as the model of oligodendroglial cell morphological differentiation. In contrast, knockdown of Rab2a, which is another Rab2 family member not known to be associated with ASD, affected only oligodendroglial and not neuronal morphological changes. In contrast, treatment with hesperetin, a citrus flavonoid with various cellular protective effects, in cells recovered the defective morphological changes induced by Rab2b knockdown. These results suggest that knockdown of Rab2b inhibits differentiation in neuronal and glial cells and may be associated with pathological cellular phenotypes in ASD and that hesperetin can recover their phenotypes at the in vitro level at least. Full article
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9 pages, 258 KiB  
Brief Report
Romanian Translation and Cultural Adaptation of the Seizure Severity Questionnaire
by Ionut-Horia Cioriceanu, Dan-Alexandru Constantin, Bianca Zamfirescu, Petru Cezar Podasca, Luigi Geo Marceanu and Liliana Rogozea
Neurol. Int. 2024, 16(5), 1005-1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint16050076 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 602
Abstract
The aim of this study was to report the translation into Romanian of the Seizure Severity Questionnaire (SSQ), an instrument for the evaluation of the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures, and the results of applying it to a group of patients with [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to report the translation into Romanian of the Seizure Severity Questionnaire (SSQ), an instrument for the evaluation of the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures, and the results of applying it to a group of patients with epilepsy evaluated at a hospital in Romania. Methods: Four translators were involved in obtaining conceptual analogies and the cultural importance of the translated notions. The final version was obtained for the Romanian population, with the same appearance as the original instrument. Sixty-seven patients with epilepsy completed the SSQ and the Patient-Weighted Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory—QOLIE-31-P. Results: Females had a lower mean SSQ total score (TS) and perceived seizures less seriously than men. Patients with epilepsy with aura had a higher mean SSQ TS, with a more severe seizure perception, compared to those without aura. According to the frequency of seizures, patients with epilepsy with rare seizures had the lowest mean SSQ total score (TS) compared to those with frequent seizures. Patients who were on monotherapy had a less severe perception of epileptic seizures compared to those who were treated with two or more antiepileptic drugs. All QOLIE-31-P domains and TS correlated statistically significantly with the SSQ TS. Conclusions: This study explored SSQ translation, evaluated preliminary results, and showed the correlation between seizure frequency and severity, clinical factors, and quality of life. This tool could be useful for measuring seizure severity in Romanian patients with epilepsy and conducting comparative studies. Full article
3 pages, 161 KiB  
Conference Report
The Sixth Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists (BraYn), Naples, Italy, 27–29 September 2023
by Giovanni Ferrara
Neurol. Int. 2024, 16(1), 186-188; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint16010011 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1257
Abstract
The BraYn association aims to bolster young neuroscientists’ research endeavors through collaborative support, fundraising assistance, and events promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration across Europe. Central to its mission is the annual BraYn conference, tailored for PhD students, postdocs, junior PIs, neurologists, and clinicians. [...] Read more.
The BraYn association aims to bolster young neuroscientists’ research endeavors through collaborative support, fundraising assistance, and events promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration across Europe. Central to its mission is the annual BraYn conference, tailored for PhD students, postdocs, junior PIs, neurologists, and clinicians. This gathering champions cooperation, offering talks by key figures, educational workshops, and opportunities for attendees to present their work, compete for grants, and engage in international scientific experiences. The conference, established in 2018, has grown substantially in attendance and industry support and was adapted during the pandemic with virtual editions. The last sixth edition in Naples (27–29 September 2023) attracted over 300 delegates, focusing on peer-to-peer discussions, interdisciplinary collaboration, and interaction with renowned speakers, solidifying its place as a flagship event for Europe’s budding neuroscience researchers. Full article
82 pages, 628 KiB  
Conference Report
Abstracts of the Fifth Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists (BraYn), Italy, 28–30 September 2022
by Giovanni Ferrara
Neurol. Int. 2023, 15(1), 415-496; https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint15010028 - 14 Mar 2023
Viewed by 2705
Abstract
On behalf of the BraYn Association Ets, we are pleased to present the Abstracts of the Fifth Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists, which was held in Rome, Italy from 28–30 September 2022. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and [...] Read more.
On behalf of the BraYn Association Ets, we are pleased to present the Abstracts of the Fifth Brainstorming Research Assembly for Young Neuroscientists, which was held in Rome, Italy from 28–30 September 2022. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and contribution. Full article
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