Amphetamine manipulates monoamine oxidase-A level and behavior using theranostic aptamers of transcription factors AP-1/NF-kB.

Background: Monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes play a critical role in controlling the catabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters and biogenic trace amines and behavior in humans. However, the mechanisms that regulate MAO are unclear. Several transcription factor proteins are proposed to modulate the transcription of MAO gene, but evidence supporting these hypotheses is controversial.

Imaging rhodopsin degeneration in vivo in a new model of ocular ischemia in living mice.

Delivery of antibodies to monitor key biomarkers of retinopathy in vivo represents a significant challenge because living cells do not take up immunoglobulins to cellular antigens. We met this challenge by developing novel contrast agents for retinopathy, which we used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Biotinylated rabbit polyclonal to chick IgY (rIgPxcIgY) and phosphorylthioate-modified oligoDNA (sODN) with random sequence (bio-sODN-Ran) were conjugated with NeutrAvidin-activated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION).

Adenoassociated virus serotype 9-mediated gene therapy for x-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a devastating neurological disorder caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene that encodes a peroxisomal ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCD1) responsible for transport of CoA-activated very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) into the peroxisome for degradation. We used recombinant adenoassociated virus serotype 9 (rAAV9) vector for delivery of the human ABCD1 gene (ABCD1) to mouse central nervous system (CNS). In vitro, efficient delivery of ABCD1 gene was achieved in primary mixed brain glial cells from Abcd1-/- mice as well as X-ALD patient fibroblasts.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in hepatic encephalopathy: current status and perspectives.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome which develops in patients with severe liver diseases and/or portal-systemic shunting. Minimal HE, the earliest manifestation of HE, has drawn increasing attention in the last decade. Minimal HE is associated with a series of brain functional changes, such as attention, working memory, and so on.

Intracellular gene transcription factor protein-guided MRI by DNA aptamers in vivo.

The mechanisms by which transcription factor (TF) protein AP-1 modulates amphetamine's effects on gene transcription in living brains are unclear. We describe here the first part of our studies to investigate these mechanisms, specifically, our efforts to develop and validate aptamers containing the binding sequence of TF AP-1 (5ECdsAP1), in order to elucidate its mechanism of action in living brains. This AP-1-targeting aptamer, as well as a random sequence aptamer with no target (5ECdsRan) as a control, was partially phosphorothioate modified and tagged with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), gold, or fluorescein isothiothianate contrast agent for imaging.

Sodium sulfide prevents water diffusion abnormality in the brain and improves long term outcome after cardiac arrest in mice.

Aim Of The Study: Sudden cardiac arrest (CA) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Previously we demonstrated that administration of sodium sulfide (Na(2)S), a hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) donor, markedly improved the neurological outcome and survival rate at 24 h after CA and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in mice. In this study, we sought to elucidate the mechanism responsible for the neuroprotective effects of Na(2)S and its impact on the long-term survival after CA/CPR in mice.

Restoring cerebral dopamine homeostasis by electrical forepaw stimulation: an FMRI study.

Deviation of dopamine homeostasis is known to be associated with disorders like drug addiction and Parkinson's disease. As dopamine function is tightly regulated within the basal ganglia circuitry, cortical perturbation would lead to modulation of dopaminergic activity in the striatum. We proposed and tested if somatosensory activity such as forepaw stimulation could modulate dopaminergic function.

Prenatal L-DOPA exposure produces lasting changes in brain dopamine content, cocaine-induced dopamine release and cocaine conditioned place preference.

Dopamine, its receptors and transporter are present in the brain beginning from early in the embryonic period. Dopamine receptor activation can influence developmental events including neurogenesis, neuronal migration and differentiation raising the possibility that dopamine imbalance in the fetal brain can alter development of the brain and behavior. We examined whether elevated dopamine levels during gestation can produce persisting changes in brain dopamine content and dopamine-mediated behaviors.

Pharmacologic neuroimaging of the ontogeny of dopamine receptor function.

Characterization of the ontogeny of the cerebral dopaminergic system is crucial for gaining a greater understanding of normal brain development and its alterations in response to drugs of abuse or conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pharmacological MRI (phMRI) was used to determine the response to dopamine transporter (DAT) blockers cocaine and methylphenidate (MPH), the dopamine releaser D-amphetamine (AMPH), the selective D1 agonist dihydrexidine, and the D2/D3 agonist quinpirole in young (<30 days old) and adult (>60 days old) rats. In adult rats, cocaine (0.

Bioluminescence imaging of heme oxygenase-1 upregulation in the Gua Sha procedure.

Gua Sha is a traditional Chinese folk therapy that employs skin scraping to cause subcutaneous microvascular blood extravasation and bruises. The protocol for bioluminescent optical imaging of HO-1-luciferase transgenic mice reported in this manuscript provides a rapid in vivo assay of the upregulation of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene expression in response to the Gua Sha procedure. HO-1 has long been known to provide cytoprotection against oxidative stress.

Plasma and brain concentrations of oral therapeutic doses of methylphenidate and their impact on brain monoamine content in mice.

