Neuroscience bulletin
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Neuroscience bulletin · Aug 2011
ReviewCannabinoid as a neuroprotective strategy in perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury.
Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the single most important cause of brain injury in the newborn, leading to death or lifelong sequelae. Because of the fact that there is still no specific treatment for perinatal brain lesions due to the complexity of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic pathophysiology, the search of new neuroprotective therapies is of great interest. ⋯ Concerning perinatal asphyxia, the neuroprotective role of this endogenous system is emerging these years. The present review mainly focused on the current knowledge of the cannabinoids as a new neuroprotective strategy against perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Aug 2011
Comparative StudyDiagnostic value of amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram in neonatal seizures.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the accuracy of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in detecting full-term neonatal seizures. METHODS Conventional EEG (cEEG) and aEEG were simultaneously applied to 62 full-term newborns with seizures and results were analyzed with different methods. RESULTS Of 876 seizures confirmed by cEEG, 21% were detected by clinical observation, 44.4% by aEEG and 85.7% by aEEG plus C3/C4 raw EEG. ⋯ Of 510 seizures lasting longer than 60 s, 50.6% were diagnosed by aEEG and 84.1% by aEEG plus C3/C4 raw EEG. Of 509 seizures originating in the central region, 57.9% were detected by aEEG and 90.9% by aEEG plus C3/C4 raw EEG. CONCLUSION Combination of aEEG with cEEG offers more accurate diagnosis, especially for detecting high-frequency, long-lasting and central region-generated seizures.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Aug 2011
Biochemical and behavioral characterization of the double transgenic mouse model (APPswe/PS1dE9) of Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE The double transgenic mouse model (APPswe/PS1dE9) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely used in experimental studies. β-Amyloid (Aβ) peptide is excessively produced in AD mouse brain, which affects synaptic function and the development of central nervous system. However, little has been reported on characterization of this model. The present study aimed to characterize this mouse AD model and its wild-type counterparts by biochemical and functional approaches. ⋯ Secretase activity assays did not reveal major differences among different brain regions or between wild-type and transgenic mice, suggesting that the transgene PS1 did not lead to higher γ-secretase activity but was more efficient in producing Aβ(1-42) peptides. 8-OHdG, the biomarker of DNA oxidative damage, showed a trend of increase in the blood of transgenic mice, but with no significant difference, as compared with the wild-type mice. Behavioral tests showed that transgenic mice had significant memory deficits at 6-month age compared to wild-type controls, and the deficits were exacerbated at 12-month age with more errors. CONCLUSION These results suggest that this mouse model mimics the early-onset human AD and may represent full-blown disease at as early as 6-month age for experimental studies.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Feb 2011
Electrophysiological properties of spinal wide dynamic range neurons in neuropathic pain rats following spinal nerve ligation.
The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological properties of wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in spinal dorsal horn of rats with neuropathic pain induced by lumber 5 (L5) spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in a large size of samples. ⋯ The excitability of spinal WDR neurons increased in rats with neuropathic pain induced by L5 SNL. The increase in excitability of WDR neurons may contribute to the development of neuropathic pain.
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Alzheimer's disease ranks the first cause for senile dementia. The amyloid cascade is proposed to contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease. ⋯ Several regulatory mechanisms of APP cleavage have been established. The present review mainly summarizes the signaling pathways pertinent to the regulation of APP β cleavage.