Monoamines: Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin, Beyond Modulation, “Switches” That Alter the State of Target Networks

How do monoamines influence the perceptual and behavioral aspects of brain function? A library of information regarding the genetic, molecular, cellular, and function of monoamines in the nervous system and other organs has accumulated. We briefly review monoamines’ anatomy and physiology and discuss their effects on the target neurons and circuits. Monoaminergic cells in the brain stem receive inputs from sensory, limbic, and prefrontal areas and project extensively to the forebrain and hindbrain. We review selected studies on molecular, cellular, and electrophysiological effects of monoamines on the brain’s target areas. The idea is that monoamines, by reversibly modulating the “primary” information processing circuits, regulate and switch the functions of brain networks and can reversibly alter the “brain states,” such as consciousness, emotions, and movements. Monoamines, as the drivers of normal motor and sensory brain operations, including housekeeping, play essential roles in pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases.

Die brein soos beskou deur die Grieke en Romeine

Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie ◽

10.4102/satnt.v34i1.1297 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Francois P. Retief ◽

Louise Cilliers

Keyword(s):

Brain Function ◽

Essential Role ◽

Structure And Function ◽

Ancient Egypt ◽

Human Anatomy ◽

Anatomy And Physiology ◽

Human Anatomy And Physiology ◽

And Function ◽

Remarkable Advance ◽

In Ancient Egypt mummification was associated with extensive organ resection, but the brain was removed through a hole cut in the ethnocide bone. It was thus not observed as an organ. Greek writers of the 6th and 5th centuries BC originally said the brain was the seat of intelligence, the organ of sensory perception and partially the origin of sperm. The substance pneuma, originating from fresh air, played an essential role in brain function. Hippocrates initially described the brain as a double organ, covered by meninges and responsible for perception. Contemporaries like Plato, Aristotle and Diocles confirmed the findings though the latter two considered the heart to be the centre of intelligence. During the late 4th century BC, with the onset of the Hellenistic era of medicine, dissection of the human body was temporarily allowed at the medical school of Alexandria, and this led to a remarkable advance in the understanding of human anatomy and physiology under Herophilus and Erasistratus. Their excellent descriptions of the structure and function of the brain was only matched and surpassed by Galen in the 2nd century AD.

Medical Neurobiology

10.1093/med/9780190237493.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peggy Mason

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Medical Student ◽

Brain Function ◽

Voluntary Movement ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Travel Guide ◽

Neural Communication ◽

And Function ◽

The Brain ◽

Human Nervous System

This textbook guides the medical student, regardless of background or intended specialty, through the anatomy and function of the human nervous system. In writing specifically for medical students, the author concentrates on the neural contributions to common diseases, whether neurological or not, and omits topics without clinical relevance. The two fundamental building blocks of the nervous system are neural communication and neuroanatomy. Foundations in both topics must be mastered. After learning the neurons and glial cells that comprise the nervous system, the book begins with a study of the anatomy of the nervous system before moving on to neural communication. With these basics of neurophysiology and neuroanatomy in hand, the reader is ready to tackle how the brain “works” by examining perception, voluntary movement, and homeostasis. The book is intended as a “travel guide” to the human brain, one that communicates to the reader the profound power and beauty of brain function while providing a memorable and enjoyable trip.

Progress in Research on Brain Development and Function of Mice During Weaning

Current Protein and Peptide Science ◽

10.2174/1389203720666190125095819 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 705-712

Author(s):

Wenjie Zhang ◽

Yueling Zhang ◽

Yuanjia Zheng ◽

Mingxuan Zheng ◽

Nannan Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Development ◽

Brain Function ◽

Drug Targets ◽

Cell Activity ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽

And Function ◽

Developmental Differentiation ◽

Lactation is a critical phase for brain function development. New dietary experiences of mouse caused by weaning can regulate brain development and function, increase their response to food and environment, and eventually give rise to corresponding behavioral changes. Changes in weaning time induce the alteration of brain tissues morphology and molecular characteristics, glial cell activity and behaviors in the offspring. In addition, it is also sensitive to the intervention of environment and drugs during this period. That is to say, the study focused on brain development and function based on mouse weaning is critical to demonstrate the underlying pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases and find new drug targets. This article mainly focuses on the developmental differentiation of the brain during lactation, especially during weaning in mice.

