Distinct effects of late adulthood cognitive and physical activities on gray matter volume.

Engagement in cognitive activity (CA) and physical activity (PA) during the lifespan may counteract brain atrophy later in life. Here, we investigated engagement in CA and PA during late adulthood in association with gray matter volume (GM) in normal older adults, with special focus on the hippocampus. Forty-five cognitively normal older individuals (mean age: 72) underwent T1-weighted MRI and self-reported CA and PA assessment. Whole brain voxel-wise multiple regression models were carried out to assess the relationships between CA, PA and GM volume adjusted by age and sex. Further adjustment for years of education and risk factors were performed. Voxel-wise analyses were projected on 3D hippocampal surface views. Cognitive activity and PA demonstrated independent regional associations with GM after adjustment for confounders. Cognitive activity was related to greater GM in extended brain areas including frontal, temporal and parietal cortices, while PA was associated with increased GM in the prefrontal, insular and motor cortices. Regression maps projected on the hippocampal surface showed a common association of PA and CA within the anterior part of the hippocampus, although the effect of CA was more subtle and also extended to the posterior part. Engagement in PA and CA in late adulthood were independently related to regional GM volume, notably in aging and AD vulnerable areas. These results support the idea that both PA and CA- based interventions may be suitable to promote brain health in late adulthood. The potential synergistic effects of PA and CA need to be addressed in future studies including larger samples.

The antidepressant venlafaxine may act as a neurodevelopmental toxicant in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).

The Serotonin/Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressant venlafaxine (VEN, Effexor(®)) has become one of the most common antidepressants detected in North American and European streams. Mammalian research has established that VEN exposure is associated with a range of structural, neurochemical, and functional alterations of the brain in adults and newborns. However, the neurodevelopmental effects of VEN on non-target organisms have never been investigated. The aim of our research was to decrease this gap in knowledge by characterizing the effects of VEN exposure on a cephalopod mollusk, the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis. This species inhabits VEN-contaminated waters and possesses an unusually sophisticated brain. These characteristics render it a unique invertebrate species for studying the neurodevelopmental effects of VEN. Cuttlefish were exposed to environmentally-relevant concentrations of VEN (Measured concentrations ≈5 and 100ngL(-)(1)) or to filtered natural seawater (control) in a closed-loop system with regular water changes during the first 20days after hatching. We evaluated brain maturation as well as neurochemical changes and behavioral performances during this critical period of development. Our results show that both VEN-exposed groups exhibited a decrease in norepinephrine levels, along with a reduction in the relative number of glutamate NMDA-like receptors binding sites in the group exposed to 5ngL(-1) of VEN after 20days of exposure. Brain regional changes in cellular proliferation were observed in VEN-exposed groups in the vertical lobe (i.e. a key structure involved in cognitive processes) and in the optic lobes (i.e. main visual processing centers) in the absence of significant change in their volume. Along with these neurodevelopmental changes, 20days of exposure to 100ngL(-1) of VEN was associated with a decrease in camouflage ability. Overall, our study suggests that VEN is a neurodevelopmental toxicant in non-target aquatic organisms at environmentally-relevant concentrations.