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Schwann cells play an important role in peripheral myelination, and dysfunction of these cells leads to axonal damage. Schwann cells degenerate following peripheral nerve injury. Immature Schwann cells proliferate, differentiate, and support axonal regeneration and extension during recovery. There are a lot of intracellular signals involved in the myelination process. Although serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase (SGK

The occipital transtentorial route is considered the most suitable for surgical treatment of lesions arising from the anterosuperior cerebellum, upper fourth ventricle, and upper dorsal brain stem. Therefore, this study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of the endoscopic high occipital interhemispheric transtentorial approach (EHOTA) for lesions in these areas, in achieving results comparable to the endoscopic occipital interhemispheric transtentorial approach (EOTA). EOTA has recently been reported to be an effective procedure for pineal region tumors, having several advantages that include minimal invasiveness with a small entrance limiting the retraction of the occipital lobe, the elimination of blind spots, and the facilitation of fine manipulation due to the bright, magnified panoramic view.By using 30 clinical datasets of venous-phase head computed tomography angiogram, measurements on images were performed and differences between EOTA and EHOTA were identified. In addition, the feasibility of EHOTA was verified with 5 cadaver heads.Although the operative field via EHOTA was considered significantly deeper and less maneuverable than with the procedure via EOTA, beneficial angles for manipulation in the superior cerebellum and the fourth ventricle were obtained in EHOTA, on account of their becoming more obtuse. Using EHOTA, it was possible to reach those regions and effectively manipulate all 10 sides of the 5 cadaveric heads, as well as a case with anterosuperior cerebellar cavernous angioma.EHOTA, which has the same advantages as EOTA, could prove to be an efficacious procedure for lesions in the anterosuperior cerebellum, upper fourth ventricle, and upper dorsal brain stem.

Accumulated evidence demonstrate that environmental stress affects the hippocampus, functioning in cognition and sociality, and causes various depressive symptoms. In addition, recent findings showed that environmental stress influenced the hippocampal activity correlated with neuroinflammation, and impaired the hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs), pattens of spike sequences, and the theta rhythms, a strong oscillation observed in the hippocampus. The involvement of the electrophysiological alterations in the etiology of depression has not been appreciated especially in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the pathological markers associated with such alterations have not been identified. In the present study, therefore, the impairment of the SWRs and the theta rhythms in the hippocampus of the restraint stress-induced depression model of mice was analyzed. In the model mice the hippocampal SWRs and theta rhythms were impaired in depression, while physical exercise significantly reverted them. As previously reported, chronic stress induced inflammation in the affected hippocampus in parallel with defects of adult neurogenesis, on the other hand physical exercise ameliorated those pathological conditions of the bran in depression. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the implications of impairment of the hippocampal SWRs and theta rhythms in the etiology of depression and their usefulness as diagnostic markers of depression.

A precise anatomical understanding of the morphology of the spine is indispensable for neck and low back pain therapy including rehabilitation. However, few studies have directly addressed spinal morphology with a focus on the height of the vertebral body and discs. The aim of the current study was to analyze sex- and age-related changes in the spine by measuring the distance between adjacent centers of the intervertebral disc spaces from the posterior aspect in cadavers and by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements at the cervical and lumbar vertebral levels.In the cadaveric study, the posterior distance between the adjacent centers of the disc spaces was measured for 58 spinal canals. The equivalent distances were examined using MRI in 370 and 660 subjects who presented with neck pain and back pain, respectively.The distance between the adjacent centers of the intervertebral disc spaces in male cadavers was larger than that in female cadavers from C3 to L5/S1. The MRI results showed that the distance between the adjacent centers of the intervertebral disc spaces decreased with age in all spinal areas in men and women. Cadaveric values were significantly lower than the MRI values in men, whereas in women, no significant differences were observed.These results suggest that age-related changes in the cervical and lumbar spine are associated with differences between men and women in the degrees of progressive vertebral body and disc degeneration.

