scholarly journals Astroglial Isopotentiality and Calcium-Associated Biomagnetic Field Effects on Cortical Neuronal Coupling

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 439
Author(s):  
Marcos Martinez-Banaclocha
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Local Magnetic Field ◽  
Field Potentials ◽  
Coherent Integration ◽  
Cognitive Faculties ◽  
Synaptic Neurotransmission ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Brain

Synaptic neurotransmission is necessary but does not sufficiently explain superior cognitive faculties. Growing evidence has shown that neuron–astroglial chemical crosstalk plays a critical role in the processing of information, computation, and memory. In addition to chemical and electrical communication among neurons and between neurons and astrocytes, other nonsynaptic mechanisms called ephaptic interactions can contribute to the neuronal synchronization from different brain regions involved in the processing of information. New research on brain astrocytes has clearly shown that the membrane potential of these cells remains very stable among neighboring and distant astrocytes due to the marked bioelectric coupling between them through gap junctions. This finding raises the possibility that the neocortical astroglial network exerts a guiding template modulating the excitability and synchronization of trillions of neurons by astroglial Ca2+-associated bioelectromagnetic interactions. We propose that bioelectric and biomagnetic fields of the astroglial network equalize extracellular local field potentials (LFPs) and associated local magnetic field potentials (LMFPs) in the cortical layers of the brain areas involved in the processing of information, contributing to the adequate and coherent integration of external and internal signals. This article reviews the current knowledge of ephaptic interactions in the cerebral cortex and proposes that the isopotentiality of cortical astrocytes is a prerequisite for the maintenance of the bioelectromagnetic crosstalk between neurons and astrocytes in the neocortex.

scholarly journals Response of neural stem cells to ionizing radiation

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 157-160
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Ida Kulcenty ◽  
Joanna Patrycja Wróblewska ◽  
Wiktoria Maria Suchorska
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Ionizing Radiation ◽  
Neural Stem Cells ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Multipotent Cells ◽  
Radiation Induced ◽  
The Brain

Adult neurons are believed to be in a state of growth arrest. The generation of neurons is complete at the time of birth in most of the brain regions. However neurogenesis is present through life in the dentate gyrus of hippocampus and the lateral ventricles due to the presence of neural stem cells (NSC). This postnatal neurogenesis in hippocampus plays a critical role in cognitive development mainly in learning and memory functions. NSC are self-renewing, multipotent cells that generate the neurons and glia of the nervous system. Due to their high proliferation, NSC are highly sensitive to ionizing radiation. This review describes the current knowledge on impact of ionizing radiation on neural stem cells biology. Widening the knowledge of mechanisms involved in radiation-induced neurotoxicity at the level of NSC may help to overcome in the future the side effects occurring after anti-cancer therapies of the brain and help to protect and maintain neurogenesis.

Swearing and the brain

2018 ◽  
pp. 107-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomit Ritz Finkelstein
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Inhibition ◽  
Previous Knowledge ◽  
The Brain

This chapter explores and summarizes the current knowledge about the neurophysiological substrata of the utterance of expletives—its brain regions, pathways, and neurotransmitters, and its interaction with hormones. The chapter presents clinical data that have been gathered directly from patients of aphasia, Tourette syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries—all are disorders often accompanied with expletives. It also discusses the possible relations between swearing and aggression, swearing and pain, and swearing and social inhibition in the population at large. Finally, the chapter examines the clinical data and the data gathered from the population at large within one frame, and proposes two hypotheses that can serve as possible directions for future research about the biological substrata of swearing. No previous knowledge of the brain is assumed.

scholarly journals The Presence of Human Herpesvirus 6 in the Brain in Health and Disease

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1520
Author(s):  
Gabriel Santpere ◽  
Marco Telford ◽  
Pol Andrés-Benito ◽  
Arcadi Navarro ◽  
Isidre Ferrer
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Human Herpesvirus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Human Herpesvirus 6 ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Herpesvirus 6 ◽  
The Brain

