Neuroscience
-
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects myelin sheaths within the central nervous system, concurring to cause brain atrophy and neurodegeneration as well as gradual functional disconnections. To explore early signs of altered connectivity in MS from a structural and functional perspective, the morphology of corpus callosum (CC) was correlated with a dynamic inter-hemispheric connectivity index. Twenty mildly disabled patients affected by a relapsing-remitting (RR) form of MS (EDSS⩽3.5) and 15 healthy subjects underwent structural MRI to measure CC thickness over 100 sections and electroencephalography to assess a spectral coherence index between primary regions devoted to hand control, at rest and during an isometric handgrip. ⋯ A less efficacious inter-hemispheric coherence (IHCoh) during movement was associated with CC atrophy in sections interconnecting homologous primary motor areas (anterior mid-body). In healthy controls, less efficacious IHCoh at rest was associated with a thinner CC splenium. Our data suggest that in mildly disabled RR-MS patients a covert impairment may be detected in the correlation between the structural (CC thickness) and functional (IHCoh) measures of homologous networks, whereas these two counterparts do not yet differ individually from controls.
-
Restrained eaters (REs) characterized by less efficient response inhibition are at risk for future onset of binge eating and bulimic pathology. Previous imaging studies investigating REs have been based on task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and little is known about resting-state neural activity underlying restrained eating. To illuminate this issue, we investigated resting-state fMRI differences between REs (n=22) and unrestrained eaters (UREs) (n=30) using regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis, which measures the temporal synchronization of spontaneous fluctuations. ⋯ Compared with UREs, REs showed more ReHo in brain regions associated with food reward (i.e., orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)), attention (i.e., lingual gyrus, cuneus, inferior parietal lobule) and somatosensory functioning (i.e., paracentral lobule, anterior insula). In addition, ReHo values for the left dlPFC and left anterior insula, respectively, were negatively and positively correlated with SSRT among REs but not UREs. In concert with previous studies, these results suggest altered local synchronization may help to explain why dieting to maintain or lose weight often fails or increases risk for binge eating among REs.
-
Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25kDa (SNAP25), vesicle-associated membrane protein 1 (VAMP1) and 2 (VAMP2) are components of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion attachment protein receptors (SNARE) complex which is involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis, a fundamental step in neurotransmitter release. SNARE expression in cerebellum correlates with specific neurotransmitter pathways underlying synaptic diversification and defined synaptic properties. In this study we firstly characterized the distribution of SNAP25, VAMP1 and VAMP2 in the nerve terminals of a defined cerebellar region, the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), of adult and newborn rats. ⋯ Results showed that: (1) distribution of SNAP25, VAMP1 and VAMP2 in adult DCN differs significantly from that found in newborn DCN; (2) administration of E2 in the newborn DCN affected synaptic density and also changed the distribution of the pre- and postsynaptic proteins. The differential distribution of SNAP25, VAMP1 and VAMP2 in nerve terminals of adult and newborn rats may correlate with specific stages of neuronal phenotypic differentiation. The effects of E2 on SNAP25, VAMP1, VAMP2, PDS95 and synaptic density suggest that pre- and postsynaptic proteins are under estrogenic control during development and that synaptic maturation can also be related with the activity of this steroid.
-
The aim of present study was to elucidate the role of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the neuroprotection of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) against traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice. The TBI in mice was induced by controlled cortical impact (CCI). HBO was given for 1h at 2.0 absolute atmosphere (ATA) in 100% O2. ⋯ IL-10 deficiency aggravated TBI-induced damage in the brain and abrogated the beneficial effects of HBO on neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and edema after TBI. IL-10 deficiency itself had no significant effect on brain water content and neurological status. In conclusion, IL-10 played an important role in the neuroprotection of HBO therapy against TBI in mice.
-
This study has revealed direct projections from the dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPfC) to the trigeminal brainstem sensory nuclear complex and other lower brainstem areas in rats. We first examined the distribution of mPfC neurons projecting directly to the medullary dorsal horn (trigeminal subnucleus caudalis [Vc]) and trigeminal subnucleus oralis (Vo) which are known to receive direct projections from the lateral prefrontal cortex (insular cortex). After injections of the retrograde tracer Fluorogold (FG) into the rostro-dorsomedial part of laminae I/II of Vc (rdm-I/II-Vc), many neurons were labeled bilaterally (with an ipsilateral predominance) in the rostrocaudal middle level of DP (mid-DP) and not in other mPfC areas. ⋯ After BDA injections into the caudalmost GI/DI, many axons and terminals were labeled ipsilaterally in the mid-DP. The projections from the mid-DP to the rdm-I/II-Vc and other brainstem nuclei suggest that mid-DP neurons may regulate intraoral and perioral sensory processing (including nociceptive processing) of rdm-I/II-Vc neurons directly or indirectly through the brainstem nuclei. The reciprocal connections between the mid-DP and caudalmost GI/DI suggest that this regulation may involve mid-DP interactions with the caudalmost GI/DI neurons.