BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL
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BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL
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BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL
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mbehrens@udd.cl
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7007110355

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The Impact of a Yoga-Based Mindfulness Intervention versus Psycho-Educational Session for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

2022 , Maryam Farhang , Graciela Rojas , Pablo Martínez , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , Álvaro I. Langer , Marcela Diaz , Claudia Miranda-Castillo

Background: There is a global agreement in the medical community that a significant proportion of dementia cases could be prevented or postponed. One of the factors behind this agreement comes from scientific evidence showing that mind-body interventions such as mindfulness and yoga for the elderly have been related to a range of positive outcomes, including improved cognition performance in seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention (YBM) versus psychoeducational sessions for older adults with MCI attending Hospital Clinic Universidad de Chile in Santiago. Method: Two-arm, individually randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out at Clinical Hospital Universidad de Chile in Santiago. Older people over 60 years with any type of MCI using a score < 21 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and a score of 0.05 in the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale; and with preserved activities of daily living will be randomly assigned with an allocation ratio of 1:1 in either the yoga-based mindfulness intervention or the active control group based on the psycho-educational program. People who have performed yoga and/or mindfulness in the last 6 months or/and people with a psychiatric clinical diagnosis will be excluded from the study. Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the Barthel Index (BI), the Pemberton happiness index, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) as well as the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) will be administered by blinded outcomes assessors before random assignment (Pre-test), the week following the last session of the intervention (post-test), and then after 3- and 6-months follow-up. Results: The YBM intervention protocol based on a video recording has been adapted and designed. This is the first RCT to examine the effects of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention in improving cognitive and physical functions and mental health outcomes for Chilean elderly diagnosed with MCI. It is expected to be implemented as an acceptable and effective non-pharmacological option for older people with MCI. Conclusion: Providing evidence-based programs such as preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease has relevant implications for public mental health services in Chile.

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Neuronal Rubicon Represses Extracellular APP/Amyloid β Deposition in Alzheimer’s Disease

2022 , Sandra Espinoza , Felipe Grunenwald , Wileidy Gomez , Felipe García , Lorena Abarzúa-Catalan , Sebastián Oyarce-Pezoa , Maria Fernanda Hernandez , Bastián I. Cortés , Markus Uhrig , Daniela P. Ponce , Claudia Durán-Aniotz , Claudio Hetz , Carol D. SanMartín , Victor H. Cornejo , EZQUER, EDUARDO FERNANDO , Valentina Parra , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , Patricio A. Manque , Diego Rojas-Rivera , René L. Vidal , Ute Woehlbier , Melissa Nassif

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent age-associated neurodegenerative disease. A decrease in autophagy during aging contributes to brain disorders by accumulating potentially toxic substrates in neurons. Rubicon is a well-established inhibitor of autophagy in all cells. However, Rubicon participates in different pathways depending on cell type, and little information is currently available on neuronal Rubicon’s role in the AD context. Here, we investigated the cell-specific expression of Rubicon in postmortem brain samples from AD patients and 5xFAD mice and its impact on amyloid β burden in vivo and neuroblastoma cells. Further, we assessed Rubicon levels in human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), derived from early-to-moderate AD and in postmortem samples from severe AD patients. We found increased Rubicon levels in AD-hiPSCs and postmortem samples and a notable Rubicon localization in neurons. In AD transgenic mice lacking Rubicon, we observed intensified amyloid β burden in the hippocampus and decreased Pacer and p62 levels. In APP-expressing neuroblastoma cells, increased APP/amyloid β secretion in the medium was found when Rubicon was absent, which was not observed in cells depleted of Atg5, essential for autophagy, or Rab27a, required for exosome secretion. Our results propose an uncharacterized role of Rubicon on APP/amyloid β homeostasis, in which neuronal Rubicon is a repressor of APP/amyloid β secretion, defining a new way to target AD and other similar diseases therapeutically.

