Articles

Targeting NMDA receptors in stroke: new hope in neuroprotection

NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptors (NMDARs) play a central role in excitotoxic neuronal death caused by ischemic stroke, but NMDAR channel blockers have failed to be translated into clinical stroke treatmen...

Authors: Qiu Jing Wu and Michael Tymianski

Inhibition of DREAM-ATF6 interaction delays onset of cognition deficit in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease

The transcriptional repressor DREAM (downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator) is a multifunctional neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) that controls Ca²⁺ and protein homeostasis through gene regulation and p...

Authors: Alejandro López-Hurtado, Daniel F. Burgos, Paz González, Xose M. Dopazo, Valentina González, Alberto Rábano, Britt Mellström and Jose R. Naranjo

Antidepressant-like effects of translocator protein (18 kDa) ligand ZBD-2 in mouse models of postpartum depression

The 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) is primarily localized in the outer mitochondrial membrane of steroid-synthesizing cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems. One of the protein’s main function...

Authors: Xu-bo Li, An Liu, Le Yang, Kun Zhang, Yu-mei Wu, Ming-gao Zhao and Shui-bing Liu

TLR4-mediated autophagic impairment contributes to neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury mice

Neuropathic pain is a complex, chronic pain state characterized by hyperalgesia, allodynia, and spontaneous pain. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the microglial Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and autopha...

Authors: Yibo Piao, Do Hyeong Gwon, Dong-Wook Kang, Tae Woong Hwang, Nara Shin, Hyeok Hee Kwon, Hyo Jung Shin, Yuhua Yin, Jwa-Jin Kim, Jinpyo Hong, Hyun-Woo Kim, Yonghyun Kim, Sang Ryong Kim, Sang-Ha Oh and Dong Woon Kim

Soluble Aβ_1–42 increases the heterogeneity in synaptic vesicle pool size among synapses by suppressing intersynaptic vesicle sharing

Growing evidence has indicated that prefibrillar form of soluble amyloid beta (sAβ_1–42) is the major causative factor in the synaptic dysfunction associated with AD. The molecular changes leading to presynaptic d...

Authors: Daehun Park and Sunghoe Chang

Down-regulation of ghrelin receptors on dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra contributes to Parkinson’s disease-like motor dysfunction

Ghrelin exerts a wide range of physiological actions throughout the body and appears to be a promising target for disease therapy. Endogenous ghrelin receptors (GHSRs) are present in extrahypothalamic sites in...

Authors: Yukari Suda, Naoko Kuzumaki, Takefumi Sone, Michiko Narita, Kenichi Tanaka, Yusuke Hamada, Chizuru Iwasawa, Masahiro Shibasaki, Aya Maekawa, Miri Matsuo, Wado Akamatsu, Nobutaka Hattori, Hideyuki Okano and Minoru Narita

Resolvin D2 protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a critical factor leading to a poor prognosis for ischemic stroke patients. ω-3 fatty acid supplements taken as part of a daily diet have been shown to improve the...

Authors: Gang Zuo, Dongping Zhang, Rutao Mu, Haitao Shen, Xiang Li, Zhong Wang, Haiying Li and Gang Chen

Poly-arginine R18 and R18D (D-enantiomer) peptides reduce infarct volume and improves behavioural outcomes following perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy in the P7 rat

We examined the neuroprotective efficacy of the poly-arginine peptide R18 and its D-enantiomer R18D in a perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic (HI) model in P7 Sprague-Dawley rats. R18 and R18D peptides were administere...

Authors: Adam B. Edwards, Jane L. Cross, Ryan S. Anderton, Neville W. Knuckey and Bruno P. Meloni

Lentivirus-mediated expression of human secreted amyloid precursor protein-alpha prevents development of memory and plasticity deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease driven in large part by accumulated deposits in the brain of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleavage product amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). However, AD is ...

Authors: Valerie T. Y. Tan, Bruce G. Mockett, Shane M. Ohline, Karen D. Parfitt, Hollie E. Wicky, Katie Peppercorn, Lucia Schoderboeck, Mohamad Fairuz bin Yahaya, Warren P. Tate, Stephanie M. Hughes and Wickliffe C. Abraham

Foxg1 deletion impairs the development of the epithalamus

The epithalamus, which is dorsal to the thalamus, consists of the habenula, pineal gland and third ventricle choroid plexus and plays important roles in the stress response and sleep–wake cycle in vertebrates....

