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Editorial.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19914354 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ljubimov AV, Geffen D Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Editorial for the special issue of Brain Research Bulletin "Advances in corneal and retinal research"Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19914355 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ljubimov AV Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Sensorimotor cortex aspiration: A model for studying Wallerian degeneration-induced glial reactivity along the entire length of a single CNS axonal pathway.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Although there are some similarities in the molecular and cellular pattern of Wallerian degeneration in the PNS and CNS, in the CNS the removal of axonal and myelin debris by microglia and astrocytes is not very efficient and occurs over a much longer time frame than seen in a peripheral nerve. Several animal models have been used to study Wallerian degeneration-induced glial reactivity in the CNS and PNS. Although these models have clarified some aspects of the mechanisms underlying the differential glial cell responses in the PNS and CNS, they do not lend themselves easily to deciphering the mechanisms governing the ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Basiri M, Doucette R Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

All-or-none population bursts temporally constrain surround inhibition between mouse olfactory glomeruli.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
With each sniff, the olfactory bulbs of the brain generate a neural activity pattern representing the odour environment, transmitting this to higher brain centres in the form of mitral cell output. Inhibitory circuits in the olfactory bulb glomerular and external plexiform layers may amplify contrast in these patterns, through surround inhibition of mitral cells. These circuits may operate in series, but their respective roles are unclear. A single sniff is sufficient for odour discrimination, but is not clear that the inhibitory circuits act within this timeframe. We used microdissected slices of mouse olfactory bulb ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Shirley CH, Coddington EJ, Heyward PM Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Limited restoration of visual function after partial optic nerve injury; a time course study using the calcium channel blocker lomerizine.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Secondary degeneration is a process encompassing damage adjacent to a primary injury, usually involving increased Ca(2+) influx into neurons and glia. Lomerizine dihydrochloride is a calcium channel blocker with relatively selective CNS effects, currently in clinical trials for glaucoma. We have recently demonstrated that, following partial transection of the optic nerve (ON), 1 month of lomerizine treatment protects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), incompletely preserves visual function and also limits elements of secondary degeneration, including macrophage infiltration. However, under some circumstances macrophages ha...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Selt M, Bartlett CA, Harvey AR, Dunlop SA, Fitzgerald M Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Additive and Synergistic Effects of Fetal Nicotine and Dexamethasone Exposure on Cholinergic Synaptic Function in Adolescence and Adulthood: Implications for the Adverse Consequences of Maternal Smoking and Pharmacotherapy of Preterm Delivery.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Maternal smoking contributes to preterm delivery; glucocorticoids are the consensus treatment for prematurity, thus producing fetal coexposure to nicotine and dexamethasone. We administered nicotine to pregnant rats throughout gestation at a dose (3mg/kg/day) producing plasma levels typical of smokers. Later in gestation, animals received dexamethasone (0.2mg/kg). We assessed developmental indices for acetylcholine (ACh) synaptic function throughout adolescence, young adulthood and later adulthood, evaluating brain regions possessing major ACh projections and cell bodies; we measured choline acetyltransferase activity,...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Slotkin TA, Ryde IT, Seidler FJ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Hippocampal region-specific regulation of NF-kappaB may contribute to learning-associated synaptic reorganisation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Activity of the transcription factor NF-kappaB is required for memory formation, but the identity and function of the genes it may regulate in this context remain obscure. Here, we comprehensively characterise NF-kappaB throughout the rat hippocampus following passive avoidance training and report significant subregion-specific increased activity across the dorsoventral axis 3h post-learning. Moreover, putative NF-kappaB binding motifs predominated in structural genes previously shown to regulate 3h following avoidance conditioning, the protein products of which may be involved in the subsequent synaptic remodeling req...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: O'Sullivan NC, Croyden L, McGettigan PA, Pickering M, Murphy KJ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

