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Dias C, Mo A, Cai C, Sun L, Cabral K, Brownstein CA, Rockowitz S, Walsh CA. Cell-type-specific effects of autism-associated 15q duplication syndrome in the human brain. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:1544-1558. [PMID: 39079538 PMCID: PMC11339625 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Recurrent copy-number variation represents one of the most well-established genetic drivers in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. Duplication of 15q11-q13 (dup15q) is a well-described neurodevelopmental syndrome that increases the risk of autism more than 40-fold. However, the effects of this duplication on gene expression and chromatin accessibility in specific cell types in the human brain remain unknown. To identify the cell-type-specific transcriptional and epigenetic effects of dup15q in the human frontal cortex, we conducted single-nucleus RNA sequencing and multi-omic sequencing on dup15q-affected individuals (n = 6) as well as individuals with non-dup15q autism (n = 7) and neurotypical control individuals (n = 7). Cell-type-specific differential expression analysis identified significantly regulated genes, critical biological pathways, and differentially accessible genomic regions. Although there was overall increased gene expression across the duplicated genomic region, cellular identity represented an important factor mediating gene-expression changes. As compared to other cell types, neuronal subtypes showed greater upregulation of gene expression across a critical region within the duplication. Genes that fell within the duplicated region and had high baseline expression in control individuals showed only modest changes in dup15q, regardless of cell type. Of note, dup15q and autism had largely distinct signatures of chromatin accessibility but shared the majority of transcriptional regulatory motifs, suggesting convergent biological pathways. However, the transcriptional binding-factor motifs implicated in each condition implicated distinct biological mechanisms: neuronal JUN and FOS networks in autism vs. an inflammatory transcriptional network in dup15q microglia. This work provides a cell-type-specific analysis of how dup15q changes gene expression and chromatin accessibility in the human brain, and it finds evidence of marked cell-type-specific effects of this genetic driver. These findings have implications for guiding therapeutic development in dup15q syndrome, as well as understanding the functional effects of copy-number variants more broadly in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Dias
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Alisa Mo
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Chunhui Cai
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Liang Sun
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kristen Cabral
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Catherine A Brownstein
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shira Rockowitz
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Saravanapandian V, Madani M, Nichols I, Vincent S, Dover M, Dikeman D, Philpot BD, Takumi T, Colwell CS, Jeste S, Paul KN, Golshani P. Sleep EEG signatures in mouse models of 15q11.2-13.1 duplication (Dup15q) syndrome. J Neurodev Disord 2024; 16:39. [PMID: 39014349 PMCID: PMC11251350 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09556-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sleep disturbances are a prevalent and complex comorbidity in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Dup15q syndrome (duplications of 15q11.2-13.1) is a genetic disorder highly penetrant for NDDs such as autism and intellectual disability and it is frequently accompanied by significant disruptions in sleep patterns. The 15q critical region harbors genes crucial for brain development, notably UBE3A and a cluster of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAAR) genes. We previously described an electrophysiological biomarker of the syndrome, marked by heightened beta oscillations (12-30 Hz) in individuals with Dup15q syndrome, akin to electroencephalogram (EEG) alterations induced by allosteric modulation of GABAARs. Those with Dup15q syndrome exhibited increased beta oscillations during the awake resting state and during sleep, and they showed profoundly abnormal NREM sleep. This study aims to assess the translational validity of these EEG signatures and to delve into their neurobiological underpinnings by quantifying sleep physiology in chromosome-engineered mice with maternal (matDp/ + mice) or paternal (patDp/ + mice) inheritance of the full 15q11.2-13.1-equivalent duplication, and mice with duplication of just the UBE3A gene (Ube3a overexpression mice; Ube3a OE mice) and comparing the sleep metrics with their respective wildtype (WT) littermate controls. METHODS We collected 48-h EEG/EMG recordings from 35 (23 male, 12 female) 12-24-week-old matDp/ + , patDp/ + , Ube3a OE mice, and their WT littermate controls. We quantified baseline sleep, sleep fragmentation, spectral power dynamics during sleep states, and recovery following sleep deprivation. Within each group, distinctions between Dup15q mutant mice and WT littermate controls were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and student's t-test. The impact of genotype and time was discerned through repeated measures ANOVA, and significance was established at p < 0.05. RESULTS Our study revealed that across brain states, matDp/ + mice mirrored the elevated beta oscillation phenotype observed in clinical EEGs from individuals with Dup15q syndrome. Time to sleep onset after light onset was significantly reduced in matDp/ + and Ube3a OE mice. However, NREM sleep between Dup15q mutant and WT littermate mice remained unaltered, suggesting a