Decreased lymphocyte dopamine transporter in romantic lovers

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Marazziti ◽  
Stefano Baroni ◽  
Gino Giannaccini ◽  
Armando Piccinni ◽  
Federico Mucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Romantic Love ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Resting Lymphocytes ◽  
The Brain

ObjectiveThe role of dopamine (DA) in romantic love is suggested by different evidence and is supported by the findings of some brain imaging studies. The DA transporter (DAT) is a key structure in regulating the concentration of the neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft. Given the presence of DAT in blood cells, the present study aimed to explore it in resting lymphocytes of 30 healthy subjects of both sexes in the early stage of romantic love (no longer than 6 months), as compared with 30 subjects involved in a long-lasting relationship.MethodsAll subjects had no physical or psychiatric illness. The DAT was measured by means of the [3H]-WIN 35,428 binding and the [3H]-DA reuptake to resting lymphocytes membranes. Romantic love was assessed by a specific questionnaire developed by us.ResultsThe results showed that the subjects in the early phase of romantic love had a global alteration of the lymphocyte DAT involving both a decreased number of proteins (Bmax) and a reduced functionality (Vmax).ConclusionsTaken together, these findings would indicate the presence of increased levels of DA in romantic love that, if paralleled by similar concentrations in the brain, would explain some peculiar features of this human feeling.

scholarly journals A higher proportion of ermin-immunopositive oligodendrocytes in areas of remyelination

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256155
Author(s):  
Intakhar Ahmad ◽  
Stig Wergeland ◽  
Eystein Oveland ◽  
Lars Bø
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Normal Appearing White Matter ◽  
The Brain

Incomplete remyelination is frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS)-lesions, but there is no established marker for recent remyelination. We investigated the role of the oligodendrocyte/myelin protein ermin in de- and remyelination in the cuprizone (CPZ) mouse model, and in MS. The density of ermin+ oligodendrocytes in the brain was significantly decreased after one week of CPZ exposure (p < 0.02). The relative proportion of ermin+ cells compared to cells positive for the late-stage oligodendrocyte marker Nogo-A increased at the onset of remyelination in the corpus callosum (p < 0.02). The density of ermin-positive cells increased in the corpus callosum during the CPZ-phase of extensive remyelination (p < 0.0001). In MS, the density of ermin+ cells was higher in remyelinated lesion areas compared to non-remyelinated areas both in white- (p < 0.0001) and grey matter (p < 0.0001) and compared to normal-appearing white matter (p < 0.001). Ermin immunopositive cells in MS-lesions were not immunopositive for the early-stage oligodendrocyte markers O4 and O1, but a subpopulation was immunopositive for Nogo-A. The data suggest a relatively higher proportion of ermin immunopositivity in oligodendrocytes compared to Nogo-A indicates recent or ongoing remyelination.

Neuropsychiatry of neurometabolic, neuroendocrine, and mitochondrial disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 309-322
Author(s):  
Mark Walterfang ◽  
Ramon Mocellin ◽  
Dennis Velakoulis
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Mitochondrial Disorders ◽  
Endocrine Function ◽  
Endocrine Disorders ◽  
Endocrine Tumours ◽  
Neurometabolic Disorders ◽  
The Brain

This chapter examines the role of neurometabolic, neuroendocrine, and mitochondrial disorders in causing neuropsychiatric syndromes. It examines how disorders of cellular metabolic processes, particularly those that affect the brain, can result in major psychiatric syndromes and the over-representation of some neurometabolic disorders in psychiatric illness. It also discusses a range of endocrine disorders, particularly disorders of increased or reduced endocrine function and endocrine tumours, in producing psychiatric syndromes. The chapter also reviews the role of mitochondrial disorders in disrupting central nervous system processes and metabolism, and how some mitochondrial disorders result in psychiatric illness.

scholarly journals Monocyte Transmodulation: The Next Novel Therapeutic Approach in Overcoming Ischemic Stroke?

