scholarly journals Identification and Expression of Neurotrophin-6 in the Brain of Nothobranchius furzeri: One More Piece in Neurotrophin Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leggieri ◽  
Attanasio ◽  
Palladino ◽  
Cellerino ◽  
Lucini ◽  
...  

Neurotrophins contribute to the complexity of vertebrate nervous system, being involved in cognition and memory. Abnormalities associated with neurotrophin synthesis may lead to neuropathies, neurodegenerative disorders and age-associated cognitive decline. The genome of teleost fishes contains homologs of some mammalian neurotrophins as well as a gene coding for an additional neurotrophin (NT-6). In this study, we characterized this specific neurotrophin in the short-lived fish Nothobranchius furzeri, a relatively new model for aging studies. Thus, we report herein for the first time the age-related expression of a neurotrophin in a non-mammalian vertebrate. Interestingly, we found comparable expression levels of NT-6 in the brain of both young and old animals. More in detail, we used a locked nucleic acid probe and a riboprobe to investigate the neuroanatomical distribution of NT-6 mRNA revealing a significant expression of the neurotrophin in neurons of the forebrain (olfactory bulbs, dorsal and ventral telencephalon, and several diencephalic nuclei), midbrain (optic tectum, longitudinal tori, and semicircular tori), and hindbrain (valvula and body of cerebellum, reticular formation and octavolateral area of medulla oblongata). By combining in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we showed that NT-6 mRNA is synthesized in mature neurons. These results contribute to better understanding the evolutionary history of neurotrophins in vertebrates, and their role in the adult brain.

2020 ◽  
pp. 58-81
Author(s):  
John Parrington

Visual light, and radiation of other frequencies, are highly important for scientific research. The first light microscopes made it possible for the first time to see that organisms from plants to humans are composed of cells. Electron microscopes have allowed scientists to study the structural components of cells in great detail, and even determine the shapes of individual proteins. Many lifeforms also use light to attract a mate or prey, or deter an attacker. Following the identification of the gene coding for the fluorescent protein that makes certain jellyfish glow green it has become possible to use this to genetically label proteins in a living cell, or even a live animal. This means that now the location of proteins in a cell can be determined exactly. A major recent step forward in neuroscience came with the discovery of protein channels in algae that conduct ions in response to light. By creating transgenic mice that have these proteins in their brain neurons, it is now possible to modulate the activity of these neurons by shining light into the brain though microscopic fibre optic cables. This new science of optogenetics allows neurons to be switched on or off experimentally. The optogenetic approach has been used to uncover the neural circuits involved in memory, pain and pleasure. In the future this technique might be used to treat physical pain or depression in people. Controversially, it might be also be misused, to supress memories, or even create completely false ones in people’s heads.


Author(s):  
Dr. Nagaraju. K. S

Abstract: People have been taking the drug in various forms for many years for enjoyment, relaxation, sleeping, stimulation, or another reason. In the starting, people takes the drug for taste and alter the consciousness, behavior, mood, and thoughts but he/she becomes habitual and dependent on any substance use disorder such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, amphetamines, or illegal drugs. As per my thoughts and watching surroundings, if you ask a drug intake person “how do you become a drug addictive”? Most people will answer this “they started taking the drug in their friend circle, at relatives home or with relationship partner”. The first time they take it for taste or due to forcing by someone but after some time this becomes a habit. Peer pressure can fall you in this black world. Also, if someone has family history of addiction then he/she may chance to catch this addiction and make habitual others as well. So good friend circle really matters. Drugs such as heroin and marijuana are structured in the same way as chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are produced naturally by the human brain. As a result of this similarity, the drugs can fool the receptors of human brain and activate the nerve cells in such a way that they send some abnormal messages. In case of drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine, the nerve cells get activated and they release extraordinarily large volumes of neurotransmitters. They are also capable of preventing the brain from recycling these chemicals in a normal manner. A normal level of production is necessary in order to end the signal between neurons. Keywords: Alcohol – Beer, Wine, & Liquor, Opioids – Heroin, Fentanyl & Oxycodone, Cannabinoids – Marijuana & Hashish, Benzodiazepines – Ativan, Valium & Xanax, Stimulants – Adderall, Cocaine & Meth.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-176
Author(s):  
Abdul Karim Ansyori

