scholarly journals Astrocytic adenosine: from synapses to psychiatric disorders

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1654) ◽  
pp. 20130594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin J. Hines ◽  
Philip G. Haydon
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Neuronal Cells ◽  
Atp Release ◽  
General Term ◽  
The Body ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Major Class ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

Although it is considered to be the most complex organ in the body, the brain can be broadly classified into two major types of cells, neuronal cells and glial cells. Glia is a general term that encompasses multiple types of non-neuronal cells that function to maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurons. Astrocytes, a major class of glial cell, have historically been viewed as passive support cells, but recently it has been discovered that astrocytes participate in signalling activities both with the vasculature and with neurons at the synapse. These cells have been shown to release d -serine, TNF-α, glutamate, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and ATP among other signalling molecules. ATP and its metabolites are well established as important signalling molecules, and astrocytes represent a major source of ATP release in the nervous system. Novel molecular and genetic tools have recently shown that astrocytic release of ATP and other signalling molecules has a major impact on synaptic transmission. Via actions at the synapse, astrocytes have now been shown to regulate complex network signalling in the whole organism with impacts on respiration and the sleep–wake cycle. In addition, new roles for astrocytes are being uncovered in psychiatric disorders, and astrocyte signalling mechanisms represents an attractive target for novel therapeutic agents.

scholarly journals Molecular Regulation of Striatal Development: A Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Evans ◽  
C. M. Kelly ◽  
S. V. Precious ◽  
A. E. Rosser
Keyword(s):  
Complex Function ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
The Body ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
New Information ◽  
Brain Malformations ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is a complex organ that processes and coordinates activities of the body in bilaterian, higher-order animals. The development of the brain mirrors its complex function as it requires intricate genetic signalling at specific times, and deviations from this can lead to brain malformations such as anencephaly. Research into how the CNS is specified and patterned has been studied extensively in chick, fish, frog, and mice, but findings from the latter will be emphasised here as higher-order mammals show most similarity to the human brain. Specifically, we will focus on the embryonic development of an important forebrain structure, the striatum (also known as the dorsal striatum or neostriatum). Over the past decade, research on striatal development in mice has led to an influx of new information about the genes involved, but the precise orchestration between the genes, signalling molecules, and transcription factors remains unanswered. We aim to summarise what is known to date about the tightly controlled network of interacting genes that control striatal development. This paper will discuss early telencephalon patterning and dorsal ventral patterning with specific reference to the genes involved in striatal development.

scholarly journals Intersection of Brain Development and Paediatric Diffuse Midline Gliomas: Potential Role of Microenvironment in Tumour Growth

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Loveson ◽  
Helen Fillmore
Keyword(s):  
Tumour Growth ◽  
Median Overall Survival ◽  
Tumour Microenvironment ◽  
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Paediatric Brain Tumour ◽  
Molecular Aberrations ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a devastating and incurable paediatric brain tumour with a median overall survival of 9 months. Until recently, DIPGs were treated similarly to adult gliomas, but due to the advancement in molecular and imaging technologies, our understanding of these tumours has increased dramatically. While extensive research is being undertaken to determine the function of the molecular aberrations in DIPG, there are significant gaps in understanding the biology and the influence of the tumour microenvironment on DIPG growth, specifically in regards to the developing pons. The precise orchestration and co-ordination of the development of the brain, the most complex organ in the body, is still not fully understood. Herein, we present a brief overview of brainstem development, discuss the developing microenvironment in terms of DIPG growth, and provide a basis for the need for studies focused on bridging pontine development and DIPG microenvironment. Conducting investigations in the context of a developing brain will lead to a better understanding of the role of the tumour microenvironment and will help lead to identification of drivers of tumour growth and therapeutic resistance.

