Neuroscience
-
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, post-infectious, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease of peripheral nerves and nerve roots. Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is an animal model of GBS. Chrysin, which is a naturally occurring flavonoid, exhibits various biological activities. ⋯ In the sciatic nerves, the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2 and nuclear factor kappa B was reduced. Furthermore, chrysin inhibited the splenic mononuclear cell secretion of interleukin-1β, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, inteleukin-12, interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α, and elevated the level of inteleukin-4. In summary, our data demonstrate that chrysin is a potentially useful agent for the treatment of EAN with its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.
-
Retracted Publication
Decrease in age-related tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive improvement following vitamin D supplementation are associated with modulation of brain energy metabolism and redox state.
In the present study we examined whether vitamin D supplementation can reduce age-related tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive impairment by enhancing brain energy homeostasis and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, and modulating the redox state. Male F344 rats aged 20 months (aged) and 6 months (young) were randomly assigned to either vitamin D supplementation or no supplementation (control). Rats were housed in pairs and the supplementation group (n=10 young and n=10 aged) received subcutaneous injections of vitamin D (1, α25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) for 21 days. ⋯ More importantly, we found that age-related changes in brain energy metabolism, redox state, and cognitive function were attenuated by vitamin D supplementation. No significant differences were seen in tau hyperphosphorylation, markers of energy metabolism and redox state in the young animal groups. Our data suggest that vitamin D ameliorated the age-related tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive decline by enhancing brain energy metabolism, redox state, and PP2A activity making it a potentially useful therapeutic option to alleviate the effects of aging.
-
In the present study we investigated the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the auditory cortex (AC) on the perception of rapidly changing acoustic cues. For this purpose, in 15 native German speakers the left or right AC was separately stimulated while participants performed a between-channel gap detection task. ⋯ Our data indicate a left hemispheric dominance for the processing of rapid temporal cues in auditory non-speech sounds. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of non-invasive brain stimulation to change human temporal information processing in the auditory domain.
-
Recent research has investigated the expression and secretion of neuropeptides by tumors, and the potential of these peptides to facilitate tumor growth and spread. In particular, substance P (SP) and its receptor NK1 have been implicated in tumor cell growth and evasion of apoptosis, although few studies have examined this relationship in vivo. The present study used both in vitro and in vivo models to characterize the role of SP in tumor pathogenesis. ⋯ An animal model of brain tumors using the same cell line was employed to assess the effect of Emend IV on tumor growth in vivo. Administration of Emend IV was found to decrease tumor volume and decrease cellular proliferation indicating that SP may play a role in tumor pathogenesis within the brain. We conclude that SP may provide a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of certain types of brain tumors, with further research required to determine whether the role of SP in cancer is tumor-type dependent.
-
Comparative Study
Motor execution and motor imagery: a comparison of functional connectivity patterns based on graph theory.
Motor execution and imagery (ME and MI), as the basic abilities of human beings, have been considered to be effective strategies in motor skill learning and motor abilities rehabilitation. Neuroimaging studies have revealed several critical regions from functional activation for ME as well as MI. ⋯ Our results showed that using BC, the key node for the ME task mainly focused on the supplementary motor area, while the key node for the MI task mainly located in the right premotor area. These results characterized the connectivity patterns of ME and MI and may provide new insights into the neural mechanism underlying motor execution and imagination of movements.