Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · May 2018
Pirouetting pigs: A large non-primate animal model based on unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesioning of the nigrostriatal pathway.
The rotating 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model has long been important when developing new treatment strategies for Parkinson's disease (PD). Similar non-human primate models have been developed for translational research purposes as large animal models are required by regulatory bodies as an intermediate "phase 0" trial step. However, experimental research in non-human primates encounters several economical and regulatory issues, which may be avoided by the alternative use of pigs as a large animal model for experimental brain research. ⋯ Female Göttingen minipigs are susceptible to unilateral dopaminergic degeneration when properly injected unilaterally with sufficient amounts of 6-OHDA in the nigrostriatal pathway. The location of the 6-OHDA injections and thus the accuracy of the employed stereotaxy can be verified in vivo using MRI postoperatively. The injected minipigs display unilateral parkinsonism with a well-defined rotational response to amphetamine that may be ameliated by STN-DBS performed on the lesioned side. The response to apomorphine was, however, not consistent, illustrating that further work on this promising non-primate large animal model is needed, before it is fully similar to the established 6-OHDA models in other species.
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Brain research bulletin · May 2018
Electroacupuncture restores hippocampal synaptic plasticity via modulation of 5-HT receptors in a rat model of depression.
The study aimed to determine the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on Wistar Kyoto (WKY) depressive model rats and explore the possible mechanism of EA on hippocampal CA1 region neuronal synaptic plasticity. ⋯ EA could ameliorate depressive-like behaviors by restoring hippocampus CA1 synaptic plasticity, which might be mainly mediated by regulating 5-HT receptor levels.