Correlation between cognitive functions and nitric oxide levels in patients with dementia.

Dementia is defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by acquired loss of cognitive and emotional abilities, severe enough to interfere with daily functioning and quality of life. Event related potentials (ERP) are sensitive to task variables that relate to cognitive behavior. They might be altered in patients with disorders of cognition such as dementia.

Neuroprotective effect of BDNF in young and aged 6-OHDA treated rat model of Parkinson disease.

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to exert trophic effects on dopaminergic neurons against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in young rat. Since the degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons that occurs in Parkinson's disease is more often than not confined to elderly individuals, it is of interest to determine whether the effects of BDNF against 6 hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in young rats can be extended to aged animals. 6-hydroxydopamine was stereotaxically injected into the striatum of young (3-months) and aged (24-months) rats, which were treated two hours earlier with BDNF.