Behavioural brain research
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We investigated the effects of motor skills training on several types of motor function and synaptic plasticity following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. Male Wistar rats were injected with collagenase into the left striatum to induce ICH, and they were randomly assigned to the ICH or sham groups. Each group was divided into the motor skills training (acrobatic training) and control (no exercise) groups. ⋯ The number of ΔFosB-positive cells in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex in the acrobatic group significantly increased compared to the control group. PSD95 protein expression in the motor cortex significantly increased in the late phase, and in the striatum, the protein level significantly increased in the early phase by motor skills training after ICH compared to no training after ICH. We demonstrated that motor skills training improved motor function after ICH in rats and enhanced the neural activity and synaptic plasticity in the striatum and sensorimotor cortex.
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Among the non-motor phenomena of Parkinson's disease (PD) are depressive symptoms, with a prevalence of 40-70%. The reason for this high prevalence is not yet clear. The basal ganglia receives dopamine (DA) inputs from the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), which is known to be impaired in PD patients. ⋯ Notably, correlations were found between 5-HT and DA levels and swimming, immobility, and sucrose preference. Our results indicate that 6-OHDA produced depressive-like behavior accompanied by striatal DA and hippocampal 5-HT reductions. Moreover, DA and 5-HT levels were strongly correlated with "emotional" impairments, suggesting the important participation of these neurotransmitters in anhedonia and behavioral despair after 6-OHDA-induced nigral lesions.
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Several studies have demonstrated that the hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptors (NMDARs) are necessary for the acquisition but not the retention of spatial reference memory. In contrast, a few studies have shown that post-acquisition repetitive intraperitoneal injections of an NMDAR antagonist facilitate the retention of spatial reference memory in a radial maze task. In the present study, we investigated the role of hippocampal NMDARs in the retention of spatial reference memories in Morris water maze. ⋯ In Experiment 2, D-AP5 was infused into the hippocampus 1 (immediate) or 7 (delayed) days after the training session. In the probe test, following the retention interval of 13 days, immediate infusion facilitated the performance in a manner similar to Experiment 1, whereas the delayed infusion did not. These findings suggest that hippocampal NMDARs play an important role in the deterioration of spatial reference memory.
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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by neuronal damage and commonly, secondary cell death, leading to functional and neurological dysfunction. Despite the recent focus of TBI research on developing therapies, affective therapeutic strategies targeting neuronal death associated with TBI remain underexplored. This study explored the efficacy of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) as an intervention for improving cognitive deficits commonly associated with TBI. ⋯ The Morris Water Maze test was used to measure any treatment-associated changes in cognitive deficits observed in TBI animals at days 2-6 post-injury. Our findings demonstrate a significant improvement in cognitive performance in the G-CSF treated TBI animals within a week of injury, compared to untreated TBI, indicative of immediate and beneficial effect of G-CSF on cognitive performance post CHI. Our model suggests that early G-CSF exposure may be a promising therapeutic approach in recovery of cognitive deficits due to TBI.
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In many rodent species, including mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the behavioral response to odors is regulated by a network of steroid-sensitive ventral forebrain nuclei including the medial amygdala (Me), bed nucleus of the striaterminalis (BNST), and medial preoptic area (MPOA). Although it is well-known that Me, BNST, and MPOA are closely interconnected, function independently in regulating odor-guided social behaviors, little is known about how order information is processed in the sub-regions of Me, BNST, and MPOA. ⋯ Serum testosterone levels were increased after 1h in males exposed to FVF. This study provides insight in understanding the relationship between female odor stimulation and Fos, AR and T expression in specific brain areas in males, and the regulatory role of testosterone in this biochemical process.