Predatory Odor Exposure as a Potential Paradigm for Studying Emotional Modulation of Memory Consolidation-The Role of the Noradrenergic Transmission in the Basolateral Amygdala.

The pivotal role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the emotional modulation of hippocampal plasticity and memory consolidation is well-established. Specifically, multiple studies have demonstrated that the activation of the noradrenergic (NA) system within the BLA governs these modulatory effects. However, most current evidence has been obtained by direct infusion of synthetic NA or beta-adrenergic agonists.

Tailored Melatonin- and Donepezil-Based Hybrids Targeting Pathognomonic Changes in Alzheimer's Disease: An In Vitro and In Vivo Investigation.

A plethora of pathophysiological events have been shown to play a synergistic role in neurodegeneration, revealing multiple potential targets for the pharmacological modulation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In continuation to our previous work on new indole- and/or donepezil-based hybrids as neuroprotective agents, the present study reports on the beneficial effects of lead compounds of the series on key pathognomonic features of AD in both cellular and in vivo models. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to evaluate the anti-fibrillogenic properties of 15 selected derivatives and identify quantitative changes in the formation of neurotoxic β-amyloid (Aβ42) species in human neuronal cells in response to treatment.

The Carotid Body: A Tiny Structure with Many Roles.

Over the last century, the structure of the mammalian carotid body (CB) has repeatedly been studied, and our present understanding of its normal morphology is comprehensive. It has been demonstrated that the CB has an intricate internal structure and a remarkable ability to release a wide variety of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in response to different chemical stimuli. The advances in modern cellular/molecular biological methods and newly developed single-cell electrophysiological techniques have provided an additional insight into the precise working mechanisms and roles of the CB in health and disease.

Carotid Body and Cell Therapy.

During the past decade, the carotid body (CB) has been considered an innovative therapeutic target for the treatment of certain cardiorespiratory and metabolic diseases most of which are sympathetically mediated. It has recently been revealed that CB stem cells provide new target sites for the development of promising cell-based therapies. Specifically, generation of CB progenitors in vitro which can differentiate into functionally active glomus cells may be a useful procedure to produce the cell mass required for replacement cell therapy.

Stem Cell Niche in the Mammalian Carotid Body.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the mammalian carotid body (CB) constitutes a neurogenic center that contains a functionally active germinal niche. A variety of transcription factors is required for the generation of a precursor cell pool in the developing CB. Most of them are later silenced in their progeny, thus allowing for the maturation of the differentiated neurons.

Carotid Body Dysfunction and Mechanisms of Disease.

Emerging evidence shows that the carotid body (CB) dysfunction is implicated in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. It has been revealed that the CB structure and neurochemical profile alter in certain human sympathetic-related and cardiometabolic diseases. Specifically, a tiny CB with a decrease of glomus cells and their dense-cored vesicles has been seen in subjects with sleep disordered breathing such as sudden infant death syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea patients and people with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

Neurochemical Plasticity of the Carotid Body.

A striking feature of the carotid body (CB) is its remarkable degree of plasticity in a variety of neurotransmitter/modulator systems in response to environmental stimuli, particularly following hypoxic exposure of animals and during ascent to high altitude. Current evidence suggests that acetylcholine and adenosine triphosphate are two major excitatory neurotransmitter candidates in the hypoxic CB, and they may also be involved as co-transmitters in hypoxic signaling. Conversely, dopamine, histamine and nitric oxide have recently been considered inhibitory transmitters/modulators of hypoxic chemosensitivity.

Neurochemical Anatomy of the Mammalian Carotid Body.

Carotid body (CB) glomus cells in most mammals, including humans, contain a broad diversity of classical neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and gaseous signaling molecules as well as their cognate receptors. Among them, acetylcholine, adenosine triphosphate and dopamine have been proposed to be the main excitatory transmitters in the mammalian CB, although subsequently dopamine has been considered an inhibitory neuromodulator in almost all mammalian species except the rabbit. In addition, co-existence of biogenic amines and neuropeptides has been reported in the glomus cells, thus suggesting that they store and release more than one transmitter in response to natural stimuli.

