Inhibitory and excitatory synaptic neuroadaptations in the diazepam tolerant brain.

Benzodiazepine (BZ) drugs treat seizures, anxiety, insomnia, and alcohol withdrawal by potentiating γ2 subunit containing GABA type A receptors (GABARs). BZ clinical use is hampered by tolerance and withdrawal symptoms including heightened seizure susceptibility, panic, and sleep disturbances. Here, we investigated inhibitory GABAergic and excitatory glutamatergic plasticity in mice tolerant to benzodiazepine sedation.

The Yin and Yang of GABAergic and Glutamatergic Synaptic Plasticity: Opposites in Balance by Crosstalking Mechanisms.

Synaptic plasticity is a critical process that regulates neuronal activity by allowing neurons to adjust their synaptic strength in response to changes in activity. Despite the high proximity of excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic postsynaptic zones and their functional integration within dendritic regions, concurrent plasticity has historically been underassessed. Growing evidence for pathological disruptions in the excitation and inhibition (E/I) balance in neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders indicates the need for an improved, more "holistic" understanding of synaptic interplay.

Polyaniline-polycaprolactone fibers for neural applications: Electroconductivity enhanced by pseudo-doping.

Replenishing neurons in patients with neurodegenerative diseases is one of the ultimate therapies for these progressive, debilitating and fatal diseases. Electrical stimulation can improve neuron stem cell differentiation but requires a reliable nanopatterned electroconductive substrate. Potential candidate substrates are polycaprolactone (PCL) - polyaniline:camphorsulfonic acid (PANI:CSA) nanofibers, but their nanobiophysical properties need to be finetuned.

The effect of electrospun scaffolds on the glycosaminoglycan profile of differentiating neural stem cells.

The use of electrospun scaffolds for neural tissue engineering applications allows a closer mimicry of the native tissue extracellular matrix (ECM), important for the transplantation of cells in vivo. Moreover, the role of the electrospun fiber mat topography on neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation remains to be completely understood. In this work REN-VM cells (NSC model) were differentiated on polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers, obtained by wet/wet electrospinning, and on flat glass lamellas.

POLYBENZIMIDAZOLE NANOFIBERS FOR NEURAL STEM CELL CULTURE.

Neurodegenerative diseases compromise the quality of life of increasing numbers of the world's aging population. While diagnosis is possible no effective treatments are available. Strong efforts are needed to develop new therapeutic approaches, namely in the areas of tissue engineering and (DBS).