Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Austin M. Ramsey, Ai-Hui Tang, Tara A. LeGates, Xu-Zhuo Gou, Beatrice E. Carbone, Scott M. Thompson, Thomas Biederer, Thomas A. Blanpied
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that nano-organization of proteins within synapses may control the strength of communication between neurons in the brain. Targeting LRRTM2, a key transsynaptic adhesion molecule, and disrupting its extracellular domain quickly led to nanoscale declustering of AMPARs, resulting in significant deficits in evoked postsynaptic receptor activation but not spontaneous activation. This indicates that adhesion molecules may acutely position receptors to dynamically control synaptic strength.
Article
Neurosciences
Naila Kuhlmann, Miriam Wagner Valladolid, Lucia Quesada-Ramirez, Matthew J. Farrer, Austen J. Milnerwood
Summary: The plasticity of excitatory striatal synapses is influenced by both facilitative and inhibitory factors. Excessive or persistent silencing leads to decreased dendritic spine density, while activation of NMDA receptors enhances synaptic structural plasticity.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(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
Immunology
Michaela R. Breach, Courtney N. Dye, Anabel Galan, Kathryn M. Lenz
Summary: Allergic inflammation during pregnancy increases the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. A rat model showed that allergy-induced maternal immune activation (MIA) produced symptoms similar to neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, researchers investigated the impact of allergic MIA on dendritic spine patterning in the rat forebrain.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Triana Espinosa-Jimenez, Oriol Busquets, Amanda Cano, Elena Sanchez-Lopez, Ester Verdaguer, Antoni Parcerisas, Jordi Olloquequi, Carme Auladell, Jaume Folch, Walter Wahli, Manuel Vazquez-Carrera, Antoni Camins, Miren Ettcheto
Summary: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta (PPAR beta/delta) plays a key role in microglial homeostasis and metabolism in the central nervous system. However, its contribution to neuronal and memory processes is still not well-understood. This study aimed to evaluate the role of PPAR beta/delta in neuropathological pathways associated with memory impairment and the modulation of these pathways by obesity. The results showed that PPAR beta/delta deficiency affects neuronal and synaptic structure, leading to memory dysfunction.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Marisela Hernandez-Gonzalez, Francisco Javier Barrera-Cobos, Enrique Hernandez-Arteaga, Ignacio Gonzalez-Burgos, Mario Flores-Soto, Miguel Angel Guevara, Pedro Manuel Cortes
Summary: Sexual experience improves copulatory performance in male rats by promoting changes in the density of dendritic spines in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Specifically, sexually experienced rats exhibited higher total dendritic density and increased numerical density of certain types of dendritic spines in the mPFC and NAcc. Furthermore, there was a shift in the proportional density of different types of dendritic spines towards a higher proportion of mushroom spines. These findings suggest that sexual experience can lead to consolidation of synaptic information in the brain regions involved in sexual behavior.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
A. Leung, D. Ohadi, G. Pekkurnaz, P. Rangamani
Summary: This study investigates the role of MERCs in regulating Ca2+ and ATP dynamics using a computational model, revealing the importance of organelle interactions in predicting Ca2+ dynamics in synaptic signaling. The findings demonstrate that the crosstalk between organelles plays a key role in modulating neuronal energy state.
NPJ SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Quyen Q. T. Banh, Jarrod L. Guppy, Jose A. Domingos, Alyssa M. Budd, Ricardo C. C. Pinto, Adrien F. Marc, Dean R. Jerry
Summary: Through the treatment with a higher dose of E2, 78% of the barramundi underwent complete sex change to females, showing downregulation of male-biased genes and upregulation of female-biased genes, accompanied by decreased DNA methylation in the female gene cyp19a1a compared to the lower dose treatment group.
