Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Wenzel, Alexander Leunig, Shuting Han, Darcy S. Peterka, Rafael Yuste
Summary: Prolonged medically induced coma (pMIC) is routinely carried out in intensive care medicine, leading to cognitive impairment. A study on adolescent and mature mice shows that pMIC affects object recognition and is associated with enhanced synaptic turnover, with increased synapse formation during pMIC and synaptic loss post-anesthesia. These results demonstrate significant side effects of prolonged anesthesia on neural circuit structure.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Maria Italia, Elena Ferrari, Monica Di Luca, Fabrizio Gardoni
Summary: AMPARs play a crucial role in excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain, with the GluA3 subunit being widely expressed and functionally relevant. Modulation of GluA3 through pharmacological means may offer a new approach for addressing altered glutamatergic synapses associated with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Balaganesh Kuruba, Nickolas Starks, Mary Rose Josten, Ori Naveh, Gary Wayman, Marina Mikhaylova, Alla S. Kostyukova
Summary: Dendritic spines, actin-rich protrusions that receive signals from axons at synapses, are affected by remodeling of cytoskeletal actin. Tropomodulin 2 (Tmod2), a brain-specific isoform, plays a role in regulating dendritic spine re-organization by binding to the pointed end of actin filaments through actin and tropomyosin binding sites. Overexpression of Tmod2 decreases spine number and increases spine length, and disrupting its binding abilities affects spine motility and stability.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Olmo Martin-Camara, Angel Cores, Pilar Lopez-Alvarado, J. Carlos Menendez
Summary: The morphology of synaptic spines is controlled by Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA, with RhoA/ROCK playing a crucial role in stabilizing actin formation and preventing the generation of new protrusions. The RhoA/ROCK pathway influences plasticity processes and is implicated in various brain-related pathologies, highlighting its importance in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Gonzalo Ruiz-Perez, Samuel Ruiz de Martin Esteban, Sharai Marques, Noelia Aparicio, M. Teresa Grande, Irene Benito-Cuesta, Ana M. Martinez-Relimpio, M. Andrea Arnanz, Rosa M. Tolon, Maria Posada-Ayala, Benjamin F. Cravatt, Jose A. Esteban, Julian Romero, Rocio Palenzuela
Summary: The study investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with improving neurodegeneration in 5xFAD mouse model by modulating the endocannabinoid system. The results demonstrate that increasing endocannabinoid tone rescues hippocampal synaptic plasticity and triggers augmented microglial activation and amyloid beta phagocytosis, leading to reversal of the neuronal phenotype associated with Alzheimer's disease.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Lianwei Mu, Jiajia Cai, Boya Gu, Laikang Yu, Cui Li, Qing-Song Liu, Li Zhao
Summary: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by learning and memory deficits, and treadmill exercise can enhance synaptic plasticity in mouse models. This study found that 12 weeks of treadmill exercise improved spatial working memory in AD mice and increased synapse numbers and structural parameters. Treadmill exercise may prevent decline in learning and memory by strengthening structural synaptic plasticity in AD mice.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Benjamin Scholl, Connon I. Thomas, Melissa A. Ryan, Naomi Kamasawa, David Fitzpatrick
Summary: The role of strong synapses in shaping neuronal selectivity in cortical circuits is challenged by findings that show selectivity arises from the total number of activated synapses rather than a small number of strong ones. Additionally, clustering of co-active inputs appears to be reserved for weaker synapses, enhancing their contribution to somatic responses. The study suggests that selectivity in cortical neuron responses to visual stimuli is driven by the co-activation of large populations of presynaptic neurons with a mixture of strengths.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ewa Baczynska, Katarzyna Karolina Pels, Subhadip Basu, Jakub Wlodarczyk, Blazej Ruszczycki
Summary: This article reviews experimental approaches designed to assess quantitative features of dendritic spines under physiological stimuli and in pathological conditions. By comparing various methodological pipelines and systematically summarizing the methodology and results of relevant experiments, the focus is on quantitative data regarding the number of animals, cells, dendritic spines, types of studied parameters, size of observed changes, and their statistical significance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Italia, Elena Ferrari, Monica Diluca, Fabrizio Gardoni
Summary: A prominent feature of neurodegenerative diseases is synaptic dysfunction and spine loss. Misfolded proteins, such as tau and alpha-synuclein, play a critical role in driving synaptic toxicity at excitatory glutamatergic synapses. Understanding the role of these proteins in impairing the function of glutamate receptors can provide insights into the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.