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joohyun Park ◽  
Ji Young Chang ◽  
Jong Youl Kim ◽  
Jong Eun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Peripheral Blood Leukocytes ◽  
Blood Leukocytes ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Reparative Process ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Vital Element

The immune response following neuroinflammation is a vital element of ischemic stroke pathophysiology. After the onset of ischemic stroke, a specialized vasculature system that effectively protects central nervous system tissues from the invasion of blood cells and other macromolecules is broken down within minutes, thereby triggering the inflammation cascade, including the infiltration of peripheral blood leukocytes. In this series of processes, blood-derived monocytes have a significant effect on the outcome of ischemic stroke through neuroinflammatory responses. As neuroinflammation is a necessary and pivotal component of the reparative process after ischemic stroke, understanding the role of infiltrating monocytes in the modulation of inflammatory responses may offer a great opportunity to explore new therapies for ischemic stroke. In this review, we discuss and highlight the function and involvement of monocytes in the brain after ischemic injury, as well as their impact on tissue damage and repair.

scholarly journals The potential role for sphingolipids in neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.V. Alessenko
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Sphingosine 1 Phosphate ◽  
The Brain

The review discusses the functional role of sphingolipids in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Certain evidence exist that the imbalance of sphingolipids such as sphingomyelin, ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate and galactosylceramide in the brain of animals and humans, in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease play a crucial role in neuronal function by regulating growth, differentiation and cell death in CNS. Activation of sphingomyelinase, which leads to the accumulation of the proapoptotic agent, ceramide, can be considered as a new mechanism for AD and may be a prerequisite for the treatment of this disease by using drugs that inhibit sphingomyelinase activity. The role of sphingolipids as biomarkers for the diagnosis of the early stage of Alzheimer's disease and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment with new drugs is discussed.

Targeted Circuit Manipulations in the Modeling of OCD

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne E. Ahmari
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Targeted Treatments ◽  
Excessive Grooming ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Deep Brain

Work in animal models has great potential to shed light on the neural circuit perturbations that lead to OCD-related behaviors. Circuit-specific manipulations allow testing of the causal role of the brain network abnormalities observed in clinical imaging studies, with a precision that is not possible in investigations in humans. In recent years, circuit-specific manipulations in animals using a range of technologies have confirmed that abnormalities in the cortico-striatal circuitry can produce repetitive behaviors, such as excessive grooming. This chapter summarizes these advances. Refining our understanding of the contribution of particular neural circuits to OCD-relevant behaviors can inform the development of anatomically targeted treatments, such as deep brain stimulation.

Microglia in development: linking brain wiring to brain environment

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa C. Paolicelli ◽  
Cornelius T. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Neuronal Cells ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Synaptic Pruning

Microglia are enigmatic non-neuronal cells that infiltrate and take up residence in the brain during development and are thought to perform a surveillance function. An established literature has documented how microglia are activated by pathogenic stimuli and how they contribute to and resolve injuries to the brain. However, much less work has been aimed at understanding their function in the uninjured brain. A series of recent in vivo imaging studies shows that microglia in their resting state are highly motile and actively survey their neuronal surroundings. Furthermore, new data suggest that microglia in their resting state are able to phagocytose unwanted synapses and in this way contribute to synaptic pruning and maturation during development. Coupled with their exquisite sensitivity to pathogenic stimuli, these data suggest that microglia form a link that couples changes in brain environment to changes in brain wiring. Here we discuss this hypothesis and propose a model for the role of microglia during development in sculpting brain connectivity.

scholarly journals The Role of the Cerebellum in Swallowing

Dysphagia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodele Sasegbon ◽  
Shaheen Hamdy
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Neurogenic Dysphagia ◽  
Complex Activity ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Cerebellar Stimulation

AbstractSwallowing is a complex activity requiring a sophisticated system of neurological control from neurones within the brainstem, cerebral cortices and cerebellum. The cerebellum is a critical part of the brain responsible for the modulation of movements. It receives input from motor cortical and sensory areas and fine tunes these inputs to produce coordinated motor outputs. With respect to swallowing, numerous functional imaging studies have demonstrated increased activity in the cerebellum during the task of swallowing and damage to the cerebellum following differing pathological processes is associated with dysphagia. Single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been applied to the cerebellum and have been shown to evoke motor responses in the pharynx. Moreover, repetitive TMS (rTMS) over the cerebellum can modulate cerebral motor (pharyngeal) cortical activity. Neurostimulation has allowed a better understanding of the connections that exist between the cerebellum and cerebral swallowing motor areas in health and provides a potential treatment for neurogenic dysphagia in illness. In this review we will examine what is currently known about the role of the cerebellum in the control of swallowing, explore new findings from neurostimulatory and imaging studies and provide an overview of the future clinical applications of cerebellar stimulation for treating dysphagia.