The Effects of Nepafenac and Amfenac on Retinal Angiogenesis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSIONS: Nepafenac and amfenac inhibit OIR more effectively than the commercially available topical and injectable NSAIDs used in this study. Our data suggests there are COX-dependent and COX-independent mechanisms by which amfenac inhibits OIR. Because it is bioavailable to the posterior segment following topical delivery, nepafenac appears to be a promising advancement in the development of therapies for neovascular eye diseases. PMID: 19897019 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Yanni SE, Clark ML, Yang R, Bingaman DP, Penn JS Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

REM-dreams recall in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
An abundant recall of dreams has been observed in clinical studies on patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC), a neurological disorder characterized by an altered sleep architecture. Laboratory studies have shown that dream experiences developed during 1(st)-REM sleep by NC patients are longer and more complex than those of healthy subjects. To establish whether these features indicate an earlier optimal functioning of the cognitive processes involved in dream generation rather than a more accurate dream recall, we compared the indicators of length and structural organization in reports of REM-dreams collected from 14 ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mazzetti M, Bellucci C, Mattarozzi K, Plazzi G, Tuozzi G, Cipolli C Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Induction of Corneal Myofibroblasts by Lens-derived Transforming Growth Factor beta1 (TGFbeta1): A Transgenic Mouse Model.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of active TGFbeta1 in the anterior chamber can lead to myofibroblast formation in the corneal endothelial layer and subsequently in the corneal epithelial and stromal layers. Our data suggest that the levels of biologically active TGFbeta in the aqueous humor must be under tight control to maintain corneal homeostasis. TGFbeta1 is the major cytokine during wound healing. Therefore, our findings also suggest a potential mechanism to explain the loss of corneal endothelial barrier and corneal opacification after intraocular surgery or trauma. PMID: 19897021 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - November 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Reneker LW, Bloch A, Xie L, Overbeek PA, Ash JD Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Prognostic value of biochemical markers of brain damage and oxidative stress in post-surgical aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The aim of this study is to determine effective biochemical markers and optimal sampling timing for prediction of neurological prognosis in post-surgical aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. Subjects were a sequential group of SAH patients admitted to our centre who underwent aneurysm clipping before Day 3 and who received a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drain. CSF samples from 32 patients were collected on Days 3, 7, and 14. Neurological outcome was assessed by neurosurgeons using the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) at 6 months after onset. CSF levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S100B, and glial fibrillary...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 31, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Kaneda K, Fujita M, Yamashita S, Kaneko T, Kawamura Y, Izumi T, Tsuruta R, Kasaoka S, Maekawa T Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Characterization of Spatial Performance in Male and Female Long-Evans Rats by Means of the Morris Water Task and the Ziggurat Task.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study compared the performance of male and female Long-Evans rats in the wet-land MWT versus the dry-land ziggurat task (ZT). The ZT represents a new dry-land task in which rats explore an arena with 16 ziggurat pyramids to locate food rewards. Several behavioural parameters, including latency, path length, path speed, probe trial performance, errors, and the number of returns were used as indices of spatial learning and memory. While males and females did not display significant differences in the traditional measures of spatial navigation within MWT, they displayed a robust sex difference in all measures of the ZT. ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Faraji J, Metz GA, Sutherland RJ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Interleukin-10/Ceftriaxone prevents E.Coli-induced delays in sensorimotor task learning and spatial memory in neonatal and adult Sprague Dawley rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Intrauterine infection during pregnancy is associated with early activation of the fetal immune system and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Immune activation can lead to alterations in sensorimotor skills, changes in learning and memory and neural plasticity. Both interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Ceftriaxone have been shown to decrease immune system activation and increase memory capacity, respectively. Using a rodent model of intrauterine infection, we examined sensorimotor development in pups, learning and memory, via the Morris water maze, and long-term potentiation in adult rats. Pregnant rats at gestational day 17 were...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Wallace KL, Lopez J, Shaffery JP, Paul IA, Bennett WA Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Stress-related endocrinological and psychopathological effects of short- and long-term 50Hz electromagnetic field exposure in rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
