Indirect activation of neuronal noncapacitative Ca2+ entry is the final step involved in the neurotoxic effect of Tityus serrulatus scorpion beta-toxin.

Interweaving strategies of electrophysiology, calcium imaging and immunocytochemistry bring new insights into the mode of action of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatusbeta-toxin VII. Pacemaker dorsal unpaired median neurons isolated from the cockroach central nervous system were used to study the effects of toxin VII. In current-clamp, 50 nm toxin VII produced a membrane depolarization and reduced spiking.

A new regulation of non-capacitative calcium entry in insect pacemaker neurosecretory neurons. Involvement of arachidonic acid, no-guanylyl cyclase/cGMP, and cAMP.

Efferent dorsal unpaired median neurons are pacemaker neurosecretory cells. A Ca(2+) background current contributing to the pacemaker activity of cockroach dorsal unpaired median neurons is up-regulated by neurohormone D (NHD), an octapeptide belonging to the adipokinetic hormone family. This modulation accelerates spiking and increases [Ca(2+)](i).

Neurotrophin-3 specifically increases mature oligodendrocyte population and enhances remyelination after chemical demyelination of adult rat CNS.

In human central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases, spontaneous remyelination is often incomplete. Therefore, we have tested whether neutrotrophin-3 (NT-3) accelerates CNS myelin repair after a chemically-induced demyelination. One group of adult rats was injected in the corpus callosum (CC) with 1 microl of 1% lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and 1 microl of NT-3 (1 microg/microl), and 15 days after injury (D15) remyelination was compared to control rats (receiving 1 microl of LPC+1 microl of vehicle buffer of NT-3).