Neurofibrillary tangles, composed of insoluble aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein Tau, are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD) and other tauopathies. However, recent evidence indicates that neuronal dysfunction precedes the formation of these insoluble fibrillar deposits, suggesting that earlier prefibrillar Tau aggregates may be neurotoxic. To determine the composition of these aggregates, we have employed a photochemical cross-linking technique to examine intermolecular interactions of full-length Tau in vitro. Using this method, we demonstrate that dimerization is an early event in the Tau aggregation process and that these dimers selfassociate to form larger oligomeric aggregates. Moreover, using these stabilized Tau aggregates as immunogens, we generated a monoclonal antibody that selectively recognizes Tau dimers and higher order oligomeric aggregates but shows little reactivity to Tau filaments in vitro. Immunostaining indicates that these dimers/oligomers are markedly elevated in AD, appearing in early pathological inclusions such as neuropil threads and pretangle neurons as well as colocalizing with other early markers of Tau pathogenesis. Taken as a whole, the work presented herein demonstrates the existence of alternative Tau aggregates that precede formation of fibrillar Tau pathologies and raises the possibility that these hierarchical oligomeric forms of Tau may contribute to neurodegeneration.

Scholarly investigations of the first year experience identify various difficulties for students, yet few studies investigate how those difficulties relate to each other or how students’ appraisals help to overcome them. We asked two cohorts of first-year students (109 in 2013, and 98 in 2014) about their experiences with 11 commonly-cited difficulties. They used concept maps to make comparative judgements about their difficulties, appraised their biggest difficulty, and rated how they engaged with that difficulty. The students experienced multiple difficulties at a time. Time management, work load and others’ expectations were the most prevalent and biggest difficulties. Students who appraised their difficulties as challenging or benign were happier with how they addressed their difficulty than those who appraised difficulties as harmful or threatening. Implications include the benefits of addressing more prevalent issues, understanding that students face multiple difficulties, and helping students change their perspectives of their difficulties.

Astrogliosis after spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major impediment to functional recovery. More than half of new astrocytes generated after SCI are derived from ependymal zone stem cells (EZCs). We demonstrate that expression of ␤1-integrin increases in EZCs following SCI in mice. Conditional knock-out of ␤1-integrin increases GFAP expression and astrocytic differentiation by cultured EZCs without altering oligodendroglial or neuronal differentiation. Ablation of ␤1-integrin from EZCs in vivo reduced the number of EZC progeny that continued to express stem cell markers after SCI, increased the proportion of EZC progeny that differentiated into GFAPϩ astrocytes, and diminished functional recovery. Loss of ␤1-integrin increased SMAD1/5/8 and p38 signaling, suggesting activation of BMP signaling. Coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that ␤1-integrin directly interacts with the bone morphogenetic protein receptor subunits BMPR1a and BMPR1b. Ablation of ␤1-integrin reduced overall levels of BMP receptors but significantly increased partitioning of BMPR1b into lipid rafts with increased SMAD1/5/8 and p38 signaling. Thus ␤1-integrin expression by EZCs reduces movement of BMPR1b into lipid rafts, thereby limiting the known deleterious effects of BMPR1b signaling on glial scar formation after SCI.

Many antidepressants stimulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but the mechanisms by which they increase neurogenesis and modulate behavior are incompletely understood. Here we show that hippocampal bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is modulated by antidepressant treatment, and that the changes in BMP signaling mediate effects of antidepressant treatment on neural progenitor cell proliferation and behavior. Treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine suppressed BMP signaling in the adult mouse hippocampus both by decreasing levels of BMP4 ligand and increasing production of the BMP inhibitor noggin. Increasing BMP signaling in the hippocampus via viral overexpression of BMP4 blocked the effects of fluoxetine on proliferation in the dentate gyrus and on depressive behavior. Conversely, inhibiting BMP signaling via viral overexpression of noggin in the hippocampus or infusion of noggin into the ventricles exerted antidepressant and anxiolytic activity along with an increase in hippocampal neurogenesis. Similarly, conditional genetic deletion of the type II BMP receptor in Ascl1-expressing cells promoted neurogenesis and reduced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, suggesting that neural progenitor cells contribute to the effects of BMP signaling on affective behavior. These observations indicate that BMP signaling in the hippocampus regulates depressive behavior, and that decreasing BMP signaling may be required for the effects of some antidepressants. Thus BMP signaling is a new and powerful potential target for the treatment of depression.

