Article
Neurosciences
Katherine R. Sherrill, Robert J. Molitor, Ata B. Karagoz, Manasa Atyam, Michael L. Mack, Alison R. Preston
Summary: This study provides a representational account of how cognitive maps support flexible generalization of knowledge across cognitive domains. Participants learned novel object locations in different virtual environments, and neural patterns in the hippocampus and vmPFC reflected the formation of a cognitive map. Twenty-four hours later, participants' preference response times were slower when transitioning between same- and different-environment triplets, with hippocampal spatial map coherence tracking this behavioral slowing.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jun He, Yang Chen, Shiming Dai, Feng Chen, Yeke Wang, Ting Shi, Liang Chen, Ying Liu, Jun Chen, Ping Xie
Summary: In this study, we investigated the effects of microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) on the brain lipidome profile and functions in mice. Our results showed that MC-LR led to a decline in cognitive parameters and apparent neurodegenerative changes in the prefrontal cortex. Lipidomic analyses revealed profound changes in phospholipids and sphingolipids, with region-specific trends in lipid content. Transcriptional regulations of lipid metabolism and apoptosis differed in the two brain regions, suggesting their involvement in the neurodegenerative changes. This study sheds light on the role of lipid dysfunction in the neurotoxicity mechanism of MCs.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maricruz Mamani-Huanca, Sandra Marcia Muxel, Stephanie Maia Acuna, Lucile Maria Floeter-Winter, Coral Barbas, Angeles Lopez-Gonzalvez
Summary: The research analyzed the metabolic networks of macrophages infected by Leishmania parasites and found that the absence of parasite arginase affects host and parasite metabolism pathways, increases nitric oxide (NO) production, and enhances infectivity rate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Lea Zillich, Josef Frank, Fabian Streit, Marion M. Friske, Jerome C. Foo, Lea Sirignano, Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach, Helene Dukal, Franziska Degenhardt, Per Hoffmann, Anita C. Hansson, Markus M. Nothen, Marcella Rietschel, Rainer Spanagel, Stephanie H. Witt
Summary: This study investigated differential DNA-methylation between individuals with severe AUD and controls in various brain regions, identifying novel CpG-sites and regions implicated in AUD. Results suggest potential epigenetic correlates of AUD in specific brain regions, particularly highlighting immune-related pathways in the ventral striatum. This study provides a significant basis for further exploration of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying AUD.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Iwona Bednarz-Misa, Mariusz G. Fleszar, Paulina Fortuna, Lukasz Lewandowski, Magdalena Mierzchala-Pasierb, Dorota Diakowska, Malgorzata Krzystek-Korpacka
Summary: The study identified aberrations in L-arginine metabolism in gastric cancer, reflecting different subtypes and pathology. A metabolite diagnostic panel showed high accuracy in detecting and differentiating gastric cancer from benign disorders, while enzyme gene expression was related to tumor advancement and metastasis. Further functional studies on ASL, PRMT2, and ORNT1 in gastric cancer are warranted.
Article
Neurosciences
Vishwa Goudar, Barbara Peysakhovich, David J. Freedman, Elizabeth A. Buffalo, Xiao-Jing Wang
Summary: Learning-to-learn refers to the progressive acceleration of solving a series of problems with shared structure. This study demonstrates that in recurrent neural networks, learning-to-learn emerges through the reuse and refinement of a neural state subspace underlying schema formation. It is a core process of knowledge acquisition, attracting attention in both neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The study trained a recurrent neural network model on arbitrary sensorimotor mappings dependent on the prefrontal cortex, showing an exponential time course of accelerated learning. The emergence and reuse of a schema within a low-dimensional population activity subspace facilitate learning by restricting connection weight changes.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adria-Arnau Lindez, Walter Reith
Summary: Arginine plays a crucial role in regulating immune responses and its adequate supply is important for improving immune function. The availability, synthesis, and catabolism of arginine are interrelated aspects that affect immune cell biology profoundly. Disruption or perversion of arginine metabolism is implicated in various pathologies, from infectious diseases to autoimmunity and cancer.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Marco de Curtis, Laura Librizzi, Laura Uva
Summary: Seizures affecting the limbic regions, such as the hippocampus, are common and often resistant to medication. This study examines the network mechanisms involved in the generation of olfactory-limbic epileptiform patterns and discusses the potential relevance of these findings for human focal epilepsy. The interactions within olfactory-limbic circuits, including region-specific seizure-like events and cortical control, are investigated using in vitro preparations and pro-convulsive drugs.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tony Y. Momma, Javier I. Ottaviani
Summary: Under continuous L-arginine supply conditions, arginase does not affect NOS activity through substrate competition. The study also demonstrates that L-arginine pathways such as transporters and protein synthesis are more likely to affect NOS activity than arginase.
