Network analysis of the associations between personality traits, cognitive functioning, and inflammatory markers in elderly individuals without dementia

IntroductionLower cognitive functioning in old age has been associated with personality traits or systemic inflammatory markers. Associations have also been found between personality traits and inflammatory markers. However, no study has explored the inter-relationships between these three components simultaneously. The present study aims to better understand the inter-relationships among personality traits, inflammatory markers, and cognitive performance in elderly individuals without dementia.MethodsThis study utilizes a network analysis approach, a statistical method that allows visualization of the data’s unique pairwise associations. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 720 elderly individuals without dementia, using data from Colaus|PsyColaus, a population-based study conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Revised NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-R) was used to assess personality traits, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as peripheral inflammatory markers. Cognitive domains were investigated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Verbal Fluency Test, the Stroop Test, the DO40, and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding (FCSR) test.ResultsOpenness was associated with verbal fluency and Agreeableness with immediate free recall. In contrast, no association between inflammatory markers and personality traits or cognition was identified.DiscussionIn elderly individuals without dementia, a high level of Openness or Agreeableness was associated with executive functioning/semantic memory and episodic memory, respectively

Front Aging Neurosci

INTRODUCTION: Lower cognitive functioning in old age has been associated with personality traits or systemic inflammatory markers. Associations have also been found between personality traits and inflammatory markers. However, no study has explored the inter-relationships between these three components simultaneously. The present study aims to better understand the inter-relationships among personality traits, inflammatory markers, and cognitive performance in elderly individuals without dementia. METHODS: This study utilizes a network analysis approach, a statistical method that allows visualization of the data's unique pairwise associations. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 720 elderly individuals without dementia, using data from Colaus|PsyColaus, a population-based study conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Revised NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-R) was used to assess personality traits, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as peripheral inflammatory markers. Cognitive domains were investigated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Verbal Fluency Test, the Stroop Test, the DO40, and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding (FCSR) test. RESULTS: Openness was associated with verbal fluency and Agreeableness with immediate free recall. In contrast, no association between inflammatory markers and personality traits or cognition was identified. DISCUSSION: In elderly individuals without dementia, a high level of Openness or Agreeableness was associated with executive functioning/semantic memory and episodic memory, respectively

A Combined Transcriptomics and Lipidomics Analysis of Subcutaneous, Epididymal and Mesenteric Adipose Tissue Reveals Marked Functional Differences

Depot-dependent differences in adipose tissue physiology may reflect specialized functions and local interactions between adipocytes and surrounding tissues. We combined time-resolved microarray analyses of mesenteric- (MWAT), subcutaneous- (SWAT) and epididymal adipose tissue (EWAT) during high-fat feeding of male transgenic ApoE3Leiden mice with histology, targeted lipidomics and biochemical analyses of metabolic pathways to identify differentially regulated processes and site-specific functions. EWAT was found to exhibit physiological zonation. De novo lipogenesis in fat proximal to epididymis was stably low, whereas de novo lipogenesis distal to epididymis and at other locations was down-regulated in response to high-fat diet. The contents of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid in EWAT were increased compared to other depots. Expression of the androgen receptor (Ar) was higher in EWAT than in MWAT and SWAT. We suggest that Ar may mediate depot-dependent differences in de novo lipogenesis rate and propose that accumulation of linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid in EWAT is favored by testosterone-mediated inhibition of de novo lipogenesis and may promote further elongation and desaturation of these polyunsaturated fatty acids during spermatogenesis

Nurturing the Mathematical Brain: Home Numeracy Practices Are Associated With Children’s Neural Responses to Arabic Numerals

International audienceDisparities in home numeracy environments contribute to variations in children’s mathematical skills. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relation between home numeracy experiences and mathematical learning are unknown. Here, parents of 66 eight-year-olds completed a questionnaire assessing the frequency of home numeracy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of Arabic numerals and words was measured in children using functional MRI ( n = 50) to assess how sensitive the brain is to the presentation of numerical and nonnumerical information. Disparities in home numeracy practices were related to differences in digit (but not word) processing in a region of the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) that was also related to children’s arithmetic fluency. Furthermore, digit-related processing in the IPS influenced the relation between home numeracy practices and arithmetic fluency. Results were consistent with a model hypothesizing that home numeracy practices may affect children’s mathematical skills by modulating the IPS response to symbolic numerical information

Nurturing the reading brain: home literacy practices are associated with children’s neural response to printed words through vocabulary skills