The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group of dominantly inherited diseases that share the defining feature of progressive cerebellar ataxia. The disease process, however, is not confined to the cerebellum; other areas of the brain, in particular, the brainstem, are also affected, resulting in a high burden of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments for the SCAs, but preclinical research has led to the development of therapeutic agents ripe for testing in patients. Unfortunately, due to the rarity of these diseases and their slow and variable progression, there are substantial hurdles to overcome in conducting clinical trials. While the epidemiological features of the SCAs are immutable, the feasibility of conducting clinical trials is being addressed through a combination of strategies. These include improvements in clinical outcome measures, the identification of imaging and fluid biomarkers, and innovations in clinical trial design. In this review, we highlight current challenges in initiating clinical trials for the SCAs and also discuss pathways for researchers and clinicians to mitigate these challenges and harness opportunities for clinical trial development.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that mediate cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell interactions. The β1-integrin subunit is highly expressed by embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) and is critical for NSC maintenance in the developing nervous system, but its role in the adult hippocampal niche remains unexplored. We show that β1-integrin expression in the adult mouse dentate gyrus (DG) is localized to radial NSCs and early progenitors, but is lost in more mature progeny. Although NSCs in the hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) normally only infrequently differentiate into astrocytes, deletion of β1-integrin significantly enhanced astrocyte differentiation. Ablation of β1-integrin also led to reduced neurogenesis as well as depletion of the radial NSC population. Activation of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in cultured adult NSCs from β1-integrin knockout mice reduced astrocyte differentiation, suggesting that at least some of the inhibitory effects of β1-integrin on astrocytic differentiation are mediated through ILK. In addition, β1-integrin conditional knockout also resulted in extensive cellular disorganization of the SGZ as well as non-neurogenic regions of the DG. The effects of β1-integrin ablation on DG structure and astrogliogenesis show sex-specific differences, with the effects following a substantially slower time-course in males. β1-integrin thus plays a dual role in maintaining the adult hippocampal NSC population by supporting the structural integrity of the NSC niche and by inhibiting astrocytic lineage commitment. GLIA 2016;64:1235-1251.

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related neurodegenerative disorders, termed the synucleinopathies, are characterized pathologically by the accumulation of protein aggregates containing α-synuclein (aSyn), resulting in progressive neuronal loss. There is considerable need for the development of neuroprotective strategies to halt or slow disease progression in these disorders. To this end, evaluation of genetic mutations associated with the synucleinopathies has helped to elucidate crucial mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, revealing key roles for lysosomal and mitochondrial dysfunction. The GBA1 gene, which encodes the lysosomal hydrolase β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) is the most common genetic risk factor for PD and is also linked to other neurodegenerative disorders including dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Additionally, homozygous mutations in GBA1 are associated with the rare lysosomal storage disorder, Gaucher’s disease (GD). In this review, we discuss the current knowledge in the field regarding the diverse roles of GCase in neurons and the multifactorial effects of loss of GCase enzymatic activity. Importantly, GCase has been shown to have a bidirectional relationship with aSyn, resulting in a pathogenic feedback loop that can lead to progressive aSyn accumulation. Alterations in GCase activity have furthermore been linked to multiple distinct pathways involved in neurodegeneration, and therefore GCase has emerged as a promising target for therapeutic drug development for PD and related neurodegenerative disorders, particularly DLB.