Neuroscience
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Physical and motor fatigue are debilitating symptoms common in multiple sclerosis (MS). Lifestyle interventions may be effective in managing MS-related fatigue. This scoping review aims to: (i) identify and summarise lifestyle interventions including those focused on diet, physical activity, and sleep, or multicomponent interventions for physical and motor fatigue management in MS; and (ii) provide recommendations for future research in this area. ⋯ Most studies reported an effect on improving physical/motor fatigue and a large proportion incorporated an endurance training program. To build on the current evidence and progress MS-fatigue related recommendations, further studies with larger sample sizes and a more inclusive range of MS types are required. Finally, with a gap of research investigating the role of diet and sleep on motor and physical fatigue in MS, research into this field is critically needed.
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Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often accompanied by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), both of which are related to brain damage and cognitive impairment. However, cortical structural alteration and its relationship with metabolism and cognition in T2D with NAFLD (T2NAFLD) and without NAFLD (T2noNAFLD) remain unclear. The brain MRI scans, clinical measures and neuropsychological test were evaluated in 50 normal controls (NC), 73 T2noNAFLD, and 58 T2NAFLD. ⋯ Cortical thickness mediated the relationship between post-prandial glucose, waist-hip ratio, and working memory. The findings suggest that cortical thickening may be a compensatory response to reduced network integration, with NAFLD exacerbating regional structural network changes in T2D. This research advances our understanding of how these metabolic comorbidities contribute to cognitive decline, potentially guiding future therapeutic strategies for T2D patients with and without NAFLD.
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Several studies indicate that fructose can be used as an energy source for subterranean rodents. However, how subterranean rodents utilize fructose metabolism with no apparent physiological drawbacks remains poorly understood. In the present study, we measured field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in hippocampal slices from Gansu zokor and SD rats hippocampi before and 60 min after replacement of 10 mM glucose in the artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) with 10 mM fructose (gassed with 95 % O2 and 5 % CO2). ⋯ Stable UA levels during fructose metabolism reduce the risk of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, and activation of the Nrf2 pathway increases downstream antioxidant capacity, thereby reducing brain damage. Persistent fEPSP signaling suggests that fructose supports excitatory synaptic transmission in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of the Gansu zokor but leads to hippocampal dysfunction in SD rats. The unique insights about fructose metabolism in the brain of Gansu zokor obtained in our study will be useful for further studies on the evolution of subterranean rodents.
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Epilepsy is a primary study focus for scientists worldwide due to its prevalence and poor prognosis. Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase, is becoming increasingly recognized for its critical role in the pathophysiology and progression of epilepsy. The treatment of epilepsy remains challenging despite the discovery of numerous factors that contribute to the development of several beneficial medications. ⋯ SIRT1, which protects from epilepsy, has been reported to be upregulated by several natural compounds and their derivatives. This review will summarize the latest findings about SIRT1's role in epilepsy. Results from the literature indicate that SIRT1 is a promising target for epilepsy therapy.
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The human brain possesses the ability to automatically extract statistical regularities from environmental inputs, including visual-graphic symbols and printed units. However, the specific brain regions underlying the statistical learning of these visual-graphic symbols or artificial orthography remain unclear. This study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an artificial orthography learning paradigm to measure brain activities associated with the statistical learning of radical positional regularities embedded in pseudocharacters containing high (100%), moderate (80%), and low (60%) levels of consistency, along with a series of random abstract figures. ⋯ Functional connectivity analysis further revealed significant correlations between the occipital lobe, the VWFA, and other brain regions, such as the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), the superior occipital gyrus (SOG), and the cerebellum. Moreover, neural activity showed a tendency to correlate with behavioral recognition performance. These findings demonstrate that the incidental acquisition of statistical regularities in artificial orthography arises from the coordinated activation of multiple distinct neural circuits.