Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN
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The hyperexcitability of trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons following inflammation or C-fiber stimulation is known to be involved in a variety of changes in gene expression in TG neurons, resulting in pain abnormalities in orofacial regions. We analyzed nocifensive behavior following complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or capsaicin injection into the maxillary whisker pad, and gene expression in the TG neurons using microarray analysis. The head-withdrawal latency to capsaicin injection or the head-withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimulation of the whisker pad skin in CFA-treated rats was significantly decreased compared to vehicle-treated rats. ⋯ Genes which have not been linked to peripheral inflammation or C-fiber activation were detected. Moreover, microarray chip containing a number of non-coding sequences was also up-regulated by C-fiber activation. These findings suggest that the diverse gene expressions in TG neurons are differentially involved in the inflammatory chronic pain and the acute pain induced by C-fiber activation, and the hyperexcitation of C-fibers are associated with the activation of certain non-coding RNAs.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a severe neurodegenerative disorder characterised by loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. The pathological hallmarks are cytoplasmic inclusions termed Lewy bodies consisting primarily of aggregated alpha-synuclein (alphaSN). Different lines of transgenic mice have been developed to model PD but have failed to recapitulate the hallmarks of this disease. ⋯ Rotenone treatment of 30 mg/kg for 25 doses over a 35-day period was tolerated in the transgenic mice and resulted in decreased spontaneous locomotor movement and increased cytoplasmic alphaSN expression. The mitochondrial Parkinson's-associated PTEN-induced kinase 1 protein levels were also increased in transgenic mouse brain after rotenone treatment; there was no change in brain dopamine levels or nigrostriatal cell loss. These hA53T alphaSN transgenic mice provide a useful model for presymptomatic Parkinson's features and are valuable for study of associated compensatory changes in early Parkinson's disease stages.