It is believed that different electromagnetic fields do have beneficial and harmful biological effects. The aim of the present work was to study the long term consequences of 50Hz electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure with special focus on the development of chronic stress and stress-induced psychopathology. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to ELF-EMF (50Hz, 0.5mT) for 5 days, 8h daily (short) or for 4-6 weeks, 24h daily (long). Anxiety was studied in elevated plus-maze test, whereas depression-like behavior of the long-treated group was examined in the forced swim test. Some days after behavioral examina...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Szemerszky R, Zelena D, Barna I, Bárdos G Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Resting State Cortical Rhythms In Athletes: A High-Resolution Eeg Study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present electroencephalographic (EEG) study tested the working hypothesis that the amplitude of resting state cortical EEG rhythms (especially alpha, 8-12Hz) was higher in elite athletes compared with amateur athletes and non-athletes, as a reflection of the efficiency of underlying back-ground neural synchronization mechanisms. Eyes-closed resting state EEG data were recorded in 16 elite karate athletes, 20 amateur karate athletes, and 25 non-athletes. The EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4Hz), theta (4-8Hz), alpha 1 (8-10.5Hz), alpha 2 (10.5-13Hz), beta 1 (13-20Hz), and beta 2 (20-30Hz). EEG cortical sources...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 28, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Babiloni C, Del Percio C, Iacoboni M, Aschieri P, Infarinato F, Buffo P, Cibelli G, Soricelli A, Marzano N, Eusebi F Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor activation stimulates oxytocin release from the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system while melatonin inhibits this process.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and its agonist and antagonist on oxytocin (OT) release from the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial (H-N) system. An additional aim was to determine whether the possible response of oxytocinergic neurons to these peptides could be modified by melatonin through a cAMP-dependent mechanism.The results show that the highly selective GnRH agonist (i.e., [Des-Gly(10),D-His(Bzl)(6),Pro-NHEt(9)]-LHRH; Histrelin) stimulates the secretion of OT from an isolated rat H-N system. Melatonin significantly inhibited basal and histrelin...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 26, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Juszczak M, Boczek-Leszczyk E Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Reactive oxygen species in the human neocortex: role of aging and cognition.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), formed during normal aerobic metabolism, are involved in signal transduction and cognitive functions, but highly increased ROS concentrations may also have detrimental effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether aging and cognitive functions are associated with ROS generation in human neocortex obtained from neurosurgical patients. ROS formation in mitochondria from fresh and re-thawed neocortical specimens was measured by monitoring ROS-mediated conversion of dihydrorhodamine 123 to fluorescent rhodamine 123. The validity of this technique was characterized in rat br...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 22, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Brawek B, Löffler M, Wagner K, Huppertz HJ, Wendling AS, Weyerbrock A, Jackisch R, Feuerstein TJ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Abnormal expressions of glutamate transporters and metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 in the spontaneously epileptic rat hippocampus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, the glutamate concentration in SERs hippocampus was increased compared with that of control rats by high performance liquid chromatography; The mRNA expressions of GLAST and mGluR1 in SERs hippocampus were significantly lower than those in control rats hippocampus, whereas an abundant increase in mRNA for GLT-1 was observed by RT-PCR; EAAC-1 and mGluR1 protein in SERs and control rats were localized widely in the hippocampus including CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions by immunohistochemistry; The number of GLAST and mGluR1-positive cells in the hippocampus of SERs were less than those in control rats, espec...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 20, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Guo F, Sun F, Yu JL, Wang QH, Tu DY, Mao XY, Liu R, Wu KC, Xie N, Hao LY, Cai JQ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Gender- and age-dependent changes in nucleoside levels in the cerebral cortex and white matter of the human brain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Nucleosides are neuromodulators that participate in various neuronal functions in the brain. In previous studies, we described regional differences in the concentrations of nucleosides and their derivatives in the human brain. To better understand the functions of nucleosides in the central nervous system, we investigated gender- and age-dependent changes in the levels of nucleosides and their metabolites. The concentrations of uridine, inosine, guanosine and adenosine as well as uracil, hypoxanthine and xanthine were measured in the frontal cortex and white matter of post-mortem brain tissue samples of middle-aged and...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 20, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Kovács Z, Juhász G, Dobolyi A, Bobest M, Papp V, Takáts L, Kékesi KA Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Topical Application of Naltrexone Facilitates Reepithelialization of the Cornea in Diabetic Rabbits.