Authors: Bin Liu, Kaixing Zhou, Xiaojing Wu and Chunjie Zhao

Expression of functional inhibitory neurotransmitter transporters GlyT1, GAT-1, and GAT-3 by astrocytes of inferior colliculus and hippocampus

Neuronal inhibition is mediated by glycine and/or GABA. Inferior colliculus (IC) neurons receive glycinergic and GABAergic inputs, whereas inhibition in hippocampus (HC) predominantly relies on GABA. Astrocyte...

Authors: Elsa Ghirardini, Simon L. Wadle, Vanessa Augustin, Jasmin Becker, Sina Brill, Julia Hammerich, Gerald Seifert and Jonathan Stephan

Bridging pro-inflammatory signals, synaptic transmission and protection in spinal explants in vitro

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by tissue atrophy involving the brain and the spinal cord, where reactive inflammation contributes to the neurodegenerative processes. Recently, the presence of synapse alte...

Authors: M. Medelin, V. Giacco, A. Aldinucci, G. Castronovo, E. Bonechi, A. Sibilla, M. Tanturli, M. Torcia, L. Ballerini, F. Cozzolino and C. Ballerini

Genetic dissection of the neuro-glio-vascular machinery in the adult brain

The adult brain actively controls its metabolic homeostasis via the circulatory system at the blood brain barrier interface. The mechanisms underlying the functional coupling from neuron to vessel remain poorl...

Authors: Gregory W. Kirschen, Rachel Kéry, Hanxiao Liu, Afrinash Ahamad, Liang Chen, Wendy Akmentin, Ramya Kumar, Joel Levine, Qiaojie Xiong and Shaoyu Ge

Warburg effect hypothesis in autism Spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disease which is characterized by a deficit in social interactions and communication with repetitive and restrictive behavior. In altered cells, metabolic...

Authors: Alexandre Vallée and Jean-Noël Vallée

Accelerated super-resolution imaging with FRET-PAINT

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy in the current form is hard to be used to image the neural connectivity of thick tissue samples due to problems such as slow imaging speed, severe photobleaching of flu...

Authors: Jongjin Lee, Sangjun Park, Wooyoung Kang and Sungchul Hohng

The Rap activator Gef26 regulates synaptic growth and neuronal survival via inhibition of BMP signaling

In Drosophila, precise regulation of BMP signaling is essential for normal synaptic growth at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and neuronal survival in the adult brain. However, the molecular mechanisms un...

Authors: Keunjung Heo, Minyeop Nahm, Min-Jung Lee, Young-Eun Kim, Chang-Seok Ki, Seung Hyun Kim and Seungbok Lee

Hippocampal calpain is required for the consolidation and reconsolidation but not extinction of contextual fear memory

Memory consolidation, reconsolidation, and extinction have been shown to share similar molecular signatures, including new gene expression. Calpain is a Ca²⁺-dependent protease that exerts its effects through the...

Authors: Taikai Nagayoshi, Kiichiro Isoda, Nori Mamiya and Satoshi Kida

Characterization of excitatory synaptic transmission in the anterior cingulate cortex of adult tree shrew

The tree shrew, as a primate-like animal model, has been used for studying high brain functions such as social emotion and spatial learning memory. However, little is known about the excitatory synaptic transm...

Authors: Xu-Hui Li, Qian Song, Qi-Yu Chen, Jing-Shan Lu, Tao Chen and Min Zhuo

Restoring synaptic plasticity and memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease by PKR inhibition

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with deficits in cognition and synaptic plasticity. While accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) and hyper-phosphorylation of tau are parts of the et...

Authors: Kyoung-Doo Hwang, Myeong Seong Bak, Sang Jeong Kim, Sangmyung Rhee and Yong-Seok Lee

Immature morphological properties in subcellular-scale structures in the dentate gyrus of Schnurri-2 knockout mice: a model for schizophrenia and intellectual disability

Accumulating evidence suggests that subcellular-scale structures such as dendritic spine and mitochondria may be involved in the pathogenesis/pathophysiology of schizophrenia and intellectual disability. Previ...

