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Computational cognitive neuroscience.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19837197 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Brain Research)
Source: Brain Research - October 20, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Becker S, Daw ND Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The neural underpinnings of semantic ambiguity and anaphora.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study aimed to identify the neurophysiological pattern associated with the integration of the continuation sentences, as well as the time-course of this process. We examined ERPs elicited by the noun and verb in continuation sentences following ambiguous and unambiguous context sentences. A sustained negative shift was most evident at the Verb position in sentences exhibiting scope ambiguity. Furthermore, this waveform did not differentiate itself until 900 ms after the presentation of the Noun, suggesting that the parser waits to assign meaning in contexts exhibiting quantifier scope ambiguity, such that such context...
Source: Brain Research - October 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Dwivedi VD, Phillips NA, Einagel S, Baum SR Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Transcranial Near Infrared Laser Treatment (NILT) Increases Cortical Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) Content Following Embolic Strokes in Rabbits.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Transcranial near infrared laser therapy (NILT) improves behavioral outcome following embolic strokes in embolized rabbits and clinical rating scores in acute ischemic stroke(AIS) patients; however, the cellular mechanism(s) involved in NILT neuroprotection have not been elucidated. It has been proposed that mitochondrial energy production may underlie a response to NILT, but this has not been demonstrated using an in vivo embolic stroke model. Thus, we evaluated the effect of NILT on cortical ATP content using the rabbit small clot embolic stroke model (RSCEM), the model originally used to demonstrate NILT efficacy an...
Source: Brain Research - October 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Lapchak PA, De Taboada L Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The relation between person identity nodes, familiarity judgment and biographical information. Evidence from two patients with right and left anterior temporal atrophy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study consisted in using neuropsychological data obtained in two patients (VL and StG) showing a selective atrophy of the anterior parts of the right (VL) and left (StG) temporal lobes to check current cognitive models of familiar people identification. According to these models, information coming from modality-specific 'face' 'voice' and 'name' recognition units converge into 'Person Identity Nodes' (PINs) where familiarity feelings are generated and which provide a modality-free gateway to a unitary semantic system, where information about people is stored in an amodal format. Data obtained in patien...
Source: Brain Research - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Gainotti G, Ferraccioli M, Marra C Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Seizure susceptibility is associated with altered protein expression of voltage-gated calcium channel subunits in inferior colliculus neurons of the genetically epilepsy-prone rat.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The inferior colliculus (IC) is the consensus site for seizure initiation in the genetically epilepsy-prone rat (GEPR). We have previously reported that the current density of high threshold voltage-activated (HVA) calcium (Ca(2+)) channels was markedly enhanced in IC neurons of the GEPR-3 (moderate seizure severity substrain of the GEPR). The present study examines whether subunit protein levels of HVA Ca(2+) channels are altered in IC neurons that exhibit enhanced Ca(2+) current density. Quantification shows that the levels of protein expression of the Ca(2+) channel pore-forming alpha1D (L-type) and alpha1E subunits...
Source: Brain Research - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: N'gouemo P, Yasuda R, Faingold CL Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Full-length apolipoprotein E protects against the neurotoxicity of an apoE-related peptide.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Apolipoprotein E was found to protect against the neurotoxic effects of a dimeric peptide derived from the receptor-binding region of this protein (residues 141-149). Both apoE3 and apoE4 conferred protection but the major N-terminal fragment of each isoform did not. Nor was significant protection provided by bovine serum albumin or apoA-I. Full-length apoE3 and apoE4 also inhibited the uptake of a fluorescent-labeled derivative of the peptide, suggesting that the mechanism of inhibition might involve competition for cell surface receptors/proteoglycans that mediate endocytosis and/or signaling pathways. These results ...
Source: Brain Research - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Crutcher KA, Lilley HN, Anthony SR, Zhou W, Narayanaswami V Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Neural activity during social signal perception correlates with self-reported empathy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Empathy is an important component of human relationships, yet the neural mechanisms that facilitate empathy are unclear. The broad construct of empathy incorporates both cognitive and affective components. Cognitive empathy includes mentalizing skills such as perspective-taking. Affective empathy consists of the affect produced in response to someone else's emotional state, a process which is facilitated by simulation or 'mirroring'. Prior evidence shows that mentalizing tasks engage a neural network which includes the temporoparietal junction, superior temporal sulcus, and medial prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, ...
