LncRNA TubAR complexes with TUBB4A and TUBA1A to promote microtubule assembly and maintain myelination.

A long-standing hypothesis proposes that certain RNA(s) must exhibit structural roles in microtubule assembly. Here, we identify a long noncoding RNA (TubAR) that is highly expressed in cerebellum and forms RNA-protein complex with TUBB4A and TUBA1A, two tubulins clinically linked to cerebellar and myelination defects. TubAR knockdown in mouse cerebellum causes loss of oligodendrocytes and Purkinje cells, demyelination, and decreased locomotor activity.

Pressure Tuning and Sn Particle Size Optimization for Enhanced Performance in PbSnF-Based All-Solid-State Fluoride Ion Batteries.

All-solid-state fluoride ion batteries (ASSFIBs) show remarkable potential as energy storage devices due to their low cost, superior safety, and high energy density. However, the poor ionic conductivity of F conductor, large volume expansion, and the lack of a suitable anode inhibit their development. In this work, PbSnF solid electrolytes in different phases (β- and γ-PbSnF) are successfully synthesized and characterized.

Gut microbiome and metabolic profiles of mouse model for MeCP2 duplication syndrome.

The extra copy of the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCp2) gene causes MeCP2 duplication syndrome (MDS), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and autistic phenotypes. However, the disturbed microbiome and metabolic profiling underlying the autistic-like behavioral deficits of MDS are rarely investigated. Here we aimed to understand the contributions of microbiome disruption and associated metabolic alterations, especially the disturbed neurotransmitters in MDS employing a transgenic mouse model with MeCP2 overexpression.

An easy-built Halbach magnet for LF-NMR with high homogeneity using optimized target-field passive shimming method.

The aim of this work is to develop a Halbach magnet that possesses characteristics such as easy-built, low cost and high homogeneity for use in a portable low-field NMR (LF-NMR) system. Considering portability, a 4-ring Halbach magnet was designed through simulation and mechanical modelling, which was successfully constructed in a general laboratory setting. The obtained field strength (B) was 0.

Oncolytic Viral Therapy for Glioma by Recombinant Sindbis Virus.

Background: The characteristics of glioblastoma, such as drug resistance during treatment, short patient survival, and high recurrence rates, have made patients with glioblastoma more likely to benefit from oncolytic therapy.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the safety of the sindbis virus by injecting virus intravenously and intracranially in mice and evaluated the therapeutic effect of the virus carrying different combinations of IL-12, IL-7, and GM-CSF on glioma in a glioma-bearing mouse model.

Results: SINV was autologously eliminated from the serum and organs as well as from neural networks after entering mice.

Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus Upregulates Intraocular Pressure Via Glutamatergic Neurons.

Purpose: The neuroregulatory center of intraocular pressure (IOP) is located in the hypothalamus. An efferent neural pathway exists between the hypothalamic nuclei and the autonomic nerve endings in the anterior chamber of the eye. This study was designed to investigate whether the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) regulates IOP as the other nuclei do.

The G285S mutation in nsP1 is sufficient to render Sindbis virus as a stable vector for gene delivery.

Neuroscience, gene therapy, and vaccine have all benefited from the increased use of viral vectors. Sindbis virus (SINV) is a notable candidate among these vectors. However, viral vectors commonly suffer from a loss of expression of the transgene, especially RNA viral vectors.

CLEAR Strategy Inhibited HSV Proliferation Using Viral Vectors Delivered CRISPR-Cas9.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a leading cause of encephalitis and infectious blindness. The commonly used clinical therapeutic drugs are nucleoside analogues such as acyclovir. However, current drugs for HSV cannot eliminate the latent virus or viral reactivation.

Astrocytic α4-containing nAChR signaling in the hippocampus governs the formation of temporal association memory.

Everyday episodic memories involve linking together related events that are temporally separated. However, the mechanisms of forming this temporal association have remained unclear. Here, using astrocyte-specific manipulations, we show that potentiating astrocyte Ca signaling in the hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) enhances the strength of such temporal association, in parallel with long-term potentiation (LTP) enhancement of temporoammonic pathway to CA1, whereas attenuation of astrocyte Ca signaling has the opposite effect.

A Non-canonical Excitatory PV RGC-PV SC Visual Pathway for Mediating the Looming-evoked Innate Defensive Response.

Parvalbumin-positive retinal ganglion cells (PV RGCs) are an essential subset of RGCs found in various species. However, their role in transmitting visual information remains unclear. Here, we characterized PV RGCs in the retina and explored the functions of the PV RGC-mediated visual pathway.

Acute psilocybin increased cortical activities in rats.

Psilocybin, a naturally occurring hallucinogenic component of magic mushrooms, has significant psychoactive effects in both humans and rodents. But the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Blood-oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a useful tool in many preclinical and clinical trials to investigate psilocybin-induced changes of brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) due to its noninvasive nature and widespread availability.

Synthesis of pendant fullerene dimers by an aminomethylation reaction of fulleropyrrolidines bearing ketone moieties.

An aminomethylation reaction of fulleropyrrolidines bearing ketone moieties in the presence of -unsubstituted fulleropyrrolidines and paraformaldehyde with the aid of -toluenesulfonic acid afforded a series of scarce pendant fullerene dimers. A simple change of reaction substrates from ketone to ketone-containing fulleropyrrolidines successfully realized the synthesis of a variety of novel pendant fullerene dimers, including those from methyl ketone-containing fulleropyrrolidines, which were considered to produce the known bridged fullerene dimers. It should be noted that pendant fullerene dimers are usually difficult to prepare by other methods and may have promising applications in perovskite solar cells.

