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Sample records for bilateral hippocampal damage

  1. Bilateral reorganization of the dentate gyrus in hippocampal sclerosis

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    Thom, M; Martinian, L; Catarino, C; Yogarajah, M; Koepp, M J.; Caboclo, L; Sisodiya, S M.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the most common surgical pathology associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). HS is typically characterized by mossy fiber sprouting (MFS) and reorganization of neuropeptide Y (NPY) fiber networks in the dentate gyrus. One potential cause of postoperative seizure recurrence following temporal lobe surgery may be the presence of seizure-associated bilateral hippocampal damage. We aimed to investigate patterns of hippocampal abnormalities in a postmortem series as identified by NPY and dynorphin immunohistochemistry. Methods: Analysis of dentate gyrus fiber reorganization, using dynorphin (to demonstrate MFS) and NPY immunohistochemistry, was carried out in a postmortem epilepsy series of 25 cases (age range 21–96 years). In 9 patients, previously refractory seizures had become well controlled for up to 34 years prior to death. Results: Bilateral MFS or abnormal NPY patterns were seen in 15 patients including those with bilateral symmetric, asymmetric, and unilateral HS by conventional histologic criteria. MFS and NPY reorganization was present in all classical HS cases, more variably in atypical HS, present in both MTLE and non-MTLE syndromes and with seizure histories of up to 92 years, despite seizure remission in some patients. Conclusion: Synaptic reorganization in the dentate gyrus may be a bilateral, persistent process in epilepsy. It is unlikely to be sufficient to generate seizures and more likely to represent a seizure-induced phenomenon. GLOSSARY AED = antiepileptic drug; CA1p = CA1-predominant hippocampal sclerosis; CHS = classical hippocampal sclerosis; EFG = end folium gliosis; EFS = end folium sclerosis; GCD = granule cell dispersion; GCL = granule cell layer; HS = hippocampal sclerosis; MFS = mossy fiber sprouting; MTLE = mesial temporal lobe epilepsy; NPY = neuropeptide Y; ROI = region of interest; SE = status epilepticus; TLE = temporal lobe epilepsy. PMID:19710404

  2. Mind-Wandering in People with Hippocampal Damage.

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    McCormick, Cornelia; Rosenthal, Clive R; Miller, Thomas D; Maguire, Eleanor A

    2018-03-14

    Subjective inner experiences, such as mind-wandering, represent the fundaments of human cognition. Although the precise function of mind-wandering is still debated, it is increasingly acknowledged to have influence across cognition on processes such as future planning, creative thinking, and problem-solving and even on depressive rumination and other mental health disorders. Recently, there has been important progress in characterizing mind-wandering and identifying the associated neural networks. Two prominent features of mind-wandering are mental time travel and visuospatial imagery, which are often linked with the hippocampus. People with selective bilateral hippocampal damage cannot vividly recall events from their past, envision their future, or imagine fictitious scenes. This raises the question of whether the hippocampus plays a causal role in mind-wandering and, if so, in what way. Leveraging a unique opportunity to shadow people (all males) with bilateral hippocampal damage for several days, we examined, for the first time, what they thought about spontaneously, without direct task demands. We found that they engaged in as much mind-wandering as control participants. However, whereas controls thought about the past, present, and future, imagining vivid visual scenes, hippocampal damage resulted in thoughts primarily about the present comprising verbally mediated semantic knowledge. These findings expose the hippocampus as a key pillar in the neural architecture of mind-wandering and also reveal its impact beyond episodic memory, placing it at the heart of our mental life. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans tend to mind-wander ∼30-50% of their waking time. Two prominent features of this pervasive form of thought are mental time travel and visuospatial imagery, which are often associated with the hippocampus. To examine whether the hippocampus plays a causal role in mind-wandering, we examined the frequency and phenomenology of mind-wandering in patients with

  3. Hippocampal Damage Increases Deontological Responses during Moral Decision Making.

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    McCormick, Cornelia; Rosenthal, Clive R; Miller, Thomas D; Maguire, Eleanor A

    2016-11-30

    Complex moral decision making is associated with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in humans, and damage to this region significantly increases the frequency of utilitarian judgments. Since the vmPFC has strong anatomical and functional links with the hippocampus, here we asked how patients with selective bilateral hippocampal damage would derive moral decisions on a classic moral dilemmas paradigm. We found that the patients approved of the utilitarian options significantly less often than control participants, favoring instead deontological responses-rejecting actions that harm even one person. Thus, patients with hippocampal damage have a strikingly opposite approach to moral decision making than vmPFC-lesioned patients. Skin-conductance data collected during the task showed increased emotional arousal in the hippocampal-damaged patients and they stated that their moral decisions were based on emotional instinct. By contrast, control participants made moral decisions based on the integration of an adverse emotional response to harming others, visualization of the consequences of one's action, and the rational re-evaluation of future benefits. This integration may be disturbed in patients with either hippocampal or vmPFC damage. Hippocampal lesions decreased the ability to visualize a scenario and its future consequences, which seemed to render the adverse emotional response overwhelmingly dominant. In patients with vmPFC damage, visualization might also be reduced alongside an inability to detect the adverse emotional response, leaving only the utilitarian option open. Overall, these results provide insights into the processes involved in moral decision making and highlight the complementary roles played by two closely connected brain regions. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is closely associated with the ability to make complex moral judgements. When this area is damaged, patients become more utilitarian (the ends justify the means) and have

  4. Bilateral reorganization of the dentate gyrus in hippocampal sclerosis: a postmortem study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thom, M; Martinian, L; Catarino, C; Yogarajah, M; Koepp, M J; Caboclo, L; Sisodiya, S M

    2009-09-29

    Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the most common surgical pathology associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). HS is typically characterized by mossy fiber sprouting (MFS) and reorganization of neuropeptide Y (NPY) fiber networks in the dentate gyrus. One potential cause of postoperative seizure recurrence following temporal lobe surgery may be the presence of seizure-associated bilateral hippocampal damage. We aimed to investigate patterns of hippocampal abnormalities in a postmortem series as identified by NPY and dynorphin immunohistochemistry. Analysis of dentate gyrus fiber reorganization, using dynorphin (to demonstrate MFS) and NPY immunohistochemistry, was carried out in a postmortem epilepsy series of 25 cases (age range 21-96 years). In 9 patients, previously refractory seizures had become well controlled for up to 34 years prior to death. Bilateral MFS or abnormal NPY patterns were seen in 15 patients including those with bilateral symmetric, asymmetric, and unilateral HS by conventional histologic criteria. MFS and NPY reorganization was present in all classical HS cases, more variably in atypical HS, present in both MTLE and non-MTLE syndromes and with seizure histories of up to 92 years, despite seizure remission in some patients. Synaptic reorganization in the dentate gyrus may be a bilateral, persistent process in epilepsy. It is unlikely to be sufficient to generate seizures and more likely to represent a seizure-induced phenomenon.

  5. Amnesia due to bilateral hippocampal glioblastoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimauchi, M.; Wakisaka, S.; Kinoshita, K.

    1989-01-01

    The authors report a unique case of glioblastoma which caused permanent amnesia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the lesion to be limited to the hippocampal formation bilaterally. Although glioblastoma extends frequently into fiber pathways and expands into the opposite cerebral hemisphere, making a 'butterfly' lesion, it is unusual for it to invade the limbic system selectively to this extent. (orig.)

  6. Temporal lobe developmental malformations and epilepsy: dual pathology and bilateral hippocampal abnormalities.

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    Ho, S S; Kuzniecky, R I; Gilliam, F; Faught, E; Morawetz, R

    1998-03-01

    Temporal lobe developmental malformations (TLDM) with focal cortical dysplasia and balloon cells may coexist with mesial temporal sclerosis. The true incidence of this dual pathology is unknown. Our aim was to assess the frequency of amygdala (AM)-hippocampal abnormality in a homogeneous population with this specific developmental malformation. MRI-based volumetry of the AM and hippocampal formation (HF) in 30 patients with unilateral TLDM and intractable partial epilepsy was performed. A volume normalization process defined a normal range of HF and AM volumes in control subjects, and enabled the detection of bilateral volume loss. Normalized volumes detected HF atrophy in 26 patients (nine unilateral and 17 bilateral) and AM atrophy in 18 patients (three unilateral and 15 bilateral). Visual analysis detected unilateral HF abnormality in 21 patients and bilateral abnormality in two. When compared with a group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and pure hippocampal sclerosis (N = 92), where volumetry revealed bilateral HF atrophy in 18%, a significant difference in the frequency of bilateral HF atrophy was found (p Dual pathology is frequent in patients with TLDM (87%), and the AM-HF abnormality is often bilateral (57%). Our data suggest that more widespread and potentially epileptogenic lesions coexist with visibly detectable unilateral TLDM. This has implications for the selection of patients for temporal lobe surgery and may influence surgical strategies.

  7. Hippocampal damage equally impairs memory for single items and memory for conjunctions.

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    Stark, Craig E L; Squire, Larry R

    2003-01-01

    In a prior study of continuous recognition performance, data were reported in support of the hypothesis that the hippocampus is not needed to remember the individual components of a stimulus but is important for remembering associations between its components (Kroll et al. 1996. J Mem Lang 35:176-196). Patients with left hippocampal damage were able to endorse recently encountered words and to reject novel words, as well as disyllabic words in which one of the syllables had been previously encountered. However, they failed to reject words in which both syllables had been encountered independently in different words. We present data from five experiments designed to examine this finding in more detail. In each experiment, five patients with bilateral hippocampal damage and eight controls were tested using the same protocol as Kroll et al. (1996). On each trial, a two-component stimulus was presented. Stimuli could be entirely novel, novel with one previously encountered (repeated) component, novel but with both components repeated, or a true repetition. The first experiment was a direct replication using the same disyllabic words as Kroll et al. (1996). The second experiment used pseudo-words, constructed of two monosyllabic words (e.g., jambark). The third experiment used the same pairs of monosyllabic words, but presented separately on the screen to encourage participants to treat each component independently. The fourth experiment used pairs of objects, and the fifth experiment used face-house pairs. In all five experiments, patients with hippocampal damage exhibited impaired recognition memory. The impairment extended across all trial types with no evidence that hippocampal damage selectively (or disproportionately) impaired the associative or conjunctive component of memory. We discuss our findings in the light of the work by Kroll et al. (1996) and other recent neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies of hippocampal function and

  8. Beyond dizziness: virtual navigation, spatial anxiety and hippocampal volume in bilateral vestibulopathy

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    Olympia eKremmyda

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP is defined as the impairment or loss of function of either the labyrinths or the eighth nerves. Patients with total BVP due to bilateral vestibular nerve section exhibit difficulties in spatial memory and navigation and show a loss of hippocampal volume. In clinical practice, most patients do not have a complete loss of function but rather an asymmetrical residual functioning of the vestibular system. The purpose of the current study was to investigate navigational ability and hippocampal atrophy in BVP patients with residual vestibular function. Fifteen patients with BVP and a group of age- and gender- matched healthy controls were examined. Self-reported questionnaires on spatial anxiety and wayfinding were used to assess the applied strategy of wayfinding and quality of life. Spatial memory and navigation were tested directly using a virtual Morris Water Maze Task. The hippocampal volume of these two groups was evaluated by voxel-based morphometry. In the patients, the questionnaire showed a higher spatial anxiety and the Morris Water Maze Task a delayed spatial learning performance. MRI revealed a significant decrease in the gray matter mid-hippocampal volume (Left: p = 0.006, Z = 4.58, Right: p < 0.001, Z = 3.63 and posterior parahippocampal volume (Right: p = 0.005, Z = 4.65, Left: p < 0.001, Z = 3.87 compared to those of healthy controls. In addition, a decrease in hippocampal formation volume correlated with a more dominant route-finding strategy. Our current findings demonstrate that even partial bilateral vestibular loss leads to anatomical and functional

  9. Amnesia due to bilateral hippocampal glioblastoma. MRI finding

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    Shimauchi, M.; Wakisaka, S.; Kinoshita, K. (Miyazaki Medical Coll., Kiyotake (Japan). Dept. of Neurosurgery)

    1989-11-01

    The authors report a unique case of glioblastoma which caused permanent amnesia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the lesion to be limited to the hippocampal formation bilaterally. Although glioblastoma extends frequently into fiber pathways and expands into the opposite cerebral hemisphere, making a 'butterfly' lesion, it is unusual for it to invade the limbic system selectively to this extent. (orig.).

  10. Relation between hippocampal damage and cerebral cortical function in Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanyu, Haruo; Asano, Tetsuichi; Kogure, Daiji; Sakurai, Hirofumi; Iwamoto, Toshihiko; Takasaki, Masaru

    2000-01-01

    We investigated the relation between hippocampal damage and cerebral cortical dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using MRI and SPECT. Nineteen patients with AD and 10 control subjects were studied. Hippocampal damage (including hippocampal formation, entorhinal cortex, and parahippocampal white matter) was assessed to evaluate the severity of atrophy and the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and cerebral cortical dysfunction was evaluated by quantitative cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements using SPECT with 99mTc-ECD. Compared with controls, patients with AD had significantly more atrophy of the medial temporal lobe and a decrease in MTRs of the hippocampus and parahippocampus. There were significant correlations between the severity of hippocampal damage and regional CBF in temporoparietal lobes. Mini-Mental State Examination scores significantly correlated with the severity of hippocampal damage and regional CBFs in temporoparietal lobes. These results suggest that the functional effect of hippocampal damage occurs in temporoparietal lobes in AD, probably due to neuronal disconnections between hippocampal areas (including the entorhinal cortex) and temporoparietal lobes. (author)

  11. Neurosyphilis with dementia and bilateral hippocampal atrophy on brain magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehrabian, S.; Raycheva, M.; Traykova, M.; Stankova, T.; Penev, L.; Georgieva-Kozarova, G.; Grigorova, O.; Traykov, L.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: Background: This article reports a rare case of active neurosyphilis in a 33-years-old man with mild to moderate dementia and marked hippocampal atrophy, mimicking early onset Alzheimer's disease. Few number of cases described bilateral hippocampal atrophy mimicking Alzheimer's disease in neurosyphilis. Case presentation: The clinical feature is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and behavioral changes for the last 18 months. Neuropsychological examination revealed mild to moderate dementia (MMSE=16) with impaired memory, attention and executive dysfunction. Pyramidal, extrapyramidal signs, dysarthria and impairment in coordination were documented. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed cortical atrophy with marked bilateral hippocampal atrophy. The diagnosis of active neurosyphilis was based on positive results of Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test - Treponema Pallidum. Hemagglutination reactions in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed pleocytosis and elevated protein levels. High dose intravenous penicillin therapy was administered. During the follow up examination at 6 month, the clinical signs, and neuropsychological examinations, and cerebrospinal fluid samples showed improvement. Conclusion: This case underlines the importance of early diagnosis of neurosyphilis. The results suggest that neurosyphilis should be considered when magnetic resonance imaging results indicate mesiotemporal abnormalities and hippocampal atrophy. Neurosyphilis is a treatable condition and needs early aggressive antibiotic therapy

  12. Abnormalities of hippocampal-cortical connectivity in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with hippocampal sclerosis

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    Li, Wenjing; He, Huiguang; Lu, Jingjing; Wang, Chunheng; Li, Meng; Lv, Bin; Jin, Zhengyu

    2011-03-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the most common damage seen in the patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In the present study, the hippocampal-cortical connectivity was defined as the correlation between the hippocampal volume and cortical thickness at each vertex throughout the whole brain. We aimed to investigate the differences of ipsilateral hippocampal-cortical connectivity between the unilateral TLE-HS patients and the normal controls. In our study, the bilateral hippocampal volumes were first measured in each subject, and we found that the ipsilateral hippocampal volume significantly decreased in the left TLE-HS patients. Then, group analysis showed significant thinner average cortical thickness of the whole brain in the left TLE-HS patients compared with the normal controls. We found significantly increased ipsilateral hippocampal-cortical connectivity in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, the right cingulate gyrus and the left parahippocampal gyrus of the left TLE-HS patients, which indicated structural vulnerability related to the hippocampus atrophy in the patient group. However, for the right TLE-HS patients, no significant differences were found between the patients and the normal controls, regardless of the ipsilateral hippocampal volume, the average cortical thickness or the patterns of hippocampal-cortical connectivity, which might be related to less atrophies observed in the MRI scans. Our study provided more evidence for the structural abnormalities in the unilateral TLE-HS patients.

  13. Spontaneous perseverative turning in rats with radiation-induced hippocampal damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mickley, G.A.; Ferguson, J.L.; Nemeth, T.J.; Mulvihill, M.A.; Alderks, C.E.

    1989-01-01

    This study found a new behavioral correlate of lesions specific to the dentate granule cell layer of the hippocampus: spontaneous perseverative turning. Irradiation of a portion of the neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres produced hypoplasia of the granule cell layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus while sparing the rest of the brain. Radiation-induced damage to the hippocampal formation caused rats placed in bowls to spontaneously turn in long, slow bouts without reversals. Irradiated subjects also exhibited other behaviors characteristic of hippocampal damage (e.g., perseveration in spontaneous exploration of the arms of a T-maze, retarded acquisition of a passive avoidance task, and increased horizontal locomotion). These data extend previously reported behavioral correlates of fascia dentata lesions and suggest the usefulness of a bout analysis of spontaneous bowl turning as a measure of nondiscrete-trial spontaneous alternation and a sensitive additional indicator of radiation-induced hippocampal damage

  14. Bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities: a new finding in MR imaging of heat stroke

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    Janaki Sudhakar, Praharaju; Al-Hashimi, Hakima [Salmaniya Medical Complex, Department of Radiology, Manama (Bahrain)

    2007-12-15

    We present a child aged 2 years 3 months who suffered heat stroke after being accidentally locked in a car during summer. She was unconscious with hyperthermia on admission and later showed biochemical evidence of liver, cardiac and muscle injury and associated electrolyte imbalance. Her level of consciousness gradually improved, but she showed evidence of cortical blindness, which had improved on follow-up. MR imaging on the 5th day revealed bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities along with hyperintensities in the cerebellum and in the cerebral cortex. Previous case reports of imaging in heat stroke revealed involvement of the cerebellum, thalami, basal ganglia and scattered cerebral involvement. We report this unique finding of hippocampal hyperintensities due to heat stroke. (orig.)

  15. Bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities: a new finding in MR imaging of heat stroke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janaki Sudhakar, Praharaju; Al-Hashimi, Hakima

    2007-01-01

    We present a child aged 2 years 3 months who suffered heat stroke after being accidentally locked in a car during summer. She was unconscious with hyperthermia on admission and later showed biochemical evidence of liver, cardiac and muscle injury and associated electrolyte imbalance. Her level of consciousness gradually improved, but she showed evidence of cortical blindness, which had improved on follow-up. MR imaging on the 5th day revealed bilateral hippocampal hyperintensities along with hyperintensities in the cerebellum and in the cerebral cortex. Previous case reports of imaging in heat stroke revealed involvement of the cerebellum, thalami, basal ganglia and scattered cerebral involvement. We report this unique finding of hippocampal hyperintensities due to heat stroke. (orig.)

  16. Hippocampal Volume Reduction in Humans Predicts Impaired Allocentric Spatial Memory in Virtual-Reality Navigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guderian, Sebastian; Dzieciol, Anna M; Gadian, David G; Jentschke, Sebastian; Doeller, Christian F; Burgess, Neil; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2015-10-21

    The extent to which navigational spatial memory depends on hippocampal integrity in humans is not well documented. We investigated allocentric spatial recall using a virtual environment in a group of patients with severe hippocampal damage (SHD), a group of patients with "moderate" hippocampal damage (MHD), and a normal control group. Through four learning blocks with feedback, participants learned the target locations of four different objects in a circular arena. Distal cues were present throughout the experiment to provide orientation. A circular boundary as well as an intra-arena landmark provided spatial reference frames. During a subsequent test phase, recall of all four objects was tested with only the boundary or the landmark being present. Patients with SHD were impaired in both phases of this task. Across groups, performance on both types of spatial recall was highly correlated with memory quotient (MQ), but not with intelligence quotient (IQ), age, or sex. However, both measures of spatial recall separated experimental groups beyond what would be expected based on MQ, a widely used measure of general memory function. Boundary-based and landmark-based spatial recall were both strongly related to bilateral hippocampal volumes, but not to volumes of the thalamus, putamen, pallidum, nucleus accumbens, or caudate nucleus. The results show that boundary-based and landmark-based allocentric spatial recall are similarly impaired in patients with SHD, that both types of recall are impaired beyond that predicted by MQ, and that recall deficits are best explained by a reduction in bilateral hippocampal volumes. In humans, bilateral hippocampal atrophy can lead to profound impairments in episodic memory. Across species, perhaps the most well-established contribution of the hippocampus to memory is not to episodic memory generally but to allocentric spatial memory. However, the extent to which navigational spatial memory depends on hippocampal integrity in humans is

  17. Hippocampal damage and memory impairment in congenital cyanotic heart disease.

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    Muñoz-López, Mónica; Hoskote, Aparna; Chadwick, Martin J; Dzieciol, Anna M; Gadian, David G; Chong, Kling; Banks, Tina; de Haan, Michelle; Baldeweg, Torsten; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2017-04-01

    Neonatal hypoxia can lead to hippocampal atrophy, which can lead, in turn, to memory impairment. To test the generalizability of this causal sequence, we examined a cohort of 41 children aged 8-16, who, having received the arterial switch operation to correct for transposition of the great arteries, had sustained significant neonatal cyanosis but were otherwise neurodevelopmentally normal. As predicted, the cohort had significant bilateral reduction of hippocampal volumes relative to the volumes of 64 normal controls. They also had significant, yet selective, impairment of episodic memory as measured by standard tests of memory, despite relatively normal levels of intelligence, academic attainment, and verbal fluency. Across the cohort, degree of memory impairment was correlated with degree of hippocampal atrophy suggesting that even as early as neonatal life no other structure can fully compensate for hippocampal injury and its special role in serving episodic long term memory. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 The Authors. Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. New learning of music after bilateral medial temporal lobe damage: evidence from an amnesic patient.

