scholarly journals The Case for Octopus Consciousness: Unity

NeuroSci ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-415
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mather
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Behavioural Control ◽  
Animal Group

Birch et al. suggest that consciousness in any animal group must involve four aspects—perceptual richness, evaluative richness (affectivity), integration at one time (unity), and integration across time (temporality). This review will evaluate integration at one time in cephalopods, an area that offers many challenges. First, like most animals with a bilateral nervous system, cephalopods have laterality of brain function, and this challenges unity of function. Second, unlike most mammals, cephalopods have a heavy allocation of both neural and behavioural control to the periphery, especially in the case of octopuses. Third, like all animals, cephalopods gather information through several senses and there can be both unity within and competition between such information, challenging unity. Information gained across all these areas needs to be evaluated both in terms of the methodology used to gather information and the results of the investigation.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 94 (1114) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Borros M Arneth
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Immune System Activation ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Bidirectional Communication ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Intestinal Functions ◽  
The Brain

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.

Introductory remarks

1980 ◽  
Vol 210 (1178) ◽  
pp. 3-4 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Specific Receptor ◽  
Morphine Group ◽  
Neural Origin ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Pressor Activity ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Brain

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.

scholarly journals Infectious immunity in the central nervous system and brain function

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn S Klein ◽  
Charise Garber ◽  
Nicole Howard
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Infectious Immunity ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Technical advances in neuroscience

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.

scholarly journals Drosophila Glia: Models for Human Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4859
Author(s):  
Taejoon Kim ◽  
Bokyeong Song ◽  
Im-Soon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Disease Susceptibility ◽  
Neuronal Development ◽  
In Vivo Model ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Drosophila Models

Glial cells are key players in the proper formation and maintenance of the nervous system, thus contributing to neuronal health and disease in humans. However, little is known about the molecular pathways that govern glia–neuron communications in the diseased brain. Drosophila provides a useful in vivo model to explore the conserved molecular details of glial cell biology and their contributions to brain function and disease susceptibility. Herein, we review recent studies that explore glial functions in normal neuronal development, along with Drosophila models that seek to identify the pathological implications of glial defects in the context of various central nervous system disorders.

scholarly journals A Budding Relationship: Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles in the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 8899
Author(s):  
Sandor Haas-Neill ◽  
Paul Forsythe
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Endocrine System ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Bacterial Membrane ◽  
Gut Microbe ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

The discovery of the microbiota-gut-brain axis has revolutionized our understanding of systemic influences on brain function and may lead to novel therapeutic approaches to neurodevelopmental and mood disorders. A parallel revolution has occurred in the field of intercellular communication, with the realization that endosomes, and other extracellular vesicles, rival the endocrine system as regulators of distant tissues. These two paradigms shifting developments come together in recent observations that bacterial membrane vesicles contribute to inter-kingdom signaling and may be an integral component of gut microbe communication with the brain. In this short review we address the current understanding of the biogenesis of bacterial membrane vesicles and the roles they play in the survival of microbes and in intra and inter-kingdom communication. We identify recent observations indicating that bacterial membrane vesicles, particularly those derived from probiotic organisms, regulate brain function. We discuss mechanisms by which bacterial membrane vesicles may influence the brain including interaction with the peripheral nervous system, and modulation of immune activity. We also review evidence suggesting that, unlike the parent organism, gut bacteria derived membrane vesicles are able to deliver cargo, including neurotransmitters, directly to the central nervous system and may thus constitute key components of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Can irisin be a linker between physical activity and brain function?

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Weizhen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Neural Differentiation ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Differentiation And Proliferation ◽  
Neuronal Functions ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIrisin was initially discovered as a novel hormone-like myokine released from skeletal muscle during exercise to improve obesity and glucose dysfunction by stimulating the browning of white adipose tissue. Emerging evidence have indicated that irisin also affects brain function. FNDC5 mRNA and FNDC5/irisin immunoreactivity are present in various regions of the brain. Central irisin is involved in the regulation of neural differentiation and proliferation, neurobehavior, energy expenditure and cardiac function. Elevation of peripheral irisin level stimulates hippocampal genes related to neuroprotection, learning and memory. In this brief review, we summarize the current understanding on neuronal functions of irisin. In addition, we discuss the pros and cons for this molecule as a potential messenger mediating the crosstalk between skeletal muscle and central nervous system during exercise.

scholarly journals Ionic Transporter Activity in Astrocytes, Microglia, and Oligodendrocytes During Brain Ischemia

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 969-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Annunziato ◽  
Francesca Boscia ◽  
Giuseppe Pignataro
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Glial Cells ◽  
Brain Ischemia ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Cells ◽  
Ionic Homeostasis ◽  
Ischemic Lesion ◽  
Ischemic Brain ◽  
Ionic Transporters ◽  
Additional Therapy

Glial cells constitute a large percentage of cells in the nervous system. During recent years, a large number of studies have critically attributed to glia a new role which no longer reflects the long-held view that glia constitute solely a silent and passive supportive scaffolding for brain cells. Indeed, it has been hypothesized that glia, partnering neurons, have a much more actively participating role in brain function. Alteration of intraglial ionic homeostasis in response to ischemic injury has a crucial role in inducing and maintaining glial responses in the ischemic brain. Therefore, glial transporters as potential candidates in stroke intervention are becoming promising targets to enhance an effective and additional therapy for brain ischemia. In this review, we will describe in detail the role played by ionic transporters in influencing astrocyte, microglia, and oligodendrocyte activity and the implications that these transporters have in the progression of ischemic lesion.

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