Odor Perception

Human Olfactory Displays and Interfaces ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2521-1.ch002 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 44-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mitsuo Tonoike

Keyword(s):

Signal Transduction ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Information Processing ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Olfactory Acuity ◽

Central Regions ◽

Olfactory Systems ◽

Though olfaction is one of the necessary senses and indispensable for the maintenance of the life of the animal, the mechanism of olfaction had not yet been understood well compared with other sensory systems such as vision and audition. However, recently, the most basic principle of “signal transduction on the reception and transmission for the odor” has been clarified. Therefore, the important next problem is how the information of odors about is processed in the Central Nervous System (CNS) and how odor is perceived in the human brain. In this chapter, the basic olfactory systems in animal and human are described and examples such as “olfactory acuity, threshold, adaptation, and olfactory disorders” are discussed. The mechanism of olfactory information processing is described under the results obtained by using a few new non-invasive measuring methods. In addition, from a few recent studies, it is shown that olfactory neurophysiological information is passing through some deep central regions of the brain before finally being processed in the orbito-frontal areas.

Gut–brain axis biochemical signalling from the gastrointestinal tract to the central nervous system: gut dysbiosis and altered brain function

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2017-135424 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 94 (1114) ◽

pp. 446-452 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Borros M Arneth

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Brain Function ◽

Well Being ◽

Immune System Activation ◽

Published Evidence ◽

Bidirectional Communication ◽

Intestinal Functions ◽

BackgroundThe gut–brain axis facilitates a critical bidirectional link and communication between the brain and the gut. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of interactions in the gut–brain axis, with a particular focus on intestinal functions, the nervous system and the brain. Furthermore, researchers have examined the effects of the gut microbiome on mental health and psychiatric well-being.The present study reviewed published evidence to explore the concept of the gut–brain axis.AimsThis systematic review investigated the relationship between human brain function and the gut–brain axis.MethodsTo achieve these objectives, peer-reviewed articles on the gut–brain axis were identified in various electronic databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE, CIHAHL, Web of Science and PsycINFO.ResultsData obtained from previous studies showed that the gut–brain axis links various peripheral intestinal functions to brain centres through a broad range of processes and pathways, such as endocrine signalling and immune system activation. Researchers have found that the vagus nerve drives bidirectional communication between the various systems in the gut–brain axis. In humans, the signals are transmitted from the liminal environment to the central nervous system.ConclusionsThe communication that occurs in the gut–brain axis can alter brain function and trigger various psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression. Thus, elucidation of the gut–brain axis is critical for the management of certain psychiatric and mental disorders.

Entropy and the Brain: An Overview

Entropy ◽

10.3390/e22090917 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 917 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Soheil Keshmiri

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Brain Function ◽

Conscious Experience ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Fundamental Property ◽

Future Research ◽

Processing Capacity ◽

Information Processing Capacity ◽

Ageing Brain ◽

Entropy is a powerful tool for quantification of the brain function and its information processing capacity. This is evident in its broad domain of applications that range from functional interactivity between the brain regions to quantification of the state of consciousness. A number of previous reviews summarized the use of entropic measures in neuroscience. However, these studies either focused on the overall use of nonlinear analytical methodologies for quantification of the brain activity or their contents pertained to a particular area of neuroscientific research. The present study aims at complementing these previous reviews in two ways. First, by covering the literature that specifically makes use of entropy for studying the brain function. Second, by highlighting the three fields of research in which the use of entropy has yielded highly promising results: the (altered) state of consciousness, the ageing brain, and the quantification of the brain networks’ information processing. In so doing, the present overview identifies that the use of entropic measures for the study of consciousness and its (altered) states led the field to substantially advance the previous findings. Moreover, it realizes that the use of these measures for the study of the ageing brain resulted in significant insights on various ways that the process of ageing may affect the dynamics and information processing capacity of the brain. It further reveals that their utilization for analysis of the brain regional interactivity formed a bridge between the previous two research areas, thereby providing further evidence in support of their results. It concludes by highlighting some potential considerations that may help future research to refine the use of entropic measures for the study of brain complexity and its function. The present study helps realize that (despite their seemingly differing lines of inquiry) the study of consciousness, the ageing brain, and the brain networks’ information processing are highly interrelated. Specifically, it identifies that the complexity, as quantified by entropy, is a fundamental property of conscious experience, which also plays a vital role in the brain’s capacity for adaptation and therefore whose loss by ageing constitutes a basis for diseases and disorders. Interestingly, these two perspectives neatly come together through the association of entropy and the brain capacity for information processing.

