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Central vein sign differentiates Multiple Sclerosis from central nervous system inflammatory vasculopathies.
In multiple sclerosis (MS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a sensitive tool for detecting white matter lesions, but its diagnostic specificity is still suboptimal; ambiguous cases are frequent in clinical practice. Detection of perivenular lesions in the brain (the "central vein sign") improves the pathological specificity of MS diagnosis, but comprehensive evaluation of this MRI biomarker in MS-mimicking inflammatory and/or autoimmune diseases, such as central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory vasculopathies, is lacking. In a multicenter study, we assessed the frequency of perivenular lesions in MS versus systemic autoimmune diseases with CNS involvement and primary angiitis of the CNS (PACNS).
Annals of neurology
2,018
2
13
123
26,335,190
Presymptomatic and symptomatic ALS SOD1(G93A) mice differ in adenosine A1 and A2A receptor-mediated tonic modulation of neuromuscular transmission.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease leading to neuromuscular transmission impairment. A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR) function changes with disease stage, but the role of the A(1) receptors (A1Rs) is unknown and may have a functional cross-talk with A2AR. The role of A1R in the SOD1(G93A) mouse model of ALS in presymptomatic (4-6 weeks old) and symptomatic (12-14 weeks old) phases was investigated by recording endplate potentials (EPPs), miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs), and quantal content (q.c.) of EPPs, from Mg(2+) paralyzed hemidiaphragm preparations. In presymptomatic mice, the A1R agonist, N (6)-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) (50 nM), decreased mean EPP amplitude, MEPP frequency, and q.c. of EPPs, an effect quantitatively similar to that in age-matched wild-type (WT) mice. However, coactivation of A2AR with CGS 21680 (5 nM) prevented the effects of CPA in WT mice but not in presymptomatic SOD1(G93A) mice, suggestive of A1R/A2AR cross-talk disruption in this phase of ALS. DPCPX (50 nM) impaired CGS 21680 facilitatory action on neuromuscular transmission in WT but not in presymptomatic mice. In symptomatic animals, CPA only inhibited transmission if added in the presence of adenosine deaminase (ADA, 1 U/mL). ADA and DPCPX enhanced more transmission in symptomatic mice than in age-matched WT mice, suggestive of increase in extracellular adenosine during the symptomatic phase of ALS. The data documents that at the neuromuscular junction of presymptomatic SOD1(G93A) mice, there is a loss of A1R-A2AR functional cross-talk, while in symptomatic mice there is increased A1R tonic activation, and that with disease progression, changes in A1R-mediated adenosine modulation may act as aggravating factors during the symptomatic phase of ALS.
Purinergic signalling
2,015
12
0
15
19,026,951
cis-4-[(18)F]-Fluoro-l-proline fails to detect peripheral tumors in humans.
System A amino acid transport is increased in transformed and malignant cells. The amino acid 4-cis[(18)F]fluoro-l-proline (cis-[(18)F]FPro) has been shown to be a substrate of the System A amino acid carrier. In this pilot study, we investigated the diagnostic potential of cis-[(18)F]FPro in patients with various tumors in comparison with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).
Nuclear medicine and biology
2,008
11
0
2
30,176,349
Cystatin C prevents neuronal loss and behavioral deficits via the endosomal pathway in a mouse model of down syndrome.
Cystatin C (CysC) plays diverse protective roles under conditions of neuronal challenge. We investigated whether CysC protects from trisomy-induced pathologies in a mouse model of Down syndrome (DS), the most common cause of developmental cognitive and behavioral impairments in humans. We have previously shown that the segmental trisomy mouse model, Ts[Rb(12.1716)]2Cje (Ts2) has DS-like neuronal and behavioral deficiencies. The current study reveals that transgene-mediated low levels of human CysC overexpression has a preventive effect on numerous neuropathologies in the brains of Ts2 mice, including reducing early and late endosome enlargement in cortical neurons and decreasing loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs). Consistent with these cellular benefits, behavioral dysfunctions were also prevented, including deficits in nesting behavior and spatial memory. We determined that the CysC-induced neuroprotective mechanism involves activation of the phosphotidylinositol kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway. Activating this pathway leads to enhanced clearance of accumulated endosomal substrates, protecting cells from DS-mediated dysfunctions in the endosomal system and, for BFCNs, from neurodegeneration. Our findings suggest that modulation of the PI3/AKT pathway offers novel therapeutic interventions for patients with DS.
Neurobiology of disease
2,018
12
2
6
27,403,728
Stripe Assay to Study the Attractive or Repulsive Activity of a Protein Substrate Using Dissociated Hippocampal Neurons.
Growing axons develop a highly motile structure at their tip, termed the growth cone. The growth cone contacts extracellular environmental cues to navigate axonal growth. Netrin, slit, semaphorin, and ephrins are known guidance molecules that can attract or repel axons upon binding to receptors and co-receptors on the axon. The activated receptors initiate various signaling molecules in the growth cone that alter the structure and movement of the neuron. Here, we describe the detailed protocol for a stripe assay to assess the ability of a guidance molecule to attract or repel neurons. In this method, dissociated hippocampal neurons from E15.5 mice are cultured on laminin-coated dishes processed with alternating stripes of ectodomain of fibronectin and leucine-rich transmembrane protein-2 (FLRT2) and control immunoglobulin G (IgG) fragment crystallizable region (Fc) protein. Both axons and cell bodies were strongly repelled from the FLRT2-coated stripe regions after 24 h of culture. Immunostaining with tau1 showed that ~90% of the neurons were distributed on the Fc-coated stripes compared to the FLRT2-Fc-coated stripes (~10%). This result indicates that FLRT2 has a strong repulsive effect on these neurons. This powerful method is applicable not only for primary cultured neurons but also for a variety of other cells, such as neuroblasts.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
2,016
6
0
6
24,849,347
Dorsal raphe neuroinflammation promotes dramatic behavioral stress dysregulation.
Impulsivity, risk-taking behavior, and elevated stress responsivity are prominent symptoms of mania, a behavioral state common to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Though inflammatory processes activated within the brain are involved in the pathophysiology of both disorders, the specific mechanisms by which neuroinflammation drives manic behavior are not well understood. Serotonin cell bodies originating within the dorsal raphe (DR) play a major role in the regulation of behavioral features characteristic of mania. Therefore, we hypothesized that the link between neuroinflammation and manic behavior may be mediated by actions on serotonergic neurocircuitry. To examine this, we induced local neuroinflammation in the DR by viral delivery of Cre recombinase into interleukin (IL)-1β(XAT) transgenic male and female mice, resulting in overexpressing of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-1β. For assertion of brain-region specificity of these outcomes, the prefrontal cortex (PFC), as a downstream target of DR serotonergic projections, was also infused. Inflammation within the DR, but not the PFC, resulted in a profound display of manic-like behavior, characterized by increased stress-induced locomotion and responsivity, and reduced risk-aversion/fearfulness. Microarray analysis of the DR revealed a dramatic increase in immune-related genes, and dysregulation of genes important in GABAergic, glutamatergic, and serotonergic neurotransmission. Behavioral and physiological changes were driven by a loss of serotonergic neurons and reduced output as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, demonstrating inflammation-induced serotonergic hypofunction. Behavioral changes were rescued by acute selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment, supporting the hypothesis that serotonin dysregulation stemming from neuroinflammation in the DR underlies manic-like behaviors.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,014
5
1
14
28,703,074
Serum ionic dysequilibria in clinical opioid dependence: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.
Despite an increasing awareness that the activity of excitable membranes is determined by the underlying ionic gradients across them, and their importance in drug dependency, we were not able to identify any reports of comparing the electrolyte composition of opioid-dependent and non-addicted controls.
Human & experimental toxicology
2,017
8
0
1
29,953,199
DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Phencyclidine (PCP).
Phencyclidine (PCP, "angel dust", an arylcyclohexylamine) was the first non-natural, man-made illicit drug of abuse, and was coined 'the most dangerous drug in America" in the late 1970s (amidst sensational horror stories of the drug's effects); however, few other illicit drugs have had such a significant and broad impact on society-both good and bad. Originally developed as a new class of anesthetic, PCP-derived psychosis gave way to the PCP hypothesis of schizophrenia (later coined the NMDA receptor hypofunction hypothesis or the glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia), which continues to drive therapeutic discovery for schizophrenia today. PCP also led to the discovery of ketamine (and a new paradigm for the treatment of major depression), as well as other illicit, designer drugs, such as methoxetamine (MXE) and a new wave of Internet commerce for illicit drugs (sold as research chemicals, or RCs). Furthermore, PCP is a significant contaminant/additive of many illegal drugs sold today, due to its ease of preparation by clandestine chemists. Here, we will review the history, importance, synthesis (both legal and clandestine), pharmacology, drug metabolism, and folklore of PCP, a true DARK classic in chemical neuroscience.
ACS chemical neuroscience
2,018
10
1
29
29,301,039
Defining the Locus of Dopaminergic Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis and Test of the Mesolimbic Hypothesis.
Studies using positron emission tomography to image striatal dopamine function, have demonstrated that individuals with schizophrenia display increases in presynaptic function. Mesolimbic dysfunction specifically, has previously been suggested to underlie psychotic symptoms. This has not been directly tested in vivo, and the precise anatomical locus of dopamine dysfunction within the striatum remains unclear. The current article investigates the magnitude of dopaminergic abnormalities in individuals with schizophrenia, and determines how the magnitude of abnormality varies across functional subdivisions of the striatum.
Schizophrenia bulletin
2,018
10
14
167
29,940,255
Suppressing cortisol at encoding reduces the emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection.
The stress hormone cortisol, released when encountering an emotional event, contributes to form a strong emotional memory. Such emotionally arousing memories are recalled with an enhanced subjective sense of recollection, i.e. experienced in memory as more vivid and richer in details. We examined here whether cortisol plays a role in this emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection for a set of learned scenes. Suppressing cortisol at encoding decreased the emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection at a test 28 h later, but did not affect familiarity and memory for a contextual detail. Individual cortisol levels were significantly correlated to emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection. These findings indicate that cortisol plays a modulatory role for enhanced subjective sense of recollection for emotional events.
Neurobiology of learning and memory
2,018
11
2
6
24,343,520
Choroid plexus implants rescue Alzheimer's disease-like pathologies by modulating amyloid-β degradation.
The choroid plexuses (CP) release numerous biologically active enzymes and neurotrophic factors, and contain a subpopulation of neural progenitor cells providing the capacity to proliferate and differentiate into other types of cells. These characteristics make CP epithelial cells (CPECs) excellent candidates for cell therapy aiming at restoring brain tissue in neurodegenerative illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, using in vitro approaches, we demonstrated that CP were able to diminish amyloid-β (Aβ) levels in cell cultures, reducing Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. For in vivo studies, CPECs were transplanted into the brain of the APP/PS1 murine model of AD that exhibits advanced Aβ accumulation and memory impairment. Brain examination after cell implantation revealed a significant reduction in brain Aβ deposits, hyperphosphorylation of tau, and astrocytic reactivity. Remarkably, the transplantation of CPECs was accompanied by a total behavioral recovery in APP/PS1 mice, improving spatial and non-spatial memory. These findings reinforce the neuroprotective potential of CPECs and the use of cell therapies as useful tools in AD.
Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS
2,014
8
3
14
27,916,440
Characterisation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signalling in the midbrain periaqueductal grey of rats genetically prone to heightened stress, negative affect and hyperalgesia.
The stress-hyperresponsive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat strain exhibits a hyperalgesic phenotype and is a useful genetic model for studying stress-pain interactions. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signalling in the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) modulates pain. This study characterised PPAR signalling in the PAG of WKY rats exposed to the formalin test of inflammatory pain, versus Sprague-Dawley (SD) controls. Formalin injection reduced levels of the endogenous PPAR ligands N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA) in the lateral(l) PAG of SD rats, but not WKY rats which exhibited higher levels of these analytes compared with formalin-injected SD counterparts. Levels of mRNA coding for fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH; catabolises PEA and OEA) were lower in the lPAG of WKY versus SD rats. PPARγ mRNA and protein levels in the lPAG were higher in saline-treated WKY rats, with PPARγ protein levels reduced by formalin treatment in WKY rats only. In the dorsolateral(dl) or ventrolateral(vl) PAG, there were no effects of formalin injection on PEA or OEA levels but there were some differences in levels of these analytes between saline-treated WKY and SD rats and some formalin-evoked alterations in levels of PPARα, PPARγ or FAAH mRNA in WKY and/or SD rats. Pharmacological blockade of PPARγ in the lPAG enhanced formalin-evoked nociceptive behaviour in WKY, but not SD, rats. These data indicate differences in the PPAR signalling system in the PAG of WKY versus SD rats and suggest that enhanced PEA/OEA-mediated tone at PPARγ in the lPAG may represent an adaptive mechanism to lower hyperalgesia in WKY rats.
