Taurine Neuroprotection and Neurogenesis Effect in Chronic Ethanol-Induced Rats.

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a non-protein β-amino acid essential for cellular homeostasis, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties that are crucial for life maintenance. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine administration on hippocampal neurogenesis, neuronal preservation, or reverse damage in rats exposed to forced ethanol consumption in an animal model. Wistar rats were treated with ethanol (EtOH) for a 28-day period (5% in the 1st week, 10% in the 2nd week, and 20% in the 3rd and 4th weeks).

Impact of neonatal anoxia and hypothermic treatment on development and memory of rats.

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is well established as a standard treatment for term and near-term infants. However, therapeutic effects of hypothermia following neonatal anoxia in very premature babies remains inconclusive. The present rodent model of preterm neonatal anoxia has been shown to alter developmental milestones and hippocampal neurogenesis, and to disrupt spatial learning and memory in adulthood.

Ethanol intake-induced apoptosis in glial cells and axonal disorders in the cerebellar white matter of UChA rats (voluntary ethanol consumers).

Ethanol intake may cause alterations in cellular metabolism altering motricity, learning and cognition. The cerebellum is one of the most susceptible organs to ethanol-related disorders during development, and is associated with oxidative stress-induced apoptosis being crucial for pathogenic consequences. The UChA variety is a special strain of Wistar rat genetically selected and represents a rare model for the studies related to genetic, biochemical, physiological, nutritional, and pharmacological effects of ethanol.

The effects of acute and chronic administration of phosphatidylserine on cell proliferation and survival in the dentate gyrus of adult and middle-aged rats.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an acidic phospholipid that is widely used as an alternative and/or complementary treatment of cognitive impairments. We hypothesize that these changes may be attributable, at least in part, to alterations in hippocampal neurogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute and chronic PS administration on hippocampal cell proliferation and survival in adult (5 months old) and middle-aged (12 months old) male Wistar rats.

Apoptosis of Purkinje and granular cells of the cerebellum following chronic ethanol intake.

Ethanol alters motricity, learning, cognition, and cellular metabolism in the cerebellum. We evaluated the effect of ethanol on apoptosis in Golgi, Purkinje, and granule cells of the cerebellum in adult rats. There were two groups of 20 rats: a control group that did not consume ethanol and an experimental group of UChA rats that consumed ethanol at 10% (<2 g ethanol/kg body weight/day).

Modulatory role of serotonin on feeding behavior.

The appearance, the odor, and the flavor of foods, all send messages to the encephalic area of the brain. The hypothalamus, in particular, plays a key role in the mechanisms that control the feeding behavior. These signals modulate the expression and the action of anorexigenic or orexigenic substances that influence feeding behavior.

Patterns of fos activation in rat raphe nuclei during feeding behavior.

To analyze the differential recruitment of the raphe nuclei during different phases of feeding behavior, rats were subjected to a food restriction schedule (food for 2 h/day, during 15 days). The animals were submitted to different feeding conditions, constituting the experimental groups: search for food (MFS), food ingestion (MFI), satiety (MFSa) and food restriction control (MFC). A baseline condition (BC) group was included as further control.