• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.149-154
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• 2007

Kainic acid (KA) causes neurodegeneration, but no consensus has been reached concerning its mechanism. Nitric oxide may be a regulator of the mechanism. We identified differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus of mice treated with kainic acid, together with or without L-NAME, a nonselective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, using a new differential display PCR method based on annealing control primers. Eight genes were identified, including clathrin light polypeptide, TATA element modulatory factor 1, neurexin III, ND4, ATPase, $H^+$ transporting, V1 subunit E isoform 1, and N-myc downstream regulated gene 2. Although the functions of these genes and their products remain to be determined, their identification provides insight into the molecular mechanism(s) involved in KA-induced neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA3 area.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.221-229
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• 2020

This study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of rice bran oil (RBO) on amyloid β protein (Aβ) (25-35)-induced memory impairment and brain damage in an ICR mouse model. Memory impairment was produced by intracerebroventricular microinjection of 15 nmol Aβ (25-35) and assessed using the passive avoidance test. Treatment with RBO at 0.1, 0.5, or 1 mL/kg (p.o. daily for 8 days) protected against Aβ (25-35)-induced memory impairment. Furthermore, Aβ (25-35)-induced decreases in glutathione and increases in lipid peroxidation and cholinesterase activity in brain tissue were inhibited by RBO, and Aβ (25-35)-induced increases of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and inflammatory factors, and changes in the levels of apoptosis-related proteins were significantly inhibited by RBO. Furthermore, Aβ (25-35) suppressed the PI3K/Akt pathway and the phosphorylation of CREB, but increased phosphorylation of tau (p-tau) in mice brain; these effects were significantly inhibited by administration of RBO. These results suggest that RBO inhibits Aβ (25-35)-induced memory impairment by inducing anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects, promoting PI3K/Akt/CREB signaling, and thus, inhibiting p-tau formation.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 1999

This experiment was carried out to investigate the bombesin immunoreactivity in suprachiasmatic nucleus in rat and Mongolian gerbil hypothalamus after colchicine treatment and analyze the morphological difference between rat and Mongolian gerbil which is focused for experimental animal model of neuronal and circulatory diseases. The results were as followings. 1. The shape of suprachiasmatic nucleus was triangle in rat, but oval or kidney-shape in Mongolian gerbil 2. The suprachiasmatic nucleus devided into ventrolateral portion and dorsomedial portion in rat, but dorsolateral portion and ventromedial portion or superior portion and inferior portion in Mongolian gerbil. 3. The area of suprachiasmatic nucleus of rat was greater than one of Mongolian gerbil. 4. The bombesin immunoreactivity showed after colcichine treatment in rat and Mogolian gerbil suprachiasmatic nucleus. 5. The bombesin immunoreactivity was stronger in ventrolateral portion than in dorsomedial portion of suprachiasmatic nucleus in rat, but in ventromedial or inferior portion than in dorsolateral or superior portion of suprachiasmatic nucleus in Mongolian gerbil. 6. The bombesin immunoreactivity showed at the oval, ellipsoid or triangular neurons and varicose nerve terminals in ventrorateral portion of rat, and only nerve terminals in dorsomedial portion of rat suprachiasmatic nucleus. But the bombesin immunoreativity didn't show at neurons of Mongolian gerbil suprachiasmatic nucleus.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2006

Experimentally induced cortical disorganization exhibits many anatomical features which are characteristic of cortical malformations in children with early-onset epilepsy. We used an immunocytochemical technique and extracellular field potential recordings from the dorsal hippocampus to determine whether the excitability of the CA1 pyramidal cells was enhanced in rats with exnerimentallv induced hippocampal dysplasia. Compared with control rats, the MAM-treated rats displayed a decrease of paired pulse inhibition. When $GABA_A$ receptor antagonists were blocked with $10{\mu}M$ bicuculline the amplitude of the second population spike of the MAM-treated of rats was similar to that of the first population spike, as was in the control rats. The MAM-treated rats had fewer somatostatin and parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons than the control rats. These results suggest that the enhanced neuronal responsiveness of the in vivo recording of the CA1 in this animal model may involve a reduction of CA1 inhibition.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.254-259
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• 2004

Jeongshin-tang (JST) is a Korean herbal prescription, which has been successfully applied for the various neuronal diseases. However, it's effect remains unknown in experimental models. To investigate the biological effect of JST in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in vitro model, we analized the production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, and expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in IL-1β plus β-amyloid [25-35] fragment (A)-stimulated human astrocytoma cell line U373MG. JST alone had no effect on the cell viability. The production of IL-6 and IL-8 was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with JST (1mg/㎖) on IL-1β plus A-stimulated U373MG cells. Maximal inhibition rate of IL-6 and IL-8 production by JST was about 41.22% (P<0.01) and 34.45% (P<0.05), respectively. The expression level of COX-2 protein was up-regulated by IL-1β plus A but the increased level of COX-2 was inhibited by pretreatment with JST (1 mg/㎖). These data indicate that JST has a regulatory effect on cytokine production and COX-2 expression, which might explain it's beneficial effect in the treatment of AD.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.431-437
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• 2008