Brain research
2,017
2
1
5
32,236,692
Cognitive swarming in complex environments with attractor dynamics and oscillatory computing.
Neurobiological theories of spatial cognition developed with respect to recording data from relatively small and/or simplistic environments compared to animals' natural habitats. It has been unclear how to extend theoretical models to large or complex spaces. Complementarily, in autonomous systems technology, applications have been growing for distributed control methods that scale to large numbers of low-footprint mobile platforms. Animals and many-robot groups must solve common problems of navigating complex and uncertain environments. Here, we introduce the NeuroSwarms control framework to investigate whether adaptive, autonomous swarm control of minimal artificial agents can be achieved by direct analogy to neural circuits of rodent spatial cognition. NeuroSwarms analogizes agents to neurons and swarming groups to recurrent networks. We implemented neuron-like agent interactions in which mutually visible agents operate as if they were reciprocally connected place cells in an attractor network. We attributed a phase state to agents to enable patterns of oscillatory synchronization similar to hippocampal models of theta-rhythmic (5-12 Hz) sequence generation. We demonstrate that multi-agent swarming and reward-approach dynamics can be expressed as a mobile form of Hebbian learning and that NeuroSwarms supports a single-entity paradigm that directly informs theoretical models of animal cognition. We present emergent behaviors including phase-organized rings and trajectory sequences that interact with environmental cues and geometry in large, fragmented mazes. Thus, NeuroSwarms is a model artificial spatial system that integrates autonomous control and theoretical neuroscience to potentially uncover common principles to advance both domains.
Biological cybernetics
2,020
4
3
21
31,161,314
Atrophy of cerebellar peduncles in essential tremor: a machine learning-based volumetric analysis.
Subtle cerebellar signs are frequently observed in essential tremor (ET) and may be associated with cerebellar dysfunction. This study aims to evaluate the macrostructural integrity of the superior, middle, and inferior cerebellar peduncles (SCP, MCP, ICP) and cerebellar gray and white matter (GM, WM) volumes in patients with ET, and compare these volumes between patients with and without cerebellar signs (ETc and ETnc).
European radiology
2,019
12
0
18
32,217,087
Lower scores in pharmacokinetics than in pharmacodynamics assessment among students in a health and life sciences curriculum.
In pharmacology teaching, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) may be defined as part of the 'general pharmacology' domain, whereas effects of drugs on the autonomic nervous system and clinical trial design might be defined as part of the 'medical' and 'clinical' pharmacology domain, respectively. We recently designed a pharmacology course covering these domains for second year Health and Life Sciences students at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). We used a combination of lectures, problem-based learning and practicals to transfer knowledge to students in order for them to acquire sufficient knowledge and insight to solve real-world pharmacological problems. To evaluate whether we 1) successfully aligned our course objectives with both our teaching strategy and assessment, and 2) to identify topics in our course that would benefit from improvement in teaching strategy and/or effort, we determined success rate of the exam questions in above-defined pharmacology domains. We analyzed 3 consecutive second year cohorts (n = 377) of students enrolled in our course, and found a statistically significant reduction in success rate in exam questions of the general pharmacology domain (especially in PK), compared to domains covering 'medical' and 'clinical' pharmacology. In addition, we found lower success rates for 'knows how' questions compared to 'knows' questions in the combined PK/PD domain. Our data show that we overall succeeded in aligning our course objectives with both our teaching strategy and assessment, but that outcomes on the PK domain might benefit from additional attention.
European journal of pharmacology
2,020
6
0
2
34,078,342
The effects on self-efficacy, motivation and perceived barriers of an intervention targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviours in office workers: a cluster randomized control trial.
The importance of physical activity on health is clear, but changing behaviour is difficult. Successful interventions aiming to improve physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour is therefore of importance. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects on motivation, self-efficacy and barriers to change behaviour from two different behavioural intervention focusing either on reducing sedentary behaviour or on increasing physical activity as compared to a waiting list control group.
BMC public health
2,021
6
2
16
31,512,720
Sex Differences in Functional Brain Networks for Language.
Men and women process language differently, but how the brain functions to support this difference is poorly understood. A few studies reported sex influences on brain activation for language, whereas others failed to detect the difference at the functional level. Recent advances of brain network analysis have shown great promise in picking up brain connectivity differences between sexes, leading us to hypothesize that the functional connections among distinct brain regions for language may differ in males and females. To test this hypothesis, we scanned 58 participants' brain activities (28 males and 30 females) in a semantic decision task using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found marked sex differences in dynamic interactions among language regions, as well as in functional segregation and integration of brain networks during language processing. The brain network differences were further supported by a machine learning analysis that accurately discriminated males from females using the multivariate patterns of functional connectivity. The sex-specific functional brain connectivity may constitute an essential neural basis for the long-held notion that men and women process language in different ways. Our finding also provides important implications for sex differences in the prevalence of language disorders, such as dyslexia and stuttering.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
2,020
3
2
28
33,421,070
Insulin Resistance in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia is Compensated for by Reduced Insulin Clearance.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) patients have potential normal longevity. However, a greater risk for cardiovascular disease has been reported. Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia have been described in CAH patients, whereas the prevalence of overt type 2 diabetes is not higher in CAH than in normal population.
The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism
2,021
3
2
12
27,685,658
Clinical outcome and intraoperative neurophysiology for focal limb dystonic tremor without generalized dystonia treated with deep brain stimulation.
Dystonic tremor (DT) is defined as a postural/kinetic tremor occurring in the body region affected by dystonia. DT is typically characterized by focal tremors with irregular amplitudes and variable frequencies typically below 7Hz. Pharmacological treatment is generally unsuccessful and guidelines for deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting and indications are scarce. In this article, we present the outcome and neurophysiologic data of two patients with refractory, focal limb DT treated with Globus Pallidus interna (Gpi) DBS and critically review the current literature regarding surgical treatment of DT discussing stereotactic targets and treatment considerations.
Clinical neurology and neurosurgery
2,016
11
0
7
25,040,939
In Vitro Assessment with the Infrared Thermometer of Temperature Differences Generated During Implant Site Preparation: The Traditional Technique Versus the Single-Drill Technique.
To assess in vitro, using an infrared (IR) thermometer, temperature changes generated at implant sites by osteotomies involving two different drilling methods (with multiple drills versus only one) and to measure the influence of irrigation on the temperature variation.
Clinical implant dentistry and related research
2,016
2
0
16
32,088,296
Effects of Colesevelam on Bowel Symptoms, Biomarkers, and Colonic Mucosal Gene Expression in Patients With Bile Acid Diarrhea in a Randomized Trial.
Approximately one-third of patients with IBS-diarrhea (IBS-D) have increased bile acid (BA) synthesis or excretion. An open-label study showed benefits of colesevelam on bowel functions, consistent with luminal BA sequestration by colesevelam. We compared the effects of colesevelam vs placebo on symptoms and gene expression patterns in the sigmoid colon mucosa in patients with BA diarrhea associated with IBS-D.
Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
2,020
12
6
30
21,382,453
Circadian regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Circadian (24-h) rhythms influence virtually every aspect of mammalian physiology. The main rhythm generation center is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, and work over the past several years has revealed that rhythmic gene transcription and post-translational processes are central to clock timing. In addition, rhythmic translation control has also been implicated in clock timing; however the precise cell signaling pathways that drive this process are not well known. Here we report that a key translation activation cascade, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, is under control of the circadian clock in the SCN. Using phosphorylated S6 ribosomal protein (pS6) as a marker of mTOR activity, we show that the mTOR cascade exhibits maximal activity during the subjective day, and minimal activity during the late subjective night. Importantly, expression of S6 was not altered as a function of circadian time. Rhythmic S6 phosphorylation was detected throughout the dorsoventral axis of the SCN, thus suggesting that rhythmic mTOR activity was not restricted to a subset of SCN neurons. Rather, rhythmic pS6 expression appeared to parallel the expression pattern of the clock gene period1 (per1). Using a transgenic per1 reporter gene mouse strain, we found a statistically significant cellular level correlation between pS6 and per1 gene expression over the circadian cycle. Further, photic stimulation triggered a coordinate upregulation of per1 and mTOR activation in a subset of SCN cells. Interestingly, this cellular level correlation between mTOR activity and per1 expression appears to be specific, since a similar expression profile for pS6 and per2 or c-FOS was not detected. Finally, we show that mTOR activity is downstream of the ERK/MAPK signal transduction pathway. Together these data reveal that mTOR pathway activity is under the control of the SCN clock, and suggests that mTOR signaling may contribute to distinct aspects of the molecular clock timing process.
Neuroscience
2,011
5
0
24
33,425,653
Child Sexual Abuse and Compulsive Sexual Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review.
Information on potential risk factors and clinical correlates of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) may help inform more effective prevention and treatment measures. Sexual victimization, specifically, child sexual abuse (CSA), has been associated with CSB.
Current addiction reports
2,020
3
4
57
31,304,985
Choroid plexus-derived miR-204 regulates the number of quiescent neural stem cells in the adult brain.
Regulation of adult neural stem cell (NSC) number is critical for lifelong neurogenesis. Here, we identified a post-transcriptional control mechanism, centered around the microRNA 204 (miR-204), to control the maintenance of quiescent (q)NSCs. miR-204 regulates a spectrum of transcripts involved in cell cycle regulation, neuronal migration, and differentiation in qNSCs. Importantly, inhibition of miR-204 function reduced the number of qNSCs in the subependymal zone (SEZ) by inducing pre-mature activation and differentiation of NSCs without changing their neurogenic potential. Strikingly, we identified the choroid plexus of the mouse lateral ventricle as the major source of miR-204 that is released into the cerebrospinal fluid to control number of NSCs within the SEZ. Taken together, our results describe a novel mechanism to maintain adult somatic stem cells by a niche-specific miRNA repressing activation and differentiation of stem cells.
The EMBO journal
2,019
9
7
49
29,037,972
Sex differences in circuits activated by corticotropin releasing factor in rats.
Women are more likely than men to suffer from psychiatric disorders characterized by corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) hypersecretion, suggesting sex differences in CRF sensitivity. In rodents, sex differences in the sensitivity of specific brain regions to CRF have been identified. However, regions do not work in isolation, but rather form circuits to coordinate distinct responses to stressful events. Here we examined whether CRF activates different circuits in male and female rats. Following central administration of CRF or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF), neuronal activation in stress-related areas was assessed using cFOS. Functional connectivity was gauged by correlating the number of cFOS-positive cells between regions and then identifying differences within each sex in correlations for aCSF-treated and CRF-treated groups. This analysis revealed that CRF altered different circuits in males and females. As an example, CRF altered correlations involving the dorsal raphe in males and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in females, suggesting sex differences in stress-activated circuits controlling mood and anxiety. Next, plasma estradiol and progesterone levels were correlated with cFOS counts in females. Negative correlations between estradiol and neuronal activation in the regions within the extended amygdala were found in CRF-treated, but not aCSF-treated females. This result suggests that estrogens and CRF together modulate the fear and anxiety responses mediated by these regions. Collectively, these studies reveal sex differences in the way brain regions work together in response to CRF. These differences could drive different stress coping strategies in males and females, perhaps contributing to sex biases in psychopathology.
Hormones and behavior
2,018
1
6
37
30,091,267
Comparative analysis of decidual and peripheral immune cells and immune-checkpoint molecules during pregnancy in wild-type and PACAP-deficient mice.
PACAP is a neuropeptide having a major relevance in the nervous system and in several peripheral organs including those of the reproductive system. PACAP-deficient mice have several morphological, biochemical, behavioral defects, and show reduced fertility. Female reproductive functions such as fertility, mating behavior, maternal behaviors, and implantation alterations have been widely investigated, but no comparative immune analyses are available in pregnant wild-type (WT) and PACAP knockout (KO) mice.
American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989)
2,018
10
4
11
21,802,444
Revisiting the controversial role of salsolinol in the neurobiological effects of ethanol: old and new vistas.
