Objective: To investigate the degree of synaptic plasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients during acute relapses compared to stable MS patients and healthy controls (HCs) and to analyze its functional relevance.
Methods: Facilitatory quadripulse stimulation (QPS) was applied to the primary motor cortex in 18 acute relapsing and 18 stable MS patients, as well as 18 HCs. The degree of synaptic plasticity was measured by the change in motor evoked potential amplitude following QPS. Symptom recovery was assessed three months after relapse.
Results: Synaptic plasticity was induced in all groups. The degree of induced plasticity did not differ between acute relapsing patients, HCs, and stable MS patients. Plasticity was significantly higher in relapsing patients with motor disability compared to relapsing patients without motor disability. In most patients (n = 9, 50%) symptoms had at least partially recovered three months after the relapse, impeding meaningful analysis of the functional relevance of baseline synaptic plasticity.
Conclusions: QPS-induced synaptic plasticity is retained during acute MS relapses. Subgroup analyses suggest that stabilizing metaplastic mechanisms may be more important to prevent motor disability but its functional relevance needs to be verified in larger, longitudinal studies.
Significance: New insights into synaptic plasticity during MS relapses are provided.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2023.07.013 | DOI Listing |
Elife
January 2025
Department of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Dendrites are crucial for receiving information into neurons. Sensory experience affects the structure of these tree-like neurites, which, it is assumed, modifies neuronal function, yet the evidence is scarce, and the mechanisms are unknown. To study whether sensory experience affects dendritic morphology, we use the arborized nociceptor PVD neurons, under natural mechanical stimulation induced by physical contacts between individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPNAS Nexus
January 2025
Department of Mathematics, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom.
Understanding the relation between cortical neuronal network structure and neuronal activity is a fundamental unresolved question in neuroscience, with implications to our understanding of the mechanism by which neuronal networks evolve over time, spontaneously or under stimulation. It requires a method for inferring the structure and composition of a network from neuronal activities. Tracking the evolution of networks and their changing functionality will provide invaluable insight into the occurrence of plasticity and the underlying learning process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Neurobiol
January 2025
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Approaches of promoting a neural milieu permissive for plasticity and resilience against neuronal injury are important strategies for the treatment of a range of neurological disorders. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) which is known for its role as a potent regulator of glucose and energy metabolism has also proved to be neuroprotective against various mental diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Center on Translational Neuroscience, Institute of National Security, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.
Postpartum depression (PPD) profoundly impacts the mental and physical health of women globally and is an incurable psychological disorder. Traditional pharmacological treatments often have strong side effects and may adversely affect infant health through breastfeeding, underscoring the critical need for natural and gentle treatment strategies. Sugemule-7, a traditional Chinese medicine comprising multiple natural plant ingredients, represents a potentially safer and more effective alternative.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Chem Toxicol
January 2025
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, PR China. Electronic address:
Flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) accumulate in human bodies through food and dust ingestion, and cause neurobehavioral deficits with obscure mechanism. We aimed to investigate NMDAR-CaMKⅡγ-mediated synapse-to-nuclear communication involved in BDE-209-induced cognitive impairment, and alleviation from exogenous melatonin. Decreased NMDAR subunits GluN2A and 2B, autophosphorylation of CaMKⅡα, and postsynaptic GluA1 trafficking were observed in the hippocampus of juvenile rats after maternal BDE-209 exposure.
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