Sengmaek-san(Shengmai-san; SMS) is used in oriental medicine as one of the key herbal medicine for treating diverse symptoms including cardiovascular and neurological disorders. In the present study, the effects of SMS on axonal regeneration were investigated in the rat model given sciatic nerve injury. SMS treatment enhanced axonal regrowth into and the number of non-neuronal cells in the distal area after crush injury. GAP-43 protein levels were increased in the injured sciatic nerve compared to intact nerve and further upreguated by SMS treatment. GAP-43 protein was increased similarly in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) at lumbar 4 - 6 by nerve injury and SMS treatment, suggesting GAP-43 induction at gene expression level. SMS-mediated increase in phospho-Erk1/2 protein was observed in the DRG as well as in the injured nerve implying its retrograde transport into the cell body as the process of lesion signal transmission. The present findings suggest that SMS may be involved in enhanced axonal regeneration via dynamic regulation of regeneration-associated proteins.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 2006

Purpose : The purposes of this study were to test the effect of proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input on expression of BDNF after traumatic brain injury in the rat. Subject : The control group was sacrificed at 24 hours after traumatic brain injury. The experimental group I was housed in standard cage for 7 days. The experimental group II was housed in standard cage after intervention to proprioceptive and vestibular sensory(balance training) for 7 days. Method : Traumatic brain injury was induced by weight drop model and after operation they were housed in individual standard cages for 24 hours. After 7th day, rats were sacrificed and cryostat coronal sections were processed individual1y in goat polyclonal anti-BDNF antibody. The morphologic characteristics and the BDNF expression were investigated in injured hemisphere section and contralateral brain section from immunohistochemistry using light microscope. Result : The results of this experiment were as follows: 1. In control group, cell bodies in lateral nucleus of cerebellum, superior vestibular nucleus, purkinje cell layer of cerebellum and pontine nucleus changed morphologically. 2. The expression of BDNF in contralateral hemisphere of group II were revealed. 3. On 7th day after operation, immunohistochemical response of BDNF in lateral nucleus, superior vestibular nucleus, purkinje cell layer and pontine nucleus appeared in group II. Conclusion : The present results revealed that intervention to proprioceptive and vestibular sensory input is enhance expression of BDNF and it is useful in neuronal reorganization improvement after traumatic brain injury.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2022

Oleanolic acid (OA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been reported to exert protective effects against several neurological diseases through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of OA against acute and chronic brain injuries after ischemic stroke using a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO, MCAO/reperfusion). OA administration immediately after reperfusion significantly attenuated acute brain injuries including brain infarction, functional neurological deficits, and neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, delayed administration of OA (at 3 h after reperfusion) attenuated brain infarction and improved functional neurological deficits during the acute phase. Such neuroprotective effects were associated with attenuation of microglial activation and lipid peroxidation in the injured brain after the tMCAO challenge. OA also attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in activated microglia during the acute phase. In addition, daily administration of OA for 7 days starting from either immediately after reperfusion or 1 day after reperfusion significantly improved functional neurological deficits and attenuated brain tissue loss up to 21 days after the tMCAO challenge; these findings supported therapeutic effects of OA against ischemic stroke-induced chronic brain injury. Together, these findings showed that OA exerted neuroprotective effects against both acute and chronic brain injuries after tMCAO challenge, suggesting that OA is a potential therapeutic agent to treat ischemic stroke.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.361-380
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• 2023

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a technique to record oscillatory magnetic fields coming from ongoing neuronal activity. Functional brain activities performing cognitive or physiological tasks are performed on structural connections between neurons or brain regions. MEG data can be characterized as highly correlated, spatio-temporal, multidimensional, multilayered dynamic networks. Due to its complex structure, many studies on MEG network have not yet been conducted. In this study, we will explain the concept, necessity, and possible approaches of MEG network analysis. We reviewed the characteristics of MEG data. Network measures and potential network models in MEG and clinical studies are also reviewed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.531-539
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• 2024

Sleep is one of the most essential physiological phenomena for maintaining health. Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, are often accompanied by psychiatric or physical conditions such as impaired attention, anxiety, and stress. Medication used to treat insomnia have concerns about potential side effects with long-term use, so interest in the use of alternative medicine is increasing. In this study, we investigated the hypnotic effects of β-lapachone (β-Lap), a natural naphthoquinone compound, using pentobarbital-induced sleep test, immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and western blot in mice. Our results indicated that β-Lap exerts a significant hypnotic effect by showing a decrease in sleep onset latency and an increase in total sleep time in pentobarbital-induced sleep model. The results of c-Fos immunostaining showed that β-Lap decreased neuronal activity in the basal forebrain and lateral hypothalamus, which are wakefulness-promoting brain regions, while increasing in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, a sleep-promoting region; all these effects were significantly abolished by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX), an adenosine A₁ receptor (A₁R) antagonist. Western blot analysis showed that β-Lap increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappa B translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus; these effects were inhibited by DPCPX. Additionally, β-Lap increased the mRNA levels of A₁R. Taken together, these results suggest that β-Lap exerts hypnotic effects, potentially through A₁R.