The possible involvement of salsolinol (Sal), an endogenous condensation product of ACD (the first metabolite of ethanol) and dopamine, in the neurochemical basis underlying ethanol action has been repeatedly suggested although it has not been unequivocally established, still being a controversial matter of debate. The main goal of this review is to evaluate the presumed contribution of Sal to ethanol effects summarizing the reported data since the discovery in the 1970s of Sal formation in vitro during ethanol metabolism until the more recent studies characterizing its behavioral and neurochemical effects. Towards this end, we first analyze the production and detection of Sal, in different brain areas, in basal conditions and after alcohol consumption, highlighting its presence in regions especially relevant in regulating ethanol-drinking behaviour and the importance of the newly developed methods to differentiate both enantiomers of Sal which could help to explain some previous negative findings. Afterwards, we review the behavioral and neurochemical studies. Finally, we present and discuss the previous and current enunciated mechanisms of action of Sal in the CNS.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
2,012
1
3
21
28,049,425
The variability of motor evoked potential latencies in neurosurgical motor mapping by preoperative navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Recording of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) is used during navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) motor mapping to locate motor function in the human brain. However, factors potentially underlying MEP latency variability in neurosurgical motor mapping are vastly unknown. In the context of this study, one hundred brain tumor patients underwent preoperative nTMS-based motor mapping of the tumor hemisphere between 2010 and 2013. Fourteen predefined predictor variables were recorded, and MEP latencies of abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB), abductor digiti minimi muscle (ADM), and flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR) were analyzed using linear mixed-effect multiple regression analysis with the forward step-wise model comparison approach.
BMC neuroscience
2,017
1
2
18
28,204,568
Differential Gene Expression in the Human Brain Is Associated with Conserved, but Not Accelerated, Noncoding Sequences.
Previous studies have found that genes which are differentially expressed within the developing human brain disproportionately neighbor conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs) that have an elevated substitution rate in humans and in other species. One explanation for this general association of differential expression with accelerated CNSs is that genes with pre-existing patterns of differential expression have been preferentially targeted by species-specific regulatory changes. Here we provide support for an alternative explanation: genes that neighbor a greater number of CNSs have a higher probability of differential expression and a higher probability of neighboring a CNS with lineage-specific acceleration. Thus, neighboring an accelerated element from any species signals that a gene likely neighbors many CNSs. We extend the analyses beyond the prenatal time points considered in previous studies to demonstrate that this association persists across developmental and adult periods. Examining differential expression between non-neural tissues suggests that the relationship between the number of CNSs a gene neighbors and its differential expression status may be particularly strong for expression differences among brain regions. In addition, by considering this relationship, we highlight a recently defined set of putative human-specific gain-of-function sequences that, even after adjusting for the number of CNSs neighbored by genes, shows a positive relationship with upregulation in the brain compared with other tissues examined.
Molecular biology and evolution
2,017
5
5
7
22,668,988
Can the default-mode network be described with one spatial-covariance network?
The default-mode network (DMN) has become a well accepted concept in cognitive and clinical neuroscience over the last decade, and perusal of the recent literature attests to a stimulating research field of cognitive and diagnostic applications (for example, (Andrews-Hanna et al., 2010; Koch et al., 2010; Sheline et al., 2009a; Sheline et al., 2009b; Uddin et al., 2008; Uddin et al., 2009; Weng et al., 2009; Yan et al., 2009)). However, a formal definition of what exactly constitutes a functional brain network is difficult to come by. In recent contributions, some researchers argue that the DMN is best understood as multiple interacting subsystems (Buckner et al., 2008) and have explored modular components of the DMN that have different functional specialization and could to some extent be identified separately (Fox et al., 2005; Uddin et al., 2009). Such conception of modularity seems to imply an opposite construct of a 'unified whole', but it is difficult to locate proponents of the idea of a DMN who are supplying constraints that can be brought to bear on data in rigorous tests. Our aim in this paper is to present a principled way of deriving a single covariance pattern as the neural substrate of the DMN, test to what extent its behavior tracks the coupling strength between critical seed regions, and investigate to what extent our stricter concept of a network is consistent with the already established findings about the DMN in the literature. We show that our approach leads to a functional covariance pattern whose pattern scores are a good proxy for the integrity of the connections between a medioprefrontal, posterior cingulate and parietal seed regions. Our derived DMN network thus has potential for diagnostic applications that are simpler to perform than computation of pairwise correlational strengths or seed maps.
Brain research
2,012
8
1
5
19,965,853
Impaired sensorimotor integration in focal hand dystonia patients in the absence of symptoms.
Functional imaging studies of people with focal hand dystonia (FHD) have indicated abnormal activity in sensorimotor brain regions. Few studies however, have examined FHD during movements that do not provoke symptoms of the disorder. It is possible, therefore, that any differences between FHD and controls are confounded by activity due to the occurrence of symptoms. Thus, in order to characterise impairments in patients with FHD during movements that do not induce dystonic symptoms, we investigated the neural correlates of externally paced finger tapping movements.
Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
2,010
6
3
27
19,269,697
The distinct roles of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 in neuroinflammation: implications for translational research.
Cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) are key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and other lipid mediators. Because it can be induced by inflammatory stimuli, COX-2 has been classically considered as the most appropriate target for anti-inflammatory drugs. However, recent data indicate that COX-2 can mediate neuroprotection and that COX-1 is a major player in the neuroinflammatory process. We discuss the specific contributions of COX-1 and COX-2 in various neurodegenerative diseases and in models of neuroinflammation. We suggest that, owing to its predominant localization in microglia, COX-1 might be the major player in neuroinflammation, whereas COX-2, which is localized in neurons, might have a major role in models in which the neurons are directly challenged. Overall, the benefit of using COX-2 inhibitors should be carefully evaluated and COX-1 preferential inhibitors should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative diseases with an inflammatory component.
Trends in pharmacological sciences
2,009
4
15
103
30,930,077
Distribution, nature, and origin of CXCL14-immunoreactive fibers in rat parotid gland.
The distribution and nature of CXCL14-immunoreactive nerve fibers in salivary glands, especially the parotid gland was immunohistochemically investigated. Furthermore, the origin of parotid CXCL14-immunoreactive nerve fibers was determined by retrograde tracing experiments. CXCL14-immunoreactive nerve fibers were localized in the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands, particularly in the parotid gland. Double staining using identical sections revealed that a subpopulation of cells neuropeptide Y (NPY)-containing fibers was immunopositive for CXCL14 in the parotid gland. In the peripheral regions of acinar cells, CXCL14-immunoreactive fibers tended to coexist with NPY; however, perivascular NPY-immunoreactive fibers tended to be immunonegative for CXCL14. Parotid CXCL14-immunoreactive fibers were immunopositive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) but immunonegative for choline acetyltransferase and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). After injection of horseradish peroxidase-labeled wheat germ agglutinin (WGA-HRP) in the parotid gland, retrogradely labeled neurons were seen in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) and otic ganglion. Some of the WGA-immunoreactive somata in the SCG were immunopositive for CXCL14; however, no doubly-labeled somata were noted in the otic ganglion. These results indicate that CXCL14-immunoreactive nerve fibers originate in the SCG, and are sympathetic in nature. The coexistence of CXCL14 with NPY/TH suggests that CXCL14 may be associated with NPY/TH functions as a neuromodulatory chemokine in the parotid gland. The localization of CXCL14 nerve fibers around the acinar cells of the parotid gland indicates its involvement in acinar cell function, but not vasoconstriction.
Neuroscience letters
2,019
6
1
2
25,802,982
Arc expression identifies the lateral amygdala fear memory trace.
Memories are encoded within sparsely distributed neuronal ensembles. However, the defining cellular properties of neurons within a memory trace remain incompletely understood. Using a fluorescence-based Arc reporter, we were able to visually identify the distinct subset of lateral amygdala (LA) neurons activated during auditory fear conditioning. We found that Arc-expressing neurons have enhanced intrinsic excitability and are preferentially recruited into newly encoded memory traces. Furthermore, synaptic potentiation of thalamic inputs to the LA during fear conditioning is learning-specific, postsynaptically mediated and highly localized to Arc-expressing neurons. Taken together, our findings validate the immediate-early gene Arc as a molecular marker for the LA neuronal ensemble recruited during fear learning. Moreover, these results establish a model of fear memory formation in which intrinsic excitability determines neuronal selection, whereas learning-related encoding is governed by synaptic plasticity.
Molecular psychiatry
2,016
3
7
33
31,586,834
Measuring subthreshold autistic traits in the general population: Psychometric properties of the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) scale.
The Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum (AdAS Spectrum) has been developed to assess the wide spectrum of autistic-like clinical and non-clinical features in adults. Nevertheless, its psychometric properties have been analyzed only with clinical individuals so far. This study was aimed at investigating the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the AdAS Spectrum on a non-clinical sample. Participants were 395 Spanish undergraduate students (60% males; mean age of 21.1 years, SD = 2.6), who completed the AdAS Spectrum, the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). A confirmatory factor analysis supported the seven-factor structure of the questionnaire. Internal consistency was excellent for the total score and acceptable for five factors. Test-retest reliability over a 4-week period was good. Higher AdAS Spectrum scores significantly correlated with higher AQ and lower EQ scores, supporting the validity of the scale. Moreover, participants studying Science/Technology programs did significantly differ from students following Social/Humanities degree courses on all the AdAS Spectrum scores. Overall, findings support the psychometric properties of the AdAS in a non-clinical sample. Future research is needed to further examine the factorial structure and the internal consistency of the scale in larger samples of general population.
Psychiatry research
2,019
11
0
19
26,133,572
Computer Game Play Reduces Intrusive Memories of Experimental Trauma via Reconsolidation-Update Mechanisms.
Memory of a traumatic event becomes consolidated within hours. Intrusive memories can then flash back repeatedly into the mind's eye and cause distress. We investigated whether reconsolidation-the process during which memories become malleable when recalled-can be blocked using a cognitive task and whether such an approach can reduce these unbidden intrusions. We predicted that reconsolidation of a reactivated visual memory of experimental trauma could be disrupted by engaging in a visuospatial task that would compete for visual working memory resources. We showed that intrusive memories were virtually abolished by playing the computer game Tetris following a memory-reactivation task 24 hr after initial exposure to experimental trauma. Furthermore, both memory reactivation and playing Tetris were required to reduce subsequent intrusions (Experiment 2), consistent with reconsolidation-update mechanisms. A simple, noninvasive cognitive-task procedure administered after emotional memory has already consolidated (i.e., > 24 hours after exposure to experimental trauma) may prevent the recurrence of intrusive memories of those emotional events.
Psychological science
2,015
8
8
105
30,755,602
Biallelic mutations in valyl-tRNA synthetase gene VARS are associated with a progressive neurodevelopmental epileptic encephalopathy.
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) function to transfer amino acids to cognate tRNA molecules, which are required for protein translation. To date, biallelic mutations in 31 ARS genes are known to cause recessive, early-onset severe multi-organ diseases. VARS encodes the only known valine cytoplasmic-localized aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Here, we report seven patients from five unrelated families with five different biallelic missense variants in VARS. Subjects present with a range of global developmental delay, epileptic encephalopathy and primary or progressive microcephaly. Longitudinal assessment demonstrates progressive cortical atrophy and white matter volume loss. Variants map to the VARS tRNA binding domain and adjacent to the anticodon domain, and disrupt highly conserved residues. Patient primary cells show intact VARS protein but reduced enzymatic activity, suggesting partial loss of function. The implication of VARS in pediatric neurodegeneration broadens the spectrum of human diseases due to mutations in tRNA synthetase genes.
Nature communications
2,019
2
5
29
31,194,249
Simultaneous tonic and phasic REM sleep without atonia best predicts early phenoconversion to neurodegenerative disease in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RWA) is the main polysomnographic feature of idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and is considered to be a promising biomarker predicting conversion to manifested synucleinopathy. Besides conventionally evaluated tonic, phasic and any RWA, we took into consideration also periods, when phasic and tonic RWA appeared simultaneously and we called this activity "mixed RWA." The study aimed to evaluate different types of RWA, to reveal the most relevant biomarker to the conversion.
Sleep
2,019
9
0
31
30,298,238
Neural correlates of proactive and reactive inhibition of saccadic eye movements.