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examined the efficacy of naltrexone (NTX), a long-acting, potent opioid antagonist, applied topically, to facilitate the repair of standarized corneal abrasions in diabetic (alloxan-induced) New Zealand white rabbits (glucose levels). NTX at a concentration of 10(-4) M, or sterile vehicle (SV), was administered topically 4 times per day for 7 days to the abraded eye of uncontrolled type 1 diabetic (DB), insulin-controlled type 1 diabetic (DB-IN), or nondiabetic (Normal) rabbits. Wound healing was monitored, and noninvasive (tonopen, pachymeter, hand-held slit lamp, and retinal camera) and invasive (histopatholog...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 20, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zagon IS, Sassani JW, Carroll MA, McLaughlin PJ Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Effects of acute diuresis stress on egr-1 (zif268) mRNA levels in brain regions associated with motivated behavior.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Stressors evoke a well-studied physiological stress-response, namely, an immediate systemic release of catecholamines from the adrenals followed shortly afterwards by the release of adrenal steroids. The intensity of that response can often be inferred by the amount of adrenal steroids released into the circulatory system. It is still unclear however how the intensity of the stressor affects a number of brain regions, including those in the motivational system. The present study sought to determine whether a brief stressor, such as an isotonic saline injection, activated the brain's motivational system in mesolimbic re...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 12, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Aher CV, Duwaerts CC, Akama KT, Lucas LR Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Adenovirus-driven overexpression of proteinases in organ-cultured normal human corneas leads to diabetic-like changes.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ADENOVIRUS-DRIVEN OVEREXPRESSION OF PROTEINASES IN ORGAN-CULTURED NORMAL HUMAN CORNEAS LEADS TO DIABETIC-LIKE CHANGES. Brain Res Bull. 2009 Oct 11; Authors: Saghizadeh M, Kramerov AA, Yaghoobzadeh Y, Hu J, Ljubimova JY, Black KL, Castro MG, Ljubimov AV Our previous data suggested the involvement of matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10) and cathepsin F (CTSF) in the basement membrane and integrin changes occurring in diabetic corneas. These markers were now examined in normal human organ-cultured corneas upon recombinant adenovirus (rAV)-driven transduction of MMP-10 and CTSF genes. Fifteen pairs of normal autops...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Saghizadeh M, Kramerov AA, Yaghoobzadeh Y, Hu J, Ljubimova JY, Black KL, Castro MG, Ljubimov AV Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Labeling of olfactory ensheathing glial cells with fluorescent tracers for neurotransplantation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Development of cell-based treatment strategies for repair of the injured nervous system requires cell tracing techniques to follow the fate of transplanted cells and their interaction with the host tissue. The present study investigates the efficacy of fluorescent cell tracers Fast Blue, PKH26, DiO and CMFDA for long-term labeling of olfactory ensheathing glial cells (OEC) in culture and following transplantation into the rat spinal cord. All tested dyes produced very efficient initial labeling of p75-positive OEC in culture. The number of Fast Blue-positive cells remained largely unchanged during the first 4 weeks but...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Pettersson J, Lobov S, Novikova LN Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Inhibition of hippocampal cell proliferation by methotrexate in rats is not potentiated by the presence of a tumor.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study further indicates that the effects of methotrexate on brain and behavior can be studied in healthy animals. PMID: 19828128 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Seigers R, Pourtau L, Schagen SB, van Dam FS, Koolhaas JM, Konsman JP, Buwalda B Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Innate immunity of the ocular surface.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we show that human ocular surface epithelial cells, both corneal and conjuctival epithelial cells, respond to viral double-stranded RNA mimic polyI:C to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines through TLR3, while they fail to respond functionally to lipopolysaccharide, a TLR4 ligand. Moreover, human ocular surface epithelium responds to flagellins from ocular pathogenic, but not ocular non-pathogenic bacteria, to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines through TLR5. Thus, ocular surface epithelial cells selectively respond to microbial components and induce limited inflammation; immune-competent cells can recognize mi...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Ueta M, Kinoshita S Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Role of intraamygdaloid acylated-ghrelin in spatial learning.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ROLE OF INTRAAMYGDALOID ACYLATED-GHRELIN IN SPATIAL LEARNING. Brain Res Bull. 2009 Oct 11; Authors: Tóth K, László K, Lénárd L According to recently published papers acylated-ghrelin (A-Ghr) modifies memory and learning. The basolateral nucleus of amygdala (ABL) participates in the regulation of memory and learning mechanisms. Previously we verified A-Ghr responsive neurons in the ABL by electrophysiological methods. In male Wistar rats effects of bilateral intraamygdaloid microinfusion of 50 ng, 100 ng A-Ghr, 15 ng Ghr receptor antagonist D-Lys3-GHRP-6 (ANT) or ANT+ 50ng A-Ghr [dissolv...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Tóth K, László K, Lénárd L Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