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapy that uses drugs, called photosensitizers or photosensitizing agents, and a specific type of light. When photosensitizers are exposed to certain wavelengths of light, they produce oxygen that kills nearby cells. PDT is achieved by a photodynamic reaction induced by the excitation of a photosensitizer exposed to light. In the field of ophthalmology, PDT was approved for the first time about ten years ago for cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a vision-threatening disease characterized by pathological macular neovascularization. After that, PDT was approved for use in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) cases in pathological myopia.3 This literature review aims to describe the history of PDT use and the basic principles of photodynamic therapy in ophthalmology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-41
Author(s):  
Alexandra-Elena Dobranici ◽  
Sorina Dinescu ◽  
Marieta Costache

Specialised cells of the brain are generated from a population of multipotent stem cells found in the forming embryo and adult brain after birth, called neural stem cells. They reside in specific niches, usually in a quiescent, non-proliferating state that maintains their reservoir. Neural stem cells are kept inactive by various cues such as direct cell-cell contacts with neighbouring cells or by soluble molecules that trigger intracellular responses. They are activated in response to injuries, physical exercise, or hypoxia condition, through stimulation of signaling pathways that are usually correlated with increased proliferation and survival. Moreover, mature neurons play essential role in regulating the balance between active and quiescent state by realising inhibitory or activating neurotransmitters. Understanding molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal differentiation is of great importance in elucidating pathological conditions of the brain and treating neurodegenerative disorders that until now have no efficient therapies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Garcia ◽  
Veronique Vig ◽  
Laurent Peillard ◽  
Alaa Ramdani ◽  
Sofiane Mohamed ◽  
...  

Following the outbreak of the SARS-CoV2 virus worldwide in 2019, the rapid widespread overtime of variants suggests today an undergoing positive selection of variants which could potentially provide advantageous genetic property of the virus. Numerous variants have already been described across different countries including N501Y, E484K or L452R mutations on gene coding to spike protein. Most recently, 2 new Indian variants with N440K and E484Q and L452R mutations associated with impaired antibody response and immune reactions were identified in India. The potential consequences of emerging variants are increased transmissibility, increased pathogenicity and the ability to escape natural or vaccine-induced immunity. We described for the first time in France both variants: the N440K immune escape variant within a new strain detected in France in a couple of patients who did not have any history of travel abroad and the new E484Q and L452R Indian variant from a patient travelling from Indian to Marseille to embark on a ship as a crew member. Such study of the circulating viral strains and their variants within the increasing number of infected people worldwide will provide further insights into the viral dissemination. Hence, real time close monitoring variant could help the scientific community to prevent fast-spreading and raise alarms towards potentially harmful variants.


Author(s):  
Asan Yalmaz Hasan Almulla ◽  
Rasim Mogulkoc ◽  
Abdulkerim Kasim Baltaci ◽  
Dervis Dasdelen

: Learning and memory are two of our mind's most magical abilities. Different brain regions have roles in processing and storing different types of memories. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for receiving information and storing it in the neocortex. One of the most impressive characteristics of the hippocampus is its capacity for neurogenesis, which is a process in which new neurons are produced and then transformed into mature neurons and finally integrated into neural circuits. The neurogenesis process in the hippocampus, an example of neuroplasticity in the adult brain, is believed to aid hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. New neurons are constantly produced in the hippocampus and integrated into the pre-existing neuronal network; this allows old memories already stored in the neocortex to be removed from the hippocampus and replaced with new ones. Factors affecting neurogenesis in the hippocampus may also affect hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. The flavonoids can particularly exert powerful actions in mammalian cognition and improve hippocampal-dependent learning and memory by positively affecting hippocampal neurogenesis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan S. Yates ◽  
Cameron T. Ellis ◽  
Nicholas B. Turk-Browne

