Distribution of calcium-binding proteins immunoreactivity in the bottlenose dolphin entorhinal cortex.

Introduction: The entorhinal cortex has been shown to be involved in high-level cognitive functions in terrestrial mammals. It can be divided into two main areas: the lateral entorhinal area (LEA) and the medial entorhinal area (MEA). Understanding of its structural organization in cetaceans is particularly important given the extensive evidence for their cognitive abilities.

The Hypothalamus of the Beaked Whales: The Paraventricular, Supraoptic, and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei.

The hypothalamus is the body's control coordinating center. It is responsible for maintaining the body's homeostasis by directly influencing the autonomic nervous system or managing hormones. Beaked whales are the longest divers among cetaceans and their brains are rarely available for study.

Immunohistochemical Distribution of Serotonin Transporter (SERT) in the Optic Lobe of the Honeybee, .

Visual information is processed in the optic lobes, which consist of three retinotopic neuropils. These are the lamina, the medulla and the lobula. Biogenic amines play a crucial role in the control of insect responsiveness, and serotonin is clearly related to aggressiveness in invertebrates.

Methodology and Neuromarkers for Cetaceans' Brains.

Cetacean brain sampling may be an arduous task due to the difficulty of collecting and histologically preparing such rare and large specimens. Thus, one of the main challenges of working with cetaceans' brains is to establish a valid methodology for an optimal manipulation and fixation of the brain tissue, which allows the samples to be viable for neuroanatomical and neuropathological studies. With this in view, we validated a methodology in order to preserve the quality of such large brains (neuroanatomy/neuropathology) and at the same time to obtain fresh brain samples for toxicological, virological, and microbiological analysis (neuropathology).

Localisation of Cannabinoid and Cannabinoid-Related Receptors in the Horse Ileum.

Colic is a common digestive disorder in horses and one of the most urgent problems in equine medicine. A growing body of literature has indicated that the activation of cannabinoid receptors could exert beneficial effects on gastrointestinal inflammation and visceral hypersensitivity. The localisation of cannabinoid and cannabinoid-related receptors in the intestine of the horse has not yet been investigated.

Orexin/Hypocretin and Histamine Cross-Talk on Hypothalamic Neuron Counts in Mice.

The loss of hypothalamic neurons that produce wake-promoting orexin (hypocretin) neuropeptides is responsible for narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). While the number of histamine neurons is increased in patients with NT1, results on orexin-deficient mouse models of NT1 are inconsistent. On the other hand, the effect of histamine deficiency on orexin neuron number has never been tested on mammals, even though histamine has been reported to be essential for the development of a functional orexin system in zebrafish.

Lateral Habenula 5-HT Receptor Function Is Altered by Acute and Chronic Nicotine Exposures.

Serotonin (5-HT) is important in some nicotine actions in the CNS. Among all the 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs), the 5-HTR has emerged as a promising drug target for smoking cessation. The 5-HTRs within the lateral habenula (LHb) may be crucial for nicotine addiction.

Nitrergic and Substance P Immunoreactive Neurons in the Enteric Nervous System of the Bottlenose Dolphin () Intestine.

Compared with other mammals, the digestive system of cetaceans presents some remarkable anatomical and physiological differences. However, the neurochemical features of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in these animals have only been described in part. The present study gives a description of the nitrergic and selected peptidergic systems in the myenteric plexus (MP) and submucosal plexus (SMP) of the intestine of the bottlenose dolphin ().

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus 1b infection associated with congenital tremor and hypomyelination in Holstein calves.

Hypomyelination is a rare consequence of in utero bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection. We describe a BVDV outbreak in a naïve Holstein dairy herd in northern Italy, with an unusually high prevalence of calves with neurological signs, generalised tremors and ataxia. Histological analysis showed that hypomyelination was the predominant lesion and that the most typical BVDV neuropathological findings (e.

Serotonin modulation of hippocampal functions: From anatomy to neurotherapeutics.

The hippocampal region receives a dense serotoninergic innervation originating from both medial and dorsal raphe nuclei. This innervation regulates hippocampal activity through the activation of distinct receptor families that are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons, terminals of several afferent neurotransmitter systems, and glial cells. Preclinical and clinical studies indicate that hippocampal dysfunctions are involved in learning and memory deficits, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic syndrome disorder, whereas the hippocampus participates also in the therapeutic mechanisms of numerous medicines.

Expression of Proteinase-Activated Receptor 2 During Colon Volvulus in the Horse.

Large colon volvulus in horses is associated with a poor prognosis, especially when ischemic-reperfusion injury of the affected intestinal tract develops. Proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and expression of PAR in colonic pelvic flexure of horses spontaneously affected by large colon volvulus (CVH group).

The distribution of the jejunal arteries in the cat.

The arterial supply of the cat jejunum was studied by gross dissection and polyurethane corrosion cast. The results showed that the jejunal arteries, which originate from the cranial mesenteric artery, varied from 5 to 15 in number. Their number was independent of the length of the cranial mesenteric artery as well as of the length of the jejunum.

