The Influence of Metabolic Genotypes on Diet and Exercise Induced Weight Loss in Women

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively determine the influence of genetic profiling on diet type and exercise for weight loss, body composition, and biomarkers of metabolic health in previously sedentary women. SNPs in obesity candidate genes ADRB2-79, ADRB2-46, PPARγ2, FABP2, and ADRB3 were evaluated to predict health outcomes. Eighty-six women (age 37.5±13.4 yrs; ht 163.7±6.9 cm; wt 82.0±16.8 kg; 40.8±5.1% body fat) were randomized to the control (CTRL), American Heart Association (AHA), Curves Complete-I (CC-I), or Curves Complete-II (CC-II) program for 24-wks (N=86). Participants in the diet groups followed a 1,400 kcal/d diet for 1 wk; 1,500 kcal/d diet for 23 wks (AHA 55%:15% CHO:PRO, CC-I 25%:45% CHO:PRO, CC-II 15%:45% CHO:PRO), while participating in supervised resistance circuit (3x/wk) and Zumba exercise (1x/wk). Remaining subjects in the CTRL had no diet or exercise intervention. Body composition, anthropometrics, resting energy expenditure (REE), physical activity, and psychosocial assessments were measured at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks. VO₂max capacity, upper and lower body isotonic strength and endurance, and lipid biomarkers were assessed at 0, 12, and 24 weeks. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures. MANOVA of body composition data revealed time x diet interaction (Wilks’ Lambda p=0.05) with no difference observed among diet groups (p=0.86), as all diet groups significantly improved these variables and CTRL had no deviation from baseline after 24 wks. MANOVA of body composition (body weight, fat mass, lean mass, fat-free mass, and body fat %) revealed an overall time effect (Wilks’ Lambda p<0.001), but no time x match interaction (p=0.99) when analyzed as a genetically True (T) or False (F) match to diet. Both T and F participants matched to diet revealed similar weight loss (F -4.25±0.93; T -4.63±0.85 kg, p=0.61). Results indicate that women following a controlled diet and exercise program experience similarly favorable changes in body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and biomarkers of health. However, diets designed for weight loss based on SNP profiles elicits further research, as no time x genetic match interactions in body weight or composition were observed in T and F matches to diets

Locomotive Biomechanics Wearing a Simulated Portable Life Support System During Varying Cognitive and Treadmill Grade Conditions

Background: The Portable Life Support System (PLSS) worn by astronauts during Extravehicular Activity (EVA) is contained within a backpack. Due to the inherent mass of the PLSS, astronaut center of mass (COM) is altered during ambulation. Recent studies from our laboratory suggest shifts in the COM of the PLSS have minimal effects on exercising metabolism, although differences were observed in trunk angles during ambulation. During EVA, astronauts continuously perform cognitive tasks (CG). Due to the distractive nature of these tasks, safety may be compromised by altered biomechanics. Purpose: To quantify lower extremity kinematics while walking with a simulated PLSS at variable inclines with and without a cognitive task. Methods: Nine subjects underwent treadmill gait analysis walking at 4.0 mph with a flat grade and a 6% decline wearing a 14.5 Kg. PLSS simulator. Within each treadmill grade condition, 30s of 3D motion capture data were collected as subjects walked while looking at a blank computer screen (CON), then while performing a CG. The CG consisted of identifying odd or even numbers and consonant or vowel letters presented for 0.1s on the computer screen. Kinematic data were obtained at 120 Hz using a motion capture system with a Helen Hayes marker set (Motion Analysis Software). Angle kinematic computations were completed using MatLab. Relevant measurements were compared within / between grade and cognitive conditions using a two-way factorial repeated measures analysis of variance test. Results: No significant differences were observed in scores on cognitive tests during the two grade conditions. Maximal left ankle plantarflexion was significantly greater in CG compared to CON; no other differences were observed between the CG and CON. There was a 2.5o difference in right knee flexion angle during the stance phase between the flat and decline positions (p \u3c 0.001). During the swing phase, grade affected knee flexion by 1.9o (p \u3c 0.002). Change in grade also resulted in differences in right and left hip extension in stance phase by 2.8o (p\u3c0.009) and 4.3o (p\u3c0.022) respectively. Conclusions: The cognitive task administered in this investigation is not adversely affected by ambulation at 4.0 mph regardless of treadmill grade. Furthermore, there were minimal effects on walking kinematics during the cognitive task. Subtle biomechanical differences were observed during the two grade conditions within both cognitive conditions. More research utilizing faster treadmill speeds and varying levels of CG may be necessary to detect possible alterations in biomechanics resulting from cognitive tasks

