Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Dylan C. Sarver, Cheng Xu, Susan Aja, G. William Wong
Summary: The expression of CTRP14 in peripheral tissues is regulated by metabolic and nutritional state. In the study, CTRP14 deficiency in mice affected glucose tolerance, physical activity, and food intake. These findings reveal the potential role of CTRP14 in metabolic regulation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yingtang Shi, Daniel S. Stornetta, Robert J. Reklow, Alisha Sahu, Yvonne Wabara, Ashley Nguyen, Keyong Li, Yong Zhang, Edward Perez-Reyes, Rachel A. Ross, Bradford B. Lowell, Ruth L. Stornetta, Gregory D. Funk, Patrice G. Guyenet, Douglas A. Bayliss
Summary: It was found that RTN neurons express PACAP at a specific time point after birth to support breathing, while the lack of PACAP in RTN neurons leads to increased apnea. This study reveals key molecular components supporting breathing during a vulnerable period of life.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Larissa de Brito Medeiros, Susana Paula Almeida Alves, Rui Jose Branquinho de Bessa, Juliana Kessia Barbosa Soares, Camila Neves Meireles Costa, Jailane de Souza Aquino, Gerlane Coelho Bernardo Guerra, Daline Fernandes de Souza Araujo, Lydiane Tavares Toscano, Alexandre Sergio Silva, Adriano Francisco Alves, Mateus Lacerda Pereira Lemos, Wydemberg Jose de Araujo, Ariosvaldo Nunes de Medeiros, Celso Jose Bruno de Oliveira, Rita de Cassia Ramos do Egypto Queiroga
Summary: This study demonstrates that naturally and industrially produced trans-fatty acids have distinct effects on metabolic parameters and gut microbiota of rats. Industrial trans-fatty acids intake resulted in reduced triglycerides and VLDL levels, while natural trans-fatty acids intake showed hepatoprotective effects and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels. Additionally, the gut microbiota composition was significantly different among the dietary groups.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caner Caglar, Jeffrey Friedman
Summary: Activation of PPP1R17 neurons in Leptin-deficient mice does not increase food intake as hypothesized, but instead decreases it, suggesting these neurons play a role in limiting overconsumption. The neurons in the DMH expressing PPP1R17 are indirectly affected by Leptin and serve to constrain binge eating behavior.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Nicholas DiPatrizio
Summary: The gut-brain signaling system, particularly the endocannabinoid system in the upper gastrointestinal tract, plays a crucial role in controlling food intake and the dysregulation of this system is associated with obesity. Direct and indirect interactions between endocannabinoids and vagal afferent neurons are key mechanisms in this control, with a focus on how diet-induced obesity impacts these pathways.
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Javier Aguilera-Lizarraga
Summary: Abdominal pain, a common symptom worldwide, often occurs after food ingestion. Current treatment strategies mainly focus on excluding culprit food(s) from the diet. However, this approach has limitations, as patients may recognize multiple food items and not all offending foods can be identified. Newly identified mechanisms involving neuroimmune interactions and intestinal microbiota communication are important for developing new therapeutic strategies.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
William Leonard, Pangzhen Zhang, Danyang Ying, Zhongxiang Fang
Summary: Hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) are a major class of phenolic acids with a characteristic phenylpropanoid C-6-C-3 backbone. Despite being typically conjugated with plant cell wall components and liberated by limited enzymes, HCAs have been neglected by researchers compared to flavonoid-type polyphenols. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the interactions between polyphenols and gut microbiota, with significant progress in understanding the gut microbiota-modulating effect of HCA using animal model studies.
