A Steerable Microcatheter Effectively Worked in Tumor Embolization.

Objective: A Leonis Mova (LM; SB Kawasumi, Kanagawa, Japan), one of the steerable microcatheters, has a remote-controlled flexible catheter tip manipulated with a dial in the hand grip, which enables operators to overcome complicated branching in endovascular surgeries. We report a case of a pituitary tumor in which the LM worked effectively as a distal access catheter (DAC) in tumor embolization.

Case Presentation: A female patient in her 70s complained of bitemporal hemianopsia, and an MRI revealed a pituitary tumor that appeared hypervascular.

Boosting neuronal activity-driven mitochondrial DNA transcription improves cognition in aged mice.

Deciphering the complex interplay between neuronal activity and mitochondrial function is pivotal in understanding brain aging, a multifaceted process marked by declines in synaptic function and mitochondrial performance. Here, we identified an age-dependent coupling between neuronal and synaptic excitation and mitochondrial DNA transcription (E-TC), which operates differently compared to classic excitation-transcription coupling in the nucleus (E-TC). We demonstrated that E-TC repurposes molecules traditionally associated with E-TC to regulate mitochondrial DNA expression in areas closely linked to synaptic activation.

Prediagnostic Phase of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in a Longitudinal Epidemiological Study of Dementia and Aging: A Case Report.

A 63-year-old previously healthy man participated in a longitudinal epidemiologic study of dementia and aging. Although he initially showed no subjective symptoms and a normal motor function, verbal fluency test scores gradually declined, and progressive atrophy of the frontal lobes was observed on magnetic resonance imaging of the head. At 71 years old, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) was diagnosed after supranuclear gaze palsy, and gait disturbance developed.

Pharmacological target sites for restoration of age-associated deficits in NMDA receptor-mediated norepinephrine release in brain.

Aging affects virtually all organs of the body, but perhaps it has the most profound effects on the brain and its neurotransmitter systems, which influence a wide range of crucial functions, such as attention, focus, mood, neuroendocrine and autonomic functions, and sleep cycles. All of these essential functions, as well as fundamental cognitive processes such as memory, recall, and processing speed, utilize neuronal circuits that depend on neurotransmitter signaling between neurons. Glutamate (Glu), the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, is involved in most neuronal excitatory functions, including release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE).

Formation of long-term memory without short-term memory revealed by CaMKII inhibition.

Long-term memory (LTM) consolidation is thought to require the prior establishment of short-term memory (STM). Here we show that optogenetic or genetic CaMKII inhibition impairs STM for an inhibitory avoidance task at 1 h but not LTM at 1 day in mice. Similarly, cortico-amygdala synaptic potentiation was more sensitive to CaMKII inhibition at 1 h than at 1 day after training.

Dendritic, delayed, stochastic CaMKII activation in behavioural time scale plasticity.

Behavioural time scale plasticity (BTSP) is non-Hebbian plasticity induced by integrating presynaptic and postsynaptic components separated by a behaviourally relevant time scale (seconds). BTSP in hippocampal CA1 neurons underlies place cell formation. However, the molecular mechanisms that enable synapse-specific plasticity on a behavioural time scale are unknown.

Mass spectrometry identifies tau C-terminal phosphorylation cluster during neuronal hyperexcitation.

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders termed tauopathies. Pathological, aggregated forms of tau form neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), impairing its ability to stabilize microtubules and promoting neurotoxicity. Indeed, NFTs correlate with neuronal loss and cognitive impairment.

Treatment factors to suppress delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage based on VASOGRADE: multicenter cohort study.

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is one of the most important outcome determinants for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). VASOGRADE, which combines World Federation of Neurological Surgeons grade and modified Fisher grade, is a useful scale for predicting DCI after aSAH. However, no studies have investigated whether VASOGRADE influences the treatment options.

Three-dimensional Images Fusion Method Useful for Preoperative Simulation of Clipping Surgery for Cerebral Aneurysms.

This study aimed to introduce a three-dimensional (3D) images fusion method for preoperative simulation of aneurysm clipping. Consecutive unruptured aneurysm cases treated with surgical clipping from March 2021 to October 2023 were included. In all cases, preoperative images of plain computed tomography (CT), CT angiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, 3D heavily T2-weighted images, and 3D rotational angiography were acquired and transported into a commercial software (Ziostation2 Plus, Ziosoft, Inc.

Synaptically-targeted long non-coding RNA SLAMR promotes structural plasticity by increasing translation and CaMKII activity.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in maintaining cell homeostasis and function. However, it remains largely unknown whether and how neuronal activity impacts the transcriptional regulation of lncRNAs, or if this leads to synapse-related changes and contributes to the formation of long-term memories. Here, we report the identification of a lncRNA, SLAMR, which becomes enriched in CA1-hippocampal neurons upon contextual fear conditioning but not in CA3 neurons.

Functional imaging of nine distinct neuronal populations under a miniscope in freely behaving animals.

Head-mounted miniscopes have allowed for functional fluorescence imaging in freely moving animals. However, current capabilities of state-of-the-art technology can record only up to two, spectrally distinct fluorophores. This severely limits the number of cell types identifiable in a functional imaging experiment.

BDNF signaling requires Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 during structural synaptic plasticity.

Synaptic plasticity underlies learning and memory processes as well as contributes, in its aberrant form, to neuropsychiatric disorders. One of its major forms is structural long-term potentiation (sLTP), an activity-dependent growth of dendritic spines that harbor excitatory synapses. The process depends on the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and activation of its receptor, TrkB.

Meta-reinforcement learning via orbitofrontal cortex.

The meta-reinforcement learning (meta-RL) framework, which involves RL over multiple timescales, has been successful in training deep RL models that generalize to new environments. It has been hypothesized that the prefrontal cortex may mediate meta-RL in the brain, but the evidence is scarce. Here we show that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) mediates meta-RL.

Mapping of neuronal and glial primary cilia contactome and connectome in the human cerebral cortex.

Primary cilia act as antenna receivers of environmental signals and enable effective neuronal or glial responses. Disruption of their function is associated with circuit disorders. To understand the signals these cilia receive, we comprehensively mapped cilia's contacts within the human cortical connectome using serial-section EM reconstruction of a 1 mm cortical volume, spanning the entire cortical thickness.

β Adrenergic Receptor Autoantibodies and IgG Subclasses: Current Status and Unsolved Issues.

A wide range of anti-myocardial autoantibodies have been reported since the 1970s. Among them, autoantibodies against the β-adrenergic receptor (βAR-AAb) have been the most thoroughly investigated, especially in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). ΒAR-Aabs have agonist effects inducing desensitization of βAR, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and sustained calcium influx which lead to cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias.