In utero exposure to maternal anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies alters brain vasculature and neural dynamics in male mouse offspring.

The fetal brain is constantly exposed to maternal IgG before the formation of an effective blood-brain barrier (BBB). Here, we studied the consequences of fetal brain exposure to an antibody to the astrocytic protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG) in mice. AQP4-IgG was cloned from a patient with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), an autoimmune disease that can affect women of childbearing age.

Design and Mechanism of (S)-3-Amino-4-(difluoromethylenyl)cyclopent-1-ene-1-carboxylic Acid, a Highly Potent γ-Aminobutyric Acid Aminotransferase Inactivator for the Treatment of Addiction.

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Inhibition of GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT), a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that degrades GABA, has been established as a possible strategy for the treatment of substance abuse. The raised GABA levels that occur as a consequence of this inhibition have been found to antagonize the rapid release of dopamine in the ventral striatum (nucleus accumbens) that follows an acute challenge by an addictive substance.

Levodopa-induced abnormal involuntary movements correlate with altered permeability of the blood-brain-barrier in the basal ganglia.

Chronic levodopa treatment leads to the appearance of dyskinesia in the majority of Parkinson's disease patients. Neurovascular dysregulation in putaminal and pallidal regions is thought to be an underlying feature of this complication of treatment. We used microPET to study unilaterally lesioned 6-hydroxydopamine rats that developed levodopa-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) after three weeks of drug treatment.

Imaging Sex Differences in Regional Brain Metabolism during Acute Opioid Withdrawal.

The rate of opioid overdose continues to rise, necessitating improved treatment options. Current therapeutic approaches rely on administration of either a blocking agent, such as naloxone, or chronic treatment with replacement drugs, including methadone and/or buprenorphine. Recent findings suggest that males and females respond to these treatments uniquely.

Sex Differences in Regional Brain Glucose Metabolism Following Opioid Withdrawal and Replacement.

Methadone and buprenorphine are currently the most common pharmacological treatments for opioid dependence. Interestingly, the clinical response to these drugs appears to be sex specific. That is, females exhibit superior therapeutic efficacy, defined as extended periods of abstinence and longer time to relapse, compared with males.

In vivo evaluation of IGF1R/IR PET ligand [F]BMS-754807 in rodents.

In vivo evaluation of [F]BMS-754807 binding in mice and rats using microPET and biodistribution methods is described herein. The radioligand shows consistent binding characteristics, in vivo, in both species. Early time frames of the microPET images and time activity curves of brain indicate poor penetration of the tracer across the blood brain barrier (BBB) in both species.

A Novel Strategy for Attenuating Opioid Withdrawal in Neonates.

The rate of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has drastically increased over the past decade. The average hospital expense per NAS patient has tripled, while the number of babies born to opioid-dependent mothers has increased to 5 in 1000 births. Current treatment options are limited to opioid replacement and tapering.

Dissociation of metabolic and hemodynamic levodopa responses in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model.

Dissociation of vasomotor and metabolic responses to levodopa has been observed in human subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) studied with PET and in autoradiograms from 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat. In both species, acute levodopa administration was associated with increases in basal ganglia cerebral blood flow (CBF) with concurrent reductions in cerebral metabolic rate (CMR) for glucose in the same brain regions. In this study, we used a novel dual-tracer microPET technique to measure CBF and CMR levodopa responses in the same animal.

18FDG-microPET and MR DTI findings in Tor1a+/- heterozygous knock-out mice.

TorsinA is an important protein in brain development, and plays a role in the regulation of neurite outgrowth and synaptic function. Patients with the most common form of genetic dystonia carry a mutation (DYT1) in one copy of the Tor1a gene, a 3-bp deletion, causing removal of a single glutamic acid from torsinA. Previous imaging studies have shown that abnormal cerebellar metabolism and damaged cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway contribute to the pathophysiology of DYT1 dystonia.

Overexpression of extracellular superoxide dismutase protects against brain injury induced by chronic hypoxia.

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is an isoform of SOD normally found both intra- and extra-cellularly and accounting for most SOD activity in blood vessels. Here we explored the role of EC-SOD in protecting against brain damage induced by chronic hypoxia. EC-SOD Transgenic mice, were exposed to hypoxia (FiO2.

Regional brain metabolism in a murine systemic lupus erythematosus model.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by multiorgan inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders (NPSLE), and anti-nuclear antibodies. We previously identified a subset of anti-DNA antibodies (DNRAb) cross-reactive with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, present in 30% to 40% of patients, able to enhance excitatory post-synaptic potentials and trigger neuronal apoptosis. DNRAb+ mice exhibit memory impairment or altered fear response, depending on whether the antibody penetrates the hippocampus or amygdala.

Overexpression of extracellular superoxide dismutase has a protective role against hyperoxia-induced brain injury in neonatal mice.

There is increasing evidence that hyperoxia, particularly at the time of birth, may result in neurological injury, in particular to the susceptible vasculature of these tissues. This study was aimed at determining whether overexpression of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is protective against brain injury induced by hyperoxia. Transgenic (TG) mice (with an extra copy of the human extracellular superoxide dismutase gene) and wild-type (WT) neonate mice were exposed to hyperoxia (95% of F(i) o(2) ) for 7 days after birth versus the control group in room air.

