The Early Postnatal Development of the Brain of the Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

1948 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Riese
2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1725-1736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy S Francis ◽  
Louise Strande ◽  
Vladamir Markov ◽  
Paola Leone

The inherited leukodystrophy Canavan disease arises due to a loss of the ability to catabolize N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA) in the brain and constitutes a major point of focus for efforts to define NAA function. Accumulation of noncatabolized NAA is diagnostic for Canavan disease, but contrasts with the abnormally low NAA associated with compromised neuronal integrity in a broad spectrum of other clinical conditions. Experimental evidence for NAA function supports a role in white matter lipid synthesis, but does not explain how both elevated and lowered NAA can be associated with pathology in the brain. We have undertaken a systematic analysis of postnatal development in a mouse model of Canavan disease that delineates development and pathology by identifying markers of oxidative stress preceding oligodendrocyte loss and dysmyelination. These data suggest a role for NAA in the maintenance of metabolic integrity in oligodendrocytes that may be of relevance to the strong association between NAA and neuronal viability. N-acetylaspartic acid is proposed here to support lipid synthesis and energy metabolism via the provision of substrate for both cellular processes during early postnatal development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
S.B. Berezhanskaya ◽  
◽  
E.A. Lukyanova ◽  
M.K. Abduragimova ◽  
◽  
...  

Perinatal pathologies serve as the basis for a great variety of diseases in teenagers and adults including the especially frequent and important diseases of the nervous system which is vulnerable during the period of ante- and early postnatal development, especially against the background of genetic predisposition to it. This leads to development of pathology also manifesting at later stages of life. In this connection, the review presents molecular and genetic predictors of endothelial dysfunction and impairment of angio- and neurogenesis during the perinatal period. The article presents facts related to the influence of endothelial dysfunction as a trigger for pregnancy pathology and fetal-programmed diseases. A discussion regarding the contribution made by the congenital and by the acquired into basic mechanisms of fetal development including the brain and its pathologies


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huixin Xu ◽  
Ryann M. Fame ◽  
Cameron Sadegh ◽  
Jason Sutin ◽  
Christopher Naranjo ◽  
...  

AbstractCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provides vital support for the brain. Abnormal CSF accumulation, such as hydrocephalus, can negatively affect perinatal neurodevelopment. The mechanisms regulating CSF clearance during the postnatal critical period are unclear. Here, we show that CSF K+, accompanied by water, is cleared through the choroid plexus (ChP) during mouse early postnatal development. We report that, at this developmental stage, the ChP showed increased ATP production and increased expression of ATP-dependent K+ transporters, particularly the Na+, K+, Cl−, and water cotransporter NKCC1. Overexpression of NKCC1 in the ChP resulted in increased CSF K+ clearance, increased cerebral compliance, and reduced circulating CSF in the brain without changes in intracranial pressure in mice. Moreover, ChP-specific NKCC1 overexpression in an obstructive hydrocephalus mouse model resulted in reduced ventriculomegaly. Collectively, our results implicate NKCC1 in regulating CSF K+ clearance through the ChP in the critical period during postnatal neurodevelopment in mice.


Author(s):  
Marta A. Lech ◽  
Kinga Kamińska ◽  
Monika Leśkiewicz ◽  
Elżbieta Lorenc-Koci ◽  
Zofia Rogóż

Abstract Background Preclinical and clinical studies have indicated that impaired endogenous synthesis of glutathione during early postnatal development plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Moreover, some studies have suggested that antidepressants are able to increase the activity of atypical antipsychotics which may efficiently improve the treatment of negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods In the present study, we investigated the influence of repeated co-treatment with escitalopram and aripiprazole on the schizophrenia-like behavior and BDNF mRNA expression in adult rats exposed to glutathione deficit during early postnatal development. Male pups between the postnatal days p5–p16 were treated with the inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, BSO (L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine) and the dopamine uptake inhibitor, GBR 12,909 alone or in combination. Escitalopram and aripiprazole were given repeatedly for 21 days before the tests. On p90–92 rats were evaluated in the behavioral and biochemical tests. Results BSO given alone and together with GBR 12,909 induced deficits in the studied behavioral tests and decreased the expression of BDNF mRNA. Repeated aripiprazole administration at a higher dose reversed these behavioral deficits. Co-treatment with aripiprazole and an ineffective dose of escitalopram also abolished the behavioral deficits in the studied tests. Conclusion The obtained data indicated that the inhibition of glutathione synthesis in early postnatal development induced long-term deficits corresponding to schizophrenia-like behavior and decreased the BDNF mRNA expression in adult rats, and these behavioral deficits were reversed by repeated treatment with a higher dose of aripiprazole and also by co-treatment with aripiprazole and ineffective dose of escitalopram.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6171
Author(s):  
Marta Anna Lech ◽  
Monika Leśkiewicz ◽  
Kinga Kamińska ◽  
Zofia Rogóż ◽  
Elżbieta Lorenc-Koci

Growing body of evidence points to dysregulation of redox status in the brain as an important factor in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), a glutathione (GSH) synthesis inhibitor, and 1-[2-Bis(4-fluorophenyl)methoxy]ethyl]-4-(3-phenylpropyl)piperazine dihydrochloride (GBR 12909), a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, given alone or in combination, to Sprague–Dawley pups during early postnatal development (p5–p16), on the time course of the onset of schizophrenia-like behaviors, and on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and its protein in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP) during adulthood. BSO administered alone decreased the levels of BDNF mRNA and its protein both in the PFC and HIP. Treatment with the combination of BSO + GBR 12909 also decreased BDNF mRNA and its protein in the PFC, but in the HIP, only the level of BDNF protein was decreased. Schizophrenia-like behaviors in rats were assessed at three time points of adolescence (p30, p42–p44, p60–p62) and in early adulthood (p90–p92) using the social interaction test, novel object recognition test, and open field test. Social and cognitive deficits first appeared in the middle adolescence stage and continued to occur into adulthood, both in rats treated with BSO alone or with the BSO + GBR 12909 combination. Behavior corresponding to positive symptoms in humans occurred in the middle adolescence period, only in rats treated with BSO + GBR 12909. Only in the latter group, amphetamine exacerbated the existing positive symptoms in adulthood. Our data show that rats receiving the BSO + GBR 12909 combination in the early postnatal life reproduced virtually all symptoms observed in patients with schizophrenia and, therefore, can be considered a valuable neurodevelopmental model of this disease.


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