Introductory remarks

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.1980.0114 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 210 (1178) ◽

pp. 3-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Brain Function ◽

Specific Receptor ◽

Morphine Group ◽

Neural Origin ◽

Long Time ◽

Pressor Activity ◽

Short Time ◽

It was in 1895 that Oliver & Schafer discovered the pressor activity of glycerol extracts of the pituitary. By 1928 it was clear that this activity, called vasopressin, was due to a peptide derived from the neural lobes of the pituitary and, in the early fifties, its structure and that of its ‘twin’, oxytocin, were determined by du Vigneaud and his colleagues, who were also able to prepare them synthetically. For a long time these two peptides, which were clearly of neural origin, were thought to have only peripheral physiological actions. However, evidence has gradually accumulated that these as well as some hormonal peptides not of neural origin, such as angiotensin and corticotrophin, could have actions on the central nervous system. The discovery of the enkephalins by Hughes & Kosterlitz in 1975 revealed the presence of an oligopeptide in the forebrain that could influence brain function and for which a specific receptor could be delineated which provided an immediate connection with the well documented non-peptide analgesic drugs of the morphine group. Within a short time discrete localization both of enkaphalin stores and of enkephalin receptors within the nervous system was demonstrated. In the ensuing period a growing number of peptides have either been isolated from the brain or have been inferred, from immunological evidence, to be present. Some of these peptides, such as insulin and gastrin, have well established peripheral biological actions, and their presence in the brain has engendered considerable surprise.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Containing Papers of a Biological Character (1896-1934) ◽

VII. The David Ferrier Lecture - On some correlations between skull and brain

10.1098/rstb.1932.0007 ◽

1932 ◽

Vol 221 (474-482) ◽

pp. 391-429 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Structure And Function ◽

National Tradition ◽

Degree Of Exactness ◽

And Function ◽

The Brain ◽

Made In

Mr . President and Gentlemen, My most pleasant duty to-day is to thank your Council for the honour that it has conferred upon me by inviting me to give the second lecture in memory of the late Sir David Ferrier. I have accepted this invitation with feelings of gratitude, not only to your Council, but also for the contributions made in this country to our knowledge of the structure and function of the nervous system. Among these, the works of Sir David Ferrier, however prominent, only stand out as a conspicuous example of a national tradition, maintained in recent years, both in the Physiology and Anatomy of the brain. The task I have accepted is not an easy one, the less so as the first Ferrier lecture was given by Sir Charles Sherrington who, in both the methods and results of his investigations, attained a degree of exactness at which morphologists aim in vain.

Technical advances in neuroscience

10.1093/med/9780199658602.003.0001 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Martin R. Turner ◽

Matthew C. Kiernan ◽

Kevin Talbot

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Brain Function ◽

Genome Project ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Squid Axon ◽

Giant Squid ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Technical Advances ◽

The Brain ◽

Molecular Framework

This chapter highlights key technological advances in neuroimaging, the understanding of impulse transmission, and the molecular biology of the nervous system that have underpinned our modern understanding of the brain, mind, and nervous system. Neuroimaging spans the sub-cellular and systems levels of neuroscience, beginning with electron microscopy and then, 50 years later, magnetic resonance imaging and increasingly sophisticated mathematical modelling of brain function. These developments have been interleaved with the improved understanding of neurotransmission, starting with the seminal observations made from giant squid axon recordings, which were translated into clinically useable tools through the application of electric current, and later with magnetic stimulation. It is during the last 50 years that a molecular framework for these concepts emerged, with the cloning of genes that began in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, paving the way for the wider human genome project.

A sart1 Zebrafish Mutant Results in Developmental Defects in the Central Nervous System

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells9112340 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 2340

Author(s):

Hannah E. Henson ◽

Michael R. Taylor

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Cell Death ◽

Nervous System ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Whole Exome ◽

And Function ◽

Upregulated Genes ◽

The spliceosome consists of accessory proteins and small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) that remove introns from RNA. As splicing defects are associated with degenerative conditions, a better understanding of spliceosome formation and function is essential. We provide insight into the role of a spliceosome protein U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP-associated protein 1, or Squamous cell carcinoma antigen recognized by T-cells (Sart1). Sart1 recruits the U4.U6/U5 tri-snRNP complex to nuclear RNA. The complex then associates with U1 and U2 snRNPs to form the spliceosome. A forward genetic screen identifying defects in choroid plexus development and whole-exome sequencing (WES) identified a point mutation in exon 12 of sart1 in Danio rerio (zebrafish). This mutation caused an up-regulation of sart1. Using RNA-Seq analysis, we identified additional upregulated genes, including those involved in apoptosis. We also observed increased activated caspase 3 in the brain and eye and down-regulation of vision-related genes. Although splicing occurs in numerous cells types, sart1 expression in zebrafish was restricted to the brain. By identifying sart1 expression in the brain and cell death within the central nervous system (CNS), we provide additional insights into the role of sart1 in specific tissues. We also characterized sart1’s involvement in cell death and vision-related pathways.