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    Valtonen, Jussi; Gregory, Emma; Landau, Barbara; McCloskey, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Damage to the hippocampus impairs the ability to acquire new declarative memories, but not the ability to learn simple motor tasks. An unresolved question is whether hippocampal damage affects learning for music performance, which requires motor processes, but in a cognitively complex context. We studied learning of novel musical pieces by sight-reading in a newly identified amnesic, LSJ, who was a skilled amateur violist prior to contracting herpes simplex encephalitis. LSJ has suffered virtually complete destruction of the hippocampus bilaterally, as well as extensive damage to other medial temporal lobe structures and the left anterior temporal lobe. Because of LSJ's rare combination of musical training and near-complete hippocampal destruction, her case provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of the hippocampus for complex motor learning processes specifically related to music performance. Three novel pieces of viola music were composed and closely matched for factors contributing to a piece's musical complexity. LSJ practiced playing two of the pieces, one in each of the two sessions during the same day. Relative to a third unpracticed control piece, LSJ showed significant pre- to post-training improvement for the two practiced pieces. Learning effects were observed both with detailed analyses of correctly played notes, and with subjective whole-piece performance evaluations by string instrument players. The learning effects were evident immediately after practice and 14 days later. The observed learning stands in sharp contrast to LSJ's complete lack of awareness that the same pieces were being presented repeatedly, and to the profound impairments she exhibits in other learning tasks. Although learning in simple motor tasks has been previously observed in amnesic patients, our results demonstrate that non-hippocampal structures can support complex learning of novel musical sequences for music performance.

  19. New Learning of Music after Bilateral Medial Temporal Lobe Damage: Evidence from an Amnesic Patient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valtonen, Jussi; Gregory, Emma; Landau, Barbara; McCloskey, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Damage to the hippocampus impairs the ability to acquire new declarative memories, but not the ability to learn simple motor tasks. An unresolved question is whether hippocampal damage affects learning for music performance, which requires motor processes, but in a cognitively complex context. We studied learning of novel musical pieces by sight-reading in a newly identified amnesic, LSJ, who was a skilled amateur violist prior to contracting herpes simplex encephalitis. LSJ has suffered virtually complete destruction of the hippocampus bilaterally, as well as extensive damage to other medial temporal lobe structures and the left anterior temporal lobe. Because of LSJ’s rare combination of musical training and near-complete hippocampal destruction, her case provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of the hippocampus for complex motor learning processes specifically related to music performance. Three novel pieces of viola music were composed and closely matched for factors contributing to a piece’s musical complexity. LSJ practiced playing two of the pieces, one in each of the two sessions during the same day. Relative to a third unpracticed control piece, LSJ showed significant pre- to post-training improvement for the two practiced pieces. Learning effects were observed both with detailed analyses of correctly played notes, and with subjective whole-piece performance evaluations by string instrument players. The learning effects were evident immediately after practice and 14 days later. The observed learning stands in sharp contrast to LSJ’s complete lack of awareness that the same pieces were being presented repeatedly, and to the profound impairments she exhibits in other learning tasks. Although learning in simple motor tasks has been previously observed in amnesic patients, our results demonstrate that non-hippocampal structures can support complex learning of novel musical sequences for music performance. PMID:25232312

  20. New Learning of Music after Bilateral Medial Temporal Lobe Damage: Evidence from an Amnesic Patient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jussi eValtonen

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Damage to the hippocampus impairs the ability to acquire new declarative memories, but not the ability to learn simple motor tasks. An unresolved question is whether hippocampal damage affects learning for music performance, which requires motor processes, but in a cognitively complex context. We studied learning of novel musical pieces by sight-reading in a newly-identified amnesic, LSJ, who was a skilled amateur violist prior to contracting herpes simplex encephalitis. LSJ has suffered virtually complete destruction of the hippocampus bilaterally, as well as extensive damage to other medial temporal lobe structures and the left anterior temporal lobe. Because of LSJ’s rare combination of musical training and near-complete hippocampal destruction, her case provides a unique opportunity to investigate the role of the hippocampus for complex motor learning processes specifically related to music performance. Three novel pieces of viola music were composed, closely matched for factors contributing to a piece’s musical complexity. LSJ practiced playing two of the pieces, one in each of two sessions during the same day. Relative to a third unpracticed control piece, LSJ showed significant pre- to post-training improvement for the two practiced pieces. Learning effects were observed both with detailed analyses of correctly played notes, and with subjective whole-piece performance evaluations by string instrument players. The learning effects were evident immediately after practice and 14 days later. The observed learning stands in sharp contrast to LSJ’s complete lack of awareness that the same pieces were being presented repeatedly, and to the profound impairments she exhibits in other learning tasks. Although learning in simple motor tasks has been previously observed in amnesic patients, our results demonstrate that non-hippocampal structures can support complex learning of novel musical sequences for music performance.

  1. Magnetic resonance imaging findings of mumps meningoencephalitis with bilateral hippocampal lesions without preceding acute parotitis: A case report

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    Woo, Ah Reum; Lee, Ha Young; Lim, Myung Kwan; Kang, Young Hye; Cho, Soon Gu; Choi, Seong Hye; Baek, Ji Hyeon [Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    Meningitis is a common central nervous system (CNS) complication of the mumps, a viral infection, but encephalitis and meningoencephalitis are less common in mumps. We describe magnetic resonance imaging findings of acute mumps meningoencephalitis in a 32-year-old male who showed bilateral hippocampal lesions without preceding parotitis. Although it is rare, hippocampal involvement should be considered a CNS complication of mumps infection.

  2. Preliminary evidence of hippocampal damage in chronic users of ecstasy.

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    den Hollander, Bjørnar; Schouw, Marieke; Groot, Paul; Huisman, Henk; Caan, Matthan; Barkhof, Frederik; Reneman, Liesbeth

    2012-01-01

    Various studies have shown that ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) users display significant memory impairments, whereas their performance on other cognitive tests is generally normal. The hippocampus plays an essential role in short-term memory. There are, however, no structural human data on the effects of ecstasy on the hippocampus. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the hippocampal volume of chronic ecstasy users is reduced when compared with healthy polydrug-using controls, as an indicator of hippocampal damage. The hippocampus was manually outlined in volumetric MRI scans in 10 male ecstasy users (mean age 25.4 years) and seven healthy age- and gender-matched control subjects (21.3 years). Other than the use of ecstasy, there were no statistically significant differences between both groups in exposure to other drugs of abuse and alcohol. The ecstasy users were on average drug-free for more than 2 months and had used on average 281 tablets over the past six and a half years. The hippocampal volume in the ecstasy using group was on average 10.5% smaller than the hippocampal volume in the control group (p=0.032). These data provide preliminary evidence that ecstasy users may be prone to incurring hippocampal damage, in line with previous reports of acute hippocampal sclerosis and subsequent atrophy in chronic users of this drug.

  3. Damage of hippocampal neurons in rats with chronic alcoholism

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    Du, Ailin; Jiang, Hongbo; Xu, Lei; An, Na; Liu, Hui; Li, Yinsheng; Zhang, Ruiling

    2014-01-01

    Chronic alcoholism can damage the cytoskeleton and aggravate neurological deficits. However, the effect of chronic alcoholism on hippocampal neurons remains unclear. In this study, a model of chronic alcoholism was established in rats that were fed with 6% alcohol for 42 days. Endogenous hydrogen sulfide content and cystathionine-beta-synthase activity in the hippocampus of rats with chronic alcoholism were significantly increased, while F-actin expression was decreased. Hippocampal neurons i...

  4. Damage of hippocampal neurons in rats with chronic alcoholism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Ailin; Jiang, Hongbo; Xu, Lei; An, Na; Liu, Hui; Li, Yinsheng; Zhang, Ruiling

    2014-09-01

    Chronic alcoholism can damage the cytoskeleton and aggravate neurological deficits. However, the effect of chronic alcoholism on hippocampal neurons remains unclear. In this study, a model of chronic alcoholism was established in rats that were fed with 6% alcohol for 42 days. Endogenous hydrogen sulfide content and cystathionine-beta-synthase activity in the hippocampus of rats with chronic alcoholism were significantly increased, while F-actin expression was decreased. Hippocampal neurons in rats with chronic alcoholism appeared to have a fuzzy nuclear membrane, mitochondrial edema, and ruptured mitochondrial crista. These findings suggest that chronic alcoholism can cause learning and memory decline in rats, which may be associated with the hydrogen sulfide/cystathionine-beta-synthase system, mitochondrial damage and reduced expression of F-actin.

  5. Induction of the Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 is involved in stress-induced hippocampal damage.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Matrisciano

    Full Text Available The identification of mechanisms that mediate stress-induced hippocampal damage may shed new light into the pathophysiology of depressive disorders and provide new targets for therapeutic intervention. We focused on the secreted glycoprotein Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1, an inhibitor of the canonical Wnt pathway, involved in neurodegeneration. Mice exposed to mild restraint stress showed increased hippocampal levels of Dkk-1 and reduced expression of β-catenin, an intracellular protein positively regulated by the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. In adrenalectomized mice, Dkk-1 was induced by corticosterone injection, but not by exposure to stress. Corticosterone also induced Dkk-1 in mouse organotypic hippocampal cultures and primary cultures of hippocampal neurons and, at least in the latter model, the action of corticosterone was reversed by the type-2 glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone. To examine whether induction of Dkk-1 was causally related to stress-induced hippocampal damage, we used doubleridge mice, which are characterized by a defective induction of Dkk-1. As compared to control mice, doubleridge mice showed a paradoxical increase in basal hippocampal Dkk-1 levels, but no Dkk-1 induction in response to stress. In contrast, stress reduced Dkk-1 levels in doubleridge mice. In control mice, chronic stress induced a reduction in hippocampal volume associated with neuronal loss and dendritic atrophy in the CA1 region, and a reduced neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus. Doubleridge mice were resistant to the detrimental effect of chronic stress and, instead, responded to stress with increases in dendritic arborisation and neurogenesis. Thus, the outcome of chronic stress was tightly related to changes in Dkk-1 expression in the hippocampus. These data indicate that induction of Dkk-1 is causally related to stress-induced hippocampal damage and provide the first evidence that Dkk-1 expression is regulated by corticosteroids in the central

  6. Exercise preconditioning exhibits neuroprotective effects on hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Nabi Shamsaei; Mehdi Khaksari; Sohaila Erfani; Hamid Rajabi; Nahid Aboutaleb

    2015-01-01

    Recent evidence has suggested the neuroprotective effects of physical exercise on cerebral isch-emic injury. However, the role of physical exercise in cerebral ischemia-induced hippocampal damage remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of pre-ischemia treadmill training on hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage after cerebral ischemia. Male adult rats were randomly divided into control, ischemia and exercise + ischemia groups. In the exercise + ischemia group, rats were subjected to running on a treadmill in a designated time schedule (5 days per week for 4 weeks). Then rats underwent cerebral ischemia induction th rough occlusion of common carotids followed by reperfusion. At 4 days after cerebral ischemia, rat learning and memory abilities were evaluated using passive avoidance memory test and rat hippocampal neuronal damage was detected using Nissl and TUNEL staining. Pre-ischemic ex-ercise signiifcantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells and necrotic cell death in the hippocampal CA1 region as compared to the ischemia group. Moreover, pre-ischemic exercise significantly prevented ischemia-induced memory dysfunction. Pre-ischemic exercise mighct prevent memory deficits after cerebral ischemia through rescuing hippocampal CA1 neurons from ischemia-induced degeneration.

  7. Prevention of Hippocampal Neuronal Damage and Cognitive Function Deficits in Vascular Dementia by Dextromethorphan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Bin; Lu, Kaili; Deng, Jiangshan; Zhao, Fei; Zhao, Bing-Qiao; Zhao, Yuwu

    2016-07-01

    Dextromethorphan (DM) is a non-competitive antagonist of NMDA receptors and a widely used component of cough medicine. Recently, its indication has been extended experimentally to a wide range of disorders including inflammation-mediated central nervous system disorders such as Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we investigate whether DM treatment has protective effects on the hippocampal neuron damage induced by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (two-vessel occlusion [2VO]), an animal model of vascular dementia (VaD). Sprague-Dawley (SD) (10 weeks of age) rats were subjected to the 2VO, and DM was injected intraperitoneally once per day for 37 days. Neuron death, glial activation, and cognitive function were assessed at 37 days after 2VO (0.2 mg/kg, i.p., "DM-0.2" and 2 mg/kg, i.p., "DM-2"). DM-2 treatment provided protection against neuronal death and glial activation in the hippocampal CA1 subfield and reduced cognitive impairment induced by 2VO in rats. The study also demonstrates that activation of the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway and upregulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) play important roles in these effects. These results suggest that DM is effective in treating VaD and protecting against oxidative stress, which is strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of VaD. Therefore, the present study suggests that DM treatment may represent a new and promising protective strategy for treating VaD.

  8. Stress, depression and hippocampal damage

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Amongst the prime targets of stress in the brain is the hippocampus, which has high receptor ... effects on different hippocampal subfields (McEwen 1999). ... disorders, and decreases in hippocampal volume have been observed in patients of ...

  9. Hippocampal and diencephalic pathology in developmental amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dzieciol, Anna M; Bachevalier, Jocelyne; Saleem, Kadharbatcha S; Gadian, David G; Saunders, Richard; Chong, W K Kling; Banks, Tina; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2017-01-01

    Developmental amnesia (DA) is a selective episodic memory disorder associated with hypoxia-induced bilateral hippocampal atrophy of early onset. Despite the systemic impact of hypoxia-ischaemia, the resulting brain damage was previously reported to be largely limited to the hippocampus. However, the thalamus and the mammillary bodies are parts of the hippocampal-diencephalic network and are therefore also at risk of injury following hypoxic-ischaemic events. Here, we report a neuroimaging investigation of diencephalic damage in a group of 18 patients with DA (age range 11-35 years), and an equal number of controls. Importantly, we uncovered a marked degree of atrophy in the mammillary bodies in two thirds of our patients. In addition, as a group, patients had mildly reduced thalamic volumes. The size of the anterior-mid thalamic (AMT) segment was correlated with patients' visual memory performance. Thus, in addition to the hippocampus, the diencephalic structures also appear to play a role in the patients' memory deficit. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  10. Remote semantic memory is impoverished in hippocampal amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klooster, Nathaniel B; Duff, Melissa C

    2015-12-01

    The necessity of the hippocampus for acquiring new semantic concepts is a topic of considerable debate. However, it is generally accepted that any role the hippocampus plays in semantic memory is time limited and that previously acquired information becomes independent of the hippocampus over time. This view, along with intact naming and word-definition matching performance in amnesia, has led to the notion that remote semantic memory is intact in patients with hippocampal amnesia. Motivated by perspectives of word learning as a protracted process where additional features and senses of a word are added over time, and by recent discoveries about the time course of hippocampal contributions to on-line relational processing, reconsolidation, and the flexible integration of information, we revisit the notion that remote semantic memory is intact in amnesia. Using measures of semantic richness and vocabulary depth from psycholinguistics and first and second language-learning studies, we examined how much information is associated with previously acquired, highly familiar words in a group of patients with bilateral hippocampal damage and amnesia. Relative to healthy demographically matched comparison participants and a group of brain-damaged comparison participants, the patients with hippocampal amnesia performed significantly worse on both productive and receptive measures of vocabulary depth and semantic richness. These findings suggest that remote semantic memory is impoverished in patients with hippocampal amnesia and that the hippocampus may play a role in the maintenance and updating of semantic memory beyond its initial acquisition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Reorganization of associative memory in humans with long-standing hippocampal damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, Mischa; Finke, Carsten; Ostendorf, Florian; Lehmann, Thomas-Nicolas; Hoffmann, Karl-Titus; Ploner, Christoph J

    2008-10-01

    Conflicting theories have been advanced to explain why hippocampal lesions affect distinct memory domains and spare others. Recent findings in monkeys suggest that lesion-induced plasticity may contribute to the seeming preservation of some of these domains. We tested this hypothesis by investigating visuo-spatial associative memory in two patient groups with similar surgical lesions to the right medial temporal lobe, but different preoperative disease courses (benign brain tumours, mean: 1.8 +/- 0.6 years, n = 5, age: 28.2 +/- 4.0 years; hippocampal sclerosis, mean: 16.8 +/- 1.9 years, n = 9, age: 38.9 +/- 4.1 years). Compared to controls (n = 14), tumour patients showed a significant delay-dependent deficit in memory of colour-location associations. No such deficit was observed in hippocampal sclerosis patients, which appeared to benefit from a compensatory mechanism that was inefficient in tumour patients. These results indicate that long-standing hippocampal damage can yield significant functional reorganization of the neural substrate underlying memory in the human brain. We suppose that this process accounts for some of the discrepancies between results from previous lesion studies of the human medial temporal lobe.

  12. Deficits in memory and visuospatial learning correlate with regional hippocampal atrophy in MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longoni, Giulia; Rocca, Maria A; Pagani, Elisabetta; Riccitelli, Gianna C; Colombo, Bruno; Rodegher, Mariaemma; Falini, Andrea; Comi, Giancarlo; Filippi, Massimo

    2015-01-01

    The hippocampus has a critical role in episodic memory and visuospatial learning and consolidation. We assessed the patterns of whole and regional hippocampal atrophy in a large group of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and their correlations with neuropsychological impairment. From 103 MS patients and 28 healthy controls (HC), brain dual-echo and high-resolution 3D T1-weighted images were acquired using a 3.0-Tesla scanner. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment of hippocampal-related cognitive functions, including Paired Associate Word Learning, Short Story, delayed recall of Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Paced Auditory Serial Attention tests. The hippocampi were manually segmented and volumes derived. Regional atrophy distribution was assessed using a radial mapping analysis. Correlations between hippocampal atrophy and clinical, neuropsychological and MRI metrics were also evaluated. Hippocampal volume was reduced in MS patients vs HC (p right and hippocampus). In MS patients, radial atrophy affected CA1 subfield and subiculum of posterior hippocampus, bilaterally. The dentate hilus (DG:H) of the right hippocampal head was also affected. Regional hippocampal atrophy correlated with brain T2 and T1 lesion volumes, while no correlation was found with disability. Damage to the CA1 and subiculum was significantly correlated to the performances at hippocampal-targeted neuropsychological tests. These results show that hippocampal subregions have a different vulnerability to MS-related damage, with a relative sparing of the head of the left hippocampus. The assessment of regional hippocampal atrophy may help explain deficits of specific cognitive functions in MS patients, including memory and visuospatial abilities.