The human herpesvirus 6 (HHV‐6) ‐A and ‐B are two dsDNA beta‐herpesviruses infectingalmost the entire worldwide population. These viruses have been implicated in multipleneurological conditions in individuals of various ages and immunological status, includingencephalitis, epilepsy, and febrile seizures. HHV‐6s have also been suggested as playing a role inthe etiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Theapparent robustness of these suggested associations is contingent on the accuracy of HHV‐6detection in the nervous system. The effort of more than three decades of researching HHV‐6 in thebrain has yielded numerous observations, albeit using variable technical approaches in terms oftissue preservation, detection techniques, sample sizes, brain regions, and comorbidities. In thisreview, we aimed to summarize current knowledge about the entry routes and direct presence ofHHV‐6 in the brain parenchyma at the level of DNA, RNA, proteins, and specific cell types, inhealthy subjects and in those with neurological conditions. We also discuss recent findings relatedto the presence of HHV‐6 in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease in light of availableevidence.

IGF-1 in the Brain as a Regulator of Reproductive Neuroendocrine Function

2005 ◽  
Vol 230 (5) ◽  
pp. 292-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabrine S. Daftary ◽  
Andrea C. Gore
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Somatic Growth ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Pituitary Hormones ◽  
Somatotropic Axis ◽  
Gnrh Neurons ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Neuroendocrine Functions

Given the close relationship among neuroendocrine systems, it Is likely that there may be common signals that coordinate the acquisition of adult reproductive function with other homeo-static processes. In this review, we focus on central nervous system insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as a signal controlling reproductive function, with possible links to somatic growth, particularly during puberty. In vertebrates, the appropriate neurosecretion of the decapeptide gonadotropin-releas-ing hormone (GnRH) plays a critical role in the progression of puberty. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone is released in pulses from neuroterminals in the median eminence (ME), and each GnRH pulse triggers the production of the gonadotropins, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These pituitary hormones in turn stimulate the synthesis and release of sex steroids by the gonads. Any factor that affects GnRH or gonadotropin pulsatility is important for puberty and reproductive function and, among these factors, the neurotrophic factor IGF-1 is a strong candidate. Although IGF-1 is most commonly studied as the tertiary peripheral hormone in the somatotropic axis via its synthesis in the liver, IGF-1 Is also synthesIzed in the brain, within neurons and glia. In neuroendocrine brain regions, central IGF-1 plays roles in the regulation of neuroendocrine functions, including direct actions on GnRH neurons. Moreover, GnRH neurons themselves co-express IGF-1 and the IGF-1 receptor, and this expression is developmentally regulated. Here, we examine the role of IGF-1 acting in the hypothalamus as a critical link between reproductive and other neuroendocrine functions.

scholarly journals Genetic variation in alcoholism and opioid addiction susceptibility and treatment: a pharmacogenomic approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-222
Author(s):  
Catherine Demery-Poulos ◽  
◽  
Joseph M. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Predisposition ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Opioid Addiction ◽  
Opioid Abuse ◽  
Epistatic Interactions ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
Reward Pathway ◽  
The Individual ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Brain

<abstract> <p>Alcohol and opioid abuse have pervasive and detrimental consequences from the individual to societal level. The extent of genetic contribution to alcoholism has been studied for decades, yielding speculative and often inconsistent results since the previous discovery of two pharmacokinetic variants strongly protective against alcoholism. The neurobiology of addiction involves innumerate genes with combinatorial and epistatic interactions, creating a difficult landscape for concrete conclusions. In contrast, pharmacogenomic variation in the treatment of alcoholism yields more immediate clinical utility, while also emphasizing pathways crucial to the progression of addiction. An improved understanding of genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse has inherent significance for opioid addiction and treatment, as the two drugs induce the same reward pathway. This review outlines current knowledge, treatments, and research regarding genetic predisposition to alcoholism, focusing on pharmacodynamic variation within the dopaminergic system and shared implications for opioid abuse. Multifaceted and highly polygenic, the phenotype of addiction seems to grow more complex as new research extends the scope of its impact on the brain, body, and progeny.</p> </abstract>

scholarly journals Brain hubs defined in the group do not overlap with regions of high inter-individual variability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Martin Smith ◽  
Brian T Kraus ◽  
Ally Dworetsky ◽  
Evan M Gordon ◽  
Caterina Gratton
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Spatial Proximity ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Multiple Networks ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
The Brain

