Article
Cell Biology
Chihiro Yoshihara, Kenichi Tokita, Teppo Maruyama, Misato Kaneko, Yousuke Tsuneoka, Kansai Fukumitsu, Eri Miyazawa, Kazutaka Shinozuka, Arthur J. Huang, Katsuhiko Nishimori, Thomas J. McHugh, Minoru Tanaka, Shigeyoshi Itohara, Kazushige Touhara, Kazunari Miyamichi, Kumi O. Kuroda
Summary: Maternal mammals exhibit heightened motivation to care for offspring, and this behavior is at least partially mediated by upregulation of amylin-Calcr signaling in distinct neuronal populations of the medial preoptic area. These Calcr+ MPOA neurons are required for both maternal and allomaternal nurturing behaviors, with modified connectomics postpartum potentially influencing risk-taking maternal care.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Julio Cesar Morales-Medina, Mario Alberto Bautista-Carro, Gilberto Serrano-Bello, Patricia Sanchez-Teoyotl, Ana Gloria Vasquez-Ramirez, Tommaso Iannitti
Summary: Pain is a global public health concern and often coexists with anxiety and depression. The marker c-Fos can be used as a brain marker of pain by identifying activated cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of peripheral inflammation on mechanical allodynia, anxiety, and depression-related behaviors in male rats. The results showed that peripheral inflammation activated c-Fos in specific supraspinal brain nuclei and was associated with mechanical allodynia, providing new insights into the brain regions involved in pain control. The findings suggest that this model can be used to study resistance to pain development.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Victor Mandat, Pawel R. Zdunek, Bartosz Krolicki, Krzysztof Szalecki, Henryk M. Koziara, Konrad Ciecierski, Tomasz S. Mandat
Summary: The study confirms the effectiveness and safety of PAG/PVG DBS in the treatment of refractory neuropathic facial pain. The efficacy of treatment may decrease after 2 years, but burning pain symptoms are most likely to improve. Paresthesia and dysesthesia symptoms may increase after DBS treatment.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Aleksandr Veshchitskii, Polina Shkorbatova, Aleksandr Mikhalkin, Zoja Fesenko, Evgeniya V. Efimova, Raul R. Gainetdinov, Natalia Merkulyeva
Summary: Dopamine plays a crucial role in various brain and spinal cord functions, including locomotor behavior. Lack of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in animals leads to hyperdopaminergia and alters locomotion, specifically causing hyperactivity. This study examines the neuronal networks in the spinal cord and brainstem related to locomotor control in wild-type and DAT-deficient rats, revealing an imbalance in these networks.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Lan Yang, Jingshan Lu, Jianpeng Guo, Jian Chen, Fangfang Xiong, Xinyao Wang, Li Chen, Changxi Yu
Summary: This study investigated the role of vlPAG astrocytes in diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) using a multidimensional approach. The results showed that vlPAG astrocytes can regulate pain sensation and pain-related behaviors, and also alleviate anxiety-like behavior induced by DNP.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Agata Wawrzyniak, Krzysztof Balawender, Roman Lalak, Rafal Staszkiewicz, Dariusz Boron, Beniamin Oskar Grabarek
Summary: This study focused on oligodendrocytes (OLGs) in the Periaqueductal Gray matter (PAG) and lacks data on their number, morphology, and protein expression. A comparative analysis was performed on the location and morphology of OLGs, the distribution of iron, and the number of OLGs in PAG and corpus callosum (CC) of adult sheep. The results showed that OLGs in PAG are located singly or in pairs, while in CC they are arranged in rows and accompany nerve fibers and blood vessels. The study suggests that OLGs play an important role in the adult brain and not just in myelination of young individuals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaolu Lei, Yan Yan, Junwei Zeng, Rong Wang, Song Li, Zhi Xiao, Xiaohong Liu
Summary: This study found that the expression and activity of HCN1 and HCN2 channels in vlPAG were significantly increased in rats with bone cancer pain (BCP), and the level of cAMP in vlPAG also increased. Furthermore, intravlPAG injection of HCN channel antagonist could significantly reduce hyperalgesia and the elevation of cAMP in vlPAG in BCP rats. These results suggest that the elevation of cAMP may promote the activation of HCN channels in vlPAG in bone cancer rats, thereby promoting the development of bone cancer pain.
NEUROCHEMISTRY INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Dolores Vilas, Sara Rubio, Mireia Gea, Jose Rios, Lourdes Ispierto, Maria Hernandez-Perez, Marti Pare, Monica Millan, Laura Dorado
Summary: Through transcranial ultrasound, it was found that patients with chronic migraines had a larger echogenicity area of the periaqueductal gray matter, lower intensity of echogenicity, and higher heterogeneity within this brainstem structure compared to patients with episodic migraines and controls. The echogenicity of the periaqueductal gray matter should be further investigated as a biomarker of migraine chronification.