  13. Under what conditions is recognition spared relative to recall after selective hippocampal damage in humans?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdstock, J S; Mayes, A R; Roberts, N; Cezayirli, E; Isaac, C L; O'Reilly, R C; Norman, K A

    2002-01-01

    The claim that recognition memory is spared relative to recall after focal hippocampal damage has been disputed in the literature. We examined this claim by investigating object and object-location recall and recognition memory in a patient, YR, who has adult-onset selective hippocampal damage. Our aim was to identify the conditions under which recognition was spared relative to recall in this patient. She showed unimpaired forced-choice object recognition but clearly impaired recall, even when her control subjects found the object recognition task to be numerically harder than the object recall task. However, on two other recognition tests, YR's performance was not relatively spared. First, she was clearly impaired at an equivalently difficult yes/no object recognition task, but only when targets and foils were very similar. Second, YR was clearly impaired at forced-choice recognition of object-location associations. This impairment was also unrelated to difficulty because this task was no more difficult than the forced-choice object recognition task for control subjects. The clear impairment of yes/no, but not of forced-choice, object recognition after focal hippocampal damage, when targets and foils are very similar, is predicted by the neural network-based Complementary Learning Systems model of recognition. This model postulates that recognition is mediated by hippocampally dependent recollection and cortically dependent familiarity; thus hippocampal damage should not impair item familiarity. The model postulates that familiarity is ineffective when very similar targets and foils are shown one at a time and subjects have to identify which items are old (yes/no recognition). In contrast, familiarity is effective in discriminating which of similar targets and foils, seen together, is old (forced-choice recognition). Independent evidence from the remember/know procedure also indicates that YR's familiarity is normal. The Complementary Learning Systems model can

  14. Comparing and Contrasting the Cognitive Effects of Hippocampal and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage: A Review of Human Lesion Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, Cornelia; Ciaramelli, Elisa; De Luca, Flavia; Maguire, Eleanor A

    2018-03-15

    The hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are closely connected brain regions whose functions are still debated. In order to offer a fresh perspective on understanding the contributions of these two brain regions to cognition, in this review we considered cognitive tasks that usually elicit deficits in hippocampal-damaged patients (e.g., autobiographical memory retrieval), and examined the performance of vmPFC-lesioned patients on these tasks. We then took cognitive tasks where performance is typically compromised following vmPFC damage (e.g., decision making), and looked at how these are affected by hippocampal lesions. Three salient motifs emerged. First, there are surprising gaps in our knowledge about how hippocampal and vmPFC patients perform on tasks typically associated with the other group. Second, while hippocampal or vmPFC damage seems to adversely affect performance on so-called hippocampal tasks, the performance of hippocampal and vmPFC patients clearly diverges on classic vmPFC tasks. Third, although performance appears analogous on hippocampal tasks, on closer inspection, there are significant disparities between hippocampal and vmPFC patients. Based on these findings, we suggest a tentative hierarchical model to explain the functions of the hippocampus and vmPFC. We propose that the vmPFC initiates the construction of mental scenes by coordinating the curation of relevant elements from neocortical areas, which are then funneled into the hippocampus to build a scene. The vmPFC then engages in iterative re-initiation via feedback loops with neocortex and hippocampus to facilitate the flow and integration of the multiple scenes that comprise the coherent unfolding of an extended mental event. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  15. Impairment on a self-ordered working memory task in patients with early-acquired hippocampal atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geva, Sharon; Cooper, Janine M; Gadian, David G; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2016-08-01

    One of the features of both adult-onset and developmental forms of amnesia resulting from bilateral medial temporal lobe damage, or even from relatively selective damage to the hippocampus, is the sparing of working memory. Recently, however, a number of studies have reported deficits on working memory tasks in patients with damage to the hippocampus and in macaque monkeys with neonatal hippocampal lesions. These studies suggest that successful performance on working memory tasks with high memory load require the contribution of the hippocampus. Here we compared performance on a working memory task (the Self-ordered Pointing Task), between patients with early onset hippocampal damage and a group of healthy controls. Consistent with the findings in the monkeys with neonatal lesions, we found that the patients were impaired on the task, but only on blocks of trials with intermediate memory load. Importantly, only intermediate to high memory load blocks yielded significant correlations between task performance and hippocampal volume. Additionally, we found no evidence of proactive interference in either group, and no evidence of an effect of time since injury on performance. We discuss the role of the hippocampus and its interactions with the prefrontal cortex in serving working memory. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  16. Impairment on a self-ordered working memory task in patients with early-acquired hippocampal atrophy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharon Geva

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available One of the features of both adult-onset and developmental forms of amnesia resulting from bilateral medial temporal lobe damage, or even from relatively selective damage to the hippocampus, is the sparing of working memory. Recently, however, a number of studies have reported deficits on working memory tasks in patients with damage to the hippocampus and in macaque monkeys with neonatal hippocampal lesions. These studies suggest that successful performance on working memory tasks with high memory load require the contribution of the hippocampus. Here we compared performance on a working memory task (the Self-ordered Pointing Task, between patients with early onset hippocampal damage and a group of healthy controls. Consistent with the findings in the monkeys with neonatal lesions, we found that the patients were impaired on the task, but only on blocks of trials with intermediate memory load. Importantly, only intermediate to high memory load blocks yielded significant correlations between task performance and hippocampal volume. Additionally, we found no evidence of proactive interference in either group, and no evidence of an effect of time since injury on performance. We discuss the role of the hippocampus and its interactions with the prefrontal cortex in serving working memory.

  17. BDNF Regains Function in Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation Deficits Caused by Diencephalic Damage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vedder, Lindsey C.; Savage, Lisa M.

    2017-01-01

    Thiamine deficiency (TD), commonly associated with chronic alcoholism, leads to diencephalic damage, hippocampal dysfunction, and spatial learning and memory deficits. We show a decrease in the magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) at CA3-CA1 synapses, independent of sex, following diencephalic damage…

  18. Subregional Hippocampal Morphology and Psychiatric Outcome in Adolescents Who Were Born Very Preterm and at Term.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James H Cole

    Full Text Available The hippocampus has been reported to be structurally and functionally altered as a sequel of very preterm birth (<33 weeks gestation, possibly due its vulnerability to hypoxic-ischemic damage in the neonatal period. We examined hippocampal volumes and subregional morphology in very preterm born individuals in mid- and late adolescence and their association with psychiatric outcome.Structural brain magnetic resonance images were acquired at two time points (baseline and follow-up from 65 ex-preterm adolescents (mean age = 15.5 and 19.6 years and 36 term-born controls (mean age=15.0 and 19.0 years. Hippocampal volumes and subregional morphometric differences were measured from manual tracings and with three-dimensional shape analysis. Psychiatric outcome was assessed with the Rutter Parents' Scale at baseline, the General Health Questionnaire at follow-up and the Peters Delusional Inventory at both time points.In contrast to previous studies we did not find significant difference in the cross-sectional or longitudinal hippocampal volumes between individuals born preterm and controls, despite preterm individual having significantly smaller whole brain volumes. Shape analysis at baseline revealed subregional deformations in 28% of total bilateral hippocampal surface, reflecting atrophy, in ex-preterm individuals compared to controls, and in 22% at follow-up. In ex-preterm individuals, longitudinal changes in hippocampal shape accounted for 11% of the total surface, while in controls they reached 20%. In the whole sample (both groups larger right hippocampal volume and bilateral anterior surface deformations at baseline were associated with delusional ideation scores at follow-up.This study suggests a dynamic association between cross-sectional hippocampal volumes, longitudinal changes and surface deformations and psychosis proneness.

  19. Agmatine protects against cell damage induced by NMDA and glutamate in cultured hippocampal neurons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei-Ping; Iyo, Abiye H.; Miguel-Hidalgo, Javier; Regunathan, Soundar; Zhu, Meng-Yang

    2010-01-01

    Agmatine is a polyamine and has been considered as a novel neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the central nervous system. In the present study, the neuroprotective effect of agmatine against cell damage caused by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and glutamate was investigated in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity assay, β-tubulin III immunocytochemical staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay were conducted to detect cell damage. Exposure of 12-day neuronal cultures of rat hippocampus to NMDA or glutamate for 1 h caused a concentration-dependent neurotoxicity, as indicated by the significant increase in released LDH activities. Addition of 100 µM agmatine into media ablated the neurotoxicity induced by NMDA or glutamate, an effect also produced by the specific NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine hydrogen maleate (MK801). Arcaine, an analog of agmatine with similar structure as agmatine, fully prevented the NMDA- or glutamate-induced neuronal damage. Spermine and putrescine, the endogenous polyamine and metabolic products of agmatine without the guanidine moiety of agmatine, failed to show this effect, indicating a structural relevance for this neuroprotection. Immunocytochemical staining and TUNEL assay confirmed the findings in the LDH measurement. That is, agmatine and MK801 markedly attenuated NMDA-induced neuronal death and significantly reduced TUNEL-positive cell numbers induced by exposure of cultured hippocampal neurons to NMDA. Taken together, these results demonstrate that agmatine can protect cultured hippocampal neurons from NMDA- or glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, through a possible blockade of the NMDA receptor channels or a potential anti-apoptotic property. PMID:16546145

  20. Bilateral contact problem with adhesion and damage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adel Aissaoui

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available We study a mathematical problem describing the frictionless adhesive contact between a viscoelastic material with damage and a foundation. The adhesion process is modeled by a bonding field on the contact surface. The contact is bilateral and the tangential shear due to the bonding field is included. We establish a variational formulation for the problem and prove the existence and uniqueness of the solution. The existence of a unique weak solution for the problem is established using arguments of nonlinear evolution equations with monotone operators, a classical existence and uniqueness result for parabolic inequalities, and Banach's fixed point theorem.

  1. Evidence for regional hippocampal damage in patients with schizophrenia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Sadhana; Khushu, Subash; Kumar, Pawan; Goyal, Satnam; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N.

    2018-01-01

    Schizophrenia patients show cognitive and mood impairments, including memory loss and depression, suggesting damage in the brain regions. The hippocampus is a brain structure that is significantly involved in memory and mood function and shows impairment in schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined the regional hippocampal changes in schizophrenia patients using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), Freesurfer, and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) procedures. 1 H MRS and high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were collected in both healthy control subjects (N = 28) and schizophrenia patients (N = 28) using 3-Tesla whole body MRI system. Regional hippocampal volume was analyzed using VBM and Freesufer procedures. The relative ratios of the neurometabolites were calculated using linear combination model (LCModel). Compared to controls, schizophrenia patients showed significantly decreased gray matter volume in the hippocampus. Schizophrenia patients also showed significantly reduced glutamate (Glu) and myo-inositol (mI) ratios in the hippocampus. Additionally, significant positive correlation between gray matter volume and Glu/tCr was also observed in the hippocampus in schizophrenia. Our findings provide an evidence for a possible association between structural deficits and metabolic alterations in schizophrenia patients. (orig.)

  2. Evidence for regional hippocampal damage in patients with schizophrenia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Sadhana; Khushu, Subash; Kumar, Pawan [DRDO, NMR Research Centre, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi (India); Goyal, Satnam; Bhatia, Triptish; Deshpande, Smita N. [RML Hospital, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), New Delhi (India)

    2018-02-15

    Schizophrenia patients show cognitive and mood impairments, including memory loss and depression, suggesting damage in the brain regions. The hippocampus is a brain structure that is significantly involved in memory and mood function and shows impairment in schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined the regional hippocampal changes in schizophrenia patients using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), Freesurfer, and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ({sup 1}H MRS) procedures. {sup 1}H MRS and high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were collected in both healthy control subjects (N = 28) and schizophrenia patients (N = 28) using 3-Tesla whole body MRI system. Regional hippocampal volume was analyzed using VBM and Freesufer procedures. The relative ratios of the neurometabolites were calculated using linear combination model (LCModel). Compared to controls, schizophrenia patients showed significantly decreased gray matter volume in the hippocampus. Schizophrenia patients also showed significantly reduced glutamate (Glu) and myo-inositol (mI) ratios in the hippocampus. Additionally, significant positive correlation between gray matter volume and Glu/tCr was also observed in the hippocampus in schizophrenia. Our findings provide an evidence for a possible association between structural deficits and metabolic alterations in schizophrenia patients. (orig.)

  3. Methods to induce primary and secondary traumatic damage in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adamchik, Y; Frantseva, M V; Weisspapir, M; Carlen, P L; Perez Velazquez, J L

    2000-04-01

    Organotypic brain slice cultures have been used in a variety of studies on neurodegenerative processes [K.M. Abdel-Hamid, M. Tymianski, Mechanisms and effects of intracellular calcium buffering on neuronal survival in organotypic hippocampal cultures exposed to anoxia/aglycemia or to excitotoxins, J. Neurosci. 17, 1997, pp. 3538-3553; D.W. Newell, A. Barth, V. Papermaster, A.T. Malouf, Glutamate and non-glutamate receptor mediated toxicity caused by oxygen and glucose deprivation in organotypic hippocampal cultures, J. Neurosci. 15, 1995, pp. 7702-7711; J.L. Perez Velazquez, M.V. Frantseva, P.L. Carlen, In vitro ischemia promotes glutamate mediated free radical generation and intracellular calcium accumulation in pyramidal neurons of cultured hippocampal slices, J. Neurosci. 23, 1997, pp. 9085-9094; L. Stoppini, L.A. Buchs, D. Muller, A simple method for organotypic cultures of nervous tissue, J. Neurosci. Methods 37, 1991, pp. 173-182; R.C. Tasker, J.T. Coyle, J.J. Vornov, The regional vulnerability to hypoglycemia induced neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal culture: protection by early tetrodotoxin or delayed MK 801, J. Neurosci. 12, 1992, pp. 4298-4308.]. We describe two methods to induce traumatic cell damage in hippocampal organotypic cultures. Primary trauma injury was achieved by rolling a stainless steel cylinder (0.9 g) on the organotypic slices. Secondary injury was followed after dropping a weight (0.137 g) on a localised area of the organotypic slice, from a height of 2 mm. The time course and extent of cell death were determined by measuring the fluorescence of the viability indicator propidium iodide (PI) at several time points after the injury. The initial localised impact damage spread 24 and 67 h after injury, cell death being 25% and 54%, respectively, when slices were kept at 37 degrees C. To validate these methods as models to assess neuroprotective strategies, similar insults were applied to slices at relatively low temperatures (30

  4. Parahippocampal Involvement in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis: A Proof of Concept from Memory-Guided Saccades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Colnaghi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available ObjectiveMesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS may involve extrahippocampal areas of structural damage and dysfunction. The accuracy of medium-term spatial memory can be tested by memory-guided saccades (MGS to evaluate a functional impairment of the parahippocampal cortex (PHC, while voxel-based morphometry (VBM analysis can be used to detect a structural damage of the latter region.MethodsMGS with 3- and 30-s memorization delays were compared between 7 patients affected by right MTLE-HS (r-MTLE-HS, 6 patients affected by left MTLE-HS, and 13 healthy controls. The same subjects underwent brain MRI for a VBM analysis. Correlation analysis was performed between the results of VBM and MGS and with patients’ clinical data.ResultsRight MTLE-HS patients showed impaired accuracy of leftward MGS with a 30-s memorization delay; their gray-matter volume was reduced in the right hippocampus and inferior temporal gyrus, and bilaterally in the cerebellum. Left MTLE-HS patients had normal MGS accuracy; their gray-matter volume was reduced in the left hippocampus, in the right-inferior temporal gyrus and corpus callosus, and bilaterally in the insular cortex and in the cerebellum. The difference between right and left parahippocampal volumes correlated with MGS accuracy, while right and left hippocampal volumes did not. Hippocampal and parahippocampal volume did not correlate with clinical variables such as febrile seizures, age at disease onset, disease duration, and seizure frequency.ConclusionMGS abnormalities suggested the functional involvement of the right PHC in patients with r-MTLE-HS, supporting a right lateralization of spatial memory control and showing a relation between functional impairment and degree of atrophy.

  5. Qualitative and Quantitative Hippocampal MRI Assessments in Intractable Epilepsy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paramdeep Singh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims. To acquire normative data of hippocampal volumes and T2 relaxation times, to evaluate and compare qualitative and quantitative assessments in evaluating hippocampi in patients with different durations of intractable epilepsy, and to propose an imaging protocol based on performance of these techniques. Methods. MRI analysis was done in 50 nonepileptic controls and 30 patients with intractable epilepsy on 1.5T scanner. Visual assessment and hippocampal volumetry were done on oblique coronal IR/T2W and T1W MP-RAGE images, respectively. T2 relaxation times were measured using 16-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence. Volumetric data was normalized for variation in head size between individuals. Patients were divided into temporal ( and extratemporal ( groups based on clinical and EEG localization. Results. In controls, right hippocampal volume was slightly more than the left with no effect of age or gender. In TLE patients, hippocampal volumetry provided maximum concordance with EEG. Visual assessment of unilateral pathology concurred well with measured quantitative values but poorly in cases with bilateral pathologies. There were no significant differences of mean values between extratemporal group and controls group. Quantitative techniques detected mild abnormalities, undetected on visual assessment. Conclusions. Quantitative techniques are more sensitive to diagnose bilateral and mild unilateral hippocampal abnormalities.

  6. Unilateral hippocampal inactivation or lesion selectively impairs remote contextual fear memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Heng; Zhou, Qixin; Xu, Lin

    2016-10-01

    Contextual fear memory depends on the hippocampus, but the role of unilateral hippocampus in this type of memory remains unclear. Herein, pharmacological inactivation or excitotoxic lesions were used to study the role of unilateral hippocampus in the stages of contextual fear memory. The pharmacological experiments revealed that compared with the control groups, unilateral hippocampal blockade did not impair 1-day recent memory following learning, whereas bilateral hippocampal blockade significantly impaired this memory. The lesion experiments showed that compared with the control groups, the formed contextual fear memory was retained for 7 days and that 30-day remote memory was markedly reduced in unilateral hippocampal lesion groups. These results indicate that an intact bilateral hippocampus is required for the formation of remote memory and that unilateral hippocampus is sufficient for recent contextual fear memory.

  7. Hippocampal multimodal structural changes and subclinical depression in healthy individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spalletta, Gianfranco; Piras, Fabrizio; Caltagirone, Carlo; Fagioli, Sabrina

    2014-01-01

    Several neuroimaging studies report reduced hippocampal volume in depressed patients. However, it is still unclear if hippocampal changes in healthy individuals can be considered a risk factor for progression to clinical depression. Here, we investigated subclinical depression and its hippocampal correlates in a non-clinical sample of healthy individuals, with particular regard to gender differences. One-hundred-two participants underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment, a high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging protocol using a 3T MRI scanner. Data of macro-(volume) and micro-(mean diffusivity, MD) structural changes of the hippocampus were analyzed with reference to the Beck Depression Inventory score. Results of multivariate regression analyses revealed reduced bilateral volume, along with increased bilateral MD in hippocampal formation predicting subclinical depressive phenomenology only in healthy males. Conversely, subclinical depressive phenomenology in healthy female was accounted for by only lower educational level, in the absence of any hippocampal structure variations. To date, this is the only evidence reporting a relationship between subclinical depressive phenomenology and changes in hippocampal formation in healthy individuals. Our findings demonstrated that reduced volume, along with increased MD in hippocampal formation, is significantly associated with subclinical depressive phenomenology in healthy males. This encourages to study the hypothesis that early macro- and microstructural changes in hippocampi associated with subclinical depression may constitute a risk factor of developing depressive disorders in males. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Spectroscopic evidence of hippocampal abnormalities in neocortical epilepsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, S. G.; Laxer, K. D.; Cashdollar, N.; Lopez, R. C.; Weiner, M. W.

    2009-01-01

    Lesional neocortical epilepsy (NE) can be associated with hippocampal sclerosis or hippocampal spectroscopic abnormalities without atrophy (dual pathology). In this study, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) was used to determine the frequency of hippocampal damage/dysfunction in NE with and without structural lesion. Sixteen patients with NE [seven temporal NE (NE-T), nine extratemporal (NE-ET)] and 16 controls were studied with a 2D MRSI sequence (Repetition time/echo time (TR/TE) = 1800/135 ms) covering both hippocampi. Seven NE patients had MR visible lesions (NE-Les), nine had normal MRI (NE-no). In each hippocampus, 12 voxels were uniformly selected. In controls, mean (± SD) NAA/(Cr + Cho) values for each voxel were calculated and voxels with NAA/(Cr + Cho) ≤ (mean in controls – 2SD in controls) were defined as ‘pathological’ in patients. Eight of 16 NE patients had at least two ‘pathological’ voxel (mean 2.5, range 2–5) in one hippocampus. Four were NE-Les and four NE-no. Three (43%) NE-T patients, had evidence for hippocampal damage/dysfunction and five (56%) had NE-ET. The ipsilateral hippocampus was affected in six of eight NE patients. Evidence for unilateral hippocampal damage/dysfunction was demonstrated in 50% of the NE patients. The type of NE, i.e. NE-Les or NE-no, NE-T or NE-ET, had no influence on the occurrence of hippocampal damage/dysfunction. PMID:16618342

  9. Correlation between volume and morphological changes in the hippocampal formation in Alzheimer's disease: rounding of the outline of the hippocampal body on coronal MR images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adachi, Michito; Sato, Takamichi; Kawakatsu, Shinobu; Ohshima, Fumi

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether the outline of the hippocampal body becomes rounded on coronal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the volume of the hippocampal formation decreases in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Institutional review board approval of the study protocol was obtained, and all subjects provided informed consent for the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and MRI. The MRI and MMSE were prospectively performed in all 103 subjects (27 men and 76 women; mean age ± standard deviation, 77.7 ± 7.8 years) who had AD or were concerned about having of dementia and who consulted our institute over 1 year. The subjects included 14 non-dementia cases (MMSE score ≥ 28) and 89 AD cases (MMSE score ≤ 27). The total volume of the bilateral hippocampal formation (VHF) was assessed with a tracing method, and the ratio of the VHF to the intracranial volume (RVHF) and the rounding ratio (RR) of the hippocampal body (mean ratio of its short dimension to the long dimension in the bilateral hippocampal body) were calculated. Using Spearman's correlation coefficient, the correlations between RR and VHF and between RR and RVHF were assessed. Correlation coefficients between RR and VHF and between RR and RVHF were -0.419 (p < 0.01) and -0.418 (p < 0.01), respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between RR and the volume of the hippocampal formation. The outline of the body of the hippocampal formation becomes rounded on coronal images as its volume decreases in AD. (orig.)

  10. Hypothyroidism Causes Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Adult Rat Hippocampus: A Mechanism Associated with Hippocampal Damage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandra Paola Torres-Manzo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Thyroid hormones (TH are essential for hippocampal neuronal viability in adulthood, and their deficiency causes hypothyroidism, which is related to oxidative stress events and neuronal damage. Also, it has been hypothesized that hypothyroidism causes a glucose deprivation in the neuron. This study is aimed at evaluating the temporal participation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERE in hippocampal neurons of adult hypothyroid rats and its association with the oxidative stress events. Adult Wistar male rats were divided into euthyroid and hypothyroid groups. Thyroidectomy with parathyroid gland reimplementation caused hypothyroidism at three weeks postsurgery. Oxidative stress, redox environment, and antioxidant enzyme markers, as well as the expression of the ERE through the pathways of PERK, ATF6, and IRE1, were evaluated at the 3rd and 4th weeks postsurgery. We found a rise in ROS and nitrite production; also, catalase increased and glutathione peroxidase diminished their activities. These events promote an enhancement of the lipoperoxidation, as well as of γ-GT, myeloperoxidase, and caspase 3 activities. With respect to ERE, there were ATF6, IRE1, and GADD153 overexpressions with a reduction in mitochondrial activity and GSH2/GSSG ratio. We conclude that the endoplasmic reticulum stress might play a pivotal role in the activation of hypothyroidism-induced hippocampal cell death.

