Jamie E Henry, April A Fineberg, Tanner B McVey+4 more · 2026 · Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · SAGE Publications · added 2026-04-24
Children who experience cardiac arrest often suffer lasting neurological deficits, including impairments to learning and memory, due to global cerebral ischemia (GCI). Using a juvenile mouse model of Show more
Children who experience cardiac arrest often suffer lasting neurological deficits, including impairments to learning and memory, due to global cerebral ischemia (GCI). Using a juvenile mouse model of cardiac arrest and resuscitation, we investigated the long-term effects of GCI and potential therapeutic interventions. Following juvenile GCI, long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory were impaired for several weeks followed by endogenous recovery coinciding with changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, an essential regulator of synaptic plasticity specifically in juveniles but not adults. Given that BDNF is unstable in plasma and cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, we explored the use of type II ampakines, positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors, to increase BDNF protein levels in the brain. In vivo administration of type II ampakines 14 days after GCI increased hippocampal BDNF levels, restored LTP, and improved hippocampal-dependent memory and learning behavior. These findings highlight the potential of type II ampakines as an innovative therapeutic intervention to restore synaptic and cognitive function at delayed time points after juvenile GCI. Show less
Coffee, a major dietary source of caffeine, is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world and has received considerable attention regarding health risks and benefits. We conducted a genome- Show more
Coffee, a major dietary source of caffeine, is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world and has received considerable attention regarding health risks and benefits. We conducted a genome-wide (GW) meta-analysis of predominately regular-type coffee consumption (cups per day) among up to 91,462 coffee consumers of European ancestry with top single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) followed-up in ~30 062 and 7964 coffee consumers of European and African-American ancestry, respectively. Studies from both stages were combined in a trans-ethnic meta-analysis. Confirmed loci were examined for putative functional and biological relevance. Eight loci, including six novel loci, met GW significance (log10Bayes factor (BF)>5.64) with per-allele effect sizes of 0.03-0.14 cups per day. Six are located in or near genes potentially involved in pharmacokinetics (ABCG2, AHR, POR and CYP1A2) and pharmacodynamics (BDNF and SLC6A4) of caffeine. Two map to GCKR and MLXIPL genes related to metabolic traits but lacking known roles in coffee consumption. Enhancer and promoter histone marks populate the regions of many confirmed loci and several potential regulatory SNPs are highly correlated with the lead SNP of each. SNP alleles near GCKR, MLXIPL, BDNF and CYP1A2 that were associated with higher coffee consumption have previously been associated with smoking initiation, higher adiposity and fasting insulin and glucose but lower blood pressure and favorable lipid, inflammatory and liver enzyme profiles (P<5 × 10(-8)).Our genetic findings among European and African-American adults reinforce the role of caffeine in mediating habitual coffee consumption and may point to molecular mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability in pharmacological and health effects of coffee. Show less