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| 2. |
- Ajayi, Abiodun, et al.
(författare)
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Expanded ataxin-7 cause toxicity by inducing ROS production from NADPH oxidase complexes in a stable inducible Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) model
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2202. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is one of nine inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions. Common mechanisms of disease pathogenesis suggested for polyQ disorders include aggregation of the polyQ protein and induction of oxidative stress. However, the exact mechanism(s) of toxicity is still unclear. Results: In this study we show that expression of polyQ expanded ATXN7 in a novel stable inducible cell model first results in a concomitant increase in ROS levels and aggregation of the disease protein and later cellular toxicity. The increase in ROS could be completely prevented by inhibition of NADPH oxidase (NOX) complexes suggesting that ATXN7 directly or indirectly causes oxidative stress by increasing superoxide anion production from these complexes. Moreover, we could observe that induction of mutant ATXN7 leads to a decrease in the levels of catalase, a key enzyme in detoxifying hydrogen peroxide produced from dismutation of superoxide anions. This could also contribute to the generation of oxidative stress. Most importantly, we found that treatment with a general anti-oxidant or inhibitors of NOX complexes reduced both the aggregation and toxicity of mutant ATXN7. In contrast, ATXN7 aggregation was aggravated by treatments promoting oxidative stress. Conclusion: Our results demonstrates that oxidative stress contributes to ATXN7 aggregation as well as toxicity and show that anti-oxidants or NOX inhibition can ameliorate mutant ATXN7 toxicity.
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| 5. |
- Nässel, Dick, et al.
(författare)
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A large population of diverse neurons in the Drosophila central nervous system expresses short neuropeptide F, suggesting multiple distributed peptide functions
- 2008
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Ingår i: BMC Neuroscience. - : Biomed Central. - 1471-2202. ; 9:1, s. 90-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Insect neuropeptides are distributed in stereotypic sets of neurons that commonly constitute a small fraction of the total number of neurons. However, some neuropeptide genes are expressed in larger numbers of neurons of diverse types suggesting that they are involved in a greater diversity of functions. One of these widely expressed genes, snpf, encodes the precursor of short neuropeptide F (sNPF). To unravel possible functional diversity we have mapped the distribution of transcript of the snpf gene and its peptide products in the central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila in relation to other neuronal markers. Results There are several hundreds of neurons in the larval CNS and several thousands in the adult Drosophila brain expressing snpf transcript and sNPF peptide. Most of these neurons are intrinsic interneurons of the mushroom bodies. Additionally, sNPF is expressed in numerous small interneurons of the CNS, olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) of the antennae, and in a small set of possibly neurosecretory cells innervating the corpora cardiaca and aorta. A sNPF-Gal4 line confirms most of the expression pattern. None of the sNPF immunoreactive neurons co-express a marker for the transcription factor DIMMED, suggesting that the majority are not neurosecretory cells or large interneurons involved in episodic bulk transmission. Instead a portion of the sNPF producing neurons co-express markers for classical neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, GABA and glutamate, suggesting that sNPF is a co-transmitter or local neuromodulator in ORNs and many interneurons. Interestingly, sNPF is coexpressed both with presumed excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. A few sNPF expressing neurons in the brain colocalize the peptide corazonin and a pair of dorsal neurons in the first abdominal neuromere coexpresses sNPF and insulin-like peptide 7 (ILP7). Conclusion It is likely that sNPF has multiple functions as neurohormone as well as local neuromodulator/co-transmitter in various CNS circuits, including olfactory circuits both at the level of the first synapse and at the mushroom body output level. Some of the sNPF immunoreactive axons terminate in close proximity to neurosecretory cells producing ILPs and adipokinetic hormone, indicating that sNPF also might regulate hormone production or release.
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| 6. |
- Klaus, A., et al.
(författare)
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The influence of subthreshold membrane potential oscillations and GABAergic input on firing activity in striatal fast-spiking neurons
- 2009
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Ingår i: BMC Neuroscience. - 1471-2202. ; 10:Suppl.1, s. P244-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The striatum is the main input stage of the basal ganglia system, which is involved in executive functions of the forebrain, such as the planning and the selection of motor behavior. Feedforward inhibition of medium-sized spiny projection neurons in the striatum by fast-spiking interneurons is supposed to be an important determinant of controlling striatal output to later stages of the basal ganglia[1]. Striatal fast-spiking interneurons, which constitute approximately 1–2% of all striatal neurons, show many similarities to cortical fast-spiking cells. In response to somatic current injection, for example, some of these neurons exhibit spike bursts with a variable number of action potentials (so called stuttering)[2-4]. Interestingly, the membrane potential between such stuttering episodes oscillates in the range of 20–100 Hz[3,5]. The first spike of each stuttering episode invariably occurs at a peak of the underlying subthreshold oscillation. In both cortex and striatum, fast-spiking cells are inter-connected by gap junctions[6,7]. In vitro measurements as well as theoretical studies indicate that electrical coupling via gap junctions might be able to promote synchronous activity among these neurons[6,8]. Here we investigate the possible role of subthreshold oscillations on the synchronization of sub- and suprathreshold activity in a model of electrically coupled fast-spiking neurons. We use the model of Golomb et al.[3], which we extended with a dendritic tree so as to be able to simulate distal synaptic input. We show that gap junctions are able to synchronize subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations in response to somatic current injection. However, the oscillations are only prevalent in the subthreshold range and therefore require enough membrane potential depolarization[5]. In response to synaptic input, our model neuron only enters the subthreshold oscillatory regime with AMPA and NMDA synapses located at distal dendrites. Proximal synaptic input leads to more random fluctuations of the membrane potential, reflecting a smaller extent of dendritic filtering of the Poisson-distributed postsynaptic potentials. We furthermore investigate the effect of GABAergic (i.e. inhibitory) input to the model of the fast-spiking neuron and predict that inhibitory input is able to induce a stuttering episode in these cells. We finally discuss our results in the context of the feedforward inhibitory network, which is likely to play an important role in striatal and basal ganglia function.
