Effect of dietary lysophospholipid supplementation on growth performance, serum lipids, small intestine morphology and caeca microflora in broiler chickens.

Background: The digestibility of animal fats and oils is limited by a reduction in the production and secretion of lipase and bile salts in young chickens. The addition of a natural emulsifier (lysophospholipids [LPL]) in poultry diet may increase the emulsification of lipids and their digestibility.

Objectives: An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feed LPLs supplementation with different fat sources on performance, serum lipid composition, small intestine morphology and caeca microflora in broiler chickens.

Adolescent swimming exercise following maternal valproic acid treatment improves cognition and reduces stress-related symptoms in offspring mice: Role of sex and brain cytokines.

Valproic acid (VPA) treatment during pregnancy is a risk factor for developing autism spectrum disorder, cognitive deficits, and stress-related disorders in children. No effective therapeutic strategies are currently approved to treat or manage core symptoms of autism. Active lifestyles and physical activity are closely associated with health and quality of life during childhood and adulthood.

Placental Extract and Exosomes Derived from Pregnant Mice Attenuate the Development of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Placental extract (PE) and exosomes from pregnant mice appear to have immunomodulatory and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we assessed the potential therapeutic effects of PE and exosomes obtained from pregnant mice in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse models. C57BL/6 mice, 8 to 12 weeks of age, were prepared and administered PE, exosomes, and glatiramer acetate (GA), as an FDA-approved treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), after EAE induction.

Anti-Caspr-conjugated gold nanoparticles emergence as a novel approach in the treatment of EAE animal model.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder of central nervous system which is increasing worldwide. Although immunosuppressive agents are used for the treatment of MS disease, nevertheless the lack of non-toxic and efficient therapeutic method is perceptible. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the effect of Contactin-associated protein (Caspr) antibody-, poly ethylene glycol (PEG)- and exosome combined gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in comparison to Glatiramer acetate as a selective treatment of MS disease in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model.

Swimming exercise strain-dependently affects maternal care and depression-related behaviors through gestational corticosterone and brain serotonin in postpartum dams.

Pregnancy is a very complex and highly stressful time in which women become more physically and emotionally vulnerable. Therefore, mothers are more likely to face decreased self-esteem and increased postpartum depression. Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depression, more than 50 % of mothers are undiagnosed or untreated, showing an urgent need to explore an effective preventive strategy.

Melatonin treatment improves cognitive deficits by altering inflammatory and neurotrophic factors in the hippocampus of obese mice.

Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia and cognitive deficits. Neuroinflammation is one of the most important mechanisms behind cognitive impairment in obese patients. In recent years, the neuroendocrine hormone melatonin has been suggested to have therapeutic effects for memory decline in several neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions.

Early life GABA blockade alters the synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions in male and female rats.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in adults, has a critical contribution to balanced excitatory-inhibitory networks in the brain. Alteration in depolarizing action of GABA during early life is connected to a wide variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, the effects of postnatal GABA blockade on neuronal synaptic plasticity are not known and therefore, we set out to determine whether postnatal exposure to bicuculline, a competitive antagonist of GABA receptors, affects electrophysiologic changes in hippocampal CA1 neurons later on.

Postnatal GABA Receptor Activation Alters Synaptic Plasticity and Cognition in Adult Wistar Rats.

Early life alteration in the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors is associated with long-lasting developmental effects on the brain and behavior. GABA receptors act as excitatory rather than inhibitory in neonates. Excessive activation of GABA receptors during the early postnatal period may affect cognitive functions later in life.

Voluntary physical activity increases maternal care and reduces anxiety- and depression-related behaviours during the postpartum period in mice.

A growing body of evidence suggests voluntary physical activity is associated with decreased stress-related disorders such as anxiety- and depression-like behaviours in both humans and rodents. The postpartum period is also a vulnerable transition time for the development of these neurobehavioural disorders in women. This study aimed to determine whether voluntary physical activity during pregnancy and postpartum period can increase maternal care and decrease anxiety- and depression-related behaviours in postpartum dams.

Antibiotic treatment during pregnancy and lactation in dams exacerbates clinical symptoms and inflammatory responses in offspring with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that an imbalance in the intensive communication between gut microbiota and the host might be associated with immune-related disorders such as multiple sclerosis. This study set out to determine whether antibiotic treatment during pregnancy and lactation can affect the onset and severity of clinical symptoms and inflammatory responses in offspring with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE; a mouse model of multiples sclerosis). Female C57BL/6 mice received antibiotics or vehicles during pregnancy and lactation, then their offspring were induced with EAE in adulthood.

Gut microbiota depletion from early adolescence alters anxiety and depression-related behaviours in male mice with Alzheimer-like disease.

The gut-microbiota-brain axis plays an important role in stress-related disorders, and dysfunction of this complex bidirectional system is associated with Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to assess the idea that whether gut microbiota depletion from early adolescence can alter anxiety- and depression-related behaviours in adult mice with or without Alzheimer-like disease. Male C57BL/6 mice were treated with an antibiotic cocktail from weaning to adulthood.

Neonatal NMDA blockade alters the LTP, LTD and cognitive functions in male and female Wistar rats.

