Glutathione depletion: Starting point of brain metabolic stress, neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in rats.

Glutathione provides protection from oxidative stress-induced damage through the reduction of reactive oxygen species for the maintenance of oxidant homeostasis. Our purpose was to test the effects of depleting tissue GSH by buthionine sulfoximine on brain oxidative metabolism and cognitive performance in rats. Glutathione depletion induced a compensatory response on antioxidant enzymes and increase of cell damage indicators in all the examined cerebral areas at 24h.

Hippocampal neurotrophins after stimulation of the basolateral amygdala, and memory improvement in lesioned rats.

Purpose: To investigate a possible role of neurotrophins in the memory improving effect of stimulating the basolateral amygdala.

Methods: The BDNF and NGF levels were measured in the hippocampus of fimbria-fornix lesioned male rats after four days of training in the water maze and stimulation of the basolateral amygdala.

Results: The behavioral results confirm that daily post-training stimulation of the amygdala improves the learning abilities of the lesioned animals.

A neurofunctional evaluation strategy for presurgical selection of temporal lobe epilepsy patients.

Introduction Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the prototype of a surgically correctable syndrome. Successful surgical outcomes depend on a thorough presurgical evaluation aimed primarily at identifying the epileptogenic zone. Objective Describe the noninvasive presurgical selection and evaluation strategy for TLE patients introduced at the International Neurological Restoration Center (CIREN) in Havana, Cuba, and evaluated between 2001 and 2006 for its accuracy in identifying candidates for non-lesional resection surgery.

Oxidative stress markers in surgically treated patients with refractory epilepsy.

Objectives: This study examines the redox status of drug-resistant epileptic patients and how it is modified after surgical treatment.

Design And Methods: The activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase), and markers of damage to biomolecules (malondialdehyde and advanced oxidation protein products) were determined by spectrophotometric methods in the serum of 9 drug-resistant epileptic patients, before and at different times after surgery, and in 32 control subjects.

Results: Pre-surgery, epileptic patients presented increases in markers of oxidative damage and alterations in the activities of antioxidant enzymes.