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Author Correction: The BrainLat project, a multimodal neuroimaging dataset of neurodegeneration from underrepresented backgrounds

2024 , Pavel Prado , Vicente Medel , Raul Gonzalez-Gomez , Agustín Sainz-Ballesteros , Victor Vidal , Hernando Santamaría-García , Sebastian Moguilner , Jhony Mejia , SLACHEVSKY CHONCHOL, ANDREA MARÍA , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , David Aguillon , Francisco Lopera , Mario A. Parra , Diana Matallana , Marcelo Adrián Maito , Adolfo M. Garcia , Nilton Custodio , Alberto Ávila Funes , Stefanie Piña-Escudero , Agustina Birba , Sol Fittipaldi , Agustina Legaz , Agustín Ibañez

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Frontotemporal Dementias in Latin America: History, Epidemiology, Genetics, and Clinical Research

2021 , Jorge J. Llibre-Guerra , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , Mirna Lie Hosogi , Lucia Montero , Teresa Torralva , Nilton Custodio , Erika Mariana Longoria-Ibarrola , Margarita Giraldo-Chica , David Aguillón , Angela Hardi , Gladys E. Maestre , Valeria Contreras , Celeste Doldan , Lissette Duque-Peñailillo , Heike Hesse , Norbel Roman , Dhara Angelina Santana-Trinidad , Christian Schenk , Ninoska Ocampo-Barba , Ricardo López-Contreras , Ricardo Nitrini

Introduction: The historical development, frequency, and impact of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are less clear in Latin America than in high-income countries. Although there is a growing number of dementia studies in Latin America, little is known collectively about FTD prevalence studies by country, clinical heterogeneity, risk factors, and genetics in Latin American countries.Methods: A systematic review was completed, aimed at identifying the frequency, clinical heterogeneity, and genetics studies of FTD in Latin American populations. The search strategies used a combination of standardized terms for FTD and related disorders. In addition, at least one author per Latin American country summarized the available literature. Collaborative or regional studies were reviewed during consensus meetings.Results: The first FTD reports published in Latin America were mostly case reports. The last two decades marked a substantial increase in the number of FTD research in Latin American countries. Brazil (165), Argentina (84), Colombia (26), and Chile (23) are the countries with the larger numbers of FTD published studies. Most of the research has focused on clinical and neuropsychological features (n = 247), including the local adaptation of neuropsychological and behavioral assessment batteries. However, there are little to no large studies on prevalence (n = 4), biomarkers (n = 9), or neuropathology (n = 3) of FTD.Conclusions: Future FTD studies will be required in Latin America, albeit with a greater emphasis on clinical diagnosis, genetics, biomarkers, and neuropathological studies. Regional and country-level efforts should seek better estimations of the prevalence, incidence, and economic impact of FTD syndromes.

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Frequency and Determinants of Poststroke Cognitive Impairment at Three and Twelve Months in Chile

2010 , Carolina Delgado , Archibaldo Donoso , Patricia Orellana , Carolina Vásquez , DIAZ TAPIA, VIOLETA DEL CARMEN , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL

A higher risk of poststroke cognitive impairment (CI) has been reported in Hispanics in a US cohort but has not been systematically studied in Latin America. <i>Objectives:</i> Our purpose was to investigate the frequencies and determinants of poststroke CI in the hispano-mestizo population of Santiago, Chile. <i>Methods:</i> A prospective study of hospitalized patients aged >60 years admitted with an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke was conducted. The cognitive status was determined at 3 and 12 months after the stroke by informant questionnaires, neuropsychological testing and clinical diagnosis. Cardiovascular risk factors, brain imaging and stroke features were analyzed using regression models to establish determinants for poststroke CI. <i>Results:</i> A total of 164 patients (mean age = 72 ± 7.5 years) were recruited. Out of 122 patients (74%) evaluated at 3 months, 81 (66%) had CI. Out of 101 patients (62%) evaluated at 12 months, 39 (39%) had CI no dementia, and 22 (22%) were demented. The new-onset dementia frequency at 1 year was 16%. Independent determinants for dementia were higher functional impairment at hospital egress (OR = 4.0), left-hemisphere large-vessel infarction (OR = 6.9) and a larger amount of white matter changes (OR = 1.3). <i>Conclusions:</i> In this first study on poststroke CI in Latin America, the frequencies and determinants of poststroke CI were similar to those in other cohorts of different ethnic origin.

