Medical Bulletin 19/August/2023

The new review, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, was led by researchers at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with colleagues at City, University of London, and Monash University.

Reference: Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD013244.pub2

Novel insights into protein-mediated motor neuron loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

In patients with ALS, the motor dysfunction symptoms usually appear in one part of the body, such as the limbs, and then progress to others. This further suggests that degeneration starts in one type of motor neuron and, thereafter, propagates to other motor-related neurons. Previous studies have highlighted the accumulation of TDP-43 in motor neurons as a co-occurrence with ALS.

The researchers developed ALS mouse models that primarily accumulate TDP-43 in the cortical motor neurons, spinal motor neurons, or skeletal muscles. They then examined how the TDP-43 in specific motor neurons initiates disease progression to other motor-related neurons.

Reference: TDP-43 differentially propagates to induce antero- and retrograde degeneration in the corticospinal circuits in mouse focal ALS models, Acta Neuropathologica, DOI 10.1007/s00401-023-02615-8