Photopharmacological modulation of hippocampal local field potential by caged-glutamate with MicroLED probe.

Aim: Photopharmacology is a new technique for modulating biological phenomena through the photoconversion of substances in a specific target region at precise times. Caged compounds are thought to be compatible with photopharmacology as uncaged ligands are released and function in a light irradiation-dependent manner. Here, we investigated whether a microscale light-emitting diode (MicroLED) probe is applicable for the photoconversion of caged-glutamate (caged-Glu) in vivo.

A novel micro-ECoG recording method for recording multisensory neural activity from the parietal to temporal cortices in mice.

Characterization of inter-regional interactions in brain is essential for understanding the mechanism relevant to normal brain function and neurological disease. The recently developed flexible micro (μ)-electrocorticography (μECoG) device is one prominent method used to examine large-scale cortical activity across multiple regions. The sheet-shaped μECoG electrodes arrays can be placed on a relatively wide area of cortical surface beneath the skull by inserting the device into the space between skull and brain.

MicroLED neural probe for effective in vivo optogenetic stimulation.

The MicroLED probe enables optogenetic control of neural activity in spatially separated brain regions. Understanding its heat generation characteristics is important. In this study, we investigated the temperature rise (ΔT) characteristics in the brain tissue using a MicroLED probe.

Ice nucleation activity in various tissues of Rhododendron flower buds: their relevance to extraorgan freezing.

Wintering flower buds of cold hardy Rhododendron japonicum cooled slowly to subfreezing temperatures are known to undergo extraorgan freezing, whose mechanisms remain obscure. We revisited this material to demonstrate why bud scales freeze first in spite of their lower water content, why florets remain deeply supercooled and how seasonal adaptive responses occur in regard to extraorgan freezing in flower buds. We determined ice nucleation activity (INA) of various flower bud tissues using a test tube-based assay.

mRNA expression of the Nurr1 and NGFI-B nuclear receptor families following acute and chronic administration of methamphetamine.

Nur-related 1 (Nurr1) and nerve growth factor inducible-B (NGFI-B) constitute closely related subgroups of the nuclear receptor superfamily. One to three hours after 4 mg/kg acute methamphetamine (METH) administration, the levels of Nurr1 mRNA were significantly higher in the prelimbic (PrL), primary motor (M1) and primary somatosensory (S1) cortices and ventral tegmental area (VTA), as compared with the basal level. Pretreatment with 0.

mRNA expression of activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (arc) in the amygdala-kindled rats.

Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (arc) is an immediate early gene (IEG) whose mRNA is targeted to dendrites of activated synapses. The present study investigated the expression of three IEGs, arc and two transcription factors (NGFI-B and Nurr 1), in regions of the brain of rats that were subjected to a single afterdischarge-inducing electrical stimulation of the left amygdala and in the amygdala-kindled rats that developed consecutive generalized seizures. One hour after a single stimulus was administered to non-kindled rats, mRNA levels of arc and Nurr1 increased significantly in the ipsilateral piriform cortex and medial amygdaloid nucleus.