Article
Neurosciences
Miriam K. Bell, Padmini Rangamani
Summary: Synaptic plasticity involves modification of both biochemical and structural components of neurons. Many studies have revealed that the change in the number density of the glutamatergic receptor AMPAR at the synapse is proportional to synaptic weight update; an increase in AMPAR corresponds to strengthening of synapses while a decrease in AMPAR density weakens synaptic connections. The dynamics of AMPAR are thought to be regulated by upstream signalling, primarily the calcium-CaMKII pathway, trafficking to and from the synapse, and influx from extrasynaptic sources.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diana E. Mitchell, Soledad Miranda-Rottmann, Maxime Blanchard, Roberto Araya
Summary: Layer 5 pyramidal neurons in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit impaired integration of sensory inputs, contrary to the traditional belief of sensory hypersensitivity. Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic cause of ASD, shows sublinear summation of subthreshold excitatory inputs. Knockdown of the regulatory beta 4 subunit of BK channels rescued this impairment, suggesting a differential dysfunction in the integration of feedforward sensory and feedback predictive inputs in FXS and potentially other forms of ASD.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Laura Trujillo-Estrada, Peter W. Vanderklish, Marie Minh Thu Nguyen, Run Rong Kuang, Caroline Nguyen, Eric Huynh, Celia da Cunha, Dominic Ibarra Javonillo, Stefania Forner, Alessandra C. Martini, Stella T. Sarraf, Vincent F. Simmon, David Baglietto-Vargas, Frank M. LaFerla
Summary: Alzheimer's disease is characterized as a synaptic failure disorder, and novel therapeutic strategies targeting the regeneration of synapses, such as SPG302, show promising results in restoring synaptic density and improving cognitive function in AD models without altering Aβ and tau pathology.
Article
Neurosciences
Anna Longatti, Luisa Ponzoni, Edoardo Moretto, Giorgia Giansante, Norma Lattuada, Maria Nicol Colombo, Maura Francolini, Mariaelvina Sala, Luca Murru, Maria Passafaro
Summary: Rho GTPases, specifically ARHGAP22, play a critical role in regulating actin dynamics and synaptic function in the CNS. Loss of ARHGAP22 leads to RAC1 hyperactivity and synaptic defects in dendritic spine density, molecular composition, and plasticity, resulting in cognitive impairment and reduced anxiety-like behavior in mice. Inhibiting RAC1 activity restores synaptic plasticity in ARHGAP22 KO mice, highlighting the importance of ARHGAP22 in hippocampal excitatory synapse formation and function, as well as in learning and memory behaviors.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Dmitri A. Rusakov, Michael G. Stewart
Summary: The behavior of mammals relies on excitatory circuits in the brain equipped with glutamatergic synapses, and the spatial relationship between these synapses and perisynaptic astroglial processes is crucial in understanding glutamate signaling actions. The organization of synaptic micro-physiology and micro-environment plays a critical part in how glutamate can escape the synaptic cleft to activate target receptors outside the immediate synapse. Neuronal activity- and astroglia-dependent glutamate spillover actions are increasingly recognized as important across various cognitive functions.
Review
Neurosciences
Agnes L. Nishimura, Natalia Arias
Summary: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a complex neurodegenerative disease caused by motor neuron degeneration. Loss of C9orf72 function and toxic effects of repeat expansions may contribute to the pathogenesis of ALS, leading to neurotransmission deficiencies.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Serena Corti, Remi Bonjean, Thomas Legier, Diane Rattier, Christophe Melon, Pascal Salin, Erik A. Toso, Michael Kyba, Lydia Kerkerian-Le Goff, Flavio Maina, Rosanna Dono
Summary: Downregulation of GPC4 in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) enhances their differentiation potential into ventral midbrain dopaminergic (VMDA) neuron progenitors, while maintaining self-renewal and pluripotency in vitro and reducing tumorigenesis risk in vivo. This approach shows promise in generating VMDA neurons and establishing hiPSC lines suitable for translational applications.
STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diego Sucunza, Alberto J. Rico, Elvira Roda, Maria Collantes, Gloria Gonzalez-Aseguinolaza, Ana I. Rodriguez-Perez, Ivan Penuelas, Alfonso Vazquez, Jose L. Labandeira-Garcia, Vania Broccoli, Jose L. Lanciego
Summary: Mutations in the GBA1 gene are the main genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease, and enhancing GCase activity can reduce alpha-synuclein burden and prevent dopaminergic cell death. Gene therapy targeting GCase can improve survival of dopaminergic neurons and serve as a disease-modifying treatment for PD and related synucleinopathies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
M. Galan-Ganga, C. Rodriguez-Cueto, J. Merchan-Rubira, F. Hernandez, J. avila, M. Posada-Ayala, J. L. Lanciego, E. Luengo, M. G. Lopez, A. Rabano, J. Fernandez-Ruiz, I. Lastres-Becker
Summary: The study revealed an increase in CB2 receptor expression in hippocampal neurons in Tauopathies, contributing to neurodegeneration, and providing a novel therapeutic strategy for investigation.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Fajardo-Serrano, Alberto J. Rico, Elvira Roda, Adriana Honrubia, Sandra Arrieta, Goiaz Ariznabarreta, Julia Chocarro, Elena Lorenzo-Ramos, Alvaro Pejenaute, Alfonso Vazquez, Jose Luis Lanciego
Summary: This article reviews the current literature on the use of AAVs in the field of Parkinson's disease, providing insights on different AAV serotypes and the most appropriate AAV delivery route. Additionally, the importance of using AAVs for modeling synucleinopathies is highlighted, offering a comprehensive view of ongoing pre-clinical and clinical initiatives for AAV-based therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease and related synucleinopathies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Alejandro Urdiciain, Elena Erausquin, Maria V. Zelaya, Idoya Zazpe, Jose L. Lanciego, Barbara Melendez, Juan A. Rey, Miguel A. Idoate, Natalia A. Riobo-Del Galdo, Javier S. Castresana
Summary: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. HDAC6 is overexpressed in GBM and its silencing inhibits proliferation, migration, and clonogenic potential in GBM cell lines, as well as reversing the mesenchymal phenotype, decreasing autophagy, inhibiting the Sonic Hedgehog pathway, and restoring primary cilia expression. These findings suggest HDAC6 may be a promising therapeutic target for GBM treatment.
Article
Cell Biology
Karol M. Cordoba, Irantzu Serrano-Mendioroz, Daniel Jerico, Maria Merino, Lei Jiang, Ana Sampedro, Manuel Alegre, Fernando Corrales, Maria J. Garrido, Paolo G. Martini, Jose Luis Lanciego, Jesus Prieto, Pedro Berraondo, Antonio Fontanellas
Summary: The administration of a recombinant protein, rhApoAI-PBGD, is shown to enhance hepatic enzymatic activity and protect against acute attacks of AIP.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Maroua Hanini-Daoud, Florence Jaouen, Pascal Salin, Lydia Kerkerian-Le Goff, Nicolas Maurice
Summary: Accumulating evidence suggests that the parafascicular nucleus of the thalamus plays a crucial role in basal ganglia functions and pathologies. This study investigated the functional connections between the parafascicular nucleus and different components of the basal ganglia using optogenetic techniques. The results revealed diverse neural responses in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, the main output structure of the basal ganglia, upon activation of parafascicular nucleus neurons connecting to the striatum, subthalamic nucleus, or substantia nigra. These findings underscore the importance of the parafascicular nucleus in regulating basal ganglia output.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Xavier Caubit, Paolo Gubellini, Pierre L. Roubertoux, Michele Carlier, Jordan Molitor, Dorian Chabbert, Mehdi Metwaly, Pascal Salin, Ahmed Fatmi, Yasmine Belaidouni, Lucie Brosse, Lydia Kerkerian-Le Goff, Laurent Fasano
Summary: The study provides evidence that TSHZ3 haploinsufficiency is linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identifies cortical projection neurons (CPNs) and striatal cholinergic interneurons (SCINs) as key players in the TSHZ3-linked ASD syndrome. Dysfunction in either CPNs or SCINs is associated with distinct ASD behavioral traits, providing novel insights into the implications of the corticostriatal circuitry in ASD.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Fajardo-Serrano, Alberto J. Rico, Elvira Roda, Adriana Honrubia, Sandra Arrieta, Goiaz Ariznabarreta, Julia Chocarro, Elena Lorenzo-Ramos, Alvaro Pejenaute, Alfonso Vazquez, Jose Luis Lanciego
Summary: The gene therapy field, particularly targeting neurodegenerative disorders, is currently in the spotlight due to the development of new therapeutics. With the increasing number of ongoing clinical trials, providing advice on the best delivery route for AAV-based therapeutic approaches is crucial for beginners.
Article
Cell Biology
Gwenaelle Laverne, Jonathan Pesce, Ana Reynders, Etienne Combrisson, Eduardo Gascon, Christophe Melon, Lydia Kerkerian-Le Goff, Nicolas Maurice, Corinne Beurrier
Summary: Striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) play an important regulatory role in cortico-striatal transmission and striatal-dependent motor-skill learning, which is dependent on the integrity of dopaminergic inputs.
