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Binge Alcohol Exposure Causes Neurobehavioral Deficits And Gsk3Β Activation In The Hippocampus Of Adolescent Rats, Zhe Ji, Lin Yuan, Xiong Lu, Hanqing Ding, Jia Luo, Zun-Ji Ke
Binge Alcohol Exposure Causes Neurobehavioral Deficits And Gsk3Β Activation In The Hippocampus Of Adolescent Rats, Zhe Ji, Lin Yuan, Xiong Lu, Hanqing Ding, Jia Luo, Zun-Ji Ke
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications
Heavy alcohol exposure causes profound damage to the adolescent brain, particularly the hippocampus, which underlie some behavioral deficits. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain inconclusive. The current study sought to determine whether binge alcohol exposure affects the hippocampus-related behaviors and key signaling proteins that may mediate alcohol neurotoxicity in adolescent rats. Alcohol exposure reduced the number of both NeuN-positive and doublecortin-positive cells in the hippocampus. Alcohol also induced neurodegeneration which was confirmed by ultrastructural analysis by electronic microscopy and was accompanied with the activation of microglia. Binge alcohol exposure impaired spatial learning and memory which was evaluated by the Morris …
Novel Calcium-Related Targets Of Insulin In Hippocampal Neurons, Shaniya Maimaiti, Hilaree N. Frazier, Katie L. Anderson, Adam O. Ghoweri, Lawrence D. Brewer, Nada M. Porter, Olivier Thibault
Novel Calcium-Related Targets Of Insulin In Hippocampal Neurons, Shaniya Maimaiti, Hilaree N. Frazier, Katie L. Anderson, Adam O. Ghoweri, Lawrence D. Brewer, Nada M. Porter, Olivier Thibault
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications
Both insulin signaling disruption and Ca2+ dysregulation are closely related to memory loss during aging and increase the vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In hippocampal neurons, aging-related changes in calcium regulatory pathways have been shown to lead to higher intracellular calcium levels and an increase in the Ca2+-dependent afterhyperpolarization (AHP), which is associated with cognitive decline. Recent studies suggest that insulin reduces the Ca2+-dependent AHP. Given the sensitivity of neurons to insulin and evidence that brain insulin signaling is reduced with age, insulin-mediated alterations in calcium homeostasis may underlie the beneficial actions of insulin in …
Blockade Of Astrocytic Calcineurin/Nfat Signaling Helps To Normalize Hippocampal Synaptic Function And Plasticity In A Rat Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Jennifer L. Furman, Pradoldej Sompol, Susan D. Kraner, Melanie M. Pleiss, Esther J. Putman, Jacob Dunkerson, Hafiz Mohmmad Abdul, Kelly N. Roberts, Stephen William Scheff, Christopher M. Norris
Blockade Of Astrocytic Calcineurin/Nfat Signaling Helps To Normalize Hippocampal Synaptic Function And Plasticity In A Rat Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Jennifer L. Furman, Pradoldej Sompol, Susan D. Kraner, Melanie M. Pleiss, Esther J. Putman, Jacob Dunkerson, Hafiz Mohmmad Abdul, Kelly N. Roberts, Stephen William Scheff, Christopher M. Norris
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications
Increasing evidence suggests that the calcineurin (CN)-dependent transcription factor NFAT (Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells) mediates deleterious effects of astrocytes in progressive neurodegenerative conditions. However, the impact of astrocytic CN/NFAT signaling on neural function/recovery after acute injury has not been investigated extensively. Using a controlled cortical impact (CCI) procedure in rats, we show that traumatic brain injury is associated with an increase in the activities of NFATs 1 and 4 in the hippocampus at 7 d after injury. NFAT4, but not NFAT1, exhibited extensive labeling in astrocytes and was found throughout the axon/dendrite layers of CA1 and the dentate …
Aged Rats Are Hypo-Responsive To Acute Restraint: Implications For Psychosocial Stress In Aging, Heather M. Buechel, Jelena Popovic, Kendra Staggs, Katie L. Anderson, Olivier Thibault, Eric M. Blalock
Aged Rats Are Hypo-Responsive To Acute Restraint: Implications For Psychosocial Stress In Aging, Heather M. Buechel, Jelena Popovic, Kendra Staggs, Katie L. Anderson, Olivier Thibault, Eric M. Blalock
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications
Cognitive processes associated with prefrontal cortex and hippocampus decline with age and are vulnerable to disruption by stress. The stress/stress hormone/allostatic load hypotheses of brain aging posit that brain aging, at least in part, is the manifestation of life-long stress exposure. In addition, as humans age, there is a profound increase in the incidence of new onset stressors, many of which are psychosocial (e.g., loss of job, death of spouse, social isolation), and aged humans are well-understood to be more vulnerable to the negative consequences of such new-onset chronic psychosocial stress events. However, the mechanistic underpinnings of this age-related shift …
Effects Of Long-Term Pioglitazone Treatment On Peripheral And Central Markers Of Aging, Eric M. Blalock, Jeremiah T. Phelps, Tristano Pancani, James L. Searcy, Katie L. Anderson, John C. Gant, Jelena Popovic, Margarita G. Avdiushko, Don A. Cohen, Kuey-Chu Chen, Nada M. Porter, Olivier Thibault
Effects Of Long-Term Pioglitazone Treatment On Peripheral And Central Markers Of Aging, Eric M. Blalock, Jeremiah T. Phelps, Tristano Pancani, James L. Searcy, Katie L. Anderson, John C. Gant, Jelena Popovic, Margarita G. Avdiushko, Don A. Cohen, Kuey-Chu Chen, Nada M. Porter, Olivier Thibault
Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications
BACKGROUND: Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and are used clinically to help restore peripheral insulin sensitivity in Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Interestingly, long-term treatment of mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with TZDs also has been shown to reduce several well-established brain biomarkers of AD including inflammation, oxidative stress and Abeta accumulation. While TZD's actions in AD models help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying their potentially beneficial effects in AD patients, little is known about the functional consequences of TZDs in animal models of normal aging. Because aging is a common risk factor for both AD and …