Basic and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume:3 Issue: 1, Autumn 2011

Several supra spinal areas such as rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) area are involved in basic cardiovascular regulation. The Kolliker— Fuse nucleus (KF) is located in pons and is heavily connected with RVLM. The cardiovascular effect of KF nucleus has been shown and it is suggested that KF is involved in sympathetic vasomotor tone and basic cardiovascular regulation. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of KF on basic cardiovascular values were evaluated. After induction of anesthesia, a polyethylene catheter (PE-50) filled with heparinized saline was inserted into the femoral artery of rats. Animals were then placed in a stereotaxic apparatus and KF nucleus was inactivated by microinjection of cobalt chloride (CoCl2). Blood pressure and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded pre and post inactivation. Our result showed that inactivation of KF slightly changed mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) (92.3 ± 2.45 mmHg vs. 90.86 ± 1.7 mmHg) and HR (343.8 ± 4.6 beats/min vs. 350.7 ± 8.32 beats /min). However, these effects were not significant in comparison to the control group. We concluded that synapses in the KF nucleus have no effect on regulation of basal blood pressure and heart rate, because CoCl2 is a synaptic blocker.

Cholinergic systems are involved in learning and memory. Scopolamine, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, is used as a standard/ reference drug for inducing cognitive deficits in healthy humans and animals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of scopolamine on avoidance memory and number of neurons in rat’s hippocampus.. Thirty five male albino Wistar rats (200 ± 20 g) were used in this study. The rats were divided randomly into five groups: control group (healthy samples), sham (saline) and 3 experimental groups 0.2, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg (intraperitoneally - single dose of Scopolamine). Animals were tested by passive avoidance method (shuttle box). After one week, a memory test was taken from rats. Finally, with dissection of the rat's brains and tissue operations, neurons were stained with cresyl violet. Photographs of the samples in hippocampal areas were prepared, and neurons were counted. Our results showed that the number of neurons in all experimental groups was lower than that in the control group. The highest decrease in number of neurons was shown in response to 1 mg/kg scopolamine compared to the control group in all regions of hippocampus. Also, we found that in comparison to the saline-treated animals, the injection of scopolamine to rats after training, caused memory destruction. We concluded that memory impairment-induced by scopolamine is probably associated with neuronal loss and this decrease was dose dependent.

Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are involved in neurodegeneration procedure in Parkinson’s disease. Recently, neuroprotective potential of Boswellia resin has been demonstrated. Therefore, this study examined whether administration of Boswellia resin would attenuate MPP+- induced neuronal death in SK-N-SH- cell line, a human dopaminergic neurons- in vitro. Boswellia resin extract was added to culture medium (10μg/ml) before and after exposure of SK-N-SH cell line to MPP+ (1000μM). Cell viability and apoptosis features were assessed using MTT and Hoechst staining, respectively. Treatment with Boswellia resin 2 and 3h prior to MPP ° exposure and up to 60 minutes after MPP ° exposure significantly increased cell viability compare to untreated cells. Apoptotic features were also reduced significantly by Boswellia resin (10 μg/ml) compare to that of control untreated cells. Boswellia resin has neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons which can be applicable in Parkinson’s disease.

The aim of this study was to get to a neurological evaluation of one of the Persian music scales, Homayoun, on brain activation of non-musician subjects. We selected this scale because Homayoun is one of the main scales in Persian classical music which is similar to minor mode in western scales. This study was performed on 19 right handed subjects, Aging 22-31. Here some pices from Homayoun Dastgah are used in both rhythmic and non- rhythmic. The results of this study revealed the brain activities for each of rhythmic and non-rhythmic versions of Homayoun Dastgah. The activated regions for non-rhythmic Homayoun contained: right and left Subcallosal Cortex, left Medial Frontal cortex, left anterior Cingulate Gyrus, left Frontal Pole and for rhythmic Homayoun contained: left Precentral Gyrus, left Precuneous Cortex, left anterior Supramarginal, left Superior Parietal Lobule, left Postcentral Gyrus. Also, we acquired amygdala area in both pieces of music. Based on arousal effects of rhythm and Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis, non-rhythmic Homayoun activates regions related to emotion and thinking while activity of rhythmic Homayoun is related to areas of movement and motion.

Elevated levels of CRP are present among patients at risk for further first-ever myocardial infarction and stroke. It has been shown that after ischemic stroke, increased levels of CRP are associated with unfavorable outcomes. From 120 patients admitted to the emergency unit of our hospital with the diagnosis of stroke; CRP, D-dimer and ferritin level was measured and the patients were followed until discharge or death. CRP level was significantly different between the patients with TIA and stroke. D-Dimer level was also significantly different between the TIA & the admitted groups. Ferritin was not different between the prognosis groups. There was a correlation between CRP and D-Dimer (r = 0.381, p = 0.001), and also between CRP and ferritin (r = 0.478, p= 0.000). CRP is a useful adjuvant marker to determine the prognosis of patients with cerebro-vascular events admitted to the hospital, in both patients with stroke positive history and first-ever stroke.

The role of midbrain reticular formation, which includes the nucleus cuneiformis (NCF), as a crucial antinociceptive region in descending pain modulation has long been investigated. In this study, we tried to highlight the role of NCF in morphine-induced antinociception in formalin-induced pain model in rats. A total of 201 male Wistar rats weighing 260-310 g were used in this study. The effective dose of morphine in systemic administration (intraperitoneal; i.p.) was determined after a dose- and time-response protocol. In consequent groups, bilateral electrolytic lesion (500 μA, 30 sec) or reversible inactivation (lidocaine 2%) were used in the NCF before systemic administration of morphine, and then, the nociceptive test was immediately carried out. The results showed that administration of 6 mg/kg morphine, 30 min before the formalin test, is the best dose- and time-response set in these experiments. The obtained data also indicated that bilateral electrical destruction or reversible inactivation of the NCF significantly decreased antinociceptive responses of systemic morphine (6 mg/kg; i.p.) during the second phase of formalin test (P<0.05). Therefore, it seems that opioid receptors located in the NCF may be involved in modulation of central sensitization which occurred in inflammatory pain in rats.

3-4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) causes apoptosis in nervous system and several studies suggest that oxidative stress contributes to MDMA-induced neurotoxicity. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of N-acetyl-L-Cystein (NAC) as an antioxidant on MDMA-induced apoptosis. 21 Sprague dawley male rats (200-250mg) were treated with MDMA (2×0,5mg/kg) or MDMA plus NAC (100mg/kg IP for 7 day). After last administration of MDMA, rats were killed, cerebellum was removed and Bax and Bcl-2 expression was assessed by western blotting method. The results of this study showed that MDMA causes up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and NAC administration attenuated MDMA-induced apoptosis. The present study suggests that NAC treatment may improve MDMA-induced neurotoxicity.