Neuroscience
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It is well known that neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) are involved in descending modulation of nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord. It has been shown that activation of neurokinin-1 receptors (NK-1Rs) in the RVM, which are presumably located on pain facilitating ON cells, produces hyperalgesia whereas blockade of NK-1Rs attenuates hyperalgesia. To obtain a better understanding of the functions of NK-1R expressing neurons in the RVM, we selectively ablated these neurons by injecting the stable analog of substance P (SP), Sar(9),Met(O2)(11)-Substance P, conjugated to the ribosomal toxin saporin (SSP-SAP) into the RVM. ⋯ SSP-SAP did not alter withdrawal responses to mechanical or heat stimuli under normal conditions, and did not alter analgesia produced by morphine administered into the RVM. In contrast, the duration of nocifensive behaviors produced by capsaicin and mechanical and heat hyperalgesia produced by capsaicin and CFA were decreased in rats pretreated with SSP-SAP as compared to those that received Blank-SAP. These data support our earlier studies using NK-1R antagonists in the RVM and demonstrate that RVM neurons that possess the NK-1R do not play a significant role in modulating acute pain or morphine analgesia, but rather are involved in pain facilitation and the development and maintenance of hyperalgesia.
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Considerable evidence indicates that dopamine (DA) influences tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-mediated proteolytic processing of the precursor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) into mature BDNF (mBDNF). However, specific roles in this process for the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) and the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet to be fully characterized. In the present study, we hypothesized that D3R deletion could influence tPA activity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. ⋯ In addition, when compared to wild-type controls, D3(-/-) mice exhibited increased basal activation of the canonical cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA)-driven Akt/cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling cascade, as determined by the increased Akt phosphorylation both at Thr304 and Ser473 residues, of DA and cAMP-regulated protein of 32kDa (DARPP-32) at Thr34 and a phosphorylation state-dependent inhibition of glycogen synthetase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) at Ser9, a substrate of Akt whose constitutive function impairs normal CREB transcriptional activity through phosphorylation at its Ser129 residue. Accordingly, CREB phosphorylation at Ser133 was significantly increased in D3(-/-) mice, whereas the GSK-3β-dependent phosphorylation at Ser129 was diminished. Altogether, our finding reveals that mice lacking D3Rs show enhanced tPA proteolytic activity on BDNF which may involve, at least in part, a potentiated Akt/CREB signaling, possibly due to hindered GSK-3β activity.
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Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) has been claimed to represent the most feared complication of treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) therapy. In this study, we tested the effect of rosiglitazone on HT in a rat focal cerebral ischemia model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received an injection of 50% dextrose (6ml/kg intraperitoneally) and were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) 10 min later, with the regional cerebral blood flow monitored in vivo by laser-Doppler-flowmetry. ⋯ Rosiglitazone improved neurobehavioral deficits, reduced infarct volume and hemorrhage rate, and inhibited hemoglobin leakage, when compared with the vehicle group. In addition, it increased the expression of collagen IV and GLUT1 compared to the vehicle group. Our results suggest that rosiglitazone attenuated the hyperglycemia-induced HT after MCAO, possibly by preservation of GLUT1 expression.
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To investigate the role of glutamate receptor subtypes and GABA in orofacial function, six individual topographies of orofacial movement, both spontaneous and induced by the dopamine D1-like receptor agonist [R/S]-3-methyl-6-chloro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-[3-methyl-phenyl]-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine (SKF 83959), were quantified in mutant mice with deletion of (a) GluN2A, B or D receptors, and (b) the GABA synthesizing enzyme, 65-kD isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65). In GluN2A mutants, habituation of head movements was disrupted and vibrissae movements were reduced, with an overall increase in locomotion; responsivity to SKF 83959 was unaltered. In GluN2B mutants, vertical and horizontal jaw movements and incisor chattering were increased, with an overall decrease in locomotion; under challenge with SKF 83959, head and vibrissae movements were reduced. ⋯ In GAD65 mutants, vertical jaw movements were increased, with disruption to habituation of locomotion; under challenge with SKF 83959, vertical and horizontal jaw movements and incisor chattering were decreased. Effects on orofacial movements differed from their effects on regulation of overall locomotor behavior. These findings (a) indicate novel, differential roles for GluN2A, B and D receptors and for GAD65-mediated GABA in the regulation of individual topographies of orofacial movement and (b) reveal how these roles differ from and/or interact with the established role of D1-like receptors in pattern generators and effectors for such movements.
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Certain patterns of neural activity can induce N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR)-dependent synaptic plasticity, one of the important foundations of memory. Here, we report that a patterned high-frequency stimulation (PHS) induces rat hippocampal long-term depression (LTD) in an NMDAR-independent manner that requires coactivation of GABA(A)Rs and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), and endocytosis of AMPARs. Thus, we disclose that a patterned high-frequency stimulation triggers GABAAR and mAChR-dependent LTD in the hippocampus.