Mechanisms of Chemosensory Transduction in the Carotid Body.

The mammalian carotid body (CB) is a polymodal chemoreceptor, which is activated by blood-borne stimuli, most notably hypoxia, hypercapnia and acidosis, thus ensuring an appropriate cellular response to changes in physical and chemical parameters of the blood. The glomus cells are considered the CB chemosensory cells and the initial site of chemoreceptor transduction. However, the molecular mechanisms by which they detect changes in blood chemical levels and how these changes lead to transmitter release are not yet well understood.

Structural Plasticity of the Carotid Body.

The mammalian carotid body (CB) exhibits considerable plasticity of its structure during development and aging and as a consequence of environmental, metabolic and inflammatory stimuli. The structural changes during maturation include an enlargement of the total and vascular volume of the CB. Conversely, aging results in a reduction in the number and volume of glomus cells with progressive cellular degeneration and an apparent increase in the surrounding connective tissue.

General Morphology of the Mammalian Carotid Body.

The carotid body (CB) is the main peripheral arterial chemoreceptor that registers the levels of pO, pCO and pH in the blood and responds to their changes by regulating breathing. It is strategically located in the bifurcation of each common carotid artery. The organ consists of "glomera" composed of two cell types, glomus and sustentacular cells, interspersed by blood vessels and nerve bundles and separated by connective tissue.

History and Recent Progress in Carotid Body Studies.

This chapter describes the history of the carotid body (CB) and the subsequent research on its structure and function. The chronological development of ideas about its anatomical structure as a ganglion, the first descriptions of its glandular nature as a ball of highly vascular tissue (glomus), the discovery of its neural crest origin and relevant embryological views as a true paraganglion toward a more conclusive understanding of its sensory nature as a chemoreceptor for chemical changes in blood have been consistently demonstrated. The knowledge of the CB neurochemistry, physiology and pathophysiology has progressed immensely in the past century and a large and compelling body of evidence for the presence of a neurogenic niche in the CB has accumulated over the last two decades, thus underlying its function and possibility for the development of cell replacement therapies.

Carotid Body: The Primary Peripheral Arterial Chemoreceptor.

The carotid body (CB) is a polymodal chemosensory organ that plays an essential role in initiating respiratory and cardiovascular adjustments to maintain blood gas homeostasis. Much of the available evidence suggests that chronic hypoxia induces marked morphological and neurochemical changes within the CB, but the detailed molecular mechanisms by which these affect the hypoxic chemosensitivity still remain to be elucidated. Dysregulation of the CB function and altered oxygen saturation are implicated in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Neurochemical plasticity of the carotid body in hypertension.

The carotid body (CB), a main peripheral arterial chemoreceptor, has lately been implicated in the pathophysiology of various cardiovascular disorders. Emerging experimental evidence supports a causal relationship between CB dysfunction and augmented sympathetic outflow which is the common hallmark of human sympathetic-related diseases, including essential hypertension. To gain insight into the neurotransmitter profile of chemosensory cells in the hypertensive CB, we examined the expression and cellular localization of some classical neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and gaseous signaling molecules as well as neurotrophic factors and their receptors in the CB of spontaneously hypertensive rats, a common animal model of hypertension.

Effect of Chitosan-Diosgenin Combination on Wound Healing.

The difficult-to-heal wounds continue to be a problem for modern medicine. Chitosan and diosgenin possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects making them relevant substances for wound treatment. That is why this work aimed to study the effect of the combined application of chitosan and diosgenin on a mouse skin wound model.

Use of an Online Forum for Relatives of People With Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Relatives of people with psychosis or bipolar disorder experience high levels of distress but are typically not offered the support they need. Online peer forums may offer a solution, but knowledge about who uses them, how, and why is limited. This study reported on online forum use during the Relatives Education and Coping Toolkit (REACT) trial.