Reactive microglia are suggested to be involved in neurological disorders, and the mechanisms underlying microglial activity may provide insights into therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases. Microglia produce immunological responses to various stimuli, which include fractalkine (FKN or CX3CL1). CX3CR1, a FKN receptor, is present in microglial cells, and when FKN is applied before lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration, LPS-induced inflammatory responses are inhibited, suggesting that the activation of the FKN signal is beneficial. Considering the practical administration for treatment, we investigated the influence of FKN on immunoreactive microglia using murine primary microglia and BV-2, a microglial cell line. The administration of LPS leads to nitric oxide (NO) production. NO was reduced when FKN was administered 4 h after LPS administration without a change in inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. In contrast, morphological changes, migratory activity, and proliferation were not altered by delayed FKN treatment. LPS decreases the CX3CR1 mRNA concentration, and the overexpression of CX3CR1 restores the FKN-mediated decrease in NO. CX3CR1 overexpression decreased the NO production that is mediated by LPS even without the application of FKN. ATP and ethanol also reduced CX3CR1 mRNA concentrations. In conclusion, the delayed FKN administration modified the LPS-induced microglial activation. The FKN signals were attenuated by a reduction in CX3CR1 by some inflammatory stimuli, and this modulated the inflammatory response of microglial cells, at least partially.

Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7), along with the closely related TRPM6, are unique channels that have dual operations: cation permeability and kinase activity. In contrast to the limited tissue distribution of TRPM6, TRPM7 is widely expressed among tissues and is therefore implicated in a variety of cellular functions physiologically and pathophysiologically. The discovery of TRPM7’s unique structure imparting dual ion channel and kinase activities shed light onto novel and peculiar biological functions, such as Mg2+ homeostasis, cellular Ca2+ flickering, and even intranuclear transcriptional regulation by a cleaved kinase domain translocated to nuclei. Interestingly, at a higher level, TRPM7 participates in several biological processes in the nervous and cardiovascular systems, in which excitatory responses in neurons and cardiomyocytes are critical for their function. Here, we review the roles of TRPM7 in cells involved in the nervous and cardiovascular systems and discuss its potential as a future therapeutic target.

It has recently been established that microglial activation is involved in the pathophysiology of various neurological and psychiatric disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and schizophrenia. The pathological molecular machineries underlying microglial activation and its accelerating molecules have been precisely described in the diseased central nervous system (CNS). However, to date, the details of physiological mechanism, which represses microglial activation, are still to be elucidated. Our latest report demonstrated that serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinases (SGK1 and SGK3) were expressed in multiple microglial cell lines, and their inhibitor enhanced the toxic effect of lipopolysaccharide on microglial production of inflammatory substances such as TNFα and iNOS. In the present report, we prepared SGK1-lacked microglial cell line (BV-2) and demonstrated that deficiency of SGK1 in microglia induced its toxic conversion, in which it took amoeboid morphology characteristic of reactive microglia, increased CD68 expression, quickened its proliferation, and showed higher susceptibility to ATP and subsequent cell death. Our data indicate that SGK1 plays pivotal roles in inhibiting its pathological activation, and suggest its potential function as a therapeutic target for the treatment of various disorders related to the inflammation in the CNS.

Objective Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms in the general population. Patients with dizziness experience balance problems and anxiety, which can lead to decreased physical activity levels and participation in their daily activities. Moreover, recovery of vestibular function from vestibular injury requires physical activity. Although there are reports that decreased physical activity is associated with handicap, anxiety, postural instability and reduced recovery of vestibular function in patients with chronic dizziness, these data were collected by self-report questionnaires. Therefore, the objective data of physical activity and the relationships between physical activity, handicap, anxiety and postural stability in patients with chronic dizziness are not clear. The purpose of this research was to objectively measure the physical activity of patients with chronic dizziness in daily living as well as handicap, anxiety and postural stability compared to healthy adults. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the relationships between physical activity, handicap, anxiety and postural stability in patients with chronic dizziness. Methods Twenty-eight patients with chronic dizziness of more than 3 months caused by unilateral vestibular hypofunction (patient group) and twenty-eight age-matched community dwelling healthy adults (healthy group) participated in this study. The amount of physical activity including time of sedentary behavior, light physical activity, moderate to vigorous physical activity and total physical activity using tri-axial accelerometer, self-perceived handicap and anxiety using questionnaires, and postural stability were measured using computerized dynamic posturography. Results The results showed worse handicap, anxiety and postural stability in the patient group compared to the healthy group. Objective measures of physical activity revealed that the patient group had significantly longer time of sedentary behavior, shorter time of light physical activity, and shorter time of total physical activity compared to the healthy group; however, time of moderate to vigorous physical activity was not significantly different between groups. Moreover, there were correlations between physical activity and postural stability in the patient group, while there were no correlations between physical activity, handicap or anxiety in the patient group. Conclusion These results suggest that objectively measured physical activity of the patients with chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction is lower compared to the healthy adults, and less active patients showed decreased postural stability. However, the details of physical activity and causal effect between physical activity and postural stability were not clear and further investigation is needed.