Although research on goal-directed, proactive inhibitory control (IC) and stimulus-driven, reactive IC is growing, no previous study has compared proactive IC in conditions of uncertainty with regard to upcoming inhibition to conditions of certain upcoming IC. Therefore, we investigated effects of certainty and uncertainty on behavior and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal in proactive and reactive IC. In two studies, healthy adults performed saccadic go/no-go and prosaccade/antisaccade tasks. The certainty manipulation had a highly significant behavioral effect in both studies, with inhibitory control being more successful under certain than uncertain conditions on both tasks (p ≤ 0.001). Saccadic go responses were significantly less efficient under conditions of uncertainty than certain responding (p < 0.001). Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (one study) revealed a dissociation of certainty- and uncertainty-related proactive inhibitory neural correlates in the go/no-go task, with lateral and medial prefrontal and occipital cortex showing stronger deactivations during uncertainty than during certain upcoming inhibition, and lateral parietal cortex being activated more strongly during certain upcoming inhibition than uncertainty or certain upcoming responding. In the antisaccade task, proactive BOLD effects arose due to stronger deactivations in uncertain response conditions of both tasks and before certain prosaccades than antisaccades. Reactive inhibition-related BOLD increases occurred in inferior parietal cortex and supramarginal gyrus (SMG) in the go/no-go task only. Proactive IC may imply focusing attention on the external environment for encoding salient or alerting events as well as inhibitory mechanisms that reduce potentially distracting neural processes. SMG and inferior parietal cortex may play an important role in both proactive and reactive IC of saccades.
Brain imaging and behavior
2,020
2
1
8
32,393,896
Brainstem neurons that command mammalian locomotor asymmetries.
Descending command neurons instruct spinal networks to execute basic locomotor functions, such as gait and speed. The command functions for gait and speed are symmetric, implying that a separate unknown system directs asymmetric movements, including the ability to move left or right. In the present study, we report that Chx10-lineage reticulospinal neurons act to control the direction of locomotor movements in mammals. Chx10 neurons exhibit mainly ipsilateral projection, and their selective unilateral activation causes ipsilateral turning movements in freely moving mice. Unilateral inhibition of Chx10 neurons causes contralateral turning movements. Paired left-right motor recordings identified distinct mechanisms for directional movements mediated via limb and axial spinal circuits. Finally, we identify sensorimotor brain regions that project on to Chx10 reticulospinal neurons, and demonstrate that their unilateral activation can impart left-right directional commands. Together these data identify the descending motor system that commands left-right locomotor asymmetries in mammals.
Nature neuroscience
2,020
6
22
107
26,338,334
Oligodendrocyte Regeneration and CNS Remyelination Require TACE/ADAM17.
The identification of the molecular network that supports oligodendrocyte (OL) regeneration under demyelinating conditions has been a primary goal for regenerative medicine in demyelinating disorders. We recently described an essential function for TACE/ADAM17 in regulating oligodendrogenesis during postnatal myelination, but it is unknown whether this protein also plays a role in OL regeneration and remyelination under demyelinating conditions. By using genetic mouse models to achieve selective gain- or loss-of-function of TACE or EGFR in OL lineage cells in vivo, we found that TACE is critical for EGFR activation in OLs following demyelination, and therefore, for sustaining OL regeneration and CNS remyelination. TACE deficiency in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells following demyelination disturbs OL lineage cell expansion and survival, leading to a delay in the remyelination process. EGFR overexpression in TACE deficient OLs in vivo restores OL development and postnatal CNS myelination, but also OL regeneration and CNS remyelination following demyelination. Our study reveals an essential function of TACE in supporting OL regeneration and CNS remyelination that may contribute to the design of new strategies for therapeutic intervention in demyelinating disorders by promoting oligodendrocyte regeneration and myelin repair.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,015
9
1
12
25,554,223
Tamoxifen in combination with temozolomide induce a synergistic inhibition of PKC-pan in GBM cell lines.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly proliferative, angiogenic grade IV astrocytoma that develops resistance to the alkylating agents used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide (TMZ), which is considered the gold standard. The mean survival time for GBM patients is approximately 12 months, increasing to 14.6 months after TMZ treatment. The resistance of GBM to chemotherapy seems to be associated to genetic alterations and to the constitutive activation of several signaling pathways. Therefore, the combination of different drugs with different mechanisms of action may contribute to circumvent the chemoresistance of glioma cells. Here we describe the potential synergistic behavior of the therapeutic combination of tamoxifen (TMX), a known inhibitor of PKC, and TMZ in GBM.
Biochimica et biophysica acta
2,015
4
1
20
25,529,145
Neuroprotective activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibition of five Amaryllidaceae species: a comparative study.
Amaryllidaceae alkaloids exhibit a wide range of physiological effects, of which the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity is the most relevant. However, scientific evidence related to their neuroprotective effectiveness against glutamate-induced toxicity has been lacking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative study of the neuroprotective activity and the AChE inhibitory activity of species of Amaryllidaceae.
Life sciences
2,015
2
3
24
28,417,277
Clandestine charisma of the charm needles: a radiologist's challenge.
A 94-year-old Korean woman was seen in the Emergency Department after a fall. CT examination of the maxillofacial region found multiple small linear metallic densities in the subcutaneous soft tissues of the face. The appearance of these densities was unchanged when compared to a study performed 2 years prior; however, the imaging interpretations of these densities were markedly different. Additional imaging during the course of her hospital stay demonstrated numerous similar densities in the breasts, abdomen, hips, and legs-finally diagnosed as "charm needles." Although common practice in Southeast Asia, with ever increasing globalization, these needles, or "susuks," are being seen with greater frequency in North America. Here, we review the imaging appearance of a bizarre case of these charm needles so as to raise awareness of this potential diagnostic challenge and help the radiologist avoid confusion when interpreting images.
Emergency radiology
2,017
8
0
2
26,808,560
Leveraging Genomic Annotations and Pleiotropic Enrichment for Improved Replication Rates in Schizophrenia GWAS.
Most of the genetic architecture of schizophrenia (SCZ) has not yet been identified. Here, we apply a novel statistical algorithm called Covariate-Modulated Mixture Modeling (CM3), which incorporates auxiliary information (heterozygosity, total linkage disequilibrium, genomic annotations, pleiotropy) for each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to enable more accurate estimation of replication probabilities, conditional on the observed test statistic ("z-score") of the SNP. We use a multiple logistic regression on z-scores to combine information from auxiliary information to derive a "relative enrichment score" for each SNP. For each stratum of these relative enrichment scores, we obtain nonparametric estimates of posterior expected test statistics and replication probabilities as a function of discovery z-scores, using a resampling-based approach that repeatedly and randomly partitions meta-analysis sub-studies into training and replication samples. We fit a scale mixture of two Gaussians model to each stratum, obtaining parameter estimates that minimize the sum of squared differences of the scale-mixture model with the stratified nonparametric estimates. We apply this approach to the recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of SCZ (n = 82,315), obtaining a good fit between the model-based and observed effect sizes and replication probabilities. We observed that SNPs with low enrichment scores replicate with a lower probability than SNPs with high enrichment scores even when both they are genome-wide significant (p < 5x10-8). There were 693 and 219 independent loci with model-based replication rates ≥80% and ≥90%, respectively. Compared to analyses not incorporating relative enrichment scores, CM3 increased out-of-sample yield for SNPs that replicate at a given rate. This demonstrates that replication probabilities can be more accurately estimated using prior enrichment information with CM3.
PLoS genetics
2,016
1
4
27
9,252,004
Mechanical and thermal allodynia in chronic central pain following spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in variable motor recoveries and chronic central pain syndromes develop in the majority of SCI patients. To provide a basis for further studies, we report a new rodent model of chronic central pain following spinal cord trauma. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 10) were hemisectioned at T13 and were tested both preoperatively and postoperatively and compared to sham-operated controls (N = 10) for locomotor function, and mechanical and thermal thresholds of both paw withdrawal and supraspinal responses. Results support the development and persistence of allodynia which persists for 160 days. Locomotor function was tested using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) open field test and only the limb ipsilateral to the hemisection was affected, demonstrating acute flaccid paralysis with motor recovery which approached normal values by postoperative day (POD) 15. Prior to the hemisection, the rats showed little to no paw withdrawal response to von Frey stimulation of 4.41 mN or 9.41 mN in both forelimbs and hindlimbs. Postoperatively, responses in both ipsilateral and contralateral forelimbs and hindlimbs increased over time and the increase was statistically significant compared to intra-animal presurgical and sham control values (P < 0.05). There were no significant side-to-side differences in limb responses preoperatively or beyond POD 15. The forelimbs and hindlimbs responded to von Frey hair strengths of 122 mN preoperatively and postoperatively with similar withdrawal frequencies that were not statistically significant. Preoperatively, the paw withdrawal latency to heat stimuli was 22.9 +/- 3.0 (mean +/- SE) and 20.1 +/- 3.1 sec for the hindlimbs and forelimbs, respectively. Postoperatively, the mean hindlimb and forelimb latency of paw withdrawals decreased to 11.9 +/- 1.8 and 9.2 +/- 2.5 sec, respectively. This decrease in thermal thresholds is statistically significant when compared to intra-animal preoperative and sham control values (P < 0.05). These data indicate that somatosensory thresholds for non-noxious mechanical and radiant heat which elicit paw withdrawal (flexor reflex) are significantly lowered following SCI. To further support the development and persistence of chronic pain following hemisection, supraspinal responses such as paw lick, head turns, attacking the stimulus, and vocalizations were elicited in response to mechanical and thermal stimuli and were statistically significant compared to presurgical intra-animal or sham control values (P < 0.05). Hemisected animals vocalized to von Frey hair bending forces of 49.8 with a mean of 6.0 +/- 1.2 times out of 10 stimuli compared to intra-animal presurgical and sham control values of zero. Supraspinal responses of hemisected animals to thermal stimuli occurred at lower temperatures that were statistically significant compared to sham control or preoperative values (P < 0.05). These chronic changes in thresholds to both mechanical and thermal stimuli represent the development and persistence of mechanical and thermal allodynia after SCI.
Pain
1,996
11
3
22
18,571,437
A Bayesian framework to identify principal intravoxel diffusion profiles based on diffusion-weighted MR imaging.
In this paper we introduce a new method to characterize the intravoxel anisotropy based on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The proposed solution, under a fully Bayesian formalism, deals with the problem of joint Bayesian Model selection and parameter estimation to reconstruct the principal diffusion profiles or primary fiber orientations in a voxel. We develop an efficient stochastic algorithm based on the reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) method in order to perform the Bayesian computation. RJMCMC is a good choice for this problem because of its ability to jump between models of different dimensionality. This methodology provides posterior estimates of the parameters of interest (fiber orientation, diffusivities etc) unconditional of the model assumed. It also gives an empirical posterior distribution of the number of primary nerve fiber orientations given the DWI data. Different probability maps can be assessed using this methodology: 1) the intravoxel fiber orientation map (or orientational distribution function) that gives the probability of finding a fiber in a particular spatial orientation; 2) a three-dimensional map of the probability of finding a particular number of fibers in each voxel; 3) a three-dimensional MaxPro (maximum probability) map that provides the most probable number of fibers for each voxel. In order to study the performance and reliability of the presented approach, we tested it on synthetic data; an ex-vivo phantom of intersecting capillaries; and DWI data from a human subject.
NeuroImage
2,008
8
1
9
28,220,213
Labour market marginalisation subsequent to suicide attempt in young migrants and native Swedes.
This study aimed to compare young individuals who differed in terms of birth region and history of suicide attempt regarding socio-demographic and healthcare factors, and with regard to their risks of subsequent unemployment, sickness absence and disability pension.
Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
2,017
5
1
8
27,683,884
Transmission of auditory sensory information decreases in rate and temporal precision at the endbulb of Held synapse during age-related hearing loss.
Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is largely attributed to structural changes and functional declines in the peripheral auditory system, which include synaptopathy at the inner hair cell/spiral ganglion cell (SGC) connection and the loss of SGCs. However, functional changes at the central terminals of SGCs, namely the auditory nerve synapses in the cochlear nucleus, are not yet fully understood during ARHL. With the use of young (1-3 mo) and old (25-30 mo) CBA/CaJ mice, this study evaluated the intrinsic properties of the bushy neurons postsynaptic to the endbulb of Held synapses, and the firing properties of these neurons to direct current injections as well as to synaptic inputs from the auditory nerve. Results showed that bushy neurons in old mice are more excitable and are able to fire spikes at similar rate and timing to direct current injections as those in young mice. In response to synaptic inputs, however, bushy neurons from old mice fired spikes with significantly decreased rate and reduced temporal precision to stimulus trains at 100 and 400 Hz, with the drop in firing probability more profound at 400 Hz. It suggests that transmission of auditory information at the endbulb is declined in both rate and timing during aging, which signifies the loss of sensory inputs to the central auditory system under ARHL. The study proposes that, in addition to damages at the peripheral terminals of SGCs as well as the loss of SGCs, functional decline at the central terminals of surviving SGCs is also an essential component of ARHL.
