scholarly journals Pregnancy-related changes in connections from the cervix to forebrain and hypothalamus in mice

Reproduction ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M Yellon ◽  
Lauren A Grisham ◽  
Genevieve M Rambau ◽  
Thomas J Lechuga ◽  
Michael A Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Pseudorabies Virus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autonomic Functions ◽  
Effector Functions ◽  
Periventricular Nucleus ◽  
Pregnant Mice

The transneuronal tracer pseudorabies virus was used to test the hypothesis that connections from the cervix to the forebrain and hypothalamus are maintained with pregnancy. The virus was injected into the cervix of nonpregnant or pregnant mice, and, after 5 days, virus-labeled cells and fibers were found in specific forebrain regions and, most prominently, in portions of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. With pregnancy, fewer neurons and fibers were evident in most brain regions compared to that in nonpregnant mice. In particular, little or no virus was found in the medial and ventral parvocellular subdivisions, anteroventral periventricular nucleus, or motor cortex in pregnant mice. By contrast, labeling of virus was sustained in the dorsal hypothalamus and suprachiasmatic nucleus in all groups. Based upon image analysis of digitized photomicrographs, the area with label in the rostral and medial parvocellular paraventricular nucleus and magnocellular subdivisions was significantly reduced in mice whose cervix was injected with virus during pregnancy than in nonpregnant mice. The findings indicate that connections from the cervix to brain regions that are involved in sensory input and integrative autonomic functions are reduced during pregnancy. The findings raise the possibility that remaining pathways from the cervix to the forebrain and hypothalamus may be important for control of pituitary neuroendocrine secretion, as well as for effector functions in the cervix as pregnancy nears term.

scholarly journals A novel approach for locating mice brain regions of Cryptococcus neoformans CNS invasion

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. S136-S143
Author(s):  
Chunting He ◽  
Qingfen Chen ◽  
Longkun Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Cryptococcus Neoformans ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Thalamic Nucleus ◽  
Molecular Layer ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Stratum Lucidum ◽  
Lateral Posterior

Aim of this study was to locate the brain regions where Cryptococcus interact with brain cells and invade into brain. After 7 days of intratracheal inocula-tion of GFP-tagged Cryptococcus neoformans strains H99, serial cryosections (10 ?m) from 3 C57 BL/6 J mice brains were imaged with immunofluorescence microscopy. GFP-tagged H99 were found in some brain regions such as primary motor cortex-secondary motor cortex, caudate putamen, stratum lucidum of hippocampus, field CA1 of hippocampus, dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, laterorostral part, lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, mediorostral part, retrosplenial agranular cortex, lateral area of secondary visual cortex, and lacunosum molecular layer of the hippocampus. The results will be very useful for further exploring the mechanism of C. neoformans infection of brain. 

scholarly journals Environment and Behavior: Neurochemical Effects of Different Diets in the Calf Brain

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Peli ◽  
Annamaria Grandis ◽  
Marco Tassinari ◽  
Paolo Famigli Bergamini ◽  
Claudio Tagliavia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Diet Group ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Solitary Tract ◽  
Milk Diet ◽  
Housing Systems

Calves reared for the production of white veal are subjected to stressful events due to the type of liquid diet they receive. Stress responses are mediated by three main stress-responsive cerebral regions: the prefrontal cortex, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the nucleus of the solitary tract of the brainstem. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of different diets on these brain regions of ruminants using immunohistochemical methods. In this study, 15 calves were used and kept in group housing systems of five calves each. They were fed with three different diets: a control diet, a milk diet, and a weaned diet. Brain sections were immunostained to evaluate the distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein immunoreactivity in the prefrontal cortex; the expression of oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus; and the presence of c-Fos in the A2 group of the nucleus of the solitary tract. The main results obtained indicate that in weaned diet group the oxytocin activity is lower than in control diet and milk diet groups. In addition, weaning appears to stimulate myelination in the prefrontal cortex. In summary, this study supports the importance of maintaining a nutritional lifestyle similar to that occurring in natural conditions.