  11. Guanosine prevents behavioral alterations in the forced swimming test and hippocampal oxidative damage induced by acute restraint stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bettio, Luis E B; Freitas, Andiara E; Neis, Vivian B; Santos, Danúbia B; Ribeiro, Camille M; Rosa, Priscila B; Farina, Marcelo; Rodrigues, Ana Lúcia S

    2014-12-01

    Guanosine is a guanine-based purine that modulates glutamate uptake and exerts neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. In a previous study, our group demonstrated that this endogenous nucleoside displays antidepressant-like properties in a predictive animal model. Based on the role of oxidative stress in modulating depressive disorders as well as on the association between the neuroprotective and antioxidant properties of guanosine, here we investigated if its antidepressant-like effect is accompanied by a modulation of hippocampal oxidant/antioxidant parameters. Adult Swiss mice were submitted to an acute restraint stress protocol, which is known to cause behavioral changes that are associated with neuronal oxidative damage. Animals submitted to ARS exhibited an increased immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) and the administration of guanosine (5mg/kg, p.o.) or fluoxetine (10mg/kg, p.o., positive control) before the exposure to stressor prevented this alteration. Moreover, the significantly increased levels of hippocampal malondialdehyde (MDA; an indicator of lipid peroxidation), induced by ARS were not observed in stressed mice treated with guanosine. Although no changes were found in the hippocampal levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), the group submitted to ARS procedure presented enhanced glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and reduced catalase (CAT) activity in the hippocampus. Guanosine was able to prevent the alterations in GPx, GR, CAT activities, and in SOD/CAT activity ratio, but potentiated the increase in SOD activity elicited by ARS. Altogether, the present findings indicate that the observed antidepressant-like effects of guanosine might be related, at least in part, to its capability of modulating antioxidant defenses and mitigating hippocampal oxidative damage induced by ARS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. SPATIAL MEMORY IMPAIRMENT AND HIPPOCAMPAL CELL LOSS INDUCED BY OKADAIC ACID (EXPERIMENTAL STUDY).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chighladze, M; Dashniani, M; Beselia, G; Kruashvili, L; Naneishvili, T

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, we evaluated and compared effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) and intrahippocampal bilateral microinjection of okadaic acid (OA) on spatial memory function assessed in one day water maze paradigm and hippocampal structure in rats. Rats were divided in following groups: Control(icv) - rats injected with ICV and aCSF; Control(hipp) - rats injected intrahippocampally with aCSF; OAicv - rats injected with ICV and OA; OAhipp - rats injected intrahippocampally with OA. Nissl staining of hippocampal sections showed that the pyramidal cell loss in OAhipp group is significantly higher than that in the OAicv. The results of behavioral experiments showed that ICV or intrahippocampal bilateral microinjection of OA did not affect learning process and short-term spatial memory but induced impairment in spatial long-term memory assessed in probe test performance 24 h after training. OA-induced spatial memory impairment may be attributed to the hippocampal cell death. Based on these results OA induced memory deficit and hippocampal cell loss in rat may be considered as a potential animal model for preclinical evaluation of antidementic drug activity.

  13. Reduced hippocampal volume is associated with overgeneralization of negative context in individuals with PTSD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy-Gigi, Einat; Szabo, Csilla; Richter-Levin, Gal; Kéri, Szabolcs

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies demonstrated reduced hippocampal volume in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the functional role the hippocampus plays in PTSD symptomatology is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore generalization learning and its connection to hippocampal volume in individuals with and without PTSD. Animal and human models argue that hippocampal deficit may result in failure to process contextual information. Therefore we predicted associations between reduced hippocampal volume and overgeneralization of context in individuals with PTSD. We conducted MRI scans of bilateral hippocampal and amygdala formations as well as intracranial and total brain volumes. Generalization was measured using a novel-learning paradigm, which separately evaluates generalization of cue and context in conditions of negative and positive outcomes. As expected, MRI scans indicated reduced hippocampal volume in PTSD compared to non-PTSD participants. Behavioral results revealed a selective deficit in context generalization learning in individuals with PTSD, F(1, 43) = 8.27, p < .01, η(p)² = .16. Specifically, as predicted, while generalization of cue was spared in both groups, individuals with PTSD showed overgeneralization of negative context. Hence, they could not learn that a previously negative context is later associated with a positive outcome, F(1, 43) = 7.33, p = .01, η(p)² = .15. Most importantly, overgeneralization of negative context significantly correlated with right and left hippocampal volume (r = .61, p = .000; r = .5, p = .000). Finally, bilateral hippocampal volume provided the strongest prediction of overgeneralization of negative context. Reduced hippocampal volume may account for the difficulty of individuals with PTSD to differentiate negative and novel conditions and hence may facilitate reexperiencing symptoms. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  14. Extensive immune-mediated hippocampal damage in mice surviving infection with neuroadapted Sindbis virus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Takashi; Griffin, Diane E.

    2003-01-01

    Viral infections of the central nervous system and immune responses to these infections cause a variety of neurological diseases. Infection of weanling mice with Sindbis virus causes acute nonfatal encephalomyelitis followed by clearance of infectious virus, but persistence of viral RNA. Infection with a neuroadapted strain of Sindbis virus (NSV) causes fatal encephalomyelitis, but passive transfer of immune serum after infection protects from fatal disease and infectious virus is cleared. To determine whether persistent NSV RNA is associated with neurological damage, we examined the brains of recovered mice and found progressive loss of the hippocampal gyrus, adjacent white matter, and deep cerebral cortex associated with mononuclear cell infiltration. Mice deficient in CD4 + T cells showed less tissue loss, while mice lacking CD8 + T cells showed lesions comparable to those in immunocompetent mice. Mice deficient in both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells developed severe tissue loss similar to immunocompetent mice and this was associated with extensive infiltration of macrophages. The number of CD4 + cells and macrophage/microglial cells, but not CD8 + cells, infiltrating the hippocampal gyrus was correlated with the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling positive pyramidal neurons. These results suggest that CD4 + T cells can promote progressive neuronal death and tissue injury, despite clearance of infectious virus

  15. Porencephaly in dogs and cats: relationships between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and hippocampal atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hori, Ai; Hanazono, Kiwamu; Miyoshi, Kenjirou; Nakade, Tetsuya

    2015-07-01

    Porencephaly is the congenital cerebral defect and a rare malformation and described few MRI reports in veterinary medicine. MRI features of porencephaly are recognized the coexistence with the unilateral/bilateral hippocampal atrophy, caused by the seizure symptoms in human medicine. We studied 2 dogs and 1 cat with congenital porencephaly to characterize the clinical signs and MRI, and to discuss the associated MRI with hippocampal atrophy. The main clinical sign was the seizure symptoms, and all had hippocampal atrophy at the lesion side or the larger defect side. There is association between hippocampal atrophy or the cyst volume and the severe of clinical signs, and it is suggested that porencephaly coexists with hippocampal atrophy as well as humans in this study.

  16. Hippocampal sclerosis and status epilepticus: cause or consequence? A MRI study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuster, Gustavo Wruck; Braga-Neto, Pedro; Santos-Neto, Denizart; Santana, Maria Teresa Garcia; Barsottini, Orlando Graziani; Maia Junior, Antonio Carlos Martins

    2007-01-01

    Background: Transient imaging abnormalities, including changes on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), may be seen in status epilepticus. These abnormalities can be followed by hippocampal sclerosis. Case Report: We report a 15-year-old lady with focal non convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) and focal slowing on EEG. DWI exhibited abnormal hyperintense signals in bilateral temporal and insular cortices. After 3 weeks, MRI performed a localized hippocampal atrophy. Conclusion: The MRI findings indicated vasogenic and cytotoxic edema during seizure activity and subsequent loss of brain parenchyma. (author)

  17. Usefulness of single voxel proton MR spectroscopy in the evaluation of hippocampal sclerosis

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    Chang, Kee Hyun; Kim, Hong Dae; Park, Sun Won; Song, In Chan; Yu, In Kyu; Han, Moon Hee; Lee, Sang Kun; Chung, Chun Kee; Park, Yang Hee [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-03-01

    The purpose of our study was to determine the ability of H-1 MR spectroscopy (MRS) to lateralize the lesion in patients with hippocampal scleros is. Twenty healthy volunteers and 25 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy whose MR imaging diagnosis was unilateral hippocampal sclerosis were included. This diagnosis was based on the presence of unilateral atrophy and/or high T2 signal intensity of the hippocampus. Singlevoxel H-1 MRS was carried out on a 1.5-T unit using PRESS sequence (TE, 136 msec). Spectra were obtained from hippocampal areas bilaterally with volumes of interest (VOIs) of 6.0 cm{sup 3} and 2.25 cm{sup 3} in healthy volunteers, and of either 6.0 c m{sup 3} (n = 14) or 2.25 cm{sup 3} (n = 11) in patients. Metabolite ratios of NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr were calculated from relative peak height measurements. The capability of MRS to lateralize the lesion and to detect bilateral abnormalities was compared with MR imaging diagnosis as a standard of reference. In healthy volunteers, NAA/Cho and NAA/Cr ratios were greater than 0.8 and 1.0, respectively. In patients, the mean values of these ratios were significantly lower on the lesion side than on the contralateral side, and lower than those of healthy volunteers (p <.05). The overall correct lateralization rate of MRS was 72% (18/25); this rate was lower with a VOI of 6.0 cm{sup 3} than of 2.25 cm{sup 3} (64% versus 82%, p <.05). Bilateral abnormalities on MRS were found in 24% (6/25) of cases. Although its rate of correct lateralization is low, single-voxel H-1 MRS is a useful and promising diagnostic tool in the evaluation of hippocampal sclerosis, particularly for the detection of bilateral abnormalities. To improve the diagnostic accuracy of H-1 MRS, further investigation, including the use of a smaller VOI and measurement of the absolute amount of metabolites, are needed.

  18. MRI volumetric measurement of hippocampal formation based on statistic parametric mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hua Jianming; Jiang Biao; Zhou Jiong; Zhang Weimin

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To study MRI volumetric measurement of hippocampal formation using statistic parametric mapping (SPM) software and to discuss the value of the method applied to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: The SPM software was used to divide the three-dimensional MRI brain image into gray matter, white matter and CSF separately. The bilateral hippocampal formations in both AD group and normal control group were delineated and the volumes were measured. The SPM method was compared with conventional method based on region of interest (ROI), which was the gold standard of volume measurement. The time used in measuring the volume by these two methods were respectively recorded and compared by two independent samples't test. Moreover, 7 physicians measured the left hippocampal formation of one same control with both of the two methods. The frequency distribution and dispersion of data acquired with the two methods were evaluated using standard deviation coefficient. Results (1) The volume of the bilateral hippocampal formations with SPM method was (1.88 ± 0.07) cm 3 and (1.93 ± 0.08) cm 3 respectively in the AD group, while was (2.99 ± 0.07) cm 3 and (3.02 ± 0.06) cm 3 in the control group. The volume of bilateral hippocampal formations measured by ROI method was (1.87 ± 0.06) cm 3 and (1.91 ± 0.09) cm 3 in the AD group, while was (2.97 ± 0.08) cm 3 and (3.00 ± 0.05) cm 3 in the control group. There was no significant difference between SPM method and conventional ROI method in the AD group and the control group (t=1.500, 1.617, 1.095, 1.889, P>0.05). However, the time used for delineation and volume measurement was significantly different. The time used in SPM measurement was (38.1 ± 2.0) min, while that in ROI measurement was (55.4 ± 2.4) min (t=-25.918, P 3 respectively. The frequency distribution of hippocampal formation volume measured by SPM method and ROI method was different. The CV SPM was 7% and the CV ROI was 19%. Conclusions: The borders of

  19. Bilateral hippocampal atrophy in temporal lobe epilepsy: Effect of depressive symptoms and febrile seizures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finegersh, Andrey; Avedissian, Christina; Shamim, Sadat; Dustin, Irene; Thompson, Paul M.; Theodore, William H.

    2011-01-01

    Summary Purpose Neuroimaging studies suggest a history of febrile seizures, and depression, are associated with hippocampal volume reductions in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods We used radial atrophy mapping (RAM), a three-dimensional (3D) surface modeling tool, to measure hippocampal atrophy in 40 patients with unilateral TLE, with or without a history of febrile seizures and symptoms of depression. Multiple linear regression was used to single out the effects of covariates on local atrophy. Key Findings Subjects with a history of febrile seizures (n = 15) had atrophy in regions corresponding to the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus contralateral to seizure focus (CHC) compared to those without a history of febrile seizures (n = 25). Subjects with Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) score ≥14 (n = 11) had atrophy in the superoanterior portion of the CHC compared to subjects with BDI-II <14 (n = 29). Significance Contralateral hippocampal atrophy in TLE may be related to febrile seizures or depression. PMID:21269286

  20. Hippocampal Atrophy Is Associated with Altered Hippocampus-Posterior Cingulate Cortex Connectivity in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Y C; Tseng, C E; Lin, F-H; Liou, H H; Tseng, W Y I

    2017-03-01

    Unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis have structural and functional abnormalities in the mesial temporal regions. To gain insight into the pathophysiology of the epileptic network in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis, we aimed to clarify the relationships between hippocampal atrophy and the altered connection between the hippocampus and the posterior cingulate cortex in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Fifteen patients with left mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis and 15 healthy controls were included in the study. Multicontrast MR imaging, including high-resolution T1WI, diffusion spectrum imaging, and resting-state fMRI, was performed to measure the hippocampal volume, structural connectivity of the inferior cingulum bundle, and intrinsic functional connectivity between the hippocampus and the posterior cingulate cortex, respectively. Compared with controls, patients had decreased left hippocampal volume (volume ratio of the hippocampus and controls, 0.366% ± 0.029%; patients, 0.277% ± 0.063%, corrected P = .002), structural connectivity of the bilateral inferior cingulum bundle (generalized fractional anisotropy, left: controls, 0.234 ± 0.020; patients, 0.193 ± 0.022, corrected P = .0001, right: controls, 0.226 ± 0.022; patients, 0.208 ± 0.017, corrected P = .047), and intrinsic functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and the left posterior cingulate cortex (averaged z-value: controls, 0.314 ± 0.152; patients, 0.166 ± 0.062). The left hippocampal volume correlated with structural connectivity positively (standardized β = 0.864, P = .001), but it had little correlation with intrinsic functional connectivity (standardized β = -0.329, P = .113). On the contralesional side, the hippocampal volume did not show any significant correlation with structural connectivity or intrinsic functional connectivity ( F 2,12 = 0.284, P = .757, R 2

  1. Volumetric MRI and 1H MRS study of hippocampus in unilateral MCAO patients: Relationship between hippocampal secondary damage and cognitive disorder following stroke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Xiangyu; Wang, Chengyuan; Xia, Liming; Zhu, Wenhao; Zhao, Lingyun; Zhu, Wenzhen

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To determine whether hippocampi alter in patients at the recovery stage of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and whether the changes of hippocampi involve in the cognitive impairment in such patients. Meterials and methods: Forty-four patients with unilateral infarction solely in MCAO territory and 44 age-, sex- and education background-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent 3-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D FSPGR) and sing-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) protocols at a 1.5 T MR scanner. The ratios of n-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) and myo-inositol/creatine (mI/Cr) were obtained by using software integrated in the MR scanner. The hippocampal volumes were estimated by manually measurement. Results: The volume and NAA/Cr ratio were found significantly decreased and mI/Cr ratio significantly increased in the hippocampus ipsilateral to occluded middle cerebral artery (MCA) as compared with values in the contralateral hippocampus or healthy control. A reduced NAA/Cr ratio was also observed in contralateral hippocampus compared to controls. The shrinkage ratio of hippocampus ipsilateral to MCAO was found related to the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Conclusion: Our study identified that the hippocampal secondary damage occurred in patients after MCAO, and it could be evaluated noninvasively by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 1 H MRS. Moreover, the hippocampal secondary damage in MCAO patients indeed contributed to their cognitive impairment

  2. Spatial deficits in an amnesic patient with hippocampal damage: questioning the multiple trace theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez, A; Rousset, S; Charnallet, A

    2012-06-01

    Mediotemporal lobe structures are involved in both spatial processing and long-term memory. Patient M.R. suffers from amnesia, due to bilateral hippocampal lesion and temporoparietal atrophy following carbon monoxide poisoning. We compared his performance in immediate spatial memory tasks with the performance of ten healthy matched participants. Using an immediate reproduction of path, we observed a dissociation between his performance in three allocentric tasks and in five egocentric-updating tasks. His performance was always impaired on tasks requiring the use of an egocentric-updating representation but remained preserved on allocentric tasks. These results fit with the hypothesis that the hippocampus plays a role in spatial memory, but they also suggest that allocentric deficits previously observed in amnesia might actually reflect deficits in egocentric-updating processes. Furthermore, the co-occurrence of deficits in episodic long-term memory and short-term egocentric-updating representation without any short-term allocentric deficit suggests a new link between the mnemonic and navigational roles of the hippocampus. The Cognitive Map theory, the Multiple Trace theory, as well as further models linking spatial and nonspatial functions of the hippocampus are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of hippocampal activation during silent mantra meditation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engström, Maria; Pihlsgård, Johan; Lundberg, Peter; Söderfeldt, Birgitta

    2010-12-01

    The objective of the present study was to investigate whether moderately experienced meditators activate hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex during silent mantra meditation, as has been observed in earlier studies on subjects with several years of practice. Subjects with less than 2 years of meditation practice according to the Kundalini yoga or Acem tradition were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging during silent mantra meditation, using an on-off block design. Whole-brain as well as region-of-interest analyses were performed. The most significant activation was found in the bilateral hippocampus/parahippocampal formations. Other areas with significant activation were the bilateral middle cingulate cortex and the bilateral precentral cortex. No activation in the anterior cingulate cortex was found, and only small activation clusters were observed in the prefrontal cortex. In conclusion, the main finding in this study was the significant activation in the hippocampi, which also has been correlated with meditation in several previous studies on very experienced meditators. We propose that the hippocampus is activated already after moderate meditation practice and also during different modes of meditation, including relaxation. The role of hippocampal activity during meditation should be further clarified in future studies, especially by investigating whether the meditation-correlated hippocampal activity is related to memory consolidation.

  4. Hippocampal dosimetry correlates with the change in neurocognitive function after hippocampal sparing during whole brain radiotherapy: a prospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, Ping-Fang; Yang, Chi-Cheng; Chuang, Chi-Cheng; Huang, Ting-Yi; Wu, Yi-Ming; Pai, Ping-Ching; Tseng, Chen-Kan; Wu, Tung-Ho; Shen, Yi-Liang; Lin, Shinn-Yn

    2015-01-01

    dosimetric parameters specific to left sided hippocampus exerted an influence on immediate recall of verbal memory (adjusted odds ratio, 4.08; p-value, 0.042, predicting patients’ neurocognitive decline after receiving HS-WBRT). Functional preservation by hippocampal sparing during WBRT is indeed achieved in our study. Providing that modern VMAT techniques can reduce the dose irradiating bilateral hippocampi below dosimetric threshold, patients should be recruited in prospective trials of hippocampal sparing during cranial irradiation to accomplish neurocognitive preservation while maintaining intracranial control

  5. Short-term sleep deprivation stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis in rats following global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oumei Cheng

    Full Text Available Sleep deprivation (SD plays a complex role in central nervous system (CNS diseases. Recent studies indicate that short-term SD can affect the extent of ischemic damage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether short-term SD could stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis in a rat model of global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (GCIR.One hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Sham, GCIR and short-term SD groups based on different durations of SD; the short-term SD group was randomly divided into three subgroups: the GCIR+6hSD*3d-treated, GCIR+12hSD-treated and GCIR+12hSD*3d-treated groups. The GCIR rat model was induced via the bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries and hemorrhagic hypotension. The rats were sleep-deprived starting at 48 h following GCIR. A Morris water maze test was used to assess learning and memory ability; cell proliferation and differentiation were analyzed via 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU and neuron-specific enolase (NSE, respectively, at 14 and 28 d; the expression of hippocampal BDNF was measured after 7 d.The different durations of short-term SD designed in our experiment exhibited improvement in cognitive function as well as increased hippocampal BDNF expression. Additionally, the short-term SD groups also showed an increased number of BrdU- and BrdU/NSE-positive cells compared with the GCIR group. Of the three short-term SD groups, the GCIR+12hSD*3d-treated group experienced the most substantial beneficial effects.Short-term SD, especially the GCIR+12hSD*3d-treated method, stimulates neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG of rats that undergo GCIR, and BDNF may be an underlying mechanism in this process.

