scholarly journals Stress-induced antinociception to noxious heat requires α1A-adrenaline receptors of spinal inhibitory neurons in mice

2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sawako Uchiyama ◽  
Kohei Yoshihara ◽  
Riku Kawanabe ◽  
Izuho Hatada ◽  
Keisuke Koga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antinociceptive Effect ◽  
Conditional Knockout ◽  
Acute Exposure ◽  
Substantia Gelatinosa ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Noxious Heat ◽  
Similar Reduction ◽  
Whole Cell Patch Clamp ◽  
The Central Nervous System

AbstractIt is well known that acute exposure to physical stress produces a transient antinociceptive effect (called stress-induced analgesia [SIA]). One proposed mechanism for SIA involves noradrenaline (NA) in the central nervous system. NA has been reported to activate inhibitory neurons in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH), but its in vivo role in SIA remains unknown. In this study, we found that an antinociceptive effect on noxious heat after acute exposure to restraint stress was impaired in mice with a conditional knockout of α1A-adrenaline receptors (α1A-ARs) in inhibitory neurons (Vgat-Cre;Adra1aflox/flox mice). A similar reduction was also observed in mice treated with N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine, a selective neurotoxin for NAergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC). Furthermore, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings using spinal cord slices revealed that NA-induced increase in the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in the substantia gelatinosa neurons was suppressed by silodosin, an α1A-AR antagonist, and by conditional knockout of α1A-ARs in inhibitory neurons. Moreover, under unstressed conditions, the antinociceptive effects of intrathecal NA and phenylephrine on noxious heat were lost in Vgat-Cre;Adra1aflox/flox mice. Our findings suggest that activation of α1A-ARs in SDH inhibitory neurons, presumably via LC-NAergic neurons, is necessary for SIA to noxious heat.

scholarly journals Inhibitory control of synaptic signals preceding motor action in mouse frontal cortex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunlei Zhang ◽  
Fani Koukouli ◽  
Manuela Allegra ◽  
Cantin Ortiz ◽  
Hsin-Lun Kao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Excitatory Synapses ◽  
Motor Action ◽  
Whole Cell Patch Clamp ◽  
Preparatory Activity

Preparatory activity in the frontal cortex preceding movement onset is thought to represent a neuronal signature of motor planning. However, how excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to frontal neurons are integrated during movement preparation remains unclear. Here we address this question by performing in vivo whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in the secondary motor cortex (MOs) of head-fixed mice moving on a treadmill. We find that both superficial and deep principal neurons show slowly increasing (~10 s) membrane potential and spike rate ramps preceding the onset of spontaneous, self-paced running periods. By contrast, in animals trained to perform a goal-directed task, both membrane potential and spike ramps are characterized by larger amplitudes and accelerated kinetics during preparation of goal-driven movement. To determine the role of local inhibitory neurons in shaping these task-dependent preparatory signals, we chemogenetically suppressed the activity of specific interneuron subpopulations in untrained animals. Inactivation of parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons leads to depolarized membrane potential ramps with increased amplitudes during preparation of movement, while inactivation of somatostatin-positive (SOM+) interneurons abolishes membrane potential ramps. A computational model of the local MOs circuit shows that SOM+-mediated inhibition of PV+ interneurons in conjunction with recurrent connectivity among the principal neurons can reproduce slow ramping signals, while plasticity of excitatory synapses on SOM+ interneurons can explain the acceleration of these signals in trained animals. Together, our data reveal that local inhibitory neurons play distinct roles in controlling task-dependent preparatory ramping signals when MOs neurons integrate external inputs during motor planning.

scholarly journals Defective Brain Development in Mice Lacking the Hif-1α Gene in Neural Cells

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (19) ◽  
pp. 6739-6749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhei Tomita ◽  
Masaki Ueno ◽  
Masami Sakamoto ◽  
Yuki Kitahama ◽  
Masaaki Ueki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Hypoxia Inducible Factor ◽  
Conditional Knockout ◽  
Neural Cells ◽  
System A ◽  
Conditional Knockout Mouse ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
In Vivo Gene Delivery ◽  
The Brain

ABSTRACT Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) is essential for vascular development during embryogenesis and pathogenesis. However, little is known about its role in brain development. To investigate the function of HIF-1α in the central nervous system, a conditional knockout mouse was made with the Cre/LoxP system with a nestin promoter-driven Cre. Neural cell-specific HIF-1α-deficient mice exhibit hydrocephalus accompanied by a reduction in neural cells and an impairment of spatial memory. Apoptosis of neural cells coincided with vascular regression in the telencephalon of mutant embryos, and these embryonic defects were successfully restored by in vivo gene delivery of HIF-1α to the embryos. These results showed that expression of HIF-1α in neural cells was essential for normal development of the brain and established a mouse model that would be useful for the evaluation of therapeutic strategies for ischemia, including hypoxia-mediated hydrocephalus.