Journal of neurophysiology
2,016
12
1
17
29,082,858
An Internet-Based Intervention for Chronic Pain.
Persons with chronic pain can be treated effectively with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). In this trial, we examined the effectiveness of guided and unguided ACT-based online treatment (ACTonPain) for chronic pain patients.
Deutsches Arzteblatt international
2,017
10
8
58
26,557,360
Habituation of Auditory Steady State Responses Evoked by Amplitude-Modulated Acoustic Signals in Rats.
Generation of the auditory steady state responses (ASSR) is commonly explained by the linear combination of random background noise activity and the stationary response. Based on this model, the decrease of amplitude that occurs over the sequential averaging of epochs of the raw data has been exclusively linked to the cancelation of noise. Nevertheless, this behavior might also reflect the non-stationary response of the ASSR generators. We tested this hypothesis by characterizing the ASSR time course in rats with different auditory maturational stages. ASSR were evoked by 8-kHz tones of different supra-threshold intensities, modulated in amplitude at 115 Hz. Results show that the ASSR amplitude habituated to the sustained stimulation and that dishabituation occurred when deviant stimuli were presented. ASSR habituation increased as animals became adults, suggesting that the ability to filter acoustic stimuli with no-relevant temporal information increased with age. Results are discussed in terms of the current model of the ASSR generation and analysis procedures. They might have implications for audiometric tests designed to assess hearing in subjects who cannot provide reliable results in the psychophysical trials.
Audiology research
2,015
1
0
6
28,135,884
Intranasal administration of dopamine attenuates unconditioned fear in that it reduces restraint-induced ultrasound vocalizations and escape from bright light.
Although substantial evidence suggests that dopamine (DA) enhances conditioned fear responses, few studies have examined the role of DA in unconditioned fear states. Whereas DA does not cross the blood-brain barrier, intranasally-applied dopamine reaches the brain directly via the nose-brain pathways in rodents, providing an alternative means of targeting DA receptors. Intranasal dopamine (IN-DA) has been demonstrated to bind to DA transporters and to increase extracellular DA in the striatum as well as having memory-promoting effects in rats. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of IN-DA in three tests of fear/anxiety.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
2,017
6
1
5
18,707,031
Neurochemical phenotypes of cardiorespiratory neurons.
Interactions between the cardiovascular and respiratory systems have been known for many years but the functional significance of the interactions is still widely debated. Here I discuss the possible role of metabotropic receptors in regulating cardiorespiratory neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord. It is clear that, although much has been discovered, cardiorespiratory regulation is certainly one area that still has a long way to go before its secrets are fully divulged and their function in controlling circulatory and respiratory function is revealed.
Respiratory physiology & neurobiology
2,008
12
1
2
23,547,559
Modulation of the cortical silent period elicited by single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation.
The cortical silent period (CSP) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is affected by changes in TMS intensity. Some studies have shown that CSP is shortened or prolonged by short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF), Those studies, however, used different TMS intensities to adjust the amplitude of the motor evoked potential (MEP). Therefore, it is unclear whether changes in CSP duration are induced by changes in TMS intensities or by SICI and ICF. The purpose of this study was to confirm the effects of muscle contractions and stimulus intensities on MEP amplitude and the duration of CSP induced by single-pulse TMS and to clarify the effects of SICI and ICF on CSP duration.MEP evoked by TMS was detected from the right first dorsal interosseous muscle in 15 healthy subjects. First, MEP and CSP were induced by single-pulse TMS with an intensity of 100% active motor threshold (AMT) at four muscle contraction levels [10%, 30%, 50%, and 70% electromyogram (EMG)]. Next, MEP and CSP were induced by seven TMS intensities (100%, 110%, 120%, 130%, 140%, 150%, and 160% AMT) during muscle contraction of 10% EMG. Finally, SICI and ICF were recorded at the four muscle contraction levels (0%, 10%, 30%, and 50% EMG).
BMC neuroscience
2,013
4
0
12
25,585,013
Targeting the sigma-1 receptor chaperone in the treatment of perinatal brain injury.
Glutamate-induced excitotoxicity via the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is an important factor in the pathogenesis of perinatal brain injury. The sigma-1 receptor on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has been known to affect the function of the NMDA receptor. 4-Phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl)piperidine (PPBP) has been investigated as a sigma-1 receptor agonist for several decades. An article using PPBP in a model of preterm brain injury was published in Experimental Neurology. The authors reported that PPBP protected against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in primary hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, the systemic administration of PPBP significantly reduced microglial activation and lesion size in cortical gray and white matter after the excitotoxic insult in neonatal mice. This study suggests that sigma-1 receptor agonists could be potential preventive and therapeutic drugs for perinatal brain injury, although a pharmacological experiment using a sigma-1 receptor antagonist was not performed. This commentary aims to highlights the key findings of this article in a broader context, emphasizing the future potential therapeutic applications in patients with perinatal brain injury.
Experimental neurology
2,015
3
0
1
26,893,077
Basal ganglia correlates of fatigue in young adults.
Although the prevalence of chronic fatigue is approximately 20% in healthy individuals, there are no studies of brain structure that elucidate the neural correlates of fatigue outside of clinical subjects. We hypothesized that fatigue without evidence of disease might be related to changes in the basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex and be implicated in fatigue with disease. We aimed to identify the white matter structures of fatigue in young subjects without disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Healthy young adults (n = 883; 489 males and 394 females) were recruited. As expected, the degrees of fatigue and motivation were associated with larger mean diffusivity (MD) in the right putamen, pallidus and caudate. Furthermore, the degree of physical activity was associated with a larger MD only in the right putamen. Accordingly, motivation was the best candidate for widespread basal ganglia, whereas physical activity might be the best candidate for the putamen. A plausible mechanism of fatigue may involve abnormal function of the motor system, as well as areas of the dopaminergic system in the basal ganglia that are associated with motivation and reward.
Scientific reports
2,016
2
0
17
30,574,817
Investigational PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors in development for endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common neoplasm of the female genital tract in developed countries. Despite the progress in early detection and treatment, a significant number of cases of advanced ECs are still diagnosed. These patients have few treatment options and a poor prognosis. Our understanding of EC pathogenesis and progression has been enhanced by recent genomic studies. Among the relevant biological pathways, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT (PIK3/AKT)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling is frequently upregulated in this cancer.
Expert opinion on investigational drugs
2,019
2
3
55
31,036,823
Macroscale cortical organization and a default-like apex transmodal network in the marmoset monkey.
Networks of widely distributed regions populate human association cortex. One network, often called the default network, is positioned at the apex of a gradient of sequential networks that radiate outward from primary cortex. Here, extensive anatomical data made available through the Marmoset Brain Architecture Project are explored to show a homologue exists in marmoset. Results reveal that a gradient of networks extend outward from primary cortex to progressively higher-order transmodal association cortex in both frontal and temporal cortex. The apex transmodal network comprises frontopolar and rostral temporal association cortex, parahippocampal areas TH / TF, the ventral posterior midline, and lateral parietal association cortex. The positioning of this network in the gradient and its composition of areas make it a candidate homologue to the human default network. That the marmoset, a physiologically- and genetically-accessible primate, might possess a default-network-like candidate creates opportunities for study of higher cognitive and social functions.
Nature communications
2,019
4
18
70
25,070,925
Influence of ketamine-xylazine anaesthesia on cubic and quadratic high-frequency distortion-product otoacoustic emissions.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic, analgesic drug as well as an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist and has been reported to influence otoacoustic emission amplitudes. In the present study, we assess the effect of ketamine-xylazine on high-frequency distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) in the bat species Carollia perspicillata, which serves as model for sensitive high-frequency hearing. Cubic DPOAE provide information about the nonlinear gain of the cochlear amplifier, whereas quadratic DPOAE are used to assess the symmetry of cochlear amplification and potential efferent influence on the operating state of the cochlear amplifier. During anaesthesia, maximum cubic DPOAE levels can increase by up to 35 dB within a medium stimulus level range from 35 to 60 dB SPL. Close to the -10 dB SPL threshold, at stimulus levels below about 20-30 dB SPL, anaesthesia reduces cubic DPOAE amplitudes and raises cubic DPOAE thresholds. This makes DPOAE growth functions steeper. Additionally, ketamine increases the optimum stimulus frequency ratio which is indicative of a reduction of cochlear tuning sharpness. The effect of ketamine on cubic DPOAE thresholds becomes stronger at higher stimulus frequencies and is highly significant for f2 frequencies above 40 kHz. Quadratic DPOAE levels are increased by up to 25 dB by ketamine at medium stimulus levels. In contrast to cubic DPOAEs, quadratic DPOAE threshold changes are variable and there is no significant loss of sensitivity during anaesthesia. We discuss that ketamine effects could be caused by modulation of middle ear function or a release from ipsilateral efferent modulation that mainly affects the gain of cochlear amplification.
Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO
2,014
10
1
3
33,955,711
Chemogenetic suppression of anterior cingulate cortical neurons projecting to the visual cortex disrupts attentional behavior in mice.
Attention is a goal-directed cognitive process that facilitates the detection of task-relevant sensory stimuli from dynamic environments. Anterior cingulate cortical area (ACA) is known to play a key role in attentional behavior, but the specific circuits mediating attention remain largely unknown. As ACA modulates sensory processing in the visual cortex (VIS), we aim to test a hypothesis that frontal top-down neurons projecting from ACA to VIS (ACA
Neuropsychopharmacology reports
2,021
6
1
7
21,543,609
Functional organization of the thalamic input to the thalamic reticular nucleus.
Most axons connecting the thalamus and cortex in both directions pass through the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), a thin layer of GABAergic cells adjacent to the thalamus, and innervate neurons there. The TRN, therefore, is in a strategic location to regulate thalamocortical communication. We recorded neurons of the somatosensory region of the TRN in a thalamocortical slice preparation and studied the spatial organization of their thalamic input using laser scanning photostimulation. We show that the thalamoreticular pathway is organized topographically for most neurons. The somatosensory region of the TRN can be organized into three tiers. From the inner (thalamoreticular) border to the outer, in a manner roughly reciprocal to the reticulothalamic pathway, each of these tiers receives its input from one of the somatosensory relays of the thalamus--the posterior medial, ventroposterior medial, and ventroposterior lateral nuclei. What is surprising is that approximately a quarter of the recorded neurons received input from multiple thalamic regions usually located in different nuclei. These neurons distribute evenly throughout the thickness of the TRN. Our results, therefore, suggest that there exist a subpopulation of TRN neurons that receive convergent inputs from multiple thalamic sources and engage in more complex patterns of inhibition of relay cells. We propose these neurons enable the TRN to act as an externally driven "searchlight" that integrates cortical and subcortical inputs and then inhibits or disinhibits specific thalamic relay cells, so that appropriate information can get through the thalamus to the cortex.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,011
5
3
25
19,819,307
Effects of isoflurane and alpha-chloralose anesthesia on BOLD fMRI responses to ingested L-glutamate in rats.
It is important to investigate the effect of anesthesia on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals in an animal model. Many researchers have investigated the BOLD response to visual, sensory, and chemical stimuli in anesthetized rats. There are no reports, however, comparing the differences in the BOLD signal change between anesthetized and conscious rats when a visceral nutrient signal arises. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the differences in the BOLD signal changes after intragastric administration of l-glutamate (Glu) under three anesthesia conditions: conscious, alpha-chloralose-anesthetized, and isoflurane-anesthetized condition. Under the conscious and alpha-chloralose condition, we observed the significant BOLD signal increase in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), insular cortex (IC), hippocampus, and several hypothalamic regions including the lateral and ventromedial nucleus. In chloralose group, however, gut Glu stimulation induced BOLD signal increase in the prelimbic cortex and orbital cortex, which did not activate in conscious condition. Meanwhile, under isoflurane-anesthetized condition, we did not observe the BOLD signal increase in these areas. BOLD signal intensity in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), to which vagus nerve transmits the visceral information from the gastrointestinal tract, increased in all conditions. Importantly, under conscious condition, we observed increased BOLD signal intensity in several regions related to the metabolic state (i.e. hunger or satiety), such as the mPFC, ventromedial and lateral hypothalamus (LH). Our results suggest that alpha-chloralose and isoflurane anesthesia caused distinct effects on BOLD response to the gut l-Glu stimulation in several brain regions.