BACKGROUND In a genome-wide association study of autism, zinc finger protein 804A (ZNF804A) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found to be nominally associated in verbally deficient individuals with autism. Zinc finger protein 804A copy number variations (CNVs) have also been observed in individuals with autism. In addition, ZNF804A is known to be involved in theory of mind (ToM) tasks, and ToM deficits are deemed responsible for the communication and social challenges faced by individuals with autism. We hypothesized that ZNF804A could be a risk gene for autism. METHODS We examined the genetic association and CNVs of ZNF804A in 841 families in which 1 or more members had autism. We compared the expression of ZNF804A in the postmortem brains of individuals with autism (n = 8) and controls (n = 13). We also assessed in vitro the effect of ZNF804A silencing on the expression of several genes known to be involved in verbal efficiency and social cognition. RESULTS We found that rs7603001 was nominally associated with autism (p = 0.018). The association was stronger (p = 0.008) in the families of individuals with autism who were verbally deficient (n = 761 families). We observed ZNF804A CNVs in 7 verbally deficient boys with autism. In ZNF804A knockdown cells, the expression of synaptosomal-associated protein, 25kDa (SNAP25) was reduced compared with controls (p = 0.009). The expression of ZNF804A (p = 0.009) and SNAP25 (p = 0.009) were reduced in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) of individuals with autism. There was a strong positive correlation between the expression of ZNF804A and SNAP25 in the ACG (p < 0.001). LIMITATIONS Study limitations include our small sample size of postmortem brains. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that ZNF804A could be a potential candidate gene mediating the intermediate phenotypes associated with verbal traits in individuals with autism.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype α4β2 is considered important in the regulation of attention and memory, and cholinergic degeneration is known as one pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. Brain amyloid-β protein deposition is also a key pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease. Recent amyloid-β imaging has shown many cognitively normal subjects with amyloid-β deposits, indicating a missing link between amyloid-β deposition and cognitive decline. To date, the relationship between the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and amyloid-β burden has not been elucidated in vivo. In this study we investigated the relation between α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor availability in the brain, cognitive functions and amyloid-β burden in 20 non-smoking patients with Alzheimer's disease at an early stage and 25 age-matched non-smoking healthy elderly adults by measuring levels of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding estimated from a simplified ratio method (BPRI) and Logan plot-based amyloid-β accumulation (BPND) using positron emission tomography with α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor tracer (18)F-2FA-85380 and (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B. The levels of tracer binding were compared with clinical measures for various brain functions (general cognition, episodic and spatial memory, execution, judgement, emotion) using regions of interest and statistical parametric mapping analyses. Between-group statistical parametric mapping analysis showed a significant reduction in (18)F-2FA-85380 BPRI in the cholinergic projection region in patients with Alzheimer's disease with a variety of (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B accumulation. Spearman rank correlation analyses showed positive correlations of (18)F-2FA-85380 BPRI values in the medial frontal cortex and nucleus basalis magnocellularis region with scores of the Frontal Assessment Battery (a test battery for executive functions and judgement) in the Alzheimer's disease group (P < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparison), and also positive correlations of the prefrontal and superior parietal (18)F-2FA-85380 BPRI values with the Frontal Assessment Battery score in the normal group (P < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparison). These positive correlations indicated an in vivo α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor role in those specific functions that may be different from memory. Both region of interest-based and voxelwise regression analyses showed a negative correlation between frontal (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B BPND and (18)F-2FA-85380 BPRI values in the medial frontal cortex and nucleus basalis magnocellularis region in patients with Alzheimer's disease (P < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparison). These findings suggest that an impairment of the cholinergic α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor system with the greater amount of amyloid deposition in the system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease.

