Altered Cerebral Cortical Gyrification in Ferrets with Neonatal Exposure to the Bacterial Endotoxin, Lipopolysaccharide.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a bacterial endotoxin that induces innate immune responses. The present study aimed to elucidate alterations in cerebral cortical surface morphology induced by neonatal exposure to LPS using gyrencephalic ferrets. Male ferret pups received a subcutaneous injection of LPS (500 µg/g of body weight) on Postnatal Day (P)6 and P7.

Quantification of Oxygenation and Oxygen Consumption Rates in the Mouse Brain Based on Tissue Oxygen Level-Dependent (TOLD) MRI.

A noninvasive method to estimate oxygenation and oxygen (O) consumption rates in mouse brain tissue based on T-weighted tissue oxygen level-dependent (TOLD) MRI was developed. The aim of the present study was to estimate the kinetics of O in tissue in order to facilitate the planning of radiation therapy. The relationship between the proton T relaxation rate and O concentrations was examined in water and corn oil samples, which are models of the aqueous and lipidic phases of cell components.

Methemoglobin-Encapsulating Liposome: A Low-Risk Intravascular Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Hemoglobin shows different contrasts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) depending on the iron and oxygenation states of heme. Functional brain MRI utilizes the differences in the concentrations of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin in cerebral blood vessels; blood clots produce strong magnetic susceptibility effects. We hypothesized that methemoglobin (MetHb)-based nanoparticles can act as MRI contrast agents because MetHb levels in red blood cells affect relaxivity and are strictly regulated to <1% in the blood.

Visualization of the local dipole moment at the Si(111) surface using DFT calculations.

A method to simulate the dipole moment mode of the scanning nonlinear dielectric microscope (SNDM) has been developed. This method has been applied to the so-called [Formula: see text] dimer-adatom-stacking-fault (DAS) structure and a [Formula: see text] surface with one adatom and one restatom, which are the main motifs of the DAS structure. It has been revealed that a local upward dipole moment is observed at the adatom site, consistent with the SNDM experiments.

Awake brain MRSI reveals anesthetic sensitivity and regional aging effects on [C]bicarbonate metabolism in mice.

Abnormalities and alterations in the glycolytic pathway in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging have received much attention, as clinical applications of proton-based magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have recently illuminated the elevation of lactate concentrations in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Hyperpolarized [1-C]pyruvate MRS has shown promise for neurological applications because it enables the real-time detection of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation flux. In studies of the mouse brain using hyperpolarized [1-C]pyruvate, there are few reports that the signal of [C]bicarbonate, a product of oxidative phosphorylation metabolized from [1-C]pyruvate, was detected using MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) that allows spatial mapping of metabolism, although there have been reports of [C]bicarbonate signals being detected by pulse-acquire sequences in the entire brain.

Silencing dentate newborn neurons alters excitatory/inhibitory balance and impairs behavioral inhibition and flexibility.

Adult neurogenesis confers the hippocampus with unparalleled neural plasticity, essential for intricate cognitive functions. The specific influence of sparse newborn neurons (NBNs) in modulating neural activities and subsequently steering behavior, however, remains obscure. Using an engineered NBN-tetanus toxin mouse model (NBN-TeTX), we noninvasively silenced NBNs, elucidating their crucial role in impulse inhibition and cognitive flexibility as evidenced through Morris water maze reversal learning and Go/Nogo task in operant learning.

Self-Folding Macromolecular Drug Carrier for Cancer Imaging and Therapy.

Nano-sized contrast agents (NCAs) hold potential for highly specific tumor contrast enhancement during magnetic resonance imaging. Given the quantity of contrast agents loaded into a single nano-carrier and the anticipated relaxation effects, the current molecular design approaches its limits. In this study, a novel molecular mechanism to augment the relaxation of NCAs is introduced and demonstrated.

Structural alterations in the amygdala and impaired social incentive learning in a mouse model of a genetic variant associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Copy number variants (CNVs) are robustly associated with psychiatric disorders and their dimensions and changes in brain structures and behavior. However, as CNVs contain many genes, the precise gene-phenotype relationship remains unclear. Although various volumetric alterations in the brains of 22q11.