Synaptic and Neural Plasticity

2013 ◽  
pp. 64-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saïd Kourrich ◽  
Antonello Bonci
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Information Transmission ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Neuronal Transmission ◽  
Plastic Changes ◽  
External Stimuli ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

The brain is an extraordinarily complex organ that constantly has to process information to adapt appropriately to internal and external stimuli. This information is received, processed, and transmitted within neural networks by neurons through specialized connections called synapses. While information transmission at synapses is primarily chemical, it propagates through a neuron via electrical signals made of patterns of action potentials. The present chapter will describe the fundamental types of plastic changes that can affect neuronal transmission. Importantly, these various types of neural plasticity have been associated with both adaptive such as learning and memory or pathological conditions such as neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Hippocampal toxicity of metal base nanoparticles. Is there a relationship between nanoparticles and psychiatric disorders?

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Mohammadipour ◽  
Mahmoud Abudayyak
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metal Base ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Gene Expression Alteration ◽  
Neuro Inflammation ◽  
The One ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Metal base nanoparticles are widely produced all over the world and used in many fields and products such as medicine, electronics, cosmetics, paints, ceramics, toys, kitchen utensils and toothpastes. They are able to enter the body through digestive, respiratory, and alimentary systems. These nanoparticles can also cross the blood brain barrier, enter the brain and aggregate in the hippocampus. After entering the hippocampus, they induce oxidative stress, neuro-inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gene expression alteration in hippocampal cells, which finally lead to neuronal apoptosis. Metal base nanoparticles can also affect hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity that both of them play crucial role in memory and learning. On the one hand, hippocampal cells are severely vulnerable due to their high metabolic activity, and on the other hand, metal base nanoparticles have high potential to damage hippocampus through variety of mechanisms and affect its functions. This review discusses, in detail, nanoparticles’ detrimental effects on the hippocampus in cellular, molecular and functional levels to reveal that according to the present information, which types of nanoparticles have more potential to induce hippocampal toxicity and psychiatric disorders and which types should be more evaluated in the future studies.

Gene Expression in Neuronal Disease

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1261-1262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian C. Wood ◽  
Nicola K. Gray ◽  
Lesley Jones
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rna Processing ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Single Step ◽  
The Body ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Neuronal Disease ◽  
Inappropriate Gene Expression ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

The brain is the most complex organ of the body and it contains the greatest diversity of cell types. Collectively, the cells within the brain express the greatest number of genes encoded within our genome. Inappropriate gene expression within these cells plays a fundamental role in many neuronal diseases. Illuminating the mechanisms responsible for gene expression is key to understanding these diseases. Because of the complexity, however, there is still much to understand about the mechanisms responsible for gene expression in the brain. There are many steps required for a protein to be generated from a gene, and groups who focus on gene expression normally study a single step such as regulation of transcription, mechanisms of RNA processing or control of translation. To address this, experts were brought together at the Gene Expression in Neuronal Disease meeting in Cardiff. This forum provided the latest insights into specific stages of gene expression in the brain and encompassed the complete pathway from DNA to protein. The present article summarizes the meeting talks and related papers in this issue of Biochemical Society Transactions.

The brain: our control system

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 318-322
Author(s):  
Ian Peate
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Control System ◽  
The Body ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ ◽  
Healthcare Assistant ◽  
Assistant Practitioner

The largest and the most complex organ in the body is the brain. In this article, the healthcare assistant and assistant practitioner (HCA and AP) are introduced to the fundamental features that are associated with the anatomy of the brain. The body's central nervous system is made up of the brain, along with the spinal cord. This is the main control system for the body's functions and abilities, allowing conscious communication with the body and automatic operation of the vital organs, for example, the heart. In this article, specific functions of the brain are considered. The four lobes of the brain are reviewed and also the three coverings of the meninges. Having insight and understanding related to how the brain functions can help the HCA and AP offer people care that is founded on a sound knowledge base. A glossary of terms is provided and a short quiz has also been included.

