Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026
High-throughput Flow Cytometry Cell-based Assay to Detect Antibodies to N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor or Dopamine-2 Receptor in Human Serum
Published on: November 23, 2013
Decoding neurotransmitter and genetic contributions to abnormal neuronal signal variability in
Rong Guo1, Wenjia Wang1, Rui Qian1
1Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Background:
The molecular mechanisms linking brain function alterations to gene expression in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis remain unclear.
Methods:
We analyzed the coefficient of variation of blood oxygenation level dependent signal (CVBOLD) and functional connectivity (FC) in 30 healthy controls and 42 patients, with classification via 5 machine learning models. Transcriptomic profiles from the Allen Human Brain Atlas and neurotransmitter density maps from positron emission tomography were integrated. Partial least squares (PLS) regression determined gene expression relevant to the CVBOLD/FC changes. Multivariate linear regression evaluated neurotransmitter contributions.
Results:
Anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients exhibited increased CVBOLD in the right superior parietal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, right lingual gyrus, left fusiform gyrus and left paracentral lobule meanwhile disrupted FC mainly in default mode and salience networks. PLS analysis revealed 2320 genes significantly associated with CVBOLD/FC (pbonferrni < 0.05), enriched in synaptic signaling (MAPK, cAMP), metabolic regulation (insulin resistance), and neurodegeneration pathways. Hub genes PPARGC1A (positive correlation with CVBOLD/FC) and UBA52 (negative correlation) were validated in key brain regions. Neurotransmitter analysis showed norepinephrine (NAT) strongly contributed to CVBOLD (weight = 0.57, pFDR < 0.001), meanwhile serotonin (5HT4), cannabinoid (CB1), noradrenaline (NAT), and glutamate (NMDA) influenced FC.
Conclusion:
This study identifies a transcriptional signature that is spatially associated with CVBOLD/FC abnormalities and neurotransmitter distributions in anti-NMDAR encephalitis, thereby generating hypotheses about molecular targets that may be relevant for future mechanistic studies and precision medicine.
More Related Videos
08:04Identification and Classification of Position-specific GABAA Receptor Subunit Missense Variants for Their Role In Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons
Published on: June 6, 2025
07:20A Simple Cell-based Immunofluorescence Assay to Detect Autoantibody Against the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate NMDA Receptor in Blood
Published on: January 9, 2018
