Electrical and Electronic Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemChronic Functional Bowel Syndrome Enhances Gut-Brain Axis Dysfunction, Neuroinflammation, Cognitive Impairment, and Vulnerability to Dementia(SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS, 2014-04)The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder world wide that lasts for decades. The human gut harbors a diverse population of microbial organisms which is symbiotic and important for well being. However, studies on conventional, germ-free, and obese animals have shown that alteration in normal commensal gut microbiota and an increase in pathogenic microbiota-termed "dysbiosis", impact gut function, homeostasis, and health. Diarrhea, constipation, visceral hypersensitivity, and abdominal pain arise in IBS from the gut-induced dysfunctional metabolic, immune, and neuro-immune communication. Dysbiosis in IBS is associated with gut inflammation. Gut-related inflammation is pivotal in promoting endotoxemia, systemic inflammation, and neuroinflammation. A significant proportion of IBS patients chronically consume alcohol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, and fatty diet; they may also suffer from co-morbid respiratory, neuromuscular, psychological, sleep, and neurological disorders. The above pathophysiological substrate is underpinned by dysbiosis, and dysfunctional bidirectional "Gut-Brain Axis" pathways. Pathogenic gut microbiota-related systemic inflammation (due to increased lipopolysaccharide and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and barrier dysfunction), may trigger neuroinflammation enhancing dysfunctional brain regions including hippocampus and cerebellum. These as well as dysfunctional vago-vagal gut-brain axis may promote cognitive impairment. Indeed, inflammation is characteristic of a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases that manifest demntia. It is argued that an awareness of pathophysiological impact of IBS and implementation of appropriate therapeutic measures may prevent cognitive impairment and minimize vulnerability to dementia.
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ItemOlfactory dysfunction: its early temporal relationship and neural correlates in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease(Springer Verlag (Germany), 2015)We interact with the physical world through our senses, and these aid our behavioral performance and various activities of life. Sensory information is transmitted in neuronal networks, and the brain optimally interprets the external and internal milieu/environment. This paper delineates the framework in which the pathogenesis of memory and cognitive dysfunction is underpinned by sensory olfactory dysfunction. ERC is the gateway for olfactory input to the hippocampus, and there is seamless synchronization between sensory function and hippocampal activity. Transmission of olfactory information to the hippocampus is sequential-it is projected from the olfactory receptors to olfactory bulb to the primary olfactory cortex (comprised the anterior olfactory nucleus, the olfactory tubercle, and the piriform cortex) to the entorhinal cortex (ERC). Through perforant pathway ERC enables olfactory inputs to effectively excite hippocampal neurons. One of the earliest pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) include the olfactory dysfunction and the atrophy in ERC and hippocampus (rate in ERC is higher than in the hippocampus). Olfactory dysfunction negatively impacts the ERC and the deafferenting of the hippocampus from olfactory inputs upregulates memory decline. Olfactory dysfunction, therefore, is an important and early correlate of AD pathology. A number of factors described here may cause olfactory dysfunction; this may lead to hypoperfusion, hypometabolism, impaired synaptic transmission, and variable atrophy in olfaction-related regions. Improvement in olfactory function, therefore, is an important goal in order to attenuate cognitive neuropathology in aging and AD. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive and balanced overview of olfactory neuropathology in incipient AD, and suggests strategies to enhance olfactory function and ameliorate cognitive decline.
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ItemQuintessential Risk Factors: Their Role in Promoting Cognitive Dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease(SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS, 2012-12)Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The human brain is extremely sensitive to hypoxia, ischemia, and glucose depletion. Impaired delivery of oxygen in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) alters neuronal homeostasis, induces pathology, and triggers neuronal degeneration/death. This article systematically delineates the steps in the complex cascade leading to AD, focusing on pathology caused by chronic intermittent hypoxia, hypertension, brain hypoperfusion, glucose dysmetabolism, and endothelial dysfunction. Hypoxia/hypoxemia underpins several pathological processes including sympathetic activation, chemoreflex activity, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and a host of perturbations leading to neurodegeneration. The arterial blood flow reduction in OSA is profound, being about 76 % in obstructive hypopneas and 80 % in obstructive apneas; this leads to cerebral ischemia promoting neuronal apoptosis in neocortex and brainstem. OSA pathology also includes gray matter loss in the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital cortices, the thalamus, hippocampus, and key brainstem nuclei including the nucleus tractus solitarius. (18)F-FDG PET studies on OSA and AD patients, and animal models of AD, have shown reduced cerebral glucose metabolism in the above mentioned brain regions. Owing to the pathological impact of hypoxia, hypertension, hypoperfusion and impaired glucose metabolism, the adverse cardiovascular, neurocirculatory and metabolic consequences upregulate amyloid beta generation and tau phosphorylation, and lead to memory/cognitive impairment-culminating in AD. The framework encompassing these factors provides a pragmatic neuropathological approach to explain onset of Alzheimer's dementia. The basic tenets of the current paradigm should influence the design of therapeutic strategies to ameliorate AD.