Background Upregulated levels of 18-kDa translocator proteins (TSPO) and type 2 endocannabinoid receptors (CB2) are considered to reflect different aspects of microglia-related neuroinflammatory responses in the brain. Relative to the increase in the TSPO expression that occurs slightly later during neuroinflammation in a proinflammatory fashion, CB2 activation is considered to relate to the neuroprotective responses that occurs predominantly at an early stage of brain disorders. These findings, however, were deduced from studies with different animal samples under different experimental settings. Here, we aimed to examined the differences in TSPO binding and CB2 availability at an early stage of stroke in the same animal using positron emission tomography (PET). Methods We used a total of eight Sprague-Dawley rats that underwent photothrombotic stroke surgery. The binding levels of a TSPO tracer [11C](R)PK11195 and a CB2 tracer [11C]NE40 were measured at 24 h after the surgery in the same animal using PET in combination with immunohistochemistry for CB2 and several other markers. A morphological inspection was also performed with X-ray computed tomography for small animals. Results The levels of [11C]NE40 binding potential (BPND) were significantly higher in the cerebral cortical region on the lesion side than those on the non-lesion side, whereas no difference was found in the levels of [11C](R)PK11195 BPND between hemispheres. The tracer influx index (R1) data were all reduced on the lesion side irrespective of tracers. This increase in [11C]NE40 BPND was concomitant with an elevation in CB2 expression mainly within the microglia in the peri-infarct area, as shown by immunohistochemical examinations with Iba-1, CD11b/c+, and NG2+ staining. Conclusions The present results provide in vivo evidence of different responses of microglia occurring in the acute state of stroke. The use of the CB2 tracer [11C]NE40 allows us to evaluate the roles played by the neuroprotective aspect of microglia in acute neuroinflammatory processes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-017-0851-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Microglia are derived from myelogenous cells and contribute to immunological and inflammatory responses in central nervous system. They play important roles not only in infectious diseases and inflammation after stroke, but also in psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. While recent studies suggest the significances of serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinases (SGKs) in other immune cells such as macrophages, T cells and dendritic cells, their role in microglia remains unknown. Here we, for the first time, report that SGK1 and SGK3 are expressed in multiple microglial cell lines. An SGK inhibitor, gsk650394, inhibits cell viability. In addition, lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of inflammatory regulators iNOS and TNFα was enhanced by gsk650394. Furthermore, translocation of NF-κB was enhanced by gsk650394. Taken together, these findings suggest that SGKs may play an important role in regulating microglial viability and inflammatory responses.

Background Profound changes in gene expression can result from abnormalities in the concentrations of sequence-specific transcription factors like specificity protein 1 ( Sp1 ). Specificity protein 1 binding sites have been reported in the promoter regions of several genes implicated in autism. We hypothesize that dysfunction of Sp1 could affect the expression of multiple autism candidate genes, contributing to the heterogeneity of autism. Methods We assessed any alterations in the expression of Sp1 and that of autism candidate genes in the postmortem brain (anterior cingulate gyrus [ACG], motor cortex, and thalamus) of autism patients ( n = 8) compared with healthy control subjects ( n = 13). Alterations in the expression of candidate genes upon Sp1 /DNA binding inhibition with mithramycin and Sp1 silencing by RNAi were studied in SK-N-SH neuronal cells. Results We observed elevated expression of Sp1 in ACG of autism patients ( p = .010). We also observed altered expression of several autism candidate genes. GABRB3 , RELN , and HTR2A showed reduced expression, whereas CD38 , ITGB3 , MAOA , MECP2 , OXTR, and PTEN showed elevated expression in autism. In SK-N-SH cells, OXTR , PTEN , and RELN showed reduced expression upon Sp1 /DNA binding inhibition and Sp1 silencing. The RNA integrity number was not available for any of the samples. Conclusions Transcription factor Sp1 is dysfunctional in the ACG of autistic brain. Consequently, the expression of potential autism candidate genes regulated by Sp1 , especially OXTR and PTEN , could be affected. The diverse downstream pathways mediated by the Sp1 -regulated genes, along with the environmental and intracellular signal-related regulation of Sp1 , could explain the complex phenotypes associated with autism.

Brain β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition during normal aging is highlighted as an initial pathogenetic event in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Many recent brain imaging studies have focused on areas deactivated during cognitive tasks [the default mode network (DMN), i.e., medial frontal gyrus/anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex], where the strength of functional coordination was more or less affected by cerebral Aβ deposits. In the present positron emission tomography study, to investigate whether regional glucose metabolic alterations and Aβ deposits seen in nondemented elderly human subjects (n= 22) are of pathophysiological importance in changes of brain hemodynamic coordination in DMN during normal aging, we measured cerebral glucose metabolism with [18F]FDG, Aβ deposits with [11C]PIB, and regional cerebral blood flow during control and working memory tasks by H215O on the same day. Data were analyzed using both region of interest and statistical parametric mapping. Our results indicated that the amount of Aβ deposits was negatively correlated with hemodynamic similarity between medial frontal and medial posterior regions, and the lower similarity was associated with poorer working memory performance. In contrast, brain glucose metabolism was not related to this medial hemodynamic similarity. These findings suggest that traceable Aβ deposition, but not glucose hypometabolism, in the brain plays an important role in occurrence of neuronal discoordination in DMN along with poor working memory in healthy elderly people.

