Parvalbumin-positive neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus contribute to vestibular compensation through commissural inhibition.

Background: The commissural inhibitory system between the bilateral medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) plays a key role in vestibular compensation. Calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) is expressed in MVN GABAergic neurons. Whether these neurons are involved in vestibular compensation is still unknown.

Synergistic effect of chemogenetic activation of corticospinal motoneurons and physical exercise in promoting functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Single therapeutic interventions have not yet been successful in restoring function after spinal cord injury. Accordingly, combinatorial interventions targeting multiple factors may hold greater promise for achieving maximal functional recovery. In this study, we applied a combinatorial approach of chronic chemogenetic neuronal activation and physical exercise including treadmill running and forelimb training tasks to promote functional recovery.

Involvement of POMC neurons in LEAP2 regulation of food intake and body weight.

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2) is a newly discovered antagonist of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) and is considered the first endogenous peptide that can antagonize the metabolic actions of ghrelin. The effects of ghrelin administration on feeding behavior, body weight, and energy metabolism involve the activation of orexigenic neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus. It is unclear, however, if LEAP2 applied directly to the ARC of the hypothalamus affects these metabolic processes.

Basal Forebrain Cholinergic Innervation Induces Depression-Like Behaviors Through Ventral Subiculum Hyperactivation.

Malfunction of the ventral subiculum (vSub), the main subregion controlling the output connections from the hippocampus, is associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). Although the vSub receives cholinergic innervation from the medial septum and diagonal band of Broca (MSDB), whether and how the MSDB-to-vSub cholinergic circuit is involved in MDD is elusive. Here, we found that chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) induced depression-like behaviors with hyperactivation of vSub neurons, measured by c-fos staining and whole-cell patch-clamp recording.

Involvement of AMPK in regulating the degradation of MAD2B under high glucose in neuronal cells.

Although our recent study has demonstrated that mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint protein (MAD2B) mediates high glucose-induced neuronal apoptosis, the mechanisms for MAD2B degradation under hyperglycaemia have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we first found that the activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was decreased in neurons, accompanied with the increased expression of MAD2B. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that activation of AMPK with its activators such as AICAR and metformin decreased the expression of MAD2B, indicating a role of AMPK in regulating the expression of MAD2B.

Metformin Protects Neurons against Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/Reoxygenation -Induced Injury by Down-Regulating MAD2B.

Background/aims: Metformin, the common medication for type II diabetes, has protective effects on cerebral ischemia. However, the molecular mechanisms are far from clear. Mitotic arrest deficient 2-like protein 2 (MAD2B), an inhibitor of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), is widely expressed in hippocampal and cortical neurons and plays an important role in mediating high glucose-induced neurotoxicity.

Ethanol directly induced HMGB1 release through NOX2/NLRP1 inflammasome in neuronal cells.

It has been reported that ethanol contributes to neuronal damage. However, the mechanisms mediating the actions of ethanol on neurons remain elusive. The present study was designed to test whether ethanol directly induced HMGB1 release and to explore the cellular and molecular mechanism mediating its action.

Ethanol Activation of PKA Mediates Single-Minded 2 Expression in Neuronal Cells.

Prenatal ethanol exposure can cause extensive apoptotic neurodegeneration throughout the developing central nervous system (CNS), which results in cognitive deficits and memory decline. However, the underlying mechanisms need further study. Single-minded 2 (Sim2), a transcriptional repressor, is reportedly involved in diseases that impair learning and memory, such as Down syndrome (DS) and Alzheimer's disease.

Nod-like receptor protein 1 inflammasome mediates neuron injury under high glucose.

Diabetic encephalopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes. Inflammatory events during diabetes may be an important mechanism of diabetic encephalopathy. Inflammasome is a multiprotein complex consisting of Nod-like receptor proteins (NLRPs), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), and caspase 1 or 5, which functions to switch on the inflammatory process and the release of inflammatory factors.