'Share your views'-international consultation informs a patient engagement strategy for the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Engaging with patients and the public (consumers and community) enhances the relevance of cancer control developments; however, challenges remain to integrate into processes. Medical and other professional societies are well-positioned to foster and endorse best practice. METHODS: Between October and December 2021, the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) conducted a global consultation with those who identified as "people affected by cancer". Recruitment to an online cross-sectional survey was by a combination of purposive and convenience sampling to determine preferred terminologies and experiences with MASCC and other cancer-related societies. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 343 respondents from 29 countries, a majority being female (78.1%) and younger than 60 years of age (62.1%). Respondents preferred to be identified as 'patient' from a set of defined terms; however, this only accounted for 49-67% of selected response across geographical regions. Only 22.2% of respondents had engaged previously with MASCC, of whom 90.8% reported a positive experience through involvement with education and information, networking and collaboration, and practice guidelines. Respondents perceived areas of opportunity as early involvement in decision-making, educational initiatives, open communication, and information sharing. Across all geographical regions, responders chose a preference to contribute to future consumer research (53.0%), policy (31.7%) or consumer engagement activities (56.9%) including participation in a conference session (65.0%) or patient day (47.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides a first insight into how consumers wish to engage with MASCC. These values will be embedded into a strategy that aims for effective and sustainable partnerships with multinational consumers.

Inhibition of bioenergetics provides novel insights into recruitment of PINK1-dependent neuronal mitophagy.

Contributions of damaged mitochondria to neuropathologies have stimulated interest in mitophagy. We investigated triggers of neuronal mitophagy by disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism in primary neurons. Mitophagy was examined in cultured murine cerebellar granule cells after inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory chain by drugs rotenone, 3-nitropropionic acid, antimycin A, and potassium cyanide, targeting complexes I, II, III, and IV, respectively. Inhibitor concentrations producing slow cellular demise were determined from analyses of cellular viability, morphology of neuritic damage, plasma membrane permeability, and oxidative phosphorylation. Live cell imaging of dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm ) by drugs targeting mitochondrial complexes was referenced to complete depolarization by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone. While inhibition of complexes I, III and IV effected rapid dissipation of ΔΨm , inhibition of complex II using 3-nitropropionic acid led to minimal depolarization of mitochondria. Nonetheless, all respiratory chain inhibitors triggered mitophagy as indicated by increased aggregation of mitochondrially localized PINK1. Mitophagy was further analyzed using a dual fluorescent protein biosensor reporting mitochondrial relocation to acidic lysosomal environment. Significant acidification of mitochondria was observed in neurons treated with rotenone or 3-nitropropionic acid, revealing mitophagy at distal processes. Neurons treated with antimycin A or cyanide failed to show mitochondrial acidification. Minor dissipation of ΔΨm by 3-nitropropionic acid coupled with vigorous triggering of mitophagy suggested depolarization of mitochondria is not a necessary condition to trigger mitophagy. Moreover, weak elicitation of mitophagy by antimycin A, subsequent to loss of ΔΨm , suggested that mitochondrial depolarization is not a sufficient condition for triggering robust neuronal mitophagy. Our findings provide new insight into complexities of mitophagic clearance of neuronal mitochondria.

Cortical Layer Inversion and Deregulation of Reelin Signaling in the Absence of SOCS6 and SOCS7.

Mutations of the reelin gene cause severe defects in cerebral cortex development and profound intellectual impairment. While many aspects of the reelin signaling pathway have been identified, the molecular and ultimate cellular consequences of reelin signaling remain unknown. Specifically, it is unclear if termination of reelin signaling is as important for normal cortical neuron migration as activation of reelin signaling. Using mice that are single or double deficient, we discovered that combined loss of the suppressors of cytokine signaling, SOCS6 and SOCS7, recapitulated the cortical layer inversion seen in mice lacking reelin and led to a dramatic increase in the reelin signaling molecule disabled (DAB1) in the cortex. The SRC homology domains of SOCS6 and SOCS7 bound DAB1 ex vivo. Mutation of DAB1 greatly diminished binding and protected from degradation by SOCS6. Phosphorylated DAB1 was elevated in cortical neurons in the absence of SOCS6 and SOCS7. Thus, constitutive activation of reelin signaling was observed to be equally detrimental as lack of activation. We hypothesize that, by terminating reelin signaling, SOCS6 and SOCS7 may allow new cycles of reelin signaling to occur and that these may be essential for cortical neuron migration.

