Biology subjects

Hodges, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Hodges, A..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

GIRAF 1.0: A unified global framework to anticipate plant pest invasions

Plant pests threaten 10-40% of global food production, resulting in $55-220 billion in annual economic losses. Despite these escalating risks, biosecurity remains largely reactive, lacking anticipatory frameworks that integrate pest-specific drivers governing transboundary spread. We present GIRAF 1.0 (Global Invasion Risk Assessment Framework), the first quantitative, data-driven system that unifies pest-specific multi-host landscapes, abiotic suitability, and global trade networks with international phytosanitary policies. We applied GIRAF to four globally devastating pests - ranging from viral to insect taxa - to reconstruct a century of transcontinental spread and generate the first multiscale atlases of future invasion potential. GIRAF reveals that 22-37% of Earths land surface can contain host communities that largely overlap with environmentally suitable hotspots. Over 115 countries are highly vulnerable to trade-mediated pest introductions despite adopted phytosanitary policies. GIRAF provides a foundation for proactive surveillance and pandemic preparedness, offering a scalable path for transnational biosecurity agencies and global food industries.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Two disparity channels in human visual cortex with different contrast and blur sensitivity

PurposeOur goal is to describe the contrast and blur sensitivity of multiple horizontal disparity sub-systems and to relate them to the contrast and spatial sensitivities of their monocular inputs. MethodsSteady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) amplitudes were recorded in response to Dynamic Random Dot Stereograms (DRDS) alternating at 2 Hz between zero disparity and varying magnitudes of crossed disparity for disparity plane and disparity grating stimuli. Half-image contrasts ranged between 2.5 and 80% and over a range of Gaussian blurs from 1.4 to 12 arcmin. Separate experiments measured contrast and blur sensitivity for the monocular half-images. ResultsThe first and second harmonics disparity responses were maximal for disparity gratings and for the disparity plane condition, respectively. The first harmonic of the disparity grating response was more affected by both contrast and blur than was the second harmonic of the disparity plane response which had higher contrast sensitivity than the first harmonic. ConclusionThe corrugation frequency, contrast and blur tuning of the first harmonic suggest that it reflects activity of neurons tuned to higher luminance spatial frequencies that are selective for relative disparity, whereas the second harmonic reflects the activity of neurons sensitive to absolute disparity that are driven by low monocular spatial spatial frequencies. Translational RelevanceSSVEPs to DRDS provide two objective neural measures of disparity processing, the first harmonic - whose stimulus preferences are similar to those of behavioral stereoacuity - and the second harmonic that represents an independent disparity-specific, but not necessarily stereoscopic mechanism.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Novel Class of Psychedelic Iboga Alkaloids Disrupts Opioid Addiction States

Substance use and related mental health epidemics are causing increasing suffering and death in diverse communities.1,2 Despite extensive efforts focused on developing pharmacotherapies for treating substance use disorders, there is an urgent need for radically different therapeutic approaches.3,4 Ibogaine provides an important drug prototype in this direction, as a psychoactive iboga alkaloid suggested to have the ability to interrupt opioid use in drug-dependent humans.5 However, ibogaine and its major metabolite noribogaine present considerable safety risk associated with cardiac arrhythmias.6 We introduce a new class of iboga alkaloids - "oxa-iboga" - defined as benzofuran-containing iboga analogs and created via structural editing of the iboga skeleton. The oxa-iboga compounds act as potent kappa opioid receptor agonists in vitro and in vivo, but exhibit atypical behavioral features compared to standard kappa psychedelics. We show that oxa-noribogaine has greater therapeutic efficacy in rat models of opioid use, and no cardiac pro-arrhythmic potential, in contrast to noribogaine. Oxa-noribogaine induces long-lasting suppression of morphine and fentanyl intake after a single dose, persistent reduction of morphine intake and reinforcing efficacy after a short treatment regimen, and suppression of morphine and fentanyl drug seeking in relapse models. Oxa-noribogaine also induces a lasting elevation of neurotrophin proteins in the ventral tegmental area and medial prefrontal cortex, consistent with targeted neuroplasticity induction and alteration of addiction-like states. As such, oxa-iboga compounds represent candidates for a novel type of pharmacotherapy for treatment of opioid use disorder.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2020