Source: Brain Research - October 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Hooker CI, Verosky SC, Germine LT, Knight RT, D'Esposito M Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Anterioposterior distribution of AT(1) angiotensin receptors in caudal brainstem cardiovascular regulatory centers of the rat.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study evaluated AT(1) receptor binding along a 2.7 mm length of rat medulla, which included the full extent of the RVLM and the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM). Sections of medulla from female rats cut on a cryostat were incubated with five concentrations of (125)I-sarcosine(1),isoleucine(8) angiotensin II to assess the density (Bmax) and dissociation constant (K(D)) of the receptors for the radioligand. The dorsomedial medulla (DMM) displayed a high density of AT(1) binding (1207+/-100 fmol/g), which peaked at 0.4 mm rostral to the calamus scriptorius (approximately 14 mm caudal to Bregma). The RVLM and CVLM disp...
Source: Brain Research - October 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bourassa EA, Sved AF, Speth RC Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The auditory response properties of single-on and double-on responders in the inferior colliculus of the leaf-nosed bat, Hipposideros armiger.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study examines the response properties of neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (IC) of the CF-FM (constant-frequency frequency-modulated) bat, Hipposideros armiger using CF, FM and CF-FM sounds as stimuli. All 169 IC neurons recorded are tonotopically organized along the dorsoventral axis of the IC. Collicular neurons have V-shaped or upper-threshold frequency tuning curves. Those neurons tuned at the predominant second harmonic have extremely sharp frequency tuning curves and low minimum thresholds. Collicular neurons typically discharge impulses to both CF and FM sounds. However, when...
Source: Brain Research - October 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Fu ZY, Tang J, Jen PH, Chen QC Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Ion changes and signalling in perisynaptic glia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The maintenance of ion gradients across plasma membranes is a prerequisite for the establishment of cellular membrane potentials, electrical signalling, and metabolite transport. At active synapses, pre-and postsynaptic ion gradients are constantly challenged and used for signalling purposes. Perisynaptic glia, mainly represented by fine processes of astrocytes which get into close vicinity to neuronal synapses, are required to normalize the extracellular ionic milieu and maintain ion gradients. On the other hand, perisynaptic glia itself is activated by synaptically released transmitters binding to plasma membrane rec...
Source: Brain Research - October 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Deitmer JW, Rose CR Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Stress, coping, and disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19765406 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Brain Research)
Source: Brain Research - September 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bloom FE Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Ongoing expression of Nkx2.1 in the postnatal mouse forebrain: potential for understanding NKX2.1 haploinsufficiency in humans?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Coordinated movements require the caudate-putamen and the globus pallidus, two nuclei belonging to the basal ganglia, to be intact and functioning properly. Many neurons populating these regions derive from the medial ganglionic eminence, a transient structure that expresses the transcription factor Nkx2.1 during prenatal development. Accordingly, the basal ganglia of Nkx2.1(-/-) mice are heavily affected and a substantial loss of several types of GABAergic interneurons has been observed. Interestingly, heterozygous mutation of the NKX2.1 gene in humans has been described as causing an unusual disorder from the second ...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Magno L, Catanzariti V, Nitsch R, Krude H, Naumann T Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Follow-up of latency and threshold shifts of auditory brainstem responses after single and interrupted acoustic trauma in guinea pig.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Thresholds of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) are widely used to estimate the level of noise-induced hearing loss or the level of acquired resistance to acoustic trauma after repeated exposures, i.e. the "toughening" effect. Less is known about ABR latencies and their relation to threshold changes. Guinea pigs were exposed to a traumatic pure tone at 5 kHz, 120 dB SPL, as either single (2h, 4h) or repeated (1h every 48h, four times) sessions. Thresholds and latencies of ABRs were monitored up to 45days following the acoustic trauma. We show that latencies are prolonged in the case of large temporary threshold shift...