AbstractAdult cognitive neuroscience has guided the study of human brain development by identifying regions associated with cognitive functions at maturity. The activity, connectivity, and structure of a region can be compared across ages to characterize the developmental trajectory of the corresponding function. However, observed developmental differences may not only reflect the maturation of the function but also its organization across the brain. That is, a function may be mature in children but supported by different brain regions and thus underestimated by focusing on adult regions. To test these possibilities, we investigated the presence, maturity, and localization of adult functions in children using probabilistic shared response modeling, a machine learning approach for functional alignment. After learning a lower-dimensional feature space from fMRI activity as adults watched a movie, we translated these shared features into the anatomical brain space of children 3–12 years old. To evaluate functional maturity, we correlated this reconstructed activity with the children’s actual fMRI activity as they watched the same movie. We found reliable correlations throughout cortex, even in the youngest children. The strength of the correlation in the precuneus, inferior frontal gyrus, and lateral occipital cortex increased over development and predicted chronological age. These age-related changes were driven by three types of developmental trajectories across distinct features of adult function: emergence from absence to presence, consistency in anatomical expression, and reorganization from one anatomical region to another. This data-driven approach to studying brain-wide function during naturalistic perception provides an abstract description of cognitive development throughout childhood.Significance StatementWhen watching a movie, your brain processes many types of information—plotlines, characters, locations, etc. A child watching this movie receives the same input, but some of their cognitive abilities (e.g., motion detection) are more developed than others (e.g., emotional reasoning). Beyond anatomical differences, when does the child brain begin to function like an adult brain? We used a data-driven approach to extract different aspects of brain activity from adults while they watched a movie during fMRI. We then predicted what the brain activity of a child would look like if they had processed the movie the same way. Comparing this prediction with actual brain activity from children allowed us to track the development of human brain function.


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Di Ieva ◽  
Manfred Tschabitscher ◽  
Francesco Prada ◽  
Paolo Gaetani ◽  
Enrico Aimar ◽  
...  

✓Guido da Vigevano was an Italian physician and engineer who lived in the 13th and 14th centuries. He was the first scientist who used pictures to illustrate his anatomical descriptions, developing for the first time a close relationship between anatomical studies and artistic drawings. This was further developed in the Renaissance. In his textbook Anathomia are displayed six plates showing for the first time neuroanatomical structures and techniques: dissection of the head by means of trephination, and depictions of the meninges, cerebrum, and spinal cord. On the surface of the brain painting it is possible to recognize a vague patterning of cortical convolutions. Ventricles are also described and shown. This book constituted the first attempt in the history of neuroscience to illustrate an anatomical description with schematic pictures to achieve a better understanding of such complex structures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
Paolo de Girolamo ◽  
Adele Leggieri ◽  
Antonio Palladino ◽  
Carla Lucini ◽  
Chiara Attanasio ◽  
...  

Nerve growth factor (NGF) receptors are evolutionary conserved molecules, and in mammals are considered necessary for ensuring the survival of cholinergic neurons. The age-dependent regulation of NTRK1/NTRKA and p75/NGFR in mammalian brain results in a reduced response of the cholinergic neurons to neurotrophic factors and is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we study the age-dependent expression of NGF receptors (NTRK1/NTRKA and p75/NGFR) in the brain of the short-lived teleost fish Nothobranchius furzeri. We observed that NTRK1/NTRKA is more expressed than p75/NGFR in young and old animals, although both receptors do not show a significant age-dependent change. We then study the neuroanatomical organization of the cholinergic system, observing that cholinergic fibers project over the entire neuroaxis while cholinergic neurons appear restricted to few nuclei situated in the equivalent of mammalian subpallium, preoptic area and rostral reticular formation. Finally, our experiments do not confirm that NTRK1/NTRKA and p75/NGFR are expressed in cholinergic neuronal populations in the adult brain of N. furzeri. To our knowledge, this is the first study where NGF receptors have been analyzed in relation to the cholinergic system in a fish species along with their age-dependent modulation. We observed differences between mammals and fish, which make the African turquoise killifish an attractive model to further investigate the fish specific NGF receptors regulation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. CMT.S2225
Author(s):  
Polly A. Quiram ◽  
Yahui Song

Strategies for preventing vision loss in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) have evolved over the past decade. Whereas earlier treatments were based on thermal destruction of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), new therapies rely on targeted pharmacologic approaches to reduce the harmful effects of CNV treatment. For the first time in the history of neovascular ARMD treatment, anti-VEGF therapies have consistently improved visual acuity in a subset of patients. Clinical trials continue to investigate the optimal dosing strategies and combination therapies to better refine the treatment of this chronic and debilitating disease.


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