Integrated lipidomics and proteomics network analysis highlights lipid and immunity pathways associated with Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTIONThere is an urgent need to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimers Disease (AD) to enable early diagnosis and develop effective treatments. Here we aim to investigate Alzheimers dementia using an unsupervised lipid, protein and gene multi-omic integrative approach. METHODSA lipidomics dataset (185 AD, 40 MCI and 185 controls) and a proteomics dataset (201 AD patients, 104 MCI individuals and 97 controls) were utilised for weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA). An additional proteomics dataset (94 AD, 55 MCI and 100 controls) was included for external proteomics validation. Modules created within each modality were correlated with clinical AD diagnosis, brain atrophy measures and disease progression, as well as with each other. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was employed to examine the biological processes and molecular and cellular functions for protein modules associated with AD phenotypes. Lipid species were annotated in the lipid modules associated with AD phenotypes. Associations between established AD risk loci and lipid/protein modules that showed high correlation with AD phenotypes were also explored. RESULTSFive of the 20 identified lipid modules and five of the 17 identified protein modules were correlated with AD phenotypes. Lipid modules comprising of phospholipids, triglycerides, sphingolipids and cholesterol esters, correlated with AD risk loci involved in immune response and lipid metabolism. Five protein modules involved in positive regulation of cytokine production, neutrophil mediated immunity, humoral immune responses were correlated with AD risk loci involved in immune and complement systems. DISCUSSIONWe have shown the first multi-omic study linking genes, proteins and lipids to study pathway dysregulation in AD. Results identified modules of tightly regulated lipids and proteins that were strongly associated with AD phenotypes and could be pathology drivers in lipid homeostasis and innate immunity. Research in ContextO_LILipid and protein modules were preserved amongst Alzheimers disease (AD) patients, participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls. Protein modules were also externally validated. C_LIO_LIFive lipid and five protein modules out of a total of thirty-seven correlated with clinical AD diagnosis, brain atrophy measurements and the rate of cognitive decline in AD. C_LIO_LILipid and protein modules associated with AD phenotypes showed associations with established AD risk loci involved in lipid and immune pathways. C_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

A comprehensive assessment of benign genetic variability for neurodegenerative disorders

1AbstractOver the last few years, as more and more sequencing studies have been performed, it has become apparent that the identification of pathogenic mutations is, more often than not, a complex issue. Here, with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases, we have performed a survey of coding genetic variability that is unlikely to be pathogenic.\n\nWe have performed whole-exome sequencing in 478 samples derived from several brain banks in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Samples were included when subjects were, at death, over 60 years of age, had no signs of neurological disease and were subjected to a neuropathological examination, which revealed no evidence of neurodegeneration. This information will be valuable to studies of genetic variability as a causal factor for neurodegenerative syndromes. We envisage it will be particularly relevant for diagnostic laboratories as a filter step to the results being produced by either genome-wide or gene-panel sequencing. We have made this data publicly available at www.alzforum.org/exomes/hex.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2017

Does genetic risk help to predict amyloid burden in a non-demented population? A Bayesian approach.

INTRODUCTIONIn this study we investigate the association between A{beta} levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and genetic risk in a non-demented population. This paper presents the first analysis to use a Bayesian methodology in this area.\n\nMETHODSData from the Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the EDAR* and DESCRIPA** studies was used in a Bayesian logistic regression analysis. We modeled CSF A{beta} burden using age, diagnosis (healthy control or mild cognitive impairment), APOE and a polygenic risk score (PGRS) associated with Alzheimers Disease (AD). We compared models built using informative priors on age, diagnosis and APOE with non-informative priors on all variables.\n\nRESULTSThe use of informative priors did not improve model performance in the majority of cases. Models using only age, diagnosis and APOE genotype showed the best predictive ability.\n\nDISCUSSIONA previous study indicated that a PGRS of AD case/control status was associated with CSF A{beta} burden in healthy controls. The current study suggests that this association does not lead to models that are more predictive of amyloid positivity than already known factors such as age and APOE.\n\n* Beta amyloid oligomers in the early diagnosis of AD and as marker for treatment response\n\n** Development of screening guidelines and criteria for pre-dementia Alzheimers disease

bioinformatics↗