A randomised controlled single-blind trial of the effects of Reiki and positive imagery on well-being and salivary cortisol.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The study investigated whether participants who received Reiki would show greater health and well-being benefits than a group who received no Reiki. A method of blinding participants to Reiki was also tested, where non-contact Reiki or no-Reiki with random assignment was given to 35 healthy psychology undergraduates whose attention was absorbed in one of three tasks involving self-hypnosis/relaxation. Participants experienced 10 20-minute intervention sessions over a period of two and a half to 12 weeks. Reiki was directed by the experimenter who sat behind the participants as they were absorbed in the tasks. Self-repo...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 7, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bowden D, Goddard L, Gruzelier J Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Sensitization of voltage activated calcium channel currents for capsaicin in nociceptive neurons by tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examines whether TNF-alpha modulates the capsaicin induced effects after TRPV-1 activation (transient receptor potential vanilloid) on voltage activated calcium channel currents (I(Ca(V))). TRPV-1 receptors are activated by heat and play an important role in the pathogenesis of thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain syndromes, while voltage activated channels are essential for transmission of neuronal signals. Eliciting I(Ca(V)) in DRG neurons of rats by a depolarization from the resting potential to 0mV, TNF-alpha (100ng/ml) reduces I(Ca(V)) by 16.9+/-2.2%, while capsaicin (0.1muM) decreases currents by 27+/-...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 5, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Hagenacker T, Czeschik JC, Schäfers M, Büsselberg D Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Conformational diseases: looking into the eyes.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conformational diseases, a general term comprising more than 40 disorders are caused by the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins. Improper protein folding (misfolding) as well as accrual of unfolded proteins can lead to the formation of disordered (amorphous) or ordered (amyloid fibril) aggregates. The gradual accumulation of protein aggregates and the acceleration of their formation by stress explain the characteristic late or episodic onset of the diseases. The best studied in this group are neurodegenerative diseases and amyloidosis accompanied by the deposition of a specific aggregation-prone proteins or ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 2, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Surguchev A, Surguchov A Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Motion Sickness: A Negative Reinforcement Model.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Theories pertaining to the "why" of motion sickness are in short supply relative to those detailing the "how." Considering the profoundly disturbing and dysfunctional symptoms of motion sickness, it is difficult to conceive of why this condition is so strongly biologically based in humans and most other mammalian and primate species. It is posited that motion sickness evolved as a potent negative reinforcement system designed to terminate motion involving sensory conflict or postural instability. During our evolution and that of many other species, motion of this type would have impaired evolutionary fitness via injury...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - October 2, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bowins B Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Comparative biochemical and pharmacological characterization of a novel, NOP receptor selective hexapeptide, Ac-RYYRIR-ol.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, the novel NOP receptor selective hexapeptide Ac-RYYRIR-ol has been shown to have fine selectivity, high potency, furthermore agonist and antagonist effects toward the NOP receptors were measured in various assays; this is likely due to its partial agonist pharmacological activity. PMID: 19800951 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Bojnik E, Babos F, Fischetti C, Magyar A, Camarda V, Borsodi A, Bajusz S, Calo G, Benyhe S Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Oxidative stress in rat hippocampus caused by pilocarpine-induced seizures is reversed by buspirone.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of epilepsy in humans. Oxidative stress is a mechanism of cell death induced by seizures. Buspirone presents anxyolitic and antidepressant effects due to their ability to stimulate 5-HT(1A) receptor. We studied the buspirone effects on oxidative stress in rat hippocampus after seizures and status epilepticus (SE) induced by pilocarpine. In pilocarpine group there was a significant increase in lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels. However, no alteration was observed in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Buspirone pretreatment produces significantly reduction the...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Freitas RL, Santos IM, Souza GF, Saldanha GB, Freitas RM Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

