Neuroscience
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This study explored surface brain morphometry in type 1 diabetes including focus on painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Brain MRI was obtained from 56 individuals with diabetes (18 without DPN, 19 with painless DPN, 19 with painful DPN) and 20 healthy controls. Cortical thickness, sulcus depth, and gyrification were analysed globally and regionally in each group and in the combined diabetes group. ⋯ Cortical thinning manifested across the brain cortex in diabetes, especially for painful DPN. Altered postcentral gyrus morphometry may be associated with neuropathic pain. Assessing cortical morphometry may be critical for comprehending central neuropathy and the manifestation of painful DPN in diabetes.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing health problem worldwide, particularly in the developed world due to an ageing population. Glutamate excitotoxicity plays a major role in the pathophysiology of AD, and glutamate re-uptake is controlled by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). The EAAT2 isoform is the predominant transporter involved in glutamate reuptake, therefore EAAT1 has not been the focus of AD research. ⋯ Labeling of EAAT1 appeared astrocytic in nature, showing close association with astrocytic processes in AD cases. We also report that a higher EAAT1 density was positively correlated with the age of AD cases, but this relationship was not observed in control cases. Overall, our results indicate an upregulation of EAAT1 across several hippocampal subregions and layers in AD cases, indicating a potential physiological role for this transporter that needs further investigation.
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Incidences of seizure after e-cigarette use in adolescents and young adults have been reported, raising the concern about the risk of nicotine overconsumption. Few previous studies have investigated the effects of nicotine at high doses on brain and behavior in adolescent animals. In this study, the effects of a 15-day repeated nicotine treatment at a daily dose of 2 mg/kg body weight were investigated in adolescent and adult male rats. ⋯ Only the nicotine-treated adolescents showed significant changes in brain anatomy 1 day post-treatment, which manifested as a significant reduction of whole-brain gray matter (GM) volume, a further reduction of regional GM volume in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and altered GM volume covariations between the mPFC and a number of brain regions. The mPFC of nicotine-treated adolescent rats did not exhibit evident signs of neuronal degeneration and reactive astrocytosis, but showed a significantly decreased expression of presynaptic marker synaptophysin (SYN), along with a significantly increased oxidative stress and a significantly elevated expressions of microglial marker ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1). Together, these results suggested that repeated nicotine overdosing may shift regional redox, modulate microglia-mediated pruning, and give rise to structural/connectivity deficits in the mPFC of adolescent male rats.
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Hypothyroidism is known to affect memory consolidation, and our prior research highlighted the potential of chrysin as a therapeutic agent to restore cognitive function. The present study aimed to investigate the action mechanism of chrysin on memory deficits in hypothyroid in C57BL/6 female mice. We assessed cognitive flexibility, declarative, working, and aversive memories while analyzing the BDNF/TrkB/AKT/Creb neuroplasticity signaling pathway and synaptic function in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. ⋯ Chrysin treatment effectively reversed these memory deficits, restored cognitive flexibility, and improved protein levels. Our findings suggest that hypothyroidism impairs cognitive flexibility and memory through the BDNF/TrkB/AKT/Creb pathway, which chrysin modulates, operating as a neuroprotector in hypothyroidism. This research sheds light on the potential therapeutic benefits of chrysin for memory-related issues in hypothyroidism.
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It is becoming increasingly recognized that, in addition to psychological stress, unbalanced maternal nutritional habits can threaten fetal brain development. Maternal obesity is one of the most pressing public health problems facing the world today, as about 40% of pregnant women are obese or gain excessive weight worldwide. ⋯ We argue that maternal Omega-3 supplementation, among the many dietary strategies available, is especially promising as it buffers oxidative stress and inflammation, both recognized as candidate mechanisms underlying the negative long-term effects of maternal obesity on the offspring. Notwithstanding the current knowledge, both preclinical studies and clinical trials are needed to refine current strategies addressing dietary content and length of administration according to individual characteristics and needs.