Article
Environmental Sciences
Ricardo Cuellar-Perez, Fernando Jauregui-Huerta, Yaveth Ruvalcaba-Delgadillo, Sergio Montero, Monica Lemus, Elena Roces de Alvarez-Buylla, Joaquin Garcia-Estrada, Sonia Luquin
Summary: Inducing carotid body anoxia through cyanide administration activates cellular responses in specific regions of the central nervous system. This study investigated how microglia respond to anoxic environment by blocking the TrkB receptor, and found that inhibiting TrkB receptor prevents microglial activation in certain brain regions.
Article
Neurosciences
Yang Yang, Shu Yang, Yimin Jia, Chao Yin, Ruqian Zhao
Summary: The study demonstrates that maternal betaine has transgenerational effects on hippocampal GR expression and BDNF/ERK pathway in female rat offspring, with generation-dependent patterns of DNA methylation on alternative GR promoters.
NUTRITIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marie M. Devillers, Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja, Celine J. Guigon
Summary: Mini-puberty of infancy is a short developmental phase after birth, characterized by transient and robust activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis in females. This phase is marked by increased levels of gonadotropin hormones, follicular growth, and enhanced estradiol production. The role of estradiol signaling in this phase is not fully understood, but it has been suggested to play a crucial role in the development and function of organs involved in female reproduction.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Raoni Conceicao dos-Santos, Brook L. W. Sweeten, Claire E. Stelly, Jeffrey G. Tasker
Summary: Stress has effects on the nervous system at different signaling levels and time scales. Glucocorticoids, the main effectors of stress plasticity, act on multiple receptor subtypes in different cellular compartments, leading to changes in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. This review focuses on the rapid actions of acute stress-induced glucocorticoids in modulating synaptic and intrinsic neuronal properties. The stress-related brain structures, such as the hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, exhibit synaptic plasticity in response to single or short-term stress exposure.
Article
Neurosciences
Pingping Tan, Ting Xue, Yue Wang, Zhichao Hu, Jianbin Su, Rongrong Yang, Jianlin Ji, Minxiu Ye, Zhuo Chen, Chao Huang, Xu Lu
Summary: The abnormal increase of NR6A1 in the hippocampus impairs the CREB-BDNF signaling cascade, leading to the development of depression-like behaviors. Genetic knockdown of NR6A1 can prevent stress-induced depression-like behaviors.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kazunori Kageyama, Yasumasa Iwasaki, Makoto Daimon
Summary: This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms of CRF regulation in the hypothalamus during stress and stress resilience, highlighting the central role of CRF in regulating the stress response. The involvement of ACTH, glucocorticoids, various regulatory factors, and different CRF receptors in stress resilience are discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Junya Onodera, Hidetaka Nagata, Ai Nakashima, Yuji Ikegaya, Ryuta Koyama
Summary: Our study demonstrated that neuronal BDNF prevents microglia from engulfing mossy fiber synapses in the hippocampus, while microglial BDNF affects the structural and functional properties of neurons.
Article
Neurosciences
Eli-Eelika Esvald, Jurgen Tuvikene, Andra Moistus, Kathy Rannaste, Susann Koomagi, Tonis Timmusk
Summary: In this study, the regulation of BDNF expression in different brain regions was investigated using neuronal populations from rat cerebral cortices and hippocampi. It was found that the expression of BDNF is region-specific and depends on different transcription factors. Additionally, several neurodevelopmentally important transcription factors were identified as brain region-specific regulators of BDNF expression.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Andrei Turkin, Oksana Tuchina, Friederike Klempin
Summary: Microglia are resident immune cells in the adult brain that respond to stimuli by activating an acute inflammatory response, involving cytokine release and phagocytosis. Chronic microglia-mediated inflammation in diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders, is associated with disease progression. Understanding microglia communication with their environment, release of neurotrophins, and interaction with serotonin is crucial for maintaining neural circuit homeostasis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Xu Lu, Huijun Liu, Zixuan Cai, Zhichao Hu, Minxiu Ye, Yue Gu, Yue Wang, Dan Wang, Qun Lu, Zhongxia Shen, Xinhua Shen, Chao Huang
Summary: Depressed mice have lower numbers of microglia in the dentate gyrus. Reversing this decline with a single low dose of lipopolysaccharide has antidepressant effects. The antidepressant effect is related to the synthesis and signaling pathway of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Hashan S. M. Jayarathne, Lucas K. Debarba, Jacob J. Jaboro, Brett C. Ginsburg, Richard A. Miller, Marianna Sadagurski
Summary: The aging brain is characterized by increased neuroinflammation and central insulin resistance, which contribute to neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairment. The anti-diabetes drug Canagliflozin (Cana) has shown neuroprotective effects in aged male mice by improving central insulin sensitivity, reducing gliosis in the hypothalamus, and improving exploratory and locomotor activity.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Cristian Bis-Humbert, Ruben Garcia-Cabrerizo, M. Julia Garcia-Fuster
Summary: This study compared the effects of nortriptyline on adolescent and adult rats, finding that low doses had antidepressant effects in adolescents while higher doses had negative outcomes. In adult rats, nortriptyline did not significantly impact behavioral and neurochemical responses.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Tamara Dakic, Iva Lakic, Manja Zec, Marija Takic, Mojca Stojiljkovic, Tanja Jevdjovic
Summary: The study found that walnut intake restored the levels of GLUT1 and GLUT3 proteins affected by fructose-rich diet in the hypothalamus of rats, while showing distinct effects in the hippocampus.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaoutsar Nasrallah, M. Agustina Frechou, Young J. Yoon, Subrina Persaud, J. Tiago Goncalves, Pablo E. Castillo
Summary: Epilepsy is a devastating brain disorder with limited effective treatments. This study investigates the cellular mechanisms during the early stages of epilepsy and finds that the initial seizures are associated with synaptic strengthening, which may promote later epileptic activity.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katlyn J. An, Ashley N. Hanato, Katherine W. Hui, Matthew W. Pitts, Lucia A. Seale, Jessica L. Nicholson, Pamela Toh, Jun Kyoung Kim, Marla J. Berry, Daniel J. Torres
Summary: The use of glucocorticoid medications can cause metabolic side effects such as overeating, weight gain, and insulin resistance. The hypothalamus, a regulator of feeding behavior and energy expenditure, is responsive to glucocorticoids and may play a role in metabolic defects. Selenium has been found to counter the effects of glucocorticoids and is important for hypothalamic function. This study aimed to investigate if selenium could protect hypothalamic cells from dysfunction caused by glucocorticoid exposure.
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.