{"title":"Pou4f3 Deficiency Obstructs the Subtype Differentiation of Vestibular Hair Cells.","authors":"Qin Zhou, Yikang Huang, Wenli Ni, Mingchuan Feng, Lingjie Wu, Chuijin Lai, Yanping Zhang, Wenyan Li, Yan Chen","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01474-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01474-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vestibular hair cells (HCs) in the inner ear, crucial for balance and spatial orientation, are classified into type I and type II subtypes, but the mechanisms regulating their differentiation remain unclear. In this study, we examined the role of Pou4f3, an important transcription factor, in vestibular HC differentiation using Pou4f3<sup>DTR/DTR</sup> (deficient) and Pou4f3<sup>CreER/CreER</sup> (knockout) mouse models. In Pou4f3-deficient mice, the HC number decreased, and immature HCs failed to develop type I characteristics, indicating a developmental arrest. While type II HCs differentiated normally, Pou4f3 deficiency disrupted HC bundle formation and cell polarity. Findings from knockout models further confirmed the essential role of Pou4f3 in vestibular HC subtype specification. This study underscores the critical role of Pou4f3 in determining vestibular HC subtypes and offers insights into potential strategies for restoring vestibular function through HC regeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144963125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Xu, Yaping Shao, Jun Zhang, Yang Ni, Guowang Xu, Cong Liu, Yi Liang, Weidong Le
{"title":"HSF-1 Regulates Autophagy to Govern Motor Function and Facilitate Toxic Protein Clearance in a C. elegans Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.","authors":"Hui Xu, Yaping Shao, Jun Zhang, Yang Ni, Guowang Xu, Cong Liu, Yi Liang, Weidong Le","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01487-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01487-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) plays a crucial role in orchestrating stress responses across diverse organisms and disease conditions. Here, we investigate how the HSF-1 signaling pathway influences the degradation of toxic proteins and neuropathological changes in the Caenorhabditis elegans model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We found that overexpressing HSF-1 improves locomotor ability and increases the survival rate of ALS C. elegans. Moreover, we observed a deceleration of motor neuron degeneration, demonstrating the protective effect of HSF-1 on neurodegenerative processes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed notable changes in genes associated with autophagy and neurodegeneration, underscoring HSF-1's critical involvement in ALS pathology. In addition, metabolomic profiling further highlighted the involvement of this pathway in metabolic reprogramming. Overall, our study underscores the critical role of the HSF-1 signaling pathway in improving survival rate, movement velocity, cellular integrity, and metabolic adaptation, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying ALS and potential targets for therapeutic intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144963073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hong Tan, Shizhen Jin, Wenjin Lv, Lingyu Guo, Peiran Jiang, Yongjian Li, Mengjia Shi, Danting Wang, Yongcheng Wang, Aimin Bao
{"title":"Hypothalamic Oxytocin Neuronal Activation Induces Bipolar-Like Mood Changes in Mice in a Sex- and Dosage-Dependent Manner.","authors":"Hong Tan, Shizhen Jin, Wenjin Lv, Lingyu Guo, Peiran Jiang, Yongjian Li, Mengjia Shi, Danting Wang, Yongcheng Wang, Aimin Bao","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01475-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01475-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clinical studies have suggested that increased plasma oxytocin (OT) levels are a promising biomarker for bipolar disorder (BD), and our earlier post-mortem study found increased OT activity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (OT<sup>PVN</sup>) in BD. However, the potential contribution of the supraoptic nucleus (SON, OT<sup>SON</sup>), a major part of the central OT system, to BD remains unknown. We therefore systematically performed independent acute or chronic chemogenetic activation of OT<sup>PVN</sup>, OT<sup>SON</sup>, or OT<sup>PVN+SON</sup> experiments in OT-cre mice. We found that acute activation of OT<sup>PVN+SON</sup> neurons led to slight mania-like (anti-depression-like) behaviors both in male and female mice, while chronic activation of OT<sup>PVN</sup> or OT<sup>PVN+SON</sup> led to sex-dependent behavioural changes from depression/anxiety-like to mania-like, accompanied by stress-related molecular changes in a sex- dependent manner in the medial prefrontal cortex. Our findings imply that OT may be involved in bipolar-like mood changes in a sex- and dosage-dependent manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144963142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shoumeng Han, Xin Chen, Li Ma, Xin Zeng, Ying Wang, Tingting Xie, Fancan Wu, Kun Song, Kenji Hashimoto, Hanbing Wang, Long Wang
