Renovating the Barnes maze for mouse models of Dementia with STARR FIELD: A 4-day protocol that probes learning rate, retention and cognitive flexibility.

Land-based mazes that require spatial cues to identify the location of a hiding-place are a low-stress method to evaluate learning rate and memory retention in mice. One version, the Barnes maze, allows quantification of naturalistic exploratory behaviors not evident in water-based tasks. As the task relies on innate behaviors, it does not require overtraining, making it more feasible to examine early learning and non-memory executive functions that are characteristic of some non-amnestic dementias.

Molecular Ontology of the Nucleus of Solitary Tract.

The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) receives visceral information and regulates appetitive, digestive, and cardiorespiratory systems. Within the NTS, diverse processes operate in parallel to sustain life, but our understanding of their cellular composition is incomplete. Here, we integrate histologic and transcriptomic analysis to identify and compare molecular features that distinguish neurons in this brain region.

The Value of Second-look Ultrasound and Mammography for Assessment and Biopsy of MRI-detected Breast Lesions.

Rationale And Objectives: Suspicious lesions detected in multiparametric breast MRI can be further analyzed with second-look ultrasound (SLUS) and/or mammography. This study aims to assess the value of second-look imaging in selecting the appropriate biopsy method for different lesion characteristics.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2021 and December 2023, 212 women underwent contrast-enhanced multiparametric breast MRI at 3 Tesla.

Efferent projections of Nps-expressing neurons in the parabrachial region.

In the brain, connectivity determines function. Neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) relay diverse information to widespread brain regions, but the connections and functions of PB neurons that express Nps (neuropeptide S, NPS) remain mysterious. Here, we use Cre-dependent anterograde tracing and whole-brain analysis to map their output connections.

LXR Agonist T0901317's Hepatic Impact Overrules Its Atheroprotective Action in Macrophages, Driving Early Atherogenesis in Chow-Diet-Fed Male Apolipoprotein E Knockout Mice.

Preclinical studies regarding the potential of liver X receptor (LXR) agonists to inhibit macrophage foam cell formation and the development of atherosclerotic lesions are generally executed in mice fed with Western-type diets enriched in cholesterol and fat. Here, we investigated whether LXR agonism remains anti-atherogenic under dietary conditions with a low basal hepatic lipogenesis rate. Hereto, atherosclerosis-susceptible male apolipoprotein E knockout mice were fed a low-fat diet with or without 10 mg/kg/day LXR agonist T0901317 supplementation for 8 weeks.

Biomedical students' satisfaction with and engagement in laboratory e-learning support are related to their self-regulation.

Laboratory e-learning support tools can assist students' learning while preparing for laboratory classes. To successfully work in such virtual experimental environments (VEEs) outside class, students require self-regulated learning (SRL) skills. A deeper understanding of the continuous reciprocal interactions between SRL, satisfaction, and online engagement is needed to develop more effective online learning experiences.

Alpha-Synuclein Pre-Formed Fibrils Injected into Prefrontal Cortex Primarily Spread to Cortical and Subcortical Structures.

Background: Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are characterized by diffuse spread of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) throughout the brain. Patients with PDD and DLB have a neuropsychological pattern of deficits that include executive dysfunction, such as abnormalities in planning, timing, working memory, and behavioral flexibility. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a major role in normal executive function and often develops α-syn aggregates in DLB and PDD.

Efferent projections of -expressing neurons in the parabrachial region.

In the brain, connectivity determines function. Neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) relay diverse information to widespread brain regions, but the connections and functions of PB neurons that express (neuropeptide S) remain mysterious. Here, we use Cre-dependent anterograde tracing and whole-brain analysis to map their output connections.

Sodium appetite and thirst do not require angiotensinogen production in astrocytes or hepatocytes.

In addition to its renal and cardiovascular functions, angiotensin signalling is thought to be responsible for the increases in salt and water intake caused by hypovolaemia. However, it remains unclear whether these behaviours require angiotensin production in the brain or liver. Here, we use in situ hybridization to identify tissue-specific expression of the genes required for producing angiotensin peptides, and then use conditional genetic deletion of the angiotensinogen gene (Agt) to test whether production in the brain or liver is necessary for sodium appetite and thirst.

Randomized controlled study of pain education in patients receiving radiotherapy for painful bone metastases.

Background: Although short-course radiotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with painful bone metastases, pain is not always sufficiently controlled. We therefore investigated the additional effect of a nurse-led pain education program on pain control and quality of life (QoL).

Patients And Methods: In this multicenter study, patients with solid tumor bone metastases and a worst pain intensity of ≥5 on a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) were randomized between care as usual (control-group) and care as usual plus the Pain Education Program (PEP-group).

Sustained, Effortless Weight Loss after Damage to the Left Frontoinsular Cortex: A Case Report.

This case report highlights a possible consequence of damage to the left frontoinsular region. A 53-year-old woman with chronic obesity and headaches presented with seizure, leading to the discovery and resection of a large sphenoid wing meningioma. Postoperative brain imaging revealed loss of the left frontoinsular cortex and portions of the underlying white matter, claustrum, and striatum.

