Search results for "plasticity"
showing 10 items of 765 documents
Alteration of inhibitory circuits in the somatosensory cortex of Ts65Dn mice, a model for Down's syndrome.
2010
Down’s syndrome (DS), with an incidence of one in 800 live births, is the most common genetic disorder associated with mental retardation. This trisomy on chromosome 21 induces a variable phenotype in which the only common feature is the presence of mental retardation. The neural mechanisms underlying mental retardation might include defects in the formation of neuronal networks and neural plasticity. DS patients have alterations in the morphology, the density and the distribution of dendritic spines in the pyramidal neurons of the cortex. Our hypothesis is that the deficits in dendritic arborization observed in the principal neurons of DS patients and Ts65Dn mice (a model for DS that mimic…
Beneficial effects of choir singing on cognition and well-being of older adults: Evidence from a cross-sectional study.
2021
Background and objectivesChoir singing has been associated with better mood and quality of life (QOL) in healthy older adults, but little is known about its potential cognitive benefits in aging. In this study, our aim was to compare the subjective (self-reported) and objective (test-based) cognitive functioning of senior choir singers and matched control subjects, coupled with assessment of mood, QOL, and social functioning.Research design and methodsWe performed a cross-sectional questionnaire study in 162 healthy older (age ≥ 60 years) adults (106 choir singers, 56 controls), including measures of cognition, mood, social engagement, QOL, and role of music in daily life. The choir singers…
High dose of 8-OH-DPAT decreases maximal dentate gyrus activation and facilitates granular cell plasticity in vivo.
2013
Although several studies have emphasized a crucial role for the serotonergic system in the control of hippocampal excitability, the role of serotonin (5-HT) and its receptors in normal and pathologic conditions, such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), is still unclear. The present study was therefore designed firstly to investigate the acute effect of 8-OH-DPAT, a mixed 5-HT1A/7 receptor agonist, at a high dose (1 mg/kg, i.p.) known to have antiepileptic properties, in a model of acute partial epilepsy in rats. For this purpose, a maximal dentate activation (MDA) protocol was used to measure electrographic seizure onset and duration. In addition, the effect of 8-OH-DPAT on in vivo dentate gyr…
''Comparative Effect of Treadmill Exercise on Mature BDNF Production in Control versus Stroke Rats''
2012
Quirie, Aurore | Hervieu, Marie | Garnier, Philippe | Demougeot, Celine | Mossiat, Claude | Bertrand, Nathalie | Martin, Alain | Marie, Christine | Prigent-Tessier, Anne; International audience; ''Physical exercise constitutes an innovative strategy to treat deficits associated with stroke through the promotion of BDNF-dependent neuroplasticity. However, there is no consensus on the optimal intensity/duration of exercise. In addition, whether previous stroke changes the effect of exercise on the brain is not known. Therefore, the present study compared the effects of a clinically-relevant form of exercise on cerebral BDNF levels and localization in control versus stroke rats. For this purpo…
Media multitasking is associated with distractibility and increased prefrontal activity in adolescents and young adults.
2016
The current generation of young people indulges in more media multitasking behavior (e.g., instant messaging while watching videos) in their everyday lives than older generations. Concerns have been raised about how this might affect their attentional functioning, as previous studies have indicated that extensive mediamultitasking in everyday life may be associated with decreased attentional control. In the current study, 149 adolescents and young adults (aged 13-24 years) performed speech-listening and reading tasks that required maintaining attention in the presence of distractor stimuli in the othermodality or dividing attention between two concurrent tasks. Brain activity during task pe…
Clobetasol promotes neuromuscular plasticity in mice after motoneuronal loss via sonic hedgehog signaling, immunomodulation and metabolic rebalancing
2021
AbstractMotoneuronal loss is the main feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although pathogenesis is extremely complex involving both neural and muscle cells. In order to translationally engage the sonic hedgehog pathway, which is a promising target for neural regeneration, recent studies have reported on the neuroprotective effects of clobetasol, an FDA-approved glucocorticoid, able to activate this pathway via smoothened. Herein we sought to examine functional, cellular, and metabolic effects of clobetasol in a neurotoxic mouse model of spinal motoneuronal loss. We found that clobetasol reduces muscle denervation and motor impairments in part by restoring sonic hedgehog signaling and …
The Aromatase Gene CYP19A1: Several Genetic and Functional Lines of Evidence Supporting a Role in Reading, Speech and Language
2012
Inspired by the localization, on 15q21.2 of the CYP19A1 gene in the linkage region of speech and language disorders, and a rare translocation in a dyslexic individual that was brought to our attention, we conducted a series of studies on the properties of CYP19A1 as a candidate gene for dyslexia and related conditions. The aromatase enzyme is a member of the cytochrome P450 super family, and it serves several key functions: it catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens; during early mammalian development it controls the differentiation of specific brain areas (e.g. local estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus regulates synaptic plasticity and axonal growth); it is involved in sexua…
BDNF contributes to the facilitation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and learning enabled by environmental enrichment
2014
Sensory, motor, and cognitive stimuli, resulting from interactions with the environment, play a key role in optimizing and modifying the neuronal circuitry required for normal brain function. An experimental animal model for this phenomenon comprises environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents. EE causes profound changes in neuronal and signaling levels of excitation and plasticity throughout the entire central nervous system and the hippocampus is particularly affected. The mechanisms underlying these changes are not yet fully understood. As brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) supports hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), we explored whether it participates in the facilitation of sy…
Using a Cognitive Plasticity Measure to Detect Mild Cognitive Impairment
2013
This study compared performance in two groups of older adults, one healthy and another with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), in order to determine whether or not they exhibit plasticity and to analyze whether or not plastic and non-plastic participants differed after a delay. To measure cognitive plasticity, the Spain-Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVEC) was applied to a total of 113 participants over 65 who were divided into two groups: MCI (N = 51) and control (N = 62). It was concluded that healthy participants performed better, but impaired participants also demonstrated some capacity for learning and plasticity, and it was shown that these improvements were maintained after a delay…
Strategic adjustments in sperm production within and between two island populations of house mice
2012
Sperm production is physiologically costly. Consequently, males are expected to be prudent in their sperm production, and tailor their expenditure according to prevailing social conditions. Differences in sperm production have been found across island populations of house mice that differ in the level of selection from sperm competition. Here, we determined the extent to which these differences represent phenotypic plasticity and/or population divergence in sperm production. We sourced individuals from two populations at the extreme levels of sperm competition, and raised them under common-garden conditions while manipulating the social experience of developing males. Males from the high-sp…