TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schwarzmeier, Hanna
A1  - Leehr, Elisabeth Johanna
A1  - Böhnlein, Joscha
A1  - Seeger, Fabian Reinhard
A1  - Roesmann, Kati
A1  - Gathmann, Bettina
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Siminski, Niklas
A1  - Junghöfer, Markus
A1  - Straube, Thomas
A1  - Grotegerd, Dominik
A1  - Dannlowski, Udo
T1  - Theranostic markers for personalized therapy of spider phobia: Methods of a bicentric external cross‐validation machine learning approach
JF  - International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
N2  - Objectives
Embedded in the Collaborative Research Center “Fear, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders” (CRC‐TRR58), this bicentric clinical study aims at identifying biobehavioral markers of treatment (non‐)response by applying machine learning methodology with an external cross‐validation protocol. We hypothesize that a priori prediction of treatment (non‐)response is possible in a second, independent sample based on multimodal markers.

Methods
One‐session virtual reality exposure treatment (VRET) with patients with spider phobia was conducted on two sites. Clinical, neuroimaging, and genetic data were assessed at baseline, post‐treatment and after 6 months. The primary and secondary outcomes defining treatment response are as follows: 30% reduction regarding the individual score in the Spider Phobia Questionnaire and 50% reduction regarding the individual distance in the behavioral avoidance test.

Results
N = 204 patients have been included (n = 100 in Würzburg, n = 104 in Münster). Sample characteristics for both sites are comparable.

Discussion
This study will offer cross‐validated theranostic markers for predicting the individual success of exposure‐based therapy. Findings will support clinical decision‐making on personalized therapy, bridge the gap between basic and clinical research, and bring stratified therapy into reach. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03208400).
KW  - machine learning
KW  - spider phobia
KW  - theranostic markers
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-213430
VL  - 29
IS  - 2
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Massih, Bita
A1  - Veh, Alexander
A1  - Schenke, Maren
A1  - Mungwa, Simon
A1  - Seeger, Bettina
A1  - Selvaraj, Bhuvaneish T.
A1  - Chandran, Siddharthan
A1  - Reinhardt, Peter
A1  - Sterneckert, Jared
A1  - Hermann, Andreas
A1  - Sendtner, Michael
A1  - Lüningschrör, Patrick
T1  - A 3D cell culture system for bioengineering human neuromuscular junctions to model ALS
JF  - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
N2  - The signals that coordinate and control movement in vertebrates are transmitted from motoneurons (MNs) to their target muscle cells at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Human NMJs display unique structural and physiological features, which make them vulnerable to pathological processes. NMJs are an early target in the pathology of motoneuron diseases (MND). Synaptic dysfunction and synapse elimination precede MN loss suggesting that the NMJ is the starting point of the pathophysiological cascade leading to MN death. Therefore, the study of human MNs in health and disease requires cell culture systems that enable the connection to their target muscle cells for NMJ formation. Here, we present a human neuromuscular co-culture system consisting of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MNs and 3D skeletal muscle tissue derived from myoblasts. We used self-microfabricated silicone dishes combined with Velcro hooks to support the formation of 3D muscle tissue in a defined extracellular matrix, which enhances NMJ function and maturity. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry, calcium imaging, and pharmacological stimulations, we characterized and confirmed the function of the 3D muscle tissue and the 3D neuromuscular co-cultures. Finally, we applied this system as an in vitro model to study the pathophysiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and found a decrease in neuromuscular coupling and muscle contraction in co-cultures with MNs harboring ALS-linked SOD1 mutation. In summary, the human 3D neuromuscular cell culture system presented here recapitulates aspects of human physiology in a controlled in vitro setting and is suitable for modeling of MND.
KW  - NMJ–neuromuscular junction
KW  - motoneuron (MN)
KW  - skeletal muscle
KW  - iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells)
KW  - 3D cell culture
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304161
SN  - 2296-634X
VL  - 11
ER  -