Exploring feasibility of fNIRS to assess delayed inhibition effect of prefrontal cortex for acute stress by acupuncture on GV20: a pilot study.

Introduction: Acupuncture on the acupuncture point GV20 has been considered effective for managing psychoneurological disorders since ancient times, and GV20 is now regularly used to treat stress-related diseases (SRDs), including psychoneurological disorders. Although reports indicating that acupuncture stimulation of GV20 alone regulates cerebral blood flow (CBF) in brain regions associated with SRDs have been scattered, from the perspective of the need for earlier action, the effects on subjective stress as self-reported in the stress state of healthy individuals and CBF changes in related prefrontal cortex (PFC) subregions, which is based as underlying mechanism, remain unclear. Therefore, there is a need to explore effective methods for analyzing such effects.

GLP-1 receptor signaling restores aquaporin 4 subcellular polarization in reactive astrocytes and promotes amyloid β clearance in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

The physiological actions of a gut hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain remain poorly understood, although GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) expression in this organ has been shown in several experimental studies. Therefore, we explored whether the GLP-1R signaling promotes the clearance of amyloid β (Aβ) (1-42) which is a core pathological hallmark of AD, focusing on the water channel protein aquaporin 4 (AQP4) localized to astrocyte endfeet perivascular membranes in intact brain. First, we confirmed that Glp1r mRNA is predominantly expressed at perivascular site of astrocytes in normal mouse cerebral cortex through in situ hybridization analysis.

Cosmc regulates O-glycan extension in murine hepatocytes.

Hepatocytes synthesize a vast number of glycoproteins found in their membranes and secretions, many of which contain O-glycans linked to Ser/Thr residues. As the functions and distribution of O-glycans on hepatocyte-derived membrane glycoproteins and blood glycoproteins are not well understood, we generated mice with a targeted deletion of Cosmc (C1Galt1c1) in hepatocytes. Liver glycoproteins in WT mice express typical sialylated core 1 O-glycans (T antigen/CD176) (Galβ1-3GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr), whereas the Cosmc knockout hepatocytes (HEP-Cosmc-KO) lack extended O-glycans and express the Tn antigen (CD175) (GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr).

Involvement of D1 dopamine receptor in the nucleus of the solitary tract of rats in stress-induced hypertension and exercise.

Objective: Chronic stress can cause hypertension, whereas daily exercise promotes healthy well being through destressing. Although the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) is involved in the development of hypertension, the molecular and physiological mechanisms of stress and exercise remain unclear. In this study, we tested whether gene expression in the NTS is altered by stress and daily exercise and whether this is involved in cardiovascular regulation.