Neuroscience letters
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Neuroscience letters · May 2013
Excitotoxic spinal cord injury induced dysesthesias are associated with enhanced intrinsic growth of sensory neurons.
Sensory dysesthesias and pain are common sequelae following spinal cord injury (SCI). While efforts to understand the mechanisms involved in SCI pain syndromes have focused on spinal and supraspinal regions, recent evidence suggests that SCI induces pathological responses in primary afferent neurons that may contribute to the development of sensory abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to investigate if excitotoxic spinal lesions lead to abnormal growth responses of cultured dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, and to examine if the degree of neurite growth correlated with the presence of dysesthesias. ⋯ Grooming animals showed robust neurite growth in small, medium, and large neurons compared to nongrooming and control animals. Enhanced neuronal growth responses also occurred several segments caudal to the level of injury. This study provides the first evidence that excitotoxic spinal lesions result in DRG neurite outgrowth that correlated with the presence of sensory dysesthesias, providing support for the role of maladaptive peripheral afferent responses contributing to SCI pain syndromes.
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Neuroscience letters · May 2013
Butein inhibits NF-κB activation and reduces infiltration of inflammatory cells and apoptosis after spinal cord injury in rats.
The IKK/NF-κB signalling pathway plays a predominant role in the regulation of inflammation and apoptosis in spinal cord injury (SCI). We have previously demonstrated that targeting of the IKK/NF-κB pathway improved the recovery of locomotor function by reducing the infiltration of inflammatory cells and apoptosis after SCI in rats. Recently, the neuroprotective effects of butein have been shown via direct inhibition of the IKK/NF-κB pathway in vitro. ⋯ Treatment with butein also resulted in significant inhibition of caspase-3 activation and neutrophil infiltration. Overall, our findings demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of butein in SCI in vivo and its potential mechanism. Our results further indicated that targeting of the IKK/NF-κB pathway may be useful in SCI therapy.
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Neuroscience letters · Apr 2013
α2-Adrenergic agonists including xylazine and dexmedetomidine inhibit norepinephrine transporter function in SK-N-SH cells.
α2-Adrenergic agonists simulate norepinephrine (NE) action on α2 receptors of sympathetic neurons to mediate feedback inhibition of NE release. These agents are used as valuable adjuncts for management of hypertension and for anesthesia. Their action, equivalent to NE on α2 adrenergic receptors, raises the question whether α2 agonists may also target NE transporters (NETs), another major control mechanism for noradrenergic neurotransmission. ⋯ There was no change in membrane NET density by the agents. Moreover, saturation analysis showed that xylazine and dexmedetomidine significantly increased Km without affecting Vmax, indicating competitive inhibition of MIBG transport. Thus, the α2 adrenergic agonists xylazine and dexmedetomidine, acutely suppress NET function through competitive inhibition of substrate transport, likely by direct interaction on a region that over-laps with the nisoxetine binding site.
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Neuroscience letters · Apr 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialA preliminary study of the effects of ulinastatin on early postoperative cognition function in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.
Ulinastatin, a urinary trypsin inhibitor, is widely used to treat acute systemic inflammatory disorders. However, its effects on early postoperative cognitive function have not been fully elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ulinastatin on serum IL-6, TNF-α, CRP and S100β protein concentration and early postoperative cognitive function in patients after abdominal surgery. ⋯ Ulinastatin may be effective in reducing the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
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Previous imaging studies have revealed brain mechanisms associated with emotional conflict control. However, the neural time course remains largely unknown. ⋯ ERP revealed N350-550 and P700-800 components in the incongruent minus congruent condition. N350-550 might be related to conflict resolution and response selection; P700-800 might be related to post-response monitoring.