JOURNAL OF HEADACHE AND PAIN
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Xixiao Zhu, Yingling Xu, Zui Shen, Haiyan Zhang, Siqi Xiao, Yichen Zhu, Mengwei Wu, Yeqing Chen, Zemin Wu, Yunyun Xu, Xiaofen He, Boyu Liu, Jinggen Liu, Junying Du, Jing Sun, Jianqiao Fang, Xiaomei Shao
Summary: This study revealed a novel pathway, the rACC(Glu)-vIPAG pathway, which mediates neuropathic pain and pain-induced anxiety. The activation and inhibition of this pathway were found to have effects on hyperalgesia and anxiety-like behaviors using chemogenetic methods and electroacupuncture therapy.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ming Tatt Lee, Wei-Hao Peng, Cheng-Chun Wu, Hung-Wei Kan, Deng-Wu Wang, Yu-Ning Teng, Yu-Cheng Ho
Summary: Chronic pain and depression often occur together in clinical populations. Chronic pain worsens the prevalence of depression, and depression increases the risk of chronic pain. The mechanisms underlying the comorbidity of chronic pain and depression remain unknown.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Xingfeng Liu, Jingxin He, Jie Gao, Zhi Xiao
Summary: Effective treatments for diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) are still unmet clinical needs. Activating astrocytes in the ventrolateral region of periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) can regulate pain responses, and inhibiting astrocyte activation in vlPAG produces an analgesic effect on DNP. In a rat model, injecting fluorocitrate (FC) or neurotropin in vlPAG attenuated DNP symptoms by suppressing astrocyte activation.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hidehisa Saito, Shizu Hidema, Ayano Otsuka, Jun Suzuki, Michio Kumagai, Akihiro Kanaya, Toru Murakami, Yusuke Takei, Kazutomo Saito, Shigekazu Sugino, Hiroaki Toyama, Ryuta Saito, Teiji Tominaga, Katsuhiko Nishimori, Masanori Yamauchi
Summary: The study found that oxytocin exerts its analgesic effect on painful stimulation at the supraspinal level through its action on the PAG region, and has a self-protective effect on unpleasant stimulation through the MeA and NAc regions.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Mehnaz Ferdousi, Patricia Calcagno, Morgane Clarke, Sonali Aggarwal, Connie Sanchez, Karen L. Smith, David J. Eyerman, John P. Kelly, Michelle Roche, David P. Finn
Summary: Chronic pain often coexists with anxiety and depression, impacting therapeutic outcomes. The role of endogenous mu-opioid receptor system and genetic background in chronic pain are poorly understood. Wistar-Kyoto rats show decreased responsiveness to morphine, suggesting a deficit in the descending inhibitory pain pathway that may underlie hyperalgesia in this genetically predisposed strain.
Article
Neurosciences
Meimei Guo, Yuxiang Wu, Danhao Zheng, Lei Chen, Bingrui Xiong, Jinfeng Wu, Ke Li, Li Wang, Kangguang Lin, Zongze Zhang, Anne Manyande, Fuqiang Xu, Jie Wang, Mian Peng
Summary: This study found that preoperative sleep loss can amplify post-operative mechanical hyperalgesia. The study also revealed that sleep deprivation affects cerebral function and activity, including the metabolic kinetics in the striatum and midbrain, the functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, and the neuronal activity in these regions. This study highlights the importance of preoperative sleep management for surgical patients.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biology
Shuyun Xiao, Valerie Michael, Richard Mooney
Summary: This study reveals that neurons suppressing vocalizations are activated by predator cues or inhibitory social contexts in mice. It also uncovers how the brain weighs factors promoting and suppressing vocal production, and how the activation of specific neurons influences the decision to vocalize in mice.
Article
Neurosciences
Jose Tiago Costa-Pereira, Paula Serrao, Isabel Martins, Isaura Tavares
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Jose Tiago Costa-Pereira, Joana Ribeiro, Isabel Martins, Isaura Tavares
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Anesthesiology
Ana Rita Costa, Marilia Sousa, Steven P. Wilson, Carlos Reguenga, Armando Teixeira-Pinto, Isaura Tavares, Isabel Martins
Article
Neurosciences
Joana Reis Pedro, Liane I. F. Moura, Angela Valerio-Fernandes, Filipa Baptista, Joana M. Gaspar, Barbara S. Pinheiro, Cristina Lemos, Fernanda Neutzling Kaufmann, Carla Morgado, Carla S. da Silva-Santos, Isaura Tavares, Samira G. Ferreira, Eugenia Carvalho, Antonio F. Ambrosio, Rodrigo A. Cunha, Joao M. N. Duarte, Attila Kofalvi
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2020)
Review
Physiology
Silvia S. Chambel, Isaura Tavares, Celia D. Cruz
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Neurosciences
Margarida Martins-Oliveira, Isaura Tavares, Peter J. Goadsby
Summary: Studies have shown that migraine attacks may be related to changes in appetite, with fasting or skipping meals often considered common triggers in susceptible individuals, and hunger or abnormal appetite reported in the premonitory phase. Over the past decade, research into overlapping fields of neuroscience has become increasingly important, leading to novel findings. Data suggest that further research is needed to uncover the key neurobiological mechanisms underlying the interaction between migraine and appetite.
