Bodin et al. (2025) provide valuable insights into neurodevelopmental vulnerability by examining radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF‑EMF) exposure during early life. Their integrative design, co Show more
Bodin et al. (2025) provide valuable insights into neurodevelopmental vulnerability by examining radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF‑EMF) exposure during early life. Their integrative design, combining whole-body exposure with endpoints such as neonatal brain proteomics, BDNF expression, synaptogenesis, and oxidative stress, offers a comprehensive framework for developmental neurotoxicology. However, interpretation of proteomic clustering relies heavily on principal component analysis (PCA), a linear technique ill-suited for high-dimensional datasets dominated by non-linear dependencies and strong inter-feature correlations. PCA plots (Figure 3) illustrate group separation, yet variance explained (55%) and clustering stability remain underreported, raising concerns about robustness and biological interpretability, particularly given only ten differentially expressed proteins. To enhance inference, future studies should adopt biologically meaningful feature selection and advanced frameworks such as Feature Agglomeration and Highly Variable Feature Selection, alongside non-parametric correlation measures such as Spearman's rho and Kendall's tau. These strategies will improve reproducibility, uncover mechanistic patterns, and strengthen translational relevance for neurodevelopmental research. Show less
Neural circuit formation through synaptogenesis plays a crucial role in learning, memory, and the recovery of neural function following brain dysfunction. We previously reported that administering the Show more
Neural circuit formation through synaptogenesis plays a crucial role in learning, memory, and the recovery of neural function following brain dysfunction. We previously reported that administering the low-dose cardiac glycoside digoxin, which activates brain Na/K-ATPase, promotes dendritic spine formation and improves motor learning. On the other hand, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also involved in axon elongation, branching, attraction, and the maturation of dendritic spines. Since trans-2-decenoic acid ethyl ester (DAEE), an ester of medium-chain fatty acid with ten carbons, activates the signaling pathway downstream of BDNF-TrkB, co-administration of digoxin and DAEE could further improve motor learning. This study compared the effects of digoxin, DAEE, or both on motor learning performance and locomotor activity in mice. Digoxin improved early performance in the rotarod test without changing locomotor activity, but did not affect final performance. DAEE increased activity in the open-field test but had no effect on the running wheel and did not influence motor learning in the rotarod test. On the other hand, the combination of digoxin and DAEE improved performance on the rotarod test later in the study. These data indicate that combining digoxin with DAEE delays the peak effects of motor learning compared to digoxin monotherapy, a temporal shift that may offer therapeutic advantages in rehabilitation outcomes. Show less