Testing a Psychological Intervention in Elite Athletes to Alleviate the Psychomotor Consequences of Doping: The Moderating Role of Personality.

This study aimed to evaluate a psychological intervention intended to reduce the psychomotor effects of doping. The research also examined how conscientiousness and emotional stability moderated the intervention's effectiveness. The intervention was developed based on the literature and included two components: biofeedback and mental imagery/rehearsal.

Cost-effective optimized method to process 3D tumoral spheroids in microwell arrays for immunohistochemistry analysis.

This study presents an improved method for obtaining spheroids microwell arrays for histological processing and analysis, focusing on glioblastoma (U87 MG) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) tumor models. By transitioning from traditional 2D cell cultures to 3D systems, this approach overcomes the limitations of 2D cultures by more accurately replicating the tumor microenvironment. The method consists of producing homotypic and heterotypic spheroids using low-adherence agarose-coated wells, embedding these spheroids in agarose microwell arrays, and conducting immunohistochemistry (IHC) to analyze cellular and molecular profiles.

Burst-Suppression EEG Reactivity to Photic Stimulation-A Translational Biomarker in Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury.

The reactivity of an electroencephalogram (EEG) to external stimuli is impaired in comatose patients showing burst-suppression (BS) patterns following hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI). We explored the reactivity of BS induced by isoflurane in rat models of HIBI and controls using intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) delivered to one eye. The relative time spent in suppression referred to as the suppression ratio (SR) was measured on the contralateral fronto-occipital cortical EEG channel.

Towards an electroencephalographic measure of awareness based on the reactivity of oscillatory macrostates to hearing a subject's own name.

We proposed that the brain's electrical activity is composed of a sequence of alternating states with repeating topographic spectral distributions on scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), referred to as oscillatory macrostates. The macrostate showing the largest decrease in the probability of occurrence, measured as a percentage (reactivity), during sensory stimulation was labelled as the default EEG macrostate (DEM). This study aimed to assess the influence of awareness on DEM reactivity (DER).

Oxytocin and vasopressin in the hippocampus.

Oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) are related neuropeptides that exert a wide range of effects on general health, homeostasis, development, reproduction, adaptability, cognition, social and nonsocial behaviors. The two peptides are mainly of hypothalamic origin and execute their peripheral and central physiological roles via OXT and AVP receptors, which are members of the G protein-coupled receptor family. These receptors, largely distributed in the body, are abundantly expressed in the hippocampus, a brain region particularly vulnerable to stress exposure and various lesions.

Taurine and Its Derivatives: Analysis of the Inhibitory Effect on Platelet Function and Their Antithrombotic Potential.

Taurine is a semi-essential, the most abundant free amino acid in the human body, with a six times higher concentration in platelets than any other amino acid. It is highly beneficial for the organism, has many therapeutic actions, and is currently approved for heart failure treatment in Japan. Taurine has been repeatedly reported to elicit an inhibitory action on platelet activation and aggregation, sustained by in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro animal and human studies.

A method to assess the default EEG macrostate and its reactivity to stimulation.

Objective: The default mode network (DMN) is deactivated by stimulation. We aimed to assess the DMN reactivity impairment by routine EEG recordings in stroke patients with impaired consciousness.

Methods: Binocular light flashes were delivered at 1 Hz in 1-minute epochs, following a 1-minute baseline (PRE).

Effects of Exogenous Androgens on Platelet Activity and Their Thrombogenic Potential in Supraphysiological Administration: A Literature Review.

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), simply called "androgens", represent the most widespread drugs used to enhance performance and appearance in a sporting environment. High-dosage and/or long-term AAS administration has been associated frequently with significant alterations in the cardiovascular system, some of these with severe endpoints. The induction of a prothrombotic state is probably the most life-threatening consequence, suggested by numerous case reports in AAS-abusing athletes, and by a considerable number of human and animal studies assessing the influence of exogenous androgens on hemostasis.

Reduced Interhemispheric Coherence in Cerebellar Kainic Acid-Induced Lateralized Dystonia.

The execution of voluntary muscular activity is controlled by the primary motor cortex, together with the cerebellum and basal ganglia. The synchronization of neural activity in the intracortical network is crucial for the regulation of movements. In certain motor diseases, such as dystonia, this synchrony can be altered in any node of the cerebello-cortical network.

Maternal Citicoline-Supplemented Diet Improves the Response of the Immature Hippocampus to Perinatal Asphyxia in Rats.

Background: Citicoline represents a dietary source of choline, an essential nutrient, and precursor of cell membrane components, highly required during development and post-injury recovery.

Objectives: We previously showed that perinatal asphyxia (PA) induces hippocampal neuroinflammation and injury that are subject to epigenetic change by maternal diet. The present study investigates maternal citicoline-supplemented diet (CSD) impact on offspring hippocampal response to PA.

The Anatomical and Functional Heterogeneity of the Mediodorsal Thalamus.

The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) represents just one piece of a complex relay structure situated within the brain, called the thalamus. MD is characterized by its robust interconnections with other brain areas, especially with limbic-related structures. Given the close anatomo-functional relationship between the MD and the limbic system, this particular thalamic nucleus can directly influence various affective behaviors and participate in cognition.

Reduced Interhemispheric Coherence after Cerebellar Vermis Output Perturbation.

Motor coordination and motor learning are well-known roles of the cerebellum. Recent evidence also supports the contribution of the cerebellum to the oscillatory activity of brain networks involved in a wide range of disorders. Kainate, a potent analog of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, can be used to induce dystonia, a neurological movement disorder syndrome consisting of sustained or repetitive involuntary muscle contractions, when applied on the surface of the cerebellum.

Melatonin's Impact on Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Reprogramming in Homeostasis and Disease.

