Review
Neurosciences
Jacob Starkey, Eric J. Horstick, Sarah D. Ackerman
Summary: Animal behavior relies on the accurate wiring of neurons into neural circuits, which undergo significant remodeling during critical periods. Environmental experiences during these periods can have lasting effects on circuit function and behavior. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate critical period timing is crucial for studying neurodevelopmental disorders, and glial cells may play a role in this process.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jerome Ribot, Rachel Breton, Charles-Felix Calvo, Julien Moulard, Pascal Ezan, Jonathan Zapata, Kevin Samama, Matthieu Moreau, Alexis-Pierre Bemelmans, Valentin Sabatet, Florent Dingli, Damarys Loew, Chantal Milleret, Pierre Billuart, Glenn Dallerac, Nathalie Rouach
Summary: This study found that astrocytes control critical-period closure in the mouse visual cortex, involving regulation of the extracellular matrix to promote interneuron maturation. Unconventional astrocyte connexin signaling inhibits the expression of extracellular matrix-degrading enzyme MMP9 through a pathway involving RhoA-GTPase activation. Astrocytes are not only involved in influencing the activity of single synapses, but are also key elements in the experience-dependent wiring of brain circuits.
Article
Cell Biology
John Hageter, Jacob Starkey, Eric J. Horstick
Summary: Using larval zebrafish as a model, this study explores how visual experience affects the functionality of thalamic neurons and their role in critical period timing. The findings demonstrate the complexity of visual plasticity and emphasize the importance of inhibitory signaling in establishing critical period.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah D. Ackerman, Nelson A. Perez-Catalan, Marc R. Freeman, Chris Q. Doe
Summary: The study identifies a critical period in a developing Drosophila motor circuit and demonstrates the essential role of astrocytes in proper critical period termination. Changes in activity during the critical period regulate dendrite length, complexity, and connectivity of motor neurons, while astrocyte ablation prolongs this critical period. Additionally, genetic screening reveals astrocyte-motor neuron signaling pathways that ensure timely critical period closure and proper locomotor behavior.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Na Li, Qiong Liu, Yimu Zhang, Zhongyi Yang, Xuefeng Shi, Yu Gu
Summary: In mouse dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), a critical period for ocular dominance (OD) plasticity has been identified from eye opening to puberty. There is an innate process of OD formation from contralateral to equal bias in dLGN binocular neurons. Inactivation of primary visual cortex (V1) has different effects on OD bias and plasticity in dLGN, with short-term inactivation reversing the formation of equal OD bias and long-term inactivation retaining dLGN development to an immature stage.
Review
Neurosciences
Sophia Vinogradov, Matthew V. Chafee, Erik Lee, Hirofumi Morishita
Summary: Emerging research on neuroplasticity processes in psychosis spectrum illnesses highlights their importance in pathophysiology and treatment considerations. These processes involve neuronal ensembles, environmental inputs, and pathological mechanisms, with a focus on the prefrontal cortex's role in these illnesses.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Sanjay N. Awathale, Akash M. Waghade, Harish M. Kawade, Gouri Jadhav, Amit G. Choudhary, Sneha Sagarkar, Amul J. Sakharkar, Nishikant K. Subhedar, Dadasaheb M. Kokare
Summary: The experiment in rats showed that training with light cues can enhance learning and memory formation, possibly related to increased neuronal activity and BDNF expression. Additionally, glutamatergic signaling and dopamine secretion may play a role in memory formation and behavioral changes.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romain Nardou, Edward Sawyer, Young Jun Song, Makenzie Wilkinson, Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez, Junia Lara de Deus, Noelle Wright, Carine Lama, Sehr Faltin, Loyal A. Goff, Genevieve L. Stein-O'Brien, Gul Dolen
Summary: Psychedelic drugs have the ability to reopen the critical period for social reward learning, which is a common characteristic among different psychedelic drugs. The duration of this ability is related to the duration of the drugs' subjective effects in humans. The restoration of this ability is linked to the reorganization of the extracellular matrix. These findings are important for the clinical application of psychedelics and the development of new drugs.
