Search results for "Sensory system"

Afferent and efferent projections of the dorsal anterior thalamic nuclei in the lizard Podarcis hispanica (Sauria, Lacertidae).

2002

The aim of this study was to investigate the afferent and efferent connections of the anterior thalamic nuclei in the lizard Podarcis hispanica. To identify potential sources of sensory inputs and to determine the fine organization of the projections of these thalamic nuclei to the telencephalon, we injected the sensitive tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into different nuclei of the anterior dorsal thalamus. We also injected BDA into several telencephalic areas in order to corroborate the results of thalamic injections. Our results show that the anterior thalamic nuclei receive projections from multiple areas and nuclei distributed throughout most of the brain, from rhombencephalon t…

Early adaptive response of the retina to a pro-diabetogenic diet: Impairment of cone response and gene expression changes in high-fructose fed rats

2015

The lack of plasticity of neurons to respond to dietary changes, such as high fat and high fructose diets, by modulating gene and protein expression has been associated with functional and behavioral impairments that can have detrimental consequences. The inhibition of high fat-induced rewiring of hypothalamic neurons induced obesity. Feeding rodents with high fructose is a recognized and widely used model to trigger obesity and metabolic syndrome. However the adaptive response of the retina to short term feeding with high fructose is poorly documented. We therefore aimed to characterize both the functional and gene expression changes in the neurosensory retina of Brown Norway rats fed duri…

Beneficial Effect of Docosahexanoic Acid and Lutein on Retinal Structural, Metabolic, and Functional Abnormalities in Diabetic Rats

2009

To assess the effect of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and lutein (both compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties) on experimental diabetic retinopathy.Male Wistar rats were studied: non-diabetic controls, untreated diabetic controls, and diabetic rats were treated with DHA and lutein or the combination of DHA + insulin and lutein + insulin for 12 weeks. Oxidative stress and inflammatory markers, apoptosis, and functional tests were studied to confirm biochemical and functional changes in the retina of diabetic rats. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione concentrations (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx) were measured as oxidative stress markers. TUNEL assay and caspa…

Evidence for a dysfunction and disease-promoting role of the circadian clock in the diabetic retina.

2021

Diabetic retinopathy is a major complication of chronic hyperglycemia and a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. In the present study the interaction between diabetes and retinal clocks was investigated in mice. It was seen that in the db/db mouse - a widely used animal model of diabetic retinopathy - clock function and circadian regulation of gene expression was disturbed in the retina. Remarkably, elimination of clock function by Bmal1-deficiency mitigates the progression of pathophysiology of the diabetic retina. Thus high-fat diet was seen to induce histopathology and molecular markers associated with diabetic retinopathy in wild type but not in Bmal1-deficient mice. The d…

Role of Languages in Consumers' Food Description: Contrasting Malagasy and French Descriptors of M oringa oleifera Leaf Powder

2015

Post-task Effects on EEG Brain Activity Differ for Various Differential Learning and Contextual Interference Protocols

2017

A large body of research has shown superior learning rates in variable practice compared to repetitive practice. More specifically, this has been demonstrated in the contextual interference (CI) and in the differential learning (DL) approach that are both representatives of variable practice. Behavioral studies have indicate different learning processes in CI and DL. Aim of the present study was to examine immediate post-task effects on electroencephalographic (EEG) brain activation patterns after CI and DL protocols that reveal underlying neural processes at the early stage of motor consolidation. Additionally, we tested two DL protocols (gradual DL, chaotic DL) to examine the effect of di…

Decreasing dietary linoleic acid promotes long chain omega-3 fatty acid incorporation into rat retina and modifies gene expression

2011

International audience; Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may be partially prevented by dietary habits privileging the consumption of ω3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3s) while lowering linoleic acid (LA) intake. The present study aimed to document whether following these epidemiological guidelines would enrich the neurosensory retina and RPE with ω3s and modulate gene expression in the neurosensory retina. Rat progenitors and pups were fed with diets containing low or high LA, and low or high ω3s. After scotopic single flash and 8-Hz-Flicker electroretinography, rat pups were euthanized at adulthood. The fatty acid profile of the neurosensory retina, RPE, liver, adipose tis…

Oro-gustatory perception of dietary lipids and calcium signaling in taste bud cells are altered in nutritionally obesity-prone Psammomys obesus.

2013

Since the increasing prevalence of obesity is one of the major health problems of the modern era, understanding the mechanisms of oro-gustatory detection of dietary fat is critical for the prevention and treatment of obesity. We have conducted the present study on Psammomys obesus, the rodent desert gerbil which is a unique polygenic natural animal model of obesity. Our results show that obese animals exhibit a strong preference for lipid solutions in a two-bottle test. Interestingly, the expression of CD36, a lipido-receptor, in taste buds cells (TBC), isolated from circumvallate papillae, was decreased at mRNA level, but remained unaltered at protein level, in obese animals. We further st…

The Lipid-Sensor Candidates CD36 and GPR120 Are Differentially Regulated by Dietary Lipids in Mouse Taste Buds: Impact on Spontaneous Fat Preference

2011

BACKGROUND: Recent studies in rodents and humans suggest that the chemoreception of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) in oral cavity is involved in the spontaneous preference for fatty foods and might contribute to the obesity risk. CD36 and GPR120 are LCFA receptors identified in rodent taste bud cells. The fact that CD36 or GPR120 gene inactivation leads to a decrease in the preference for lipids raises the question of the respective role(s) played by these gustatory lipid-sensor candidates. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using a combination of biochemical, nutritional and behavioural studies in wild-type, CD36(+/-)and CD36(-/-) mice, it was found that: 1°) CD36 and GPR120 display different …

Soluble guanylyl cyclase appears in a specific subset of periglomerular cells in the olfactory bulb

2005

In the brain, nitric oxide acts as an atypical messenger in cellular nonsynaptic transmission. In the olfactory bulb, this gas is produced at the level of the olfactory glomeruli by a subpopulation of periglomerular cells that participates in the first synaptic relay of the olfactory information between the olfactory nerve and the dendritic tufts of principal cells. It has been proposed that nitric oxide modulates intraglomerular synaptic integration of sensory inputs, but its specific role in the glomerular circuitry remains to be understood. In this article, we demonstrate that, in the glomerular circuits, a specific subset of periglomerular cells, most of them expressing the calcium bind…