Neuroscience
2,010
1
3
28
22,352,396
Predicting word reading and comprehension with executive function and speed measures across development: a latent variable analysis.
The present study explored whether different executive control and speed measures (working memory, inhibition, processing speed, and naming speed) independently predict individual differences in word reading and reading comprehension. Although previous studies suggest these cognitive constructs are important for reading, the authors analyze the constructs simultaneously to test whether each is a unique predictor. Latent variables from 483 participants (ages 8-16 years) were used to portion each cognitive and reading construct into its unique and shared variance. In these models 2 specific issues are addressed: (a) Given that the wide age range may span the theoretical transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn," the authors first test whether the relation between word reading and reading comprehension is stable across 2 age groups (ages 8-10 and 11-16); and (b) the main theoretical question of interest: whether what is shared and what is separable for word reading and reading comprehension are associated with individual differences in working memory, inhibition, and measures of processing and naming speed. The results indicated that (a) the relation between word reading and reading comprehension is largely invariant across the age groups, and (b) working memory and general processing speed, but not inhibition or the speeded naming of non-alphanumeric stimuli, are unique predictors of both word reading and comprehension, with working memory equally important for both reading abilities and processing speed more important for word reading. These results have implications for understanding why reading comprehension and word reading are highly correlated yet separable
Journal of experimental psychology. General
2,012
8
7
78
24,703,099
Long-term remission with rituximab in refractory leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 antibody encephalitis.
Autoimmune encephalitis associated with antibodies to leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) is recently described and there is a lack of detailed reports on the treatment of relapsing or refractory cases and long-term outcomes. Two case reports are presented. Both cases had faciobrachial dystonic seizures (FBDS) and received rituximab after relapsing or refractory disease. Both cases achieved sustained clinical remission of up to 15 and 56 months respectively. Rituximab use allowed withdrawal of corticosteroids and was well tolerated. Randomized clinical trials are needed in LGI1 encephalitis and other autoimmune encephalitides.
Journal of neuroimmunology
2,014
6
3
13
28,637,276
Repetitive element transcripts are elevated in the brain of C9orf72 ALS/FTLD patients.
Significant transcriptome alterations are detected in the brain of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), including carriers of the C9orf72 repeat expansion and C9orf72-negative sporadic cases. Recently, the expression of repetitive element transcripts has been associated with toxicity and, while increased repetitive element expression has been observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, little is known about their contribution to ALS. To assess whether aberrant expression of repetitive element sequences are observed in ALS, we analysed RNA sequencing data from C9orf72-positive and sporadic ALS cases, as well as healthy controls. Transcripts from multiple classes and subclasses of repetitive elements (LINEs, endogenous retroviruses, DNA transposons, simple repeats, etc.) were significantly increased in the frontal cortex of C9orf72 ALS patients. A large collection of patient samples, representing both C9orf72 positive and negative ALS, ALS/FTLD, and FTLD cases, was used to validate the levels of several repetitive element transcripts. These analyses confirmed that repetitive element expression was significantly increased in C9orf72-positive compared to C9orf72-negative or control cases. While previous studies suggest an important link between TDP-43 and repetitive element biology, our data indicate that TDP-43 pathology alone is insufficient to account for the observed changes in repetitive elements in ALS/FTLD. Instead, we found that repetitive element expression positively correlated with RNA polymerase II activity in postmortem brain, and pharmacologic modulation of RNA polymerase II activity altered repetitive element expression in vitro. We conclude that increased RNA polymerase II activity in ALS/FTLD may lead to increased repetitive element transcript expression, a novel pathological feature of ALS/FTLD.
Human molecular genetics
2,017
9
14
68
23,485,869
Acute on chronic exposure to endotoxin is associated with enhanced chemoreflex responses in preterm fetal sheep.
There is increasing evidence that exposure to infection can sensitize the fetus to subsequent hypoxic injury. However, it is unclear whether this involves compromise of the fetal cardiovascular adaptation to acute asphyxia. Chronically instrumented 103-day-old (0.7 gestational age, term is 147 days) fetal sheep in utero were randomized to receive either gram-negative lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a continuous low-dose infusion for 120 h plus boluses of 1 μg LPS at 48, 72, and 96 h with asphyxia at 102 h (i.e., 6 h after the final LPS bolus) induced by umbilical cord occlusion for 15 min (LPS treated, n = 8), or the same volume of saline plus occlusion (saline treated, n = 7). Fetuses were killed 5 days after occlusion. LPS was associated with a more rapid fall in fetal heart rate at the onset of occlusion (P < 0.05) and with minimally lower values during occlusion (P < 0.05). The LPS-treated fetuses had lower fetal mean arterial blood pressure (BP) and greater carotid artery blood flow (CaBF) before occlusion (P < 0.05) but showed an increase in BP and fall in CaBF to similar values as saline controls during occlusion. There were no differences between the groups in femoral blood flow before or during occlusion. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, acute on chronic exposure to LPS was associated with more rapid cardiovascular adaptation to umbilical cord occlusion.
American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology
2,013
5
1
6
26,935,401
Predicted molecular signaling guiding photoreceptor cell migration following transplantation into damaged retina.
To replace photoreceptors lost to disease or trauma and restore vision, laboratories around the world are investigating photoreceptor replacement strategies using subretinal transplantation of photoreceptor precursor cells (PPCs) and retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). Significant obstacles to advancement of photoreceptor cell-replacement include low migration rates of transplanted cells into host retina and an absence of data describing chemotactic signaling guiding migration of transplanted cells in the damaged retinal microenvironment. To elucidate chemotactic signaling guiding transplanted cell migration, bioinformatics modeling of PPC transplantation into light-damaged retina was performed. The bioinformatics modeling analyzed whole-genome expression data and matched PPC chemotactic cell-surface receptors to cognate ligands expressed in the light-damaged retinal microenvironment. A library of significantly predicted chemotactic ligand-receptor pairs, as well as downstream signaling networks was generated. PPC and RPC migration in microfluidic ligand gradients were analyzed using a highly predicted ligand-receptor pair, SDF-1α - CXCR4, and both PPCs and RPCs exhibited significant chemotaxis. This work present a systems level model and begins to elucidate molecular mechanisms involved in PPC and RPC migration within the damaged retinal microenvironment.
Scientific reports
2,016
3
0
12
18,977,429
Neuropeptide Y-family peptides and receptors in the elephant shark, Callorhinchus milii confirm gene duplications before the gnathostome radiation.
We describe here the repertoire of neuropeptide Y (NPY) peptides and receptors in the elephant shark Callorhinchus milii, belonging to the chondrichthyans that diverged from the rest of the gnathostome (jawed vertebrate) lineage about 450 million years ago and the first chondrichthyan with a genome project. We have identified two peptide genes that are orthologous to NPY and PYY (peptide YY) in other vertebrates, and seven receptor genes orthologous to the Y1, Y2, Y4, Y5, Y6, Y7 and Y8 subtypes found in tetrapods and teleost fishes. The repertoire of peptides and receptors seems to reflect the ancestral configuration in the predecessor of all gnathostomes, whereas other lineages such as mammals and teleosts have lost one or more receptor genes or have acquired 1-2 additional peptide genes. Both the peptides and receptors showed broad and overlapping mRNA expression which may explain why some receptor gene losses could take place in some lineages, but leaves open the question why all the known ancestral receptors have been retained in the elephant shark.
Genomics
2,009
3
0
30
27,452,460
The Zinc Finger Transcription Factor Sp9 Is Required for the Development of Striatopallidal Projection Neurons.
Striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs), composed of striatonigral and striatopallidal neurons, are derived from the lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE). We find that the transcription factor Sp9 is expressed in LGE progenitors that generate nearly all striatal MSNs and that Sp9 expression is maintained in postmitotic striatopallidal MSNs. Sp9-null mice lose most striatopallidal MSNs because of decreased proliferation of striatopallidal MSN progenitors and increased Bax-dependent apoptosis, whereas the development of striatonigral neurons is largely unaffected. ChIP qPCR provides evidence that Ascl1 directly binds the Sp9 promoter. RNA-seq and in situ hybridization reveal that Sp9 promotes expression of Adora2a, P2ry1, Gpr6, and Grik3 in the LGE and striatum. Thus, Sp9 is crucial for the generation, differentiation, and survival of striatopallidal MSNs.
Cell reports
2,016
8
3
40
21,712,072
Molecular aspects involved in swimming exercise training reducing anhedonia in a rat model of depression.
Patients suffering from depression frequently display hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) resulting in elevated cortisol levels. One main symptom of this condition is anhedonia. There is evidence that exercise training can be used as a rehabilitative intervention in the treatment of depressive disorders. In this scenario, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of an aerobic exercise training protocol on the depressive-like behavior, anhedonia, induced by repeated dexamethasone administration. The study was carried out on adult male Wistar rats randomly divided into four groups: the "control group" (C), "exercise group" (E), "dexamethasone group" (D) and the "dexamethasone plus exercise group" (DE). The exercise training consisted of swimming (1 h/d, 5 d/wk) for 3 weeks, with an overload of 5% of the rat body weight. Every day rats were injected with either dexamethasone (D/DE) or saline solution (C/E). Proper positive controls, using fluoxetine, were run in parallel. Decreased blood corticosterone levels, reduced adrenal cholesterol synthesis and adrenal weight (HPA disruption), reduced preference for sucrose consumption and increased immobility time (depressive-like behavior), marked hippocampal DNA oxidation, increased IL-10 and total brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; pro-plus mature-forms) and a severe loss of body mass characterized the dexamethasone-treated animals. Besides increasing testosterone blood concentrations, the swim training protected depressive rats from the anhedonic state, following the same profile as fluoxetine, and also from the dexamethasone-induced impaired neurochemistry. The data indicate that physical exercise could be a useful tool in preventing and treating depressive disorders.
Neuroscience
2,011
9
4
39
23,575,225
The dual functions of the extreme N-terminus of TDP-43 in regulating its biological activity and inclusion formation.
TAR DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) is the principal component of ubiquitinated inclusions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the most common pathological subtype of frontotemporal dementia-frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43-positive inclusions (FTLD-TDP). To date, the C-terminus of TDP-43, which is aggregation-prone and contains almost all ALS-associated mutations, has garnered much attention while the functions of the N-terminus of TDP-43 remain largely unknown. To bridge this gap in our knowledge, we utilized novel cell culture and computer-assisted models to evaluate which region(s) of TDP-43 regulate its folding, self-interaction, biological activity and aggregation. We determined that the extreme N-terminus of TDP-43, specifically the first 10 residues, regulates folding of TDP-43 monomers necessary for proper homodimerization and TDP-43-regulated splicing. Despite such beneficial functions, we discovered an interesting dichotomy: full-length TDP-43 aggregation, which is believed to be a pathogenic process, also requires the extreme N-terminus of TDP-43. As such, we provide new insight into the structural basis for TDP-43 function and aggregation, and we suggest that stabilization of TDP-43 homodimers, the physiologically active form of TDP-43, may be a promising therapeutic strategy for ALS and FTLD-TDP.
Human molecular genetics
2,013
8
3
53
19,406,469
Lipids in Ca2+ signalling--an introduction.
Lipids and lipid-derived metabolites are increasingly recognised as bonafide signalling molecules that regulate many cellular processes. These include the well-established InsP(3), diacylglycerol (DAG), PIP(2), PIP(3) and arachidonic acid (AA), as well as other poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), lysophospholipids, sphingolipids, endocannabinoids and endovanilloids. They regulate a plethora of molecules that are involved in Ca(2+) signalling, including various ion channels, pumps and transporters, thereby triggering, modulating and fine-tuning Ca(2+) signals. Although appreciated individually, it seems timely to highlight the overall impact of lipids as signalling molecules and their role in Ca(2+) signalling, and this is the aim of this special issue of Cell Calcium.