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Shouren Li, Mengqi Liu, Shixi Cao, Boshuai Liu, Defeng Li, Zhichang Wang, Hao Sun, Yalei Cui, Yinghua Shi
Summary: With the increasing prevalence of energy metabolism disorders, the regulation of feeding has become a global focus. The gastrointestinal tract not only performs digestion and absorption but also contains various appetite-regulating signals. The central nervous system plays a crucial role in receiving and integrating these signals, thus regulating feeding behavior.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tarique Hussain, Ghulam Murtaza, Dildar H. Kalhoro, Muhammad S. Kalhoro, Elsayed Metwally, Muhammad Chughtai, Muhammad U. Mazhar, Shahzad A. Khan
Summary: The interactions between gut microbiota and host metabolism have a significant impact on health, including metabolic regulation and reproductive hormonal function. Gut bacteria participate in steroid hormone metabolism through enzymes and play a crucial role in reproductive events. Environmental bacteria can degrade steroid hormones and their compounds to eliminate pollution.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Divakar Dahiya, Poonam Singh Nigam
Summary: Antibiotic therapy can harm the normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in decreased diversity, changed metabolic activity, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. This can lead to antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and recurrent infections. Different classes of antibiotics can also cause gastrointestinal, immunologic, and neurocognitive conditions. Restoring the imbalanced gut microbiota to a healthy state is crucial for overall well-being. Probiotic strains, consumed through food, beverages, or supplements, can help establish a beneficial gut-brain relationship.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biology
Yihang Kevin Pan, Steve F. Perry
Summary: The study of fish breathing has been prominently featured in the Journal of Experimental Biology, and many important discoveries in this area were first reported in the journal. The period from 1960 to 1990 witnessed significant innovation in studying breathing control, leading to our understanding of oxygen as the main driver of ventilation in fish. However, the identity and role of peripheral oxygen chemoreceptors in vivo remains poorly understood, and further progress can be made through the use of genetic tools in zebrafish.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Esma Karahmet Farhat, Emina Karahmet Sher, Amina Dzidic-Krivic, Ines Banjari, Farooq Sher
Summary: The human gut is a host for trillions of microorganisms known as the gut microbiota, and its composition can be influenced by various factors, particularly diet and nutrition. A diet rich in phytoestrogens can alter the gut microbiota composition. Phytoestrogens have shown potential in treating different types of cancers, such as breast cancer in women, due to their ability to decrease estrogen levels. This review summarizes recent findings on the interaction between phytoestrogens and gut microbiota and discusses their potential future application in breast cancer treatment.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Seiichiro Nakamura, Junya Yumioka, Seishu Kachi, Yasunori Baba, Shigeyuki Kawai
Summary: This study elucidates a part of the carbon cycling in brown macroalgae by isolating Vibrio sp. bacteria from the gut of supralittoral talitrid amphipods. It confirms the importance of these bacteria in the assimilation of brown macroalgae. Antibiotic intervention study shows that the killed bacteria are not essential for the assimilation of brown macroalgae by the amphipods.
Article
Microbiology
Pau Perez Escriva, Tobias Fuhrer, Uwe Sauer
Summary: This article maps out the cross-feeding network among 10 members of a synthetic consortium that is increasingly used as the model mouse gut microbiota. Combining metabolomics with in vitro cultivations, two dense networks of carbon and nitrogen exchange are described. The vast majority of the similar to 100 interactions are synergistic in nature, in several cases providing distinct physiological benefits to the recipient species. These networks lay the groundwork toward understanding gut community dynamics and host-gut microbe interactions.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marina Romani-Perez, Clara Bullich-Vilarrubias, Inmaculada Lopez-Almela, Rebeca Liebana-Garcia, Marta Olivares, Yolanda Sanz
Summary: Obesity is a major societal and health challenge globally, with the gut microbiota-diet interactions potentially playing a role in its development. Feeding time and dietary composition are important factors influencing gut microbiota structure and function.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Svetlana Mastitskaya, Egor Turovsky, Nephtali Marina, Shefeeq M. Theparambil, Anna Hadjihambi, Sergey Kasparov, Anja G. Teschemacher, Andrew G. Ramage, Alexander Gourine, Patrick S. Hosford
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Lindsea C. Booth, Song T. Yao, Alla Korsak, David G. S. Farmer, Sally G. Hood, Daniel McCormick, Quinn Boesley, Angela A. Connelly, Stuart J. McDougall, Willian S. Korim, Sarah-Jane Guild, Svetlana Mastitskaya, Phuong Le, Anja G. Teschemacher, Sergey Kasparov, Gareth L. Ackland, Simon C. Malpas, Robin M. McAllen, Andrew M. Allen, Clive N. May, Alexander V. Gourine
Summary: This study successfully applied optogenetics for selective stimulation of vagal efferent activity in a large animal model (sheep). Viral transduction of a subset of vagal motoneurons resulted in strong axonal membrane expression of the excitatory light-sensitive ion channel ChIEF in efferent projections innervating thoracic organs and reaching beyond the diaphragm.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Alicia D'Souza, Yanwen Wang, Cali Anderson, Annalisa Bucchi, Mirko Baruscotti, Serve Olieslagers, Pietro Mesirca, Anne Berit Johnsen, Svetlana Mastitskaya, Haibo Ni, Yu Zhang, Nicholas Black, Charlotte Cox, Sven Wegner, Beatriz Bano-Otalora, Cheryl Petit, Eleanor Gill, Sunil Jit R. J. Logantha, Halina Dobrzynski, Nick Ashton, George Hart, Rai Zhang, Henggui Zhang, Elizabeth J. Cartwright, Ulrik Wisloff, Matteo E. Mangoni, Paula A. Da Costa Martins, Hugh D. Piggins, Dario DiFrancesco, Mark R. Boyett
Summary: The circadian variation in heart rate is related to a local genomic regulation of the sinus node rather than neural influences. The rhythmic expression of ion channel gene HCN4 plays a key role in controlling the beating rate of the heart during day and night cycles. This study provides new insights into the regulation of heart rate and the mechanisms behind bradycardia during sleep.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shereen Nizari, Marina Basalay, Philippa Chapman, Nils Korte, Alla Korsak, Isabel N. Christie, Shefeeq M. Theparambil, Sean M. Davidson, Frank Reimann, Stefan Trapp, Derek M. Yellon, Alexander V. Gourine
Summary: Studies have shown that neuroprotection against ischaemic stroke induced by remote ischaemic conditioning is mediated through GLP-1R signaling, with a potent dilatory effect of GLP-1R activation on cortical arterioles suggesting that the neuroprotection in this model is mediated via modulation of cerebral blood flow and improved brain perfusion.