The anticonvulsant effect of chronic treatment with topiramate after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus is accompanied by a suppression of comorbid behavioral impairments and robust neuroprotection in limbic regions in rats.

Epilepsy is a widespread neurological disorder frequently associated with a lot of comorbidities. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the antiseizure medication topiramate (TPM) on spontaneous motor seizures, the pathogenesis of comorbid mood and cognitive impairments, hippocampal neuronal loss, and oxidative stress and inflammation in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Vehicle/TPM treatment (80 mg/kg, p.

Neurochemical profile of the myenteric plexus in the rat colorectal region.

The enteric nervous system, a major subdivision of the autonomic nervous system, is known for its neurochemical heterogeneity and complexity. The myenteric plexus, one of its two principal components, primarily controls peristalsis and its dysfunction may lead to a number of gastrointestinal motility disorders. The myenteric neurons have been described to use a wide variety of neurotransmitters although no evidence has been reported for the existence of adrenergic neurons in the hindgut.

Reduced neuroinflammation and enhanced neurogenesis following chronic agomelatine treatment in rats undergoing chronic constant light.

Experimental studies have revealed the involvement of neuroinflammation mediated by activated microglia in the pathophysiology of depression, suggesting a novel target for treatment. The atypical antidepressant Agomelatine (Ago) has an advantage compared to the classical antidepressants due to its chronobiotic activity and unique pharmacological profile as a selective agonist at the melatonin receptors and an antagonist at the 5HT receptors. We have recently revealed that Ago can exert a potent antidepressant effect in rats exposed to a chronic constant light (CCL).

Chronic agomelatine treatment alleviates icvAβ-induced anxiety and depressive-like behavior through affecting Aβ metabolism in the hippocampus in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease.

Recently, we reported that the atypical antidepressant agomelatine (Ago) exerted a beneficial impact on behavioral changes and concomitant neuropathological events in icvSTZ rat model of sporadic Alzheimer diseases (AD). In the present study, we aimed to explore the effect of Ago (40 mg/kg, i.p.

Effects of Lacosamide Treatment on Epileptogenesis, Neuronal Damage and Behavioral Comorbidities in a Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Clinically, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most prevalent type of partial epilepsy and often accompanied by various comorbidities. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic treatment with the antiepileptic drug (AED) lacosamide (LCM) on spontaneous motor seizures (SMS), behavioral comorbidities, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal damage in a model of TLE. Vehicle/LCM treatment (30 mg/kg, p.

Visible Meridian Phenomena after Acupuncture: A Series of Case Reports.

Background: In accordance with the meridian theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), meridian phenomena are observed along the course of a meridian following acupuncture. Their visible manifestations include alterations in the color (reddening or whitening) of the skin as well as papule and vesicle formation.

Objectives: The aim of the present work is to report a series of visible meridian phenomena manifested in human subjects and to correlate them to TCM concepts.

Changing frames of obesity in the UK press 2008-2017.

Obesity is a persistently newsworthy topic for the UK press and in recent years levels of coverage have increased. In this study, we examine the ways in which obesity has been framed by the press over a ten-year period (2008-2017), focussing both on areas of stability and change. The analysis is based on a ~36 million-word database of all UK newspaper articles mentioning the words 'obese' or 'obesity' published within this time frame and draws upon techniques from corpus linguistics - a collection of computational methods for examining recurrent linguistic patterns in large bodies of language data.

Histochemical and immunohistochemical localization of nitrergic structures in the carotid body of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The carotid body (CB) is a multipurpose metabolic sensor that acts to initiate cardiorespiratory reflex adjustments to maintain homeostasis of blood-borne chemicals. Emerging evidence suggests that nitric oxide increases the CB chemosensory activity and this enhanced peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity contributes to sympathoexcitation and consequent pathology. The aim of this study was to examine by means of NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunohistochemistry the presence and distribution of nitrergic structures in the CB of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and to compare their expression patterns to that of age-matched normotensive Wistar rats (NWRs).