NITRIC OXIDE-BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Elyssa M. LaFlamme, Hannah F. Waguespack, Patrick A. Forcelli, Ludise Malkova
Summary: The study discovered the critical role of parahippocampal cortex (PHC) and hippocampus in nonnavigational spatial memory. Through pharmacological inactivation of PHC and functional disconnection experiments, it was found that both play important roles in maintaining long-term spatial memory.
Article
Neurosciences
Chu-Chung Huang, Edmund T. Rolls, Chih-Chin Heather Hsu, Jianfeng Feng, Ching-Po Lin
Summary: The human hippocampus is crucial in encoding new memories and utilizes inputs from different streams to form episodic memories. Diffusion tractography has revealed extensive direct connections between the hippocampus and various cortical areas in humans, indicating a complex network that involves specialized computations for memory processing.
Article
Neurosciences
Thackery I. Brown, Qiliang He, Irem Aselcioglu, Chantal E. Stern
Summary: The study found that hippocampal activity and hippocampal-prefrontal functional interconnectivity distinguish retrieval under different levels of hierarchically organized task rules. The anterior regions were specifically recruited for superordinate changes in the contextual hierarchy, while the hippocampal body showed differences in functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex for superordinate versus subordinate changes.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jiangfeng Liao, Xue Mi, Guirong Zeng, Yuanxiang Wei, Xiaoman Dai, Qinyong Ye, Xiaochun Chen, Jing Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the genetic susceptibility to depression in the WKY rat model. Comparison with Wistar rats reveals significant differences in depression-like behaviors and synaptic plasticity in the WKY strain. Proteomic analysis identifies brain region-specific differentially-expressed proteins that closely correlate with depression-like phenotypes. These findings provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of depression in males.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Brendan L. Sharvin, Maria Rodriguez Aburto, John F. Cryan
Summary: Research in the last decade has highlighted the important role of gut microbiota in influencing host neurodevelopment and its association with various neurological disorders. Specific brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and striatum, appear to be susceptible to the effects of changes in the microbiota. Human neuroimaging studies also reveal the impact of microbiota on the functional connectivity and structure of these brain regions, which are linked to cognition and behavior. Understanding these microbiota-mediated changes can help in identifying new therapeutic targets for neurological disorders.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Review
Biology
Tarek Amer, Lila Davachi
Summary: Pattern separation is the process by which highly similar stimuli or experiences in memory are represented by non-overlapping neural ensembles. It has been traditionally attributed to the hippocampus, but recent evidence suggests that it involves a network of brain regions. The 'cortico-hippocampal pattern separation' (CHiPS) framework proposes that cognitive control regions play a significant role in pattern separation, either by resolving interference in sensory regions or by directly modulating hippocampal processes.
Article
Neurosciences
Yang He, Jun Tang, Meng Zhang, Junjie Ying, Dezhi Mu
Summary: This study investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of human placenta derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs) transplantation in a rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The results showed that hPMSCs transplantation reduced apoptosis and improved long-term neurological prognosis. Furthermore, the downregulation of Sema 3A/NRP-1 expression and activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway played a key role in the protective effects of hPMSCs.
Article
Neurosciences
Emily L. Isenstein, Edward G. Freedman, Jiayi Xu, Ian A. DeAndrea-Lazarus, John J. Foxe
Summary: This study evaluated electrophysiological discrimination of parametric somatosensory stimuli in healthy young adults to understand how the brain processes the duration of tactile information. The results showed that participants did not electrophysiologically discriminate between 100 and 115 ms, but they exhibited distinct electrophysiological responses when the deviant stimuli were 130, 145, and 160 ms. These findings contribute to a better understanding of tactile sensitivity in different clinical conditions.
Article
Neurosciences
Juliana R. Souza, Ludmila Lima-Silveira, Daniela Accorsi-Mendonca, Benedito H. Machado
Summary: This study demonstrates that A2A receptors play a crucial role in modulating synaptic transmission in the NTS neurons and are required for the enhancement of glutamatergic transmission observed under short-term sustained hypoxia conditions.
Article
Neurosciences
Miki Hashizume, Rina Ito, Rie Suge, Yasushi Hojo, Gen Murakami, Takayuki Murakoshi
Summary: The basolateral amygdaloid complex (BLA) is closely involved in the formation of emotional memories, including both aversive memory and contextual fear memory. Acute sleep deprivation (SD) disrupts the acquisition of tone-associated fear memory in juvenile rats, but has no significant effect on contextual fear memory. Slow network oscillation in the amygdala contributes to the formation of amygdala-dependent fear memory in relation to sleep.
Article
Neurosciences
Qunxian Wang, Shipeng Guo, Dongjie Hu, Xiangjun Dong, Zijun Meng, Yanshuang Jiang, Zijuan Feng, Weihui Zhou, Weihong Song
Summary: GSDME plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by regulating the switch from apoptosis to pyroptosis and participating in neuroinflammatory response. Knockdown of GSDME has been shown to improve cognitive impairments, indicating that GSDME could be a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.