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Visual-spatial processing impairment in the occipital-frontal connectivity network at early stages of Alzheimer’s disease

2023 , Iván Plaza-Rosales , Enzo Brunetti , Rodrigo Montefusco-Siegmund , Samuel Madariaga , Rodrigo Hafelin , Daniela P. Ponce , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , Pedro E. Maldonado , Andrea Paula-Lima

IntroductionAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, but its pathophysiological phenomena are not fully elucidated. Many neurophysiological markers have been suggested to identify early cognitive impairments of AD. However, the diagnosis of this disease remains a challenge for specialists. In the present cross-sectional study, our objective was to evaluate the manifestations and mechanisms underlying visual-spatial deficits at the early stages of AD.MethodsWe combined behavioral, electroencephalography (EEG), and eye movement recordings during the performance of a spatial navigation task (a virtual version of the Morris Water Maze adapted to humans). Participants (69–88 years old) with amnesic mild cognitive impairment–Clinical Dementia Rating scale (aMCI–CDR 0.5) were selected as probable early AD (eAD) by a neurologist specialized in dementia. All patients included in this study were evaluated at the CDR 0.5 stage but progressed to probable AD during clinical follow-up. An equal number of matching healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated while performing the navigation task. Data were collected at the Department of Neurology of the Clinical Hospital of the Universidad de Chile and the Department of Neuroscience of the Faculty of Universidad de Chile.ResultsParticipants with aMCI preceding AD (eAD) showed impaired spatial learning and their visual exploration differed from the control group. eAD group did not clearly prefer regions of interest that could guide solving the task, while controls did. The eAD group showed decreased visual occipital evoked potentials associated with eye fixations, recorded at occipital electrodes. They also showed an alteration of the spatial spread of activity to parietal and frontal regions at the end of the task. The control group presented marked occipital activity in the beta band (15–20 Hz) at early visual processing time. The eAD group showed a reduction in beta band functional connectivity in the prefrontal cortices reflecting poor planning of navigation strategies.DiscussionWe found that EEG signals combined with visual-spatial navigation analysis, yielded early and specific features that may underlie the basis for understanding the loss of functional connectivity in AD. Still, our results are clinically promising for early diagnosis required to improve quality of life and decrease healthcare costs.

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Motor pathway excitability in ATP13A2 mutation carriers: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study

2012 , S. Zittel , J. Kroeger , J.P.M. van der Vegt , H.R. Siebner , N. Brüggemann , A. Ramirez , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , C. Gerloff , T. Bäumer , C. Klein , A. Münchau

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Neuropathologic Heterogeneity in HDDD1: A Familial Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration With Ubiquitin-positive Inclusions and Progranulin Mutation

2007 , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL , Odity Mukherjee , Pang-hsien Tu , Rajka M. Liscic , Lea Tenenholz Grinberg , Deborah Carter , Katherine Paulsmeyer , Lisa Taylor-Reinwald , Michael Gitcho , Joanne B. Norton , Sumi Chakraverty , Alison M. Goate , John C. Morris , Nigel J. Cairns

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Validación del instrumento Montreal Cognitive Assessment en español en adultos mayores de 60 años

2019 , C. Delgado , A. Araneda , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL

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Red neural por defecto y enfermedad de Alzheimer

2013 , Vergara, Fernando , BEHRENS PELLEGRINO, MARIA ISABEL

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