Browsing by Subject "Inflammatory biomarkers"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Increased brain age and relationships with blood-based biomarkers following concussion in younger populations
    (Springer, 2023) Mayer, Andrew R.; Meier, Timothy B.; Ling, Josef M.; Dodd, Andrew B.; Brett, Benjamin L.; Robertson‑Benta, Cidney R.; Huber, Daniel L.; Van der Horn, Harm J.; Broglio, Steven P.; McCrea, Michael A.; McAllister, Thomas; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Objective: Brain age is increasingly being applied to the spectrum of brain injury to define neuropathological changes in conjunction with blood-based biomarkers. However, data from the acute/sub-acute stages of concussion are lacking, especially among younger cohorts. Methods: Predicted brain age differences were independently calculated in large, prospectively recruited cohorts of pediatric concussion and matched healthy controls (total N = 446), as well as collegiate athletes with sport-related concussion and matched non-contact sport controls (total N = 184). Effects of repetitive head injury (i.e., exposure) were examined in a separate cohort of contact sport athletes (N = 82), as well as by quantifying concussion history through semi-structured interviews and years of contact sport participation. Results: Findings of increased brain age during acute and sub-acute concussion were independently replicated across both cohorts, with stronger evidence of recovery for pediatric (4 months) relative to concussed athletes (6 months). Mixed evidence existed for effects of repetitive head injury, as brain age was increased in contact sport athletes, but was not associated with concussion history or years of contact sport exposure. There was no difference in brain age between concussed and contact sport athletes. Total tau decreased immediately (~ 1.5 days) post-concussion relative to the non-contact group, whereas pro-inflammatory markers were increased in both concussed and contact sport athletes. Anti-inflammatory markers were inversely related to brain age, whereas markers of axonal injury (neurofilament light) exhibited a trend positive association. Conclusion: Current and previous findings collectively suggest that the chronicity of brain age differences may be mediated by age at injury (adults > children), with preliminary findings suggesting that exposure to contact sports may also increase brain age.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The St. Louis African American health-heart study: methodology for the study of cardiovascular disease and depression in young-old African Americans
    (Springer Nature, 2013-09-08) Bruchas, Robin R.; de las Fuentes, Lisa; Carney, Robert M.; Reagan, Joann L.; Bernal-Mizrachi, Carlos; Riek, Amy E.; Gu, Chi Charles; Bierhals, Andrew; Schootman, Mario; Malmstrom, Theodore K.; Burroughs, Thomas E.; Stein, Phyllis K.; Miller, Douglas K.; Dávila-Román, Victor G.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Depression has complex bidirectional adverse associations with CAD, although the mechanisms mediating these relationships remain unclear. Compared to European Americans, African Americans (AAs) have higher rates of morbidity and mortality from CAD. Although depression is common in AAs, its role in the development and features of CAD in this group has not been well examined. This project hypothesizes that the relationships between depression and CAD can be explained by common physiological pathways and gene-environment interactions. Thus, the primary aims of this ongoing project are to: a) determine the prevalence of CAD and depression phenotypes in a population-based sample of community-dwelling older AAs; b) examine the relationships between CAD and depression phenotypes in this population; and c) evaluate genetic variants from serotoninP and inflammatory pathways to discover potential gene-depression interactions that contribute significantly to the presence of CAD in AAs. Methods/design: The St. Louis African American Health (AAH) cohort is a population-based panel study of community-dwelling AAs born in 1936-1950 (inclusive) who have been followed from 2000/2001 through 2010. The AAH-Heart study group is a subset of AAH participants recruited in 2009-11 to examine the inter-relationships between depression and CAD in this population. State-of-the-art CAD phenotyping is based on cardiovascular characterizations (coronary artery calcium, carotid intima-media thickness, cardiac structure and function, and autonomic function). Depression phenotyping is based on standardized questionnaires and detailed interviews. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of selected genes in inflammatory and serotonin-signaling pathways are being examined to provide information for investigating potential gene-depression interactions as modifiers of CAD traits. Information from the parent AAH study is being used to provide population-based prevalence estimates. Inflammatory and other biomarkers provide information about potential pathways. Discussion: This population-based investigation will provide valuable information on the prevalence of both depression and CAD phenotypes in this population. The study will examine interactions between depression and genetic variants as modulators of CAD, with the intent of detecting mechanistic pathways linking these diseases to identify potential therapeutic targets. Analytic results will be reported as they become available.