Proteinase Activated Receptor 4 in the Jejunum of Healthy Horses and of Horses With Epiploic Hernia.

Proteinase activated receptor 4 (PAR) in the gastrointestinal tract is involved in the regulation of inflammation and pain pathways. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution and expression of PAR in the jejunum of healthy horses and in the pathologic tracts from horses undergoing surgery for herniation of the small intestine through the epiploic foramen. Eight healthy horses (Group H) and eight horses with epiploic hernia (Group EH) were included; the jejunum samples were collected at the slaughter or intraoperatively after enterectomy, respectively.

Acute and Chronic Nicotine Exposures Differentially Affect Central Serotonin 2A Receptor Function: Focus on the Lateral Habenula.

Nicotine addiction is a serious public health problem causing millions of deaths worldwide. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is involved in central nervous system (CNS) nicotine effects, and it has been suggested as a promising pharmacological target for smoking cessation. In this regard, what is particularly interesting are the 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs) and the lateral habenula (LHb), a central area in nicotine addiction that we showed to be under a strong 5-HTR-modulation.

The porcine iodoacetic acid model of retinal degeneration: Morpho-functional characterization of the visual system.

Porcine models of ophthalmological diseases are often used in pre-clinical translational studies due to pigs' similarities to humans. In particular, the iodoacetic acid (IAA) model of photoreceptor degeneration seems to mimic well the endstage phenotype of human pathologies as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, with high potential for prosthesis/retinal devices testing. IAA is capable of inducing photoreceptor death by blockage of glycolysis, and its effects on the retina have been described.

Environment and Behavior: Neurochemical Effects of Different Diets in the Calf Brain.

Calves reared for the production of white veal are subjected to stressful events due to the type of liquid diet they receive. Stress responses are mediated by three main stress-responsive cerebral regions: the prefrontal cortex, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the nucleus of the solitary tract of the brainstem. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of different diets on these brain regions of ruminants using immunohistochemical methods.

The motor cortex of the sheep: laminar organization, projections and diffusion tensor imaging of the intracranial pyramidal and extrapyramidal tracts.

The laminar organization of the motor cortex of the sheep and other large domestic herbivores received scarce attention and is generally considered homologous to that of rodents and primates. Thickness of the cortex, subdivision into layers and organization are scarcely known. In the present study, we applied different modern morphological, mathematical and image-analyses techniques to the study of the motor area that controls movements of the forelimb in the sheep.

Locus coeruleus complex of the family Delphinidae.

The locus coeruleus (LC) is the largest catecholaminergic nucleus and extensively projects to widespread areas of the brain and spinal cord. The LC is the largest source of noradrenaline in the brain. To date, the only examined Delphinidae species for the LC has been a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Preferential modulation of the lateral habenula activity by serotonin-2A rather than -2C receptors: Electrophysiological and neuroanatomical evidence.

Aims: Serotonergic (5-HT) modulation of the lateral habenula (LHb) activity is central in normal and pathologic conditions such as mood disorders. Among the multiple 5-HT receptors (5-HTRs) involved, the 5-HT R seems to play a pivotal role. Yet, the role of 5-HT Rs in the control of the LHb neuronal activity is completely unknown.

Developmental changes of GABA immunoreactivity in cortico-thalamic networks of an absence seizure model.

Absence seizures (ASs) are associated with abnormalities in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission in the thalamus and the cortex. In the present study, we used light microscopy GABA immunocytochemistry to quantify the GABA-immunoreactive (GABA-IR) neurons and neuropil in the thalamic ventral basal (VB) nucleus, the nucleus reticularis thalami (NRT), the dorsal lateral geniculate (dLGN), the primary motor cortex (M1) and perioral region of the somatosensory cortex (S1po) of genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS). We used both the relative non-epileptic control (NEC) and normal Wistar rats as control strains, and investigated GABA immunostaining at postnatal day 15 (P15), P25, and P90.

Mice overexpressing lamin B1 in oligodendrocytes recapitulate the age-dependent motor signs, but not the early autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction of autosomal-dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD).

Autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD) is a rare adult-onset demyelinating disease caused by overexpression of lamin B1, a nuclear lamina filament. Early autonomic dysfunction involving the cardiovascular system before progressive somatic motor dysfunction is a striking feature of most cases of ADLD. In the Plp-FLAG-LMNB1 transgenic mouse model, lamin B1 overexpression in oligodendrocytes elicits somatic motor dysfunction and neuropathology akin to ADLD.

Proteinase-activated receptor 2 distribution and expression in equine small intestine tracts following herniation through the epiploic foramen.

Proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor for trypsin and mast cell tryptase; it is highly expressed at the intestinal level with multiple functions, such as epithelial permeability and intestinal motility. The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution and expression of proteinase-activated receptor 2 in the small intestine during herniation through epiploic foramen. In this prospective clinical study, eight horses admitted for colic and which underwent exploratory laparotomy were considered.