Neuroscience letters
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Neuroscience letters · Oct 2013
Mannitol enhances therapeutic effects of intra-arterial transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells into the brain after traumatic brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained in a traffic accident or a fall is a major cause of death that affects a broad range of ages. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of intra-arterial transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with hypertonic glycerol (25%) or mannitol (25%) in a TBI model of rats. TBI models were produced with a fluid percussion device. ⋯ Immunohistochemically, more MSCs were observed in the injured brain tissues of mannitol-treated rats than in glycerol or PBS-treated rats at 24h after transplantation. Intra-arterial transplantation of MSCs combined with mannitol is an effective treatment in a TBI model of rats. This technique might be used for patients with diseases of the central nervous system including TBI.
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Neuroscience letters · Oct 2013
Regional cerebral blood flow alterations in obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition characterized by upper airway muscle atonia with continued diaphragmatic efforts, resulting in repeated airway obstructions, periods of intermittent hypoxia, large thoracic pressure changes, and substantial shifts in arterial pressure with breathing cessation and resumption. The hypoxic exposure and hemodynamic changes likely induce the structural and functional deficits found in multiple brain areas, as shown by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures. Altered cerebral blood flow (CBF) may contribute to these localized deficits; thus, we examined regional CBF, using arterial spin labeling procedures, in 11 OSA (age, 49.1±12.2 years; 7 male) and 16 control subjects (42.3±10.2 years; 6 male) with a 3.0-Tesla MRI scanner. ⋯ Lateralized, decreased CBF appeared near the left inferior cerebellar peduncles, left tapetum, left dorsal fornix/stria terminalis, right medial lemniscus, right red nucleus, right midbrain, and midline pons. Regional CBF values in OSA are significantly reduced in major sensory and motor fiber systems and motor regulatory sites, especially in structures mediating motor coordination; those reductions are often lateralized. The asymmetric CBF declines in motor regulatory areas may contribute to loss of coordination between upper airway and diaphragmatic musculature, and lead to further damage in the syndrome.
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Neuroscience letters · Oct 2013
Intrathecal inhibition of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in diabetic neuropathy adversely affects pain-related behavior.
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is considered an important enzyme contributing to the pathogenesis of persistent pain. The aim of this study was to test whether intrathecal injection of CaMKII inhibitors may reduce pain-related behavior in diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. ⋯ Also, mAIP and KN93 injection significantly increased sensitivity to a mechanical stimulus 24h after i.t. injection. Intrathecal inhibition of CaMKII reduced the expression of total CaMKII and its CaMKII alpha isoform activity in diabetic dorsal horn, which was accompanied with an increase in pain-related behavior. Further studies about the intrathecal inhibition of CaMKII should elucidate its role in nociceptive processes of diabetic neuropathy.
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Neuroscience letters · Oct 2013
Interactive effects of cell therapy and rehabilitation realize the full potential of neurogenesis in brain injury model.
The therapeutic effect of rehabilitation after cell therapy for brain injury remains unclear. Here, we report the neural stem/progenitor cells transplantation into a brain injury mouse model followed by treadmill exercise training. Among all experimental groups, mice that underwent transplantation and treadmill exercise demonstrated significant functional motor and electrophysiological improvement. ⋯ Transplanted cells significantly differentiated into neurons in the mice that underwent transplantation and treadmill exercise compared with those treated with only transplantation. Furthermore, the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and growth-associated protein 43 mRNAs were significantly up-regulated in the mice that underwent transplantation and treadmill exercise than in those in other experimental groups during the early recovery stage. These results suggest that rehabilitation after neural stem/progenitor cell transplantation enhances neurogenesis and promotes the recovery of motor function in brain injury model mice.
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Neuroscience letters · Oct 2013
Immunohistochemical demonstration of urocortin 1 in Edinger-Westphal nucleus of the human neonate: colocalization with tyrosine hydroxylase under acute perinatal hypoxia.
Perinatal hypoxia could cause long-term disturbances of the dopaminergic (DA) systems, leading to behavioral and/or neurological deficits later in life. Increased expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was shown in the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of human neonates that suffered severe/acute perinatal hypoxic insults, but also in all neurons of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EW). Since EW, in humans, contains urocortin 1 (UCN1)/centrally projecting neurons (EWcp), we investigated: (a) the development of UCN1-positive neurons and the possible effect of neonatal hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy on UCN1 expression and (b) the possible colocalization of UCN1 with TH in neonates with histological signs of acute hypoxic injury. ⋯ In EWcp, a positive correlation was found between UCN1 expression and the age of the neonates, but not with hypoxia neuropathological grade. UCN1 was colocalized with TH in most EWcp neurons. Since UCN1 in EWcp may play a significant role in stress adaptation and consequently in stress-related disorders, the role of catecholamine synthesis in this nucleus under acute hypoxic conditions must be further investigated.