Neuroscience
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Philippe Ascher spent his last two decades as an emeritus Professor, working in the heart of Paris. Together with his wife Jacsue they were hosted in Alain Marty's laboratory and enjoyed the happiest retirement. ⋯ This period led us from NMDA receptors to the corelease of acetylcholine and glutamate by spinal motoneurons to Renshaw cells and then to the stoichiometric variants of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Here I present a brief history of our collaboration during this period.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent and debilitating neurodegenerative disease that leads to substantial loss of quality of life. Therapies currently available for AD do not modify the disease course and have limited efficacy in symptom control. ⋯ Entropy, a novel analysis for better understanding the nonlinear nature of neurophysiological data, has demonstrated consistent accuracy in disease detection. This literature review characterizes the use of entropy-based analyses from functional neuroimaging tools, including electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), in patients with AD for disease detection, therapeutic response measurement, and providing clinical insights.
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Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex mental illness characterized by disturbances in thinking, emotionality, and behavior, significantly impacting the quality of life for individuals affected and those around them. The etiology of SZ involves intricate interactions between genetic and environmental factors, although the precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Genetic predisposition, neurotransmitter dysregulation (particularly involving dopamine and serotonin), and structural brain abnormalities, including impaired prefrontal cortex function, have been implicated in SZ development. ⋯ Prenatal undernutrition may disrupt myelin formation, rendering individuals more susceptible to SZ pathology. This review explores the potential relationship between prenatal undernutrition, myelin alterations, and susceptibility to SZ. By delineating the etiopathogenesis, examining genetic and environmental factors associated with SZ, and reviewing the relationship between SZ and myelination disorders, alongside the impact of malnutrition on myelination, we aim to examine how malnutrition might be linked to SZ by altering myelination processes, which contribute to increasing the understanding of SZ etiology and help identify targets for intervention and management.
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Fluorosis is a global public health concern. Prolonged exposure to excessive fluoride causes fluoride accumulation in the hippocampus, resulting in cognitive dysfunction. Cell death is necessary for maintaining tissue function and morphology, and changes in the external morphology of nerve cells and the function of many internal organelles are typical features of cell death; however, it is also a typical feature of cognitive impairment caused by fluorosis. ⋯ Herein, we provide an overview of cognitive impairment caused by excessive fluoride exposure in different age groups, and the underlying mechanisms for cognitive impairment in various model organisms. The mechanisms underlying these impairments include oxidative stress, synaptic and neurotransmission dysfunction, disruption of mitochondrial and energy metabolism, and calcium channel dysregulation. This study aims to provide potential insights that serve as a reference for subsequent research on the cognitive function caused by excessive fluoride.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The influence of menstrual phase on synaptic plasticity induced via intermittent theta-burst stimulation.
Ovarian hormones influence the propensity for short-term plasticity induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Estradiol appears to enhance the propensity for neural plasticity. It is currently unknown how progesterone influences short-term plasticity induced by rTMS. ⋯ These findings suggest women experience a variable propensity for iTBS-induced short-term plasticity across the menstrual cycle. This information is important for designing studies aiming to induce plasticity via rTMS in women.