Postmenopausal syndrome refers to symptoms caused by the gradual decrease in female hormones after mid-40 years. As a target organ of estrogen, decrease in estrogen causes various changes in brain function such as a decrease in choline acetyltransferase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor; thus, postmenopausal women experience cognitive decline and more depressive symptoms than age-matched men. Radix Polygalae has been used for memory boosting and as a mood stabilizer and its components have shown neuroprotective, antidepressant, and stress relief properties. In a mouse model of estrogen depletion induced by 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide, Radix Polygalae was orally administered for 3 weeks. In these animals, cognitive and depression-related behaviors and molecular changes related to these behaviors were measured in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Radix Polygalae improved working memory and contextual memory and despair-related behaviors in 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide-treated mice without increasing serum estradiol levels in this model. In relation to these behaviors, choline acetyltransferase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and bcl-2-associated athanogene expression increased in the hippocampus. These results implicate the possible benefit of Radix Polygalae in use as a supplement of estrogen to prevent conditions such as postmenopausal depression and cognitive decline.

Background: Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of progressive peripheral neuropathies. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M), a well-established assisted reproductive technology used to detect specific genetic mutations in embryos before implantation, has been used in common CMT subtypes (e.g., CMT1A); however, data on its application across rarer subtypes and in de novo cases remain limited. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PGT-M using karyomapping in achieving clinical pregnancies and healthy births in families affected by various CMT types, including the previously unreported subtypes CMT1B and CMT2. Methods: We analyzed 31 PGT-M cycles from 13 families with genetically confirmed CMT, including cases of previously unreported subtypes CMT1B and CMT2. A total of 150 embryos were biopsied. Through 19 embryo transfer cycles, 21 embryos were transferred. In one de novo case, karyomapping was performed using amniotic fluid from an affected fetus as a reference. Results: Of the 19 embryo transfers, 15 resulted in clinical pregnancies. Prenatal diagnosis confirmed that all fetuses were unaffected, and all pregnancies resulted in healthy live births. Successful phasing using amniotic fluid from an affected fetus enabled accurate embryo selection and led to the birth of healthy twins. Conclusions: PGT-M using karyomapping is a rapid and reliable method for achieving successful pregnancies in families affected by diverse CMT subtypes, including de novo cases, and supports broader applicability to other monogenic disorders.

Background/Objectives: Karyomapping, a genome-wide SNP analysis, has drastically changed the approach to preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M). However, there are cases in which karyomapping cannot be applied due to an insufficient number of informative SNPs. In this study, we aimed to analyze for the first time whether an insufficient number of informative SNPs is related to the family member used as a reference. Methods: For the karyomapping pre-clinical test, in addition to the couple, one of the DNA samples from an additional family member (children, parent, sibling) is used as a reference for phasing the SNP allele. We analyzed 263 couples who underwent karyomapping for PGT-M at the CHA Fertility Center from May 2020 to December 2022. karyomapping data was scanned on an Illumina NextSeq and analyzed through the BlueFuse Multi software version 4.5. Results: Preclinical karyomapping tests were performed in 263 couples with 58 monogenic diseases. Karyomapping was applicable to PGT-M for 241 (91.6%) couples and not applicable for 22 (8.4%) couples. The percentages of “not applicable” cases according to the reference family member were 1.3% (1/80) in the children group, 5.4% (8/148) in the parent group, and 37.1% (13/35) in the sibling group. Among the genetic diseases studied, couples with neurofibromatosis type 1 (6/27, 22.2%) and Kennedy disease (5/5, 100%) had the highest rate of non-applicable cases. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a child or parent may be better than the sibling for karyomapping in PGT-M. These data provide useful information for selecting a reference among the family members for preclinical karyomapping tests.