BASIC RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ariana Z. Turk, Shahriar SheikhBahaei
Summary: This study identified various astrocytic subtypes in the common marmoset and found that cortical astrocytes exhibit higher complexity, possibly reflecting their functions in meeting metabolic/structural needs in vocal production regions.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Martin Sommer, Shahriar SheikhBahaei, Gerald A. Maguire
Article
Biophysics
Enrico Ravagli, Svetlana Mastitskaya, David Holder, Kirill Aristovich
Summary: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of lowering hardware requirements for fast neural electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to support its distribution. The results showed that replacing commercial modules with customized circuitry significantly reduced cost and size without impacting image quality, promoting adoption of the technique in neuroscience research community.
PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT
(2022)
Article
Biology
Mitchell Bishop, Maximilian Weinhold, Ariana Z. Turk, Afuh Adeck, Shahriar SheikhBahaei
Summary: The respiratory system regulates oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the body by adjusting breathing frequency and depth. Current methods for analyzing breathing data in experimental animals are subjective and time-consuming. In this study, we developed an analysis toolkit for studying respiratory activities in animals and used it to investigate breathing behaviors in marmosets under different conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yichao Yu, Christopher Payne, Nephtali Marina, Alla Korsak, Paul Southern, Ana Garcia-Prieto, Isabel N. Christie, Rebecca R. Baker, Elizabeth M. C. Fisher, Jack A. Wells, Tammy L. Kalber, Quentin A. Pankhurst, Alexander Gourine, Mark F. Lythgoe
Summary: Astrocytes serve important roles in brain function and dysfunction, and a novel technique called magnetomechanical stimulation (MMS) allows remote and selective control of these cells without genetic modification. By utilizing the mechanosensitivity of astrocytes and applying a magnetic field to antibody-functionalized magnetic particles, MMS can trigger specific cellular responses, offering potential clinical applications with improved prospects compared to existing technologies.
Article
Neurosciences
Ariana Z. Turk, Mitchell Bishop, Afuh Adeck, Shahriar SheikhBahaei
Summary: In this paper, we review the location, function, and role of astrocytes in central pattern generators (CPGs) involved in locomotion, respiration, and mastication, and propose that astrocytes may also have a significant role in vocal production CPG.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Ilya Tarotin, Svetlana Mastitskaya, Enrico Ravagli, Justin D. Perkins, David Holder, Kirill Aristovich
Summary: This study aims to develop a method for measuring temporal dispersion in unmyelinated nerves. Through experimental validation on porcine subdiaphragmatic nerves, the optimal paradigms for nerve stimulation and data processing were determined. The results showed that with stimulation by trains, dZ could be measured at a distance of 15 cm from the stimulus, providing feasibility for electrical impedance tomography imaging in unmyelinated nerves.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick S. Hosford, Jack A. Wells, Shereen Nizari, Isabel N. Christie, Shefeeq M. Theparambil, Pablo A. Castro, Anna Hadjihambi, L. Felipe Barros, Ivan Ruminot, Mark F. Lythgoe, Alexander Gourine
Summary: The study indicates that CO2 plays a crucial role in regulating neurovascular coupling by mediating signaling between neurons and cerebral blood vessels to adjust local brain blood flow based on neuronal activity. The neurovascular coupling mechanism ensures an adequate energy supply for the brain to meet demands.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Isabel N. Christie, Rowan Windsor, Henk J. M. M. Mutsaerts, Therese Tillin, Carole H. Sudre, Alun D. Hughes, Xavier Golay, Alexander Gourine, Patrick S. Hosford
Summary: This study examined the link between systemic arterial blood pressure and cerebral perfusion in a tri-ethnic study in the UK. Results showed a significant negative correlation between blood pressure, age, and cerebral blood flow. The group of hypertensive patients prescribed with anti-hypertensive drugs but with uncontrolled blood pressure recorded the lowest cerebral blood flow values. These findings highlight the importance of blood pressure control for maintaining brain blood flow.
JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Renato W. Martins Sa, Shefeeq M. Theparambil, Karoline Martins dos Santos, Isabel N. Christie, Nephtali Marina, Barbara V. Cardoso, Patrick S. Hosford, Vagner R. Antunes
Summary: In this study, the authors aimed to determine the source of ATP that drives osmotically-induced increases in sympathetic outflow. They found that salt loading stimulated the release of ATP in the PVN, primarily from glial cells through a vesicle-mediated route. This finding provides insight into the neural control of circulation during osmotic challenges.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Ariana Z. Turk, Mahsa Lotfi Marchoubeh, Ingrid Fritsch, Gerald A. Maguire, Shahriar SheikhBahaei
Summary: Dopamine, the main catecholamine neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a crucial role in regulating various behaviors, especially in speech and vocalizations. Its precise function in normal and abnormal speech production is not fully understood at present.
BRAIN AND LANGUAGE
(2021)