Caloric restriction (CR) is known to retard aging and delay functional decline as well as the onset of diseases in most organisms. Ghrelin is secreted from the stomach in response to CR and regulates energy metabolism. We hypothesized that in CR ghrelin has a role in protecting aging-related diseases. We examined the physiological mechanisms underlying the ghrelin system during the aging process in three mouse strains with different genetic and biochemical backgrounds as animal models of accelerated or normal human aging. The elevated plasma ghrelin concentration was observed in both klotho-deficient and senescence-accelerated mouse prone/8 (SAMP8) mice. Ghrelin treatment failed to stimulate appetite and prolong survival in klotho-deficient mice, suggesting the existence of ghrelin resistance in the process of aging. However, ghrelin antagonist hastened death and ghrelin signaling potentiators rikkunshito and atractylodin ameliorated several age-related diseases with decreased microglial activation in the brain and prolonged survival in klotho-deficient, SAMP8 and aged ICR mice. In vitro experiments, the elevated sirtuin1 (SIRT1) activity and protein expression through the cAMP–CREB pathway was observed after ghrelin and ghrelin potentiator treatment in ghrelin receptor 1a-expressing cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Furthermore, rikkunshito increased hypothalamic SIRT1 activity and SIRT1 protein expression of the heart in the all three mouse models of aging. Pericarditis, myocardial calcification and atrophy of myocardial and muscle fiber were improved by treatment with rikkunshito. Ghrelin signaling may represent one of the mechanisms activated by CR, and potentiating ghrelin signaling may be useful to extend health and lifespan.

Olfactory receptors are G-protein coupled receptors and are encoded by an extremely large and diverse family of genes in mammals. There is increasing evidence that olfactory receptors are widely distributed in many organs, suggesting that olfactory receptors do not only recognize airborne odorants but also play important roles in chemotaxis or organ construction in embryo. In this study, we investigated whether olfactory receptors and their transduction molecule, Golf are expressed in the rat placenta. By RT-PCR, we identified 11 different olfactory receptor genes, which are all members of class II, in the rat placenta cDNAs, and our results suggested that particular members of the olfactory receptor gene family might be preferentially expressed in the placenta. By western blot analysis, we demonstrated that Golf protein is expressed in the placenta and its expression levels are developmentally regulated. We found that Golf immunoreactivity is exclusively localized to giant cell trophoblasts and spongiotrophoblast cells. These findings raised a possibility that a particular subset of olfactory receptors might be coupled with Golf and function in giant cell trophoblasts and spongiotrophoblast cells.

The rat olfactory bulb is anatomically immature at birth, and considerable neurogenesis and synaptogenesis are known to take place postnatally. In addition, significant physiological changes have also been reported in this period. For example, granule cell-mediated inhibition following electrical stimulations to the lateral olfactory tract is robust during the first postnatal week, and then decreases abruptly after the second week. However, the mechanism underlying this enhanced inhibition remains to be elucidated. To know the cause of this phenomenon, we investigated the expression patterns of cation-Cl(-) co-transporters (KCC1, KCC2 and NKCC1) mRNAs, which are responsible for the regulation of [Cl(-)](i). In addition, responses to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were measured by gramicidin-perforated patch-clamp recordings and Ca(2+) imaging using fura-2. We found that in the early postnatal period, mitral cells expressing KCC2 mRNA were inhibited by GABA, while granule cells lacking KCC2 mRNA expression were depolarized or excited by GABA. These results indicate that transient GABA-mediated excitation on granule cells might be the main cause of the enhanced inhibition on mitral cells, and suggest that these differential GABA responses between relay and intrinsic neurons play pivotal roles in the early postnatal rat olfactory bulb.

