Neuroscience
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Beauty judgments are common in daily life, but rarely studied in cognitive neuroscience. Here, in three studies, we searched for the neural mechanisms of musical beauty using a naturalistic free-listening paradigm applied to behavioral and neuroimaging recordings and validated by experts' judgments. In Study 1, 30 adults continuously rated the perceived beauty of three musical pieces using a motion sensor. ⋯ Effective connectivity analysis discovered inhibition of auditory activation and neural communication with the right orbitofrontal cortex for listening to beautiful passages vs. intrinsic activation of auditory cortices and decreased coupling to orbitofrontal cortex for not-beautiful passages. Experts' questionnaires indicated that the beautiful passages were more melodic, calm, sad, slow, tonal, traditional, and simple than the ones rated negatively. In sum, we identified neural and psychological underpinnings of musical beauty, irrespectively of individual taste and listening biography.
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Due to the increasing prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in youth, a growing interest in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) as a potential alternative target point for treatment arised. This study aimed to investigate whether chronic administration of escitalopram reverses behavioral changes induced by maternal separation in male adolescent Wistar rats and explore the corresponding neurochemical changes in the ECS. The pups were separated from their dams for 360 min daily from postnatal day (PND) 2 until PND 15. ⋯ Escitalopram reversed anxiety-like behavior and attenuated signs of despair behavior. The escitalopram administration has been followed by a decrease in the studied genes expression in the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus, what might suggest that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the mechanism of its action in adolescents. However Western blot analysis did not indicate significant alterations in the protein levels, so more detailed studies are needed to verify this hypothesis.
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The mechanisms underlying esketamine's therapeutic effects remain elusive. The study aimed to explore the impact of single esketamine treatment on LPS-induced adolescent depressive-like behaviors and the role of Nrf2 regulated neuroinflammatory response in esketamine-produced rapid antidepressant efficacy. ⋯ Esketamine treatment exerts rapid antidepressant effects and attenuates neuroinflammation in LPS-induced adolescent depressive-like behaviors, potentially through the activation of Nrf2-mediated anti-inflammatory signaling.
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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequent and disabling neurodevelopmental disorders. Recent research on cerebral blood flow (CBF) has enhanced understanding of the underlying pathophysiology in neuropsychiatric disorders. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on CBF anomalies among individuals with ADHD in comparison to controls. ⋯ This review highlights diverse CBF anomalies in ADHD. The most consistently reported findings suggest hypoperfusion during resting state in prefrontal and temporal areas, along with the basal ganglia, while there is a hyperperfusion in frontal, parietal and occipital regions. Further research, including longitudinal studies, is essential to develop a comprehensive understanding of CBF implications in ADHD.
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Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) have been prevalent for more than a decade, and the number of individuals affected per year has increased exponentially. Among these NDDs, Alzheimer's disease, which causes extreme cognitive impairment, and Parkinson's disease, characterized by impairments in motor activity, are the most prevalent. While few treatments are available for clinical practice, they have minimal effects on reversing the neurodegeneration associated with these debilitating diseases. ⋯ The potential CRMs discussed in this review are quercetin, chrysin, astragalin, apigenin, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and NAD+ precursors. This review aims to provide an overview of these CRMs' effectiveness in preventing neurodegenerative disorders associated with aging. Moreover, we highlight the clinical relevance of these compounds by discussing in detail the results of clinical trials on them.