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Gourévitch B, Doisy T, Avillac M, Edeline JM Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Long-term functional and neurological outcome after simultaneous treatment with tissue-plasminogen activator and hyperbaric oxygen in early phase of embolic stroke in rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The combination of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) and recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) is of interest in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with a view to combine positive effects of both strategies. We investigated neurological and functional outcome after early treatment with HBO additional to tPA in ischemic stroke. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced using an embolic stroke model in 87 male Wistar rats. Animals were randomized to therapy with tPA+HBO, tPA alone or control. Menzies score, Beam walk and the Corner test were assessed for a period of 4 weeks following ischemia. Within the first 24 ho...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Michalski D, Küppers-Tiedt L, Weise C, Laignel F, Härtig W, Raviolo M, Schneider D, Hobohm C Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Increase of Kv3.1b expression in avian auditory brainstem neurons correlates with synaptogenesis in vivo and in vitro.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the auditory system voltage-activated currents mediated by potassium channels Kv1.1 and Kv3.1b and their interaction with sodium inward currents play a crucial role for computational function. However, it is unresolved how these potassium channels are developmentally regulated. We have therefore combined a biochemical investigation of Kv1.1 and Kv3.1b protein expression with electrophysiological recordings of membrane currents to characterize neuronal differentiation in the auditory brain stem of the chick. Differentiation in vitro was compared with cells prepared from corresponding embryonic stages in vivo. Using a...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Kuenzel T, Wirth MJ, Luksch H, Wagner H, Mey J Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Valproate Reversibly Reduces Neurite Outgrowth by Human SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we used human SY5Y neuroblastoma cells as a neuronal model to investigate the effects of VPA on neurite outgrowth and neurofilament expression. Data showed that the treatment with VPA at therapeutic plasma levels (0.5 mM) significantly reduced cell proliferation from day 4 through day 6, and neurite outgrowth length from day 1 through day 6. Conversely, VPA had no effect on cell proliferation of human CCF astrocytoma cells but stimulated nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neurite outgrowth from rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. In parallel to these alterations in human SY5Y cells, both mRNA and protein levels ...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Qian Y, Zheng Y, Tiffany-Castiglioni E Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Activation of the NMDA receptor involved in the alleviating after-effect of repeated stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on motor deficits in hemiparkinsonian rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To test the hypothesis that the cellular mechanism whereby chronic deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) induces the improvement of motor deficits lasting after stimulation in the hemiparkinsonian (hemi-PD) rat involves the NMDA receptor-dependent processes in neurons receiving afferents from the STN, we examined whether the NMDA receptor antagonist prevents the alleviating after-effect of repeated STN-DBS on motor deficits in hemi-PD. The cylinder test was performed before and after repeated STN-DBS over 3 days in hemi-PD that received a unilateral injection of 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bu...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Akita H, Honda Y, Ogata M, Noda K, Saji M Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Oxytocin modulates unconditioned fear response in lactating dams: an fMRI study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Oxytocinergic neurotransmission during lactation contributes to reduction of anxiety levels and fear. However, our knowledge of where oxytocin acts in the brain to achieve this effect, particularly to an unconditioned fear stimulus, is incomplete. We used blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI to test whether central administration of oxytocin 45-60 minutes before fMRI scanning alters maternal brain activation in response to a predator scent (TMT, trimethylthiazoline). Comparison behavioral experiments that examined maternal responses to this unconditioned fear -inducing odor were carried out in a separate cohor...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Febo M, Shields J, Ferris CF, King JA Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Acute systemic blockade of D2 receptors does not accelerate the extinction of cocaine-associated place preference.