L-Allylglycine dissociates the neural substrates of fear in the periaqueductal gray of rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The dorsal (dPAG) and ventral (vPAG) regions of the periaqueductal gray are well known to contain the neural substrates of fear and anxiety. Chemical or electrical stimulation of the dPAG induces freezing, followed by a robust behavioral reaction that has been considered an animal model of panic attack. In contrast, the vPAG is part of a neural system, in which immobility is the usual response to its stimulation. The defense reaction induced by stimulation of either region is accompanied by antinociception. Although GABAergic mechanisms are known to exert tonic inhibitory control on the neural substrates of fear in the...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Cunha JM, Zanoveli JM, Ledvinka-Filho E, Brandão ML Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Novel Approach to Demonstrate High Efficacy of mu Opioids in the Rat Vas Deferens: A Simple Model of Predictive Value.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
14-O-Methyloxymorphone and 14-methoxymetopon were reported as highly selective and potent mu opioid receptor agonists. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the opioid activity of these compounds in vitro and in vivo in comparison to oxymorphone, morphine and DAMGO. The mu opioid receptor efficacy, full or partial agonist nature of opioids was analyzed in the rat vas deferens (RVD) bioassay. Compared to oxymorphone, 14-O-methyloxymorphone and 14-methoxymetopon showed greater affinities to the rodent brain mu opioid receptors in receptor binding assays. In isolated organs 14-O-methyloxymorphone and 14-methoxymetopon ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 29, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Riba P, Friedmann T, Király KP, Al-Khrasani M, Sobor M, Asim MF, Spetea M, Schmidhammer H, Furst S Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Advancing a functional genomics for schizophrenia: psychopathological and cognitive phenotypes in mutants with gene disruption.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Schizophrenia is a complex, heritable psychotic disorder in which numerous genes and environmental adversities appear to interact in determining disease phenotype. In addition to genes regulating putative pathophysiological mechanisms, a new generation of molecular studies has indicated numerous candidate genes to be associated with risk for schizophrenia. The present review focuses on studies in mice mutant for genes associated with putative pathophysiological mechanisms and candidate risk genes for the disorder. It seeks to evaluate the extent to which each mutation of a schizophrenia-related gene accurately models m...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 29, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Kirby BP, Waddington JL, O'Tuathaigh CM Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Association of PDE4D and IL-1 gene polymorphism with ischemic stroke in a Han Chinese population.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
CONCLUSIONS: the SNPs of the PDE4D (83T/C) and IL-1 (-889C/T) were associated with increased risk for the development of IS in Northern Han Chinese. PMID: 19786079 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 24, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Li N, He Z, Xu J, Liu F, Deng S, Zhang H Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Effects Of Beta-Carboline Harmine On Behavioral And Physiological Parameters Observed In The Chronic Mild Stress Model: Further Evidence Of Antidepressant Properties.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, sweet food consumption, adrenal gland weight, adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) levels, and hippocampal brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels were assessed. Our findings demonstrated that chronic stressful situations induced anhedonia, hypertrophy of adrenal gland weight, increase ACTH circulating levels in rats and increase BDNF protein levels. Interestingly, treatment with harmine reversed anhedonia, the increase of adrenal gland weight, normalized ACTH circulating levels and BDNF protein levels. Finally, these findings further support the hypothesis that harmine could be a new pharmaco...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 18, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Fortunato JJ, Réus GZ, Kirsch TR, Stringari RB, Fries G, Kapczinski F, Hallak JE, Zuardi AW, Crippa JA, Quevedo J Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Amitriptyline upregulates EAAT1 and EAAT2 in neuropathic pain rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) appear to participate in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. The present study was performed to evaluate the effects of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline on the expressions of EAATs in neuropathic pain rats. Using spared nerve injured (SNI) male Sprague Dawley rats, we found that SNI induced an initial EAATs upregulation on postoperative day 1 within the ipsilateral spinal cord dorsal horn, followed by a downregulation on postoperative days 3 and 5. Intraperitoneal administration of amitriptyline reversed the downregulation of EAATs in SNI rats on postoperative days...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 18, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Mao QX, Yang TD Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Brain creatine kinase activity is increased by chronic administration of paroxetine.