Article
Neurosciences
Antonia Gurgone, Riccardo Pizzo, Alessandra Raspanti, Giuseppe Chiantia, Sunaina Devi, Debora Comai, Noemi Morello, Federica Pilotto, Sara Gnavi, Leonardo Lupori, Raffaele Mazziotti, Giulia Sagona, Elena Putignano, Alessio Nocentini, Claudiu T. Supuran, Andrea Marcantoni, Tommaso Pizzorusso, Maurizio Giustetto
Summary: Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental disease without a cure. The study suggests that modulating the activity of mGluR5 receptors may help improve synaptic, functional, and behavioral defects in CDD patients. The findings indicate that mGluR5 receptors could be a potential therapeutic target for CDD.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. Nash, H. J. M. Gijsen, B. J. Hrupka, K. S. -L. Teng, S. F. Lichtenthaler, H. Takeshima, J. M. Gunnersen, K. M. Munro
Summary: BACE inhibitors, though potentially effective in reducing amyloid precursor protein cleavage, have not shown positive effects on Alzheimer's symptoms and may have negative effects on other neuronal functions. In mouse models, chronic BACE inhibition led to increased locomotor output without affecting memory or cognitive flexibility, suggesting potential implications for long-term cognitive decline in patients.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Andrea Del Bondio, Fabiana Longo, Daniele De Ritis, Erica Spirito, Paola Podini, Bernard Brais, Angela Bachi, Angelo Quattrini, Francesca Maltecca
Summary: In this study, the underlying mechanisms of early degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells in patients with Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) were explored. Aberrant calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis was found to contribute to PC degeneration in ARSACS. Treatment with Ceftriaxone, a drug that limits neuronal glutamatergic stimulation and Ca2+ fluxes, improved motor performances of ARSACS mice by restoring Ca2+ homeostasis and attenuating neuroinflammation.
Article
Neurosciences
Macarena Tejos-Bravo, Robert H. Oakley, Shannon D. Whirledge, Wladimir A. Corrales, Juan P. Silva, Gonzalo Garcia-Rojo, Jorge Toledo, Wendy Sanchez, Luciano Roman-Albasini, Esteban Aliaga, Felipe Aguayo, Felipe Olave, Vinicius Maracaja-Coutinho, John A. Cidlowski, Jenny L. Fiedler
Summary: Sex differences in the brain, particularly in terms of miRNA expression and neuronal morphology, were investigated in this study by generating a neuron-specific GR knockout mouse model. The results showed a sex-biased effect of GR ablation, with differentially expressed miRNAs and changes in neuronal morphology observed mainly in female mice. The study also identified potential transcription factors involved in miRNA regulation and highlighted pathways related to neuronal arborization and spine morphology affected by GR deletion.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Niraja Ramesh, Marc J. F. Escher, Malou M. Mampell, Mathias A. Boehme, Torsten W. B. Goetz, Pragya Goel, Tanja Matkovic, Astrid G. Petzoldt, Dion Dickman, Stephan J. Sigrist
Summary: This study reveals a "molecular choreography" that coordinates pre-with postsynaptic assembly during the developmental formation of Drosophila neuromuscular synapses. Two presynaptic Neurexin-binding scaffold proteins, Syd-1 and Spinophilin (Spn), spatio-temporally coordinate pre-post assembly in conjunction with two postsynaptically operating, antagonistic Neuroligin species: Nlg1 and Nlg2. The Spn/Nlg2 module promotes active zone maturation and drives the accumulation of AZ scaffold proteins critical for synaptic vesicle release.