Article
Neurosciences
Julianne B. Carroll, Shaida Hamidi, Mark L. Gabriele
Summary: This study examines the potential involvement of classical complement cascade signaling in refining early multisensory networks and identifies several microglial subsets with distinct molecular signatures within the nascent LCIC. The results suggest that complement signaling is involved in the selective refinement of early LCIC connectivity. The study discusses the mechanisms by which microglia sculpt early multisensory LCIC maps and their potential implications for neurodevelopmental conditions.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Aline Timmermann, Dario Tascio, Ronald Jabs, Anne Boehlen, Catia Domingos, Magdalena Skubal, Wenhui Huang, Frank Kirchhoff, Christian Henneberger, Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, Gerald Seifert, Christian Steinhaeuser
Summary: NG2 glia is a unique type of macroglial cells in the CNS that receive synaptic input from neurons. Dysfunction in NG2 glia has been found to improve spatial memory but has no effect on social memory. Loss of the K+ channel Kir4.1 in NG2 glia leads to enhanced synaptic depolarizations and expression of myelin basic protein in the hippocampus. Targeted deletion of the K+ channel in NG2 glia impairs long-term potentiation at CA3-CA1 synapses, which can be rescued by extracellular application of a TrkB receptor agonist. These findings highlight the importance of proper NG2 glia function in brain function and behavior.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Goran Micevic, Andrew Daniels, Karine Flem-Karlsen, Koonam Park, Ronan Talty, Meaghan McGeary, Haris Mirza, Holly N. Blackburn, Esen Sefik, Julie F. Cheung, Noah I. Hornick, Lilach Aizenbud, Nikhil S. Joshi, Harriet Kluger, Akiko Iwasaki, Marcus W. Bosenberg, Richard A. Flavell
Summary: This study identifies a specific immune cell population with high IL-7R expression that plays a critical role in antitumor memory and can be enhanced through epigenetics to generate powerful antitumor immune responses. These findings have significant implications for preventing melanoma recurrence and developing new treatment options.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Carlo De Salvo, Kristine-Ann Buela, Brecht Creyns, Daniele Corridoni, Nitish Rana, Hannah L. Wargo, Chiara L. Cominelli, Peter G. Delaney, Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios, Fabio Cominelli, Severine Vermeire, Theresa T. Pizarro
Summary: Studies have shown that the increase of ILC2 in the early stages of intestinal diseases like Crohn's disease is associated with the NOD2 protein and the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Lauren Lepow, Hirofumi Morishita, Rachel Yehuda
Summary: The paper discusses the debate in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy about whether ingestion of the psychedelic alone is responsible for the clinical outcome, and how medication and psychotherapeutic intervention together lead to neurobiological changes. Additionally, it proposes a hypothesis that psychedelics may remove the brakes on adult neuroplasticity, inducing a state similar to neurodevelopment.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Xing Liu, Fuzhou Hua, Danying Yang, Yue Lin, Lieliang Zhang, Jun Ying, Hongguang Sheng, Xifeng Wang
Summary: Neuroligins play a significant role in neurodevelopmental disorders, regulating synaptogenesis, transmission, and other synaptic properties. They are expressed not only in neurons but also in glial cells, contributing to the regulation of synaptic function.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Meryem B. Baghdadi, Tae-Hee Kim
Summary: The gastrointestinal tract is innervated by the enteric nervous system (ENS), also called the second brain. Enteric glial cells, a major cell type in the ENS, play critical roles in gut physiology, including the regulation of intestinal stem cells and immunity. Recent advances in single-cell genomics have revealed the heterogeneity and plasticity of enteric glial cells. This review discusses the established and emerging concepts regarding the roles of mammalian enteric glial cells in gut development, homeostasis, and regeneration.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Henrique Rocha Mendonca, Camila Oliveira Goulart Villas Boas, Luiza dos Santos Heringer, Julia Teixeira Oliveira, Ana Maria Blanco Martinez
Summary: By conditionally deleting the pten gene in retinal ganglion cells and injecting zymosan plus cAMP, the study demonstrated an increase in oligodendrocyte staining and myelination in the regenerating optic nerve. This treatment also stimulated OPC proliferation and differentiation, leading to the myelination of regenerating CNS axons.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Patricia Pereira de Almeida, Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi, Nathalia da Silva Costa, Luisa Valdetaro, Aline D'Avila Pereira, Ana Lucia Tavares Gomes, Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto
Summary: A Brazil nut-enriched diet alters gastric residual, colonic GFAP immunoreactivity, and myenteric ganglia area in healthy male rats.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN NUTRITION ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
S. A. Espirito-Santo, N. Nunes-Tavares, H. R. Mendonca, C. A. Serfaty, A. Sholl-Franco, P. Campello-Costa
Summary: The study investigates the impact of increased levels of interleukin-2 on retinal neurotransmitter signaling, suggesting that it may promote retinotectal plasticity by regulating acetylcholine and glutamate pathways.