  6. Errors, error detection, error correction and hippocampal-region damage: data and theories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKay, Donald G; Johnson, Laura W

    2013-11-01

    This review and perspective article outlines 15 observational constraints on theories of errors, error detection, and error correction, and their relation to hippocampal-region (HR) damage. The core observations come from 10 studies with H.M., an amnesic with cerebellar and HR damage but virtually no neocortical damage. Three studies examined the detection of errors planted in visual scenes (e.g., a bird flying in a fish bowl in a school classroom) and sentences (e.g., I helped themselves to the birthday cake). In all three experiments, H.M. detected reliably fewer errors than carefully matched memory-normal controls. Other studies examined the detection and correction of self-produced errors, with controls for comprehension of the instructions, impaired visual acuity, temporal factors, motoric slowing, forgetting, excessive memory load, lack of motivation, and deficits in visual scanning or attention. In these studies, H.M. corrected reliably fewer errors than memory-normal and cerebellar controls, and his uncorrected errors in speech, object naming, and reading aloud exhibited two consistent features: omission and anomaly. For example, in sentence production tasks, H.M. omitted one or more words in uncorrected encoding errors that rendered his sentences anomalous (incoherent, incomplete, or ungrammatical) reliably more often than controls. Besides explaining these core findings, the theoretical principles discussed here explain H.M.'s retrograde amnesia for once familiar episodic and semantic information; his anterograde amnesia for novel information; his deficits in visual cognition, sentence comprehension, sentence production, sentence reading, and object naming; and effects of aging on his ability to read isolated low frequency words aloud. These theoretical principles also explain a wide range of other data on error detection and correction and generate new predictions for future test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Radiation Dose–Dependent Hippocampal Atrophy Detected With Longitudinal Volumetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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    Seibert, Tyler M.; Karunamuni, Roshan [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Bartsch, Hauke [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Kaifi, Samar [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Krishnan, Anitha Priya [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Dalia, Yoseph; Burkeen, Jeffrey; Murzin, Vyacheslav; Moiseenko, Vitali [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Kuperman, Joshua; White, Nathan S. [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Brewer, James B. [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Farid, Nikdokht [Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); McDonald, Carrie R. [Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States); Hattangadi-Gluth, Jona A., E-mail: jhattangadi@ucsd.edu [Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California (United States)

    2017-02-01

    Purpose: After radiation therapy (RT) to the brain, patients often experience memory impairment, which may be partially mediated by damage to the hippocampus. Hippocampal sparing in RT planning is the subject of recent and ongoing clinical trials. Calculating appropriate hippocampal dose constraints would be improved by efficient in vivo measurements of hippocampal damage. In this study we sought to determine whether brain RT was associated with dose-dependent hippocampal atrophy. Methods and Materials: Hippocampal volume was measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 52 patients who underwent fractionated, partial brain RT for primary brain tumors. Study patients had high-resolution, 3-dimensional volumetric MRI before and 1 year after RT. Images were processed using software with clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration and Conformité Européene marking for automated measurement of hippocampal volume. Automated results were inspected visually for accuracy. Tumor and surgical changes were censored. Mean hippocampal dose was tested for correlation with hippocampal atrophy 1 year after RT. Average hippocampal volume change was also calculated for hippocampi receiving high (>40 Gy) or low (<10 Gy) mean RT dose. A multivariate analysis was conducted with linear mixed-effects modeling to evaluate other potential predictors of hippocampal volume change, including patient (random effect), age, hemisphere, sex, seizure history, and baseline volume. Statistical significance was evaluated at α = 0.05. Results: Mean hippocampal dose was significantly correlated with hippocampal volume loss (r=−0.24, P=.03). Mean hippocampal volume was significantly reduced 1 year after high-dose RT (mean −6%, P=.009) but not after low-dose RT. In multivariate analysis, both RT dose and patient age were significant predictors of hippocampal atrophy (P<.01). Conclusions: The hippocampus demonstrates radiation dose–dependent atrophy after treatment for brain

  8. Volumetric MRI and {sup 1}H MRS study of hippocampus in unilateral MCAO patients: Relationship between hippocampal secondary damage and cognitive disorder following stroke

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    Tang, Xiangyu; Wang, Chengyuan; Xia, Liming [Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Dadao 1095, Wuhan 430030 (China); Zhu, Wenhao [Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Dadao 1095, Wuhan 430030 (China); Zhao, Lingyun [Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Dadao 1095, Wuhan 430030 (China); Zhu, Wenzhen, E-mail: zhuwenzhen@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Dadao 1095, Wuhan 430030 (China)

    2012-10-15

    Objective: To determine whether hippocampi alter in patients at the recovery stage of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and whether the changes of hippocampi involve in the cognitive impairment in such patients. Meterials and methods: Forty-four patients with unilateral infarction solely in MCAO territory and 44 age-, sex- and education background-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent 3-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-echo (3D FSPGR) and sing-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ({sup 1}H MRS) protocols at a 1.5 T MR scanner. The ratios of n-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) and myo-inositol/creatine (mI/Cr) were obtained by using software integrated in the MR scanner. The hippocampal volumes were estimated by manually measurement. Results: The volume and NAA/Cr ratio were found significantly decreased and mI/Cr ratio significantly increased in the hippocampus ipsilateral to occluded middle cerebral artery (MCA) as compared with values in the contralateral hippocampus or healthy control. A reduced NAA/Cr ratio was also observed in contralateral hippocampus compared to controls. The shrinkage ratio of hippocampus ipsilateral to MCAO was found related to the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Conclusion: Our study identified that the hippocampal secondary damage occurred in patients after MCAO, and it could be evaluated noninvasively by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and {sup 1}H MRS. Moreover, the hippocampal secondary damage in MCAO patients indeed contributed to their cognitive impairment.

  9. Curcumin protects neuronal cells against status-epilepticus-induced hippocampal damage through induction of autophagy and inhibition of necroptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jin; Liu, Yuan; Li, Xiao-Hui; Zeng, Xiang-Chang; Li, Jian; Zhou, Jun; Xiao, Bo; Hu, Kai

    2017-05-01

    Status epilepticus, the most severe form of epilepsy, is characterized by progressive functional and structural damage in the hippocampus, ultimately leading to the development and clinical appearance of spontaneous, recurrent seizures. Although the pathogenesis underlying epileptogenesis processes remains unclear, a substantial body of evidence has shown that status epilepticus acts as an important initial factor in triggering epileptogenesis. Notably, besides classical cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis and necrosis, 2 novel regulators of cell fate known as necroptosis and autophagy, are demonstrated to be involved in neuronal damage in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, whether necroptosis and autophagy play a role in post-status-epilepticus rat hippocampus and other epilepsy mechanisms deserves further research effort. In addition, research is needed to determine whether compounds from traditional Chinese herbs possess antiepileptic effects through the modulation of necroptosis and autophagy. In this study, we found that curcumin, a polyphenolic phytochemical extracted from the Curcuma longa plant, protects neuronal cells against status-epilepticus-induced hippocampal neuronal damage in the lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus rat model through induction of autophagy and inhibition of necroptosis.

  10. Hippocampal sclerosis in advanced age: clinical and pathological features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, Frederick A.; Lin, Yushun; Abner, Erin L.; Jicha, Gregory A.; Patel, Ela; Thomason, Paula C.; Neltner, Janna H.; Smith, Charles D.; Santacruz, Karen S.; Sonnen, Joshua A.; Poon, Leonard W.; Gearing, Marla; Green, Robert C.; Woodard, John L.; Van Eldik, Linda J.; Kryscio, Richard J.

    2011-01-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis is a relatively common neuropathological finding (∼10% of individuals over the age of 85 years) characterized by cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus that is not explained by Alzheimer’s disease. Hippocampal sclerosis pathology can be associated with different underlying causes, and we refer to hippocampal sclerosis in the aged brain as hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. Much remains unknown about hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. We combined three different large autopsy cohorts: University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Centre, the Nun Study and the Georgia Centenarian Study to obtain a pool of 1110 patients, all of whom were evaluated neuropathologically at the University of Kentucky. We focused on the subset of cases with neuropathology-confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (n = 106). For individuals aged ≥95 years at death (n = 179 in our sample), each year of life beyond the age of 95 years correlated with increased prevalence of hippocampal sclerosis pathology and decreased prevalence of ‘definite’ Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Aberrant TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was seen in 89.9% of hippocampal sclerosis positive patients compared with 9.7% of hippocampal sclerosis negative patients. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry can be used to demonstrate that the disease is usually bilateral even when hippocampal sclerosis pathology is not obvious by haematoxylin and eosin stains. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was negative on brain sections from younger individuals (n = 10) after hippocampectomy due to seizures, who had pathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis. There was no association between cases with hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing and apolipoprotein E genotype. Age of death and clinical features of hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing (with or without aberrant TAR DNA protein 43) were distinct from previously published cases of frontotemporal lobar

  11. Hippocampal sclerosis in advanced age: clinical and pathological features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Peter T; Schmitt, Frederick A; Lin, Yushun; Abner, Erin L; Jicha, Gregory A; Patel, Ela; Thomason, Paula C; Neltner, Janna H; Smith, Charles D; Santacruz, Karen S; Sonnen, Joshua A; Poon, Leonard W; Gearing, Marla; Green, Robert C; Woodard, John L; Van Eldik, Linda J; Kryscio, Richard J

    2011-05-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis is a relatively common neuropathological finding (∼10% of individuals over the age of 85 years) characterized by cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus that is not explained by Alzheimer's disease. Hippocampal sclerosis pathology can be associated with different underlying causes, and we refer to hippocampal sclerosis in the aged brain as hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. Much remains unknown about hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. We combined three different large autopsy cohorts: University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Centre, the Nun Study and the Georgia Centenarian Study to obtain a pool of 1110 patients, all of whom were evaluated neuropathologically at the University of Kentucky. We focused on the subset of cases with neuropathology-confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (n=106). For individuals aged≥95 years at death (n=179 in our sample), each year of life beyond the age of 95 years correlated with increased prevalence of hippocampal sclerosis pathology and decreased prevalence of 'definite' Alzheimer's disease pathology. Aberrant TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was seen in 89.9% of hippocampal sclerosis positive patients compared with 9.7% of hippocampal sclerosis negative patients. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry can be used to demonstrate that the disease is usually bilateral even when hippocampal sclerosis pathology is not obvious by haematoxylin and eosin stains. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was negative on brain sections from younger individuals (n=10) after hippocampectomy due to seizures, who had pathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis. There was no association between cases with hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing and apolipoprotein E genotype. Age of death and clinical features of hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing (with or without aberrant TAR DNA protein 43) were distinct from previously published cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration TAR

  12. Extent of hippocampal atrophy predicts degree of deficit in recall.

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    Patai, Eva Zita; Gadian, David G; Cooper, Janine M; Dzieciol, Anna M; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2015-10-13

    Which specific memory functions are dependent on the hippocampus is still debated. The availability of a large cohort of patients who had sustained relatively selective hippocampal damage early in life enabled us to determine which type of mnemonic deficit showed a correlation with extent of hippocampal injury. We assessed our patient cohort on a test that provides measures of recognition and recall that are equated for difficulty and found that the patients' performance on the recall tests correlated significantly with their hippocampal volumes, whereas their performance on the equally difficult recognition tests did not and, indeed, was largely unaffected regardless of extent of hippocampal atrophy. The results provide new evidence in favor of the view that the hippocampus is essential for recall but not for recognition.

  13. Quantifying deficits in the perception of fear and anger in morphed facial expressions after bilateral amygdala damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, Reiko; Devinsky, Orrin; Labar, Kevin S

    2007-01-07

    Amygdala damage has been associated with impairments in perceiving facial expressions of fear. However, deficits in perceiving other emotions, such as anger, and deficits in perceiving emotion blends have not been definitively established. One possibility is that methods used to index expression perception are susceptible to heuristic use, which may obscure impairments. To examine this, we adapted a task used to examine categorical perception of morphed facial expressions [Etcoff, N. L., & Magee, J. J. (1992). Categorical perception of facial expressions. Cognition, 44(3), 227-240]. In one version of the task, expressions were categorized with unlimited time constraints. In the other, expressions were presented with limited exposure durations to tap more automatic aspects of processing. Three morph progressions were employed: neutral to anger, neutral to fear, and fear to anger. Both tasks were administered to a participant with bilateral amygdala damage (S.P.), age- and education-matched controls, and young controls. The second task was also administered to unilateral temporal lobectomy patients. In the first version, S.P. showed impairments relative to normal controls on the neutral-to-anger and fear-to-anger morphs, but not on the neutral-to-fear morph. However, reaction times suggested that speed-accuracy tradeoffs could account for results. In the second version, S.P. showed impairments on all morph types relative to all other subject groups. A third experiment showed that this deficit did not extend to the perception of morphed identities. These results imply that when heuristics use is discouraged on tasks utilizing subtle emotion transitions, deficits in the perception of anger and anger/fear blends, as well as fear, are evident with bilateral amygdala damage.

  14. Inhibition of local estrogen synthesis in the hippocampus impairs hippocampal memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuscher, Jennifer J; Szinte, Julia S; Starrett, Joseph R; Krentzel, Amanda A; Fortress, Ashley M; Remage-Healey, Luke; Frick, Karyn M

    2016-07-01

    The potent estrogen 17β-Estradiol (E2) plays a critical role in mediating hippocampal function, yet the precise mechanisms through which E2 enhances hippocampal memory remain unclear. In young adult female rodents, the beneficial effects of E2 on memory are generally attributed to ovarian-synthesized E2. However, E2 is also synthesized in the adult brain in numerous species, where it regulates synaptic plasticity and is synthesized in response to experiences such as exposure to females or conspecific song. Although de novo E2 synthesis has been demonstrated in rodent hippocampal cultures, little is known about the functional role of local E2 synthesis in mediating hippocampal memory function. Therefore, the present study examined the role of hippocampal E2 synthesis in hippocampal memory consolidation. Using bilateral dorsal hippocampal infusions of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, we first found that blockade of dorsal hippocampal E2 synthesis impaired hippocampal memory consolidation. We next found that elevated levels of E2 in the dorsal hippocampus observed 30min after object training were blocked by dorsal hippocampal infusion of letrozole, suggesting that behavioral experience increases acute and local E2 synthesis. Finally, aromatase inhibition did not prevent exogenous E2 from enhancing hippocampal memory consolidation, indicating that hippocampal E2 synthesis is not necessary for exogenous E2 to enhance hippocampal memory. Combined, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that hippocampally-synthesized E2 is necessary for hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation in rodents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Hippocampal lesions, contextual retrieval, and autoshaping in pigeons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richmond, Jenny; Colombo, Michael

    2002-02-22

    Both pigeons and rats with damage to the hippocampus are slow to acquire an autoshaped response and emit fewer overall responses than control animals. Experiment 1 explored the possibility that the autoshaping deficit was due to an impairment in contextual retrieval. Pigeons were trained for 14 days on an autoshaping task in which a red stimulus was followed by reinforcement in context A, and a green stimulus was followed by reinforcement in context B. On day 15, the subjects were given a context test in which the red and green stimuli were presented simultaneously in context A and then later in context B. Both control and hippocampal animals showed context specificity, that is, they responded more to the red stimulus in context A and to the green stimulus in context B. In Experiment 2 we video-recorded the control and hippocampal animals performing the autoshaping task. Hippocampal animals tended to miss-peck the key more often than control animals. In addition, the number of missed pecks increased across days for hippocampal animals but not for control animals, suggesting that while the control animals increased their pecking accuracy, the hippocampal animals actually decreased their pecking accuracy. Our findings suggest that impairments in moving through space may underlie the hippocampal autoshaping deficit.

  16. Into the future with little past: exploring mental time travel in a patient with damage to the mammillary bodies/fornix.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tedder, Jacqui; Miller, Laurie; Tu, Sicong; Hornberger, Michael; Lah, Suncica

    2016-02-01

    Remembering the past and imaging the future are both manifestations of 'mental time travel'. These processes have been found to be impaired in patients with bilateral hippocampal lesions. Here, we examined the question of whether future thinking is affected by other Papez circuit lesions, namely: damage to the mammillary bodies/fornix. Case (SL) was a 43-year-old woman who developed dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia suddenly, as a result of Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome. A region of interest volumetric Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis was performed. We assessed past and future thinking in SL and 11 control subjects of similar age and education with the adapted Autobiographical Interview (AI). Participants also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. Volumetric MRI analyses revealed severely reduced fornix and mammillary body volumes, but intact hippocampi. SL showed substantial, albeit temporally graded retrograde memory deficits on the adapted AI. Strikingly, whilst SL could not provide any specific details of events from the past two weeks or past two years and had impaired recall of events from her late 30s, her descriptions of potential future events were normal in number of event details and plausibility. This dissociation of past and future events' performance after mammillary body and fornix damage is at odds with the findings of the majority of patients with adult onset hippocampal amnesia. It suggests that these non-hippocampal regions of the Papez circuit are only critical for past event retrieval and not for the generation of possible future events.

  17. Neuroprotective effect of curcumin on hippocampal injury in 6-OHDA-induced Parkinson's disease rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jiaqing; Song, Shilei; Li, Jian; Liang, Tao

    2014-06-01

    Clinically, Parkinson's disease (PD)-related neuronal lesions commonly occur. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential therapeutic effect of curcumin against hippocampal damage of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-PD rat model. These results showed that curcumin significantly increased the body weight of 6-OHDA-impaired rats (Pcurcumin-treated PD rats were effectively ameliorated as shown in open field test (Pcurcumin increased the contents of monoaminergic neurotransmitters (PCurcumin effectively alleviated the 6-OHDA-induced hippocampal damage as observed in hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Furthermore, curcumin obviously up-regulated hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), TrkB, phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) protein expressions, respectively as shown in Western blot analysis. These findings demonstrated that curcumin mediated the neuroprotection against 6-OHDA-induced hippocampus neurons in rats, which the underlying mechanism is involved in activating BDNF/TrkB-dependent pathway for promoting neural regeneration of hippocampal tissue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  18. Neuropsychology, autobiographical memory and hippocampal volume in younger and older patients with chronic schizophrenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Josefa Herold

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Despite a wide range of studies on neuropsychology in schizophrenia, autobiographical memory (AM has been scarcely investigated in these patients. Hence less is known about AM in older patients and hippocampal contribution to autobiographical memories of varying remoteness. Therefore we investigated hippocampal volume and AM along with important neuropsychological domains in patients with chronic schizophrenia and the respective relationships between these parameters. We compared 25 older patients with chronic schizophrenia to 23 younger patients and an older healthy control group (N = 21 with respect to AM, additional neuropsychological parameters and hippocampal volume. Personal episodic and semantic memory was investigated using a semi-structured interview. Additional neuropsychological parameters were assessed by using a battery of standard neuropsychological tests. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analysed with an automated region-of-interest procedure. While hippocampal volume reduction and neuropsychological impairment were more pronounced in the older than in the younger patients, both groups showed equivalent reduced AM performance for recent personal episodes. In the patient group significant correlations between left hippocampal volume and recent autobiographical episodes as well as personal semantic memories arose. Verbal memory and working memory were significantly correlated with right hippocampal volume, executive functions, however, were associated with bilateral hippocampal volumes. These findings underline the complexity of AM and its impairments in the course of schizophrenia in comparison to rather progressive neuropsychological deficits and address the importance of hippocampal contribution.

  19. Neuropsychology, autobiographical memory, and hippocampal volume in "younger" and "older" patients with chronic schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herold, Christina Josefa; Lässer, Marc Montgomery; Schmid, Lena Anna; Seidl, Ulrich; Kong, Li; Fellhauer, Iven; Thomann, Philipp Arthur; Essig, Marco; Schröder, Johannes

    2015-01-01

    Despite a wide range of studies on neuropsychology in schizophrenia, autobiographical memory (AM) has been scarcely investigated in these patients. Hence, less is known about AM in older patients and hippocampal contribution to autobiographical memories of varying remoteness. Therefore, we investigated hippocampal volume and AM along with important neuropsychological domains in patients with chronic schizophrenia and the respective relationships between these parameters. We compared 25 older patients with chronic schizophrenia to 23 younger patients and an older healthy control group (N = 21) with respect to AM, additional neuropsychological parameters, and hippocampal volume. Personal episodic and semantic memory was investigated using a semi-structured interview. Additional neuropsychological parameters were assessed by using a battery of standard neuropsychological tests. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed with an automated region-of-interest procedure. While hippocampal volume reduction and neuropsychological impairment were more pronounced in the older than in the younger patients, both groups showed equivalent reduced AM performance for recent personal episodes. In the patient group, significant correlations between left hippocampal volume and recent autobiographical episodes as well as personal semantic memories arose. Verbal memory and working memory were significantly correlated with right hippocampal volume; executive functions, however, were associated with bilateral hippocampal volumes. These findings underline the complexity of AM and its impairments in the course of schizophrenia in comparison to rather progressive neuropsychological deficits and address the importance of hippocampal contribution.