divergence from the clinical presentation in humans. Additionally, while increased beta oscillations persisted in matDp/ + mice after 6-h of sleep deprivation, recovery NREM sleep remained unaltered in all groups, thus suggesting that these mice exhibit resilience in the fundamental processes governing sleep-wake regulation. CONCLUSIONS Quantification of mechanistic and translatable EEG biomarkers is essential for advancing our understanding of NDDs and their underlying pathophysiology. Our study of sleep physiology in the Dup15q mice underscores that the beta EEG biomarker has strong translational validity, thus opening the door for pre-clinical studies of putative drug targets, using the biomarker as a translational measure of drug-target engagement. The unaltered NREM sleep may be due to inherent differences in neurobiology between mice and humans. These nuanced distinctions highlight the complexity of sleep disruptions in Dup15q syndrome and emphasize the need for a comprehensive understanding that encompasses both shared and distinct features between murine models and clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidya Saravanapandian
- Department of Neurology and Semel Institute for Neuroscience, David Geffen School of Medicine, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Melika Madani
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - India Nichols
- Department of Biology, Spelman College, 350 Spelman Lane, Atlanta, GA, 30314, USA
| | - Scott Vincent
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Mary Dover
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Dante Dikeman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Benjamin D Philpot
- Neuroscience Center, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Toru Takumi
- Kobe University School of Medicine, Chuo, Kobe, 650-0017, Japan
| | - Christopher S Colwell
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Shafali Jeste
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd, MS 82, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA
| | - Ketema N Paul
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Department of Neurology and Semel Institute for Neuroscience, David Geffen School of Medicine, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
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Cumming D, Kozhemiako N, Thurm AE, Farmer CA, Purcell S, Buckley AW. Spindle chirp and other sleep oscillatory features in young children with autism. Sleep Med 2024; 119:320-328. [PMID: 38733760 PMCID: PMC11348284 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine whether spindle chirp and other sleep oscillatory features differ in young children with and without autism. METHODS Automated processing software was used to re-assess an extant set of polysomnograms representing 121 children (91 with autism [ASD], 30 typically-developing [TD]), with an age range of 1.35-8.23 years. Spindle metrics, including chirp, and slow oscillation (SO) characteristics were compared between groups. SO and fast and slow spindle (FS, SS) interactions were also investigated. Secondary analyses were performed assessing behavioural data associations, as well as exploratory cohort comparisons to children with non-autism developmental delay (DD). RESULTS Posterior FS and SS chirp was significantly more negative in ASD than TD. Both groups had comparable intra-spindle frequency range and variance. Frontal and central SO amplitude were decreased in ASD. In contrast to previous manual findings, no differences were detected in other spindle or SO metrics. The ASD group displayed a higher parietal coupling angle. No differences were observed in phase-frequency coupling. The DD group demonstrated lower FS chirp and higher coupling angle than TD. Parietal SS chirp was positively associated with full developmental quotient. CONCLUSIONS For the first time spindle chirp was investigated in autism and was found to be significantly more negative than in TD in this large cohort of young children. This finding strengthens previous reports of spindle and SO abnormalities in ASD. Further investigation of spindle chirp in healthy and clinical populations across development will help elucidate the significance of this difference and better understand this novel metric.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew Cumming
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Audrey E Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Shaun Purcell
- Brigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Dias C, Mo A, Cai C, Sun L, Cabral K, Brownstein CA, Rockowitz S, Walsh CA. Cell-type-specific effects of autism-associated chromosome 15q11.2-13.1 duplications in human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.22.595175. [PMID: 38826276 PMCID: PMC11142199 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.22.595175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Recurrent copy number variation represents one of the most well-established genetic drivers in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Duplication of 15q11.2-13.1 (dup15q) is a well-described neurodevelopmental syndrome that increases the risk of ASD by over 40-fold. However, the effects of this duplication on gene expression and chromatin accessibility in specific cell types in the human brain remain unknown. To identify the cell-type-specific transcriptional and epigenetic effects of dup15q in the human frontal cortex we conducted single-nucleus RNA-sequencing and multi-omic sequencing on dup15q cases (n=6) as well as non-dup15q ASD (n=7) and neurotypical controls (n=7). Cell-type-specific differential expression analysis identified significantly regulated genes, critical biological pathways, and differentially accessible genomic regions. Although there was overall increased gene expression across the