White matter and latency of visual evoked potentials during maturation: A miniature pig model of adolescent development.

Background: Continuous myelination of cerebral white matter (WM) during adolescence overlaps with the formation of higher cognitive skills and the onset of many neuropsychiatric disorders. We developed a miniature-pig model of adolescent brain development for neuroimaging and neurophysiological assessment during this critical period. Minipigs have gyroencephalic brains with a large cerebral WM compartment and a well-defined adolescence period.

Benefits of a health advocacy intervention intended to improve self-efficacy for self-care in residents of a homeless shelter.

Despite a great need for healthcare, unhoused individuals encounter significant barriers to utilizing public healthcare systems. Given the inequities in access to healthcare, accompanied by disabilities and health risks associated with homelessness, self-efficacy for self-care is particularly critical. As a primary purpose of this article, we describe a self-care intervention (Health Advocacy Behavioral Activation), which was implemented within a long-standing participatory community action research project for homeless shelters, and report evidence of the intervention's effectiveness in enhancing self-efficacy for self-care.

Experimenters' sex modulates mouse behaviors and neural responses to ketamine via corticotropin releasing factor.

We show that the sex of human experimenters affects mouse behaviors and responses following administration of the rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine and its bioactive metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine. Mice showed aversion to the scent of male experimenters, preference for the scent of female experimenters and increased stress susceptibility when handled by male experimenters. This human-male-scent-induced aversion and stress susceptibility was mediated by the activation of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons in the entorhinal cortex that project to hippocampal area CA1.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibition and N-arachidonoylethanolamine modulation by isoflavonoids: A novel target for upcoming antidepressants.

Modulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a novel putative target for therapeutic intervention in depressive disorders. Altering concentrations of one of the principal endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoylethanolamine, also known as anandamide (AEA) can affect depressive-like behaviors through several mechanisms including anti-inflammatory, hormonal, and neural circuit alterations. Recently, isoflavonoids, a class of plant-derived compounds, have been of therapeutic interest given their ability to modulate the metabolism of the endogenous ligands of the ECS.

Association of complement component 4 with neuroimmune abnormalities in the subventricular zone in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

An early inflammatory insult is the most recognized risk factor associated with neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, even more so than genetic variants. Notably, complement component 4 (C4), a molecule involved in inflammatory responses, has been strongly associated with schizophrenia (SZ) and its role in other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism (ASD), is an area of active investigation. However, while C4 in SZ has been implicated in the context of synaptic pruning, little is known about its neuroinflammatory role.

Adherence to Long-Term Follow-up in Patients With Sporadic Vestibular Schwannomas Managed With Serial Observation.

Objectives: To examine the long-term adherence to serial imaging of patients with sporadic vestibular schwannoma and analyze factors associated with being lost to follow-up.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review with telephone interview.

Setting: Single tertiary care center.

Hydroxynorketamines: Pharmacology and Potential Therapeutic Applications.

Hydroxynorketamines (HNKs) are formed in vivo after (,)-ketamine (ketamine) administration. The 12 HNK stereoisomers are distinguished by the position of cyclohexyl ring hydroxylation (at the 4, 5, or 6 position) and their unique stereochemistry at two stereocenters. Although HNKs were initially classified as inactive metabolites because of their lack of anesthetic effects, more recent studies have begun to reveal their biologic activities.

Childhood maltreatment and resource acquisition in African American women: The role of self-esteem.

Objective: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a public health crisis that results in negative physical, mental health, and psychosocial (e.g., resource attainment) outcomes.

Massive Splenomegaly and Pancytopenia: It's a Hairy Situation.

A 33-year-old previously healthy Middle Eastern male presented to the emergency department with four weeks of progressively worsening fatigue, dyspnea on exertion, night sweats, and a 10-pound weight loss after suffering a self-limiting viral upper respiratory illness. He was found to be profoundly anemic and thrombocytopenic with normal white blood cell count with a lymphocytic predominance. His anemia was refractory to red blood cell transfusions, to which he developed hyperbilirubinemia.

Long-term persistence of infectious Zika virus: Inflammation and behavioral sequela in mice.

The neurodevelopmental defects associated with ZIKV infections early in pregnancy are well documented, however the potential defects and long-term consequences associated with milder infections in late pregnancy and perinatal period are less well understood. To model these, we challenged 1 day old (P1) immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice with ZIKV. The animals developed a transient neurological syndrome including unsteady gait, kinetic tremors, severe ataxia and seizures 10-15 days post-infection (dpi) but symptoms subsided after a week, and most animals survived.

Time and frequency dependent changes in resting state EEG functional connectivity following lipopolysaccharide challenge in rats.

Research has shown that inflammatory processes affect brain function and behavior through several neuroimmune pathways. However, high order brain functions affected by inflammation largely remain to be defined. Resting state functional connectivity of synchronized oscillatory activity is a valid approach to understand network processing and high order brain function under different experimental conditions.

Maternal immune activation in rats blunts brain cytokine and kynurenine pathway responses to a second immune challenge in early adulthood.

Maternal immune activation (MIA) with the viral mimic poly I:C provides an established rodent model for studying schizophrenia (SZ) and other human neurodevelopmental disorders. Postnatal infections are additional risk factors in SZ and may cumulatively contribute to the emergence of pathophysiology. Underlying mechanisms may involve metabolites of the kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation, which is readily induced by inflammatory stimuli.

CD8 T cells promote cytokine responses to stress.