  20. Combined effects of marijuana and nicotine on memory performance and hippocampal volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filbey, Francesca M; McQueeny, Tim; Kadamangudi, Shrinath; Bice, Collette; Ketcherside, Ariel

    2015-10-15

    Combined use of marijuana (MJ) and tobacco is highly prevalent in today's population. Individual use of either substance is linked to structural brain changes and altered cognitive function, especially with consistent reports of hippocampal volume deficits and poorer memory performance. However, the combined effects of MJ and tobacco on hippocampal structure and on learning and memory processes remain unknown. In this study, we examined both the individual and combined effects of MJ and tobacco on hippocampal volumes and memory performance in four groups of adults taken from two larger studies: MJ-only users (n=36), nicotine-only (Nic-only, n=19), combined marijuana and nicotine users (MJ+Nic, n=19) and non-using healthy controls (n=16). Total bilateral hippocampal volumes and memory performance (WMS-III logical memory) were compared across groups controlling for total brain size and recent alcohol use. Results found MJ and MJ+Nic groups had smaller total hippocampal volumes compared to Nic-only and controls. No significant difference between groups was found between immediate and delayed story recall. However, the controls showed a trend for larger hippocampal volumes being associated with better memory scores, while MJ+Nic users showed a unique inversion, whereby smaller hippocampal volume was associated with better memory. Overall, results suggest abnormalities in the brain-behavior relationships underlying memory processes with combined use of marijuana and nicotine use. Further research will need to address these complex interactions between MJ and nicotine. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Xenon Reduces Neuronal Hippocampal Damage and Alters the Pattern of Microglial Activation after Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Randomized Controlled Animal Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Veldeman

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available ObjectiveThe neuroprotective properties of the noble gas xenon have already been demonstrated using a variety of injury models. Here, we examine for the first time xenon’s possible effect in attenuating early brain injury (EBI and its influence on posthemorrhagic microglial neuroinflammation in an in vivo rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH.MethodsSprague-Dawley rats (n = 22 were randomly assigned to receive either Sham surgery (n = 9; divided into two groups or SAH induction via endovascular perforation (n = 13, divided into two groups. Of those randomized for SAH, 7 animals were postoperatively ventilated with 50 vol% oxygen/50 vol% xenon for 1 h and 6 received 50 vol% oxygen/50 vol% nitrogen (control. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after SAH. Of each animal, a cerebral coronal section (−3.60 mm from bregma was selected for assessment of histological damage 24 h after SAH. A 5-point neurohistopathological severity score was applied to assess neuronal cell damage in H&E and NeuN stained sections in a total of four predefined anatomical regions of interest. Microglial activation was evaluated by a software-assisted cell count of Iba-1 stained slices in three cortical regions of interest.ResultsA diffuse cellular damage was apparent in all regions of the ipsilateral hippocampus 24 h after SAH. Xenon-treated animals presented with a milder damage after SAH. This effect was found to be particularly pronounced in the medial regions of the hippocampus, CA3 (p = 0.040, and dentate gyrus (DG p = 0.040. However, for the CA1 and CA2 regions, there were no statistical differences in neuronal damage according to our histological scoring. A cell count of activated microglia was lower in the cortex of xenon-treated animals. This difference was especially apparent in the left piriform cortex (p = 0.017.ConclusionIn animals treated with 50 vol% xenon (for 1 h after SAH, a less pronounced neuronal damage was

  2. Hippocampal development at gestation weeks 23 to 36. An ultrasound study on preterm neonates

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    Bajic, Dragan; Raininko, Raili [Uppsala University, Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Uppsala (Sweden); Ewald, Uwe [Uppsala University, Department of Women' s and Children' s Health, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2010-06-15

    During fetal development, the hippocampal structures fold around the hippocampal sulcus into the temporal lobe. According to the literature, this inversion should be completed at gestation week (GW) 21. Thereafter, the hippocampal shape should resemble the adult shape. However, incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI) is found in 19% of the common population. The aim of this study was to study fetal hippocampal development by examining neonates born preterm. We analyzed cranial ultrasound examinations, performed as a part of the routine assessment of all preterm infants, over a 3-year period and excluded the infants with brain pathology. The final material consisted of 158 children born <35 GW. A rounded form (the ratio between the horizontal and vertical diameters of the hippocampal body {<=}1) in coronal slices was considered the sign of IHI. The age at examination was 23-24 GW in 24 neonates, 25-28 GW in 70 neonates, and 29-36 GW in 64 neonates. IHI was found in 50%, 24%, and 14%, respectively. The difference between the neonates <25 GW and {>=}25 GW was statistically highly significant (p < 0.001). The frequency of bilateral IHI was highest in the youngest age group. In the other groups, the left-sided IHI was the most common. In about 50% of the neonates, hippocampal inversion is not completed up to GW 24; but from 25 GW onwards, the frequency and laterality of IHI is similar to that in the adult population. (orig.)

  3. Context-dependent effects of hippocampal damage on memory in the shock-probe test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehmann, Hugo; Carfagnini, Adrienne; Yamin, Stephanie; Mumby, Dave G

    2005-01-01

    We assessed the role of the hippocampus in anterograde memory, using the shock-probe test. Rats with sham or neurotoxic lesions of the hippocampus were given a shock-probe acquisition session during which each time they contacted a probe they received a shock; 24 h later, the rats were given a second shock-probe session to test their retention, but in this instance the probe was not electrified. Rats were tested in either the same context as the one used during acquisition or in a different context. The hippocampal lesions impaired avoidance of the probe and burying on the retention test, suggesting that the lesions induced anterograde amnesia. However, the impairment was context dependent. The hippocampal lesions impaired avoidance only when the rats were tested in the context in which they received the conditioning. The results of the shock-probe test suggest that the anterograde amnesia following hippocampal lesions is due mainly to an inability to associate the context with the shock more than to an inability to associate the probe with shock. Copyright (c) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Bilateral complex regional pain syndrome following spinal cord injury and bilateral calcaneus fracture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Boyacı

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS is a disease affectingone or more extremities, characterized by spontaneouspain, allodynia, hyperpathia and hyperalgesia.CRPS is separated into Type 1 and Type 2. CRPS whichdevelops after a nociceptive event is labeled as Type 1and when it develops following peripheral nerve damage,Type 2. Although the pathogenesis is not fully understood,peripheral and central sensitivity are held responsible.Bilateral lower extremity involvement is extremely rare.However, it should be borne in mind that it can develop intraumatic injuries which occur in more than one area anddiagnosis and commencement of a rehabilitation programshould be made in the early period. The case is presentedhere of bilateral Type 1 CRPS developing after incompletespinal cord injury and bilateral calcaneus fracture. JClin Exp Invest 2013; 4 (3: 360-363Key words: complex regional pain syndrome, calcaneusfracture, spinal cord injury

  5. Autopsy-confirmed hippocampal-sparing Alzheimer's disease with delusional jealousy as initial manifestation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujishiro, Hiroshige; Iritani, Shuji; Hattori, Miho; Sekiguchi, Hirotaka; Matsunaga, Shinji; Habuchi, Chikako; Torii, Youta; Umeda, Kentaro; Ozaki, Norio; Yoshida, Mari; Fujita, Kiyoshi

    2015-09-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is clinically characterized by gradual onset over years with worsening of cognition. The initial and most prominent cognitive deficit is commonly memory dysfunction. However, a subset of AD cases has less hippocampal atrophy than would be expected relative to the predominance of cortical atrophy. These hippocampal-sparing cases have distinctive clinical features, including the presence of focal cortical clinical syndromes. Given that previous studies have indicated that severe hippocampal atrophy corresponds to prominent loss of episodic memory, it is likely that memory impairment is initially absent in hippocampal-sparing AD cases. Here, we report on a patient with an 8-year history of delusional jealousy with insidious onset who was clinically diagnosed as possible AD and pathologically confirmed to have AD with relatively preserved neurons in the hippocampus. This patient had delusional jealousy with a long pre-dementia stage, which initially was characterized by lack of memory impairment. Head magnetic resonance imaging findings showed preserved hippocampal volume with bilateral enlarged ventricles and mild-to-moderate cortical atrophy. Head single-photon emission computed tomography revealed severely decreased regional cerebral blood flow in the right temporal lobe. The resolution of the delusion was attributed to pharmacotherapy by an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, suggesting that the occurrence of delusional jealousy was due to the disease process of AD. Although the neural basis of delusional jealousy remains unclear, this hippocampal-sparing AD case may be classified as an atypical presentation of AD. © 2015 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2015 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  6. Neuropsychology, Autobiographical Memory, and Hippocampal Volume in “Younger” and “Older” Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herold, Christina Josefa; Lässer, Marc Montgomery; Schmid, Lena Anna; Seidl, Ulrich; Kong, Li; Fellhauer, Iven; Thomann, Philipp Arthur; Essig, Marco; Schröder, Johannes

    2015-01-01

    Despite a wide range of studies on neuropsychology in schizophrenia, autobiographical memory (AM) has been scarcely investigated in these patients. Hence, less is known about AM in older patients and hippocampal contribution to autobiographical memories of varying remoteness. Therefore, we investigated hippocampal volume and AM along with important neuropsychological domains in patients with chronic schizophrenia and the respective relationships between these parameters. We compared 25 older patients with chronic schizophrenia to 23 younger patients and an older healthy control group (N = 21) with respect to AM, additional neuropsychological parameters, and hippocampal volume. Personal episodic and semantic memory was investigated using a semi-structured interview. Additional neuropsychological parameters were assessed by using a battery of standard neuropsychological tests. Structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed with an automated region-of-interest procedure. While hippocampal volume reduction and neuropsychological impairment were more pronounced in the older than in the younger patients, both groups showed equivalent reduced AM performance for recent personal episodes. In the patient group, significant correlations between left hippocampal volume and recent autobiographical episodes as well as personal semantic memories arose. Verbal memory and working memory were significantly correlated with right hippocampal volume; executive functions, however, were associated with bilateral hippocampal volumes. These findings underline the complexity of AM and its impairments in the course of schizophrenia in comparison to rather progressive neuropsychological deficits and address the importance of hippocampal contribution. PMID:25954208

  7. Acute Bilateral Superior Branch Vestibular Neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dario A. Yacovino

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The rapid onset of a bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH is often attributed to vestibular ototoxicity. However, without any prior exposure to ototoxins, the idiopathic form of BVH is most common. Although sequential bilateral vestibular neuritis (VN is described as a cause of BVH, clinical evidence for simultaneous and acute onset bilateral VN is unknown. We describe a patient with an acute onset of severe gait ataxia and oscillopsia with features compatible with acute BVH putatively due to a bilateral VN, which we serially evaluated with clinical and laboratory vestibular function testing over the course of 1 year. Initially, bilateral superior and horizontal semicircular canals and bilateral utricles were impaired, consistent with damage to both superior branches of each vestibular nerve. Hearing was spared. Only modest results were obtained following 6 months of vestibular rehabilitation. At a 1-year follow-up, only the utricular function of one side recovered. This case is the first evidence supporting an acute presentation of bilateral VN as a cause for BVH, which would not have been observed without critical assessment of each of the 10 vestibular end organs.

  8. Restoration of hippocampal growth hormone reverses stress-induced hippocampal impairment

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    Caitlin M. Vander Weele

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Though growth hormone (GH is synthesized by hippocampal neurons, where its expression is influenced by stress exposure, its function is poorly characterized. Here, we show that a regimen of chronic stress that impairs hippocampal function in rats also leads to a profound decrease in hippocampal GH levels. Restoration of hippocampal GH in the dorsal hippocampus via viral-mediated gene transfer completely reversed stress-related impairment of two hippocampus-dependent behavioral tasks, auditory trace fear conditioning and contextual fear conditioning, without affecting hippocampal function in unstressed control rats. GH overexpression reversed stress-induced decrements in both fear acquisition and long-term fear memory. These results suggest that loss of hippocampal GH contributes to hippocampal dysfunction following prolonged stress and demonstrate that restoring hippocampal GH levels following stress can promote stress resilience.

  9. Effects of Early-Life Adversity on Hippocampal Structures and Associated HPA Axis Functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahmen, Brigitte; Puetz, Vanessa B; Scharke, Wolfgang; von Polier, Georg G; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Konrad, Kerstin

    2018-01-01

    Early-life adversity (ELA) is one of the major risk factors for serious mental and physical health risks later in life. ELA has been associated with dysfunctional neurodevelopment, especially in brain structures such as the hippocampus, and with dysfunction of the stress system, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Children who have experienced ELA are also more likely to suffer from mental health disorders such as depression later in life. The exact interplay of aberrant neurodevelopment and HPA axis dysfunction as risks for psychopathology is not yet clear. We investigated volume differences in the bilateral hippocampus and in stress-sensitive hippocampal subfields, behavior problems, and diurnal cortisol activity in 24 children who had experienced documented ELA (including out-of-home placement) in a circumscribed duration of adversity only in their first 3 years of life in comparison to data on 25 control children raised by their biological parents. Hippocampal volumes and stress-sensitive hippocampal subfields (Cornu ammonis [CA]1, CA3, and the granule-cell layer of the dentate gyrus [GCL-DG]) were significantly smaller in children who had experienced ELA, taking psychiatric diagnoses and dimensional psychopathological symptoms into account. ELA moderated the relationship between left hippocampal volume and cortisol: in the control group, hippocampal volumes were not related to diurnal cortisol, while in ELA children, a positive linear relationship between left hippocampal volume and diurnal cortisol was present. Our findings show that ELA is associated with altered development of the hippocampus, and an altered relationship between hippocampal volume and HPA axis activity in youth in care, even after they have lived in stable and caring foster family environments for years. Altered hippocampal development after ELA could thus be associated with a risk phenotype for the development of psychiatric disorders later in life. © 2017 S. Karger

  10. A prospective evaluation of hippocampal radiation dose volume effects and memory deficits following cranial irradiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Ting Martin; Grimm, Jimm; McIntyre, Riley; Anderson-Keightly, Heather; Kleinberg, Lawrence R; Hales, Russell K; Moore, Joseph; Vannorsdall, Tracy; Redmond, Kristin J

    2017-11-01

    To prospectively evaluate hippocampal radiation dose volume effects and memory decline following cranial irradiation. Effects of hippocampal radiation over a wide range of doses were investigated by combining data from three prospective studies. In one, adults with small cell lung cancer received hippocampal-avoidance prophylactic cranial irradiation. In the other two, adults with glioblastoma multiforme received neural progenitor cell sparing radiation or no sparing with extra dose delivered to subventricular zone. Memory was measured by the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised Delayed Recall (HVLT-R DR) at 6 months after radiation. Dose-volume histograms were generated and dose-response data were fitted to a nonlinear model. Of 60 patients enrolled, 30 were analyzable based on HVLT-R DR testing completion status, baseline HVLT-R DR and intracranial metastasis/recurrence or prior hippocampal resection status. We observed a dose-response of radiation to the hippocampus with regard to decline in HVLT-R DR. D50% of the bilateral hippocampi of 22.1 Gy is associated with 20% risk of decline. This prospective study demonstrates an association between hippocampal dose volume effects and memory decline measured by HVLT-R DR over a wide dose range. These data support a potential benefit of hippocampal sparing and encourage continued trial enrollment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Hippocampal leptin signaling reduces food intake and modulates food-related memory processing.

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    Kanoski, Scott E; Hayes, Matthew R; Greenwald, Holly S; Fortin, Samantha M; Gianessi, Carol A; Gilbert, Jennifer R; Grill, Harvey J

    2011-08-01

    The increase in obesity prevalence highlights the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the neural systems controlling food intake; one that extends beyond food intake driven by metabolic need and considers that driven by higher-order cognitive factors. The hippocampus, a brain structure involved in learning and memory function, has recently been linked with food intake control. Here we examine whether administration of the adiposity hormone leptin to the dorsal and ventral sub-regions of the hippocampus influences food intake and memory for food. Leptin (0.1 μg) delivered bilaterally to the ventral hippocampus suppressed food intake and body weight measured 24 h after administration; a higher dose (0.4 μg) was needed to suppress intake following dorsal hippocampal delivery. Leptin administration to the ventral but not dorsal hippocampus blocked the expression of a conditioned place preference for food and increased the latency to run for food in an operant runway paradigm. Additionally, ventral but not dorsal hippocampal leptin delivery suppressed memory consolidation for the spatial location of food, whereas hippocampal leptin delivery had no effect on memory consolidation in a non-spatial appetitive response paradigm. Collectively these findings indicate that ventral hippocampal leptin signaling contributes to the inhibition of food-related memories elicited by contextual stimuli. To conclude, the results support a role for hippocampal leptin signaling in the control of food intake and food-related memory processing.

  12. Distinguishing Depressive Pseudodementia from Alzheimer Disease: A Comparative Study of Hippocampal Volumetry and Cognitive Tests

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    Sevki Sahin

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Depressive pseudodementia (DPD is a condition which may develop secondary to depression. The aim of this study was to contribute to the differential diagnosis between Alzheimer disease (AD and DPD by comparing the neurocognitive tests and hippocampal volume. Materials and Methods: Patients who met criteria of AD/DPD were enrolled in the study. All patients were assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS, clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT, Boston Naming Test, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS. Hippocampal volume was measured by importing the coronal T1-weighted magnetic resonance images to the Vitrea 2 workstation. Results: A significant difference was found between the AD and DPD groups on the WMS test, clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Boston Naming Test, MMSE, GDS, and left hippocampal volume. A significant correlation between BFRT and bilateral hippocampal volumes was found in the AD group. No correlation was found among parameters in DPD patients. Conclusions: Our results suggest that evaluation of facial recognition and left hippocampal volume may provide more reliable evidence for distinguishing DPD from AD. Further investigations combined with functional imaging techniques including more patients are needed.

  13. Hippocampal volume reduction in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

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    Paul M Macey

    Full Text Available Children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS, a genetic disorder characterized by diminished drive to breathe during sleep and impaired CO(2 sensitivity, show brain structural and functional changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans, with impaired responses in specific hippocampal regions, suggesting localized injury.We assessed total volume and regional variation in hippocampal surface morphology to identify areas affected in the syndrome. We studied 18 CCHS (mean age+/-std: 15.1+/-2.2 years; 8 female and 32 healthy control (age 15.2+/-2.4 years; 14 female children, and traced hippocampi on 1 mm(3 resolution T1-weighted scans, collected with a 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner. Regional hippocampal volume variations, adjusted for cranial volume, were compared between groups based on t-tests of surface distances to the structure midline, with correction for multiple comparisons. Significant tissue losses emerged in CCHS patients on the left side, with a trend for loss on the right; however, most areas affected on the left also showed equivalent right-sided volume reductions. Reduced regional volumes appeared in the left rostral hippocampus, bilateral areas in mid and mid-to-caudal regions, and a dorsal-caudal region, adjacent to the fimbria.The volume losses may result from hypoxic exposure following hypoventilation during sleep-disordered breathing, or from developmental or vascular consequences of genetic mutations in the syndrome. The sites of change overlap regions of abnormal functional responses to respiratory and autonomic challenges. Affected hippocampal areas have roles associated with memory, mood, and indirectly, autonomic regulation; impairments in these behavioral and physiological functions appear in CCHS.

  14. Effect of dorsal hippocampal lesion compared to dorsal hippocampal blockade by atropine on reference memory in vision deprived rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhume, R A; Noronha, A; Nagwekar, M D; Mascarenhas, J F

    1989-10-01

    In order to study the primacy of the hippocampus in place learning function 24 male adult albino rats were hippocampally-lesioned in dorsal hippocampus involving fornical damage (group I); sham operated for comparison with group I (group II); cannulated for instillation of atropine sulphate in the same loci as group I (group III); and cannulated for instillation of saline which served as control for group III (group IV). All the animals were enucleated and their reference memory (long-term memory) was tested, using open 4-arm radial maze. There was loss of reference memory in groups I and III. However, hippocampally-lesioned animals, showed recovery of reference memory deficit within a short period of 10 days or so. Whereas atropinized animals showed persistent reference memory deficit as long as the instillation effect continued. The mechanism involved in the recovery of reference memory in hippocampally-lesioned animals and persistent deficit of reference memory in atropinized animals has been postulated to explain the primacy of hippocampus in the place learning function under normal conditions.

  15. Bilateral occipital lobe infarction with altitudinal field loss following radiofrequency cardiac catheter ablation

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    Chen Celia S

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bilateral stroke following radiofrequency catheter ablation is an unusual complication and may result in bilateral altitudinal visual field defects. Bilateral altitudinal visual field defects usually result from prechiasmal pathology causing damage to both retinas or optic nerves and rarely from bilateral symmetric damage to the post chiasmal visual pathways. Case presentation A 48-year-old man complained of visual disturbance on wakening following radiofrequency catheter ablation. The patient had a CHADS score of 1 pre-operatively and no complications were noted intra-operatively. Examination revealed a bilateral superior altitudinal defect and MRI of the brain showed multifocal areas of infarction predominantly involving the occipital lobes which correlated to with the visual deficits. Conclusion While the risk of thromboembolism and perioperative stroke during radiofrequency catheter ablation is small, it is not insignificant.

  16. Medial Entorhinal Cortex Lesions Only Partially Disrupt Hippocampal Place Cells and Hippocampus-Dependent Place Memory

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    Jena B. Hales

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The entorhinal cortex provides the primary cortical projections to the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for memory. However, it remains unclear how the precise firing patterns of medial entorhinal cortex (MEC cells influence hippocampal physiology and hippocampus-dependent behavior. We found that complete bilateral lesions of the MEC resulted in a lower proportion of active hippocampal cells. The remaining active cells had place fields, but with decreased spatial precision and decreased long-term spatial stability. In addition, MEC rats were as impaired in the water maze as hippocampus rats, while rats with combined MEC and hippocampal lesions had an even greater deficit. However, MEC rats were not impaired on other hippocampus-dependent tasks, including those in which an object location or context was remembered. Thus, the MEC is not necessary for all types of spatial coding or for all types of hippocampus-dependent memory, but it is necessary for the normal acquisition of place memory.

