Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Gut-Brain Axis in the Early Postnatal Years of Life: A Developmental Perspective(Frontiers Media S.A., 2020-08-05) Jena A; Montoya CA; Mullaney JA; Dilger RN; Young W; McNabb WC; Roy NC; Cammarota MEmerging evidence suggests that alterations in the development of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract during the early postnatal period can influence brain development and vice-versa. It is increasingly recognized that communication between the GI tract and brain is mainly driven by neural, endocrine, immune, and metabolic mediators, collectively called the gut-brain axis (GBA). Changes in the GBA mediators occur in response to the developmental changes in the body during this period. This review provides an overview of major developmental events in the GI tract and brain in the early postnatal period and their parallel developmental trajectories under physiological conditions. Current knowledge of GBA mediators in context to brain function and behavioral outcomes and their synthesis and metabolism (site, timing, etc.) is discussed. This review also presents hypotheses on the role of the GBA mediators in response to the parallel development of the GI tract and brain in infants.Item Centrality statistics of symptom networks of schizophrenia: a systematic review(Cambridge University Press, 2024-01-04) Buchwald K; Narayanan A; Siegert RJ; Vignes M; Arrowsmith K; Sandham MThe network theory of psychological disorders posits that systems of symptoms cause, or are associated with, the expression of other symptoms. Substantial literature on symptom networks has been published to date, although no systematic review has been conducted exclusively on symptom networks of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform (people diagnosed with schizophrenia; PDS). This study aims to compare statistics of the symptom network publications on PDS in the last 21 years and identify congruences and discrepancies in the literature. More specifically, we will focus on centrality statistics. Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. The results suggest that cognition, and social, and occupational functioning are central to the network of symptoms. Positive symptoms, particularly delusions were central among participants in many studies that did not include cognitive assessment. Nodes representing cognition were most central in those studies that did. Nodes representing negative symptoms were not as central as items measuring positive symptoms. Some studies that included measures of mood and affect found items or subscales measuring depression were central nodes in the networks. Cognition, and social, and occupational functioning appear to be core symptoms of schizophrenia as they are more central in the networks, compared to variables assessing positive symptoms. This seems consistent despite heterogeneity in the design of the studies.Item Health effects of transport noise(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-04-26) Welch D; Shepherd D; Dirks KN; Reddy RThe relationship between transport noise and health outcomes is complex, in part because of the large number of factors involved as well as the range of health impacts, both direct and indirect. To enable the reader to come to grips with the complexity, we have divided the health outcomes into groups: those that are more directly linked to transport noise exposure and those that are more indirectly linked. Four health outcomes, namely annoyance, cognitive disruption, sleep problems, and noise-induced hearing loss, can be directly attributable to transport noise exposure. Less direct outcomes are stress, mental health, metabolic health, cardiovascular health, and overall health-related quality of life. Stress may occur as a direct response to noise, or may occur in response to the aforementioned direct effects. The stress response is a survival mechanism in the short term, but in the long term, stress may lead to systemic health conditions, namely metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes, and to mental health conditions. Finally, a global health outcome that incorporates all of the more direct outcomes is health-related quality of life. Other exposures associated with transport noise that may explain parts of the health outcomes need to be acknowledged, including exposure to social inequities, air pollution, and vibration. These may all be more likely to be experienced by people who are exposed to transport noise in the community and may thus influence the outcomes. Finally, transport noise appears to have more impact on health in those who are noise sensitive, thus noise sensitivity is a key moderator of all the effects observed.Item Vitamin B and One-Carbon Metabolite Profiles Show Divergent Associations with Cardiometabolic Risk Markers but not Cognitive Function in Older New Zealand Adults: A Secondary Analysis of the REACH Study.(Elsevier B.V., 2023-12-07) Gillies NA; Milan AM; Cameron-Smith D; Mumme KD; Conlon CA; von Hurst PR; Haskell-Ramsay CF; Jones B; Roy NC; Coad J; Wall CR; Beck KLBACKGROUND: Vitamin B inadequacies and elevated homocysteine status have been associated with impaired cognitive and cardiometabolic health with aging. There is, however, a scarcity of research investigating integrated profiles of one-carbon (1C) metabolites in this context, including metabolites of interconnected folate, methionine, choline oxidation, and transsulfuration pathways. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to examine associations between vitamins B and 1C metabolites with cardiometabolic health and cognitive function in healthy older adults, including the interactive effects of Apolipoprotein E-ε4 status. METHODS: Three hundred and thirteen healthy participants (65-74 y, 65% female) were analyzed. Vitamins B were estimated according to dietary intake (4-d food records) and biochemical status (serum folate and vitamin B12). Fasting plasma 1C metabolites were quantified by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Measures of cardiometabolic health included biochemical (lipid panel, blood glucose) and anthropometric markers. Cognitive function was assessed by the Computerized Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Associations were analyzed using multivariate linear (COMPASS, cardiometabolic health) and Poisson (MoCA) regression modeling. RESULTS: Over 90% of participants met dietary recommendations for riboflavin and vitamins B6 and B12, but only 78% of males and 67% of females achieved adequate folate intakes. Higher serum folate and plasma betaine and glycine concentrations were associated with favorable cardiometabolic markers, whereas higher plasma choline and homocysteine concentrations were associated with greater cardiometabolic risk based on body mass index and serum lipids concentration values (P< 0.05). Vitamins B and homocysteine were not associated with cognitive performance in this cohort, though higher glycine concentrations were associated with better global cognitive performance (P = 0.017), episodic memory (P = 0.016), and spatial memory (P = 0.027) scores. Apolipoprotein E-ε4 status did not modify the relationship between vitamins B or 1C metabolites with cognitive function in linear regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin B and 1C metabolite profiles showed divergent associations with cardiometabolic risk markers and limited associations with cognitive performance in this cohort of healthy older adults.Item Gender-Specific Design and Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Interventions against Cognitive Decline — Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials(Springer Nature Switzerland AG, 2023-01) Zülke AE; Riedel-Heller SG; Wittmann F; Pabst A; Röhr S; Luppa MBackground The number of people living with dementia worldwide is increasing rapidly. Preventive approaches constitute a promising strategy to counter the dementia epidemic, and growing numbers of lifestyle interventions are conducted around the globe. Gender differences with respect to modifiable risk factors for dementia have been reported, however, little is known about gender-specific effectiveness of lifestyle trials against cognitive decline and dementia. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess evidence on gender-specific design and effectiveness of randomized controlled trials against cognitive decline. Methods Systematic literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central and ALOIS. Studies assessing global and/or domain-specific cognitive function in older adults free from dementia were eligible for the systematic review. We assessed between-group effect sizes using random-effects meta-analysis. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)-checklist. Results The systematic review and meta-analysis included 34 and 31 studies, respectively. Effects of lifestyle-interventions on global cognition were non-significant overall (g =.27; 95% CI: −.01;.56) and in male subsamples (g = −.05; 95% CI: −.55;.45), and small for female subsamples (g =.38; 95% CI:.05;.72). Small beneficial effects were found for memory (overall: g =.38; 95% CI =.17;.59). Stratified by gender, significant effects were observed only in women (g =.39; 95% CI =.13;.65; men: g =.37; 95% CI:.00;.73). Aspects of gender in study design and conduct were discussed in a small minority of studies. Comparable results were observed for executive function and verbal fluency. Methodological quality was deemed high in 17.6% of studies, acceptable and low quality in 52.9% and 29.4%, respectively. Discussion We found evidence for small differences in the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions on global cognition and memory in favor of women. However, small numbers of trials 1) targeting men and 2) reporting gender-specific results for older adults with mild cognitive impairment warrant further attention. Assessing differences in modifiable risk factors for dementia in men and women and systematically addressing aspects of gender in trial conduction and recruitment in future studies might increase knowledge on gender-specific effectiveness of lifestyle trials against cognitive decline.Item The effects of ruminant milk treatments on hippocampal, striatal, and prefrontal cortex gene expression in pigs as a model for the human infant(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-08-15) Jena A; Montoya CA; Young W; Mullaney JA; Roy D; Dilger RN; Giezenaar C; McNabb WC; Roy NC; Lim CKWhile infant formula is usually bovine milk-based, interest in other ruminant milk-based formulas is growing. However, whether different ruminant milk treatments with varying nutrient compositions influence the infant's brain development remains unknown. The aim was to determine the effects of consuming bovine, caprine, or ovine milk on brain gene expression in the early postnatal period using a pig model of the human infant. Starting at postnatal day 7 or 8, pigs were exclusively fed bovine, ovine, or caprine milk for 15 days. The mRNA abundance of 77 genes in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum regions was measured at postnatal day 21 or 22 using NanoString. The expression level of two hippocampal and nine striatal genes was most affected by milk treatments, particularly ovine milk. These modulatory genes are involved in glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, adrenaline and neurotrophin signaling and the synaptic vesicle cycle. The expression level of genes involved in gamma-aminobutyric acid signaling was associated with pigs' lactose intake. In contrast, milk treatments did not affect the mRNA abundance of the genes in the prefrontal cortex. This study provides the first evidence of the association of different ruminant milk treatments with brain gene expression related to cognitive function in the first 3 months of postnatal life.