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| 7. |
- Lindahl, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Short term plasticity within the basal ganglia - a systems level computational investigation
- 2011
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Ingår i: BMC Neuroscience. - 1471-2202. ; 12:Suppl 1, s. P145-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Striatal direct pathway medium spiny neurons (MSNs) converge, with inhibitory synapses onto output nuclei substantia nigra reticulata (SNr), which keep neurons in the thalamus, superior colliculus and pendunculopontine nuclei under tonic inhibition[1]. Recent experimental findings[2] have found short term facilitation in MSN synapses onto SNr neurons. We investigate the functional consequences of these findings using a basal ganglia system level model, with spiking MSNs modeled according to Izhikevich’s simple model[3] and with facilitating synapses[4] fitted to data in[2]. The model is implemented in the NEST[5] simulator. We quantify how striatal populations of MSNs can control activity in SNr neurons, and to what extent this depends on having weak static, strong static and facilitating synapses between MSNs and SNr neurons. Our simulation experiments predict that facilitating synapses allow baseline firing of presynaptic MSNs without suppressing target SNr neurons, while burst activation of only a few of these presynaptic striatal neurons can suppress the activity of one SNr neuron. This is in accordance with extracellular recordings in awake animals[6], where task dependent activity is transferred from a broad striatal population to a smaller subpopulation, responding increasingly stronger during learning of a task dependent behavior.
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| 9. |
- Dozmorov, Mikhail, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Slowly developing depression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor mediated responses in young rat hippocampi.
- 2004
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Ingår i: BMC neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2202. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type glutamate receptors is essential in triggering various forms of synaptic plasticity. A critical issue is to what extent such plasticity involves persistent changes of glutamate receptor subtypes and many prior studies have suggested a main role for alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors in mediating the effect. Our previous work in hippocampal slices revealed that, under pharmacological unblocking of NMDA receptors, both AMPA and NMDA receptor mediated responses undergo a slowly developing depression. In the present study we have further addressed this phenomenon, focusing on the contribution via NMDA receptors. Pharmacologically isolated NMDA receptor mediated excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded for two independent synaptic pathways in CA1 area using perfusion with low Mg2+ (0.1 mM) to unblock NMDA receptors. RESULTS: Following unblocking of NMDA receptors, there was a gradual decline of NMDA receptor mediated EPSPs for 2-3 hours towards a stable level of ca. 60-70 % of the maximal size. If such an experimental session was repeated twice in the same pathway with a period of NMDA receptor blockade in between, the depression attained in the first session was still evident in the second one and no further decay occurred. The persistency of the depression was also validated by comparison between pathways. It was found that the responses of a control pathway, unstimulated in the first session of receptor unblocking, behaved as novel responses when tested in association with the depressed pathway under the second session. In similar experiments, but with AP5 present during the first session, there was no subsequent difference between NMDA EPSPs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that merely evoking NMDA receptor mediated responses results in a depression which is input specific, induced via NMDA receptor activation, and is maintained for several hours through periods of receptor blockade. The similarity to key features of long-term depression and long-term potentiation suggests a possible relation to these phenomena. Additionally, a short term potentiation and decay (<5 min) were observed during sudden start of NMDA receptor activation supporting the idea that NMDA receptor mediated responses are highly plastic.
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| 10. |
- Li, Rui, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Role of NMDA receptor subtypes in different forms of NMDA-dependent synaptic plasticity.
- 2007
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Ingår i: BMC neuroscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2202. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The involvement of different NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunits has been implicated in several forms of synaptic plasticity. However, it is still controversial to what extent the involvement is specific, and little is known about the role of NMDAR subunits in certain "non-conventional" forms of plasticity. In this study we used subunit-specific blockers to test the roles of NR2A- and NR2B-containing NMDARs in a type of chemical long-term depression (LTD) induced by brief bath application of the NMDAR agonist NMDA to hippocampal slices from 12-18 days old rats. For comparison, we also examined other forms of plasticity, including a "slow LTD" induced by 0.1 Hz stimulation under low Mg2+ conditions as well as long-term potentiation (LTP). RESULTS: A blocker of NR2A-containing NMDARs, NVP-AAM077 (NVP), substantially reduced the two forms of studied depression whereas blockers of NR2B-containing NMDARs, Ro25-6981 (Ro) or Ifenprodil (Ife), had no significant effect on them. LTP appeared to be more sensitive as it was fully blocked by NVP and partially blocked by Ro or Ife. However, the blocking effects of NVP could be counteracted by general amplification of NMDA responses by lowering Mg2+ concentration in the perfusion solution. Applying NVP or Ro/Ife on isolated NMDA-EPSPs recorded in low Mg2+ solution reduced responses to about 70% and 20% of initial size, respectively, whereas coapplication of both blockers almost completely abolished the responses. Additionally, NMDA application caused depotentiation of a pathway with prior tetanus-induced LTP, and NVP but not Ro/Ife substantially prevented that depotentiation as well as the chemical LTD of the control pathway. A second tetanus on the LTP pathway induced repotentiation which was fully blocked by NVP but partially blocked by Ro/Ife. CONCLUSION: All of these results on hippocampal slices from young rats can be explained by a simple model, in which NR2A subunits dominate over NR2B subunits with respect to both plasticity and NMDAR-mediated responses. The model suggests that Ca2+ influx into the postsynaptic spine via different subtypes of NMDARs makes up a "final common pathway", controlling synaptic plasticity by its magnitude and temporal pattern regardless of the source.
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