Authors: Akito Nakao, Naoyuki Miyazaki, Koji Ohira, Hideo Hagihara, Tsuyoshi Takagi, Nobuteru Usuda, Shunsuke Ishii, Kazuyoshi Murata and Tsuyoshi Miyakawa

Correction to: The role of melatonin in the onset and progression of type 3 diabetes

In the original version of this article [1], published on 1 August 2017, Fig. 3 contains a typo. In this Correction the incorrect and correct version of Fig. 3 are shown.

Authors: Juhyun Song, Daniel J. Whitcomb and Byeong C. Kim

Increased PKMζ activity impedes lateral movement of GluA2-containing AMPA receptors

Protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ), a constitutively active, atypical protein kinase C isoform, maintains a high level of expression in the brain after the induction of learning and long-term potentiation (LTP). Fur...

Authors: Nam-Kyung Yu, Heesoo Uhm, Jaehoon Shim, Jun-Hyeok Choi, Sangsu Bae, Todd Charlton Sacktor, Sungchul Hohng and Bong-Kiun Kaang

Criteria for identifying the molecular basis of the engram (CaMKII, PKMzeta)

The engram refers to the molecular changes by which a memory is stored in the brain. Substantial evidence suggests that memory involves learning-dependent changes at synapses, a process termed long-term potent...

Authors: John Lisman

Genomic copy number variation analysis in multiple system atrophy

Genomic variation includes single-nucleotide variants, small insertions or deletions (indels), and copy number variants (CNVs). CNVs affect gene expression by altering the genome structure and transposable ele...

Authors: Yuka Hama, Masataka Katsu, Ichigaku Takigawa, Ichiro Yabe, Masaaki Matsushima, Ikuko Takahashi, Takayuki Katayama, Jun Utsumi and Hidenao Sasaki

Oxidative stress and cellular pathologies in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegeneration of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. The reason for the death of these neurons is unclear; however, studies have demonstrated the...

Authors: Lesly Puspita, Sun Young Chung and Jae-won Shim

Tanshinone I alleviates motor and cognitive impairments via suppressing oxidative stress in the neonatal rats after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage

Neonatal hypoxia-ischemia is one of the main reasons that cause neuronal damage and neonatal death. Several studies have shown that tanshinone I (TsI), one of the major ingredients of Danshen, exerts potential...

Authors: Chunfang Dai, Yannan Liu and Zhifang Dong

Direct interaction with 14–3-3γ promotes surface expression of Best1 channel in astrocyte

Bestrophin-1 (Best1) is a calcium-activated anion channel (CAAC) that is expressed broadly in mammalian tissues including the brain. We have previously reported that Best1 is expressed in hippocampal astrocyte...

Authors: Soo-Jin Oh, Junsung Woo, Young-Sun Lee, Minhee Cho, Eunju Kim, Nam-Chul Cho, Jae-Yong Park, Ae Nim Pae, C. Justin Lee and Eun Mi Hwang

Mechanistic target of rapamycin is necessary for changes in dendritic spine morphology associated with long-term potentiation

Alterations in the strength of excitatory synapses in the hippocampus is believed to serve a vital function in the storage and recall of new information in the mammalian brain. These alterations involve the re...

Authors: Fredrick E. Henry, William Hockeimer, Alex Chen, Shreesh P. Mysore and Michael A. Sutton

Light/dark phase-dependent spontaneous activity is maintained in dopamine-deficient mice

Dopamine is important for motor control and involved in the regulation of circadian rhythm. We previously found that dopamine-deficient (DD) mice became hyperactive in a novel environment 72 h after the last i...

Authors: Masayo Fujita, Yoko Hagino, Taishi Takeda, Shinya Kasai, Miho Tanaka, Yukio Takamatsu, Kazuto Kobayashi and Kazutaka Ikeda

Correction to: Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) phosphorylates p53 and induces p21^WAF1/CIP1 expression

Authors: Dong Hwan Ho, Hyejung Kim, Jisun Kim, Hyuna Sim, Hyunjun Ahn, Janghwan Kim, Hyemyung Seo, Kwang Chul Chung, Bum-Joon Park, Ilhong Son and Wongi Seol

Abnormalities in perineuronal nets and behavior in mice lacking CSGalNAcT1, a key enzyme in chondroitin sulfate synthesis

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is an important glycosaminoglycan and is mainly found in the extracellular matrix as CS proteoglycans. In the brain, CS proteoglycans are highly concentrated in perineuronal nets (PNNs...