Connector 'hubs' are brain regions with links to multiple networks. These regions are hypothesized to play a critical role in brain function. While hubs are often identified based on group-average functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, there is considerable inter-subject variation in the functional connectivity profiles of the brain, especially in association regions where hubs tend to be located. Here we investigated how group hubs are related to locations of inter-individual variability, to better understand if hubs are (a) relatively conserved across people, (b) locations with malleable connectivity, leading individuals to show variable hub profiles, or (c) artifacts arising from cross-person variation. To answer this question, we compared the locations of hubs and regions of strong idiosyncratic functional connectivity ("variants") in both the Midnight Scan Club and Human Connectome Project datasets. Group hubs defined based on the participation coefficient did not overlap strongly with variants. These hubs have relatively strong similarity across participants and consistent cross-network profiles. Consistency across participants was further improved when participation coefficient hubs were allowed to shift slightly in local position. Thus, our results demonstrate that group hubs defined with the participation coefficient are generally consistent across people, suggesting they may represent conserved cross-network bridges. More caution is warranted with alternative hub measures, such as community density, which are based on spatial proximity and show higher correspondence to locations of individual variability.

Task-fMRI Group and Functional Connectivity Analysis of the Brain During Faradarmani Consciousness Field Connection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Taheri ◽  
Sara Torabi ◽  
Noushin Nabavi ◽  
Fatemeh Modarresi-Asem ◽  
Majid Abbasi Sisara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Connectivity Analysis ◽  
Functional Connectivity Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Activities ◽  
The Brain

Task fMRI has played a critical role in recognizing the specific functions of the different regions of human brain during various cognitive activities. This study aimed to investigate group analysis and functional connectivity in the Faradarmangars brain during the Faradarmani CF (FCF) connection. Using task functional MRI (task-fMRI), we attempted the identification of different activated and deactivated brain regions during the Consciousness Filed connection. Clusters that showed significant differences in peak intensity between task and rest group were selected as seeds for seed-voxel analysis. Connectivity of group differences in functional connectivity analysis was determined following each activation and deactivation network. In this study, we report the fMRI-based representation of the FCF connection at the human brain level. The group analysis of FCF connection task revealed activation of frontal lobe (BA6/BA10/BA11). Moreover, seed based functional connectivity analysis showed decreased connectivity within activated clusters and posterior Cingulate Gyrus (BA31). Moreover, we observed an increased connectivity within deactivated clusters and frontal lobe (BA11/BA47) during the FCF connection. Activation clusters as well as the increased and decreased connectivity between different regions of the brain during the FCF connection, firstly, validates the significant effect of the FCF and secondly, indicates a distinctive pattern of connection with this non-material and non-energetic field, in the brain.

scholarly journals Immunohistochemical analysis of GFAP expression in the experimental sepsis-associated encephalopathy

Pathologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-302
Author(s):  
T. V. Shulyatnikova ◽  
V. O. Tumaskyi
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Caudate Nucleus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Subcortical White Matter ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Experimental Sepsis ◽  
Respiratory Impairment ◽  
Gfap Expression ◽  
The Brain

