{"title":"Augmentation of neural stem cell proliferation and enhanced differentiation toward neural and oligodendroglia lineages through sonic hedgehog pathway: Cross-activation of Notch1 and SOX10","authors":"Arsalan Azizi , Nahid Azarmehr , Maryam Hashemi Shahraki , Roya Aryanpour , Elham Enanat , Parisa Danaee fard , Mehrzad Jafari Barmak , Amir Ghanbari","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138098","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138098","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study aimed to understand the impact of the sonic-hedge signal pathway (SHH) on mouse neural stem cells. We manipulated the pathway using purmorphamine (Pur) and Gant 61 and observed the effects on cell viability, neurosphere formation, and gene expression. We found that activating the SHH pathway with Pur increased cell viability, neurosphere formation, and the expression of specific genes, promoting the differentiation of neural stem cells into mature cells. Conversely, inhibiting the SHH pathway with Gant61 decreased cell viability and neurosphere formation and suppressed differentiation. This suggests that the SHH pathway plays a crucial role in determining the fate of neural stem cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138098"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142932073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jaanus Harro , Diva Eensoo , Silva Suvi , Saima Timpmann , Vahur Ööpik
{"title":"Prolactin levels increased by physical exercise correlate with platelet monoamine oxidase activity: Evidence linking platelet MAO with serotonin release capacity","authors":"Jaanus Harro , Diva Eensoo , Silva Suvi , Saima Timpmann , Vahur Ööpik","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Lower platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity has consistently been associated with excessive risk-taking and general psychiatric vulnerability. How this peripheral measure can represent presumably centrally regulated complex behaviours is not clear but platelet MAO activity has been suggested to reflect the capacity of serotonin release in the brain. Secretion of prolactin is in part under serotonergic control and indicates serotonin release capacity.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We have assessed release of prolactin and other exercise-induced hormones in response to strenuous physical exercise in twenty male subjects and examined its association with platelet MAO activity as measured radioenzymatically.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Increase in prolactin levels was positively correlated with platelet MAO activity. Levels of cortisol, growth hormone and aldosterone were also raised by exercise, but these increases were not associated with platelet MAO activity. Unexpectedly, aldosterone levels before exercise were also in a positive correlation with platelet MAO activity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The finding that exercise-induced prolactin release is associated with MAO activity in platelets indirectly supports the notion that platelet MAO activity is a marker of central serotonin release capacity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138116"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142952272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mitchell J. Bartlett , Carolyn J. Stopera , Stephen L. Cowen , Scott J. Sherman , Torsten Falk
{"title":"Differential effects of statins on the anti-dyskinetic activity of sub-anesthetic ketamine","authors":"Mitchell J. Bartlett , Carolyn J. Stopera , Stephen L. Cowen , Scott J. Sherman , Torsten Falk","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sub-anesthetic ketamine has been demonstrated to reduce abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) in preclinical models of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) and retrospective Parkinson’s disease (PD) case reports. In this study, we examined the effects on LID of two different statins alone and in combination with ketamine in unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned male rats, the standard model for preclinical LID studies. Ketamine attenuated the development of AIMs, while the non-polar lovastatin only showed anti-dyskinetic activity early in the priming period but did not prevent the development of LID, and the polar pravastatin showed no anti-dyskinetic activity. Furthermore, our main result is that pravastatin blocked the long-term neuroplastic anti-dyskinetic effects of ketamine, while lovastatin did not. This study shows two different statins affect LID and the anti-dyskinetic activity of ketamine differentially, pointing to an important drug interaction. The results further inform and support ongoing clinical testing of sub-anesthetic ketamine to treat LID in individuals with PD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138114"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142962199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kyu-Beom Kim , Min-Kyun Lee , Yong-Bin Jeong , Jeong-Min Kim , Mi-Hyun Choi , Hyung-Sik Kim , Byung-Chan Min , Soon-Cheol Chung
{"title":"Cognitive response to energy variations in Non-Contact tactile sensations interface using Laser-Induced plasma","authors":"Kyu-Beom Kim , Min-Kyun Lee , Yong-Bin Jeong , Jeong-Min Kim , Mi-Hyun Choi , Hyung-Sik Kim , Byung-Chan Min , Soon-Cheol Chung","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138119","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138119","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Laser-induced plasma technology provides a novel method for generating tactile sensations without physical contact, offering precise and controlled stimulation. However, the impact of varying energy levels on human cognitive and perceptual responses is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to present tactile sensations using laser-induced plasma in a non-contact manner and investigate the cognitive characteristics linked to changes in the plasma’s energy parameters, specifically Pulse Width (PW) and Set Current (SC). The experiment was conducted with 35 right-handed male and female adults in their 20 s. Tactile stimuli were presented under two conditions: Condition 1 fixed SC and varied PW, while Condition 2 fixed PW and varied SC, with each condition adjusted to produce three energy levels. Subjective evaluations included assessments of tactile intensity and vocabulary using a 5-point scale. Sixteen terms related to tactile sensations were evaluated. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare scores across both factors (Condition and Energy). The results showed that as the energy level increased, the perceived intensity also rose. In the vocabulary evaluation, sensations such as “Tapping” and “Rapping” were predominant, with higher scores at increased energy levels. No significant differences were observed between the two conditions for either tactile intensity or vocabulary evaluations. In conclusion, varying the energy magnitude of laser-induced plasma can produce tactile sensations of different intensities, and the parameters used in this study successfully evoked specific sensations like slow vibration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142979454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ivabradine reduces neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury by inhibiting excitatory synaptic transmission in the spinal dorsal horn","authors":"Nobuko Ohashi , Masayuki Ohashi , Rintaro Hoshino , Hiroyuki Deguchi , Hiroshi Baba","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can lead to severe neuropathic pain and increased risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure; therefore, the use of analgesics against SCI-induced pain should be minimized because of their adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. Ivabradine, a blocker of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels, is used as a bradycardic agent, but recent studies focused on it as an analgesic agent for peripheral neuropathic pain. However, the analgesic effects of ivabradine on central neuropathic pain, such as SCI-induced pain, have not been examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the spinal analgesic effects of ivabradine on central neuropathic pain induced by SCI. Ivabradine induced analgesia in both spontaneous pain-related behavior and mechanical allodynia in SCI-induced pain (6–7 rats/group; <em>p</em> < 0.01). In immunohistochemical staining analyses, ivabradine suppressed phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases activated by SCI-induced pain in the superficial spinal dorsal horn (6 rats/group; <em>p</em> < 0.01). In <em>in vitro</em> whole-cell patch-clamp analysis, ivabradine decreased the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in substantia gelatinosa neurons (11–12 rats/group; <em>p</em> < 0.01). We concluded that ivabradine reduces SCI-induced pain by inhibiting excitatory synaptic transmission in the spinal dorsal horn.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138113"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142962203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zirong Li , Yi Shu , Qian Liu , Deguo Liu , Sheng Xie , Mingjun Wei , Lidan Lan , Xinyi Yang
{"title":"Sleep deprivation activated AMPK/FOXO3a signaling mediates pineal autophagy impairment to reduce melatonin secretion in CUMS + SD rats leading to depression combined with insomnia","authors":"Zirong Li , Yi Shu , Qian Liu , Deguo Liu , Sheng Xie , Mingjun Wei , Lidan Lan , Xinyi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138091","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138091","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study established an animal model of comorbid depression and insomnia by combining chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) with sleep deprivation (SD). The pathogenesis of comorbid depression and insomnia may be associated with impaired AMPK/FOXO3a signaling, which mediates autophagy inhibition, leading to decreased pineal melatonin secretion. The findings revealed that CUMS + SD rats exhibited more pronounced depression-like behaviors, sleep disorders, increased central oxidative stress, and exacerbated neuroinflammation, accompanied by reduced levels of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT) and melatonin in the pineal gland. Notably, further investigations revealed that impaired mitochondrial autophagy in the pineal gland is closely linked to the significant suppression of AMPK/FOXO3a signaling. The combined intervention of venlafaxine and melatonin effectively ameliorated the impaired mitochondrial autophagy in the pineal gland of CUMS + SD rats and stimulated melatonin secretion. Consequently, the study proposes that dysfunctional mitochondrial autophagy regulated by the AMPK/FOXO3a pathway can influence melatonin secretion, thereby playing a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of depression combined with insomnia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138091"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142877570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Changjun Yang, John Aaron Howell, Lei Liu, Rachel E. Gunraj, Eduardo Candelario-Jalil
{"title":"Changes in adropin levels in brain and peripheral tissues with aging","authors":"Changjun Yang, John Aaron Howell, Lei Liu, Rachel E. Gunraj, Eduardo Candelario-Jalil","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adropin is a bioactive peptide found in the brain and various peripheral tissues. Evidence suggests that aging significantly decreases brain adropin levels, and interventions that elevate adropin may help alleviate age-related neurological disorders such as ischemic stroke and cognitive decline. However, the impact of aging on peripheral tissue adropin levels and its relationship with the neural recognition molecule NB-3/contactin-6 in the brain remains unclear. In this study, we quantified adropin using immunoblotting in brain and peripheral tissues (liver, lung, kidney, spleen, ileum, colon) from young (8–10 weeks) and aged (18–20 months) male mice. Results indicated a significant decrease in brain adropin levels in aged mice, while peripheral tissues showed no significant changes compared to young controls. Additionally, levels of NB-3/contactin-6, a potential adropin receptor and Notch1 ligand, were lower in aged brains. Co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that adropin physically associates with brain NB-3. Notably, the age-related reduction in brain adropin correlates with increased oxidative stress markers (gp91<sup>phox</sup> and 4-hydroxynonenal). We provide the first evidence that aging is linked to a concurrent loss of adropin and NB-3 in the brain but not in peripheral tissues. Interventions to maintain brain adropin levels could help mitigate the brain’s aging process and alleviate age-related neurological dysfunction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"850 ","pages":"Article 138150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143374330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aniket Aman , Aaryaman Hoskote , Kshitij S. Jadhav , Bharat Aggarwal