Neuropharmacological Screening of Chiral and Non-chiral Phthalimide- Containing Compounds in Mice: in vivo and in silico Experiments

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Campos-Rodríguez ◽  
José G. Trujillo-Ferrara ◽  
Ameyali Alvarez-Guerra ◽  
Irán M. Cumbres Vargas ◽  
Roberto I. Cuevas-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Activity ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Chiral Molecules ◽  
Chiral Compounds ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
In Silico Studies ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Background: Thalidomide, the first synthesized phthalimide, has demonstrated sedative- hypnotic and antiepileptic effects on the central nervous system. N-substituted phthalimides have an interesting chemical structure that confers important biological properties. Objective: Non-chiral (ortho and para bis-isoindoline-1,3-dione, phthaloylglycine) and chiral phthalimides (N-substituted with aspartate or glutamate) were synthesized and the sedative, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects were tested. Method: Homology modeling and molecular docking were employed to predict recognition of the analogues by hNMDA and mGlu receptors. The neuropharmacological activity was tested with the open field test and elevated plus maze (EPM). The compounds were tested in mouse models of acute convulsions induced either by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ; 90 mg/kg) or 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 10 mg/kg). Results: The ortho and para non-chiral compounds at 562.3 and 316 mg/kg, respectively, decreased locomotor activity. Contrarily, the chiral compounds produced excitatory effects. Increased locomotor activity was found with S-TGLU and R-TGLU at 100, 316 and 562.3 mg/kg, and S-TASP at 316 and 562.3 mg/kg. These molecules showed no activity in the EPM test or PTZ model. In the 4-AP model, however, S-TGLU (237.1, 316 and 421.7 mg/kg) as well as S-TASP and R-TASP (316 mg/kg) lowered the convulsive and death rate. Conclusion: The chiral compounds exhibited a non-competitive NMDAR antagonist profile and the non-chiral molecules possessed selective sedative properties. The NMDAR exhibited stereoselectivity for S-TGLU while it is not a preference for the aspartic derivatives. The results appear to be supported by the in silico studies, which evidenced a high affinity of phthalimides for the hNMDAR and mGluR type 1.

scholarly journals Improving the Utility of a Dynorphin Peptide Analogue Using Mannosylated Glycoliposomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7996
Author(s):  
Jordan D. Lewicky ◽  
Nya L. Fraleigh ◽  
Alexandrine L. Martel ◽  
Thi M.-D. Nguyen ◽  
Peter W. Schiller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Targeted Delivery ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Kappa Opioid Receptor ◽  
Antagonist Activity ◽  
Peptide Analogue ◽  
Nanoparticle Delivery ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Metabolic Degradation ◽  
Distribution Studies

Peptide therapeutics offer numerous advantages in the treatment of diseases and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). However, they are not without limitations, especially in terms of their pharmacokinetics where their metabolic lability and low blood–brain barrier penetration hinder their application. Targeted nanoparticle delivery systems are being tapped for their ability to improve the delivery of therapeutics into the brain non-invasively. We have developed a family of mannosylated glycoliposome delivery systems for targeted drug delivery applications. Herein, we demonstrate via in vivo distribution studies the potential of these glycoliposomes to improve the utility of CNS active therapeutics using dynantin, a potent and selective dynorphin peptide analogue antagonist of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). Glycoliposomal entrapment protected dynantin against known rapid metabolic degradation and ultimately improved brain levels of the peptide by approximately 3–3.5-fold. Moreover, we linked this improved brain delivery with improved KOR antagonist activity by way of an approximately 30–40% positive modulation of striatal dopamine levels 20 min after intranasal administration. Overall, the results clearly highlight the potential of our glycoliposomes as a targeted delivery system for therapeutic agents of the CNS.

scholarly journals Plant Species of Sub-Family Valerianaceae—A Review on Its Effect on the Central Nervous System

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 846
Author(s):  
Gitishree Das ◽  
Han-Seung Shin ◽  
Rosa Tundis ◽  
Sandra Gonçalves ◽  
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Food Species ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Preclinical And Clinical Studies

Valerianaceae, the sub-family of Caprifoliaceae, contains more than 300 species of annual and perennial herbs, worldwide distributed. Several species are used for their biological properties while some are used as food. Species from the genus Valeriana have been used for their antispasmodic, relaxing, and sedative properties, which have been mainly attributed to the presence of valepotriates, borneol derivatives, and isovalerenic acid. Among this genus, the most common and employed species is Valerianaofficinalis. Although valerian has been traditionally used as a mild sedative, research results are still controversial regarding the role of the different active compounds, the herbal preparations, and the dosage used. The present review is designed to summarize and critically describe the current knowledge on the different plant species belonging to Valerianaceae, their phytochemicals, their uses in the treatment of different diseases with particular emphasis on the effects on the central nervous system. The available information on this sub-family was collected from scientific databases up until year 2020. The following electronic databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, Sci Finder, Web of Science, Science Direct, NCBI, and Google Scholar. The search terms used for this review included Valerianaceae, Valeriana, Centranthus, Fedia, Patrinia, Nardostachys, Plectritis, and Valerianella, phytochemical composition, in vivo studies, Central Nervous System, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antinociceptive, anxiolytic, anxiety, preclinical and clinical studies.

Endocannabinoid system in the neurodevelopment of GABAergic interneurons: implications for neurological and psychiatric disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-geng Song ◽  
Xin Kang ◽  
Fang Yang ◽  
Wan-qing Du ◽  
Jia-jia Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Gabaergic Interneurons ◽  
Neural Stem Progenitor Cells ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Interneuron Development

Abstract In mature mammalian brains, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays an important role in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and the functioning of neural networks. Besides, the ECS also contributes to the neurodevelopment of the central nervous system. Due to the increase in the medical and recreational use of cannabis, it is inevitable and essential to elaborate the roles of the ECS on neurodevelopment. GABAergic interneurons represent a group of inhibitory neurons that are vital in controlling neural network activity. However, the role of the ECS in the neurodevelopment of GABAergic interneurons remains to be fully elucidated. In this review, we provide a brief introduction of the ECS and interneuron diversity. We focus on the process of interneuron development and the role of ECS in the modulation of interneuron development, from the expansion of the neural stem/progenitor cells to the migration, specification and maturation of interneurons. We further discuss the potential implications of the ECS and interneurons in the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

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