Stimuli and consequences of dendritic release of oxytocin within the brain

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1252-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.D. Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Supraoptic Nucleus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Model System ◽  
Intracerebral Microdialysis ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Intervention ◽  
Psychiatric Illnesses ◽  
Oxytocin Release ◽  
The Brain

The brain oxytocin system has served as a distinguished model system in neuroendocrinology to study detailed mechanisms of intracerebral release, in particular of somatodendritic release, and its behavioural and neuroendocrine consequences. It has been shown that oxytocin is released within various brain regions, but evidence for dendritic release is limited to the main sites of oxytocin synthesis, i.e. the hypothalamic SON (supraoptic nucleus) and PVN (paraventricular nucleus). In the present paper, stimuli of dendritic release of oxytocin and the related neuropeptide vasopressin are discussed, including parturition and suckling, i.e. the period of a highly activated brain oxytocin system. Also, exposure to various pharmacological, psychological or physical stressors triggers dendritic oxytocin release, as monitored by intracerebral microdialysis within the SON and PVN during ongoing behavioural testing. So far, dendritic release of the neuropeptide has only been demonstrated within the hypothalamus, but intracerebral oxytocin release has also been found within the central amygdala and the septum in response to various stimuli including stressor exposure. Such a locally released oxytocin modulates physiological and behavioural reproductive functions, emotionality and hormonal stress responses, as it exerts, for example, pro-social, anxiolytic and antistress actions within restricted brain regions. These discoveries make oxytocin a promising neuromodulator of the brain for psychotherapeutic intervention and treatment of numerous psychiatric illnesses, for example, anxiety-related diseases, social phobia, autism and postpartum depression.

Periventricular nucleus lesioning modulates specific somatostatin binding in various brain regions and anterior pituitary

1993 ◽  
Vol 267 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-179
Author(s):  
Ismail Sabry ◽  
Mitsuo Suzuki ◽  
Kazuto Shigematsu ◽  
Tadao Kakegawa
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Pituitary ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Periventricular Nucleus

Projections from a single NUCB2/nesfatin-1 neuron in the paraventricular nucleus to different brain regions involved in feeding

2015 ◽  
Vol 221 (9) ◽  
pp. 4723-4731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko Maejima ◽  
Kensuke Kumamoto ◽  
Seiichi Takenoshita ◽  
Kenju Shimomura
Keyword(s):  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Brain Regions

scholarly journals Definition of Brainstem Afferents to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons in the Mouse Using Conditional Viral Tract Tracing

Endocrinology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 148 (12) ◽  
pp. 5884-5890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Campbell ◽  
Allan E. Herbison
Keyword(s):  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Pseudorabies Virus ◽  
Tryptophan Hydroxylase ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Nucleus Tractus Solitarius ◽  
Area Postrema ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
Gnrh Neurons

Brainstem monoamines have long been considered to play a role in regulating the activity of GnRH neurons, although their neuroanatomical relationship with these cells has remained unclear. Using a Cre-dependent pseudorabies virus (Ba2001) technique that permits retrograde tracing selectively from GnRH neurons in the mouse, we have examined the organization of brainstem inputs to rostral preoptic area (rPOA) GnRH neurons. Two days after injection of Ba2001 into the rPOA of adult female GnRH-Cre transgenic mice, five to nine GnRH neurons located immediately adjacent to the injection site were found to express green fluorescent protein (GFP), the marker of virus infection, with no GFP expression anywhere else in the brain. In mice killed 24 h later (3 d after injection), GFP-expressing cells were identified (in order of density) in the raphe nuclei, periaqueductal grey, locus coeruleus, nucleus tractus solitarius, and area postrema. This time course is compatible with these neurons representing primary afferent inputs to the GnRH neurons. Four and 6 d after Ba2001 injection, GFP-expressing cells were found in additional brain regions. Dual-label immunofluorescence experiments in 3-d postinjection mice demonstrated that 100% of GFP-expressing neurons in the raphe were positive for tryptophan hydroxylase, whereas 100% and approximately 50% of GFP neurons in the locus coeruleus and nucleus tractus solitarius, respectively, expressed tyrosine hydroxylase. These observations demonstrate that rPOA GnRH neurons receive direct projections from brainstem A2 and A6 noradrenergic neurons and that, surprisingly, the largest afferent input from the brainstem originates from raphe serotonin neurons in the mouse.

scholarly journals Hypoxia activates nucleus tractus solitarii neurons projecting to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (10) ◽  
pp. R1219-R1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Luise King ◽  
Cheryl M. Heesch ◽  
Catharine G. Clark ◽  
David D. Kline ◽  
Eileen M. Hasser
Keyword(s):  
Arterial Pressure ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Acute Hypoxia ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Nucleus Tractus Solitarii ◽  
Ventrolateral Medulla ◽  
Peripheral Chemoreceptor ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Function ◽  
Afferent Information ◽  
Fos Expression