{"title":"Comparative analysis of brain volumetric measurements between contrast-enhanced and non-contrast MRI images","authors":"Aniket Aman , Aaryaman Hoskote , Kshitij S. Jadhav , Bharat Aggarwal","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138118","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Clinical brain MRI scans, including contrast-enhanced (CE-MR) images, represent an underutilized resource for neuroscience research due to technical heterogeneity.</div></div><div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>To evaluate the reliability of morphometric measurements from CE-MR scans compared to non-contrast MR (NC-MR) scans in normal individuals.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>T1-weighted CE-MR and NC-MR scans from 59 normal participants (aged 21–73 years) were compared using CAT12 and SynthSeg+ segmentation tools. Volumetric measurements and age prediction efficacy were analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>SynthSeg+ demonstrated high reliability (ICCs > 0.90) for most brain structures between CE-MR and NC-MR scans, with discrepancies in CSF and ventricular volumes. CAT12 showed inconsistent performance. Age prediction models using SynthSeg + yielded comparable results for both scan types.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Deep learning-based approaches like SynthSeg+ can reliably process CE-MR scans for morphometric analysis, potentially broadening the application of clinically acquired CE-MR images in neuroimaging research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142952264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carly Norris , Susan F. Murphy , Pamela J. VandeVord
{"title":"Acute astrocytic and neuronal regulation of glutamatergic protein expression following blast","authors":"Carly Norris , Susan F. Murphy , Pamela J. VandeVord","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138108","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2024.138108","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Regulation of glutamate through glutamate-glutamine cycling is critical for mediating nervous system plasticity. Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been linked to glutamate-dependent excitotoxicity, which may be potentiating chronic disorders such as post-traumatic epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to measure changes in the expression of astrocytic and neuronal proteins responsible for glutamatergic regulation at 4-, 12-, and 24 h in the cortex and hippocampus following single blast exposure in a rat model for bTBI. Animals were exposed to a blast with magnitudes ranging from 16 to 20 psi using an Advanced Blast Simulator, and western blotting was performed to compare changes in protein expression between blast and sham groups. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was increased at 24 h, consistent with astrocyte reactivity, yet no other proteins showed significant changes in expression at acute time points following blast (GS, GLT-1, GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B). Therefore, these glutamate regulators likely do not play a major role in contributing to acute excitotoxicity or glial reactivity when analyzed by whole brain region. Investigation of substructural and subregional effects in future studies, particularly within the hippocampus (e.g., dentate gyrus, CA1, CA2, CA3), may reveal localized changes in expression and/or NMDAR subunit composition capable of potentiating bTBI molecular cascades. Nevertheless, alternative regulators are likely to demonstrate greater sensitivity as acute therapeutic targets contributing to bTBI pathophysiology following single blast exposure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"848 ","pages":"Article 138108"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142903269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Somayyeh Torabi , Zahra Zeraatpisheh , Seyed Hadi Anjamrooz , Amir Ghanbari , Syed Shadab Raza , Hadi Aligholi , Hassan Azari
{"title":"Synergistic effects of neural stem cells and ibrutinib on neural tissue repair and functional recovery in a contusion mouse model of spinal cord injury","authors":"Somayyeh Torabi , Zahra Zeraatpisheh , Seyed Hadi Anjamrooz , Amir Ghanbari , Syed Shadab Raza , Hadi Aligholi , Hassan Azari","doi":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neulet.2025.138149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modulating the immune response following spinal cord injury (SCI) is vital for establishing a conducive microenvironment that supports the survival and engraftment of transplanted neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). Building on our prior findings of ibrutinib’s immunotherapeutic potential in acute SCI, this study investigates the impact of ibrutinib administration on NSPC survival, fate and their potential synergistic effects on tissue repair and motor function in a contusive mouse model of SCI.</div><div>Green fluorescence expressing NSPCs were transplanted into the lesion site with or without concurrent ibrutinib administration. Over four weeks, comprehensive assessments included behavioral evaluations, lesion volume measurements, and analyses of the survival, fate, and migration patterns of the transplanted cells. The results revealed that ibrutinib and NSPCs individually reduced lesion volume and improved motor functions. However, their combination significantly accelerated and enhanced motor recovery. Furthermore, ibrutinib improved cell viability, increasing markers for oligodendrocyte and neuroblast while concurrently diminishing the expression of astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).</div><div>In conclusion, the combined utilization of ibrutinib and NSPC transplantation presents a promising strategy for enhancing tissue repair, promoting functional recovery, and positively modulating cell behaviors in the context of SCI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19290,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Letters","volume":"850 ","pages":"Article 138149"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143372658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}