Background and aims Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a phosphoinositide phosphatase that regulates crucial cellular functions, including insulin signaling, lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as survival and apoptosis. Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle and exerts numerous effects through the activation of PTEN. However, the effect of silymarin on the development of insulin resistance remains unknown. Methods Wistar rats fed fructose-rich chow or normal chow were administered oral silymarin to identify the development of insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemic- euglycemic clamping. Changes in PTEN expression in skeletal muscle and liver were compared using western blotting analysis. Further investigation was performed in L6 cells to check the expression of PTEN and insulin-related signals. PTEN deletion in L6 cells was achieved by small interfering ribonucleic acid transfection. Results Oral administration of silymarin at a dose of 200 mg/kg once daily induced insulin resistance in normal rats and enhanced insulin resistance in fructose-rich chow-fed rats. An increase of PTEN expression was observed in the skeletal muscle and liver of rats with insulin resistance. A decrease in the phosphorylation of Akt in L6 myotube cells, which was maintained in a high-glucose condition, was also observed. Treatment with silymarin aggravated high-glucose-induced insulin resistance. Deletion of PTEN in L6 cells reversed silymarin-induced impaired insulin signaling and glucose uptake. Conclusions Silymarin has the ability to disrupt insulin signaling through increased PTEN expression. Therefore, silymarin should be used carefully in type-2 diabetic patients.

Schizophrenia is a complex disorder with positive, negative and cognitive deficits. Previously, great reduction in spine number has been reported in schizophrenia patients. Mutations in numerous genes that encode synaptic proteins are known as genetic risk factors. In addition, antipsychotic drugs change the number of spines, suggesting that disturbance in spine homeostasis is deeply involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. On the other hand, abnormal release of dopamine is also reported to play a role in the disease. However, the relationship between the spine homeostasis and the dopaminergic system is largely unknown. Here, we review the related articles that can give us useful insight about spine homeostasis in schizophrenia. We hypothesize that the treatment for spine homeostasis can be a novel therapeutic method for schizophrenia.

Astrocytic contribution of endothelial cell monolayer permeability was examined in two blood-brain barrier (BBB) models, using the coculture in a double chamber system: rat astrocytes and bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) or bovine brain endothelial cells (BBECs). In system 1, where astrocytes were separated from endothelial cells, a 40% reduction in L-glucose permeability of the BBEC monolayer, but not the BAEC monolayer, was observed by cocultivation with astrocytes. Although several passages of BBEC in culture elicited morphological transformation from spindle-shapes to cobblestone-like features, the passaged BBECs remained responsive to astrocytes in coculture in system 1 (37% reduction of the L-glucose permeability). By contrast, in system 2, where respective endothelial cells and astrocytes layered on the upper and lower surfaces of a membrane, the permeability of both BAEC and BBEC monolayers was reduced by cocultivation with astrocytes (75% reduction for BAEC and 40% reduction for BBEC). BAECs in this contiguous coculture (system 2) with astrocytes showed numerous tight junction-like structures characteristic of the BBB in vivo. These results suggest that primary cultured BBECs, which had been primed by astrocytes in vivo, retain a higher sensitivity to astrocytes possibly through an astrocytic soluble factor (s) to exhibit BBB-specific phenotypes, and that even BAEC from extra-neural tissues, when cultured with astrocytes in close proximity in vitro, may acquire the similar phenotypes and serve for an extensive use of BBB model in vitro.

Glial contribution to in vitro synaptic function was investigated in a neuron-glia co-culture system by monitoring spontaneous oscillations of intracellular Ca 2+ in neurons. Rat cortical neurons, grown stably on a cortical astrocyte monolayer, extended neurites resulting in marked functional synapse formation. Little synapse formation was observed in neuronal co-culture with meaningeal fibroblasts or endothelial cells. Aged astrocytes in vitro (C35) were found to attenuate synaptic development, while young astrocytes (C5) markedly promoted synaptic function. C5 and C35 astrocyte media conditioned yielded no significant synaptogenic effect, indicating diffusible factor(s) are not responsible for our observation. Modulation of astrocytic proliferation and differentiation by gliostatin, a glial growth inhibitor, or dibutyryl cAMP affected neuronal synaptic function on the co-cultures. Site-specific analysis in homologous and heterologous neuron-astrocyte co-cultures among cortex, hippocampus, septum, and striatum revealed that homologous combinations of neurons and astrocytes derived from identical brain regions elicited the largest number of synchronizing neur`ons. Thee results suggest that in vivo neuronal synaptic function essentially requires the participation of adjacent astrocytes, which is site-specific and age-dependent.