scholarly journals Variability in Reward Responsivity and Obesity: Evidence from Brain Imaging Studies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Stanley Burger
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Vulnerability Model ◽  
Reward Responsivity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Advances in neuroimaging techniques have provided insight into the role of the brain in the regulation of food intake and weight. Growing evidence demonstrate that energy dense, palatable foods elicit similar responses in reward-related brain regions that mimic those of addictive substances. Currently, various models of obesity’s relation to reward from food have been theorized. There is evidence to support a theory of hypo-responsivity of reward regions to food, where individuals consume excess amounts to overcome this reward deficit. There is also data to support a theory of hyper-responsivity of reward regions, where individuals who experience greater reward from food intake are at risk for overeating. However, these seemingly discordant theories are static in nature and do not account for the possible effects of repeated overeating on brain responsivity to food and initial vulnerability factors. Here we review data that support these theories and propose a dynamic vulnerability model of obesity that appears to offer a parsimonious theory that accommodates extant findings.

scholarly journals The Central Role of Extracellular Vesicles in the Mechanisms of Thrombosis in COVID-19 Patients With Cancer and Therapeutic Strategies

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haijiao Jing ◽  
Nan Zuo ◽  
Valerie A. Novakovic ◽  
Jialan Shi
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
Antithrombotic Therapy ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Blood Perfusion ◽  
Coagulation Cascade ◽  
Patients With Cancer

Cancer patients have increased SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and are prone to developing severe COVID-19 infections. The incidence of venous thrombosis is approximately 20% in COVID-19 patients with cancer. It has been suggested that thrombus formation has been suggested to correlate with severe clinical manifestations, mortality, and sequelae. In this review, we primarily elaborate on the pathophysiological mechanisms of thrombosis in COVID-19 patients with cancer, emphasize the role of microparticles (MPs) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in coagulation, and propose an antithrombotic strategy. The coagulation mechanisms of COVID-19 and cancer synergistically amplify the coagulation cascade, and collectively promotes pulmonary microvascular occlusion. During systemic coagulation, the virus activates immune cells to release abundant proinflammatory cytokines, referred to as cytokine storm, resulting in the apoptosis of tumor and blood cells and subsequent MPs release. Additionally, we highlight that tumor cells contribute to MPs and coagulation by apoptosis owing to insufficient blood supply. A positive feedback loop of cytokines storm and MPs storm promotes microvascular coagulation storm, leading to microthrombi formation and inadequate blood perfusion. Microthrombi-damaged endothelial cells (ECs), tumor, and blood cells further aggravate the apoptosis of the cells and facilitate MPs storm. PS, especially on MPs, plays a pivotal role in the blood coagulation process, contributing to clot initiation, amplification, and propagation. Since coagulation is a common pathway of COVID-19 and cancer, and associated with mortality, patients would benefit from antithrombotic therapy. The above results lead us to assert that early stage antithrombotic therapy is optimal. This strategy is likely to maintain blood flow patency contributing to viral clearance, attenuating the formation of cytokines and MPs storm, maintaining oxygen saturation, and avoiding the progress of the disease.

scholarly journals A Novel Method of Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Based on EEG Signals

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhiya Al-Jumeily ◽  
Shamaila Iram ◽  
Francois-Benois Vialatte ◽  
Paul Fergus ◽  
Abir Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Neural Synchrony ◽  
The Brain

Studies have reported that electroencephalogram signals in Alzheimer’s disease patients usually have less synchronization than those of healthy subjects. Changes in electroencephalogram signals start at early stage but, clinically, these changes are not easily detected. To detect this perturbation, three neural synchrony measurement techniques: phase synchrony, magnitude squared coherence, and cross correlation are applied to three different databases of mild Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy subjects. We have compared the right and left temporal lobes of the brain with the rest of the brain areas (frontal, central, and occipital) as temporal regions are relatively the first ones to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, electroencephalogram signals are further classified into five different frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha beta, and gamma) because each frequency band has its own physiological significance in terms of signal evaluation. A new approach using principal component analysis before applying neural synchrony measurement techniques has been presented and compared with Average technique. The simulation results indicated that applying principal component analysis before synchrony measurement techniques shows significantly better results as compared to the lateral one. At the end, all the aforementioned techniques are assessed by a statistical test (Mann-WhitneyUtest) to compare the results.

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