Peripheral chemoreceptor afferent information is sent to the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS), integrated, and relayed to other brain regions to alter cardiorespiratory function. The nTS projects to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), but activation and phenotype of these projections during chemoreflex stimulation is unknown. We hypothesized that activation of PVN-projecting nTS neurons occurs primarily at high intensities of hypoxia. We assessed ventilation and cardiovascular parameters in response to increasing severities of hypoxia. Retrograde tracers were used to label nTS PVN-projecting neurons and, in some rats, rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM)-projecting neurons. Immunohistochemistry was performed to identify nTS cells that were activated (Fos-immunoreactive, Fos-IR), catecholaminergic, and GABAergic following hypoxia. Conscious rats underwent 3 h normoxia ( n = 4, 21% O2) or acute hypoxia (12, 10, or 8% O2; n = 5 each). Hypoxia increased ventilation and the number of Fos-IR nTS cells (21%, 13 ± 2; 12%, 58 ± 4; 10%, 166 ± 22; 8%, 186 ± 6). Fos expression after 10% O2was similar whether arterial pressure was allowed to decrease (−13 ± 1 mmHg) or was held constant. The percentage of PVN-projecting cells activated was intensity dependent, but contrary to our hypothesis, PVN-projecting nTS cells exhibiting Fos-IR were found at all hypoxic intensities. Notably, at all intensities of hypoxia, ∼75% of the activated PVN-projecting nTS neurons were catecholaminergic. Compared with RVLM-projecting cells, a greater percentage of PVN-projecting nTS cells was activated by 10% O2. Data suggest that increasing hypoxic intensity activates nTS PVN-projecting cells, especially catecholaminergic, PVN-projecting neurons. The nTS to PVN catecholaminergic pathway may be critical even at lower levels of chemoreflex activation and more important to cardiorespiratory responses than previously considered.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus reduces energy intake

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (3) ◽  
pp. R1003-R1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
ChuanFeng Wang ◽  
Eric Bomberg ◽  
Charles Billington ◽  
Allen Levine ◽  
Catherine M. Kotz
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Bdnf Mrna ◽  
Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus

Recent studies show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) decreases feeding and body weight after peripheral and ventricular administration. BDNF mRNA and protein, and its receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) are widely distributed in the hypothalamus and other brain regions. However, there are few reports on specific brain sites of actions for BDNF. We evaluated the effect of BDNF in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on feeding. BDNF injected unilaterally or bilaterally into the PVN of food-deprived and nondeprived rats significantly decreased feeding and body weight gain within the 0- to 24-h and 24- to 48-h postinjection intervals. Effective doses producing inhibition of feeding behavior did not establish a conditioned taste aversion. PVN BDNF significantly decreased PVN neuropeptide Y (NPY)-induced feeding at 1, 2, and 4 h following injection. BDNF administration in the PVN abolished food-restriction-induced NPY gene expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. In conclusion, BDNF in the PVN significantly decreases food intake and body weight gain, suggesting that the PVN is an important site of action for BDNF in its effects on energy metabolism. Furthermore, BDNF appears to interact with NPY in its anorectic actions, although a direct effect on NPY remains to be established.

Mass Spectrometry of Gangliosides from Human Sensory and Motor Cortex

2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Flangea ◽  
Dragana Fabris ◽  
Željka Vukelić ◽  
Alina D. Zamfir
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Collision Induced Dissociation ◽  
Tandem Ms ◽  
Acetylneuraminic Acid ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Specific Composition ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Human Motor

Sialylated glycosphingolipids, known as gangliosides, are highly expressed in the central nervous system exhibiting region-specific composition in correlation to the specialised functions of particular brain regions. In the present study high resolution tandem mass spectrometry on a quadrupole time-of-flight instrument with nanoelectrospray was optimised and applied for the first comparative assessment of the ganglioside profile in single specimens of adult human motor and somatosensory cortex. In the second stage, the structural analysis performed by collision induced dissociation tandem MS disclosed the presence in motor cortex of a fucose-ganglioside Fuc-GM1 (d18 : 1/20 : 0) isomer exhibiting both N-acetylneuraminic acid and fucose residues linked to the inner galactose.

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