duplicated genomic region, cellular identity represented an important factor mediating gene expression changes. Neuronal subtypes, showed greater upregulation of gene expression across a critical region within the duplication as compared to other cell types. Genes within the duplicated region that had high baseline expression in control individuals showed only modest changes in dup15q, regardless of cell type. Of note, dup15q and ASD had largely distinct signatures of chromatin accessibility, but shared the majority of transcriptional regulatory motifs, suggesting convergent biological pathways. However, the transcriptional binding factor motifs implicated in each condition implicated distinct biological mechanisms; neuronal JUN/FOS networks in ASD vs. an inflammatory transcriptional network in dup15q microglia. This work provides a cell-type-specific analysis of how dup15q changes gene expression and chromatin accessibility in the human brain and finds evidence of marked cell-type-specific effects of this genetic driver. These findings have implications for guiding therapeutic development in dup15q syndrome, as well as understanding the functional effects CNVs more broadly in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Dias
- Current Address: Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, Section of Genetics and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Alisa Mo
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Chunhui Cai
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Liang Sun
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Kristen Cabral
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Catherine A Brownstein
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Shira Rockowitz
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Research Computing, Department of Information Technology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
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Herrera CG, Tarokh L. A Thalamocortical Perspective on Sleep Spindle Alterations in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. CURRENT SLEEP MEDICINE REPORTS 2024; 10:103-118. [PMID: 38764858 PMCID: PMC11096120 DOI: 10.1007/s40675-024-00284-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that affect the development and function of the nervous system, typically arising early in life. These disorders can have various genetic, environmental, and/or neural underpinnings, which can impact the thalamocortical system. Sleep spindles, brief bursts of oscillatory activity that occur during NREM sleep, provide a unique in vivo measure of the thalamocortical system. In this manuscript, we review the development of the thalamocortical system and sleep spindles in rodent models and humans. We then utilize this as a foundation to discuss alterations in sleep spindle activity in four of the most pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders-intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. Recent Findings Recent work in humans has shown alterations in sleep spindles across several neurodevelopmental disorders. Simultaneously, rodent models have elucidated the mechanisms which may underlie these deficits in spindle activity. This review merges recent findings from these two separate lines of research to draw conclusions about the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Summary We speculate that deficits in the thalamocortical system associated with neurodevelopmental disorders are exquisitely reflected in sleep spindle activity. We propose that sleep spindles may represent a promising biomarker for drug discovery, risk stratification, and treatment monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Gutierrez Herrera
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, Switzerland
- Center for Experimental Neurology, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 17, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Research (DBMR), Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 24 CH-3008 Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leila Tarokh
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Haus A, 3000, Bern, Switzerland
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Haus A, 3000, Bern, Switzerland
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Roy B, Amemasor E, Hussain S, Castro K. UBE3A: The Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and a Potential Candidate for Biomarker Studies and Designing Therapeutic Strategies. Diseases 2023; 12:7. [PMID: 38248358 PMCID: PMC10814747 DOI: 10.3390/diseases12010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Published reports from the CDC's Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Networks have shown that an average of 1 in every 44 (2.3%) 8-year-old children were estimated to have ASD in 2018. Many of the ASDs exhibiting varying degrees of autism-like phenotypes have chromosomal anomalies in the Chr15q11-q13 region. Numerous potential candidate genes linked with ASD reside in this chromosomal segment. However, several clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies selected one gene more frequently than others randomly and unbiasedly. This gene codes for UBE3A or Ubiquitin protein ligase E3A [also known as E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E6AP)], an enzyme involved in the cellular degradation of proteins. This gene has been listed as one of the several genes with a high potential of causing ASD in the Autism Database. The gain of function mutations, triplication, or duplication in the UBE3A gene is also associated with ASDs like Angelman Syndrome (AS) and Dup15q Syndrome. The genetic imprinting of UBE3A in the brain and a preference for neuronal maternal-specific expression are the key features of various ASDs. Since the UBE3A gene is involved in two main important