Maternal buffering beyond glucocorticoids: impact of early life stress on corticolimbic circuits that control infant responses to novelty

Maternal presence has a potent buffering effect on infant fear and stress responses in primates. We previously reported that maternal presence is not effective in buffering the endocrine stress response in infant rhesus monkeys reared by maltreating mothers. We have also reported that maltreating mothers show low maternal responsiveness and permissiveness/secure-base behavior. Although still not understood, it is possible that this maternal buffering effect is mediated, at least partially, through deactivation of amygdala response circuits when mothers are present. Here we studied rhesus monkey infants that differed in the quality of early maternal care to investigate how this early experience modulated maternal buffering effects on behavioral responses to novelty during the weaning period. We also examined the relationship between these behavioral responses and structural connectivity in one of the underlying regulatory neural circuits: amygdala-prefrontal pathways. Our findings suggest that infant exploration in a novel situation is predicted by maternal responsiveness and structural integrity of amygdala-prefrontal white matter depending on maternal presence (positive relationships when mother is absent). These results provide evidence that maternal buffering of infant behavioral inhibition is dependent on the quality of maternal care and structural connectivity of neural pathways that are sensitive to early life stress

UNC-Emory Infant Atlases for Macaque Brain Image Analysis: Postnatal Brain Development through 12 Months

Computational anatomical atlases have shown to be of immense value in neuroimaging as they provide age appropriate reference spaces alongside ancillary anatomical information for automated analysis such as subcortical structural definitions, cortical parcellations or white fiber tract regions. Standard workflows in neuroimaging necessitate such atlases to be appropriately selected for the subject population of interest. This is especially of importance in early postnatal brain development, where rapid changes in brain shape and appearance render neuroimaging workflows sensitive to the appropriate atlas choice. We present here a set of novel computation atlases for structural MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging as crucial resource for the analysis of MRI data from non-human primate rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) data in early postnatal brain development. Forty socially-housed infant macaques were scanned longitudinally at ages 2 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months in order to create cross-sectional structural and DTI atlases via unbiased atlas building at each of these ages. Probabilistic spatial prior definitions for the major tissue classes were trained on each atlas with expert manual segmentations. In this article we present the development and use of these atlases with publicly available tools, as well as the atlases themselves, which are publicly disseminated to the scientific community

Fall Concert featuring KSU Chorale, Men\u27s Ensemble and Chamber Singers

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Fall Concert featuring University Chorale, Men\u27s Ensemble and Chamber Singers under the direction of Leslie J. Blackwell.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1665/thumbnail.jp

Early Adverse Experience Increases Emotional Reactivity in Juvenile Rhesus Macaques: Relation to Amygdala Volume

This study investigated the impact of infant maltreatment on juvenile rhesus monkeys’ behavioral reactivity to novel stimuli and its associations with amygdala volume. Behavioral reactivity to novel stimuli of varying threat intensity was measured using Approach/Avoidance (AA) and Human Intruder (HI) tasks. In vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure amygdala volume. Interestingly, group behavioral differences were context-dependent. When exposed to a human intruder, maltreated subjects displayed more anxious behaviors than controls; however, when presented with fear-evoking objects, maltreated animals exhibited increased aggression and a shorter latency to inspect the objects. Finally, under testing conditions with the lowest levels of threat (neutral novel objects) maltreated animals also showed shorter latencies to inspect objects, and reduced avoidance and increased exploration compared to controls. This suggests alterations in threat assessment and less behavioral inhibition in animals with early adverse experience compared to controls. Some of these behavioral responses were associated with amygdala volume, which was positively correlated with abuse rates received during infancy, particularly reflecting a relationship with exploration, consistent with previous studies

Psychometric properties of the mock interview rating scale for autistic transition-age youth

