Neuroscience bulletin
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Neuroscience bulletin · Feb 2018
Expression and Role of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Human Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons with Special Focus on Nav1.7, Species Differences, and Regulation by Paclitaxel.
Voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) play an important role in human pain sensation. However, the expression and role of Nav subtypes in native human sensory neurons are unclear. To address this issue, we obtained human dorsal root ganglion (hDRG) tissues from healthy donors. ⋯ To mimic Nav regulation in chronic pain, we treated hDRG neurons in primary cultures with paclitaxel (0.1-1 μmol/L) for 24 h. Paclitaxel increased the Nav1.7 but not Nav1.8 expression and also increased the transient Na+ currents and action potential firing frequency in small-diameter (<50 μm) hDRG neurons. Thus, the hDRG provides a translational model in which to study "human pain in a dish" and test new pain therapeutics.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Jun 2017
Abnormal Effective Connectivity in the Brain is Involved in Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia.
Information flow among auditory and language processing-related regions implicated in the pathophysiology of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia (SZ) remains unclear. In this study, we used stochastic dynamic causal modeling (sDCM) to quantify connections among the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (inner speech monitoring), auditory cortex (auditory processing), hippocampus (memory retrieval), thalamus (information filtering), and Broca's area (language production) in 17 first-episode drug-naïve SZ patients with AVHs, 15 without AVHs, and 19 healthy controls using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, we performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and correlation analysis between image measures and symptoms. sDCM revealed an increased sensitivity of auditory cortex to its thalamic afferents and a decrease in hippocampal sensitivity to auditory inputs in SZ patients with AVHs. ⋯ These findings demonstrate, for the first time, augmented AVH-specific excitatory afferents from the thalamus to the auditory cortex in SZ patients, resulting in auditory perception without external auditory stimuli. Our results provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying AVHs in SZ. This thalamic-auditory cortical-hippocampal dysconnectivity may also serve as a diagnostic biomarker of AVHs in SZ and a therapeutic target based on direct in vivo evidence.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Apr 2017
ReviewCandidate Biomarkers in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of MRI Studies.
Searching for effective biomarkers is one of the most challenging tasks in the research field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive and powerful tool for investigating changes in the structure, function, maturation, connectivity, and metabolism of the brain of children with ASD. ⋯ The review covers structural imaging methods, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Future advances in neuroimaging techniques, as well as cross-disciplinary studies and large-scale collaborations will be needed for an integrated approach linking neuroimaging, genetics, and phenotypic data to allow the discovery of new, effective biomarkers.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Feb 2017
ReviewA New Perspective for Parkinson's Disease: Circadian Rhythm.
Circadian rhythm is manifested by the behavioral and physiological changes from day to night, which is controlled by the pacemaker and its regulator. The former is located at the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the anterior hypothalamus, while the latter is composed of clock genes present in all tissues. Circadian desynchronization influences normal patterns of day-night rhythms such as sleep and alertness cycles, rest and activity cycles. ⋯ However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the circadian dysfunction in PD remain elusive. Further research on circadian patterns is needed. This article summarizes the existing research on the circadian rhythms in PD, focusing on the clinical symptom variations, molecular changes, as well as the available treatment options.
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Neuroscience bulletin · Oct 2016
ReviewBlood Biomarkers in Minor Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack.
Minor stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are common disorders with a high rate of subsequent disabling stroke, so the early recognition and management of minor stroke and TIA is of great importance. At the moment, the diagnosis of these disorders is based on neurologic deficits in a stroke-clinician's examination of the patient, supplemented by the results of acute brain imaging. However, high variability in TIA diagnosis has been reported between physicians, even trained vascular neurologists, and image-based diagnostic confirmation is not always readily available. ⋯ Blood biomarkers are promising to aid in the diagnosis, risk stratification, and individual treatment of minor stroke and TIA. Some studies are being conducted in this field. This mini-review aims to highlight potential biomarkers for diagnosis and those helpful in predicting the risk of future stroke and the selection of treatment.