Pathophysiology of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is linked to blood-brain barrier breakdown, neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter imbalance in the brain. Astroglia, the most abundant cell population within the brain, plays the critical role in control of all kinds of homeostatic processes, thereby regulating the adaptive reactions of the brain to various challenges. Astroglia are highly heterogenous across the brain regions, therefore, damaging factors stimulate heterogenous astroglial reactivity and response in different brain regions. The aim of this study was determining immunohistochemical features of GFAP expression in various brain regions in the model of rodent experimental sepsis. Materials and methods. The experiment was performed in Wistar rats: control group of 5 sham-operated rats and the main group of 20 rats subjected to cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) procedure. The immunohistochemical study of GFAP expression in the sensorimotor cortex, subcortical white matter, hippocampal, thalamic and caudate nucleus/putamen regions was performed from 20 to 48 hours of the postoperative period. Results. Starting from the 12th hour after CLP, animals began display progressive increase in signs of periorbital exudation, piloerection, fever-/hypothermia, diarrhea, social isolation, lethargy, and respiratory impairment. In the period of 20–38 hours, 9 animals showed expressed previously listed symptoms and were euthanized (CLP-B – lethal group), 11 rats survived until 48 hours of the experiment (CLP-A – survived group). In the lethal group, starting from 20 to 38 hours after the CLP procedure, a significant (relative to control) regionally-specific dynamic increase in the level of GFAP expression was observed in the brain: in the cortex – by 465 %, in the subcortical white matter – by 198 %, in the hippocampus – by 250 %, from the 23rd hour – in the caudate nucleus/putamen by 18 %. In the thalamus, no significant changes in the level of GFAP expression were observed. In the cortex and hippocampus of survived animals, 48 h after CLP, higher values of GFAP expression were observed comparing to the group of non-survived animals. Conclusions. Under conditions of the experimental SAE, an early dynamic increase in the astroglial reactivity was observed in the cortex, hippocampus, white matter, and caudate nucleus/putamen of the brain with the most significant increase of indicators in the cortex and hippocampus, which potentially indicates relatively more vulnerable areas of the brain to damaging factors, as well as places of the most active intercellular interaction in the condition of systemic inflammation. Higher values of GFAP expression in the cortex and hippocampus of survived animals at 48 hours of the experiment, compared with indicators of non-survived group, indicate increased astroglial reactivity in these brain regions at the noted time period, accompanied by relatively more favorable clinical course of the disease.  

20 years after “The ontogeny of human memory: A cognitive neuroscience perspective,” where are we?

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Jabès ◽  
Charles A Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Explicit Memory ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Hippocampal Formation ◽  
Human Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Memory Functions ◽  
Current Article ◽  
The Brain

In 1995, Nelson published a paper describing a model of memory development during the first years of life. The current article seeks to provide an update on the original work published 20 years ago. Specifically, we review our current knowledge on the relation between the emergence of explicit memory functions throughout development and the maturation of associated brain regions. It is now well established that the brain regions subserving explicit memory functions (i.e. the hippocampal formation) are far from mature at birth, and exhibit important and gradual structural changes during childhood and beyond. Accordingly, explicit memory functions develop progressively. While some functions are present shortly after birth (formerly proposed as pre-explicit memory), others exhibit protracted developmental profiles during the first years of life. We examine the link between the emergence of different memory functions and the maturation of specific hippocampal circuits.

scholarly journals Organization and engagement of a prefrontal-olfactory network during olfactory selective attention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillary L Cansler ◽  
Estelle E in 't Zandt ◽  
Kaitlin S. Carlson ◽  
Waseh T Khan ◽  
Minghong Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Field Potentials ◽  
Active Sampling ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Theta Phase ◽  
To Receive ◽  
The Brain

Sensory perception is profoundly shaped by attention. Attending to an odor strongly regulates if and how a smell is perceived – yet the brain systems involved in this process are unknown. Here we report integration of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a collection of brain regions integral to attention, with the olfactory system in the context of selective attention to odors. First, we used tracing methods to establish the tubular striatum (TuS, also known as the olfactory tubercle) as the primary olfactory region to receive direct mPFC input in rats. Next, we recorded local field potentials from the olfactory bulb (OB), mPFC, and TuS while rats completed an olfactory selective attention task. Gamma power and coupling of gamma oscillations with theta phase were consistently high as rats flexibly switched their attention to odors. Beta and theta synchrony between mPFC and olfactory regions were elevated as rats switched their attention to odors. Finally, we found that sniffing was consistent despite shifting attentional demands, suggesting that the mPFC-OB theta coherence is independent of changes in active sampling. Together, these findings begin to define an olfactory attention network wherein mPFC activity, as well as that within olfactory regions, are coordinated in manners based upon attentional states.

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