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Facilitation of extinction can be used as a therapeutic tool in treatment of both post-traumatic stress disorder and drug addiction. The present study examined whether the blockade of D2 receptors before each extinction trial would accelerate the extinction of cocaine-induced place preference. Male Wistar rats were initially conditioned and tested for a cocaine-associated place-preference (20 mg/kg). On the following day after the initial test, the animals were submitted to extinction training. This training consisted of daily sessions in which the subjects were alternatively confined during 30 minutes in the saline an...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Yim AJ, Andersen ML, Soeiro AC, Tufik S, Oliveira MG Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Pitch discrimination in cerebellar patients: Evidence for a sensory deficit.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the last two decades, a growing body of research showing cerebellar involvement in an increasing number of non-motor tasks and systems has prompted an expansion of speculations concerning the function of the cerebellum. Here, we tested the predictions of a hypothesis positing cerebellar involvement in sensory data acquisition. Specifically, we examined the effect of global cerebellar degeneration on primary auditory sensory function by means of a pitch discrimination task. The just noticeable difference in pitch between two tones was measured in 15 healthy controls and in 15 high functioning patients afflicted with ...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Parsons LM, Petacchi A, Schmahmann JD, Bower JM Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

T3 differentially regulates TRH expression in developing hypothalamic neurons in vitro.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study we used primary cultures derived from 17-day-old fetal rat hypothalamus to analyze the effects of T3 on TRH gene expression during development. T3 increased TRH mRNA expression in immature cultures, but decreased it in mature cultures. In addition, T3 up-regulated TRalpha1 and TRss2 mRNA expression. TRalpha1 expression coincided chronologically with that of TRH in the rat hypothalamus in vivo. Maturation of TRH expression in the hypothalamus may involve T3 acting through TRalpha1. PMID: 19766610 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research)
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Carreón-Rodríguez A, Charli JL, Pérez-Martínez L Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone D,L Polylactide nanoparticles (TRH-NPs) protect against glutamate toxicity in vitro and kindling development in vivo.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is reported to have anticonvulsant effects in animal seizure models and certain intractable epileptic patients. However, its duration of action is limited by rapid tissue metabolism and the blood brain barrier. Direct nose-brain delivery of neuropeptides in sustained-release biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) is a promising mode of therapy for enhancing CNS bioavailability. Bioactivity/ neuroprotection of D,L Polylactide nanoparticles containing TRH was assessed against glutamate toxicity in cultured rat fetal hippocampal neurons. Subsequently, we utilized the kindling model of tempor...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Veronesi MC, Aldouby Y, Domb AJ, Kubek MJ Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Anterograde labeling of ventrolateral funiculus pathways with spinal enlargement connections in the adult rat spinal cord.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The ventrolateral funiculus in the spinal cord has been identified as containing important ascending and descending pathways related to locomotion and interlimb coordination. The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the patterns of axon termination of long ascending and descending ventrolateral pathways within the cervical and lumbar enlargements of the adult rat spinal cord. To accomplish this, we made discrete unilateral injections of the tracer biotinylated dextran-amine (BDA) into the ventrolateral white matter at T9. Although some BDA-labeled axons with varicosities were found bilaterally at all ce...
Source: Brain Research - September 16, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Reed WR, Shum-Siu A, Whelan A, Onifer SM, Magnuson DS Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The impact of non-noxious heat on tactile information processing.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, the impact that non-noxious heat had on three features of tactile information processing capacity were evaluated: vibrotactile threshold, amplitude discriminative capacity and adaptation. It was found that warming the skin made a significant improvement on a subject's ability to detect a vibrotactile stimulus, and although the subjects' capacities for discriminating between two amplitudes of vibrotactile stimulation did not change with skin heating, the impact that adapting or conditioning stimulation normally had on amplitude discrimination capacity was significantly attenuated by the change in temperature....
