Long-term modification of gut microbiota by broad-spectrum antibiotics improves stroke outcome in rats.

Background: The brain-gut axis is a major regulator of the central nervous system. We investigated the effects of treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics on gut and brain inflammation, infarct size and long-term behavioral outcome after cerebral ischemia in rats.

Methods: Rats were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics (ampicillin, vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, meropenem and metronidazole) for 4 weeks before the endothelin-1 induced ischemia.

Forced forelimb use following stroke enhances oligodendrogenesis and functional recovery in the rat.

Forced limb use, which forces the use of the impaired arm following stroke, improves functional recovery. The study was designed to investigate the mechanisms of recovery underlying forced impaired limbuse. Furthermore, forced unimpaired arm use was also performed in order to explore its effect on functional behavior.

Activation of GABAA receptors enhances the behavioral recovery but not axonal sprouting in ischemic rats.

Background: GABAA receptors modulate the behavioral recovery encountered in both experimental animals and patients with ischemic injury, possibly through promoting structural plasticity. We hypothesized that activation of GABAA receptors would regulate axonal growth, which in turn would improve the behavioral recovery in ischemic rats.

Objective: To investigate the effects of muscimol on axonal growth, synaptic plasticity and behavioral performance in rats after a focal ischemia induced by endothelin-1 (ET-1).

Does the Use of Antidepressants Accelerate the Disease Progress in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients With Depression? A Case Report and A Systematic Review.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by rapidly progressive dementia. Growing evidence suggests that antidepressant usage was associated with dementia. Given the commonality of depression in CJD, it is necessary to investigate the effect of antidepressants on CJD.

Targeting strategies for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: does gut microbiota play a role?

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a progressive, often irreversible condition that produces severe neurological deficits. Emerging data suggest that chemotherapy also exerts detrimental effects on gut microbiota composition and intestinal permeability, contributing to dysbiosis and inflammation. Compared with other complications associated with chemotherapy, such as diarrhoea and mucositis, CIPN is of particular concern because it is the most common reason for terminating or suspending treatment.