Review
Biology
Daniel Jerico, Karol M. Cordoba, Ana Sampedro, Lei Jiang, Gilles Joucla, Charlotte Cabanne, Jose Luis Lanciego, Paolo G. Martini, Pedro Berraondo, Matias A. Avila, Antonio Fontanellas
Summary: Rare diseases, especially monogenic diseases, have attracted pharmaceutical companies' interest in drug research. Acute intermittent porphyria is one of these rare diseases, and there are already some treatment methods, but there are still many unanswered questions.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Julia Chocarro, Alberto J. Rico, Goiaz Ariznabarreta, Elvira Roda, Adriana Honrubia, Maria Collantes, Ivan Penuelas, Alfonso Vazquez, Ana Rodriguez-Perez, Jose L. Labandeira-Garcia, Miquel Vila, Jose L. Lanciego
Summary: By triggering a time-dependent accumulation of neuromelanin within dopaminergic neurons in macaques, researchers have successfully developed and characterized an animal model of Parkinson's disease that mimics the known neuropathology of the disorder with unprecedented accuracy. They have also demonstrated that intracellular aggregation of endogenous alpha-synuclein is triggered by neuromelanin accumulation, suggesting that reducing neuromelanin levels may be a promising approach for novel PD therapeutics.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aline Silva da Cruz, Maria Margarida Drehmer, Wagner Baetas-da-Cruz, Joao Carlos Machado
Summary: This study quantified microcirculation cerebral blood flow in a rat model of ischemic stroke using ultrasound biomicroscopy and ultrasound contrast agents. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity of this method, making it a valuable tool for preclinical studies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christina Dalla, Ivana Jaric, Pavlina Pavlidi, Georgia E. Hodes, Nikolaos Kokras, Anton Bespalov, Martien J. Kas, Thomas Steckler, Mohamed Kabbaj, Hanno Wuerbel, Jordan Marrocco, Jessica Tollkuhn, Rebecca Shansky, Debra Bangasser, Jill B. Becker, Margaret McCarthy, Chantelle Ferland-Beckham
Summary: Many funding agencies have emphasized the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in experimental design to improve the reproducibility and translational relevance of preclinical research. Omitting the female sex from experimental designs in neuroscience and pharmacology can result in biased or limited understanding of disease mechanisms. This article provides methodological considerations for incorporating sex as a biological variable in in vitro and in vivo experiments, including the influence of age and hormone levels, and proposes strategies to enhance methodological rigor and translational relevance in preclinical research.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Wenyu Gu, Dongxu Li, Jia-Hong Gao
Summary: We developed a precise and rapid method for positioning and labelling triaxial OPMs on a wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) system, improving the efficiency of OPM positioning and labelling.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kai Lin, Linhang Zhang, Jing Cai, Jiaqi Sun, Wenjie Cui, Guangda Liu
Summary: The article introduces an EEG feature map processing model for emotion recognition, which achieves significantly improved accuracy by fusing EEG information at different spatial scales and introducing a channel attention mechanism.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
John E. Parker, Asier Aristieta, Aryn H. Gittis, Jonathan E. Rubin
Summary: This work presents a toolbox that implements a methodology for automated classification of neural responses based on spike train recordings. The toolbox provides a user-friendly and efficient approach to detect various types of neuronal responses that may not be identified by traditional methods.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yun Liang, Ke Bo, Sreenivasan Meyyappan, Mingzhou Ding
Summary: This study compared the performance of SVM and CNN on the same datasets and found that CNN achieved consistently higher classification accuracies. The classification accuracies of SVM and CNN were generally not correlated, and the heatmaps derived from them did not overlap significantly.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Antonino Visalli, Maria Montefinese, Giada Viviani, Livio Finos, Antonino Vallesi, Ettore Ambrosini
Summary: This study introduces an analytical strategy that allows the use of mixed-effects models (LMM) in mass univariate analyses of EEG data. The proposed method overcomes the computational costs and shows excellent performance properties, making it increasingly important in the field of neuroscience.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xavier Cano-Ferrer, Alexandra Tran -Van -Minh, Ede Rancz
Summary: This study developed a novel rotation platform for studying neural processes and spatial navigation. The platform is modular, affordable, and easy to build, and can be driven by the experimenter or animal movement. The research demonstrated the utility of the platform, which combines the benefits of head fixation and intact vestibular activity.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
