Long-Term Motor Cortical Electrical Stimulation Ameliorates 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Motor Dysfunctions and Exerts Neuroprotective Effects in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: Cortical electrical stimulation (CES) can modulate cortical excitability through a plasticity-like mechanism and is considered to have therapeutic potentials in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the precise therapeutic value of such approach for PD remains unclear. Accordingly, we adopted a PD rat model to determine the therapeutic effects of CES.

Early Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Exerts Neuroprotective Effects and Improves Motor Functions in Hemiparkinsonian Rats.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a popular noninvasive technique for modulating motor cortical plasticity and has therapeutic potential for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the therapeutic benefits and related mechanisms of rTMS in PD are still uncertain. Accordingly, preclinical animal research is helpful for enabling translational research to explore an effective therapeutic strategy and for better understanding the underlying mechanisms.

Cortical Electrical Stimulation Ameliorates Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Sensorimotor and Cognitive Deficits in Rats.

: Individuals with different severities of traumatic brain injury (TBI) often suffer long-lasting motor, sensory, neurological, or cognitive disturbances. To date, no neuromodulation-based therapies have been used to manage the functional deficits associated with TBI. Cortical electrical stimulation (CES) has been increasingly developed for modulating brain plasticity and is considered to have therapeutic potential in TBI.

Subsequent Acupuncture Reverses the Aftereffects of Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation.

Objective: This study explored whether acupuncture affects the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the acquisition of motor skills following repetitive sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT) training.

Methods: Thirty-six participants were recruited. The changes in the aftereffects induced by intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) and followed acupuncture were tested by the amplitude motor evoked potential (MEP) at pre-and-post-iTBS for 30 min and at acupuncture-in and -off for 30 min.

High Incidence of Axillary Web Syndrome among Breast Cancer Survivors after Breast Reconstruction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify if breast reconstruction is a surgical risk factor for axillary web syndrome (AWS) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Methods: The data of 207 patients who have been diagnosed with unilateral BC and who had mastectomy and lymph node dissection were retrospectively reviewed. Information of their clinical and pathological data, whether they had immediate -reconstruction and intraoperative radiotherapy, surgical methods, and postoperative complications during the 3 months after their surgery (AWS, lymphedema, seroma, and myofascial adhesion) were collected, and the incidence of AWS was compared between different surgical methods.

Early transcranial direct current stimulation treatment exerts neuroprotective effects on 6-OHDA-induced Parkinsonism in rats.

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proven to be able to modulate motor cortical plasticity might have potential as an alternative, adjunctive therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the efficacy of tDCS in PD is still uncertain. A disease animal model may be useful to clarify the existence of a treatment effect and to explore an effective therapeutic strategy using tDCS protocols.

Neuromodulatory Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Motor Excitability in Rats.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique for modulating neural plasticity and is considered to have therapeutic potential in neurological disorders. For the purpose of translational neuroscience research, a suitable animal model can be ideal for providing a stable condition for identifying mechanisms that can help to explore therapeutic strategies. Here, we developed a tDCS protocol for modulating motor excitability in anesthetized rats.

Timing of Acupuncture during LTP-Like Plasticity Induced by Paired-Associative Stimulation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the time-dependent effects of acupuncture on the excitability and long-term potentiation- (LTP-) like plasticity induced by paired-associative stimulation (PAS) over the primary motor cortex (M1). The present examination is the first to report the influence of acupuncture on the motor-evoked potential (MEP) throughout the treatment process, including baseline (before acupuncture), the needle in situ, and the needle removal. Subsequently, the LTP-like plasticity induced by paired-associative stimulation (PAS) was explored, which consisted of 200 pairs of electrical stimulation of the ulnar nerve at the first dorsal interosseous (FDI), followed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the bilateral M1.

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor does not act in the nucleus.

Mammalian members of the ErbB family, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), can regulate transcription, DNA replication and repair through nuclear entry of either the full-length proteins or their cleaved cytoplasmic domains. In cancer cells, these nuclear functions contribute to tumor progression and drug resistance. Here, we examined whether the single EGFR can also localize to the nucleus.