International audiencePrevious studies indicate that children are exposed to different literacy experiences at home. Although these disparities have been shown to affect children’s literacy skills, it remains unclear whether and how home literacy practices influence brain activity underlying word-level reading. In the present study, we asked parents of French children from various socioeconomic backgrounds ( n = 66; 8.46 ± 0.36 years, range 7.52–9.22; 20 girls) to report the frequency of home literacy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of printed words was then measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a subset of these children ( n = 44; 8.49 ± 0.33 years, range 8.02–9.14; 13 girls), thereby assessing how sensitive was the brain to the repeated presentation of these words. We found that more frequent home literacy practices were associated with enhanced word adaptation in the left posterior inferior frontal sulcus ( r = 0.32). We also found that the frequency of home literacy practices was associated with children’s vocabulary skill ( r = 0.25), which itself influenced the relation between home literacy practices and neural adaptation to words. Finally, none of these effects were observed in a digit adaptation task, highlighting their specificity to word recognition. These findings are consistent with a model positing that home literacy experiences may improve children’s vocabulary skill, which in turn may influence the neural mechanisms supporting word-level reading

The relation between home numeracy practices and a variety of math skills in elementary school children

International audienceA growing number of studies suggest that the frequency of numeracy experiences that parents provide at home may relate to children’s mathematical development. However, the relation between home numeracy practices and children’s numerical skills is complex and might depend upon both the type and difficulty of activities, as well as the type of math skills. Studies have also argued that this relation may be driven by factors that are not systematically controlled for in the literature, including socio-economic status (SES), parental math skills and children’s IQ. Finally, as most prior studies have focused on preschoolers, it remains unclear to what extent there remains a relation between the home numeracy environment and math skills when children are in elementary school. In the present study, we tested an extensive range of math skills in 66 8-year-olds, including non-symbolic quantity processing, symbolic number understanding, transcoding, counting, and mental arithmetic. We also asked parents to complete a questionnaire about their SES, academic expectations, academic attitudes, and the numeracy practices that they provide at home. Finally, we measured their arithmetic fluency as a proxy for parental math skills. Over and above differences in socio-economic status, parental arithmetic fluency, child’s IQ, and time spent with the child, we found a positive relation between the frequency of formal numeracy practices that were at or above grade level and two separate measures of mental arithmetic. We further found that the frequency of these advanced formal numeracy practices was related to parents’ academic expectations. Therefore, our study shows that home numeracy experiences predict arithmetic skills in elementary school children, but only when those activities are formal and sufficiently challenging for children

Platelet CD40 ligand and bleeding during P2Y12 inhibitor treatment in acute coronary syndrome

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. Abstract Antiplatelet therapy through inhibition of the adenosine diphosphate (ADP)/P2Y12 pathway is commonly used in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Although efficient in preventing platelet activation and thrombus formation, it increases the risk of bleeding complications. In patients with ACS receiving platelet aggregation inhibitors, that is, P2Y12 blockers (n = 923), we investigated the relationship between plasma and platelet-associated CD40L levels and bleeding events (n = 71). Treatment with P2Y12 inhibitors in patients with ACS did not affect plasma-soluble CD40L levels, but decreased platelet CD40L surface expression (pCD40L) and platelet-released CD40L (rCD40L) levels in response to stimulation as compared to healthy controls. In vitro inhibition of the ADP pathway in healthy control platelets reduced both pCD40L and rCD40L levels. In a multivariable analysis, the reduced pCD40L level observed in ACS patients was significantly associated with the risk of bleeding occurrence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.15; 95% confidence interval = 0.034-0.67). P2Y12 inhibitor-treated (ticagrelor) mice exhibited a 2.5-fold increase in tail bleeding duration compared with controls. A significant reduction in bleeding duration was observed on CD40L +/+ but not CD40L −/− platelet infusion. In addition, CD40L blockade in P2Y12 inhibitor-treated blood samples from a healthy human reduced thrombus growth over immobilized collagen under arterial flow. In conclusion, measurement of pCD40L may offer a novel approach to assessing bleeding risk in patients with ACS who are being treated with P2Y12 inhibitors. K E Y W O R D S acute coronary syndrome, blood platelets, CD40 ligand, hemorrhage, platelet aggregation inhibitor

Data_Sheet_1_Network analysis of the associations between personality traits, cognitive functioning, and inflammatory markers in elderly individuals without dementia.docx

IntroductionLower cognitive functioning in old age has been associated with personality traits or systemic inflammatory markers. Associations have also been found between personality traits and inflammatory markers. However, no study has explored the inter-relationships between these three components simultaneously. The present study aims to better understand the inter-relationships among personality traits, inflammatory markers, and cognitive performance in elderly individuals without dementia.MethodsThis study utilizes a network analysis approach, a statistical method that allows visualization of the data’s unique pairwise associations. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 720 elderly individuals without dementia, using data from Colaus|PsyColaus, a population-based study conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Revised NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-R) was used to assess personality traits, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as peripheral inflammatory markers. Cognitive domains were investigated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Verbal Fluency Test, the Stroop Test, the DO40, and the Free and Cued Selective Reminding (FCSR) test.ResultsOpenness was associated with verbal fluency and Agreeableness with immediate free recall. In contrast, no association between inflammatory markers and personality traits or cognition was identified.DiscussionIn elderly individuals without dementia, a high level of Openness or Agreeableness was associated with executive functioning/semantic memory and episodic memory, respectively.</p