Gliostatin is a polypeptide factor (apparentMr = 100k with a homodimeric structure comprising two 50 kDa subunits) acting on cortical neurons (neurotrophic action) as well as astrocytic cells (growth inhibition). Under the coculture system of cerebral cortical neurons and astrocytes from fetal rats (E15 or E16), the neurotrophic action of gliostatin was examined immunocytochemically. Immunostaining by an anti-neurofilament (NF) monoclonal antibody visualized a marked neurite-outgrowth and interconnecting bundles of neuritic processes induced by gliostatin in the coculture system. Neurons stimulated by gliostatin formed dense aggregates in clumps, while neurons in control coculture spread out. Gliostatin has also shown survival-promoting effects on neurons. Furthermore, it was shown that gliostatin induced the differentiation of protoplasmic astrocytes to fibrous astrocytes. These results further support our previous contention that gliostatin plays physiological roles on neuronal and glial development.

Amyloid β protein (Aβ) is known as a pathological substance in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is assumed to coexist with a degree of activated microglia in the brain. However, it remains unclear whether these two events occur in parallel with characteristic hypometabolism in AD in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the in vivo relationship between Aβ accumulation and neuroinflammation in those specific brain regions in early AD.Eleven nootropic drug-naïve AD patients underwent a series of positron emission tomography (PET) measurements with [(11)C](R)PK11195, [(11)C]PIB and [(18)F]FDG and a battery of cognitive tests within the same day. The binding potentials (BPs) of [(11)C](R)PK11195 were directly compared with those of [(11)C]PIB in the brain regions with reduced glucose metabolism.BPs of [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB were significantly higher in the parietotemporal regions of AD patients than in ten healthy controls. In AD patients, there was a negative correlation between dementia score and [(11)C](R)PK11195 BPs, but not [(11)C]PIB, in the limbic, precuneus and prefrontal regions. Direct comparisons showed a significant negative correlation between [(11)C](R)PK11195 and [(11)C]PIB BPs in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (p 0.05, corrected) that manifested the most severe reduction in [(18)F]FDG uptake.A lack of coupling between microglial activation and amyloid deposits may indicate that Aβ accumulation shown by [(11)C]PIB is not always the primary cause of microglial activation, but rather the negative correlation present in the PCC suggests that microglia can show higher activation during the production of Aβ in early AD.

Whether preclinical depression is one of the pathophysiologic features of Alzheimer disease (AD) has been under debate. In vivo molecular imaging helps clarify this kind of issue. Here, we examined in vivo changes in the brain serotoninergic system and glucose metabolism by scanning early- to moderate-stage AD patients with and without depression using PET with a radiotracer for the serotonin transporter, (11)C-3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethylphenylsulfanyl) benzonitrile (DASB), and a metabolic marker, (18)F-FDG.Fifteen AD patients (8 nondepressed and 7 depressed) and 10 healthy subjects participated. All participants underwent 3-dimensional MRI and quantitative (11)C-DASB PET measurements, followed by (18)F-FDG PET scans in the AD group. Region-of-interest analysis was used to examine changes in (11)C-DASB binding potential estimated quantitatively by the Logan plot method in the serotonergic projection region. In addition, statistical parametric mapping was used to examine whether glucose metabolism in any brain region correlated with levels of (11)C-DASB binding in the dense serotonergic projection region (striatum) in AD.Psychologic evaluation showed that general cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination) was similar between the 2 AD subgroups. Striatal (11)C-DASB binding was significantly lower in AD patients, irrespective of depression, than in healthy controls (P0.05, corrected), and (11)C-DASB binding in other dense projection areas decreased significantly in the depressive group, compared with the control group. The (11)C-DASB binding potential levels in the subcortical serotonergic projection region correlated negatively with depression score (Spearman correlation, P0.01) but not with dementia score. Statistical parametric mapping correlation analysis showed that glucose metabolism in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was positively associated with the level of striatal (11)C-DASB binding in AD.The significant reduction in (11)C-DASB binding in nondepressed AD patients suggests that presynaptic serotonergic function is altered before the development of psychiatric problems such as depression in AD. The depressive AD group showed greater and broader reductions in binding, suggesting that a greater loss of serotonergic function relates to more severe psychiatric symptoms in the disease. This serotonergic dysfunction may affect the activity of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a higher center of cognition and emotion in AD.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonists regulate the pleiotropic actions of BMPs by binding to BMPs. We previously isolated the Neurogenesin-1 (Ng1) gene and found that Ng1 protein induces neuronal differentiation in the brain. In this study, we found that Ng1 was expressed in the primordial cells of the skeleton and investigated whether Ng1 protein inhibited the BMP action to induce osteoblastic differentiation in C2C12 myoblasts. Interestingly, Ng1 protein inhibited the BMP7-induced alkaline phosphatase activity while it did not inhibit the BMP2-induced activity. All data suggest that Ng1 protein plays an important role in the embryonic bone formation by differentially regulating BMPs.