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhang Z, Francisco EM, Holden JK, Dennis RG, Tommerdahl M Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Arithmetic Procedural Knowledge: A Cortico-Subcortical Circuit.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The disturbances of arithmetic procedural knowledge form a heterogeneous picture, in which we can distinguish "memory" impairments and "monitoring" problems. Patients with "memory" disturbances reported in the literature present left parietal lesions, while "monitoring" impairments have been assumed to be due to frontal damage. Procedural knowledge has been less investigated in basal ganglia lesions, in which there has been no analysis of procedural impairments. The present study investigates and compares the patterns of acalculia in two patients, one with a left parietal lesion and the other with a left basal ganglia ...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Roşca EC Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Expression pattern of NuIP gene in adult mouse brain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We previously reported the identification of the Nurr1 interacting protein (NuIP) that was demonstrated to modulate the transcriptional activity of Nurr1, the orphan nuclear receptor required for midbrain dopaminergic neuron differentiation. NuIP was also cloned by others and referred to as a small G protein signaling modulators. The open reading frame of NuIP predicts a protein with a N-terminal RUN domain (RPIP8, UNC-14, and NESCA) and a C-terminal TBC domain (Tre-2, Bub2 and Cdc16) both of which are found in proteins of the GAP (GTPase activating protein) family, involved in the GTPase signaling pathway. To characte...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Luo Y, Sarabi SA, Backman C, Shan L, Hoffer B, Federoff H Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The role of parietal cortex during sustained visual spatial attention.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The control of spatial attention - shifting attention between visual field locations or sustaining attention to one location - involves the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex. Within the parietal cortex, shifting attention has been linked to the superior parietal lobule; however, the neural substrates associated with sustained attention are still unknown. In the present fMRI study, we aimed to identify generalized control regions associated with sustained attention using two different protocols. The motion protocol alternated between periods of moving or stationary dots, and the flicker protocol alternated between p...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Thakral PP, Slotnick SD Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Effects of Gestational Stress: 2. Evaluation of Male and Female Adult Offspring.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Physical restraint applied during gestation is a commonly employed animal model of human pregnancy stress. The consequences of such a paradigm have been extensively investigated in adult male rats using a variety of physiological and behavioral measures. The behavioral repertoire of female offspring, however, has been largely ignored. The current study examines adult offspring - male and female Long Evans rats (55 - 90 days of age) and is a follow-up report to the consequences of maternal restraint (gestation days 10 through 19) in mother rats and their juvenile offspring. Physiological measures included weight and est...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Baker S, Rees S, Chebli M, Lemarec N, Godbout R, Huta V, Bielajew C Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The cardiovascular response of normal rats to dual lesion of the subfornical organ and area postrema at rest and to chronic losartan.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The subfornical organ (SFO) and the area postrema (AP), two of the sensory circumventricular organs (CVO), are known to play a role in the chronic central control of blood pressure. In previous studies in which these regions were independently lesioned, the chronic hypotensive effects of the AT(1) receptor blocker losartan (10 mg/kg/day) were attenuated by approximately 15 mmHg. In the present study, we sought to investigate the effect of concurrent lesion of both the SFO and the AP on the cardiovascular effects of chronic losartan infusion in order to test the hypothesis that a greater attenuation of the hypotensive e...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Nahey DB, Collister JP Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The locus coeruleus: A key nucleus where stress and opioids intersect to mediate vulnerability to opiate abuse.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The interaction between the stress axis and endogenous opioid systems has gained substantial clinical attention as it is increasingly recognized that stress predisposes to opiate abuse. For example, stress has been implicated as a risk factor in vulnerability to the initiation and maintenance of opiate abuse and is thought to play an important role in relapse in subjects with a history of abuse. Numerous reports indicating that stress alters individual sensitivity to opiates suggest that prior stress can influence the pharmacodynamics of opiates that are used in clinical settings. Conversely, the effects of opiates on ...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Van Bockstaele EJ, Reyes BA, Valentino RJ Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Parasympathetic vasodilator fibers in rat digastric muscle.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study examined whether parasympathetic vasodilator fibers exist in rat jaw-opening muscles such as the digastric muscle. The mental nerve was stimulated to activate the parasympathetic vasodilator nerve in the digastric muscle. Electrical stimulation of the mental nerve elicited intensity- and frequency-dependent increases of blood flow in this muscle. These increases were markedly reduced by hexamethonium in dose- and time-dependent manners, but pretreatment with phentolamine or propranolol had no effect. Pretreatment with atropine also attenuated the increase in blood flow in digastric muscle. When retrog...