Cyclin D2 in the basal process of neural progenitors is linked to non-equivalent cell fates.

Asymmetric cell division plays an indispensable role during corticogenesis for producing new neurons while maintaining a self-renewing pool of apical progenitors. The cellular and molecular determinants favouring asymmetric division are not completely understood. Here, we identify a novel mechanism for generating cellular asymmetry through the active transportation and local translation of Cyclin D2 mRNA in the basal process. This process is regulated by a unique cis-regulatory sequence found in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the mRNA. Unequal inheritance of Cyclin D2 protein to the basally positioned daughter cell with the basal process confers renewal of the apical progenitor after asymmetric division. Conversely, depletion of Cyclin D2 in the apically positioned daughter cell results in terminal neuronal differentiation. We demonstrate that Cyclin D2 is also expressed in the developing human cortex within similar domains, thus indicating that its role as a fate determinant is ancient and conserved.

Exogenous Reelin modifies the migratory behavior of neurons depending on cortical location.

Malformations of cortical development can arise when projection neurons generated in the germinal zones fail to migrate properly into the cortical plate. This process is critically dependent on the Reelin glycoprotein, which when absent leads to an inversion of cortical layers and blurring of borders. Reelin has other functions including supporting neuron migration and maintaining their trajectories; however, the precise role on glial fiber-dependent or -independent migration of neurons remains controversial. In this study, we wish to test the hypothesis that migrating cortical neurons at different levels of the cortical wall have differential responses to Reelin. We exposed neurons migrating across the cortical wall to exogenous Reelin and monitored their migratory behavior using time-lapse imaging. Our results show that, in the germinal zones, exogenous Reelin retarded neuron migration and altered their trajectories. This behavior is in contrast to the response of neurons located in the intermediate zone (IZ), possibly because Reelin receptors are not expressed in this zone. In the reeler cortex, Reelin receptors are expressed in the IZ and exposure to exogenous Reelin was able to rescue the migratory defect. These studies demonstrate that migrating neurons have nonequivalent responses to Reelin depending on their location within the cortical wall.

Ndfip1 is required for the development of pyramidal neuron dendrites and spines in the neocortex.

Ubiquitin ligases of the Nedd4 family are important for axon and dendrite development, but little is known about their adaptor, Nedd4 family-interacting protein 1 (Ndfip1), that is responsible for their enzymatic activation. To study the function of Ndfip1 in cortical development, we generated a conditional knock-out (conditional KO) in neurons. The Ndfip1 conditional KO mice were viable; however, cortical neurons in the adult brain exhibited atrophic characteristics, including stunted dendritic arbors, blebbing of dendrites, and fewer dendritic spines. In electron micrographs, these neurons appeared shrunken with compacted somata and involutions of the nuclear membrane. In culture, Ndfip1 KO neurons exhibited exuberant sprouting suggesting loss of developmental control. Biochemical analysis of postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions from Ndfip1 KO cortical and hippocampal neurons showed that the postsynaptic proteins (Arc and PSD-95) were reduced compared with wild-type controls. In addition, the PI3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway was altered. These results indicate that Ndfip1, through its Nedd4 effectors, is important for the development of dendrites and dendritic spines in the cortex.

Meaningful consumer involvement in cancer care: a systematic review on co-design methods and processes.

OBJECTIVE: Although the benefits of consumer involvement in research and healthcare initiatives are known, there is a need to optimise this for all people with cancer. This systematic review aimed to synthesise and evaluate the application of co-design in the oncology literature and develop recommendations to guide the application of optimal co-design processes and reporting in oncology research, practice, and policy. METHODS: A systematic review of co-design studies in adults with cancer was conducted, searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase and PsycINFO databases and included studies focused on two concepts, co-design and oncology. RESULTS: A total of 5652 titles and abstracts were screened, resulting in 66 eligible publications reporting on 51 unique studies. Four frameworks were applied to describe the co-design initiatives. Most co-design initiatives were designed for use in an outpatient setting (n = 38; 74%) and were predominantly digital resources (n = 14; 27%) or apps (n = 12; 23%). Most studies (n = 25; 49%) used a co-production approach to consumer engagement. Although some studies presented strong co-design methodology, most (n = 36; 70%) did not report the co-design approach and 14% used no framework. Reporting was poor for participant level of involvement, the frequency and time commitment of co-design sessions. Consumer participation level was predominantly collaborate (n = 25; 49%). CONCLUSIONS: There are opportunities to improve the application of co-design in oncology research. This review has generated recommendations to guide i) methodology and frameworks, ii) recruitment and engagement of co-design participants, and iii) evaluation of the co-design process. These recommendations can help drive appropriate, meaningful, and equitable co-design, leading to better cancer research and care.