There is compelling evidence that neonatal blockade of NMDA receptors by phencyclidine (PCP) is associated with cognitive impairment in adulthood but little is known about the effects of early life PCP treatment on synaptic function later in life. Here, we sought to determine whether early life exposure to PCP alters the electrophysiologic function of hippocampal CA1 neurons in adult rats. To this end, male and female Wistar rats received either saline or PCP (10 mg/kg) on postnatal days (PND) 7, 9, and 11, and then underwent separate behavioral and electrophysiology tests in adulthood.

Treadmill exercise sex-dependently alters susceptibility to depression-like behaviour, cytokines and BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of rats with sporadic Alzheimer-like disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with increased depression-related behaviours. Previous studies have reported a greater risk of AD and depression in women. In recent years, we and others have provided evidence that exercise during life could be used as a therapeutic strategy for stress-related disorders such as depression.

Antibiotic-induced gut microbiota depletion from early adolescence exacerbates spatial but not recognition memory impairment in adult male C57BL/6 mice with Alzheimer-like disease.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with cognitive dysfunctions and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study set out to better understand the relationship between gut microbiota depletion and cognitive abilities in mice with or without Alzheimer-like disease. Male C57BL/6 mice from early adolescence received an antibiotic cocktail, and then in adulthood, animals were subjected to a stereotaxic surgery to induce Alzheimer-like disease using amyloid-beta (Aβ) 1-42 microinjection.

The continued need for animals to advance brain research.

Policymakers aim to move toward animal-free alternatives for scientific research and have introduced very strict regulations for animal research. We argue that, for neuroscience research, until viable and translational alternatives become available and the value of these alternatives has been proven, the use of animals should not be compromised.

Perinatal fluoxetine dose-dependently affects prenatal stress-induced neurobehavioural abnormalities, HPA-axis functioning and underlying brain alterations in rat dams and their offspring.

Both untreated and SSRI antidepressant treated maternal depression during the perinatal period can pose both short-and long-term health risks to the offspring. Therefore, it is essential to have an effective SSRI treatment consisting of the lowest effective dose beneficial to the mother, without causing adverse effects on offspring development. The effects of prenatal stress on neurobehavioral outcomes were studied in the pregnant and lactating rat dam, and her offspring.

The fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) decreases the clinical signs and modulates immune responses in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Background: An increasing body of studies has shown that Fasciola hepatica can affect immune responses. This study explored whether the fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) of F. hepatica can modulate the immune system in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

The combination of fluoxetine and environmental enrichment reduces postpartum stress-related behaviors through the oxytocinergic system and HPA axis in mice.

Gestational stress can increase postpartum depression in women. To treat maternal depression, fluoxetine (FLX) is most commonly prescribed. While FLX may be effective for the mother, at high doses it may have adverse effects on the fetus.

Environmental enrichment alters neurobehavioral development following maternal immune activation in mice offspring with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Anxiety-related disorders and cognitive deficits are common in patients with epilepsy. Previous studies have shown that maternal infection/immune activation renders children more vulnerable to neurological disorders later in life.

Long-term exercise from adolescence to adulthood reduces anxiety- and depression-like behaviors following maternal immune activation in offspring.

Maternal immune activation is an environmental risk factor for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression later in life. There is an urgent need to develop therapeutic strategies for treating or preventing psychiatric disorders with developmental origins. There is important information that physical exercise is a therapeutic strategy for treating anxiety and depression-related disorders.

Peripubertal stress following maternal immune activation sex-dependently alters depression-like behaviors in offspring.

There is an increasing evidence that maternal immune activation can render the offspring more vulnerable to the impacts of peripubertal stress on behavioral abnormalities in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of maternal immune activation and peripubertal stress on depression-related behaviors in male and female offspring. Pregnant mice were treated with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or vehicle, and then offspring were subjected to stressful conditions or left unstressed during peripubertal period.

Silymarin sex-dependently improves cognitive functions and alters TNF-α, BDNF, and glutamate in the hippocampus of mice with mild traumatic brain injury.

Aims: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an important risk factor for cognitive impairment. Despite intense efforts to develop efficient treatments, the current therapies are not often effective and far from satisfactory. Silymarin has been suggested as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of traumatic brain injury.

Swimming exercise improves cognitive and behavioral disorders in male NMRI mice with sporadic Alzheimer-like disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with cognitive deficits and behavioral disorders such as anxiety and depression. Recent clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that swimming exercise could be a potential therapy for cognitive and behavioral disorders. The prevalence of anxiety and depression is increasing among patients with AD; hence, further studies are needed to develop therapies for these behavioral abnormalities.

Oral chitin treatment improved demyelination in murine autoimmune encephalomyelitis model by inhibition of inflammatory responses.

This study aimed to determine whether chitin microparticles (CMP), glucosamine-based polymers, have an anti-inflammatory response in a murine model of autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced in C57BL/6 mice by immunization with myelin antigens emulsified in complete Freund adjuvant. A standard clinical and histological method (Luxol Fast Blue staining) was used to validate the model and document the impact of CMP treatment.

Prenatal maternal stress alters depression-related symptoms in a strain - and sex-dependent manner in rodent offspring.

Stress during pregnancy adversely affects foetal development and leads to later behavioural outcomes in offspring. Preclinical studies have reported conflicting effects of prenatal stress on depression-related symptoms in rodent offspring. This study aimed to study the combined effect of strain and sex on prenatal stress outcomes in a single study.