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Sudo E, Ishii H, Niioka T, Hirai T, Izumi H Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The homeobox gene T-box 3 is expressed in the adult mouse hypothalamus and medulla.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Using microarray analysis, in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry, we found that the transcription factor TBX3 is produced in three discrete neuronal populations of the adult mouse brain, the arcuate nucleus (including in NPY but not dopaminergic neurons), the histaminergic tuberomammillary nucleus and in cholinergic neurons of the solitary tract nucleus. The immunoreactive protein had a nuclear location in these neurons, consistent with its function as a transcription factor. Although the function of tbx3 in these neurons is unknown, a review of the literature strongly suggests that these neuronal populations m...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Eriksson KS, Mignot E Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Abnormal resting-state functional connectivity of posterior cingulate cortex in amnestic type mild cognitive impairment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Amnestic type mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) refers to a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). While posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is believed to have a key role in a default network and be involved in the pathophysiology of AD, few studies have investigated whole-brain functional connectivity of PCC during resting-state, or investigated the relationship between abnormal functional connectivity and disturbance in cognitive function in aMCI patients. Resting-state functional connectivity analysis was used to examine the temporal correlation between PCC and whole-brain regions in thir...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bai F, Watson DR, Yu H, Shi Y, Yuan Y, Zhang Z Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Attentional Processes and Blood Lactate Levels.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The accumulation of lactate in the blood after an high-intensity exercise is associated to an increase of lactate extractions by the brain. However, no information has been provided about the influences of blood lactate on cognitive performances and, in particular, on attention. The present study was carried out to examine the association of high blood lactate levels, induced with a maximal cycling, with two different attentional tasks. The study was carried out on 17 male sprinters who performed exhaustive exercise. Before the exercise, as well as 5 and 10 minutes after the exhaustion, blood lactate was measured and i...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Coco M, Di Corrado D, Calogero RA, Perciavalle V, Maci T, Perciavalle V Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Characteristic response of astrocytes to plasminogen/plasmin to upregulate transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFbeta3) production/secretion through proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) and the downstream phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt/PKB signaling cascade.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effects of microglia-derived plasminogen (PLGn) on the neurotrophic role of astrocytes were investigated in vitro. The treatment of astrocytes with rat PLGn led to a significant increase in transforming growth factor beta3 (TGFbeta3) in the conditioned medium (CM). This response of astrocytes to PLGn was characteristic and different from that to other stimulators, including lipopolysaccharide, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate, interferon-gamma, and ATP. In surveying the signaling molecules that respond to PLGn in astrocytes, we found that Akt/PKB phosphorylation is promoted. The pretreatment of astrocytes with an Ak...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Maeda S, Nakajima K, Tohyama Y, Kohsaka S Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Marine compound Xyloketal B protects PC12 cells against OGD-induced cell damage.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Xyloketal B is a novel marine compound with unique chemical structure isolated from mangrove fungus Xylaria sp. (no. 2508). Recently, we have demonstrated that Xyloketal B is an antioxidant and can protect against oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL)-induced cell injury. In the present study, we investigated whether Xyloketal B can protect against ischemia-induced cell injury in an in vitro oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) model of ischemic stroke in PC12 cells. We found that Xyloketal B could directly scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and protect PC12 cells against OGD insult. Furthermore, X...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhao J, Li L, Ling C, Li J, Pang JY, Lin YC, Liu J, Huang R, Wang GL, Pei Z, Zeng J Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Temporal Assessment of Histone H3 Phospho-Acetylation and Casein Kinase 2 Activation in Dentate Gyrus from Ischemic Rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Hippocampal dentate gyrus possesses an exceptional capacity of adaptation to ischemic insults. Recently, using a transient global ischemic model in the adult rat, we identified a neuroprotective signalling cascade in the dentate gyrus involving calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV), cyclic AMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a major regulator of survival. We have shown that intracerebroventricular injections of anti-BDNF and anti-CREB are sufficient to cause substantial tissular damages and apoptotic deaths in late periods (48-72h) after isch...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Blanquet PR, Mariani J, Fournier B Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Temporal course and the electrophysiological correlates of Hypothesis Testing as revealed in a modified category induction task.