Cell calcium
2,009
6
0
4
26,633,367
Neuropeptide Trefoil Factor 3 Reverses Depressive-Like Behaviors by Activation of BDNF-ERK-CREB Signaling in Olfactory Bulbectomized Rats.
The trefoil factors (TFFs) are a family of three polypeptides, among which TFF1 and TFF3 are widely distributed in the central nervous system. Our previous study indicated that TFF3 was a potential rapid-onset antidepressant as it reversed the depressive-like behaviors induced by acute or chronic mild stress. In order to further identify the antidepressant-like effect of TFF3, we applied an olfactory bulbectomy (OB), a classic animal model of depression, in the present study. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the antidepressant-like activity of TFF3, we tested the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)-cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) signaling in the hippocampus in the process. Chronic systemic administration of TFF3 (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) for seven days not only produced a significant antidepressant-like efficacy in the OB paradigm, but also restored the expression of BDNF, pERK, and pCREB in the hippocampal CA3. Inhibition of BDNF or extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) signaling in CA3 blocked the antidepressant-like activity of TFF3 in OB rats. Our findings further confirmed the therapeutic effect of TFF3 against depression and suggested that the normalization of the BDNF-ERK-CREB pathway was involved in the behavioral response of TFF3 for the treatment of depression.
International journal of molecular sciences
2,015
11
2
17
31,325,670
Data-driven models in human neuroscience and neuroengineering.
Discoveries in modern human neuroscience are increasingly driven by quantitative understanding of complex data. Data-intensive approaches to modeling have promise to dramatically advance our understanding of the brain and critically enable neuroengineering capabilities. In this review, we provide an accessible primer to modern modeling approaches and highlight recent data-driven discoveries in the domains of neuroimaging, single-neuron and neuronal population responses, and device neuroengineering. Further, we suggest that meaningful progress requires the community to tackle open challenges in the realms of model interpretability and generalizability, training pipelines of data-fluent human neuroscientists, and integrated consideration of data ethics.
Current opinion in neurobiology
2,019
10
2
25
31,611,351
Metabolomics Study of the Synergistic Killing of Polymyxin B in Combination with Amikacin against Polymyxin-Susceptible and -Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
In the present study, we employed untargeted metabolomics to investigate the synergistic killing mechanism of polymyxin B in combination with an aminoglycoside, amikacin, against a polymyxin-susceptible isolate of
Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
2,019
12
4
30
18,322,088
Specificity of speech motor learning.
The idea that the brain controls movement using a neural representation of limb dynamics has been a dominant hypothesis in motor control research for well over a decade. Speech movements offer an unusual opportunity to test this proposal by means of an examination of transfer of learning between utterances that are to varying degrees matched on kinematics. If speech learning results in a generalizable dynamics representation, then, at the least, learning should transfer when similar movements are embedded in phonetically distinct utterances. We tested this idea using three different pairs of training and transfer utterances that substantially overlap kinematically. We find that, with these stimuli, speech learning is highly contextually sensitive and fails to transfer even to utterances that involve very similar movements. Speech learning appears to be extremely local, and the specificity of learning is incompatible with the idea that speech control involves a generalized dynamics representation.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,008
3
2
18
33,622,777
Chronic Stress Prevents Cortico-Accumbens Cue Encoding and Alters Conditioned Approach.
Chronic stress impairs the function of multiple brain regions and causes severe hedonic and motivational deficits. One brain region known to be susceptible to these effects is the PFC. Neurons in this region, specifically neuronal projections from the prelimbic region (PL) to the nucleus accumbens core (NAcC), have a significant role in promoting motivated approach. However, little is known about how activity in this pathway changes during associative learning to encode cues that promote approach. Less is known about how activity in this pathway may be altered by stress. In this study, an intersectional fiber photometry approach was used in male Sprague Dawley rats engaged in a Pavlovian autoshaping design to characterize the involvement of the PL-NAcC pathway in the typical acquisition of learned approach (directed at both the predictive cue and the goal), and its potential alteration by stress. Specifically, the hypothesis that neural activity in PL-NAcC would encode a Pavlovian approach cue and that prior exposure to chronic stress would disrupt both the nature of conditioned approach and the encoding of a cue that promotes approach was tested. Results of the study demonstrated that the rapid acquisition of conditioned approach was associated with cue-induced PL-NAcC activity. Prior stress both reduced cue-directed behavior and impaired the associated cortical activity. These findings demonstrate that prior stress diminishes the task-related activity of a brain pathway that regulates approach behavior. In addition, the results support the interpretation that stress disrupts reward processing by altering the incentive value of associated cues.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,021
3
0
7
29,027,011
Let's make microglia great again in neurodegenerative disorders.
All of the common neurodegenerative disorders-Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and prion diseases-are characterized by accumulation of misfolded proteins that trigger activation of microglia; brain-resident mononuclear phagocytes. This chronic form of neuroinflammation is earmarked by increased release of myriad cytokines and chemokines in patient brains and biofluids. Microglial phagocytosis is compromised early in the disease process, obfuscating clearance of abnormal proteins. This review identifies immune pathologies shared by the major neurodegenerative disorders. The overarching concept is that aberrant innate immune pathways can be targeted for return to homeostasis in hopes of coaxing microglia into clearing neurotoxic misfolded proteins.
Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)
2,018
5
4
15
22,573,678
Transglutaminase inhibition protects against oxidative stress-induced neuronal death downstream of pathological ERK activation.
Molecular deletion of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) has been shown to improve function and survival in a host of neurological conditions including stroke, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease. However, unifying schemes by which these cross-linking or polyaminating enzymes participate broadly in neuronal death have yet to be presented. Unexpectedly, we found that in addition to TG2, TG1 gene expression level is significantly induced following stroke in vivo or due to oxidative stress in vitro. Forced expression of TG1 or TG2 proteins is sufficient to induce neuronal death in Rattus norvegicus cortical neurons in vitro. Accordingly, molecular deletion of TG2 alone is insufficient to protect Mus musculus neurons from oxidative death. By contrast, structurally diverse inhibitors used at concentrations that inhibit TG1 and TG2 simultaneously are neuroprotective. These small molecules inhibit increases in neuronal transamidating activity induced by oxidative stress; they also protect neurons downstream of pathological ERK activation when added well after the onset of the death stimulus. Together, these studies suggest that multiple TG isoforms, not only TG2, participate in oxidative stress-induced cell death signaling; and that isoform nonselective inhibitors of TG will be most efficacious in combating oxidative death in neurological disorders.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,012
5
3
18
26,983,977
Rectus Pulley Displacements without Abnormal Oblique Contractility Explain Strabismus in Superior Oblique Palsy.
Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we investigated whether rectus pulleys are significantly displaced in superior oblique (SO) palsy and whether displacements account for strabismus patterns.
Ophthalmology
2,016
6
3
21
25,598,429
Maternal care differentially affects neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus.
Variations in early life maternal care modulate hippocampal development to program distinct emotional-cognitive phenotypes that persist into adulthood. Adult rat offspring that received low compared with high levels of maternal licking and grooming (low LG offspring) in early postnatal life show reduced long term potentiation (LTP) and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory, suggesting a 'detrimental' maternal effect on neural development. However, these studies focused uniquely on the dorsal hippocampus. Emerging evidence suggests a distinct role of the ventral hippocampus in mediating aggression, anxiety, and fear-memory formation, which are enhanced in low LG offspring. We report that variations in maternal care in the rat associate with opposing effects on hippocampal function in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Reduced pup licking associated with suppressed LTP formation in the dorsal hippocampus, but enhanced ventral hippocampal LTP. Ventral hippocampal neurons in low LG offspring fired action potentials at lower threshold voltages that were of larger amplitude and faster rise rate in comparison with those in high LG offspring. Furthermore, recordings of excitatory postsynaptic potential-to-spike coupling (E-S coupling) revealed an increase in excitability of ventral hippocampal CA1 neurons in low LG offspring. These effects do not associate with changes in miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents or paired-pulse facilitation, suggesting a specific effect of maternal care on intrinsic excitability. These findings suggest region-specific influences of maternal care in shaping neural development and synaptic plasticity.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
2,015
6
4
18
29,370,825
A novel language-neutral Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT): validation in four Southeast Asian countries.
Cognitive screeners are imperative for early diagnosis of dementia. The Visual Cognitive Assessment Test (VCAT) is a language-neutral, visual-based test which has proven useful for a multilingual population in a single-center study. However, its performance utility is unknown in a wider and more diverse Southeast Asian cohort.
Alzheimer's research & therapy
2,018
1
1
7
31,331,895
Compact and Low-Power Neural Spike Compression Using Undercomplete Autoencoders.
Implantable microsystems that collect and transmit neural data are becoming very useful entities in the field of neuroscience. Limited by high data rates, on-chip compression is often required to transmit the recorded data without causing power dissipation at levels that would damage sensitive brain tissue. This paper presents a data compression system designed for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on undercomplete autoencoders. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed system is the first to achieve an average spike reconstruction quality of 14-dB signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) at a 32× compression ratio (CR), 18-dB SNDR at a 16× CR, 22-dB SNDR at an 8× CR, and 35-dB SNDR at a 4× CR of neural spikes. The spike detection and autoencoder-based compression modules are designed and implemented in a standard 45-nm CMOS process. The post-synthesis simulation results report that the compression module consumes between 1.4 and 222.5 [Formula: see text] of power per channel and takes between 0.018 and 0.082mm
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
2,019
8
1
20
24,891,493
Stereovision and augmented reality for closed-loop control of grasping in hand prostheses.
Technologically advanced assistive devices are nowadays available to restore grasping, but effective and effortless control integrating both feed-forward (commands) and feedback (sensory information) is still missing. The goal of this work was to develop a user friendly interface for the semi-automatic and closed-loop control of grasping and to test its feasibility.
Journal of neural engineering
2,014
8
3
36
18,638,542
Impact of acute bisphenol-A exposure upon intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova and urinary levels of progesterone and 17beta-estradiol.
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a monomer used in production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, has established estrogenic properties. We assessed the impact of acute and repeated subcutaneous BPA administration upon intrauterine implantation of fertilized ova and urinary levels of 17beta-estradiol and progesterone in inseminated female mice. In Experiment 1, females received varied doses of BPA on days 1-4 of gestation. Daily doses of 6.75 and 10.125mg/animal significantly reduced the number of implantation sites. Urinary progesterone was significantly reduced by the higher dose, but no other dose had an effect on progesterone levels and no dose altered estradiol levels. In Experiment 2, inseminated females received a single dose of BPA on days 0, 1, or 2 of gestation. A single dose of 10.125mg reduced the number of implantation sites when given on day 0 or day 1, and 6.75mg on day 1 also produced fewer implantation sites, but there was no such effect of any dose when administered on day 2. These data show a lower threshold for BPA-induced pregnancy disruption than previously reported, also indicating effects of just one exposure. They confirm that this disruption is due to the actions of BPA upon implantation sites, and show that higher doses can influence systemic progesterone levels.
Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.)
2,008
10
1
15
31,243,036
Assessing the relationship between near-infrared spectroscopy-derived regional cerebral oxygenation and neurological dysfunction in critically ill adults: a prospective observational multicentre protocol, on behalf of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group.
Survivors of critical illness frequently exhibit acute and chronic neurological complications. The underlying aetiology of this dysfunction remains unknown but may be associated with cerebral ischaemia. This study will use near-infrared spectroscopy to non-invasively quantify regional cerebral oxygenation (rSO
BMJ open
2,019
6
0
4
22,450,232
DeltaFosB is increased in the nucleus accumbens by amphetamine but not social housing or isolation in the prairie vole.
The nucleus accumbens is a key region that mediates aspects of immediate and long-term adaptations to various stimuli. For example, both repeated amphetamine and pair-bonding increase dopamine D1 receptor binding in the nucleus accumbens of the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). This upregulation has significant and stimulus-dependent behavioral consequences. A promising candidate for these and other adaptations is the transcription factor ΔfosB. ΔfosB is a highly stable protein that persists in the brain over long periods of time, leading to increasing and accumulating levels with repeated or continuous exposure to specific stimuli. Within the nucleus accumbens, ΔfosB is specifically increased in medium spiny neurons containing D1 receptors. To explore whether ΔfosB is altered by drug and social experience in prairie voles, we performed three separate experiments. In the first experiment, animals were treated with repeated injections of amphetamine and then brain tissue was analyzed for ΔfosB expression. As expected, 4 days of amphetamine treatment increased ΔfosB in the nucleus accumbens, consistent with previous findings in other laboratory species. In the second experiment, animals were housed for 10 days with one of three social partners: a familiar same-sex sibling, an unfamiliar same-sex partner, or an unfamiliar opposite-sex partner. Here, we predicted that 10 days of housing with an opposite-sex partner would act as a "social reward," leading to upregulation of ΔfosB expression in the nucleus accumbens. In a third experiment, we also investigated whether 10 days of social isolation would result in altered ΔfosB activity. We hypothesized that isolation would lead to decreased levels of nucleus accumbens ΔfosB, as seen in other studies. However, neither opposite-sex cohabitation nor social isolation affected ΔfosB expression in the nucleus accumbens. These findings suggest that social stimuli, in contrast to drugs of abuse, are not mediators of ΔfosB in this region in prairie voles.