{"title":"The Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis-Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus Neural Circuit Regulates Neuropathic Pain Through the Brain-Spleen Axis.","authors":"Shoumeng Han, Xin Chen, Li Ma, Xin Zeng, Ying Wang, Tingting Xie, Fancan Wu, Kun Song, Kenji Hashimoto, Hanbing Wang, Long Wang","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01454-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01454-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition caused by damage or dysfunction in the nervous system. While the spleen may influence neuropathic pain, its role has been poorly understood. This study demonstrates that the spleen plays a crucial role in regulating neuropathic pain through the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) - paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) neural circuit in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) mouse model. Splenectomy, splenic denervation, or splenic sympathectomy significantly increased the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and reduced macrophage infiltration in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of CCI mice. Pseudorabies virus injections into the spleen revealed connections to the BNST and PVN in the brain. Chemogenetic inhibition of the BNST-PVN circuit increased macrophage infiltration in the DRG and decreased the MWT; these effects were reversed by splenectomy, splenic denervation, or sympathectomy. These findings underscore the critical role of the spleen, regulated by the BNST-PVN circuit, in neuropathic pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144963067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Therapeutic Potential of MgH<sub>2</sub> in Mitigating Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss.","authors":"Yibing Hu, Yihuan Zhang, Shufen Li, Yuan Yu, Jingjing Wang, Zihan Lou, Boya Zhang, Yazhi Xing, Zhengnong Chen","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01477-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01477-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cisplatin is a widely-used chemotherapeutic agent, but its dose-limiting ototoxicity often results in irreversible hearing loss. The pathogenesis involves oxidative stress, apoptosis, DNA damage, and inflammatory responses, yet effective preventive strategies remain limited. Here, we demonstrate that magnesium hydride (MgH<sub>2</sub>), a hydrogen-releasing compound, provides robust protection against cisplatin-induced hearing loss. Our results showed that MgH<sub>2</sub> protected auditory function and preserved cochlear hair cells in vivo. Furthermore, it significantly attenuated cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in cultured HEI-OC1 (House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1) cells and cochlear explants. Notably, MgH<sub>2</sub> suppressed NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-mediated inflammatory cascades, thereby limiting downstream inflammatory damage. These findings revealed that MgH<sub>2</sub> alleviated cisplatin-induced hearing loss through integrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic pathways, with NLRP3 identified as a critical regulatory molecule. Collectively, our study provides compelling evidence for MgH<sub>2</sub> as a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention of cisplatin-induced hearing loss.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144822141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Model-Dependent Attenuation of Seizures by Cinnabar.","authors":"Yuang Gu, Yu Yao, Qiuwen Lou, Xinyan Zhu, Ju Lan, Chenshu Gao, Shuangshuang Wu, Jingjia Liang, Cenglin Xu, Yi Wang, Heming Cheng, Zhong Chen","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01480-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01480-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent and severe neurological disorders, and it is inadequately controlled with currently available medications. While cinnabar (mercury(II) sulfide)-a traditional Chinese medicine-has historical application in epilepsy treatment, its therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we find that cinnabar exerts model-dependent antiseizure efficacy in mice. Specifically, it significantly attenuates acute seizures, enhances the termination of diazepam-resistant status epilepticus, and reduces spontaneous seizures in the kainic acid (KA)-induced seizure model. Conversely, no therapeutic effect was found in the maximal electroshock-, pentylenetetrazole-, or kindling-induced seizure model. Fiber photometry revealed that cinnabar normalizes KA-induced hippocampal neurotransmission imbalances by simultaneously decreasing glutamate hyperactivity and γ-aminobutyric acid hypoactivity. Furthermore, cinnabar has neuroprotective effects and alleviates comorbid anxiety-like behaviors, while showing no alterations in motor function. Our findings suggest cinnabar's potential as a therapeutic agent for seizure management, via a mechanism associated with the reversal of the hippocampal excitatory/inhibitory imbalance.