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Alpha7 Subunit Mediates Vagus Nerve Stimulation-Induced Neuroprotection in Acute Permanent Cerebral Ischemia by a7nAchR/JAK2 Pathway.

BACKGROUND The role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha7 subunit (a7nAchR) in the treatment of acute cerebral ischemia by VNS has not been thoroughly clarified to date. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the specific role of a7nAchR and explore whether this process is involved in the mechanisms of VNS-induced neuroprotection in rats undergoing permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (PMCAO) surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Rats received a7nAChR antagonist (A) or antagonist placebo injection for control (AC), followed by PMCAO and VNS treatment, whereas the a7nAChR agonist (P) was utilized singly without VNS treatment but only with PMCAO pretreatment.

Reduced local diffusion homogeneity as a biomarker for temporal lobe epilepsy.

In the present study, we adopted a novel method-local diffusion homogeneity (LDH)-to characterize the structure feature in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Diffusion-weighted images were acquired from 11 left MTLE patients, 16 right MTLE patients, and 20 healthy controls from May 2014 to January 2015. Local diffusion homogeneity was compared among patient groups and controls by 2 sample t test.

Drosophila Vps4 promotes Epidermal growth factor receptor signaling independently of its role in receptor degradation.

Endocytic trafficking of signaling receptors is an important mechanism for limiting signal duration. Components of the Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport (ESCRT), which target ubiquitylated receptors to intra-lumenal vesicles (ILVs) of multivesicular bodies, are thought to terminate signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and direct it for lysosomal degradation. In a genetic screen for mutations that affect Drosophila eye development, we identified an allele of Vacuolar protein sorting 4 (Vps4), which encodes an AAA ATPase that interacts with the ESCRT-III complex to drive the final step of ILV formation.

Acoustic signal characteristic detection by neurons in ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus in mice.

Under free field conditions, we used single unit extracellular recording to study the detection of acoustic signals by neurons in the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL) in Kunming mouse (Mus musculus). The results indicate two types of firing patterns in VNLL neurons: onset and sustained. The first spike latency (FSL) of onset neurons was shorter than that of sustained neurons.

[The role of the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus in sound signal processing and auditory ascending transmission].

The ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (VNLL) is an important nucleus in the central auditory pathway which connects the lower brainstem and the midbrain inferior colliculus (IC). Previous studies have demonstrated that neurons in the VNLL could respond to sound signal parameters. Frequency tuning curves (FTCs) of VNLL neurons are generally wider than FTCs of IC neurons, suggesting that the VNLL does not enhance abilities of frequency discrimination and coding.

Trafficking of the EGFR ligand Spitz regulates its signaling activity in polarized tissues.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands undergo a complex series of processing events during their maturation to active signaling proteins. Like its mammalian homologs, the predominant Drosophila EGFR ligand Spitz is produced as a transmembrane pro-protein. In the secretory pathway, Spitz is cleaved within its transmembrane domain to release the extracellular signaling domain.

Functional electrical stimulation increases neural stem/progenitor cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the subventricular zone of rats with stroke.

Background: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is known to promote the recovery of motor function in rats with ischemia and to upregulate the expression of growth factors which support brain neurogenesis. In this study, we investigated whether postischemic FES could improve functional outcomes and modulate neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) after focal cerebral ischemia.

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were randomly assigned to the control group, the placebo stimulation group, and the FES group.

[Aberrance analysis of mitochondrial DNA in a family with hereditary ataxia in Guangxi province].

Objective: To investigate the point mutations of mitochondrial DNA in the families with hereditary ataxia.

Methods: Polymerase chain reaction and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) were used to analyze the mitochondrial DNA extracted from human peripheral white blood cells from the families with HA and 35 normal controls. Sequencing was performed to search the point mutations in mitochondrial DNA of those subjects whose results of SSCP were abnormal.