Neurons on the move: migration and lamination of cortical interneurons.

The modulation of cortical activity by GABAergic interneurons is required for normal brain function and is achieved through the immense level of heterogeneity within this neuronal population. Cortical interneurons share a common origin in the ventral telencephalon, yet during the maturation process diverse subtypes are generated that form the characteristic laminar arrangement observed in the adult brain. The long distance tangential and short-range radial migration into the cortical plate is regulated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic signalling mechanisms, and a great deal of progress has been made to understand these developmental events. In this review, we will summarize current findings regarding the molecular control of subtype specification and provide a detailed account of the migratory cues influencing interneuron migration and lamination. Furthermore, a dysfunctional GABAergic system is associated with a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions, and some of these may have a developmental aetiology with alterations in interneuron generation and migration. We will discuss the notion of additional sources of interneuron progenitors found in human and non-human primates and illustrate how the disruption of early developmental events can instigate a loss in GABAergic function.

Altered speeds and trajectories of neurons migrating in the ventricular and subventricular zones of the reeler neocortex.

The Reelin signaling pathway is essential for proper cortical development, but it is unclear to whether Reelin function is primarily important for cortical layering or neuron migration. It has been proposed that Reelin is perhaps required only for somal translocation but not glial-dependent locomotion. This implies that the location of neurons responding to Reelin is restricted to the outer regions of the cortical plate (CP). To determine whether Reelin is required for migration outside of the CP, we used time-lapse imaging to track the behavior of cells undergoing locomotion in the germinal zones. We focused on the migratory activity in the ventricular/subventricular zones where the first transition of bipolar to multipolar migration occurs and where functional Reelin receptors are known to be expressed. Despite Reelin loss, neurons had no difficulty in undergoing radial migration and indeed displayed greater migratory speed. Additionally, compared with the wild-type, reeler neurons displayed altered trajectories with greater deviation from a radial path. These results suggest that Reelin loss has early consequences for migration in the germinal zones that are portrayed as defective radial trajectories and migratory speeds. Together, these abnormalities can give rise to the increased cell dispersion observed in the reeler cortex.

Sez-6 proteins affect dendritic arborization patterns and excitability of cortical pyramidal neurons.

Development of appropriate dendritic arbors is crucial for neuronal information transfer. We show, using seizure-related gene 6 (sez-6) null mutant mice, that Sez-6 is required for normal dendritic arborization of cortical neurons. Deep-layer pyramidal neurons in the somatosensory cortex of sez-6 null mice exhibit an excess of short dendrites, and cultured cortical neurons lacking Sez-6 display excessive neurite branching. Overexpression of individual Sez-6 isoforms in knockout neurons reveals opposing actions of membrane-bound and secreted Sez-6 proteins, with membrane-bound Sez-6 exerting an antibranching effect under both basal and depolarizing conditions. Layer V pyramidal neurons in knockout brain slices show reduced excitatory postsynaptic responses and a reduced dendritic spine density, reflected by diminished punctate staining for postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95). In behavioral tests, the sez-6 null mice display specific exploratory, motor, and cognitive deficits. In conclusion, cell-surface protein complexes involving Sez-6 help to sculpt the dendritic arbor, in turn enhancing synaptic connectivity.

Cortical layer development and orientation is modulated by relative contributions of reelin-negative and -positive neurons in mouse chimeras.

Reelin is an important protein that is indispensable for cortical lamination. In the absence of Reelin, cortical layers fail to form due to inappropriate neuron migration and positioning. The inversion of cortical layers is attributed to failure of neurons to migrate past earlier-generated neurons although how Reelin-insufficiency causes this is unclear. The issue is complicated by recent studies showing that very little Reelin is required for cortical layering. To test how variation in the number of Reelin-producing cells is linked to cortical lamination, we have employed Reelin(+/+) <--> Reelin(-/-) chimeras in which the number of Reelin-expressing neurons is adjusted. We found that the Reeler phenotype was rescued in chimeras with a large contribution of Reelin(+/+) neurons; conversely in chimeras with a weak contribution by Reelin(+/+) neurons, the mutant phenotype remained. However, increasing the number of Reelin(+/+) neurons beyond an unknown threshold resulted in partial rescue, with the formation of a correctly layered secondary cortex lying on top of an inverted mutant cortex. Therefore, the development of cortical layers in the correct order requires a minimal level of Reelin protein to be present although paradoxically, this is insufficient to prevent the simultaneous formation of inverted cortical layers in the same hemisphere.