diseases associated with autism-like symptoms, there has been widespread research going on in understanding the link between this gene and autism. Additionally, since no universal methodology or mechanism exists for identifying UBE3A-mediated ASD, it continues to be challenging for neurobiologists, neuroscientists, and clinicians to design therapies or diagnostic tools. In this review, we focus on the structure and functional aspects of the UBE3A protein, discuss the primary relevance of the 15q11-q13 region in the cause of ASDs, and highlight the link between UBE3A and ASD. We try to broaden the knowledge of our readers by elaborating on the possible mechanisms underlying UBE3A-mediated ASDs, emphasizing the usage of UBE3A as a prospective biomarker in the preclinical diagnosis of ASDs and discuss the positive outcomes, advanced developments, and the hurdles in the field of therapeutic strategies against UBE3A-mediated ASDs. This review is novel as it lays a very detailed and comprehensive platform for one of the most important genes associated with diseases showing autistic-like symptoms. Additionally, this review also attempts to lay optimistic feedback on the possible steps for the diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of these UBE3A-mediated ASDs in the upcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bidisha Roy
- Life Science Centre, Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (E.A.); (S.H.); (K.C.)
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Somervail R, Cataldi J, Stephan AM, Siclari F, Iannetti GD. Dusk2Dawn: an EEGLAB plugin for automatic cleaning of whole-night sleep electroencephalogram using Artifact Subspace Reconstruction. Sleep 2023; 46:zsad208. [PMID: 37542730 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-night sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) is plagued by several types of large-amplitude artifacts. Common approaches to remove them are fraught with issues: channel interpolation, rejection of noisy intervals, and independent component analysis are time-consuming, rely on subjective user decisions, and result in signal loss. Artifact Subspace Reconstruction (ASR) is an increasingly popular approach to rapidly and automatically clean wake EEG data. Indeed, ASR adaptively removes large-amplitude artifacts regardless of their scalp topography or consistency throughout the recording. This makes ASR, at least in theory, a highly-promising tool to clean whole-night EEG. However, ASR crucially relies on calibration against a subset of relatively clean "baseline" data. This is problematic when the baseline changes substantially over time, as in whole-night EEG data. Here we tackled this issue and, for the first time, validated ASR for cleaning sleep EEG. We demonstrate that ASR applied out-of-the-box, with the parameters recommended for wake EEG, results in the dramatic removal of slow waves. We also provide an appropriate procedure to use ASR for automatic and rapid cleaning of whole-night sleep EEG data or any long EEG recording. Our procedure is freely available in Dusk2Dawn, an open-source plugin for EEGLAB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Somervail
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Jacinthe Cataldi
- Centre d'Investigation et de Recherche sur le Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie M Stephan
- Centre d'Investigation et de Recherche sur le Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Francesca Siclari
- Centre d'Investigation et de Recherche sur le Sommeil, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gian Domenico Iannetti
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
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8
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López-Zamora M, Cano-Villagrasa A, Cortés-Ramos A, Porcar-Gozalbo N. The Influence of Sleep Disorders on Neurobiological Structures and Cognitive Processes in Pediatric Population with ASD and Epilepsy: A Systematic Review. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2023; 13:2358-2372. [PMID: 37998056 PMCID: PMC10670909 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe13110166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are increasingly prevalent comorbidities in our society. These two disorders are often accompanied by other comorbidities, such as sleep disorders, significantly impacting the quality of life of individuals with ASD and epilepsy. To date, clinical approaches have primarily been descriptive in nature. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between ASD, epilepsy, and sleep disorders, exploring neurobiological dysfunctions and cognitive alterations. A total of 22 scientific articles were selected using a systematic literature review following the criteria established using the PRISMA model. The selected articles were gathered from major databases: Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria specified that study participants had an official diagnosis of ASD, the article precisely described the evaluation parameters used in the study participants, and individual characteristics of the sleep disorders of the study participants were specified. The results indicate, firstly, that the primary cause of sleep disorders in this population is directly linked to abnormal serotonin behaviors. Secondly, significant alterations in memory, attention, and hyperactivity were observed. In conclusion, sleep disorders negatively impact the quality of life and neurocognitive development of the pediatric population with ASD and epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel López-Zamora
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Malaga, 29010 Malaga, Spain;
| | - Alejandro Cano-Villagrasa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Internacional de Valencia, 46002 Valencia, Spain;
