The expression of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) is associated with aging-related cell death in the cortex but not in the hippocampus in the TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Recent evidence has suggested that Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated neuronal loss may occur via the caspase-independent route of programmed cell death (PCD) in addition to caspase-dependent mechanisms. However, the brain region specificity of caspase-independent PCD in AD-associated neurodegeneration is unknown. We therefore used the transgenic CRND8 (TgCRND8) AD mouse model to explore whether the apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), a key mediator of caspase-independent PCD, contributes to cell loss in selected brain regions in the course of aging.

βCTF-correlated burst of hippocampal TNFα occurs at a very early, pre-plaque stage in the TgCRND8 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) regulates neuronal excitability. We investigated whether alterations in the level of TNFα occur at a time point that precedes the reported seizure-associated hyperexcitability of hippocampal networks in pre-plaque models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Western blot and ELISA experiments indicated a significant increase in hippocampal TNFα expression in 1-month-old TgCRND8 mice that correlated with levels of the β-C-terminal fragment (βCTF) of amyloid-β protein precursor.

Immune marker CD68 correlates with cognitive impairment in normally aged rats.

The relationship between heightened neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in the normally aged brain is still debatable, as most data are derived from insult-related models. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to determine whether a link could be established for 2 immune markers at the post-transcriptional level; CD68 and MHC-II, in a normally aged (24-month-old) rat population discriminated for their learning abilities. Using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) task, aged rats were divided into aged learning-impaired (AI) or -unimpaired (AU) groups.

Possible involvement of transthyretin in hippocampal beta-amyloid burden and learning behaviors in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (TgCRND8).

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive memory loss, possibly triggered by the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides and the hyperphosphorylation of Tau neurofilament protein. Recent findings have shown that transthyretin (TTR) is a potent scavenger of Abeta peptide deposits, suggesting a possible neuroprotective role for TTR in neurodegenerative processes associated with amyloidogenesis, such as AD.

Methods: To investigate the relationship between TTR and Abeta deposition, we crossed mouse carrying a deletion of TTR (TTR(- or -)) with a transgenic mouse model of AD (TgCRND8), and Abeta burden and spatial learning capacities were evaluated at 4 and 6 months of age (exclusion of the 6 month-old TgCRND8/TTR(- or -) group due to low survival rate).

Evidence group I mGluR drugs modulate the activation profile of lipopolysaccharide-exposed microglia in culture.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) may play a role in modulating microglial activation, but group I mGluRs have received little attention. This study aimed to investigate the effects of group I mGluR selective ligands, (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine ((S)-3,5-DHPG) and (RS)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid (AIDA), in lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 ng/ml)-activated rat microglial cultures. (S)-3,5-DHPG (150 microM) significantly reduced (approximately 20-60%) the LPS-mediated production of nitrite (NO2(-)), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and L-glutamate (Glu) at 24 and 72 h.

Effects of lipopolysaccharide on glial phenotype and activity of glutamate transporters: Evidence for delayed up-regulation and redistribution of GLT-1.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are responsible for homeostasis of extracellular L-glutamate, and the glial transporters are functionally dominant. EAAT expression or function is altered in acute and chronic neurological conditions, but little is known about the regulation of EAATs in reactive astroglia found in such neuropathologies. These studies examined the effects of the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on glial EAATs in vitro.

Establishment of primary cultures of rat olfactory bulb under serum-free conditions for studies of cellular injury.

Olfactory dysfunction has been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease but, despite intense interest in the neurobiology of the olfactory bulb (OB), studies of neurodegenerative mechanisms have not been attempted in primary OB cultures. This study was aimed at developing a primary OB culture under serum-free conditions in order to investigate injury and excitotoxicity in vitro. Olfactory bulbs from rat pups were rapidly trypsinised and mechanically dissociated and the resultant single cell suspension was centrifuged through a high bovine serum albumin concentration gradient to reduce cellular debris before being seeded in multi-well culture plates.

Vampire bat salivary plasminogen activator (desmoteplase) inhibits tissue-type plasminogen activator-induced potentiation of excitotoxic injury.

Background And Purpose: In contrast to tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) salivary plasminogen activator (desmoteplase [DSPA]) does not promote excitotoxic injury when injected directly into the brain. We have compared the excitotoxic effects of intravenously delivered tPA and DSPA and determined whether DSPA can antagonize the neurotoxic and calcium enhancing effects of tPA.

Methods: The brain striatal region of wild-type c57 Black 6 mice was stereotaxically injected with N-methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA); 24 hour later, mice received an intravenous injection of tPA or DSPA (10 mg/kg) and lesion size was assessed after 24 hours.