Neuroscience
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Exacerbated hippocampal activity has been associated to critical modifications of the intracellular signaling pathways. We have investigated rapid hippocampal adaptive responses induced by maximal electroshock seizure (MES). Here, we demonstrate that abnormal and exacerbated hippocampal activity induced by MES triggers specific and temporally distinct patterns of phosphorylation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC) and Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Akt/GSK-3) pathways in the mouse hippocampus. ⋯ In contrast, the Akt/GSK-3 pathway is weakly altered. Finally, MES triggers a rapid upregulation of several plasticity-associated genes as a consequence exacerbated hippocampal activity. The results reported in the present study are reminiscent of the one observed in other models of generalized seizures, thus defining a common molecular footprint induced by intense and aberrant hippocampal activities.
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The pathogenesis of pain in chronic pancreatitis is poorly understood, and its treatment can be a major clinical challenge. Surgical and other invasive methods have variable outcomes that can be unsatisfactory. Therefore, there is a great need for further discovery of the pathogenesis of pancreatitis pain and new therapeutic targets. ⋯ The secondary sensitization associated with AHF-induced pancreatitis was effectively alleviated by the TRPV4 antagonist, HC 067047. Similarity of the results to those with the peripherally restricted μ-opiate receptor agonist, loperamide, suggested TRPV4 channel activated peripheral sensitization. This study using a reliable model that provides pre-clinical correlates of human chronic pancreatitis provides further evidence that TRPV4 channel is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of pancreatitis pain.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with communication and social interactions, restricted, repetitive behaviors and sensory abnormalities. Additionally, the vast majority of subjects with ASD suffer some degree of auditory dysfunction and we have previously identified significant hypoplasia and dysmorphology in auditory brainstem centers in individuals with ASD. Prenatal exposure to the antiepileptic drug valproic acid (VPA) is associated with an increased risk of ASD. ⋯ Further, we found a larger dispersion of c-Fos-positive neurons and shifted tonotopic bands in VPA-exposed rats. We interpret these findings to suggest hyper-responsiveness to sounds and disrupted mapping of sound frequencies after prenatal VPA exposure. Based on these findings, we suggest that such abnormal patterns of activation may play a role in auditory processing deficits in ASD.
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When retinal ganglion cells undergo apoptosis after optic nerve (ON) injury, microglial cells proliferate and promptly clear the degenerated debris in the ipsilateral retina. However, microglial changes in the contralateral retina have not been fully elucidated. This study characterized the long-term bilateral retinal microglial responses after unilateral ON transection. ⋯ In the inner plexiform layer (IPL), cell density and morphological changes of microglia in both the ipsilateral and contralateral retina were not prominent. These findings indicates that, though proliferation of microglial cells is weak in the contralateral retina after unilateral ON transection, conspicuous alterations in microglial morphology occur bilaterally. These suggest that using the contralateral retina as a control in studies of retinal degeneration should be considered with caution.
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Microglia/macrophages play a crucial role in inflammation after spinal cord injury (SCI). Although extensive studies have been performed on the mechanisms of microglia/macrophage activation and recruitment, how microglia/macrophages are eliminated remains unclear. In the present study, we observed a high-level expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), a key molecule in the execution of necroptosis, in microglia/macrophages after SCI in mice. ⋯ Inhibiting ER stress by 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) significantly blocked the OGD-induced necroptosis of microglia. In the end, our data showed that, GRP78 and phosphorylated MLKL were co-expressed by the microglia/macrophages in the injured human spinal cord. Taken together, these results suggested that microglia/macrophages undergo an ER-stress involved necroptosis after SCI, implying that ER stress and necroptosis could be manipulated for modulating inflammation post-SCI.