Allergen Induces Depression-like Behavior in Association with Altered Prefrontal-hippocampal Circuit in Male Rats.

Allergic asthma is a common chronic inflammatory condition associated with psychiatric comorbidities. Notably depression, correlated with adverse outcomes in asthmatic patients. Peripheral inflammation's role in depression has been shown previously.

Feasibility study of direct CT lymphangiography in mice: comparison with interstitial CT/MR lymphangiography.

Objectives: To establish a CT lymphangiography method in mice via direct lymph node puncture.

Methods: We injected healthy mice (n = 8) with 50 µl of water-soluble iodine contrast agent (iomeprol; iodine concentration, 350 mg/mL) subcutaneously into the left-rear foot pad (interstitial injection) and 20 µl of the same contrast agent directly into the popliteal lymph node (direct puncture) 2 days later. Additionally, we performed interstitial MR lymphangiography on eight mice as a control group.

MRI Contrasting Agent Based on Mn-MOF-74 Nanoparticles with Coordinatively Unsaturated Sites.

Purpose: The development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrasting agents (CAs) that are safer and have a higher relaxivity than Gd(III)-based agents is a significant research topic. Herein, we propose the use of a Mn-based metal organic framework (MOF), Mn-MOF-74, characterized by a safe paramagnetic center, a coordinatively unsaturated site (CUS) for aquation, and a long rotational correlation time, endowing high relaxivity. Furthermore, biocompatibility and delivery to the tumor are generally expected for MOFs that are obtainable in the nanometer size range.

Development of an MRI contrast agent for both detection and inhibition of the amyloid-β fibrillation process.

A curcumin derivative conjugated with Gd-DO3A (Gd-DO3A-Comp.B) was synthesised as an MRI contrast agent for detecting the amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrillation process. Gd-DO3A-Comp.

Over-Reduced State of Mitochondria as a Trigger of "β-Oxidation Shuttle" in Cancer Cells.

A considerable amount of data have accumulated in the last decade on the pronounced mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (mFAO) in many types of cancer cells. As a result, mFAO was found to coexist with abnormally activated fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and the mevalonate pathway. Recent studies have demonstrated that overactivated mitochondrial β-oxidation may aggravate the impaired mitochondrial redox state and vice versa.

Tbx1, a gene encoded in 22q11.2 copy number variant, is a link between alterations in fimbria myelination and cognitive speed in mice.

Copy number variants (CNVs) have provided a reliable entry point to identify the structural correlates of atypical cognitive development. Hemizygous deletion of human chromosome 22q11.2 is associated with impaired cognitive function; however, the mechanisms by which the CNVs contribute to cognitive deficits via diverse structural alterations in the brain remain unclear.

MRI-based Glucose Assay Using Magnetic Nanoparticle Sensors.

Glucose sensors for NMR relaxometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used for the direct measurement of glucose in turbid biological specimens. Here, we proposed a magnetic glucose sensor based on superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles conjugated to a mannopyranoside derivative and concanavalin A (ConA). The binding of mannopyranoside groups to ConA produced a nanoparticle cluster that was dissociated by competitive binding of glucose to ConA, resulting in changes in the transverse relaxation time (T) in a glucose-dependent manner.

Ultra-small size gelatin nanogel as a blood brain barrier impermeable contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agents with rapid renal excretion that do not penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB) and blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCFB) are preferred for safer and low-risk diagnosis. Gadolinium (Gd)-conjugated nanoparticles have been proposed for use as contrast agents; however, the particle size must range between 1 to 7 nm to ensure rapid renal excretion. In this study, three types of gelatin, dissolved in water at varying concentrations of 0.

Hyper BOLD Activation in Dorsal Raphe Nucleus of APP/PS1 Alzheimer's Disease Mouse during Reward-Oriented Drinking Test under Thirsty Conditions.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease, causes behavioural abnormalities such as disinhibition, impulsivity, and hyperphagia. Preclinical studies using AD model mice have investigated these phenotypes by measuring brain activity in awake, behaving mice. In this study, we monitored the behavioural alterations of impulsivity and hyperphagia in middle-aged AD model mice.