Psychological stress is known to have profound effects on immune function and to promote inflammatory conditions. Elevated circulating levels of cytokines associated with stress are known to increase the risk to several diseases, but little is known about this mechanism. This study assessed the role of T cells on cytokine levels after exposure to stress in the learned helplessness paradigm.

Neonatal adoptive transfer of lymphocytes rescues social behaviour during adolescence in immune-deficient mice.

Accumulating evidence has shown that lymphocytes modulate behaviour and cognition by direct interactions with the central nervous system. Studies have shown that reconstitution by adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from wild type into immune-deficient mice restores a number of neurobehavioural deficits observed in these models. Moreover, it has been shown that these effects are mostly mediated by T lymphocytes.

Quantitative Analysis of Kynurenine Aminotransferase II in the Adult Rat Brain Reveals High Expression in Proliferative Zones and Corpus Callosum.

Kynurenic acid, a metabolite of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation, acts as an endogenous antagonist of alpha7 nicotinic and NMDA receptors and is implicated in a number of neurophysiological and neuropathological processes including cognition and neurodegenerative events. Therefore, kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II/AADAT), the enzyme responsible for the formation of the majority of neuroactive kynurenic acid in the brain, has prompted significant interest. Using immunohistochemistry, this enzyme was localized primarily in astrocytes throughout the adult rat brain, but detailed neuroanatomical studies are lacking.

Reduced kynurenine pathway metabolism and cytokine expression in the prefrontal cortex of depressed individuals.

Background: Neuroinflammatory processes are increasingly believed to participate in the pathophysiology of a number of major psychiatric diseases, including depression. Immune activation stimulates the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan to kynurenine, leading to the formation of neuroactive metabolites, such as quinolinic acid and kynurenic acid. These compounds affect glutamatergic neurotransmission, which plays a prominent role in depressive pathology.

CD4(+) T cells confer anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects, but enhance fear memory processes in Rag2(-/-) mice.

Accumulating evidence supports a role of T cells in behavioral stress responsiveness. Our laboratory previously reported that lymphocyte deficient Rag2(-/-) mice on a BALB/c background display resilience to maladaptive stress responses when compared with immune competent mice in the predator odor exposure (POE) paradigm, while exhibiting similar behavior in a cued fear-conditioning (FC) paradigm. In the present study, Rag2(-/-) mice on a C57BL/6 background were assessed in the same behavioral paradigms, as well as additional tests of anxiety and depressive-like behavior.

Expansion of brain T cells in homeostatic conditions in lymphopenic Rag2(-/-) mice.

The concept of the brain as an immune privileged organ is rapidly evolving in light of new findings outlining the sophisticated relationship between the central nervous and the immune systems. The role of T cells in brain development and function, as well as modulation of behavior has been demonstrated by an increasing number of studies. Moreover, recent studies have redefined the existence of a brain lymphatic system and the presence of T cells in specific brain structures, such as the meninges and choroid plexus.

Dissociation between sickness behavior and emotionality during lipopolysaccharide challenge in lymphocyte deficient Rag2(-/-) mice.

Inflammatory diseases are highly associated with affective disorders including depression and anxiety. While the role of the innate immune system on emotionality has been extensively studied, the role of adaptive immunity is less understood. Considering that chronic inflammatory conditions are mediated largely by maladaptive lymphocyte function, the role of these cells on brain function and behavior during inflammation warrants investigation.

Immune status influences fear and anxiety responses in mice after acute stress exposure.

Significant evidence suggests that exposure to traumatic and/or acute stress in both mice and humans results in compromised immune function that in turn may affect associated brain processes. Additionally, recent studies in mouse models of immune deficiency have suggested that adaptive immunity may play a role during traumatic stress exposure and that impairments in lymphocyte function may contribute to increased susceptibility to various psychogenic stressors. However, rodent studies on the relationship between maladaptive stress responses and lymphocyte deficiency have been complicated by the fact that genetic manipulations in these models may also result in changes in CNS function due to the expression of targeted genes in tissues other than lymphocytes, including the brain.

The stanford anesthesia faculty teaching scholars program: summary of faculty development, projects, and outcomes.

Background: The Stanford Anesthesia Teaching Scholars Program was launched in 2007 to further pedagogic training of faculty and improve residency education.

Objectives: The goals of this article are to describe the program intervention and improvements made based on participant feedback, summarize the characteristics of the faculty enrolled and projects undertaken, and report on program outcomes tracked to date.

Intervention: THE TEACHING SCHOLARS PROGRAM HOUSED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIA SUPPORTS FACULTY IN THESE AREAS: (1) attending education-related meetings; (2) engaging in a monthly seminar on core topics paired with independent study reading; and (3) undertaking a project to improve resident education.

Sleep alterations in an environmental neurotoxin-induced model of parkinsonism.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is classically defined as a motor disorder resulting from decreased dopamine production in the basal ganglia circuit. In an attempt to better diagnose and treat PD before the onset of severe motor dysfunction, recent attention has focused on the early, non-motor symptoms, which include but are not limited to sleep disorders such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and REM behavioral disorder (RBD). However, few animal models have been able to replicate both the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD.

Environmental neurotoxin-induced progressive model of parkinsonism in rats.

Objective: Exposure to a number of drugs, chemicals, or environmental factors can cause parkinsonism. Epidemiologic evidence supports a causal link between the consumption of flour made from the washed seeds of the plant Cycas micronesica by the Chamorro population of Guam and the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism dementia complex.

Methods: We now report that consumption of washed cycad flour pellets by Sprague-Dawley male rats induces progressive parkinsonism.