Neuroscience
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Obesity and drugs of abuse share overlapping neural circuits and behaviors. Silent synapses are transient synapses that are important for remodeling brain circuits. They are prevalent during early development but largely disappear by adulthood. ⋯ Using a dietary-induced obesity paradigm, mice that chronically consumed high fat diet (HFD) exhibited increased silent synapses in both direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons in the dorsolateral striatum. Both the time of onset of increased silent synapses and their normalization upon discontinuation of HFD occurs on an extended time scale compared to drugs of abuse. These data demonstrate that chronic consumption of HFD, like drugs of abuse, can alter mechanisms of circuit plasticity likely facilitating neural reorganization analogous to drugs of abuse.
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While mounting evidence suggests that scalp acupuncture (SA) may be effective in alleviating neurological deficits in patients with acute ischemic stroke (IS), its effect on remote hippocampal damage in acute IS and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Thus, proteomics analysis was conducted to identify potential targets of SA therapy in acute IS. SA significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume and attenuated neuronal damage in the ischemic penumbra and hippocampus, as well as alleviated neurological deficits in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). ⋯ Proteomic analysis suggested that this effect is related to the modulation of the acute inflammatory response. SA attenuated remote hippocampal damage after IS by inhibiting microglia activation and neuroinflammation. Lastly, Kng1, Brd9, and Magl were identified as potential targets that mediate the anti-inflammatory effects of SA.
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A growing number of studies show that the diabetes drug Semaglutide is neuroprotective in Alzheimer's disease (AD) animal models, but its mode of action is not fully understood. In order to explore the mechanism of Semaglutide, 7-month-old APP/PS1/tau transgenic (3xTg) mice and wild-type (WT) mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group (WT + PBS), AD model group (3xTg + PBS), Semaglutide control group (WT + Semaglutide) and Semaglutide treatment group (3xTg + Semaglutide). ⋯ Semaglutide can inhibit the apoptosis of BV2 cells induced by Aβ1-42 in a dose-dependent manner and promote the transformation of microglia from M1 to M2, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Therefore, we speculate that Semaglutide shows an anti-inflammatory effect by promoting the transformation of microglia from M1 to M2 type in the brain of 3xTg mice, and thus exerts a neuroprotective effect.
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It is common knowledge that the cerebellum is a structure of the central nervous system that influences the processes of balance and motor coordination. Recently its influence on social interactions has also been emphasized. The sigma receptor agonist: 3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG) is characterized by high affinity for sigma 1 and sigma 2 receptors, widely distributed in the cerebellum. ⋯ At the same time, it was shown that in the group receiving the lowest dose of the drug, a decrease in the concentration of dopamine and serotonin in the cerebellum was observed. Furthermore, changes in the concentration of taurine, alanine, glutamic acid and gamma-aminobutyric acid were observed in the treated groups. We found that long term administration of DTG disturbs animals' social interactions and the concentration of neurotransmitters in the cerebellum.