Neuroscience
2,012
5
2
4
26,994,483
Testosterone reduces functional connectivity during the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' Test.
Women on average outperform men in cognitive-empathic abilities, such as the capacity to infer motives from the bodily cues of others, which is vital for effective social interaction. The steroid hormone testosterone is thought to play a role in this sexual dimorphism. Strikingly, a previous study shows that a single administration of testosterone in women impairs performance on the 'Reading the Mind in Eyes' Test (RMET), a task in which emotions have to be inferred from the eye-region of a face. This effect was mediated by the 2D:4D ratio, the ratio between the length of the index and ring finger, a proxy for fetal testosterone. Research in typical individuals, in individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC), and in individuals with brain lesions has established that performance on the RMET depends on the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we found that a single administration of testosterone in 16 young women significantly altered connectivity of the left IFG with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) during RMET performance, independent of 2D:4D ratio. This IFG-ACC-SMA network underlies the integration and selection of sensory information, and for action preparation during cognitive empathic behavior. Our findings thus reveal a neural mechanism by which testosterone can impair emotion-recognition ability, and may link to the symptomatology of ASC, in which the same neural network is implicated.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
2,016
6
3
33
20,357,105
Early spatial attentional modulation of inputs to the fovea.
Attending to a specific spatial location modulates responsivity of neurons with receptive fields processing that part of the environment. A major outstanding question is whether attentional modulation operates differently for the foveal (central) representation of the visual field than it does for the periphery. Indeed, recent animal electrophysiological recordings suggest that attention differentially affects spatial integration for central and peripheral receptive fields in primary visual cortex. In human electroencephalographic recordings, spatial attention to peripheral locations robustly modulates activity in early visual regions, but it has been claimed that this mechanism does not operate in foveal vision. Here, however, we show clear early attentional modulation of foveal stimulation with the same timing and cortical sources as seen for peripheral stimuli, demonstrating that attentional gain control operates similarly across the entire field of view. These results imply that covertly attending away from the center of gaze, which is a common paradigm in behavioral and electrophysiological studies of attention, results in a precisely timed push-pull mechanism. While the amplitude of the initial response to stimulation at attended peripheral locations is significantly increased beginning at 80 ms, the amplitude of the response to foveal stimulation begins to be attenuated.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,010
3
2
15
22,391,030
Glutamate-based depression GBD.
We describe a new term: glutamate-based depression (GBD). GBD is defined as a chronic depressive illness associated with environmental stress and diseases associated with altered glutamate neurotransmission. We hypothesize that glutamate-induced over-activation of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors in the subgenual cingulate area called Brodmann's 25 plays an important role in the etiology of depression and may be responsible for the high incidence of co-morbid depression associated in diseases with glutamate etiology. While depression is a syndrome with multiple possible etiologies, we propose that a disruption in glutamatergic neurotransmission may underline a substantial proportion of clinically observed depression. The high rates of depressive symptoms associated with various disorders in which altered glutamatergic functions have been identified, may suggest a common pathophysiological mechanism is underlying the diverse clinical presentations.
Medical hypotheses
2,012
5
3
18
29,552,261
Hyperacute unilateral contrast-induced parotiditis during cerebral angiography.
An uncommon complication of iodinated contrast administration is the development of bilateral sialadenitis. We report a unique case of hyperacute unilateral parotiditis during diagnostic cerebral angiography of the external carotid artery, which mimicked possible iatrogenic vascular event associated with cerebral endovascular procedures. Discussion includes the differential diagnosis, diagnostic studies, and treatments for this unusual condition.
Radiology case reports
2,018
2
1
3
33,122,389
State-Dependent Cortical Unit Activity Reflects Dynamic Brain State Transitions in Anesthesia.
Understanding the effects of anesthesia on cortical neuronal spiking and information transfer could help illuminate the neuronal basis of the conscious state. Recent investigations suggest that the brain state identified by local field potential spectrum is not stationary but changes spontaneously at a fixed level of anesthetic concentration. How cortical unit activity changes with dynamically transitioning brain states under anesthesia is unclear. Extracellular unit activity was measured with 64-channel silicon microelectrode arrays in cortical layers 5/6 of the primary visual cortex of chronically instrumented, freely moving male rats (
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,020
12
6
22
31,806,426
Statin Use and Risk of Cognitive Decline in the ADNI Cohort.
To investigate associations between statin use and cognitive change, as well as diagnostic conversion, in individuals with cognitively normal (CN) status, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia due to Alzheimer disease (AD-dementia).
The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
2,020
5
4
13
19,824,934
Neuroanatomy and physiology of colorectal function and defaecation: from basic science to human clinical studies.
Colorectal physiology is complex and involves programmed, coordinated interaction between muscular and neuronal elements. Whilst a detailed understanding remains elusive, novel information has emerged from recent basic science and human clinical studies concerning normal sensorimotor mechanisms and the organization and function of the key elements involved in the control of motility. This chapter summarizes these observations to provide a contemporary review of the neuroanatomy and physiology of colorectal function and defaecation.
Neurogastroenterology and motility
2,009
12
2
20
20,300,101
Do astrocytes really exocytose neurotransmitters?
In the past 20 years, an extra layer of information processing, in addition to that provided by neurons, has been proposed for the CNS. Neuronally evoked increases of the intracellular calcium concentration in astrocytes have been suggested to trigger exocytotic release of the 'gliotransmitters' glutamate, ATP and D-serine. These are proposed to modulate neuronal excitability and transmitter release, and to have a role in diseases as diverse as stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and HIV infection. However, there is intense controversy about whether astrocytes can exocytose transmitters in vivo. Resolving this issue would considerably advance our understanding of brain function.
Nature reviews. Neuroscience
2,010
4
26
267
30,267,847
A new central post-stroke pain rat model: autologous blood injected thalamic hemorrhage involved increased expression of P2X4 receptor.
Stroke is the leading cause of disability and death in the world. Central post-stroke pain (CPSP), a central neuropathic pain syndrome occurring after cerebral stroke, is a serious problem. But on account of the lack of reliable animal models, the mechanisms underlying CPSP remains poorly understood. To better understand of the pathophysiological basis of CPSP, we developed and characterized a new rat model of CPSP. This model is based on a hemorrhagic stroke lesion with intra-thalamic autologous blood (ITAB) injection in the ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus. Behavioral analysis demonstrated that the animals displayed a significant decrease in mechanical allodynia threshold. We found a significant increase in P2 × 4 receptor expression in microglia in thalamic peri-lesion tissues post-hemorrhage. The mechanical allodynia in rats with CPSP were reversed by blocking P2 × 4 receptors. A significant alleviation of mechanical allodynia was achieved following the administration of adrenergic antidepressants and antiepileptics. Meanwhile, we found a significant decrease in P2 × 4 receptor expression after treatment with these drugs. Taken together, our results suggest that targeting P2 × 4 receptor may be effective in the treatment of CPSP.
Neuroscience letters
2,018
11
0
13
27,075,188
Aspiration of parafalcine empyemas with flexible scope.
Subdural empyemas are considered neurosurgical emergencies, and the parafalcine location is particularly insidious. We revised the experience of general surgeons who are used to manage chronic pleural purulent collections with video-assisted thoracoscopy.
Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery
2,016
6
0
2
21,556,793
Projections from the rat pedunculopontine and laterodorsal tegmental nuclei to the anterior thalamus and ventral tegmental area arise from largely separate populations of neurons.
Cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the brainstem pedunculopontine (PPT) and laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) nuclei innervate diverse forebrain structures. The cholinergic neurons within these regions send heavy projections to thalamic nuclei and provide modulatory input as well to midbrain dopamine cells in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Cholinergic PPT/LDT neurons are known to send collateralized projections to thalamic and non-thalamic targets, and previous studies have shown that many of the afferents to the VTA arise from neurons that also project to midline and intralaminar thalamic nuclei. However, whether cholinergic projections to the VTA and anterior thalamus (AT) are similarly collateralized is unknown. Ultrastructural work from our laboratory has demonstrated that cholinergic axon varicosities in these regions differ both morphologically and with respect to the expression and localization of the high-affinity choline transporter. We therefore hypothesized that the cholinergic innervation to these regions is provided by separate sets of PPT/LDT neurons. Dual retrograde tract-tracing from the AT and VTA indicated that only a small percentage of the total afferent population to either region showed evidence of providing collateralized input to the other target. Cholinergic and non-cholinergic cells displayed a similarly low percentage of collateralization. These results are contrasted to a control case in which retrograde labeling from the midline paratenial thalamic nucleus and the VTA resulted in higher percentages of cholinergic and non-cholinergic dual-tracer labeled cells. Our results indicate that functionally distinct limbic target regions receive primarily segregated signaling from PPT/LDT neurons.
Brain structure & function
2,011
11
3
32
21,543,600
Nicotine potentiation of excitatory inputs to ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons.
Drug-induced changes in synaptic strength are hypothesized to contribute to appetitive behavior and addiction. Nicotine, the major addictive substance in tobacco, activates nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) to initiate a series of adaptive changes at the cellular and circuit levels in brain, particularly the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Our laboratory previously reported that nicotine facilitates induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in VTA dopamine (DA) neurons by increasing glutamate release via activation of α7 nAChRs on the glutamate terminals, suggesting a critical presynaptic contribution of nicotine in LTP induction. In the present study, we used an in vitro exposure paradigm to study the effect of nicotine on excitatory synaptic strength. Brief exposure of nicotine to brain slices from drug-naive adult rats followed by a period of recovery resulted in an NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-dependent increase of AMPA receptor/NMDAR ratio in VTA DA neurons, which is consistent with the induction of LTP. These effects are similar to that induced by a single in vivo nicotine injection intraperitoneally. The induction of synaptic potentiation required excitation of DA neurons mediated by somatodendritic α4β2 nAChRs, as well as enhancement of NMDAR function via D(5) dopamine receptors, also on DA neurons. Nicotine-induced increase of presynaptic glutamate release also contributed to the induction of synaptic plasticity, likely through increased activation of NMDAR. These results identified important receptor systems involved in nicotine-induced long-term changes in excitatory synaptic input to VTA DA neurons. The data also revealed remarkable similarity in the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity induced by nicotine and cocaine in the VTA.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
2,011
5
3
31
31,644,928
The effects of age on cerebral responses to self-initiated actions during social interactions: An exploratory study.
Self-initiated action is critical to social interaction and individuals with social anxiety find it particularly difficult to initiate social interactions. We showed earlier that social exclusion encumbered self-initiated actions in the Cyberball task in young adults. Here, we examined whether the behavioral performance and regional responses during self-initiated actions vary with age in 53 participants (21-74 years; 27 men). Behaviorally, participants were slower in tossing the ball during exclusion (EX) than during fair game (FG) sessions in both men and women. In women but not in men the reaction time (RT) burden (RT_EX - RT_FG; RT prolonged during social exclusion) of ball toss was positively correlated with age despite no observed sex difference in Social Interaction Anxiety Scale scores. The pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, left occipital cortex (OC) and left insula/orbitofrontal cortex responded to ball toss in EX vs. FG in negative correlation with age in women but not in men. Further, the activation of left OC fully mediated the relationship between age and RT burden in women. Thus, older women are more encumbered in self-initiated action during social exclusion, although this behavioral burden is not reflected in subjective reports of social anxiety. Age-related diminution in OC activities may reflect the neural processes underlying the difficulty in initiating social interactions in women. Together, the findings identified age-sensitive behavioral and neural processes of self-initiated action in the Cyberball task and suggest the importance of considering age and sex differences in studies of social interaction.
Behavioural brain research
2,020
1
1
5