Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · Jan 2015
ReviewMolecular pathways of mitochondrial dysfunctions: possible cause of cell death in anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity.
The effect of anesthesia on the developing brain has attracted more attention and arguments. This review summarizes various studies on developmental neurotoxicity induced by anesthesia, particularly focuses on the function of the mitochondrial dysfunction. Experimental results present evidence that general anesthesia can cause mitochondrial dysfunction via complex pathways, including oxidative stress, electron transport chain dysfunction, mitochondrial dynamics, calcium homeostasis, and mitochondrion-dependent apoptotic pathway. Hence, the molecular processes of mitochondrial dysfunction should be understood to develop novel therapeutic strategies that can prevent anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity and provide neuroprotection against developmental central nervous system.
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Brain research bulletin · Jan 2015
Nociceptive spinal cord neurons of laminae I-III exhibit oxidative stress damage during diabetic neuropathy which is prevented by early antioxidant treatment with epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG).
Spinal cord neurons located in laminae I-III respond to nociceptive stimuli and participate in the transmission of painful information to the brain. In the present study we evaluated if nociceptive laminae I-III neurons are affected by oxidative stress damage in a model of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP), the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat (STZ rat). Additionally, we evaluated the effects of a preventive antioxidant treatment with epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) in nociceptive neuronal activation and behavioural signs of DNP. ⋯ Treatment with EGCG normalized the increase of the above mentioned parameters and ameliorated mechanical hypersensitivity. The present study shows that nociceptive neurons in spinal cord laminae I-III exhibit oxidative stress damage during diabetic neuropathy, which probably affects ascending pain transmission during DNP. The neurobiological mechanisms and translational perspectives of the beneficial effects of a preventive and sustained EGCG treatment in DNP need to be evaluated in the future.
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Brain research bulletin · Jan 2015
Inhibition of DOR prevents remifentanil induced postoperative hyperalgesia through regulating the trafficking and function of spinal NMDA receptors in vivo and in vitro.
Several studies have demonstrated that intraoperative remifentanil infusions have been associated with opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). Activation of delta opioid receptor (DOR) and augmentation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor expression and function may play an important role in the development of OIH. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DOR inhibition could prevent remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia via regulating spinal NMDA receptor expression and function in vivo and in vitro. ⋯ The above results indicate that inhibition of DOR could significantly inhibit remifentanil-induced hyperalgesia via modulating the total protein level, membrane trafficking and function of NMDA receptors in the dorsal horn of spinal cord, suggesting that naltrindole could be a potential anti-hyperalgesic agent for treating OIH.
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Brain research bulletin · Jan 2015
Lateral habenula as a link between dopaminergic and serotonergic systems contributes to depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease.
Degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons is a key pathological change of Parkinson's disease (PD), and its motor consequences have been widely recognized. Recently, mood disorders associated with PD have begun to attract a great deal of interest, however, their pathogenesis remains unclear. PD is associated with not only degenerative changes in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra but also changes in serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei. ⋯ Additionally, LHb lesions caused an enhance in 5-HT levels in the raphe nuclei. These results suggest that LHb lesions may improve depressive-like behavior in PD rats by increasing 5-HT levels in the raphe nuclei. Thus, LHb contributes to the depressive-like behavior in PD rats via mediating the effects of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra on serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei.
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Brain research bulletin · Jan 2015
Estradiol regulation of hypothalamic astrocyte adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase activity: role of hindbrain catecholamine signaling.
Recent work challenges the conventional notion that metabolic monitoring in the brain is the exclusive function of neurons. This study investigated the hypothesis that hypothalamic astrocytes express the ultra-sensitive energy gauge adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and that the ovarian hormone estradiol (E) controls activation of this sensor by insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH). E- or oil (O)-implanted ovariectomized (OVX) rats were pretreated by caudal fourth ventricular administration of the catecholamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) prior to sc insulin or vehicle injection. ⋯ IIH increased astrocyte pAMPK expression in each structure in vehicle-, but not 6-OHDA-pretreated E rats. Results provide novel evidence for hypothalamic astrocyte AMPK expression and hindbrain catecholamine-dependent activation of this cell-specific sensor by hypoglycemia in the presence of estrogen. Further research is needed to determine the role of astrocyte AMPK in reactivity of these glia to metabolic imbalance and contribution to restoration of neuro-metabolic stability.