(1S, 3S)-3-amino-4-difluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic acid (CPP-115), a potent γ-aminobutyric acid aminotransferase inactivator for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Vigabatrin, a GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT) inactivator, is used to treat infantile spasms and refractory complex partial seizures and is in clinical trials to treat addiction. We evaluated a novel GABA-AT inactivator (1S, 3S)-3-amino-4-difluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic acid (CPP-115, compound 1) and observed that it does not exhibit other GABAergic or off-target activities and is rapidly and completely orally absorbed and eliminated. By use of in vivo microdialysis techniques in freely moving rats and microPET imaging techniques, 1 produced similar inhibition of cocaine-induced increases in extracellular dopamine and in synaptic dopamine in the nucleus accumbens at (1)/(300) to (1)/(600) the dose of vigabatrin.

Cerebellothalamocortical pathway abnormalities in torsinA DYT1 knock-in mice.

The factors that determine symptom penetrance in inherited disease are poorly understood. Increasingly, magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and PET are used to separate alterations in brain structure and function that are linked to disease symptomatology from those linked to gene carrier status. One example is DYT1 dystonia, a dominantly inherited movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions, postures, and/or involuntary movements.

PET imaging of thin objects: measuring the effects of positron range and partial-volume averaging in the leaf of Nicotiana tabacum.

Introduction: PET imaging in plants is receiving increased interest as a new strategy to measure plant responses to environmental stimuli and as a tool for phenotyping genetically engineered plants. PET imaging in plants, however, poses new challenges. In particular, the leaves of most plants are so thin that a large fraction of positrons emitted from PET isotopes ((18)F, (11)C, (13)N) escape while even state-of-the-art PET cameras have significant partial-volume errors for such thin objects.

Microglial ablation and lipopolysaccharide preconditioning affects pilocarpine-induced seizures in mice.

Activated microglia have been associated with neurodegeneration in patients and in animal models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), however their precise functions as neurotoxic or neuroprotective is a topic of significant investigation. To explore this, we examined the effects of pilocarpine-induced seizures in transgenic mice where microglia/macrophages were conditionally ablated. We found that unilateral ablation of microglia from the dorsal hippocampus did not alter acute seizure sensitivity.

Decreased serotonin levels associated with behavioral disinhibition in tissue plasminogen activator deficient (tPA-/-) mice.

Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) is a serine protease expressed in different areas of the mammalian brain. It has been used clinically to dissolve clots and shown to have a role in neurodegeneration. Early studies suggested that tPA plays an important role in the processes of learning and memory, demonstrated at the level of behavior and synaptic plasticity.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vigabatrin for the treatment of cocaine dependence in Mexican parolees.

Objective: Cocaine dependence is associated with severe medical, psychiatric, and social morbidity, but no pharmacotherapy is approved for its treatment in the United States. The atypical antiepileptic vigabatrin (gamma-vinyl gamma-aminobutyric acid [GABA]) has shown promise in animal studies and open-label trials. The purpose of the present study was to assess the efficacy of vigabatrin for short-term cocaine abstinence in cocaine-dependent individuals.

Cue-induced dopamine release predicts cocaine preference: positron emission tomography studies in freely moving rodents.

Positron emission tomography studies in drug-addicted patients have shown that exposure to drug-related cues increases striatal dopamine, which displaces binding of the D(2) ligand, [(11)C]-raclopride. However, it is not known if animals will also show cue-induced displacement of [(11)C]-raclopride binding. In this study, we use [(11)C]-raclopride imaging in awake rodents to capture cue-induced changes in dopamine release associated with the conditioned place preference model of drug craving.

Racemic gamma vinyl-GABA (R,S-GVG) blocks methamphetamine-triggered reinstatement of conditioned place preference.

Preventing relapse poses a significant challenge to the successful management of methamphetamine (METH) dependence. Although no effective medication currently exists for its treatment, racemic gamma vinyl-GABA (R,S-GVG, vigabatrin) shows enormous potential as it blocks both the neurochemical and behavioral effects of a variety of drugs, including METH, heroin, morphine, ethanol, nicotine, and cocaine. Using the reinstatement of a conditioned place preference (CPP) as an animal model of relapse, the present study specifically investigated the ability of an acute dose of R,S-GVG to block METH-triggered reinstatement of a METH-induced CPP.

Subchronic racemic gamma vinyl-GABA produces weight loss in Sprague Dawley and Zucker fatty rats.

Given the growing obesity epidemic, pressure to develop an effective pharmacologic treatment is mounting. Following the completion of a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial as well as two small open label trials, gamma vinyl-GABA (GVG) has been shown to be safe and effective for treating cocaine and/or methamphetamine dependence. In an extension of these findings, the present study examined whether GVG could produce weight loss in adolescent as well as genetically obese animals.

Imaging dopamine release with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and (11)C-raclopride in freely moving animals.

We investigated an imaging strategy that provides simultaneous measurements of radiotracer binding and behavior in awake, freely moving animals. In this strategy, animals are injected intravenously (i.v.

The effects of inhaled acetone on place conditioning in adolescent rats.

Introduction: Acetone is an ubiquitous ingredient in many household products (e.g., glue solvents, air fresheners, adhesives, nail polish, and paint) that is putatively abused; however, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that acetone alone has any abuse liability.

Gamma-vinyl GABA inhibits cocaine-triggered reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in rats by a non-dopaminergic mechanism.

Relapse to drug use is a core feature of addiction. Previous studies demonstrate that gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG), an irreversible GABA transaminase inhibitor, attenuates the acute rewarding effects of cocaine and other addictive drugs. We here report that systemic administration of GVG (25-300 mg/kg) dose-dependently inhibits cocaine- or sucrose-induced reinstatement of reward-seeking behavior in rats.