Article
Biology
Chad W. Sauvola, Yulia Akbergenova, Karen L. Cunningham, Nicole A. Aponte-Santiago, J. Troy Littleton
Summary: The study demonstrates the role of Tomosyn protein in regulating synaptic output and sustaining release of neurotransmitters in different types of neurons in fruit flies, providing insights into synaptic signaling and plasticity mechanisms in the brain.
Article
Neurosciences
Mariia Shypshyna, Oksana Kolesnyk, Svitlana Fedulova, Nickolai Veselovsky
Summary: Hypoinsulinemia, a consequence of diabetes mellitus, can lead to complications in the central and peripheral nervous system. Impairment of insulin receptor signaling under insulin deficiency is associated with cognitive disorders and synaptic plasticity deficits. Our study demonstrates that hypoinsulinemia shifts the short-term plasticity of glutamatergic hippocampal synapses from facilitation to depression, possibly through the reduction of glutamate release probability.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Varun Chokshi, Bryce D. Grier, Andrew Dykman, Crystal L. Lantz, Ernst Niebur, Elizabeth M. Quinlan, Hey-Kyoung Lee
Summary: The history of neural activity modifies the responses of V1 neurons to stimulation, and rapid homeostatic depression of excitatory synapses can be driven by non-patterned input activity.
FRONTIERS IN SYNAPTIC NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Andrew G. Koesters, Mark M. Rich, Kathrin L. Engisch
Summary: The idea that the nervous system maintains a set point of network activity and homeostatically returns to that set point is rapidly gaining acceptance. The study of homeostatic synaptic plasticity has shown that the scaling factor for miniature excitatory synaptic currents is not uniform, but increases as the amplitudes increase, a phenomenon known as divergent scaling. This finding has important implications for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic scaling.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faith Borgan, Owen O'Daly, Mattia Veronese, Tiago Reis Marques, Heikki Laurikainen, Jarmo Hietala, Oliver Howes
Summary: This study found deficits in working memory encoding and retrieval in patients with schizophrenia, potentially linked to cannabinoid 1 receptor dysfunction. The availability of striatal CB1R was positively correlated with brain activation during working memory retrieval in male patients, suggesting implications for drug development in schizophrenia.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Dollyane Muret, Tamar R. Makin
Summary: This article offers a new perspective on amputation-triggered sensorimotor plasticity, highlighting the need for homeostasis and evidence of latent activity across the homunculus. Deprivation can reveal pre-existing latent activity, potentially reflecting functional stability of the system rather than reorganisation. The brain's requirement for stability may be the basis for key phenotypes of brain remapping, previously thought to result from reorganisation.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Marcus S. Dyer, G. Lorenzo Odierna, Rosemary M. Clark, Adele Woodhouse, Catherine A. Blizzard
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between cortical hyperexcitability and altered synaptic input in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using a mouse model. The findings suggest that intrinsic hyperexcitability precedes changes to excitatory synaptic connections, highlighting the significance of hyperexcitability as a primary mechanism of ALS and re-contextualizing synaptic changes as secondary adaptive responses.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yong Liu, Supeng Ding, Yifei Luan, Zhichao Zhu, Yuting Cai, Yingkui Liu
Summary: The study found that high concentrations of EGb761 may inhibit LTP and post-ischemic LTP by inhibiting the effects of GA, GB, and GC on AMPA receptors.
