Publications by authors named "Roberta Battistella"

Dietary patterns that include an excess of foods rich in saturated fat are associated with brain dysfunction. Although microgliosis has been proposed to play a key role in the development of brain dysfunction in diet-induced obesity (DIO), neuroinflammation with cytokine over-expression is not always observed. Thus, mechanisms by which microglia contribute to brain impairment in DIO are uncertain.

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The vascular system is vital for all tissues and the interest in its visualization spans many fields. A number of different plant-derived lectins are used for detection of vasculature; however, studies performing direct comparison of the labeling efficacy of different lectins and techniques are lacking. In this study, we compared the labeling efficacy of three lectins: isolectin B4 (IB4); (WGA), and (LEA).

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The recently discovered glymphatic system, which supports brain-wide clearance of metabolic waste, has become the subject of intense research within the past few years. Its nomenclature arose due to its functionally analogous nature to the lymphatic system in combination with glial cells that are part of its anatomical boundaries. The influx of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from perivascular spaces into the brain interstitium acts to clear intraparenchymal solutes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Some individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease maintain normal cognitive function despite high levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) in their brains, possibly due to overactivation in brain areas that don't accumulate Aβ.
  • Research using Golgi staining on Tg2576 mice revealed that contextual fear conditioning leads to changes in dendritic spines, with Aβ oligomer levels influencing synaptic rearrangements differently in the hippocampus compared to the amygdala.
  • Findings suggest that enhanced synaptic activity in Aβ-free regions compensates for dysfunction in Aβ-accumulated areas, indicating an important feedback loop where neuronal activity impacts Aβ levels and synapse formation in the hippocampus.
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