- Health Sciences PhD Program, Universidad Católica de Murcia UCAM, Campus de los Jerónimos n°135, Guadalupe, 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Antonio Cortés-Ramos
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Educational and Sports Sciences of Melilla, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;
| | - Nadia Porcar-Gozalbo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Internacional de Valencia, 46002 Valencia, Spain;
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9
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Cumming D, Kozhemiako N, Thurm AE, Farmer CA, Purcell SW, Buckley AW. Spindle Chirp and other Sleep Oscillatory Features in Young Children with Autism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.15.545095. [PMID: 37398218 PMCID: PMC10312722 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.15.545095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Objectives To determine whether spindle chirp and other sleep oscillatory features differ in young children with and without autism. Methods Automated processing software was used to re-assess an extant set of polysomnograms representing 121 children (91 with autism [ASD], 30 typically-developing [TD]), with an age range of 1.35-8.23 years. Spindle metrics, including chirp, and slow oscillation (SO) characteristics were compared between groups. SO and fast and slow spindle (FS, SS) interactions were also investigated. Secondary analyses were performed assessing behavioural data associations, as well as exploratory cohort comparisons to children with non-autism developmental delay (DD). Results Posterior FS and SS chirp was significantly more negative in ASD than TD. Both groups had comparable intra-spindle frequency range and variance. Frontal and central SO amplitude were decreased in ASD. In contrast to previous manual findings, no differences were detected in other spindle or SO metrics. The ASD group displayed a higher parietal coupling angle. No differences were observed in phase-frequency coupling. The DD group demonstrated lower FS chirp and higher coupling angle than TD. Parietal SS chirp was positively associated with full developmental quotient. Conclusions For the first time spindle chirp was investigated in autism and was found to be significantly more negative than in TD in this large cohort of young children. This finding strengthens previous reports of spindle and SO abnormalities in ASD. Further investigation of spindle chirp in healthy and clinical populations across development will help elucidate the significance of this difference and better understand this novel metric.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Cumming
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - N Kozhemiako
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - AE Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - CA Farmer
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - SW Purcell
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - AW Buckley
- National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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10
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Frohlich J, Crone JS, Mediano PAM, Toker D, Bor D. Editorial: Dissociations between neural activity and conscious state: a key to understanding consciousness. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1256168. [PMID: 37600551 PMCID: PMC10433896 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1256168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joel Frohlich
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University Hospital and University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, United States
| | - Julia S. Crone
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pedro A. M. Mediano
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Toker
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Daniel Bor
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Neural complexity is a common denominator of human consciousness across diverse regimes of cortical dynamics. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1374. [PMID: 36522453 PMCID: PMC9755290 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04331-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
What is the common denominator of consciousness across divergent regimes of cortical dynamics? Does consciousness show itself in decibels or in bits? To address these questions, we introduce a testbed for evaluating electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers of consciousness using dissociations between neural oscillations and consciousness caused by rare genetic disorders. Children with Angelman syndrome (AS) exhibit sleep-like neural dynamics during wakefulness. Conversely, children with duplication 15q11.2-13.1 syndrome (Dup15q) exhibit wake-like neural dynamics during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. To identify highly generalizable biomarkers of consciousness, we trained regularized logistic regression classifiers on EEG data from wakefulness and NREM sleep in children with AS using both entropy measures of neural complexity and spectral (i.e., neural oscillatory) EEG features. For each set of features, we then validated these classifiers using EEG from neurotypical (NT) children and abnormal EEGs from children with Dup15q. Our results show that the classification performance of entropy-based EEG biomarkers of conscious state is not upper-bounded by that of spectral EEG features, which are outperformed by entropy features. Entropy-based biomarkers of consciousness may thus be highly adaptable and should be investigated further in situations where spectral EEG features have shown limited success, such as detecting covert consciousness or anesthesia awareness.