The stochastic search dynamics of interneuron migration.

Migration is a dynamic process in which a cell searches the environment and translates acquired information into somal advancement. In particular, interneuron migration during development is accomplished by two distinct processes: the extension of neurites tipped with growth cones; and nucleus translocation, termed nucleokinesis. The primary purpose of our study is to investigate neurite branching and nucleokinesis using high-resolution time-lapse confocal microscopy and computational modeling. We demonstrate that nucleokinesis is accurately modeled by a spring-dashpot system and that neurite branching is independent of the nucleokinesis event, and displays the dynamics of a stochastic birth-death process. This is in contrast to traditional biological descriptions, which suggest a closer relationship between the two migratory mechanisms. Our models are validated on independent data sets acquired using two different imaging protocols, and are shown to be robust to alterations in guidance cues and cellular migratory mechanisms, through treatment with brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-4, and blebbistatin. We postulate that the stochastic branch dynamics exhibited by interneurons undergoing guidance-directed migration permit efficient exploration of the environment.

Generation and characterization of neuregulin-2-deficient mice.

The neuregulins (NRGs) are a family of four structurally related growth factors that are expressed in the developing and adult brain. NRG-1 is essential for normal heart formation and has been implicated in the development and maintenance of both neurons and glia. NRG-2 was identified on the basis of its homology to NRG-1 and, like NRG-1, is expressed predominantly by neurons in the central nervous system. We have generated mice with the active domain of NRG-2 deleted in an effort to characterize the biological function of NRG-2 in vivo. In contrast to the NRG-1 knockout animals, NRG-2 knockouts have no apparent heart defects and survive embryogenesis. Mutant mice display early growth retardation and reduced reproductive capacity. No obvious histological differences were observed in the major sites of NRG-2 expression. Our results indicate that in vivo NRG-2 activity differs substantially from that of NRG-1 and that it is not essential for normal development in utero.

A method for isolating cortical interneurons sharing the same birthdays for gene expression studies.

The two neuronal populations in the cortex, pyramidal neurons and interneurons, can be separated based on neurotransmitter identity, however, within this segregation a large degree of diversity exists. Investigations into the molecular diversity of neurons are impeded by the inability to isolate cell populations born at different times for gene expression analysis. Developing interneurons may be distinguished by the expression of Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase-67 (GAD67). Neuronal birthdating using nucleoside analogs is an effective means of identifying coetaneous interneurons. Using these two features, neurotransmitter identity and birthdating, we have developed a method to isolate migrating interneurons using fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS) for RNA extraction and gene expression analysis. We utilized 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) to birthdate interneuron cohorts and the GAD67 knock-in GFP transgenic mice to identify interneurons. In combination, we achieved simultaneous detection of GFP and EdU signals during FACS sorting of coetaneous interneurons with minimum loss of RNA integrity. RNA quality was deemed to be satisfactory by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the interneuron-specific transcript Gad67.

A method for assessing nonlinear growth in the fetal cortex.

The cerebral cortex is folded into gyri and sulci in the brains of higher mammals. Quantitative study of the process by which the cortex folds during brain development is critical to a complete understanding of normal brain development and neuro-developmental disorders. In this work, we propose a new method by which to localise nonlinearities in the cortical folding process, and thereby identify regions of differential growth across the cortex. Our method is based on spherical harmonic (SPHARM) representation of the cortical surface. Linearity is assessed by comparison of each SPHARM reconstructed surface with an artificial surface constructed using a linear combination of SPHARM coefficients from data at adjoining developmental time points. The resultant quantification of cortical folding development is easy to interpret, and the method has low computational cost. We demonstrate application to a set of experimental MRI data of fetal sheep brains, across key developmental timepoints as the cortex first folds during development.

An in silico agent-based model demonstrates Reelin function in directing lamination of neurons during cortical development.

