Search results for " Brain."

Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons

2014

Direct lineage-reprogramming of non-neuronal cells into induced neurons (iNs) may provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying neurogenesis and enable new strategies for in vitro modeling or repairing the diseased brain. Identifying brain-resident non-neuronal cell types amenable to direct conversion into iNs might allow for launching such an approach in situ, i.e. within the damaged brain tissue. Here we describe a protocol developed in the attempt of identifying cells derived from the adult human brain that fulfill this premise. This protocol involves: (1) the culturing of human cells from the cerebral cortex obtained from adult human brain biopsies; (2) the in vitro expansio…

Nicotinic Receptors in Human Brain

1994

A vast knowledge is currently available on the molecular biology and the pharmacology of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) (Sargent, 1993). Only few attempts have been made to approach the expression of nAChRs at the level of functional systems, considering the different cell types involved and their connectivity. This aspect is of particular importance in order to evaluate nAChR expression under pathological conditions. Histochemical techniques have proven to be useful since immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization can be performed on human autopsy tissue and allow for a cell type-specific localization of nAChR proteins and nAChR …

The effect of cadmium on brain cells in culture

2009

Cadmium is a long-living heavy metal, abundantly present in the environment, which accumulates in the body. In this study, we investigated the effects of cadmium on the expression of molecular chaperones, and of certain cell-specific proteins, in a variety of brain cell types in culture, namely primary cultures of rat cortical neurons and astrocytes, a brain capillary endothelial cell line (RB4E.B cells), and pheochromocytoma cells (PC12), induced or not to differentiate by NGF treatment. The metal induces a dose-dependent increase of Hsp70 in all cell types. Responses to the metal are cell-specific in the case of Hsc70 and Hsp90: i) in astrocytes, as well as in PC12 cells, cadmium has no s…

ÜBER DIE AUTOXYDATION EMULGIERTER GEHIRNPHOSPHATIDE UND MENSCHLICHER HIRNGEWEBSHOMOGENATE UND DEN NACHWEIS DABEI GEBILDETER PEROXYDE

1959

Hunting for the high-affinity state of G-protein-coupled receptors with agonist tracers: Theoretical and practical considerations for positron emissi…

2019

Abstract The concept of the high‐affinity state postulates that a certain subset of G‐protein‐coupled receptors is primarily responsible for receptor signaling in the living brain. Assessing the abundance of this subset is thus potentially highly relevant for studies concerning the responses of neurotransmission to pharmacological or physiological stimuli and the dysregulation of neurotransmission in neurological or psychiatric disorders. The high‐affinity state is preferentially recognized by agonists in vitro. For this reason, agonist tracers have been developed as tools for the noninvasive imaging of the high‐affinity state with positron emission tomography (PET). This review provides an…

The isolated perfused rat brain as a model for studying drugs acting on the CNS

1974

An isolated perfused brain preparation is regarded as offering some important advantages over intact animals or tissue slices for studying drug effects on the CNS. The rat is by far the most suitable laboratory animal for this technique because of low cost, ease of preparation and extensive literature available for comparative purposes. In this paper various preparation techniques and perfusion systems for an isolated rat brain are reported. Investigations are presented proving the viability of the isolated perfused rat brain for more than seven hours and its suitability for studies on cerebral metabolism. Until now this preparation has been successfully used for pharmacological investigati…

Comparison of the effects of chloral hydrate and trichlorethanol on the EEG of the isolated perfused rat brain.

1973

An isolated perfused rat brain preparation was used to compare the effects of chloral hydrate and its metabolite trichloroethanol on the EEG. The concentrations of chloral hydrate and trichloroethanol in the perfusion medium ranged from 1.5 to 5.5 mM. 5, 10, 15, and 30 min after the beginning of the perfusions EEG-recordings were taken. The recordings were evaluated both by a descriptive method and by a simple quantitative appraoch, counting the waves with an amplitude greater than 50 microvolts and averaging this value for a period of 1 sec. The following results were obtained: Both drugs exhibited CNS depressant activity. Between 5 and 10 min of perfusion the effect of trichloroethanol wa…

A critical role for the cholesterol-associated proteolipids PLP and M6B in myelination of the central nervous system.

2012

The formation of central nervous system myelin by oligodendrocytes requires sterol synthesis and is associated with a significant enrichment of cholesterol in the myelin membrane. However, it is unknown how oligodendrocytes concentrate cholesterol above the level found in nonmyelin membranes. Here, we demonstrate a critical role for proteolipids in cholesterol accumulation. Mice lacking the most abundant myelin protein, proteolipid protein (PLP), are fully myelinated, but PLP-deficient myelin exhibits a reduced cholesterol content. We therefore hypothesized that "high cholesterol" is not essential in the myelin sheath itself but is required for an earlier step of myelin biogenesis that is f…

Anaesthetic-related neuroprotection: intravenous or inhalational agents?

2010

In designing the anaesthetic plan for patients undergoing surgery, the choice of anaesthetic agent may often appear irrelevant and the best results obtained by the use of a technique or a drug with which the anaesthesia care provider is familiar. Nevertheless, in those surgical procedures (cardiopulmonary bypass, carotid surgery and cerebral aneurysm surgery) and clinical situations (subarachnoid haemorrhage, stroke, brain trauma and postcardiac arrest resuscitation) where protecting the CNS is a priority, the choice of anaesthetic drug assumes a fundamental role. Treating patients with a neuroprotective agent may be a consideration in improving overall neurological outcome. Therefore, a cl…

Improved technique for stereotactic placement of nerve grafts between two locations inside the rat brain

2008

Peripheral nerve grafts have shown the ability to facilitate central axonal growth and regenerate the adult central nervous system. However, the detailed description of a technique for atraumatic graft placement within the brain is lacking. We present a stereotactic procedure to implant a peripheral nerve graft within a rat's brain with minimal brain tissue damage. The procedure permits a correct graft placement joining two chosen points, and the survival and integration of the graft in the host tissue with a light glial reaction, with evidence of central axonal growth inside the graft, at least up to 8 weeks after its implantation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.