Alpha-synuclein pre-formed fibrils injected into prefrontal cortex primarily spread to cortical and subcortical structures and lead to isolated behavioral symptoms.

Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are characterized by diffuse spread of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) throughout the brain. Patients with PDD and DLB have a neuropsychological pattern of deficits that include executive dysfunction, such as abnormalities in planning, timing, working memory, and behavioral flexibility. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a major role in normal executive function and often develops α-syn aggregates in DLB and PDD.

Parabrachial-insular stimulation does not wake mice.

The parabrachial nucleus (PB) in the upper brainstem receives interoceptive information and sends a massive output projection directly to the cerebral cortex. Its glutamatergic axons primarily target the midinsular cortex, and we have proposed that this PB-insular projection promotes arousal. Here, we test whether stimulating this projection causes wakefulness.

2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin Treatment Does Not Induce Atherosclerotic Lesion Regression in Western-Type Diet-Fed Apolipoprotein E Knockout Mice.

2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (2HPβCD) is able to bind and solubilize unesterified cholesterol and may therefore be able to reverse the deposition of cholesterol in macrophages within the aortic vessel wall, a hallmark of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, conflicting results regarding the potential of 2HPβCD to induce regression of established atherosclerotic lesions have been described. In the current study, we therefore also investigated the ability of 2HPβCD to stimulate cholesterol removal from macrophage foam cells in vitro and induce the regression of established atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E knockout (APOE KO) mice.

Neuropeptide S (NPS) neurons: Parabrachial identity and novel distributions.

Neuropeptide S (NPS) increases wakefulness. A small number of neurons in the brainstem express Nps. These neurons are located in or near the parabrachial nucleus (PB), but we know very little about their ontogeny, connectivity, and function.

A Century Searching for the Neurons Necessary for Wakefulness.

Wakefulness is necessary for consciousness, and impaired wakefulness is a symptom of many diseases. The neural circuits that maintain wakefulness remain incompletely understood, as do the mechanisms of impaired consciousness in many patients. In contrast to the influential concept of a diffuse "reticular activating system," the past century of neuroscience research has identified a focal region of the upper brainstem that, when damaged, causes coma.

BoutonNet: an automatic method to detect anterogradely labeled presynaptic boutons in brain tissue sections.

Neurons emit axons, which form synapses, the fundamental unit of the nervous system. Neuroscientists use genetic anterograde tracing methods to label the synaptic output of specific neuronal subpopulations, but the resulting data sets are too large for manual analysis, and current automated methods have significant limitations in cost and quality. In this paper, we describe a pipeline optimized to identify anterogradely labeled presynaptic boutons in brain tissue sections.

Right Tegmental Hemorrhage with Urinary Retention: A Case Report.

The upper brainstem tegmentum is dense and complex, making it difficult to localize functions to specific subregions. In particular, the precise location and possible laterality of subregions supporting basic functions like consciousness and urinary continence remain unclear. Here, we describe a patient who presented with a right pontine tegmental syndrome caused by intraparenchymal hemorrhage.

Molecular ontology of the parabrachial nucleus.

Diverse neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) communicate with widespread brain regions. Despite evidence linking them to a variety of homeostatic functions, it remains difficult to determine which PB neurons influence which functions because their subpopulations intermingle extensively. An improved framework for identifying these intermingled subpopulations would help advance our understanding of neural circuit functions linked to this region.

Neuroanatomical organization and functional roles of PVN MC4R pathways in physiological and behavioral regulations.

Objective: The paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN), an integrative center in the brain, orchestrates a wide range of physiological and behavioral responses. While the PVN melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) signaling (PVN) is involved in feeding regulation, the neuroanatomical organization of PVN connectivity and its role in other physiological regulations are incompletely understood. Here we aimed to better characterize the input-output organization of PVN neurons and test their physiological functions beyond feeding.

Hematopoietic upstream stimulating factor 1 deficiency is associated with increased atherosclerosis susceptibility in LDL receptor knockout mice.

Total body upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF1) deficiency in mice is associated with brown adipose tissue activation and a marked protection against the development of obesity and atherosclerotic lesions. Functional expression of USF1 has also been detected in monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. In the current study we therefore tested whether selective hematopoietic USF1 deficiency can also beneficially impact the development of atherosclerosis.

Efferent projections of CGRP/Calca-expressing parabrachial neurons in mice.

The parabrachial nucleus (PB) is composed of glutamatergic neurons at the midbrain-hindbrain junction. These neurons form many subpopulations, one of which expresses Calca, which encodes the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This Calca-expressing subpopulation has been implicated in a variety of homeostatic functions, but the overall distribution of Calca-expressing neurons in this region remains unclear.

Despite increasing aldosterone, elevated potassium is not necessary for activating aldosterone-sensitive HSD2 neurons or sodium appetite.

Restricting dietary sodium promotes sodium appetite in rats. Prolonged sodium restriction increases plasma potassium (pK), and elevated pK is largely responsible for a concurrent increase in aldosterone, which helps promote sodium appetite. In addition to increasing aldosterone, we hypothesized that elevated potassium directly influences the brain to promote sodium appetite.