Glutamate is the main neurotransmitter in the olfactory bulb. Recently, postsynaptic-density 95 (PSD-95) and neuronal activity-regulated pentraxin (Narp) have been reported to be pivotal for targeting and clustering of NMDA receptors and AMPA receptors, respectively. We thus investigated the expressions of PSD-95 and Narp mRNAs in the rat developing olfactory bulb. PSD-95 mRNA was already expressed in most neurons on the first postnatal day (P1). On the other hand, Narp mRNA expression was weakly seen only in mitral cells on P1. Thereafter, we found initial expression of Narp mRNA on P7 in periglomerular cells, and on P14 in granular cells, indicating that in the developing olfactory bulb PSD-95 mRNA expression precedes Narp mRNA expression, and that the expression pattern of Narp mRNA seems to be well correlated with the maturation of the neurons. These results indicate that PSD-95 and Narp play important roles in making efficient excitatory synapses in the developing rat olfactory bulb, and suggest that olfactory neurons might first express PSD-95 for making efficient NMDA receptors and thereafter express Narp for efficient AMPA receptors.

Astrocytes are coupled via gap junction channels, predominantly formed by connexin-43 (Cx43), and contribute to neuronal function in the normal and diseased brain. In this study, we demonstrate that epidermal growth factor (EGF), applied to cortical astrocytes, results in a decrease in the expression of Cx43 mRNA and protein. We have further shown that the decrease is associated with the receptor tyrosine kinase pathway and the MEK inhibitor prevents EGF-stimulated down-regulation of Cx43 expression. These findings demonstrate a previously unknown function of EGF on cultured astrocytes, which may be relevant to the regulation of astrocytic growth and differentiation.

Regulation of neural (N-) cadherin expression in the hippocampus was examined by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry methods in the rat model of kainic acid (KA) induced seizures. After 12 and 24 h of KA administration, mRNA expression level of N-cadherin decreased in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 area in parallel with decrease of the number of neural cells. In contrast, after 48 h and 7 days, mRNA expression level recovered partially, although the number of neural cells remained small. In addition, immunohistochemical staining indicated that N-cadherin protein expression of survived neurons increased significantly after 48 h of KA administration. These results indicated that N-cadherin might be involved in neuronal reconstruction at the hippocampus.

We have investigated the effects of gap junction inhibitors, octanol, halothane, sodium propionate and lindane, on neuronal periodic Ca 2+ 1 transients in neuron–astrocyte coculture systems. Octanol reduced the amplitude and frequency of Ca 2+ oscillations in dose–dependent manner. One mM octanol caused a complete disappearance of Ca 2+ oscillations. Similar suppressions were obtained by halothane (1 mM) and sodium propionate (25 mM). In contrast, lindane (300 nM) uniquely raised the basal level of [Ca 2+ ] i in oscillating neurons as well as the height of apparent amplitude without changes in the frequency. The current results imply that octanol, halothane and sodium propionate might lower the frequency of spontaneous Ca 2+ oscillations by blocking the gap junctional communication of neighboring astrocytes and that lindane, though also blocking the gap junctions, might not affect the frequency but reversely increase both the basal [Ca 2+ ] i and the amplitude, probably due to an increase of neuronal [Ins (1.4.5)P 3 ] i . These findings strongly suggest that astrocytes contribute to the generation of periodic neuronal Ca 2+ oscillations through astrocytic gap junctional communications and\or other signaling components between astrocytes and neurons. © 1988 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric complications have been regarded as a risk factor for schizophrenia later in life. One of the mechanisms underlying the association is postulated to be a hypoxic process in the brain in the offspring around the time of birth. Hippocampus is one of the brain regions implicated in the late-onset dopaminergic dysfunction associated with hypoxic obstetric complications. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We used an animal model of perinatal asphyxia, in which rat pups were exposed to 15 min of intrauterine anoxia during Cesarean section birth. At 6 and 12 weeks after birth, the behavior of the pups was assessed using a methamphetamine-induced locomotion test. In addition, the histopathology of the hippocampus was examined by means of stereology. At 6 weeks, there was no change in the methamphetamine-induced locomotion. However, at 12 weeks of age, we found an elevation in methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity, which was associated with an increase of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. At the same age, we also found a reduction of the dentate granule cells of the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that the dopaminergic dysregulation after perinatal asphyxia is associated with a reduction in hippocampal dentate granule cells, and this may partly contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.