Rapid injection of lumbar dorsal root ganglia under direct vision: Relevant anatomy, protocol, and behaviors.

Introduction: Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are anatomically well-defined structures that contain all primary sensory neurons and are distension nodules of the dorsal root in the spinal cord near the medial surface of each foramen. Therefore, DRG is considered to be a desirable target for injection to manage chronic pain. But it presents a limitation in probing deep into it without injection technology.

Organizational Principles of the Centrifugal Projections to the Olfactory Bulb.

Centrifugal projections in the olfactory system are critical to both olfactory processing and behavior. The olfactory bulb (OB), the first relay station in odor processing, receives a substantial number of centrifugal inputs from the central brain regions. However, the anatomical organization of these centrifugal connections has not been fully elucidated, especially for the excitatory projection neurons of the OB, the mitral/tufted cells (M/TCs).

Proper wiring of newborn neurons to control bladder function after complete spinal cord injury.

Activation of endogenous neurogenesis by bioactive materials enables restoration of sensory/motor function after complete spinal cord injury (SCI) via formation of new relay neural circuits. The underlying wiring logic of newborn neurons in adult central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here, we report neurotrophin3-loaded chitosan biomaterial substantially recovered bladder function after SCI.

Spinal voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 contributes to neuropathic pain via the promotion of microglial M1 polarization and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Backgroud: Studies have shown that the activation of microglia is the main mechanism of neuropathic pain. Kv1.3 channel is a novel therapeutic target for treating neuroinflammatory disorders due to its crucial role in subsets of microglial cells.

AAV13 Enables Precise Targeting of Local Neural Populations.

As powerful tools for local gene delivery, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are widely used for neural circuit studies and therapeutical purposes. However, most of them have the characteristics of large diffusion range and retrograde labeling, which may result in off-target transduction during in vivo application. Here, in order to achieve precise gene delivery, we screened AAV serotypes that have not been commonly used as gene vectors and found that AAV13 can precisely transduce local neurons in the brain, with a smaller diffusion range than AAV2 and rigorous anterograde labeling.

Distinctly different solvation behaviors of poly(,-diethylacrylamide) gels in water/acetone and water/DMSO mixtures.

The solvation behaviors and intermolecular interactions of a poly(,-diethylacrylamide) (PDEA) gel network in water/DMSO and water/acetone mixtures have been investigated by variable-temperature high-resolution H MAS NMR. Unlike decreasing volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the typical thermosensitive poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) gel induced by both acetone and DMSO in a water-rich region, distinct phase transition behaviors are revealed for the PDEA gel. That is, acetone is found to increase the VPTT of PDEA directly in the water-rich region while DMSO is also found to increase the VPTT of PDEA at a very low concentration but then decrease the VPTT as the concentration further increases.

Viral Tools for Neural Circuit Tracing.

Neural circuits provide an anatomical basis for functional networks. Therefore, dissecting the structure of neural circuits is essential to understanding how the brain works. Recombinant neurotropic viruses are important tools for neural circuit tracing with many advantages over non-viral tracers: they allow for anterograde, retrograde, and trans-synaptic delivery of tracers in a cell type-specific, circuit-selective manner.

Basal Forebrain-Dorsal Hippocampus Cholinergic Circuit Regulates Olfactory Associative Learning.

The basal forebrain, an anatomically heterogeneous brain area containing multiple distinct subregions and neuronal populations, innervates many brain regions including the hippocampus (HIP), a key brain region responsible for learning and memory. Although recent studies have revealed that basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) are involved in olfactory associative learning and memory, the potential neural circuit is not clearly dissected yet. Here, using an anterograde monosynaptic tracing strategy, we revealed that BFCNs in different subregions projected to many brain areas, but with significant differentiations.

Mitochondrial HSF1 triggers mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease.

Aberrant localization of proteins to mitochondria disturbs mitochondrial function and contributes to the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease (HD). However, the crucial factors and the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we found that heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) accumulates in the mitochondria of HD cell models, a YAC128 mouse model, and human striatal organoids derived from HD induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

A new anterograde trans-synaptic tracer based on Sindbis virus.

Mapping neural circuits is critical for understanding the structure and function of the nervous system. Engineered viruses are a valuable tool for tracing neural circuits. However, current tracers do not fully meet the needs for this approach because of various drawbacks, such as toxicity and characteristics that are difficult to modify.

Anatomical Evidence for the Neural Connection from the Emotional Brain to Autonomic Innervation in the Anterior Chamber Structures of the Eye.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which can be affected by emotions, is important in the occurrence or progression of glaucoma. The autonomic innervation distributed in the anterior chamber (AC) structures might play an efferent role in the neural regulation of intraocular pressure (IOP). This study aimed to investigate the anatomic neural connection from the emotional brain to autonomic innervation in the AC.

Construction of a mouse model of Posner-Schlossman syndrome by anterior chamber infection with cytomegalovirus.

Accumulated clinical evidence has shown that Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS) is most likely the result of recurrent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in the anterior chamber (AC). Establishing an animal model is necessary to investigate the pathogenesis of PSS. In this study, we constructed a mouse model of (PSS) by injecting murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) into the AC of BALB/c mice.