Neuroscience
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During the execution of the skilled reaching task, naïve rats bring their elbow to the midline of their body to aim at the food target, perform the arpeggio movement to grasp it and supinate the paw to bring the food to their mouth. Red nucleus lesions in the rat interfere with each of these three movement elements of reaching. On the other hand, lesions to the rubrospinal tract, which originate from the magnocellular subdivision of the red nucleus, only interfere with the arpeggio movement. ⋯ In line with previous data, complete excitotoxic lesions of the red nucleus compromised limb aiming, arpeggio and supination. Lesions restricted to the parvocellular division of the red nucleus abolish supination and interfere with aiming, although the latter result did not reach significance. The results are discussed in terms of the distinct connectivity and functional significance of these two architectonic subdivisions of the red nucleus.
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Weight-loss dieting often leads to loss of control, rebound weight gain, and is a risk factor for binge pathology. Based on findings that food restriction (FR) upregulates sucrose-induced trafficking of glutamatergic AMPA receptors to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) postsynaptic density (PSD), this study was an initial test of the hypothesis that episodic "breakthrough" intake of forbidden food during dieting interacts with upregulated mechanisms of synaptic plasticity to increase reward-driven feeding. Ad libitum (AL) fed and FR subjects consumed a limited amount of 10% sucrose, or had access to water, every other day for 10 occasions. ⋯ A terminal 15-min bout of sucrose intake produced a further increase in pSer845-GluA1 and GluA2 in subjects with a history of sucrose intake during FR. Generally, neither a history of sucrose intake nor a terminal bout of sucrose intake affected AMPA receptor abundance in the NAc PSD of AL subjects. Together, these results are consistent with the hypothesis, but the functional contribution of increased synaptic incorporation of AMPA receptors remains to be established.
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Mice develop weight-bearing locomotion within the first 2-3 weeks of birth, a period during which motoneurons (MNs) and interneurons (INs) that control locomotor activities undergo rapid maturation. In this study, we investigate the maturation of two subpopulations of V3 INs in the mouse spinal cord during this period. To do this, we conducted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of tdTomato fluorescent protein-expressing spinal V3 INs from Sim1(Cre/+);tdTom mice at post-natal day (P) 0, P4, P9 and P14 and compared their properties to those at P21. ⋯ We further reveal that there are multiple developmental phases of both V3 subpopulations during the maturation process. The different developmental trajectories of physiological properties also coincide with changes in an animal's locomotor behavior. These properties likely reflect the differential functions of V3 subpopulations in maturing spinal locomotor circuits.
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A hallmark of peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) is chronic spontaneous pain and/or hypersensitivity to normally painful stimuli (hyperalgesia) or normally nonpainful stimuli (allodynia). This pain results partly from abnormal hyperexcitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. We have previously shown, using a modified version of the lumbar 5 (L5)-spinal nerve ligation model of PNP (mSNA model involving L5-spinal nerve axotomy plus loose ligation of the lumbar 4 (L4)-spinal nerve with neuroinflammation-inducing chromic-gut), that L4 DRG neurons exhibit increased spontaneous activity, the key characteristic of neuronal hyperexcitability. ⋯ Therefore, in the present study we used the mSNA model to investigate whether: (a) expression of HCN1-HCN3 channels is altered in L4 DRG neurons which, in the mSNA model, are essential for transmission of the evoked pain, and which contribute to chronic spontaneous pain, and (b) local (intraplantar) blockade of these HCN channels, with a specific blocker, ZD7288, attenuates chronic spontaneous pain and/or evoked pain in mSNA rats. We found 7days after mSNA: (1) a significant increase in HCN2-immunoreactivity in small (<30μm) DRG neurons (predominantly IB4-negative neurons), and in the proportion of small neurons expressing HCN2 (putative nociceptors); (2) no significant change in HCN1- or HCN3-immunoreactivity in all cell types; and (3) attenuation, with ZD7288 (100μM intraplantar), of chronic spontaneous pain behavior (spontaneous foot lifting) and mechanical, but not, heat hypersensitivity. The results suggest that peripheral HCN channels contribute to mechanisms of spinal nerve injury-induced PNP, and that HCN channels, possibly HCN2, represent a novel target for PNP treatment.
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Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychostimulant that disrupts monoaminergic neurotransmission to evoke profound behavioral and physiological effects. Rapidly distributing to forebrain regions to increase synaptic concentrations of three monoamines (dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA)), the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is important in METH-altered behavioral and psychological profiles. Activation of the ventral mPFC can modify physiological variables, however, METH-evoked autonomic changes from this region are unknown. ⋯ NA and 5-HT microinjection elicited pressor and depressor responses, respectively, with matching baroreflex adjustments in sympathetic nerve activity while METH and DA evoked no change in vasomotor outflow. Low doses of METH and DA may evoke respiratory depression. These data suggest that METH's actions in the ventral mPFC, likely via adrenergic receptors, evoke non-shivering thermogenesis which may contribute to the increased body temperature and tachycardia seen in those that abuse METH.