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Major depression is a serious and recurrent disorder often manifested with symptoms at the psychological, behavioral, and physiological levels. In addition, several works also suggest brain metabolism impairment as a mechanism underlying depression. Creatine kinase (CK) plays a central role in the metabolism of high-energy consuming tissues such as brain, where it functions as an effective buffering system of cellular ATP levels. Considering that CK plays an important role in brain energy homeostasis and that some antidepressants may modulate energy metabolism, we decided to investigate CK activity from rat brain after...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 18, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Santos PM, Scaini G, Rezin GT, Benedet J, Rochi N, Jeremias GC, Carvalho-Silva M, Quevedo J, Streck EL Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

The effects of acute stress and acute corticosterone administration on the immobility response in rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The immobility response is an innate antipredatory behavior in a broad variety of species. The immobility response varies in its postural components but in general is characterized by an absence of movement and a relative unresponsiveness to stimuli. Experimentally in rats, clamping the neck followed by body inversion and manual restrain elicits a response called "immobility by clamping the neck". Stress reactions protect animals against predators and are characterized by activation of the sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal systems. However, in mammals, the role of acute stress as a modulator of immobility ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 18, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zamudio SR, Quevedo-Corona L, Garcés L, Cruz FD Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Synaptogenesis in the Developing Mouse Visual Cortex.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We used transmission electron microscopy to study ultrastructural changes accompanying synaptogenesis in the fetal and postnatal mouse visual cortex (primary visual cortex). Immunostaining and DiI diolistic assay were also employed in order to evaluate synaptophysin expression and dendritic spine development. Nascent synapses were seen as early as E15, although these were immature and were composed of a presumed presynaptic terminal with pleiomorphic vesicles in the vicinity of a partner cell body or projection. The postsynaptic plasmalemma remained unspecialized and the gap between pre- and postsynaptic plasmalemmas w...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Li M, Cui Z, Niu Y, Liu B, Fan W, Yu D, Deng J Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Evaluation of the protective effects of PACAP with cell-specific markers in ischemia-induced retinal degeneration.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neurotrophic and neuroprotective peptide that has been shown to exert protective effects in different neuronal injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, models of neurodegenerative diseases and cerebral ischemia. We have provided evidence that PACAP is neuroprotective in several models of retinal degeneration in vivo. In our previous studies we showed that PACAP treatment significantly ameliorated the damaging effects of permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO). In the present study cell-type specific markers were used in the same models...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 10, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Atlasz T, Szabadfi K, Kiss P, Tamas A, Toth G, Reglodi D, Gabriel R Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Valproic acid as a promising agent to combat Alzheimer's disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most threatening diseases to the elderly population at present. However, there is no yet efficient therapeutic method to AD. Recently, accumulating evidence indicates that valproic acid (VPA), a widely used mood stabilizer and antiepileptic drug, has neuroprotective potential relevant to AD. Moreover, VPA can induce neurogenesis of neural progenitor/stem cells both in vitro and in vivovia multiple signaling pathways. Therefore, it is suggested that VPA is a promising agent to combat AD. PMID: 19748552 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhang XZ, Li XJ, Zhang HY Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Effects of olanzapine, fluoxetine and olanzapine/fluoxetine on creatine kinase activity in rat brain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recently, a fixed combination of the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine and the serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine has been approved in the US for the treatment of bipolar I depression. In this work, we evaluated the effect of acute and chronic administration of fluoxetine, olanzapine and the combination of fluoxetine/olanzapine on creatine kinase (CK) activity in the brain of rats. For acute treatment, adult male Wistar rats received one single injection of olanzapine (3 or 6mg/kg) and/or fluoxetine (12.5 or 25mg/kg). For chronic treatment, adult male Wistar rats received daily injections of olanz...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 9, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Agostinho FR, Scaini G, Ferreira GK, Jeremias IC, Réus GZ, Rezin GT, Castro AA, Zugno AI, Quevedo J, Streck EL Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Effect of puerarin on P2X(3) receptor involved in hyperalgesia after burn injury in the rat.