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study used a modified category induction task to examine the brain activation that occurs when a person receives the result of hypothesis testing (HT). Participants were provided with a number of different batteries and were asked to learn what kinds of batteries were charged. Within each trial, two batteries were sequentially displayed, and a preliminary hypothesis could be formed based on the perceptual comparison. A third battery was then displayed that served to strengthen, reject, or maintain the preliminary hypothesis. Finally, a probe appeared for three seconds or terminated with a response. The beha...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Li F, Cao B, Feng X, Jialan Q, Li H Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Curcumin is protective against phenytoin - induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study demonstrates that curcumin is effective in preventing phenytoin-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats without altering the serum phenytoin levels. This suggests the potential of adjuvant curcumin therapy in ameliorating cognitive impairment caused by chronic phenytoin therapy. PMID: 19765566 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research)
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Reeta KH, Mehla J, Gupta YK Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Event-related potentials for simple arithmetic in Arabic digits and Chinese number words: A study of the mental representation of arithmetic facts through notation and operation effects.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To test whether the retrieval of arithmetic facts is independent of numerical notations, this study investigated the event-related potentials elicited by single-digit addition and multiplication problems in Arabic digits and Chinese number words. The results showed that, in comparison with addition, multiplication elicited a greater N300-like component at the left anterior electrodes and greater late positive potentials at the right posterior electrodes, regardless of numerical notations. The operation effects lasted from 250 to 900 ms for Arabic digits, but from 250 to 1400 ms for Chinese number words when participant...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhou X, Chen C, Qiao S, Chen C, Chen L, Lu N, Dong Q Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Detection of Early Neuron Degeneration and Accompanying Glial Responses in the Visual Pathway in a Rat Model of Acute Intraocular Hypertension.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Transsynaptic degeneration has been implicated in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and animal models of chronic intraocular hypertension. Whether the sustained intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation is necessary for the induction of transsynaptic changes in the brain remains unclear. The aim of this study is to characterize the effects of acute and transient intraocular hypertension on the visual pathway of rats. Acute intraocular hypertension was induced in the right eye by anterior chamber perfusion. At 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the operation, neuronal degeneration and glial respo...
Source: Brain Research - September 14, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhang S, Wang H, Lu Q, Qing G, Wang N, Wang Y, Li S, Yang D, Yan F Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

The impact of adenosine and an A2A adenosine receptor agonist on the ach-induced increase in intracellular calcium of the glomus cells of the cat carotid body.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The carotid body (CB) is a polymodal chemosensor of arterial blood located next to the internal carotid artery. The basic chemosensing unit is composed of the neurotransmitter (NT)-containing glomus cells (GCs) and the sensory afferent fibers synapsing onto the GCs. Nicotinic and muscarinic receptors have been found on both the sensory afferent fibers and on the GCs. Neural output from the CB (CBNO) increases when arterial blood perfusing it is hypoxic, hypoglycemic, hypercapnic, or acidic. The increased CBNO due to GC release of excitatory NTs must be preceded by an entrance of calcium into the GCs. With repeated rele...
Source: Brain Research - September 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Fitzgerald RS, Shirahata M, Chang I Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Cognitive dysfunction induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in a rat model associated with arteriovenous malformations.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The relationship between chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and cognitive function has not been completely delineated. In the present studies, we developed an experimental model associated with arteriovenous malformation to investigate the effects of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion on cognitive function and neuropathological changes. The rat model was established by creating a fistula through an end-to-side anastomosis between the right distal external jugular vein and the ipsilateral common carotid artery, followed by ligation of the left vein draining the transverse sinus and bilateral external carotid arteries. Age-match...
Source: Brain Research - September 13, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Hai J, Wan JF, Lin Q, Wang F, Zhang L, Li H, Zhang L, Chen YY, Lu Y Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Formic acid is essential for immunohistochemical detection of aggregated intraneuronal Abeta peptides in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The staining protocols so far applied to study intracellular Abeta accumulation in human tissue have been inconsistent with varying use of heat and formic acid (FA) for antigen retrieval. Microwave heat treatment has been reported to enhance the staining of intraneuronal Abeta as compared to no or enzymatic pretreatment. FA is widely used to increase the staining of plaque pathology in AD, yet, the effect of FA on intraneuronal Abeta staining has been reported to be low and similar to the effect of heat, or even to counteract the enhancing effect of heat pretreatment on intraneuronal Abeta immunohistochemical detection...