Review
Physiology
Marta Reina-Couto, Patricia Pereira-Terra, Janete Quelhas-Santos, Carolina Silva-Pereira, Antonio Albino-Teixeira, Teresa Sousa
Summary: Inflammation is a major contributor to different types of heart failure, but trials of anti-inflammatory strategies in HF patients have shown inconsistent results. Future therapeutic advances may involve tailored anti-inflammatory treatments based on individual inflammatory profiles and the development of resolution pharmacology targeting inflammation pathways in HF.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Loucano, Joana Oliveira, Isabel Martins, Rui Vaz, Isaura Tavares
Summary: Hydrocephalus leads to increased noradrenergic expression in the locus coeruleus, accompanied by oxidative stress damage, resulting in alterations in pain modulation. The oxidative stress in LC neurons may contribute to the elevation of NA levels, while decreased activation of spinal neurons may lead to reduced pain responses in hydrocephalic conditions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Salome Leca, Isaura Tavares
Summary: Fibromyalgia is a common cause of chronic pain that greatly affects quality of life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based interventions have shown promising results in reducing the negative aspects of the disease, but further research is needed to confirm their effectiveness and critically discuss study designs.
FRONTIERS IN INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jose Tiago Costa-Pereira, Rita Oliveira, Irene Guadilla, Maria Jose Guillen, Isaura Tavares, Pilar Lopez-Larrubia
Summary: Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy is a common complication of cancer treatment. This study found that neuronal function and metabolic profiles in specific brain regions are altered during chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, suggesting their involvement in pain processing and modulation.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Margarida Martins-Oliveira, Simon Akerman, Philip R. Holland, Isaura Tavares, Peter J. Goadsby
Summary: Research findings suggest that pharmacological modulation of ventral tegmental area parabrachial pigmented nucleus neurons can influence trigeminovascular sensory processing and consequently reduce circulating glucose levels. This is relevant for understanding the associated sensory and homeostatic symptoms in susceptible migraine patients.
Review
Education & Educational Research
Bruno Daniel Carneiro, Daniel Humberto Pozza, Isaura Tavares
Summary: This study explores the importance of Histology and Embryology in medical education and the perspectives of medical students towards teaching methods. The results show that students in clinical years are more likely to recognize the clinical relevance of these subjects. Most students suggest a clinical-oriented approach and the integration of Histology and Biopathology in the curriculum.
BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel H. H. Pozza, Isaura Tavares, Celia Duarte Cruz, Sara Fonseca
Summary: This systematic review aimed to identify high-risk patients and summarise the causes, consequences, and management/recommendations of spinal cord injuries (SCI) due to neuraxial techniques in anaesthesia. The main risk factors reported were extremes of age, obesity, and diabetes. Anaes-SCI was reported as a consequence of various factors and mainly resulted in motor deficits, sensory loss, and pain. Despite potential complications, neuraxial techniques are still a beneficial option for pain prevention and management, but careful patient management and close monitoring are crucial to minimize the risk of SCI and complications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Isaura Tavares, Jose Tiago Costa-Pereira, Isabel Martins
Summary: The treatment of neuropathic pain is challenging, with recent research indicating the dual action of noradrenergic modulation in brainstem pain modulatory circuits. The serotoninergic system also plays a role in neuropathic pain models, with opioids involved in the modulation of descending modulatory circuits.
FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Liliana Silva, Filipa Grosso, Carla Rodrigues, Magdalena Ksiezarek, Helena Ramos, Luisa Peixe
Summary: The study reveals that clonal shifts of CRAB in Portugal are primarily driven by increased antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes, with different types of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clones exhibiting distinct characteristics and evolutionary trends.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Nihal A. Salem, Lawrence Manzano, Michael W. Keist, Olga Ponomareva, Amanda J. Roberts, Marisa Roberto, R. Dayne Mayfield
Summary: This study identified cell-type specific gene expression changes associated with alcohol dependence in the medial prefrontal cortex of mice. The results revealed dysregulated gene co-expression networks and differentially expressed genes in multiple cell types, highlighting the involvement of inhibitory neurons and astrocytes in alcohol dependence. Novel targets for studying molecular mechanisms contributing to alcohol dependence were also identified.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2024)
Article
Neurosciences
Laura E. Hawley, Megan Stringer, Abigail J. Deal, Andrew Folz, Charles R. Goodlett, Randall J. Roper
Summary: This study found that the overexpression of DYRK1A protein in Down syndrome mice varies with age, sex, and brain region, and reducing the copy number of Dyrk1a can decrease the expression of DYRK1A. These sex-specific patterns of DYRK1A overexpression may provide mechanistic targets for therapeutic intervention in Down syndrome.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2024)