The characteristic six-layered appearance of the neocortex arises from the correct positioning of pyramidal neurons during development and alterations in this process can cause intellectual disabilities and developmental delay. Malformations in cortical development arise when neurons either fail to migrate properly from the germinal zones or fail to cease migration in the correct laminar position within the cortical plate. The Reelin signalling pathway is vital for correct neuronal positioning as loss of Reelin leads to a partially inverted cortex. The precise biological function of Reelin remains controversial and debate surrounds its role as a chemoattractant or stop signal for migrating neurons. To investigate this further we developed an in silico agent-based model of cortical layer formation. Using this model we tested four biologically plausible hypotheses for neuron motility and four biologically plausible hypotheses for the loss of neuron motility (conversion from migration). A matrix of 16 combinations of motility and conversion rules was applied against the known structure of mouse cortical layers in the wild-type cortex, the Reelin-null mutant, the Dab1-null mutant and a conditional Dab1 mutant. Using this approach, many combinations of motility and conversion mechanisms can be rejected. For example, the model does not support Reelin acting as a repelling or as a stopping signal. In contrast, the study lends very strong support to the notion that the glycoprotein Reelin acts as a chemoattractant for neurons. Furthermore, the most viable proposition for the conversion mechanism is one in which conversion is affected by a motile neuron sensing in the near vicinity neurons that have already converted. Therefore, this model helps elucidate the function of Reelin during neuronal migration and cortical development.

Biomechanisms for modelling cerebral cortical folding.

Understanding the biomechanical mechanisms by which the cerebral cortex folds is a fundamental problem in neuroscience. Current mathematical models of cortical folding do not include three dimensional geometry or measurement of cortical growth in developing brains extracted from experimental data. We present two biomechanical models of cortical folding which integrate 3D geometry and information taken from MRI scans of fetal sheep brains at a number of key developmental stages. The first model utilises diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measurements of white matter fibre orientation in the fetal sheep brains as a cue to the tension forces that may regulate folding. In the second model, tangential cortical growth is modelled by osmotic expansion of the tissue and regulated by inhomogeneous white matter rigidity as a biomechanism of cortical folding. This is based on quantitative analysis of cortical growth and inhomogeneous white matter anisotropy measured from the MRI data. We demonstrate that structural and diffusion tensor MRI can be combined with finite element modelling and an explicit growth mechanism of the cortex to create biologically meaningful models of the cortical folding process common to higher order mammals.

C3G regulates cortical neuron migration, preplate splitting and radial glial cell attachment.

Neuronal migration is integral to the development of the cerebral cortex and higher brain function. Cortical neuron migration defects lead to mental disorders such as lissencephaly and epilepsy. Interaction of neurons with their extracellular environment regulates cortical neuron migration through cell surface receptors. However, it is unclear how the signals from extracellular matrix proteins are transduced intracellularly. We report here that mouse embryos lacking the Ras family guanine nucleotide exchange factor, C3G (Rapgef1, Grf2), exhibit a cortical neuron migration defect resulting in a failure to split the preplate into marginal zone and subplate and a failure to form a cortical plate. C3G-deficient cortical neurons fail to migrate. Instead, they arrest in a multipolar state and accumulate below the preplate. The basement membrane is disrupted and radial glial processes are disorganised and lack attachment in C3G-deficient brains. C3G is activated in response to reelin in cortical neurons, which, in turn, leads to activation of the small GTPase Rap1. In C3G-deficient cells, Rap1 GTP loading in response to reelin stimulation is reduced. In conclusion, the Ras family regulator C3G is essential for two aspects of cortex development, namely radial glial attachment and neuronal migration.

Migratory response of interneurons to different regions of the developing neocortex.

The interactions between migrating interneurons and their environment that lead to stereotypic migration pathways remain largely undefined. We have used time-lapse imaging to record the migratory responses of labeled interneurons to different regions of the migratory pathway in organotypic slice cultures. We tested the hypothesis that the length of the migratory pathway is not equally permissive for interneuron migration, with separate zones of inhibition and attraction. Three different experimental approaches were used to address this issue, including explant cocultures, cortical overlay cultures, and rotation of cortical slices. The results clearly identify the lateral region to be an attractive substrate for interneuron entry at embryonic day 12.5, whereas the medial region at this stage contains a zone of inhibition. This property of the medial neocortex is temporally regulated with switching from inhibition to attraction within 24 h. We suggest that this temporal regulation may provide a mechanism for gating the entry of interneurons into the hippocampus while ensuring that cortical interneurons are properly confined within the neocortical wall. In this manner, interneurons arising from common precursors and sharing common migratory pathways are able to populate different pallial structures.