Source: Brain Research - September 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Christensen DZ, Bayer TA, Wirths O Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Hypocretin/orexin in arousal and stress.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Multiple lines of evidence indicate that hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) participates in the regulation of arousal and arousal-related process. For example, HCRT axons and receptors are found within a variety of arousal-related systems. Moreover, when administered centrally, HCRT exerts robust wake-promoting actions. Finally, a dysregulation of HCRT neurotransmission is associated with the sleep/arousal disorder, narcolepsy. Combined, these observations suggested that HCRT might be a key transmitter system in the regulation of waking. Nonetheless, subsequent evidence indicates that HCRT may not play a prominent role in the in...
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Berridge CW, España RA, Vittoz NM Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Exercise effects on activities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase, acetylcholinesterase and adenine nucleotides hidrolisys in ovariectomized rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Hormone deficiency following ovariectomy causes activation of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) that has been related to cognitive deficits in experimental animals. Considering that physical exercise presents neuroprotector effects, we decide to investigate whether exercise training would affect enzyme activation in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, as well as adenosine nucleotide hydrolysis in synaptosomes from cerebral cortex of ovariectomized rats. Female adult Wistar rats were assigned to one of the following groups: sham (submitted to surgery without removal of the ovaries), exercise, ovariectomized...
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ben J, Schneider Soares FM, Cechetti F, Vuaden FC, Bonan CD, Netto CA, de Souza Wyse AT Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Clioquinol inhibits NGF-induced Trk autophosphorylation and neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Clioquinol is considered to be a causative agent of subacute myelo-optico neuropathy (SMON), although the pathogenesis of SMON is yet to be elucidated. To investigate the mechanism of neurotoxicity of clioquinol, we used PC12 cell line and focused on nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling through Trk receptor, which is essential for survival and differentiation of neuronal cells. Clioquinol inhibited NGF-induced Trk autoposphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. This inhibitory activity was further confirmed by the data of the inhibition of NGF-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, which is loca...
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Asakura K, Ueda A, Kawamura N, Ueda M, Mihara T, Mutoh T Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Estrogen partially down regulates PTEN to prevent apoptosis in VSC4.1 motoneurons following exposure to IFN-gamma.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, our studies suggest that PTEN inactivation may be used as an important parameter for evaluation of the efficacy of estrogen in prevention of neuronal loss in neurodegenerative disorders. PMID: 19748493 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research)
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Smith JA, Zhang R, Varma AK, Das A, Ray SK, Banik NL Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Mithramycin protects against dopaminergic neurotoxicity in the mouse brain after administration of methamphetamine.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of mithramycin, an inhibitor of transcription factor Specificity protein (Sp)-1, on the behavioral changes and dopaminergic neurotoxicity in the mouse striatum after administration of methamphetamine (METH). Pretreatment with mithramycin (75, 150 or 300 mug/kg) did not alter acute hyperlocomotion in mice after a single administration of METH (3 mg/kg). However, the development of behavioral sensitization in mice after repeated administration of METH (3 mg/kg/day, once daily for 5 days) was significantly blocked by pretreatment with mithramycin (300 mug/kg). Furthe...
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Hagiwara H, Iyo M, Hashimoto K Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals

Impaired blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barriers in mutant SOD1-linked ALS rat.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) and Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier (BSCB) impairment is an additional accident occurring during the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. In this work we aimed to decipher if BBB/BSCB leakage appeared before critical detrimental events and could serve as a marker preceding clinical symptoms. Three different BBB leakage markers: Evans Blue, IgG and hemosiderin, were used to look at the SOD1-linked ALS rat model at presymptomatic and symptomatic stages. Although IgG and hemosiderin could be detected at presymptomatic stage, Evans Blue extravasation which fits best with BBB/BSCB impairment ...
Source: Brain Research - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Nicaise C, Mitrecic D, Demetter P, De Decker R, Authelet M, Boom A, Pochet R Tags: Brain Res Source Type: journals