  17. Foveal damage in habitual poppers users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audo, Isabelle; El Sanharawi, Mohamed; Vignal-Clermont, Catherine; Villa, Antoine; Morin, Annie; Conrath, John; Fompeydie, Dominique; Sahel, José-Alain; Gocho-Nakashima, Kiyoko; Goureau, Olivier; Paques, Michel

    2011-06-01

    To describe foveal damage in habitual use of poppers, a popular recreational drug. Retrospective observational case series. Six patients with bilateral vision loss after chronic popper inhalation were seen in 4 university-based ophthalmology departments. Symptoms, medical history, ophthalmic examination, and functional and morphological tests are described. All patients experienced progressive bilateral vision loss, with central photopsia in 2 cases. Initial visual acuities ranged from 20/50 to 20/25. In all patients, a bilateral yellow foveal spot was present that, by optical coherence tomography, was associated with disruption of the outer segments of foveal cones. Functional and anatomical damage was restricted to the fovea. The poppers involved were identified as isopropyl nitrite in 3 cases. Four patients showed anatomical and/or functional improvement over several months after discontinuing popper inhalation. Repeated inhalation of poppers may be associated with prolonged bilateral vision loss due to the disruption of foveal cone outer segments. Retinal damage may progressively improve following drug discontinuation.

  18. Gaba /SUB a/ vs gaba /SUB b/ modulation of septal-hippocampal interconnections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blaker, W.D.; Cheney, D.L.; Costa, E.

    1986-01-01

    The authors perform studies to correlate pharmacologically induced decreases in the hippocampal TR /SUB ACh/ with changes in extinction of a foodreinforced lever press response. The authors differentiate the behavioral effects elicited by GABAergic vs. non-GABAergic inhibition of hippocampal cholinergic activity as well as show that GABA /SUB A/ receptor activation in the septum produces a behavioral-biochemical profile different from that elicited by GABA /SUB B/ receptor activation. To characterize GABA receptors tritium-GABA binding was performed in rats injected bilaterally with 1 ug kainic acid into the ventral and dorsal hippocampi. Representative cumulative recorder tracings showing the effect of varius intraseptal doses of the GABA /SUB A/ agonist muscimol on extinction after CRF training are show for one experiment. The most marked differences between muscimol and saline treated rats were seen in the extinction response patterns

  19. Structural hippocampal network alterations during healthy aging: A multi-modal MRI study

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    Amandine ePelletier

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available While hippocampal atrophy has been described during healthy aging, few studies have examined its relationship with the integrity of White Matter (WM connecting tracts of the limbic system. This investigation examined WM structural damage specifically related to hippocampal atrophy in healthy aging subjects (n=129, using morphological MRI to assess hippocampal volume and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI to assess WM integrity. Subjects with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI or dementia were excluded from the analysis. In our sample, increasing age was significantly associated with reduced hippocampal volume and reduced Fractional Anisotropy (FA at the level of the fornix and the cingulum bundle. The findings also demonstrate that hippocampal atrophy was specifically associated with reduced FA of the fornix bundle, but it was not related to alteration of the cingulum bundle. Our results indicate that the relationship between hippocampal atrophy and fornix FA values is not due to an independent effect of age on both structures. A recursive regression procedure was applied to evaluate sequential relationships between the alterations of these two brain structures. When both hippocampal atrophy and fornix FA values were included in the same model to predict age, fornix FA values remained significant whereas hippocampal atrophy was no longer significantly associated with age. According to this latter finding, hippocampal atrophy in healthy aging could be mediated by a loss of fornix connections. Structural alterations of this part of the limbic system, which have been associated with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, result at least in part from the aging process.

  20. Memory Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Correlates with Reduced Hippocampal CA1 and Subiculum Volumes

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    Yan-Wei Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Little attention has been paid to the role of subcortical deep gray matter (SDGM structures in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM-induced cognitive impairment, especially hippocampal subfields. Our aims were to assess the in vivo volumes of SDGM structures and hippocampal subfields using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and to test their associations with cognitive performance in T2DM. Methods: A total of 80 T2DM patients and 80 neurologically unimpaired healthy controls matched by age, sex and education level was enrolled in this study. We assessed the volumes of the SDGM structures and seven hippocampal subfields on MRI using a novel technique that enabled automated volumetry. We used Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA scores as measures of cognitive performance. The association of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c with SDGM structures and neuropsychological tests and correlations between hippocampal subfields and neuropsychological tests were assessed by partial correlation analysis in T2DM. Results: Bilaterally, the hippocampal volumes were smaller in T2DM patients, mainly in the CA1 and subiculum subfields. Partial correlation analysis showed that the MoCA scores, particularly those regarding delayed memory, were significantly positively correlated with reduced hippocampal CA1 and subiculum volumes in T2DM patients. Additionally, higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with poor memory performance and hippocampal atrophy among T2DM patients. Conclusions: These data indicate that the hippocampus might be the main affected region among the SDGM structures in T2DM. These structural changes in the hippocampal CA1 and subiculum areas might be at the core of underlying neurobiological mechanisms of hippocampal dysfunction, suggesting that degeneration in these regions could be responsible for memory impairments in T2DM patients.

  1. Protective effects of hydroponic Teucrium polium on hippocampal neurodegeneration in ovariectomized rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonyan, K V; Chavushyan, V A

    2016-10-24

    The hippocampus is a target of ovarian hormones, and is necessary for memory. Ovarian hormone loss is associated with a progressive reduction in synaptic strength and dendritic spine. Teucrium polium has beneficial effects on learning and memory. However, it remains unknown whether Teucrium polium ameliorates hippocampal cells spike activity and morphological impairments induced by estrogen deficiency. In the present study, we investigated the effects of hydroponic Teucrium polium on hippocampal neuronal activity and morpho-histochemistry of bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Tetanic potentiation or depression with posttetanic potentiation and depression was recorded extracellularly in response to ipsilateral entorhinal cortex high frequency stimulation. In morpho-histochemical study revealing of the activity of Ca 2+ -dependent acid phosphatase was observed. In all groups (sham-operated, sham + Teucrium polium, OVX, OVX + Teucrium polium), most recorded hippocampal neurons at HFS of entorhinal cortex showed TD-PTP responses. After 8 weeks in OVX group an anomalous evoked spike activity was detected (a high percentage of typical areactive units). In OVX + Teucrium polium group a synaptic activity was revealed, indicating prevention OVX-induced degenerative alterations: balance of types of responses was close to norm and areactive units were not recorded. All recorded neurons in sham + Teucrium polium group were characterized by the highest mean frequency background and poststimulus activity. In OVX+ Teucrium polium group the hippocampal cells had recovered their size and shape in CA1 and CA3 field compared with OVX group where hippocampal cells were characterized by a sharp drop in phosphatase activity and there was a complete lack of processes reaction. Thus, Teucrium polium reduced OVX-induce neurodegenerative alterations in entorhinal cortex-hippocamp circuitry and facilitated neuronal survival by modulating activity of neurotransmitters and

  2. Impaired Odor Recognition Memory in Patients with Hippocampal Lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, Daniel A.; Squire, Larry R.; Hopkins, Ramona O.

    2004-01-01

    In humans, impaired recognition memory following lesions thought to be limited to the hippocampal region has been demonstrated for a wide variety of tasks. However, the importance of the human hippocampus for olfactory recognition memory has scarcely been explored. We evaluated the ability of memory-impaired patients with damage thought to be…

  3. Hippocampal sclerosis and status epilepticus: cause or consequence? A MRI study; Esclerose hipocampal e status epilepticus: causa ou consequencia? Um estudo de RM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuster, Gustavo Wruck; Braga-Neto, Pedro; Santos-Neto, Denizart; Santana, Maria Teresa Garcia; Barsottini, Orlando Graziani [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP-EPM), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Dept. of Neurology. Div. of General Neurology; Maia Junior, Antonio Carlos Martins [Fleury Institute, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit

    2007-12-15

    Background: Transient imaging abnormalities, including changes on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), may be seen in status epilepticus. These abnormalities can be followed by hippocampal sclerosis. Case Report: We report a 15-year-old lady with focal non convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) and focal slowing on EEG. DWI exhibited abnormal hyperintense signals in bilateral temporal and insular cortices. After 3 weeks, MRI performed a localized hippocampal atrophy. Conclusion: The MRI findings indicated vasogenic and cytotoxic edema during seizure activity and subsequent loss of brain parenchyma. (author)

  4. The cumulative analgesic effect of repeated electroacupuncture involves synaptic remodeling in the hippocampal CA3 region☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Qiuling; Liu, Tao; Chen, Shuping; Gao, Yonghui; Wang, Junying; Qiao, Lina; Liu, Junling

    2012-01-01

    In the present study, we examined the analgesic effect of repeated electroacupuncture at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) once a day for 14 consecutive days in a rat model of chronic sciatic nerve constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain. In addition, concomitant changes in calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II expression and synaptic ultrastructure of neurons in the hippocampal CA3 region were examined. The thermal pain threshold (paw withdrawal latency) was increased significantly in both groups at 2 weeks after electroacupuncture intervention compared with 2 days of electroacupuncture. In ovariectomized rats with chronic constriction injury, the analgesic effect was significantly reduced. Electroacupuncture for 2 weeks significantly diminished the injury-induced increase in synaptic cleft width and thinning of the postsynaptic density, and it significantly suppressed the down-regulation of intracellular calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II expression in the hippocampal CA3 region. Repeated electroacupuncture intervention had a cumulative analgesic effect on injury-induced neuropathic pain reactions, and it led to synaptic remodeling of hippocampal neurons and upregulated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II expression in the hippocampal CA3 region. PMID:25657670

  5. Bihippocampal damage with emotional dysfunction: impaired auditory recognition of fear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghika-Schmid, F; Ghika, J; Vuilleumier, P; Assal, G; Vuadens, P; Scherer, K; Maeder, P; Uske, A; Bogousslavsky, J

    1997-01-01

    A right-handed man developed a sudden transient, amnestic syndrome associated with bilateral hemorrhage of the hippocampi, probably due to Urbach-Wiethe disease. In the 3rd month, despite significant hippocampal structural damage on imaging, only a milder degree of retrograde and anterograde amnesia persisted on detailed neuropsychological examination. On systematic testing of recognition of facial and vocal expression of emotion, we found an impairment of the vocal perception of fear, but not that of other emotions, such as joy, sadness and anger. Such selective impairment of fear perception was not present in the recognition of facial expression of emotion. Thus emotional perception varies according to the different aspects of emotions and the different modality of presentation (faces versus voices). This is consistent with the idea that there may be multiple emotion systems. The study of emotional perception in this unique case of bilateral involvement of hippocampus suggests that this structure may play a critical role in the recognition of fear in vocal expression, possibly dissociated from that of other emotions and from that of fear in facial expression. In regard of recent data suggesting that the amygdala is playing a role in the recognition of fear in the auditory as well as in the visual modality this could suggest that the hippocampus may be part of the auditory pathway of fear recognition.

  6. The right hippocampus leads the bilateral integration of gamma-parsed lateralized information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benito, Nuria; Martín-Vázquez, Gonzalo; Makarova, Julia; Makarov, Valeri A; Herreras, Oscar

    2016-01-01

    It is unclear whether the two hippocampal lobes convey similar or different activities and how they cooperate. Spatial discrimination of electric fields in anesthetized rats allowed us to compare the pathway-specific field potentials corresponding to the gamma-paced CA3 output (CA1 Schaffer potentials) and CA3 somatic inhibition within and between sides. Bilateral excitatory Schaffer gamma waves are generally larger and lead from the right hemisphere with only moderate covariation of amplitude, and drive CA1 pyramidal units more strongly than unilateral waves. CA3 waves lock to the ipsilateral Schaffer potentials, although bilateral coherence was weak. Notably, Schaffer activity may run laterally, as seen after the disruption of the connecting pathways. Thus, asymmetric operations promote the entrainment of CA3-autonomous gamma oscillators bilaterally, synchronizing lateralized gamma strings to converge optimally on CA1 targets. The findings support the view that interhippocampal connections integrate different aspects of information that flow through the left and right lobes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16658.001 PMID:27599221

  7. Hippocampal phosphoproteomics of F344 rats exposed to 1-bromopropane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Zhenlie; Ichihara, Sahoko; Oikawa, Shinji; Chang, Jie; Zhang, Lingyi; Hu, Shijie; Huang, Hanlin; Ichihara, Gaku

    2015-01-01

    1-Bromopropane (1-BP) is neurotoxic in both experimental animals and human. To identify phosphorylated modification on the unrecognized post-translational modifications of proteins and investigate their role in 1-BP-induced neurotoxicity, changes in hippocampal phosphoprotein expression levels were analyzed quantitatively in male F344 rats exposed to 1-BP inhalation at 0, 400, or 1000 ppm for 8 h/day for 1 or 4 weeks. Hippocampal protein extracts were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by Pro-Q Diamond gel staining and SYPRO Ruby staining coupled with two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), respectively, as well as by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) to identify phosphoproteins. Changes in selected proteins were further confirmed by Manganese II (Mn 2+ )-Phos-tag SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Bax and cytochrome c protein levels were determined by western blotting. Pro-Q Diamond gel staining combined with 2D-DIGE identified 26 phosphoprotein spots (p < 0.05), and MALDI-TOF/MS identified 18 up-regulated proteins and 8 down-regulated proteins. These proteins are involved in the biological process of response to stimuli, metabolic processes, and apoptosis signaling. Changes in the expression of phosphorylated 14-3-3 θ were further confirmed by Mn 2+ -Phos-tag SDS-PAGE. Western blotting showed overexpression of Bax protein in the mitochondria with down-regulation in the cytoplasm, whereas cytochrome c expression was high in the cytoplasm but low in the mitochondria after 1-BP exposure. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of 1-BP-induced hippocampal damage involves inhibition of antiapoptosis process. Phosphoproteins identified in this study can potentially serve as biomarkers for 1-BP-induced neurotoxicity. - Highlights: • 1-BP modified hippocampal phosphoproteome in rat and 23 altered proteins were identified. • 1-BP changed phosphorylation of GRP78

  8. Hippocampal phosphoproteomics of F344 rats exposed to 1-bromopropane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Zhenlie [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou 510-300 (China); Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Ichihara, Sahoko [Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan); Oikawa, Shinji [Department of Environmental and Molecular Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie 514-8507 (Japan); Chang, Jie [Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507 (Japan); Zhang, Lingyi [Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510 (Japan); Hu, Shijie [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou 510-300 (China); Huang, Hanlin, E-mail: huanghl@gdoh.org [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangdong Province Hospital for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Guangzhou 510-300 (China); Ichihara, Gaku, E-mail: gak@rs.tus.ac.jp [Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Noda 278-8510 (Japan)

    2015-01-15

    1-Bromopropane (1-BP) is neurotoxic in both experimental animals and human. To identify phosphorylated modification on the unrecognized post-translational modifications of proteins and investigate their role in 1-BP-induced neurotoxicity, changes in hippocampal phosphoprotein expression levels were analyzed quantitatively in male F344 rats exposed to 1-BP inhalation at 0, 400, or 1000 ppm for 8 h/day for 1 or 4 weeks. Hippocampal protein extracts were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by Pro-Q Diamond gel staining and SYPRO Ruby staining coupled with two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), respectively, as well as by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) to identify phosphoproteins. Changes in selected proteins were further confirmed by Manganese II (Mn{sup 2+})-Phos-tag SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Bax and cytochrome c protein levels were determined by western blotting. Pro-Q Diamond gel staining combined with 2D-DIGE identified 26 phosphoprotein spots (p < 0.05), and MALDI-TOF/MS identified 18 up-regulated proteins and 8 down-regulated proteins. These proteins are involved in the biological process of response to stimuli, metabolic processes, and apoptosis signaling. Changes in the expression of phosphorylated 14-3-3 θ were further confirmed by Mn{sup 2+}-Phos-tag SDS-PAGE. Western blotting showed overexpression of Bax protein in the mitochondria with down-regulation in the cytoplasm, whereas cytochrome c expression was high in the cytoplasm but low in the mitochondria after 1-BP exposure. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of 1-BP-induced hippocampal damage involves inhibition of antiapoptosis process. Phosphoproteins identified in this study can potentially serve as biomarkers for 1-BP-induced neurotoxicity. - Highlights: • 1-BP modified hippocampal phosphoproteome in rat and 23 altered proteins were identified. • 1-BP changed phosphorylation

  9. Hippocampal volume MRI and 1H-MRS study in chronic alcohol dependent patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miao Huanmin; Chen Jun; Zha Yunfei; Zhang Yu; Liu Changsheng; Pan Ewu

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To observe the changes of the bilateral hippocampal volume (BHV) and 1 H- MRS appearance of chronic alcohol dependent (CAD) patients and to provide quantitative information for the clinical diagnosis of CAD. Methods: The conventional MR imaging including three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient recalled echo (3D-FSPGR) and 1 H-MRS were performed on 16 patients with CAD (CAD group) and 18 cases of volunteer (control group). The BHV were measured in both groups and the standardized BHV in CAD group and control group were compared. 1 H-MRS metabolites including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), Choline compounds (Cho), Creatine (Cr), and myoinositol (mI) of the bilateral cephalic hippocampus were acquired. The ratios of Cho/Ci, Cho/NAA, NAA/Cr and mI/Ci within the bilateral cephalic hippocampus of the two groups were compared. The t test was used to compare the BHV and the ratios of 1 H-MRS in the bilateral cephalic hippocampus between the two groups. Results: In CAD group, the left and the right hippocampal volume were 1.881±0.292, 2.139±0.328 respectively while they were 2.106±0.245 and 2.267±0.271 respectively in the control group. The BHV had no significant difference between the left and the right in either the CAD group or the control group (t=0.232, 0.147 respectively, P>0.05). The BHV had no significant difference between the CAD group and control group (t=0.424, 0.131 respectively, P>0.05). The Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr in the right cephalic hippocampus of the CAD group were 1.225±0.210 and 1.145±0.034 respectively, while they were 1.429±0.286, 1.612±0.444 respectively in the control group (t=0.321, 0.408, P 1 H-MRS could potentially provide early diagnostic evidence for CAD patients before the onset of cerebral morphological changes. (authors)

  10. Bilateral intraocular lens subluxation secondary to haptic angulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Montañés, Javier; Fernández-Hortelano, Ana; Caire, Josemaría

    2008-04-01

    An 82-year-old man had uneventful phacoemulsification with bilateral implantation of a hydrophilic acrylic, single-piece intraocular lens (IOL) (ACR6D SE, Laboratoires Cornéal). Five years later, simultaneous and bilateral IOL subluxations occurred. In both eyes, the subluxation was situated on the side of one haptic that had moved forward (temporal area in the right eye and superior area in the left eye). In the right eye, the haptic-capsular bag was entrapped by the pupil and produced endothelial damage. A transscleral suture was placed over and under the subluxated haptic through the anterior and posterior capsules to capture the haptic. The haptic was then sutured to the sclera. No postoperative complications developed. We hypothesize that 10-degree angulated and broad haptic junctions can lead to zonular damage and IOL subluxation.

  11. Impaired representation of geometric relationships in humans with damage to the hippocampal formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finke, Carsten; Ostendorf, Florian; Braun, Mischa; Ploner, Christoph J

    2011-01-01

    The pivotal role of the hippocampus for spatial memory is well-established. However, while neurophysiological and imaging studies suggest a specialization of the hippocampus for viewpoint-independent or allocentric memory, results from human lesion studies have been less conclusive. It is currently unclear whether disproportionate impairment in allocentric memory tasks reflects impairment of cognitive functions that are not sufficiently supported by regions outside the medial temporal lobe or whether the deficits observed in some studies are due to experimental factors. Here, we have investigated whether hippocampal contributions to spatial memory depend on the spatial references that are available in a certain behavioral context. Patients with medial temporal lobe lesions affecting systematically the right hippocampal formation performed a series of three oculomotor tasks that required memory of a spatial cue either in retinal coordinates or relative to a single environmental reference across a delay of 5000 ms. Stimulus displays varied the availability of spatial references and contained no complex visuo-spatial associations. Patients showed a selective impairment in a condition that critically depended on memory of the geometric relationship between spatial cue and environmental reference. We infer that regions of the medial temporal lobe, most likely the hippocampal formation, contribute to behavior in conditions that exceed the potential of viewpoint-dependent or egocentric representations. Apparently, this already applies to short-term memory of simple geometric relationships and does not necessarily depend on task difficulty or integration of landmarks into more complex representations. Deficient memory of basic geometric relationships may represent a core deficit that contributes to impaired performance in allocentric spatial memory tasks.

  12. Hippocampal Administration of Levothyroxine Impairs Contextual Fear Memory Consolidation in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Dafu; Zhou, Heng; Zou, Lin; Jiang, Yong; Wu, Xiaoqun; Jiang, Lizhu; Zhou, Qixin; Yang, Yuexiong; Xu, Lin; Mao, Rongrong

    2017-01-01

    Thyroid hormone (TH) receptors are highly distributed in the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in memory processes. However, how THs are involved in the different stages of memory process is little known. Herein, we used hippocampus dependent contextual fear conditioning to address the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory. First, we found that a single systemic levothyroxine (LT 4 ) administration increased the level of free triiodothyronine (FT 3 ) and free tetraiodothyroxine (FT 4 ) not only in serum but also in hippocampus. In addition, a single systemic LT 4 administration immediately after fear conditioning significantly impaired fear memory. These results indicated the important role of hippocampal THs in fear memory process. To further confirm the effects of hippocampal THs on the different stages of fear memory, LT 4 (0.4 μg/μl, 1 μl/side) was injected bilaterally into hippocampus. Rats given LT 4 into hippocampus before training or tests had no effect on the acquisition or retrieval of fear memory, however rats given LT 4 into hippocampus either immediately or 2 h after training showed being significantly impaired fear memory, which demonstrated LT 4 administration into hippocampus impairs the consolidation but has no effect on the acquisition and retrieval of fear memory. Furthermore, hippocampal injection of LT 4 did not affect rats' locomotor activity, thigmotaxis and THs level in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and serum. These findings may have important implications for understanding mechanisms underlying contribution of THs to memory disorders.