Methylphenidate is a frequently prescribed stimulant for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An important assumption in the animal models that have been employed to study methylphenidate's effects on the brain and behavior is that bioavailability of methylphenidate in the animal models reflects that in human subjects. From this perspective, the dose and route of administration of methylphenidate assume critical importance because both these factors likely influence rate of uptake, plasma and brain concentrations of the drug.

Dopaminergic response to graded dopamine concentration elicited by four amphetamine doses.

Unlabelled: We studied the metabolic responses to different DA concentrations elicited by four doses of D-amphetamine (AMPH, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.

Augmentation of cocaine-sensitized dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of adult mice following prenatal cocaine exposure.

Behavioral changes in adult mice after prenatal exposure to cocaine have been identified. Mice exposed to cocaine in utero (40 or 20 mg/kg/day) and controls were given a sensitizing cocaine regimen (15 mg/kg every other day x 7 doses), withdrawn for 21 days, and challenged with 15 mg/kg cocaine. In vivo microdialysis for dopamine (DA), serotonin, and their metabolites in awake behaving mice on the first, seventh and challenge doses showed increased cocaine-stimulated DA release in the nucleus accumbens, which was significantly enhanced after prenatal cocaine exposure.

Is microglial apoptosis an early pathogenic change in cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy?

Objective: Mutations in the X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) protein cause accumulation of unbranched saturated very-long-chain fatty acids, particularly in brain and adrenal cortex. In humans, the genetic defect causes progressive inflammatory demyelination in the brain, where very-long-chain fatty acids accumulate within phospholipid fractions such as lysophosphatidylcholine.

Methods: To address mechanisms of inflammation, we studied microglial activation in human ALD (10 autopsies) and lysophosphatidylcholine (C24:0) injection into the parietal cortex of mice.

Inhibition of stimulated dopamine release and hemodynamic response in the brain through electrical stimulation of rat forepaw.

The subcortical response to peripheral somatosensory stimulation is not well studied. Prior literature suggests that somatosensory stimulation can affect dopaminergic tone. We studied the effects of electrical stimulation near the median nerve on the response to an amphetamine-induced increase in synaptic dopamine.

Noninvasive delivery of gene targeting probes to live brains for transcription MRI.

We aimed to test the feasibility of detecting gliosis in living brains when the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is disrupted. We designed a novel magnetic resonance (MR) probe that contains superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION, a T2 susceptibility contrast agent) linked to a short DNA sequence complementary to the cerebral mRNA of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) found in glia and astrocytes. As a control, we also used a sequence complementary to the mRNA of beta-actin.

Dopamine receptor activation modulates GABA neuron migration from the basal forebrain to the cerebral cortex.

GABA neurons of the cerebral cortex and other telencephalic structures are produced in the basal forebrain and migrate to their final destinations during the embryonic period. The embryonic basal forebrain is enriched in dopamine and its receptors, creating a favorable environment for dopamine to influence GABA neuron migration. However, whether dopamine receptor activation can influence GABA neuron migration is not known.

Preadolescent methylphenidate versus cocaine treatment differ in the expression of cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization during adolescence and adulthood.

Background: Methylphenidate (MPH), the most commonly prescribed medication for childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), shares chemical and mechanistic similarities to cocaine which has stimulated research to address the addiction liability following treatment.

Methods: Utilizing locomotor sensitization we examined the consequences of recurrent MPH versus cocaine treatment during preadolescence in altering cocaine-induced locomotor behavior in adolescent and adult mice. Black Swiss Webster mice were treated with MPH, cocaine, or saline during preadolescence.

Neuropathological consequences of prenatal cocaine exposure in the mouse.

We have developed an animal model in Swiss Webster mice to identify mechanisms by which prenatal exposure to cocaine results in persistent alterations in brain structure and function. Clinical data suggests that children who demonstrate the largest impairments in prenatal brain growth, which are positively correlated with the highest level of prenatal cocaine exposure, are more likely to demonstrate selective impairment in postnatal brain growth, as well as postnatal impairments in motor function, attention and language skills. We conducted neuroanatomic studies to identify the postnatal evolution of structural changes in the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex of the developing mouse brain following prenatal exposure to cocaine.

Developmental toxicity of cocaine exposure in mid-pregnancy mice.

Aim: To investigate the toxic effects of mid-pregnancy cocaine exposure on embryo-fetus.

Methods: A transplacental murine model of cocaine exposure on embryo-fetus mice was established, in which pregnant dams of comparable weight were assigned into three groups: cocaine with food ad lib (COC), saline and pair-fed with COC (SPF), and saline with food ad lib (SAL). From embryonic d 8 (E8) to E17, physiological variables of dams and offspring were recorded and concentrations of dopamine and serotonin in fetal striatum were examined.

Effects of pregnancy cocaine exposure on the mother and fetus: a murine model.

The aim of the experiments was to develop and characterize a murine model for investigating the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on the mother and fetus. Pregnant mice were separated into three groups: group 1 was treated with cocaine HCl at 10 mg/kg twice daily (COC); group 2 was treated with saline at 10 ml/kg twice daily (SAL); and group 3 was pair-fed with the COC dams and was injected with saline following the same schedule (SPF) from embryonic day (E) 8 to 17. We utilized high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector and electrochemical detector to test the concentrations of cocaine, dopamine and serotonin, as well as HE staining to observe morphological alterations of liver and placenta.