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Temporoparietal Junction Selectively Mediates Social Projection in Mentalizing.","authors":"Shaohan Jiang, Sidong Wang, Xiaohong Wan","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01483-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01483-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mentalizing, the cognitive process of inferring others' mental states from limited social information, is often facilitated by social projection, a \"self-as-proxy\" strategy that engenders self-other mergence (SOM). While SOM overlaps conceptually with the simulation or theory-driven processes, its neural basis remains unresolved. Using fMRI during a dyadic task where participants estimated both their own confidence (metacognition) and a partner's confidence (mentalizing), we found that SOM critically depended on self-confidence encoded in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) during metacognition. The temporoparietal junction (TPJ) tracked SOM magnitude via effective connectivity with the dACC, while the partner's confidence was distinctly represented in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Further, disrupting TPJ activity via transcranial magnetic stimulation causally attenuated the SOM effect. These findings disentangle social projection from competing frameworks and suggest that the TPJ plays a pivotal role in mediating social projection during mentalizing, advancing the mechanistic understanding of how the self scaffolds social cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Retraction Note: Fluoxetine is Neuroprotective in Early Brain Injury via its Anti-inflammatory and Anti-apoptotic Effects in a Rat Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Model.","authors":"Hui-Min Hu, Bin Li, Xiao-Dong Wang, Yun-Shan Guo, Hua Hui, Hai-Ping Zhang, Biao Wang, Da-Geng Huang, Ding-Jun Hao","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01484-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01484-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhiyuan Xie, Wenxi Yuan, Lingbo Zhou, Jie Xiao, Huabao Liao, Jiang-Jian Hu, Xue-Jun Song
{"title":"Sex Differences in Pain Contagion Determined by the Balance of Oxytocin and Corticosterone in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Rodents.","authors":"Zhiyuan Xie, Wenxi Yuan, Lingbo Zhou, Jie Xiao, Huabao Liao, Jiang-Jian Hu, Xue-Jun Song","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01473-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01473-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Empathy is crucial for communication and survival for individuals. Whether empathy in pain contagion shows sex differences and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that pain contagion can occur in stranger female rats, but not in stranger males. Blocking oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) suppressed pain contagion in female strangers, while oxytocin administration induced pain contagion in male strangers. In vitro, corticosterone reduces neuronal activation by oxytocin. During male stranger interactions, higher corticosterone decreased oxytocin receptor-positive neuronal activity in the ACC, suppressing pain contagion. These findings highlight the role of oxytocin in pain contagion and suggest that sex differences in empathy may be determined by the balance of oxytocin and corticosterone in the ACC. This study suggests an approach for the treatment of certain mental disorders associated with abnormal empathy, such as autism and depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144789627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modulation of Ryanodine Receptors on Microglial Ramification, Migration, and Phagocytosis in an Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model.","authors":"Yulin Ouyang, Zihao Chen, Qiang Huang, Hai Zhang, Haolin Song, Xinnian Wang, Wenxiu Dong, Yong Tang, Najeebullah Shah, Shimin Shuai, Yang Zhan","doi":"10.1007/s12264-025-01469-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-025-01469-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microglial functions are linked to Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling, with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium stores playing a crucial role. Microglial abnormality is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but how ER Ca<sup>2+</sup> receptors regulate microglial functions under physiological and AD conditions remains unclear. We found reduced ryanodine receptor 2 (Ryr2) expression in microglia from an AD mouse model. Modulation of RyR2 using S107, a RyR-Calstabin stabilizer, blunted spontaneous Ca<sup>2+</sup> transients in controls and normalized Ca<sup>2+</sup> transients in AD mice. S107 enhanced ATP-induced migration and phagocytosis while reducing ramification in control microglia; however, these effects were absent in AD microglia. Our findings indicate that RyR2 stabilization promotes an activation state shift in control microglia, a mechanism impaired in AD. These results highlight the role of ER Ca<sup>2+</sup> receptors in both homeostatic and AD microglia, providing insights into microglial Ca<sup>2+</sup> malfunctions in AD.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144789626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}