METABOLIC BRAIN DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Min-Yi Wu, Wen-Jun Zou, Pei Yu, Yuhua Yang, Shao-Jian Li, Qiang Liu, Jiatian Xie, Si-Qi Chen, Wei-Jye Lin, Yamei Tang
Summary: Radiation therapy for head and neck tumors can result in cognitive impairments, which are related to abnormal hippocampal function. However, the long-term effects of radiation on the electrophysiological adaptation of hippocampal neurons are not well understood. This study found that mice exhibited cognitive impairment three months after cranial irradiation, and there was a reduction in spike firing and excitatory synaptic input, as well as an increase in inhibitory inputs in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. These changes were associated with altered expression of synaptic plasticity markers. Overall, radiation can impair intrinsic excitability and synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lauren Malave, Dustin R. Zuelke, Santiago Uribe-Cano, Lev Starikov, Heike Rebholz, Eitan Friedman, Chuan Qin, Qin Li, Erwan Bezard, Andreas H. Kottmann
Summary: Increasing sonic hedgehog signaling in the dorsal striatum can reduce the severity of LID and abnormal involuntary movements, suggesting future therapeutic approaches to mitigate the dyskinetic comorbidities of long-term treatment with L-Dopa.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Viktor Szegedi, Emoke Bakos, Szabina Furdan, Balint H. Kovacs, Daniel Varga, Miklos Erdelyi, Pal Barzo, Attila Szuecs, Gabor Tamas, Karri Lamsa
Summary: Accumulating evidence suggests that there are significant species differences in the properties of mammalian neurons, particularly in the neocortex. In this study, the authors found functional differences in ion channel composition between human and mouse fast-spiking neurons, specifically in the expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels. HCN channels play a crucial role in the electrical reactivity and input-output function of fast-spiking neurons in the human neocortex.
Article
Biology
Ruslan Stanika, Gerald J. Obermair
Summary: Synapses are the main route for signal transduction in neuronal networks and are regulated by factors such as calcium channels and ionotropic receptors. This article describes a protocol for preparing and analyzing paired hippocampal neurons to study synaptic transmission and plasticity. The protocol allows for selective genetic manipulation of one neuron in a simple network and enables bi-directional analysis of pre- and postsynaptic effects on synaptic transmission.
Article
Developmental Biology
Carlos Gonzalez-Islas, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Brendan O'Flaherty, Peter Wenner
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ming-fai Fong, Jonathan P. Newman, Steve M. Potter, Peter Wenner
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Carlos Gonzalez-Islas, Casie Lindsly, Peter Wenner
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Gustavo Echeverria, Armando Reyna-Bello, Elizabeth Minda-Aluisa, Maritza Celi-Erazo, Lisbeth Olmedo, Herakles A. Garcia, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Jacobus H. de Waard
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2019)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Darwin Changoluisa, Ismar A. Rivera-Olivero, Gustavo Echeverria, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Jacobus H. de Waard
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Carmen Eulalia Mosquera-Herrera, Elvia Piedad Aspiazu-Miranda, Acobus Henri de Waard, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2019)
Letter
Ethics
Tannya Lozada, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
DEVELOPING WORLD BIOETHICS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Byron Freire-Paspuel, Diana Morales-Jadan, Marlon Zambrano-Mila, Franklin Perez, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
Summary: This study evaluated the clinical performance of two SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR kits designed and produced in South America, and found that they exhibited excellent sensitivity, specificity, and detection limits. These locally produced kits have been widely used in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Ecuador, contributing to overcoming supply shortages and reducing diagnosis costs.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Franklin Perez, Henry Parra-Vera, Alfredo Bruno, Byron Freire-Paspuel, Diana Morales-Jadan, Bernardo Castro-Rodriguez, Ismar Rivera-Olivero, Tannya Lozada, Solon Alberto Orlando, Esteban Ortiz-Prado
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2022)
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alfredo Bruno, Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez, Domenica de Mora, Ruben Armas, Maritza Olmedo, Jimmy Garces, Greta Munoz-Lopez, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2023)
Letter
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alfredo Bruno, Domenica de Mora, Maritza Olmedo, Jimmy Garces, Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez, Miguel A. Garcia-Bereguiain
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
German Burgos, Andres Ambuludi, Diana Morales-Jadan, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, Claire Muslin, Vinicio Armijos-Jaramillo
Summary: The emerging SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a global pandemic since March 2020. Surveillance systems based on nucleotide mutations are necessary to monitor the circulation and emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Researchers have identified genetic regions that can differentiate between different variants, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. This genetic profile allows for cheaper and faster detection using reverse transcription PCR fragments and Sanger sequencing, providing an alternative to whole-genome sequencing for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Virology
Byron Freire-Paspuel, Patricio Vega-Marino, Alberto Velez, Paulina Castillo, Marilyn Cruz, Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2020)