Authors: Nozomu Yoshioka, Shinji Miyata, Atsushi Tamada, Yumi Watanabe, Asami Kawasaki, Hiroshi Kitagawa, Keizo Takao, Tsuyoshi Miyakawa, Kosei Takeuchi and Michihiro Igarashi

Novel miR-b2122 regulates several ALS-related RNA-binding proteins

Common pathological features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) include cytoplasmic aggregation of several RNA-binding proteins. Out of these RNA-binding proteins, TDP-43, FUS/TLS and RGNEF have been shown...

Authors: Zachary C. E. Hawley, Danae Campos-Melo and Michael J. Strong

Role of GABA_A receptors in alcohol use disorders suggested by chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) rodent model

GABAergic inhibitory transmission is involved in the acute and chronic effects of ethanol on the brain and behavior. One-dose ethanol exposure induces transient plastic changes in GABA_A receptor subunit levels, c...

Authors: Richard W. Olsen and Jing Liang

General anesthetics protects against cardiac arrest-induced brain injury by inhibiting calcium wave propagation in zebrafish

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Although many victims are initially resuscitated, they often suffer from serious brain injury, even leading to a “persistent vegetative stat...

Authors: Dao-jie Xu, Bin Wang, Xuan Zhao, Yi Zheng, Jiu-lin Du and Ying-wei Wang

The DLGAP family: neuronal expression, function and role in brain disorders

The neurotransmitter glutamate facilitates neuronal signalling at excitatory synapses. Glutamate is released from the presynaptic membrane into the synaptic cleft. Across the synaptic cleft glutamate binds to ...

Authors: Andreas H. Rasmussen, Hanne B. Rasmussen and Asli Silahtaroglu

Suppression of cortical seizures by optic stimulation of the reticular thalamus in PV-mhChR2-YFP BAC transgenic mice

Deep brain stimulation in thalamic regions has been proposed as a treatment for epilepsy. The electrical current excites thalamocortical activity which is controlled by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneu...

Authors: Wei Jen Chang, Wei Pang Chang and Bai Chuang Shyu

The ERM protein Moesin is essential for neuronal morphogenesis and long-term memory in Drosophila

Moesin is a cytoskeletal adaptor protein that plays an important role in modification of the actin cytoskeleton. Rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton drives both neuronal morphogenesis and the structural ch...

Authors: Patrick S. Freymuth and Helen L. Fitzsimons

HIV-associated synaptic degeneration

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection induces neuronal injuries, with almost 50% of infected individuals developing HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Although highly activate antiretrovira...

Authors: Wenjuan Ru and Shao-Jun Tang

Genetic deletion of mGlu2 metabotropic glutamate receptors improves the short-term outcome of cerebral transient focal ischemia

We have recently shown that pharmacological blockade of mGlu2 metabotropic glutamate receptors protects vulnerable neurons in the 4-vessel occlusion model of transient global ischemia, whereas receptor activat...

Authors: Federica Mastroiacovo, Slavianka Moyanova, Milena Cannella, Anderson Gaglione, Remy Verhaeghe, Giovanna Bozza, Michele Madonna, Marta Motolese, Anna Traficante, Barbara Riozzi, Valeria Bruno, Giuseppe Battaglia, David Lodge and Ferdinando Nicoletti

The novel cannabinoid receptor GPR55 mediates anxiolytic-like effects in the medial orbital cortex of mice with acute stress

The G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) is a novel cannabinoid receptor, whose exact role in anxiety remains unknown. The present study was conducted to explore the possible mechanisms by which GPR55 regulat...

Authors: Qi-xin Shi, Liu-kun Yang, Wen-long Shi, Lu Wang, Shi-meng Zhou, Shao-yu Guan, Ming-gao Zhao and Qi Yang

A T-type channel-calmodulin complex triggers αCaMKII activation

Calmodulin (CaM) is an important signaling molecule that regulates a vast array of cellular functions by activating second messengers involved in cell function and plasticity. Low voltage-activated calcium cha...