Article
Psychiatry
Dorien Vandael, Keimpe Wierda, Katlijn Vints, Pieter Baatsen, Lies De Groef, Lieve Moons, Vasily Rybakin, Natalia Gounko
Summary: CRF plays a central role in regulating physiological responses to stress by rapidly enhancing synaptic communication in the hippocampus. This process involves changes in both functional and structural aspects of synapses, leading to improvements in synaptic strength and plasticity, which may contribute to enhanced memory consolidation under acute stress.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Maria P. Avalos, Andrea S. Guzman, Constanza Garcia-Keller, Bethania Mongi-Bragato, Maria A. Esparza, Daiana Rigoni, Marianela A. Sanchez, Gaston D. Calfa, Flavia A. Bollati, Liliana M. Cancela
Summary: This study explores the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the sensitized response to the psychomotor-stimulating effects of cocaine following chronic restraint stress (CRS). The results show that enduring CRS-induced increase in psychostimulant response to cocaine is paralleled by an increase of extracellular dopamine levels in the NAcore, and that CRS induces an impairment of glutamate homeostasis in the NAcore. These findings emphasize the biological importance of GLT-1 in the comorbidity between chronic stress exposure and drug abuse.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Developmental Biology
Jonathan W. VanRyzi, Lindsay A. Pickett, Margaret M. McCarthy
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2018)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Margaret M. McCarthy
Review
Neurosciences
Margaret M. McCarthy
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Kathryn M. Lenz, Lindsay A. Pickett, Christopher L. Wright, Katherine T. Davis, Aarohi Joshi, Margaret M. McCarthy
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Psychiatry
Christopher L. Wright, Jessica H. Hoffman, Margaret M. McCarthy
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2019)
Review
Neurosciences
Jonathan W. VanRyzin, Ashley E. Marquardt, Lindsay A. Pickett, Margaret M. McCarthy
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Margaret M. McCarthy
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Liisa A. M. Galea, Elena Choleris, Arianne Y. K. Albert, Margaret M. McCarthy, Farida Sohrabji
FRONTIERS IN NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sheryl E. Arambula, Margaret M. McCarthy
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Margaret M. McCarthy
Summary: Placental allopregnanolone deficiency affects cerebellar development in mice, leading to impaired social and communication skills in male offspring but not in female offspring. Replacing allopregnanolone can restore normal myelination and behavior.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Rashmi Joglekar, Marty Cauley, Taylor Lipsich, David L. Corcoran, Heather B. Patisaul, Edward D. Levin, Joel N. Meyer, Margaret M. McCarthy, Susan K. Murphy
Summary: Nicotine exposure during development may affect the sexual differentiation of the developing brain, potentially influencing adult sexual behavior in rodents. This study found that developmental nicotine exposure had an impact on the sexual differentiation of the preoptic area (POA) in rats, with the normal sex differences in male sexual behavior and POA area eliminated in nicotine-treated animals. In neonates, nicotine exposure also induced changes in gene expression and DNA methylation levels at sexually-dimorphic regions, suggesting the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the masculinization of the rat POA.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
S. L. Stockman, K. E. Kight, J. M. Bowers, M. M. McCarthy
Summary: This study reveals sex-specific regulation of cell genesis in the dentate gyrus of rodents, with DNA methylation playing a critical role in males and histone acetylation being essential for cell genesis in females.
BIOLOGY OF SEX DIFFERENCES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Wahid Zada, Jonathan W. VanRyzin, Miguel Perez-Pouchoulen, Samantha L. Baglot, Matthew N. Hill, Ghulam Abbas, Sarah M. Clark, Umer Rashid, Margaret M. McCarthy, Abdul Mannan
Summary: Modulating the endocannabinoid system (ECS) shows potential in treating depressive disorders, and isoflavonoids as FAAH inhibitors are promising therapeutic targets.
PHARMACOLOGY RESEARCH & PERSPECTIVES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lindsay A. Pickett, Jonathan W. VanRyzin, Ashley E. Marquardt, Margaret M. McCarthy
Summary: The SDN-POA is a sexually dimorphic brain structure that is larger in males and is associated with mating preference. Microglia play a crucial role in reducing the size of the SDN in females by engulfing more neurons. Inhibiting microglia phagocytosis increases the SDN volume in females and affects their preference for male odors in adulthood.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Jonathan W. VanRyzin, Ashley E. Marquardt, Margaret M. McCarthy
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLAY
(2020)