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ItemRole of sensory stimulation in amelioration of obstructive sleep apnea.(Hindawi Limited, 2011)Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by recurrent upper airway (UA) collapse during sleep, is associated with significant morbidity and disorders. Polysomnogram is employed in the evaluation of OSA and apnea-hypopnea number per hour reflects severity. For normal breathing, it is essential that the collapsible UA is patent. However, obstruction of the UA is quite common in adults and infants. Normally, important reflex mechanisms defend against the UA collapse. The muscle activity of UA dilators, including the genioglossus, tensor palatini (TP), and pharyngeal constrictors, is due to the integrated mechanism of afferent sensory input → to motor function. Snoring is harsh breathing to prevent UA obstruction. Unfortunately, snoring vibrations, pharyngeal suction collapse, negative pressure, and hypoxia cause pathological perturbations including dysfunctional UA afferent sensory activity. The current paper posits that peripheral sensory stimulation paradigm, which has been shown to be efficacious in improving several neurological conditions, could be an important therapeutic strategy in OSA also.
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ItemPathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a hypothesis with emphasis on the nucleus tractus solitarius.(Hindawi Limited, 2012)OSA is characterized by the quintessential triad of intermittent apnea, hypoxia, and hypoxemia due to pharyngeal collapse. This paper highlights the upstream mechanisms that may trigger cognitive decline in OSA. Three interrelated steps underpin cognitive dysfunction in OSA patients. First, several risk factors upregulate peripheral inflammation; these crucial factors promote neuroinflammation, cerebrovascular endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress in OSA. Secondly, the neuroinflammation exerts negative impact globally on the CNS, and thirdly, important foci in the neocortex and brainstem are rendered inflamed and dysfunctional. A strong link is known to exist between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. A unique perspective delineated here underscores the importance of dysfunctional brainstem nuclei in etiopathogenesis of cognitive decline in OSA patients. Nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is the central integration hub for afferents from upper airway (somatosensory/gustatory), respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular (baroreceptor and chemoreceptor) and other systems. The NTS has an essential role in sympathetic and parasympathetic systems also; it projects to most key brain regions and modulates numerous physiological functions. Inflamed and dysfunctional NTS and other key brainstem nuclei may play a pivotal role in triggering memory and cognitive dysfunction in OSA. Attenuation of upstream factors and amelioration of the NTS dysfunction remain important challenges.
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ItemEvidence of neurodegeneration in obstructive sleep apnea: Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly(Wiley: 12 months, 2015-12-01)The incidence of dementia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases with age. Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease of the elderly characterized by amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The disease involves widespread synaptic loss in the neocortex and the hippocampus. Rodent and clinical studies suggest that OSA impairs the structural integrity of several brain regions, including the medial temporal lobe. Indeed, hypoxia, hypertension, hypoperfusion, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress noted in OSA patients also occur in AD patients. This Review highlights pathological commonality, showing that OSA upregulates Aβ, tau hyperphosphorylation, and synaptic dysfunction. Indeed, OSA and hypertension trigger hypoperfusion and hypometabolism of brain regions, including cortex and hippocampus. Several studies show that hypertension-driven brain damage and pathogenic mechanisms lead to an Aβ increase. The pathophysiological mechanism by which OSA enhances hypertension may be linked to sympathoexcitation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. Strong pathophysiological similarities that exist between OSA and AD are underscored here. For example, the hippocampus is negatively impacted in both OSA and AD. OSA promotes hippocampal atrophy, which is associated with memory impairment. Cognitive impairment, even in the absence of manifest dementia, is an important independent predictor of mortality. However, several pathophysiological mechanisms in OSA are reversible with appropriate therapy. OSA, therefore, is a modifiable risk factor of cognitive dysfunction, and treating OSA prior to mild cognitive impairment may be an effective prevention strategy to reduce risk for cognitive decline and AD in middle-aged persons and the elderly.
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