Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are responsible for generating oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the CNS. Life-long myelination is promoted by neuronal activity and is essential for neural network plasticity and learning. OPCs are known to contact synapses and it is proposed that neuronal synaptic activity in turn regulates their behavior. To examine this in the adult, we performed unilateral injection of the synaptic blocker botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) into the hippocampus of adult mice. We confirm BoNT/A cleaves SNAP-25 in the CA1 are of the hippocampus, which has been proven to block neurotransmission. Notably, BoNT/A significantly decreased OPC density and caused their shrinkage, as determined by immunolabeling for the OPC marker NG2. Furthermore, BoNT/A resulted in an overall decrease in the number of OPC processes, as well as a decrease in their lengths and branching frequency. These data indicate that synaptic activity is important for maintaining adult OPC numbers and cellular integrity, which is relevant to pathophysiological scenarios characterized by dysregulation of synaptic activity, such as age-related cognitive decline, Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24856 | DOI Listing |
Neurobiol Dis
December 2024
Oscar Langendorff Institute of Physiology, University Medical Centre Rostock, Rostock, Germany. Electronic address:
Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting globus pallidus internus (GPi) is a recognised therapy for drug-refractory dystonia. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect are not fully understood. This study explores how pallidal DBS alters spatiotemporal pattern formation of neuronal dynamics within the cerebellar cortex in a dystonic animal model, the dt hamster.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuropharmacology
December 2024
Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton NY 13902, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton NY 13902, United States. Electronic address:
Individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are at a higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD). Using a rat model of moderate PAE (mPAE) on gestational day 12 (G12; ∼2 trimesters in humans), a critical period for amygdala development, we have shown disruptions in medial central amygdala (CeM) function, an important brain region associated with the development of AUD. In addition to this, acute ethanol (EtOH) increases GABA transmission in the CeM of rodents in a sex-dependent manner, a mechanism that potentially contributes to alcohol misuse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Lipid Res
December 2024
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Shunde Foshan), Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. Electronic address:
High-fat diet (HFD) -induced microglial activation contributes to hypothalamic inflammation and obesity, but the mechanisms linking microglia to structural changes remain unclear. This study explored the role of microglia in impairing hypothalamic synaptic plasticity in diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice and evaluated the therapeutic potential of semaglutide (Sema) and minocycline (MI). Six-week-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into low-fat diet (LFD) and HFD groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Photochem Photobiol B
December 2024
Center for Biomedical Photonics, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, PR China. Electronic address:
Cholesterol dysregulation, disorder of neuronal membrane lipid packing, and lipid rafts lead to the synthesis and accumulation of toxic amyloid-β (Aβ), contributing to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our study shows that near-infrared (NIR) transcranial photobiomodulation therapy (tPBMT) can reduce Aβ load and restore the properties of neuronal plasma membrane, including Aβ production, bilayer order, rafts, lipid content, and Ca channels during AD. Mice in the experiments were exposed to 808-nm LED for 1 h daily over 3 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosci
December 2024
Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
Excitatory synapses and the actin-rich dendritic spines on which they reside are indispensable for information processing and storage in the brain. In the adult hippocampus, excitatory synapses must balance plasticity and stability to support learning and memory. However, the mechanisms governing this balance remain poorly understood.
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