EXPERIMENTAL EYE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Vanessa Gama Goulart, Henrique Rocha-Mendonca, Silvia Maisonnette, Pablo Pandolfo, J. Landeira-Fernandez, Paula Campello-Costa
Summary: This study compared CHF and CLF rats with control rats, finding that CHF rats exhibited anxiety, depression, and memory impairments with changes in subunits in the ventral hippocampus while CLF rats showed milder anxiety, hyperactivity, and habituation issues with alterations in subunits. These results suggest that different compositions of NMDAR and AMPAR subunits may be related to the modulation of different phenotypes in anxiety disorders, providing potential new targets for therapeutic interventions.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Patricia Pereira Almeida, Luisa Valdetaro, Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi, Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto, Ana Lucia Tavares-Gomes
Summary: Obesity is a chronic disease that mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract, causing dysmotility. Studies on high-fat diet models have highlighted the impact of neuroplasticity on gut dysmotility. Various components of the gut environment, such as gut microbiota and inflammation, may influence enteric neuroplasticity.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Patricia Pereira Almeida, Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi, Agatha Cristie Menezes, Beatriz Oliveira Da Cruz, Nathalia da Silva Costa, Michele Lima Brito, Aline D'Avila Pereira, Cecilia Ribeiro Castanon, Viviane Alexandre Nunes Degani, D'Angelo Carlo Magliano, Claude Knauf, Ana Lucia Tavares-Gomes, Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto
Summary: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) by altering motility, gut microbiota, intestinal permeability, and increasing oxidative stress. This study investigates the changes in colonic glial markers, inflammation, and antioxidant parameters in CKD. The findings show that CKD animals display abnormalities in colonic cytoarchitecture, reduced antioxidant activity, and increased inflammation in the enteric glial network of the neuromuscular layer.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Patricia Pereira Almeida, Ana Lucia Tavares-Gomes, Milena Barcza Stockler-Pinto
Summary: The enteric nervous system (ENS) regulates functions and immune processes in the gastrointestinal tract. Diseases can disrupt ENS functionality by increasing reactive oxygen species accumulation, impacting enteric neurons and glial cells. Nutritional strategies aimed at reducing reactive oxygen species production can modulate the ENS, and studies have shown that nutrients with antioxidant roles have potential in this regard.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabio Cunha Coelho, Giselle Cerchiaro, Sheila Espirito Santo Araujo, Joao Paulo Lima Daher, Silvia Almeida Cardoso, Gustavo Fialho Coelho, Arthur Giraldi Guimaraes
Summary: Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia ranked third in global causes of death and disability in 2019. Imbalance of copper and molybdenum has been associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease, possibly due to its impact on sulfur metabolism. This review provides an updated discussion on the mechanisms involving copper, sulfur, and molybdenum alterations in Alzheimer's disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Beatriz Bastos de Moraes Thomasi, Luisa Valdetaro, Maria Carolina Garcia Ricciardi, Livia Hayashide, Ana Carolina Moraes Neves Fernandes, Amanda Mussauer, Mayara Lidia da Silva, Adriana da Cunha Faria-Melibeu, Manuel Gustavo Leitao Ribeiro, Juliana de Mattos Coelho-Aguiar, Paula Campello-Costa, Vivaldo Moura-Neto, Ana Lucia Tavares-Gomes
Summary: Enteric glial cells may serve as an early enteric signal in Parkinson's disease, accompanied by inflammation and motor dysfunction.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2022)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Luiza Dos Santos Heringer, Henrique Rocha Mendonca
SEIZURE-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPILEPSY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Fernanda Martins de Almeida, Suelen Adriani Marques, Anne Caroline Rodrigues dos Santos, Caio Andrade Prins, Fellipe Soares dos Santos Cardoso, Luiza dos Santos Heringer, Henrique Rocha Mendonca, Ana Maria Blanco Martinez
Summary: Injuries to the spinal cord result in permanent disabilities and limited daily life activities. Molecular compounds show promise in improving neurological recovery, targeting various aspects of spinal cord injuries.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Luisa Valdetaro, Beatriz Thomasi, Maria Carolina Ricciardi, Karoline de Melo Santos, Juliana de Mattos Coelho-Aguiar, Ana Lucia Tavares-Gomes
Summary: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the gastrointestinal and nervous systems, with the enteric nervous system (ENS) and gut microbiota playing important roles in gut inflammation and dysfunction. The ENS and gastrointestinal immune system work together during health and disease. Gut-driven processes are also implicated in systemic inflammation and central nervous system pathologies associated with COVID-19. This review focuses on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the gastrointestinal and ENS, highlighting viral-induced mechanisms and the role of the enteric neuroglial network in COVID-19-related symptoms.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gustavo Bernardes Fanaro, Marcelo Rodrigues Marques, Karin da Costa Calaza, Rafael Brito, Andre Moreira Pessoni, Henrique Rocha Mendonca, Deborah Emanuelle de Albuquerque Lemos, Jose Luiz de Brito Alves, Evandro Leite de Souza, Marinaldo Pacifico Cavalcanti Neto
Summary: Diabetic retinopathy is a neurodegenerative and vascular disease that can lead to blindness and is caused by complications of diabetes mellitus. Current therapies are limited in their effectiveness, and there is a need for more effective alternative treatments to target glycemic, vascular, and neuronal parameters, as well as cellular damage from inflammation and oxidative stress. Dietary polyphenols have shown potential in reducing oxidative and inflammatory markers in various diseases, including metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. However, more data from human studies is needed to determine the therapeutic potential of these compounds. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of dietary phenolic compounds on the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy, particularly in relation to oxidative and inflammatory mechanisms, using evidence from experimental studies.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Luiza dos Santos Heringer, Julia Rios Carvalho, Julia Teixeira Oliveira, Bruna Texeira Silva, Domethila Mariano de Souza Aguiar dos Santos, Anna Lecticia Martinez Martinez Toledo, Laura Maria Borges Savoldi, Debora Magalhaes Portela, Suelen Adriani Marques, Paula Campello Costa Lopes, Ana Maria Blanco Martinez, Henrique Rocha Mendonca
Summary: The study found that animals with schizencephaly showed increased severity of seizures after PTZ treatment. However, both microgyric and schizencephalic cortices showed increased synapse number and dendritic complexity. These findings suggest that different malformations of cortical development may trigger epilepsy through different mechanisms.
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.
