Investigating the Head Impact Force-Induced Evolution of Hyperphosphorylated Tau Proteins in Brain Tissue Through Mechanical Mesoscale Finite Element Simulation

For human heads that experienced repetitive subconcussive impacts,abnormal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau(p-tau)proteins was found in the postmortem brain tissue.To numerically understand the cause–effect relationship between the external force and the microscopic volume change of the p-tau protein,we created a mesoscale finite element model of the multilayer brain tissue containing microscopic voids representing the p-tau proteins.The model was applied under the loading boundary conditions obtained from a larger length scale simulation.A formerly developed internal state variable elastoplasticity model was implemented to describe the constitutive behaviors of gray and white matters,while the cerebrospinal fluid was assumed to be purely elastic.The effects of the initial sizes and distances of p-tau proteins located at four different brain regions(frontal,parietal,temporal and occipital lobes)on their volumetric evolutions were studied.It is concluded that both the initial sizes and distances of the proteins have more or less(depending on the specific brain region)influential effects on the growth or contraction rate of the p-tau protein.The p-tau proteins located within the brain tissue at the frontal and occipital lobes are more heavily affected by the frontal impact load compared with those at the parietal and temporal lobes.In summary,the modeling approach presented in this paper provides a strategy for mechanically studying the evolution of p-tau proteins in the brain tissue and gives insight into understanding the correlation between macroscopic force and microstructure change of the brain tissue.

Lamotrigine protects against cognitive deficits,synapse and nerve cell damage,and hallmark neuropathologies in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Lamotrigine(LTG)is a widely used drug for the treatment of epilepsy.Emerging clinical evidence suggests that LTG may improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.However,the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear.In this study,amyloid precursor protein/presenilin 1(APP/PS1)double transgenic mice were used as a model of Alzheimer’s disease.Five-month-old APP/PS1 mice were intragastrically administered 30 mg/kg LTG or vehicle once per day for 3 successive months.The cognitive functions of animals were assessed using Morris water maze.Hyperphosphorylated tau and markers of synapse and glial cells were detected by western blot assay.The cell damage in the brain was investigated using hematoxylin and eosin staining.The levels of amyloid-βand the concentrations of interleukin-1β,interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-αin the brain were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Differentially expressed genes in the brain after LTG treatment were analyzed by high-throughput RNA sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction.We found that LTG substantially improved spatial cognitive deficits of APP/PS1 mice;alleviated damage to synapses and nerve cells in the brain;and reduced amyloid-βlevels,tau protein hyperphosphorylation,and inflammatory responses.High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed that the beneficial effects of LTG on Alzheimer’s disease-related neuropathologies may have been mediated by the regulation of Ptgds,Cd74,Map3k1,Fosb,and Spp1 expression in the brain.These findings revealed potential molecular mechanisms by which LTG treatment improved Alzheimer’s disease.Furthermore,these data indicate that LTG may be a promising therapeutic drug for Alzheimer’s disease.