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The study investigated the effects of puerarin on P2X(3) receptor involved in hyperalgesia after burn injury in the rat. Superficial second degree burn injury models were adopted. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured and the P2X(3) receptor expressions in dorsal root ganglion(DRG) from burn injury models rats were detected by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, RT-PCR and western blot. MWL and TWL in untreated superficial second paw burn rats were reduced. MWL and TWL of puerarin-treated superficial second paw burn rats showed significant increase compared wi...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 6, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Xu C, Li G, Gao Y, Liu S, Lin J, Zhang J, Li X, Liu H, Liang S Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Estrogen Inhibits Tuberoinfundibular Dopaminergic Neurons But Does Not Cause Irreversible Damage.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dopaminergic neurons of the hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) system exert a tonic inhibitory control on prolactin (PRL) secretion whereas estrogen, known to inhibit TIDA neuron function, has been postulated to be toxic to TIDA neurons when it is chronically high. In order to determine whether estrogen in high doses can cause permanent damage to TIDA function, we submitted young female rats to continued high doses of estrogen administered, either centrally (intrahypothalamic estrogen implants) or peripherally (subcutaneous estrogen implants or weekly intramuscular (i.m.) injections for 7 weeks), subse...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 6, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Morel GR, Carón RW, Cónsole GM, Soaje M, Sosa YE, Rodríguez SS, Jahn GA, Goya RG Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Vascular dysfunction in retinopathy-An emerging role for arginase.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Retinal neovascularization is a leading cause of visual disability. Retinal diseases involving neovascularization all follow the same progression, beginning with vascular inflammatory reactions and injury of the vascular endothelium and ending with neovascularization, fibrosis and retinal detachment. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this process is critical to its prevention and treatment. Research using retinopathy models has revealed that the NOX2 NADPH oxidase has a key role in inducing production of reactive oxygen species and angiogenic cytokines and causing vascular inflammatory reactions and neovasculariz...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 4, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Caldwell RB, Zhang W, Romero MJ, Caldwell RW Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Growth Factors and Corneal Epithelial Wound Healing.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this article, we briefly review recent findings in the effects of growth factors including the EGF family, KGF, HGF, IGF, insulin, TGF-beta on corneal epithelial wound healing. We discuss the essential role of EGFR in inter-receptor cross-talk in response to wounding in corneal epithelium and bring forward a concept of "alarmins" to the field of wound healing research. PMID: 19733636 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Brain Research Bulletin)
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - September 2, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Yu FS, Yin J, Xu K, Huang J Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

The Molecular Pathology of Schizophrenia - Focus on Histone and DNA Modifications.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dysfunction of cerebral cortex and other brain regions in schizophrenia is often accompanied by dysregulated expression of numerous genes. However, the underlying genetic risk architecture remains unclear for a large majority of cases. Therefore, the study of epigenetic regulators of gene expression, including covalent modifications of DNA and nucleosome core histones, offers an attractive alternative to further explore the molecular pathology of schizophrenia beyond the level of RNA quantification. Several studies reported alterations in DNA cytosine methylation and histone methylation at specific genes and promoters ...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - August 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Akbarian S Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals

Candidate genes and their interactions with other genetic / environmental risk factors in the etiology of schizophrenia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Identification of causative factors for common, chronic disorders is a major focus of current human health science research. These disorders are likely to be caused by multiple etiological agents. Available evidence also suggests that interactions between the risk factors may explain some of their pathogenic effects. While progress in genomics and allied biological research has brought forth powerful analytic techniques, the predicted complexity poses daunting analytic challenges. The search for pathogenesis of schizophrenia shares most of these challenges. We have reviewed the analytic and logistic problems associated...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - August 30, 2009 Category: Neurology Authors: Prasad KV, Talkowski MT, Chowdari KV, McClain L, Yolken RH, Nimgaonkar VL Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: journals