Search results for "brain"

Anatomy and physiology of cisternostomy

2016

Cisternostomy is defined as opening the basal cisterns to atmospheric pressure. This technique helps to reduce the intracranial pressure in severe head trauma as well as other conditions when the so-called sudden “brain swelling” troubles the surgeon. We elaborated the surgical anatomy of this procedure as well as the proposed physiology of how cisternostomy works. This novel technique may change the current trends in neurosurgery.

2019

Mediterranean diet (MD) is the most relevant nutritional aspect of the multisecular Mediterranean civilisation which includes wine as an element of health and wellbeing when consumed with moderation. Mediterranean meals provide food micronutrients which include polyphenols, especially resveratrol from grape and red wine. MD, also called Cretan diet, has been proven to prevent diseases including cardiovascular pathologies, cancer, and to prevent aging. Interestingly, the grape and more precisely in grape skin contains the highest concentration of RSV. In consequence, red wine is the most concentrated food source of RSV found in the human diet. This review topic deals to how efficient is RSV …

Impact of polymer-modified gold nanoparticles on brain endothelial cells: exclusion of endoplasmic reticulum stress as a potential risk factor

2016

A library of polymer-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) differing in size and surface modifications was examined for uptake and induction of cellular stress responses in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) in human brain endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3). ER stress is known to affect the physiology of endothelial cells (ECs) and may lead to inflammation or apoptosis. Thus, even if applied at non-cytotoxic concentrations ER stress caused by nanoparticles should be prevented to reduce the risk of vascular diseases and negative effects on the integrity of barriers (e.g. blood-brain barrier). We exposed hCMEC/D3 to twelve different AuNPs (three sizes: 18, 35, and 65 nm, each with four surface-modif…

A Multilevel Functional Study of aSNAP25At-Risk Variant for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

2017

The synaptosomal-associated protein SNAP25 is a key player in synaptic vesicle docking and fusion and has been associated with multiple psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We recently identified a promoter variant inSNAP25,rs6039769, that is associated with early-onset bipolar disorder and a higher gene expression level in human prefrontal cortex. In the current study, we showed that this variant was associated both in males and females with schizophrenia in two independent cohorts. We then combinedin vitroandin vivoapproaches in humans to understand the functional impact of the at-risk allele. Thus, we showedin vi…

Hypothesis: Etiologic and Molecular Mechanistic Leads for Sporadic Neurodegenerative Diseases Based on Experience With Western Pacific ALS/PDC

2019

Seventy years of research on Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) have provided invaluable data on the etiology, molecular pathogenesis and latency of this disappearing, largely environmental neurodegenerative disease. ALS/PDC is linked to genotoxic chemicals (notably methylazoxymethanol, MAM) derived from seed of the cycad plant (Cycas spp.) that were used as a traditional food and/or medicine in all three disease-affected Western Pacific populations. MAM, nitrosamines and hydrazines generate methyl free radicals that damage DNA (in the form of O6-methylguanine lesions) that can induce mutations in cycling cells and degenerative changes …

2016

In the perinatal as well as the adult CNS, the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the forebrain is the largest and most active source of neural stem cells (NSCs) that generates neurons and oligodendrocytes (OLs), the myelin forming cells of the CNS. Recent advances in the field are beginning to shed light regarding SVZ heterogeneity, with the existence of spatially segregated microdomains that are intrinsically biased to generate phenotypically distinct neuronal populations. Although most research has focused on this regionalization in the context of neurogenesis, newer findings underline that this also applies for the genesis of OLs under the control of specific patterning molecules. In this min…

Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation in Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA)

2020

The syndromes of neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) encompass a group of invalidating and progressive rare diseases that share the abnormal accumulation of iron in the basal ganglia. The onset of NBIA disorders ranges from infancy to adulthood. Main clinical signs are related to extrapyramidal features (dystonia, parkinsonism and choreoathetosis), and neuropsychiatric abnormalities. Ten NBIA forms are widely accepted to be caused by mutations in the genes PANK2, PLA2G6, WDR45, C19ORF12, FA2H, ATP13A2, COASY, FTL1, CP, and DCAF17. Nonetheless, many patients remain without a conclusive genetic diagnosis, which shows that there must be additional as yet undiscovered NBIA gen…

Age‐related ultrastructural changes of the basement membrane in the mouse blood‐brain barrier

2018

Abstract The blood‐brain barrier (BBB) is essential for a functional neurovascular unit. Most studies focused on the cells forming the BBB, but very few studied the basement membrane (BM) of brain capillaries in ageing. We used transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography to investigate the BM of the BBB in ageing C57BL/6J mice. The thickness of the BM of the BBB from 24‐month‐old mice was double as compared with that of 6‐month‐old mice (107 nm vs 56 nm). The aged BBB showed lipid droplets gathering within the BM which further increased its thickness (up to 572 nm) and altered its structure. The lipids appeared to accumulate toward the glial side of the BM. Electron tomography …

Physical Activity and Brain Health.

2019

Physical activity (PA) has been central in the life of our species for most of its history, and thus shaped our physiology during evolution. However, only recently the health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, and of highly energetic diets, are becoming clear. It has been also acknowledged that lifestyle and diet can induce epigenetic modifications which modify chromatin structure and gene expression, thus causing even heritable metabolic outcomes. Many studies have shown that PA can reverse at least some of the unwanted effects of sedentary lifestyle, and can also contribute in delaying brain aging and degenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes, and multiple s…

Microbiota Gut–Brain Axis in Ischemic Stroke: A Narrative Review with a Focus about the Relationship with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

2021

The gut microbiota is emerging as an important player in neurodevelopment and aging as well as in brain diseases including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. The complex interplay between gut microbiota and the brain, and vice versa, has recently become not only the focus of neuroscience, but also the starting point for research regarding many diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The bi-directional interaction between gut microbiota and the brain is not completely understood. The aim of this review is to sum up the evidencesconcerningthe role of the gut–brain microbiota axis in ischemic stroke and to highlight the more recent evidences about the potential r…