Search results for "Central nervous"

Melatonin in the seasonal response of the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum.

2018

Aphids display life cycles largely determined by the photoperiod. During the warm long-day seasons, most aphid species reproduce by viviparous parthenogenesis. The shortening of the photoperiod in autumn induces a switch to sexual reproduction. Males and sexual females mate to produce overwintering resistant eggs. In addition to this full life cycle (holocycle), there are anholocyclic lineages that do not respond to changes in photoperiod and reproduce continuously by parthenogenesis. The molecular or hormonal events that trigger the seasonal response (i.e., induction of the sexual phenotypes) are still unknown. Although circadian synthesis of melatonin is known to play a key role in verteb…

Author response: Septin/anillin filaments scaffold central nervous system myelin to accelerate nerve conduction

2016

Exposure to a Highly Caloric Palatable Diet During Pregestational and Gestational Periods Affects Hypothalamic and Hippocampal Endocannabinoid Levels…

2016

Journal Article; Exposure to unbalanced diets during pre-gestational and gestational periods may result in long-term alterations in metabolism and behavior. The contribution of the endocannabinoid system to these long-term adaptive responses is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the impact of female rat exposure to a hypercaloric-hypoproteic palatable diet during pre-gestational, gestational and lactational periods on the development of male offspring. In addition, the hypothalamic and hippocampal endocannabinoid contents at birth and the behavioral performance in adulthood were investigated. Exposure to a palatable diet resulted in low weight offspring who exhibited low hypotha…

Role of IL-17-producing lymphocytes in severity of multiple sclerosis upon natalizumab treatment.

2016

Objective: Natalizumab is known to prevent T-helper cells entering the central nervous system (CNS). We hypothesize that more pathogenic T-helper cells are present outside the CNS and a possible relationship to disease severity. Methods: Characterization and enrichment of human CD4+IL-17+ cells were performed ex vivo using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from natalizumab-treated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients ( n = 33), untreated RRMS patients ( n = 13), and healthy controls ( n = 33). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed routinely for patients. Results: Lymphocytes were elevated in peripheral blood of natalizumab-treated patients compared to untr…

Prediction of unfavorable outcomes in West Nile virus neuroinvasive infection - Result of a multinational ID-IRI study

2019

Background: WNV causes 1.4% of all central nervous system infections and is the most common cause of epidemic neuro-invasive disease in humans. Objectives: Our main objective was to investigate retrospectively West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases hospitalized during 2010–2017 and identified factors that can influence prognosis. Study design: We documented the demographic, epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory data of WNND and identified factors that can influence prognosis. The data were recruited through Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI), which serves as a network for clinical researches. Results: We investigated 165 patients with WNND in 10 coun…

Cholesterol Hydroxylating Cytochrome P450 46A1: From Mechanisms of Action to Clinical Applications

2021

Cholesterol, an essential component of the brain, and its local metabolism are involved in many neurodegenerative diseases. The blood-brain barrier is impermeable to cholesterol; hence, cholesterol homeostasis in the central nervous system represents a balance betweenin situbiosynthesis and elimination. Cytochrome P450 46A1 (CYP46A1), a central nervous system-specific enzyme, converts cholesterol to 24-hydroxycholesterol, which can freely cross the blood-brain barrier and be degraded in the liver. By the dual action of initiating cholesterol efflux and activating the cholesterol synthesis pathway, CYP46A1 is the key enzyme that ensures brain cholesterol turnover. In humans and mouse models,…

Adult rat myelin enhances axonal outgrowth from neural stem cells.

2018

Axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI) is attenuated by growth inhibitory molecules associated with myelin. We report that rat myelin stimulated the growth of axons emerging from rat neural progenitor cells (NPCs) transplanted into sites of SCI in adult rat recipients. When plated on a myelin substrate, neurite outgrowth from rat NPCs and from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) was enhanced threefold. In vivo, rat NPCs and human iPSC-derived NSCs extended greater numbers of axons through adult central nervous system white matter than through gray matter and preferentially associated with rat host myelin. Mechanistic investigations excluded …

2019

These days, the important role of retinoids in adult brain functionality and homeostasis is well accepted and has been proven by genomic as well as non-genomic mechanisms. In the healthy brain, numerous biological processes, e.g., cell proliferation, neurogenesis, dendritic spine formation as well as modulation of the immune system, have been attributed to retinoid signaling. This, together with the finding that retinoid metabolism is impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), led to preclinical and early clinical testing of natural and synthetic retinoids as innovative pharmaceuticals with multifactorial properties. Acitretin, an aromatic retinoid, was found to exert an anti-amyloidogenic effec…

Differential Associations of IL-4 With Hippocampal Subfields in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

2019

Background/Aims: A bi-directional communication between the immune system and the central nervous system has been recently suggested. Among many cytokines, the role of IL-4 - with anti-inflammatory properties- in counteracting age-related inflammatory changes in the brain is strongly supported among studies. With this study, we aimed at investigating the association between volumetric measures of hippocampal subregions -in healthy older controls (HC), subjects affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)- with circulating levels of IL-4. Methods: From AddNeuroMed Project 113 HC, 101 stable MCI (sMCI), 22 converter MCI (cMCI) and 119 AD were included. Hippocampal …

A novel microglial subset plays a key role in myelinogenesis in developing brain.

2017

Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system that contribute to homeostasis and neuroinflammation. Although known to play an important role in brain development, their exact function has not been fully described. Here, we show that in contrast to healthy adult and inflammation-activated cells, neonatal microglia show a unique myelinogenic and neurogenic phenotype. A CD11c(+) microglial subset that predominates in primary myelinating areas of the developing brain expresses genes for neuronal and glial survival, migration, and differentiation. These cells are the major source of insulin-like growth factor 1, and its selective depletion from CD11c(+) microglia leads to impa…