There is a growing consensus that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of melatonin are of great importance in preserving the body functions and homeostasis, with great impact in the peripartum period and adult life. Melatonin promotes adaptation through allostasis and stands out as an endogenous, dietary, and therapeutic molecule with important health benefits. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of melatonin are intertwined and are exerted throughout pregnancy and later during development and aging.

Getting an Early Start in Understanding Perinatal Asphyxia Impact on the Cardiovascular System.

Perinatal asphyxia (PA) is a burdening pathology with high short-term mortality and severe long-term consequences. Its incidence, reaching as high as 10 cases per 1000 live births in the less developed countries, prompts the need for better awareness and prevention of cases at risk, together with management by easily applicable protocols. PA acts first and foremost on the nervous tissue, but also on the heart, by hypoxia and subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Neuronal Transmembrane Chloride Transport Has a Time-Dependent Influence on Survival of Hippocampal Cultures to Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation.

Neuronal ischemia results in chloride gradient alterations which impact the excitatory-inhibitory balance, volume regulation, and neuronal survival. Thus, the Na/K/Cl co-transporter (NKCC1), the K/ Cl co-transporter (KCC2), and the gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA) receptor may represent therapeutic targets in stroke, but a time-dependent effect on neuronal viability could influence the outcome. We, therefore, successively blocked NKCC1, KCC2, and GABA (with bumetanide, DIOA, and gabazine, respectively) or activated GABA (with isoguvacine) either during or after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD).

Electrical Stimulation in the Claustrum Area Induces a Deepening of Isoflurane Anesthesia in Rat.

The role of the claustrum in consciousness and vigilance states was proposed more than two decades ago; however, its role in anesthesia is not yet understood, and this requires more investigation. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of claustrum electrical stimulation during isoflurane anesthesia in adult rats. The claustrum in the left hemisphere was electrically stimulated using a bipolar tungsten electrode inserted stereotaxically.

Cone photoreceptor density in type I diabetic patients measured with an adaptive optics retinal camera.

To assess the variation in cone photoreceptor density on the basis of age compatibility between healthy subjects, on one side, and type 1 diabetic patients with no diabetic retinopathy, on the other. A high resolution adaptive optics retinal camera in flood illumination regime was employed to image cones of 15 and 16 healthy controls. For each subject we scanned the cone mosaic in 4 perifoveal areas (nasally, temporally, superiorly and inferiorly) at 2, 3 and 4 degrees eccentricity.

High-resolution imaging of diabetic retinopathy lesions using an adaptive optics retinal camera.

Adaptive optics (AO) imaging is a promising high-resolution investigation technique in ophthalmology that can bring new information about the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy. Seven patients previously diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy were investigated with optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning, OCT angiography, fundus photo, and AO retinal camera (rtx1TM, Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France). The red lesions on fundus photos appeared on AO imaging as hyporeflective lesions.

Ethanol exposed maturing rat cerebellar granule cells show impaired energy metabolism and increased cell death after oxygen-glucose deprivation.

Alcohol, a widely abused drug, has deleterious effects on the immature nervous system. This study investigates the effect of chronic in vitro ethanol exposure on the metabolism of immature rat cerebellar granular cells (CGCs) and on their response to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Primary CGC cultures were exposed to ethanol (100 mM in culture medium) or to control ethanol-free medium starting day one in vitro (DIV1).

Multicellular Crosstalk Between Exosomes and the Neurovascular Unit After Cerebral Ischemia. Therapeutic Implications.

Restorative strategies after stroke are focused on the remodeling of cerebral endothelial cells and brain parenchymal cells. The latter, i.e.

Maternal High-Fat Diet Modifies the Immature Hippocampus Vulnerability to Perinatal Asphyxia in Rats.

Background: High-fat diet (HFD) is a detrimental habit with harmful systemic consequences, including low-grade, long-lasting inflammation. During pregnancy, HFD can induce developmental changes. Moreover, HFD-related maternal obesity might enhance the risk of peripartum complications including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy secondary to perinatal asphyxia (PA).

Electrophysiologic evaluation of the visual pathway at different depths of sevoflurane anesthesia in diabetic rats.

Our study investigated the changes produced by diabetes on the visual pathway in a Wistar rat model. The impact of diabetes at 10 weeks after intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection was evaluated through electrophysiological methods like visual evoked potentials (VEP) and electroretinogram (ERG). VEP and ERG were recorded simultaneously under different sevoflurane anesthetic depths.

Effect of sevoflurane preconditioning on light-induced retinal damage in diabetic rats.

Hyperglycemia and bright light are powerful stress agents that produce an enhanced retinal damage, when simultaneously acting on retina. Previous studies have shown that preconditioning with sevoflurane anesthesia offers a certain degree of protection to retinal cells against light damage. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of sevoflurane anesthetic preconditioning on a model of light-induced retinal degeneration in diabetic rats.

ECoG spectrum changes at different xenon-isoflurane anaesthesia depths.

Background And Aims: The purpose of this study is to assess the frontal and parietal ECoG spectrum (gamma range) changes during isoflurane and combined xenon-isoflurane anaesthesia in rats.

Methods: Experiments were carried out on four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g). The anaesthesia was induced with isoflurane and maintained with isoflurane and a xenon-isoflurane mixture.

Trans-resveratrol enriched maternal diet protects the immature hippocampus from perinatal asphyxia in rats.

Trans-resveratrol (tRESV), a polyphenol with antioxidant properties, is common in many food sources, hence easily accessible for study as a maternal dietary supplement in perinatal asphyxia (PA). Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy secondary to PA affects especially vulnerable brain areas such as hippocampus and is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity. The purpose of this study is to identify new epigenetic mechanisms of brain inflammation and injury related to PA and to explore the benefit of tRESV enriched maternal diet.