BackgroundEmployment is a major contributor to quality of life. However, autistic people are often unemployed and underemployed. One potential barrier to employment is the job interview. However, the availability of psychometrically-evaluated assessments of job interviewing skills is limited for autism services providers and researchers.ObjectiveWe analyzed the psychometric properties of the Mock Interview Rating Scale that was adapted for research with autistic transition-age youth (A-MIRS; a comprehensive assessment of video-recorded job interview role-play scenarios using anchor-based ratings for 14 scripted job scenarios).MethodsEighty-five transition-age youth with autism completed one of two randomized controlled trials to test the effectiveness of two interventions focused on job interview skills. All participants completed a single job interview role-play at pre-test that was scored by raters using the A-MIRS. We analyzed the structure of the A-MIRS using classical test theory, which involved conducting both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes, Rasch model analysis and calibration techniques. We then assessed internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test–retest reliability. Pearson correlations were used to assess the A-MIRS’ construct, convergent, divergent, criterion, and predictive validities by comparing it to demographic, clinical, cognitive, work history measures, and employment outcomes.ResultsResults revealed an 11-item unidimensional construct with strong internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test–retest reliability. Construct [pragmatic social skills (r = 0.61, p &lt; 0.001), self-reported interview skills (r = 0.34, p = 0.001)], divergent [e.g., age (r = −0.13, p = 0.26), race (r = 0.02, p = 0.87)], and predictive validities [competitive employment (r = 0.31, p = 0.03)] received initial support via study correlations, while convergent [e.g., intrinsic motivation (r = 0.32, p = 0.007), job interview anxiety (r = −0.19, p = 0.08)] and criterion [e.g., prior employment (r = 0.22, p = 0.046), current employment (r = 0.21, p = 0.054)] validities were limited.ConclusionThe psychometric properties of the 11-item A-MIRS ranged from strong-to-acceptable, indicating it may have utility as a reliable and valid method for assessing the job interview skills of autistic transition-age youth

Multi-ancestry meta-analysis of tobacco use disorder prioritizes novel candidate risk genes and reveals associations with numerous health outcomes

Tobacco use disorder (TUD) is the most prevalent substance use disorder in the world. Genetic factors influence smoking behaviors, and although strides have been made using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify risk variants, the majority of variants identified have been for nicotine consumption, rather than TUD. We leveraged five biobanks to perform a multi-ancestral meta-analysis of TUD (derived via electronic health records, EHR) in 898,680 individuals (739,895 European, 114,420 African American, 44,365 Latin American). We identified 88 independent risk loci; integration with functional genomic tools uncovered 461 potential risk genes, primarily expressed in the brain. TUD was genetically correlated with smoking and psychiatric traits from traditionally ascertained cohorts, externalizing behaviors in children, and hundreds of medical outcomes, including HIV infection, heart disease, and pain. This work furthers our biological understanding of TUD and establishes EHR as a source of phenotypic information for studying the genetics of TUD

Prior Sexual Trauma Exposure Impacts Posttraumatic Dysfunction and Neural Circuitry Following a Recent Traumatic Event in the AURORA Study

Background: Prior sexual trauma (ST) is associated with greater risk for posttraumatic stress disorder after a subsequent traumatic event; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain opaque. We investigated longitudinal posttraumatic dysfunction and amygdala functional dynamics following admission to an emergency department for new primarily nonsexual trauma in participants with and without previous ST. Methods: Participants (N = 2178) were recruited following acute trauma exposure (primarily motor vehicle collision). A subset (n = 242) completed magnetic resonance imaging that included a fearful faces task and a resting-state scan 2 weeks after the trauma. We investigated associations between prior ST and several dimensions of posttraumatic symptoms over 6 months. We further assessed amygdala activation and connectivity differences between groups with or without prior ST. Results: Prior ST was associated with greater posttraumatic depression (F1,1120 = 28.35, p = 1.22 × 10−7, ηp2 = 0.06), anxiety (F1,1113 = 17.43, p = 3.21 × 10−5, ηp2 = 0.05), and posttraumatic stress disorder (F1,1027 = 11.34, p = 7.85 × 10−4, ηp2 = 0.04) severity and more maladaptive beliefs about pain (F1,1113 = 8.51, p = .004, ηp2 = 0.02) but was not related to amygdala reactivity to fearful versus neutral faces (all ps \u3e .05). A secondary analysis revealed an interaction between ST and lifetime trauma load on the left amygdala to visual cortex connectivity (peak Z value: −4.41, corrected p \u3c .02). Conclusions: Findings suggest that prior ST is associated with heightened posttraumatic dysfunction following a new trauma exposure but not increased amygdala activity. In addition, ST may interact with lifetime trauma load to alter neural circuitry in visual processing regions following acute trauma exposure. Further research should probe the relationship between trauma type and visual circuitry in the acute aftermath of trauma