Allostasis and neuroprogression in major psychiatric disorders

2019 ◽  
pp. 5-20
Author(s):  
Iria Grande ◽  
Flávio Kapczinski ◽  
Sebastián Camino ◽  
Gustavo Vázquez ◽  
Eduard Vieta
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Affective Disorders ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Progressive Increase ◽  
The Body ◽  
Accelerated Ageing ◽  
Psychiatric Illnesses ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Brain

The hypothesis of allostasis may be a pertinent model to explain the course of psychiatric illnesses by means of stress and to explain the dimensional impact of mental disorders on the organism, not only on the brain but on other organs of the body. Moreover, it is also suitable to explain the neuroprogression of psychiatric disorders from a ‘wear and tear’ approach, detailing the progressive increase of cognitive impairment, accelerated ageing, and rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidities that patients with major psychiatric disorders have. In this chapter, the concepts of allostasis, allostatic load, and allostatic overload are detailed from a neuroprogressive approach and their application to neuropsychiatric illnesses is explained in relation to anxiety disorders, affective disorders, such as unipolar depression and bipolar disorder, and psychotic syndromes.

Mind and brain: building bridges linking neurology, psychiatry, and psychology

2010 ◽  
pp. 4746-4748
Author(s):  
A. Zeman
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
The Body ◽  
Contrast Study ◽  
Medical Disorders ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ambiguous Position

‘The great regions of the mind correspond to the great regions of the brain.’ Paul Broca ‘… the master unsolved problem of biology: how the hundred million nerve cells of the brain work together to create consciousness …’ E.O. Wilson, Consilience, 1998 Here is one view of the relationship between medicine and psychiatry. Physicians study, diagnose, and treat disorders of the body; psychiatrists (by contrast) study, diagnose, and treat disorders of the mind. Medicine has to do mainly with processes in objects, such as the circulation of blood to the kidneys; psychiatrists concern themselves mainly with the experiences of subjects, such as auditory hallucinations. Medical disorders are ‘organic’; psychiatric disorders are ‘functional’. Medicine is mainly a science; psychiatry mainly an art. The brain, on this view, occupies an ambiguous position, poised between body and mind: it is an ambiguous intermediary, a skilful interpreter between the languages of mind and body. Nevertheless, disorders of body and mind can and should be rigorously distinguished....

scholarly journals The Roles of Monocyte and Monocyte-Derived Macrophages in Common Brain Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mingxia Zhao ◽  
Houzhen Tuo ◽  
Shuhui Wang ◽  
Lin Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Body ◽  
Disease Models ◽  
Brain Disorders ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

The brain is the most important and complex organ in most living creatures which serves as the center of the nervous system. The function of human brain includes controlling of the motion of the body and different organs and maintaining basic homeostasis. The disorders of the brain caused by a variety of reasons often severely impact the patients’ normal life or lead to death in extreme cases. Monocyte is an important immune cell which is often recruited to the brain in a number of brain disorders. However, the role of monocytes may not be simply described as beneficial or detrimental. It significantly depends on the disease models and the stages of disease progression. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge about the role of monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages during several common brain disorders. Major focuses include ischemic stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, intracerebral hemorrhage, and insomnia. The recruitment, differentiation, and function of monocyte in these diseases are reviewed.

scholarly journals To Activate the Brain, Activate the Body First

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-16
Author(s):  
Nasim Habibzadeh
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Brain Health ◽  
Ideal Situation ◽  
Mental Fitness ◽  
High Level ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Level Of Importance ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

The brain is the most complex organ which governs almost all activities in human body. Thus, the mental fitness has high level of importance in every day workouts. The good activities for long-term brain health include performing regular exercises such as a simple walking for 10 min at each day. More importantly having good level of diet can keep the brain workouts in an ideal situation. Indeed, taking enough rest can enhance the brain performances. Listening to the desirable sound of music could also enhance concentration and improve the mood. In overall, these aforementioned life style modifications significantly can easily boost the brain power and its healthy function through different aspects in daily life.

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