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12
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Tesfaye R, Huguet G, Schmilovich Z, Renne T, Loum MA, Douard E, Saci Z, Jean-Louis M, Martineau JL, Whelan R, Desrivieres S, Heinz A, Schumann G, Hayward C, Elsabbagh M, Jacquemont S. Investigating the contributions of circadian pathway and insomnia risk genes to autism and sleep disturbances. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:424. [PMID: 36192372 PMCID: PMC9529939 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02188-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep disturbance is prevalent in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Researchers have posited that circadian dysfunction may contribute to sleep problems or exacerbate ASD symptomatology. However, there is limited genetic evidence of this. It is also unclear how insomnia risk genes identified through GWAS in general populations are related to ASD and common sleep problems like insomnia traits in ASD. We investigated the contribution of copy number variants (CNVs) encompassing circadian pathway genes and insomnia risk genes to ASD risk as well as sleep disturbances in children with ASD. We studied 5860 ASD probands and 2092 unaffected siblings from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) and MSSNG database, as well as 7509 individuals from two unselected populations (IMAGEN and Generation Scotland). Sleep duration and insomnia symptoms were parent reported for SSC probands. We identified 335 and 616 rare CNVs encompassing circadian and insomnia risk genes respectively. Deletions and duplications with circadian genes were overrepresented in ASD probands compared to siblings and unselected controls. For insomnia-risk genes, deletions (not duplications) were associated with ASD in both cohorts. Results remained significant after adjusting for cognitive ability. CNVs containing circadian pathway and insomnia risk genes showed a stronger association with ASD, compared to CNVs containing other genes. Circadian genes did not influence sleep duration or insomnia traits in ASD. Insomnia risk genes intolerant to haploinsufficiency increased risk for insomnia when duplicated. CNVs encompassing circadian and insomnia risk genes increase ASD liability with little to no observable impacts on sleep disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rackeb Tesfaye
- McGill University, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Guillaume Huguet
- UHC Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Thomas Renne
- UHC Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mor Absa Loum
- UHC Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Elise Douard
- UHC Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Zohra Saci
- UHC Sainte-Justine Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Jean Luc Martineau
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM U A10 "Trajectoires développementales en psychiatrie", Université Paris-Saclay, Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Centre Borelli, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Rob Whelan
- Global Brain Health Institute and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sylvane Desrivieres
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Precision Medicine (PONS), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, SGDP Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Heinz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Precision Medicine (PONS), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, SGDP Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- PONS Research Group, Dept of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charite Mitte, Humboldt University, Berlin and Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, and Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Caroline Hayward
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
- Generation Scotland, Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, United Kingdom
| | - Mayada Elsabbagh
- McGill University, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal, Canada
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13
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Levin Y, Hosamane NS, McNair TE, Kunnam SS, Philpot BD, Fan Z, Sidorov MS. Evaluation of electroencephalography biomarkers for Angelman syndrome during overnight sleep. Autism Res 2022; 15:1031-1042. [PMID: 35304979 PMCID: PMC9227959 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the maternal copy of the UBE3A gene. AS is characterized by intellectual disability, impaired speech and motor skills, epilepsy, and sleep disruptions. Multiple treatment strategies to re‐express functional neuronal UBE3A from the dormant paternal allele were successful in rodent models of AS and have now moved to early phase clinical trials in children. Developing reliable and objective AS biomarkers is essential to guide the design and execution of current and future clinical trials. Our prior work quantified short daytime electroencephalograms (EEGs) to define promising biomarkers for AS. Here, we asked whether overnight sleep is better suited to detect AS EEG biomarkers. We retrospectively analyzed EEGs from 12 overnight sleep studies from individuals with AS with age and sex‐matched Down syndrome and neurotypical controls, focusing on low frequency (2–4 Hz) delta rhythms and sleep spindles. Delta EEG rhythms were increased in individuals with AS during all stages of overnight sleep, but overnight sleep did not provide additional benefit over wake in the ability to detect increased delta. Abnormal sleep spindles were not reliably detected in EEGs from individuals with AS during overnight sleep, suggesting that delta rhythms represent a more reliable biomarker. Overall, we conclude that periods of wakefulness are sufficient, and perhaps ideal, to quantify delta EEG rhythms for use as AS biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Levin
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Nishitha S Hosamane
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Taylor E McNair
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Shrujana S Kunnam
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Benjamin D Philpot
- Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, and UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Zheng Fan
- Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael S Sidorov
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Pharmacology & Physiology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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