Authors: Hadhimulya Asmara, Ileana Micu, Arsalan P. Rizwan, Giriraj Sahu, Brett A. Simms, Fang-Xiong Zhang, Jordan D. T. Engbers, Peter K. Stys, Gerald W. Zamponi and Ray W. Turner

An iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis reveals dysregulation of neocortical synaptopodin in Lewy body dementias

Lewy body dementias are the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia in the elderly after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The two clinical subgroups of Lewy body dementias, namely, dementia with Lewy b...

Authors: Arnab Datta, Yuek Ling Chai, Jing Min Tan, Jasinda H. Lee, Paul T. Francis, Christopher P. Chen, Siu Kwan Sze and Mitchell K. P. Lai

The role of melatonin in the onset and progression of type 3 diabetes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is defined by the excessive accumulation of toxic peptides, such as beta amyloid (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). The risk factors associated with AD inclu...

Authors: Juhyun Song, Daniel J. Whitcomb and Byeong C. Kim

Increased biological activity of protein Kinase C gamma is not required in Spinocerebellar ataxia 14

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by slowly progressive cerebellar dysfunction. Currently, 42 SCA types are known, some of which are caused by CAG r...

Authors: Etsuko Shimobayashi and Josef P. Kapfhammer

Neuroscience in the third dimension: shedding new light on the brain with tissue clearing

For centuries analyses of tissues have depended on sectioning methods. Recent developments of tissue clearing techniques have now opened a segway from studying tissues in 2 dimensions to 3 dimensions. This par...

Authors: Robin J. Vigouroux, Morgane Belle and Alain Chédotal

O-GlcNAc regulation of autophagy and α-synuclein homeostasis; implications for Parkinson’s disease

Post-translational modification on protein Ser/Thr residues by O-linked attachment of ß-N-acetyl-glucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) is a key mechanism integrating redox signaling, metabolism and stress responses. O...

Authors: Willayat Y. Wani, Xiaosen Ouyang, Gloria A. Benavides, Matthew Redmann, Stacey S. Cofield, John J. Shacka, John C. Chatham, Victor Darley-Usmar and Jianhua Zhang

Optimizing reproducibility of operant testing through reinforcer standardization: identification of key nutritional constituents determining reward strength in touchscreens

Reliable and reproducible assessment of animal learning and behavior is a central aim of basic and translational neuroscience research. Recent developments in automated operant chamber technology have led to t...

Authors: Eun Woo Kim, Benjamin U. Phillips, Christopher J. Heath, So Yeon Cho, Hyunjeong Kim, Jemeen Sreedharan, Ho-Taek Song, Jong Eun Lee, Timothy J. Bussey, Chul Hoon Kim, Eosu Kim and Lisa M. Saksida

SRF modulates seizure occurrence, activity induced gene transcription and hippocampal circuit reorganization in the mouse pilocarpine epilepsy model

A hallmark of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is hippocampal neuronal demise and aberrant mossy fiber sprouting. In addition, unrestrained neuronal activity in TLE patients induces gene expression including immed...

Authors: Pascal Lösing, Cristina Elena Niturad, Merle Harrer, Christopher Meyer zu Reckendorf, Theresa Schatz, Daniela Sinske, Holger Lerche, Snezana Maljevic and Bernd Knöll

Mechano growth factor, a splice variant of IGF-1, promotes neurogenesis in the aging mouse brain

Mechano growth factor (MGF) is a splice variant of IGF-1 first described in skeletal muscle. MGF induces muscle cell proliferation in response to muscle stress and injury. In control mice we found endogenous e...

Authors: Jason J. Tang, Jewel L. Podratz, Miranda Lange, Heidi J. Scrable, Mi-Hyeon Jang and Anthony J. Windebank

Abnormal circadian oscillation of hippocampal MAPK activity and power spectrums in NF1 mutant mice

Studies have implied that the circadian oscillation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathways is crucial for hippocampus-dependent memory. NF1 mouse models (Nf1 heterozygous null mutants; Nf1 ...

Authors: Lei Chen, Tatiana Serdyuk, Beimeng Yang, Shuai Wang, Shiqing Chen, Xixia Chu, Xu Zhang, Jinjing Song, Hechen Bao, Chengbin Zhou, Xiang Wang, Shuangle Dong, Lulu Song, Fujun Chen, Guang He, Lin He…