Neuroscience
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Motor neuron (MN) diseases are characterized by progressive cell degeneration, and excitotoxicity has been postulated as a causal factor. Using two experimental procedures for inducing excitotoxic spinal MN degeneration in vivo, by acute and chronic overactivation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleacetic acid (AMPA) receptors, we characterized the time course of the neuropathological changes. Electron transmission microscopy showed that acute AMPA perfusion by microdialysis caused MN swelling 1.5h after surgery and lysis with membrane rupture as early as 3h; no cleaved caspase 3 was detected by immunochemistry. ⋯ We conclude that acute AMPA-induced excitotoxicity induces MN loss by necrosis, while the progress of degeneration induced by chronic infusion is slow, starting with an early apoptotic process followed by necrosis. In both the acute and chronic procedures a correlation could be established between the loss of MN by necrosis, but not by caspase 3-linked apoptosis, and severe motor deficits and hindlimb paralysis. Our findings are relevant for understanding the mechanisms of neuron death in degenerative diseases and thus for the design of pharmacological therapeutic strategies.
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Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a reactive oxygen species, is an important signaling molecule for synaptic and neuronal activity in the central nervous system; it is produced excessively in brain ischemia and spinal cord injury. Although H2O2-mediated modulations of synaptic transmission have been reported in ventral horn (VH) neurons of the rat spinal cord, the effects of H2O2 on neuronal excitability and membrane properties remain poorly understood. Accordingly, the present study investigated such effects using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique. ⋯ On the other hand, the amplitude of medium and slow afterhyperpolarization (mAHP and sAHP), which plays important roles in controlling neuronal excitability and is mediated by small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels, was significantly decreased by H2O2. When extrasynaptic GABAA receptors were completely blocked, these decreases of mAHP and sAHP persisted, and H2O2 increased excitability, suggesting that H2O2 per se might have the potential to increase neuronal excitability via decreased SK channel conductance. These findings indicate that activating extrasynaptic GABAA receptors or SK channels may attenuate acute neuronal damage caused by H2O2-induced hyperexcitability and therefore represent a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of H2O2-induced motor neuron disorders.
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Nuclear distribution element-like 1 (NDEL1/NUDEL) is a mammalian homolog of the Aspergillus nidulans nuclear distribution molecule NudE. NDEL1 plays a critical role in neuronal migration, neurite outgrowth and neuronal positioning during brain development; however within the adult central nervous system, limited information is available regarding NDEL1 expression and functions. Here, the goal was to examine inducible NDEL1 expression in the adult mouse forebrain. ⋯ Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis identified a cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) binding site within the CpG island proximal to the NDEL1 gene, and in vivo transgenic repression of CREB led to a marked downregulation of seizure-evoked NDEL1 expression. Together these data indicate that NDEL1 is inducibly expressed in the adult nervous system, and that signaling via the CREB/CRE transcriptional pathway is likely involved. The role of NDEL1 in neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth during development raises the interesting prospect that inducible NDEL1 in the mature nervous system could contribute to the well-characterized structural and functional plasticity resulting from repetitive seizure activity.
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Purinergic P2X3 receptors (P2X3Rs) play an important role in pain pathologies, including migraine. In trigeminal neurons, P2X3Rs are constitutively downregulated by endogenous brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). In a mouse knock-in (KI) model of familial hemiplegic migraine type-1 with upregulated calcium CaV2.1 channel function, trigeminal neurons exhibit hyperexcitability with gain-of-function of P2X3Rs and their deficient BNP-mediated inhibition. ⋯ BNP receptor block did not influence excitability of KI neurons in accordance with the lack of BNP-induced P2X3R modulation. Our study suggests that, in wild-type trigeminal neurons, negative control over P2X3Rs by the BNP pathway is translated into tonic suppression of P2X3Rs-mediated excitability. Lack of this inhibition in KI cultures results in a hyperexcitability phenotype and might contribute to facilitated trigeminal pain transduction relevant for migraine.
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β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition is considered partially responsible for cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, resveratrol has been reported to play a potential role as a neuroprotective biofactor by modulating Aβ pathomechanisms, including through anti-neuronal apoptotic, anti-oxidative stress, and anti-neuroinflammatory effects. In addition, SIRT1 has been demonstrated to modulate learning and memory function by regulating the expression of cAMP response binding protein (CREB), which involves in modulating the expression of SIRT1. ⋯ Interestingly, resveratrol also prevented the Aβ1-42-induced reductions in SIRT1 expression and CREB phosphorylation in rat hippocampus. In conclusion, in rats, resveratrol protects neurons against Aβ1-42-induced disruption of spatial learning, memory and hippocampal LTP. The mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects may involve rescue of SIRT1 expression and CREB phosphorylation.