Neuroscience
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Previous neuroimaging studies have highlighted the role of the prefrontal-subcortical circuits in personality trait of novelty seeking (NS), thought to be mediated by the dopaminergic system. However, it remains largely unknown whether cortico-basal-cerebellar connections, heavily influenced by dopamine, are implicated in this temperament dimension as well. The present study aimed to further investigate the relationship between the NS trait and the cortico-basal-cerebellar pathways by using structural covariance network analysis. ⋯ Our results showed that NS scores were associated with structural connections between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and basal ganglia, substantiating the implication of the cortico-basal-cerebellar circuits in the NS construct. In addition, structural connections between visual and sensorimotor regions were also associated with NS scores, indicating that sensory and motor information processing may contribute to NS-related behaviors. Overall, the current findings may deepen our understanding of brain structural circuits related to this temperament dimension.
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Excessive microglia activation occurred in many neurodegenerative diseases. Brefeldin A-inhibited guanine nucleotide-exchange protein 1 (BIG1, ARFGEF1) is involved in cell migration and neurite growth. In the present study, we aimed to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of BIG1 in LPS-mediated neuro-inflammation and migration in BV2 cells. ⋯ Additionally, ChIP-qPCR and Dual-luciferase reporter assay determined that KLF4 binds to the promoter of BIG1, western blot analysis demonstrated that KLF4 could regulate BIG1 positively. In addition, we observed that BIG1 overexpression partly rescued the biological activities of KLF4 silencing in neuro-inflammation and migration in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. Taken together, BIG1 was mediated by KLF4 regulated LPS-mediated neuro-inflammation and migration in BV2 cells via PI3K/Akt/NF-kB signaling pathway.
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Adverse effects of changing climate have been associated with increase average global temperature resulting in environmental changes. We set out to investigate effects of environmental stress due to increased heat exposure on developmental milestones, behaviour, gut microbiota and neuroarchitecture in rat pups. Pregnant Wistar rats were held in standard temperature (ST) (26 ± 2 °C; control) or high temperature (HT) (40 ± 2 °C) housing. ⋯ There was also a reduction in MBP expression in the HT pups. Taken together, our results revealed a delay in neurodevelopmental milestones in pups exposed to high HT during gestation and post natal life. Pups whose dam were exposed to high HT during gestation also showed some set back but improved over the course of testing.
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Cell swelling usually initiates the regulatory volume decrease (RVD) process mediated mainly by volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs), which are formed by multiple different leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8 (LRRC8) family members. VRAC currents have been widely recorded in astrocytes, neurons and microglia in the brain, and VRACs have been suggested to be involved in the important pathogenesis of cell swelling-related central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as ischemic stroke, epilepsy and epileptogenesis, glioblastoma (GBM), and so on. ⋯ After cerebral ischemia, the swollen astrocytes, neurons and microglia can activate LRRC8A-dependent VRACs, which may respectively promote the release of excitatory amino acids (EAA), interaction with ionotropic glutamate receptors, and regulating inflammation, suggesting the pleiotropic roles of LRRC8A in swollen brain cells. For the treatment of cell swelling-related CNS diseases, specific targeting LRRC8A may be a superior strategy to inhibit swollen-induced VRAC hyperactivity without blocking the normal VRAC function.