  13. Hypoxic pretreatment protects against neuronal damage of the rat hippocampus induced by severe hypoxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorgias, N; Maidatsi, P; Tsolaki, M; Alvanou, A; Kiriazis, G; Kaidoglou, K; Giala, M

    1996-04-01

    The present study investigates whether under conditions of successive hypoxic exposures pretreatment with mild (15% O(2)) or moderate (10% O(2)) hypoxia, protects hippocampal neurones against damage induced by severe (3% O(2)) hypoxia. The ultrastructural findings were also correlated with regional superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity changes. In unpretreated rats severe hypoxia induced ultrastructural changes consistent with the aspects of delayed neuronal death (DND). However, in preexposed animals hippocampal damage was attenuated in an inversely proportional way with the severity of the hypoxic pretreatment. The ultrastructural hypoxic tolerance findings were also closely related to increased regional SOD activity levels. Thus the activation of the endogenous antioxidant defense by hypoxic preconditioning, protects against hippocampal damage induced by severe hypoxia. The eventual contribution of increased endogenous adenosine and/or reduced excitotoxicity to induce hypoxic tolerance is discussed.

  14. The relationship between level of processing and hippocampal-cortical functional connectivity during episodic memory formation in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schott, Björn H; Wüstenberg, Torsten; Wimber, Maria; Fenker, Daniela B; Zierhut, Kathrin C; Seidenbecher, Constanze I; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Walter, Henrik; Düzel, Emrah; Richardson-Klavehn, Alan

    2013-02-01

    New episodic memory traces represent a record of the ongoing neocortical processing engaged during memory formation (encoding). Thus, during encoding, deep (semantic) processing typically establishes more distinctive and retrievable memory traces than does shallow (perceptual) processing, as assessed by later episodic memory tests. By contrast, the hippocampus appears to play a processing-independent role in encoding, because hippocampal lesions impair encoding regardless of level of processing. Here, we clarified the neural relationship between processing and encoding by examining hippocampal-cortical connectivity during deep and shallow encoding. Participants studied words during functional magnetic resonance imaging and freely recalled these words after distraction. Deep study processing led to better recall than shallow study processing. For both levels of processing, successful encoding elicited activations of bilateral hippocampus and left prefrontal cortex, and increased functional connectivity between left hippocampus and bilateral medial prefrontal, cingulate and extrastriate cortices. Successful encoding during deep processing was additionally associated with increased functional connectivity between left hippocampus and bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction. In the shallow encoding condition, on the other hand, pronounced functional connectivity increases were observed between the right hippocampus and the frontoparietal attention network activated during shallow study processing. Our results further specify how the hippocampus coordinates recording of ongoing neocortical activity into long-term memory, and begin to provide a neural explanation for the typical advantage of deep over shallow study processing for later episodic memory. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Mutism and auditory agnosia due to bilateral insular damage--role of the insula in human communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habib, M; Daquin, G; Milandre, L; Royere, M L; Rey, M; Lanteri, A; Salamon, G; Khalil, R

    1995-03-01

    We report a case of transient mutism and persistent auditory agnosia due to two successive ischemic infarcts mainly involving the insular cortex on both hemispheres. During the 'mutic' period, which lasted about 1 month, the patient did not respond to any auditory stimuli and made no effort to communicate. On follow-up examinations, language competences had re-appeared almost intact, but a massive auditory agnosia for non-verbal sounds was observed. From close inspection of lesion site, as determined with brain resonance imaging, and from a study of auditory evoked potentials, it is concluded that bilateral insular damage was crucial to both expressive and receptive components of the syndrome. The role of the insula in verbal and non-verbal communication is discussed in the light of anatomical descriptions of the pattern of connectivity of the insular cortex.

  16. Chronic corticosterone exposure reduces hippocampal glycogen level and induces depression-like behavior in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui-yu; Zhao, Yu-nan; Wang, Zhong-li; Huang, Yu-fang

    2015-01-01

    Long-term exposure to stress or high glucocorticoid levels leads to depression-like behavior in rodents; however, the cause remains unknown. Increasing evidence shows that astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the central nervous system (CNS), are important to the nervous system. Astrocytes nourish and protect the neurons, and serve as glycogen repositories for the brain. The metabolic process of glycogen, which is closely linked to neuronal activity, can supply sufficient energy substrates for neurons. The research team probed into the effects of chronic corticosterone (CORT) exposure on the glycogen level of astrocytes in the hippocampal tissues of male C57BL/6N mice in this study. The results showed that chronic CORT injection reduced hippocampal neurofilament light protein (NF-L) and synaptophysin (SYP) levels, induced depression-like behavior in male mice, reduced hippocampal glycogen level and glycogen synthase activity, and increased glycogen phosphorylase activity. The results suggested that the reduction of the hippocampal glycogen level may be the mechanism by which chronic CORT treatment damages hippocampal neurons and induces depression-like behavior in male mice.

  17. Both oophorectomy and obesity impaired solely hippocampal-dependent memory via increased hippocampal dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mantor, Duangkamol; Pratchayasakul, Wasana; Minta, Wanitchaya; Sutham, Wissuta; Palee, Siripong; Sripetchwandee, Jirapas; Kerdphoo, Sasiwan; Jaiwongkum, Thidarat; Sriwichaiin, Sirawit; Krintratun, Warunsorn; Chattipakorn, Nipon; Chattipakorn, Siriporn C

    2018-04-17

    Our previous study demonstrated that obesity aggravated peripheral insulin resistance and brain dysfunction in the ovariectomized condition. Conversely, the effect of obesity followed by oophorectomy on brain oxidative stress, brain apoptosis, synaptic function and cognitive function, particularly in hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent memory, has not been investigated. Our hypothesis was that oophorectomy aggravated metabolic impairment, brain dysfunction and cognitive impairment in obese rats. Thirty-two female rats were fed with either a normal diet (ND, n = 16) or a high-fat diet (HFD, n = 16) for a total of 20 weeks. At week 13, rats in each group were subdivided into sham and ovariectomized subgroups (n = 8/subgroup). At week 20, all rats were tested for hippocampal-dependent and hippocampal-independent memory by using Morris water maze test (MWM) and Novel objective recognition (NOR) tests, respectively. We found that the obese-insulin resistant condition occurred in sham-HFD-fed rats (HFS), ovariectomized-ND-fed rats (NDO), and ovariectomized-HFD-fed rats (HFO). Increased hippocampal oxidative stress level, increased hippocampal apoptosis, increased hippocampal synaptic dysfunction, decreased hippocampal estrogen level and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory were observed in HFS, NDO, and HFO rats. However, the hippocampal-independent memory, cortical estrogen levels, cortical ROS production, and cortical apoptosis showed no significant difference between groups. These findings suggested that oophorectomy and obesity exclusively impaired hippocampal-dependent memory, possibly via increased hippocampal dysfunction. Nonetheless, oophorectomy did not aggravate these deleterious effects under conditions of obesity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Long-Term Treatment with Paroxetine Increases Verbal Declarative Memory and Hippocampal Volume in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermetten, Eric; Vythilingam, Meena; Southwick, Steven M.; Charney, Dennis S.; Bremner, J. Douglas

    2011-01-01

    Background Animal studies have shown that stress is associated with damage to the hippocampus, inhibition of neurogenesis, and deficits in hippocampal-based memory dysfunction. Studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found deficits in hippocampal-based declarative verbal memory and smaller hippocampal volume, as measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recent preclinical evidence has shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors promote neurogenesis and reverse the effects of stress on hippocampal atrophy. This study assessed the effects of long-term treatment with paroxetine on hippocampal volume and declarative memory performance in PTSD. Methods Declarative memory was assessed with the Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised and Selective Reminding Test before and after 9–12 months of treatment with paroxetine in PTSD. Hippocampal volume was measured with MRI. Of the 28 patients who started the protocol, 23 completed the full course of treatment and neuropsychological testing. Twenty patients were able to complete MRI imaging. Results Patients with PTSD showed a significant improvement in PTSD symptoms with treatment. Treatment resulted in significant improvements in verbal declarative memory and a 4.6% increase in mean hippocampal volume. Conclusions These findings suggest that long-term treatment with paroxetine is associated with improvement of verbal declarative memory deficits and an increase in hippocampal volume in PTSD. PMID:14512209

  19. Rhesus monkey neural stem cell transplantation promotes neural regeneration in rats with hippocampal lesions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-juan Ye

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Rhesus monkey neural stem cells are capable of differentiating into neurons and glial cells. Therefore, neural stem cell transplantation can be used to promote functional recovery of the nervous system. Rhesus monkey neural stem cells (1 × 105 cells/μL were injected into bilateral hippocampi of rats with hippocampal lesions. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated that green fluorescent protein-labeled transplanted cells survived and grew well. Transplanted cells were detected at the lesion site, but also in the nerve fiber-rich region of the cerebral cortex and corpus callosum. Some transplanted cells differentiated into neurons and glial cells clustering along the ventricular wall, and integrated into the recipient brain. Behavioral tests revealed that spatial learning and memory ability improved, indicating that rhesus monkey neural stem cells noticeably improve spatial learning and memory abilities in rats with hippocampal lesions.

  20. Neonatal hypoxia, hippocampal atrophy, and memory impairment: evidence of a causal sequence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Janine M; Gadian, David G; Jentschke, Sebastian; Goldman, Allan; Munoz, Monica; Pitts, Georgia; Banks, Tina; Chong, W Kling; Hoskote, Aparna; Deanfield, John; Baldeweg, Torsten; de Haan, Michelle; Mishkin, Mortimer; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

    2015-06-01

    Neonates treated for acute respiratory failure experience episodes of hypoxia. The hippocampus, a structure essential for memory, is particularly vulnerable to such insults. Hence, some neonates undergoing treatment for acute respiratory failure might sustain bilateral hippocampal pathology early in life and memory problems later in childhood. We investigated this possibility in a cohort of 40 children who had been treated neonatally for acute respiratory failure but were free of overt neurological impairment. The cohort had mean hippocampal volumes (HVs) significantly below normal control values, memory scores significantly below the standard population means, and memory quotients significantly below those predicted by their full scale IQs. Brain white matter volume also fell below the volume of the controls, but brain gray matter volumes and scores on nonmnemonic neuropsychological tests were within the normal range. Stepwise linear regression models revealed that the cohort's HVs were predictive of degree of memory impairment, and gestational age at treatment was predictive of HVs: the younger the age, the greater the atrophy. We conclude that many neonates treated for acute respiratory failure sustain significant hippocampal atrophy as a result of the associated hypoxia and, consequently, show deficient memory later in life. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press.

  1. High-frequency electroacupuncture evidently reinforces hippocampal synaptic transmission in Alzheimer's disease rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Kong, Li-hong; Wang, Hui; Shen, Feng; Wang, Ya-wen; Zhou, Hua; Sun, Guo-jie

    2016-01-01

    The frequency range of electroacupuncture in treatment of Alzheimer's disease in rats is commonly 2–5 Hz (low frequency) and 50–100 Hz (high frequency). We established a rat model of Alzheimer's disease by injecting β-amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42) into the bilateral hippocampal dentate gyrus to verify which frequency may be better suited in treatment. Electroacupuncture at 2 Hz or 50 Hz was used to stimulate Baihui (DU20) and Shenshu (BL23) acupoints. The water maze test and electrophysiological studies demonstrated that spatial memory ability was apparently improved, and the ranges of long-term potentiation and long-term depression were increased in Alzheimer's disease rats after electroacupuncture treatment. Moreover, the effects of electroacupuncture at 50 Hz were better than that at 2 Hz. These findings suggest that high-frequency electroacupuncture may enhance hippocampal synaptic transmission and potentially improve memory disorders in Alzheimer's disease rats. PMID:27335565

  2. Impaired representation of geometric relationships in humans with damage to the hippocampal formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carsten Finke

    Full Text Available The pivotal role of the hippocampus for spatial memory is well-established. However, while neurophysiological and imaging studies suggest a specialization of the hippocampus for viewpoint-independent or allocentric memory, results from human lesion studies have been less conclusive. It is currently unclear whether disproportionate impairment in allocentric memory tasks reflects impairment of cognitive functions that are not sufficiently supported by regions outside the medial temporal lobe or whether the deficits observed in some studies are due to experimental factors. Here, we have investigated whether hippocampal contributions to spatial memory depend on the spatial references that are available in a certain behavioral context. Patients with medial temporal lobe lesions affecting systematically the right hippocampal formation performed a series of three oculomotor tasks that required memory of a spatial cue either in retinal coordinates or relative to a single environmental reference across a delay of 5000 ms. Stimulus displays varied the availability of spatial references and contained no complex visuo-spatial associations. Patients showed a selective impairment in a condition that critically depended on memory of the geometric relationship between spatial cue and environmental reference. We infer that regions of the medial temporal lobe, most likely the hippocampal formation, contribute to behavior in conditions that exceed the potential of viewpoint-dependent or egocentric representations. Apparently, this already applies to short-term memory of simple geometric relationships and does not necessarily depend on task difficulty or integration of landmarks into more complex representations. Deficient memory of basic geometric relationships may represent a core deficit that contributes to impaired performance in allocentric spatial memory tasks.

  3. Anton's Syndrome due to Bilateral Ischemic Occipital Lobe Strokes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zukić, Sanela; Sinanović, Osman; Zonić, Lejla; Hodžić, Renata; Mujagić, Svjetlana; Smajlović, Edina

    2014-01-01

    We present a case of a patient with Anton's syndrome (i.e., visual anosognosia with confabulations), who developed bilateral occipital lobe infarct. Bilateral occipital brain damage results in blindness, and patients start to confabulate to fill in the missing sensory input. In addition, the patient occasionally becomes agitated and talks to himself, which indicates that, besides Anton's syndrome, he might have had Charles Bonnet syndrome, characterized by both visual loss and hallucinations. Anton syndrome, is not so frequent condition and is most commonly caused by ischemic stroke. In this particular case, the patient had successive bilateral occipital ischemia as a result of massive stenoses of head and neck arteries.

  4. Bilateral cerebellar and brain stem infarction resulting from vertebral artery injury following cervical trauma without radiographic damage of the spinal column: A case report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mimata, Yoshikuni; Sato, Kotaro; Suzuki, Yoshiaki [Iwate Prefectural Chubu Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kitakami (Japan); Murakami, Hideki [Iwate Medical University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Morioka (Japan)

    2014-01-15

    Vertebral artery injury can be a complication of cervical spine injury. Although most cases are asymptomatic, the rare case progresses to severe neurological impairment and fatal outcomes. We experienced a case of bilateral cerebellar and brain stem infarction with fatal outcome resulting from vertebral artery injury associated with cervical spine trauma. A 69-year-old male was admitted to our hospital because of tetraplegia after falling down the stairs and hitting his head on the floor. Marked bony damage of the cervical spine was not apparent on radiographs and CT scans, so the injury was initially considered to be a cervical cord injury without bony damage. However, an intensity change in the intervertebral disc at C5/C6, and a ventral epidural hematoma were observed on MRI. A CT angiogram of the neck showed the right vertebral artery was completely occluded at the C4 level of the spine. Forty-eight hours after injury, the patient lapsed into drowsy consciousness. The cranial CT scan showed a massive low-density area in the bilateral cerebellar hemispheres and brain stem. Anticoagulation was initiated after a diagnosis of the right vertebral artery injury, but the patient developed bilateral cerebellar and brain stem infarction. The patient's brain herniation progressed and the patient died 52 h after injury. We considered that not only anticoagulation but also treatment for thrombosis would have been needed to prevent cranial embolism. We fully realize that early and appropriate treatment are essential to improve the treatment results, and constructing a medical system with a team of orthopedists, radiologists, and neurosurgeons is also very important. (orig.)

  5. Turmeric extract inhibits apoptosis of hippocampal neurons of trimethyltin-exposed rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuliani, S; Widyarini, S; Mustofa; Partadiredja, G

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to reveal the possible antiapoptotic effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) on the hippocampal neurons of rats exposed to trimethyltin (TMT). Oxidative damage in the hippocampus can induce the apoptosis of neurons associated with the pathogenesis of dementiaMETHODS. The ethanolic turmeric extract and a citicoline (as positive control) solution were administered to the TMT-exposed rats for 28 days. The body weights of rats were recorded once a week. The hippocampal weights and imumunohistochemical expression of caspase 3 proteins in the CA1 and CA2-CA3 regions of the hippocampi were examined at the end of the experiment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the injection of TMT increased the expression of caspase 3 in the CA1 and CA2-CA3 regions of hippocampus. TMT also decreased the body and hippocampal weights. Furthermore, the administration of 200 mg/kg bw dose of turmeric extract decreased the caspase 3 expression in the CA2-CA3 pyramidal neurons but not in the CA1 neurons. It also prevented the decrease of the body and hippocampal weights. We suggest that the 200 mg/kg bw dose of turmeric extract may exert antiapoptotic effect on the hippocampal neurons of the TMT-exposed rats (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 49).

  6. Locomotor damage in rats after x-irradiation in Utero

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullenix, P.; Norton, S.; Culver, B.

    1975-01-01

    Alterations in gait were found in rats after whole-body irradiation with 125 R on day 14, 15, and 16 of gestation. No effects on locomotion were detected after irradiation on day 17 with 125 R or after irradiation on day 14 with 50 R. A technique was set up for quantitative evaluation of locomotion based on a modification of other methods. Walking patterns of irradiated rats were recorded, when they were adults, by requiring them to walk up a 10 0 incline through a corridor after their feet had been dipped in ink. Rats irradiated on gestational day 14 had an in-phase, hopping gait with the sine of the angle between the hind feet and the direction of progression over 0.9. Rats irradiated on gestational days 15 and 16 had an alternating, waddling gait with wider stance and broader angle than control rats. Histologic examination of serial sections of the brains of these rats showed that the 14-day rats lacked all telencephalic commissures except for a few fibers which crossed in some rats. There was a progressive improvement in the condition of the anterior and ventral hippocampal commissures up to day 17, but the corpus callosum and doral hippocampal commissure were lacking or markedly reduced in all day 17 rats. No animals showed damage to the mesencephalic posterior commissure. Since rats which used the in-phase mode of locomotion were never observed to use alternating gait, the possible causal relationship of the commissural damage to the altered locomotor patterns was considered. In view of the restricted period of damage found for the anterior and ventral hippocampal commissures and the restriction of altered locomotion to damage in the same period, primary involvement of the corpus callosum and dorsal hippocampal commissure could be excluded, but a possible role for the other telencephalic commissures remained

  7. Intraoperative neurophysiological responses in epileptic patients submitted to hippocampal and thalamic deep brain stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cukiert, Arthur; Cukiert, Cristine Mella; Argentoni-Baldochi, Meire; Baise, Carla; Forster, Cássio Roberto; Mello, Valeria Antakli; Burattini, José Augusto; Lima, Alessandra Moura

    2011-12-01

    Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used in an increasing frequency for treatment of refractory epilepsy. Acute deep brain macrostimulation intraoperative findings were sparsely published in the literature. We report on our intraoperative macrostimulation findings during thalamic and hippocampal DBS implantation. Eighteen patients were studied. All patients underwent routine pre-operative evaluation that included clinical history, neurological examination, interictal and ictal EEG, high resolution 1.5T MRI and neuropsychological testing. Six patients with temporal lobe epilepsy were submitted to hippocampal DBS (Hip-DBS); 6 patients with focal epilepsy were submitted to anterior thalamic nucleus DBS (AN-DBS) and 6 patients with generalized epilepsy were submitted to centro-median thalamic nucleus DBS (CM-DBS). Age ranged from 9 to 40 years (11 males). All patients were submitted to bilateral quadripolar DBS electrode implantation in a single procedure, under general anesthesia, and intraoperative scalp EEG monitoring. Final electrode's position was checked postoperatively using volumetric CT scanning. Bipolar stimulation using the more proximal and distal electrodes was performed. Final standard stimulation parameters were 6Hz, 4V, 300μs (low frequency range: LF) or 130Hz, 4V, 300μs (high frequency range: HF). Bilateral recruiting response (RR) was obtained after unilateral stimulation in all patients submitted to AN and CM-DBS using LF stimulation. RR was widespread but prevailed over the fronto-temporal region bilaterally, and over the stimulated hemisphere. HF stimulation led to background slowing and a DC shift. The mean voltage for the appearance of RR was 4V (CM) and 3V (AN). CM and AN-DBS did not alter inter-ictal spiking frequency or morphology. RR obtained after LF Hip-DBS was restricted to the stimulated temporal lobe and no contralateral activation was noted. HF stimulation yielded no visually recognizable EEG modification. Mean intensity for initial

  8. Protective effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress preconditioning on hippocampal neurons in rats with status epilepticus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi ZHANG

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective To evaluate the protective effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress preconditioning induced by 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG on hippocampal neurons of rats with status epilepticus (SE and the possible mechanism.  Methods Ninety Sprague-Dawley (SD rats were randomly enrolled into preconditioning group (N = 30, SE group (N = 30 and control group (N = 30. Each group was divided into 6 subsets (N = 5 according to six time points (before seizure, 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 2 d and 7 d after seizure. The preconditioning group was administered 2-DG intraperitoneally with a dose of 150 mg/kg for 7 days, and the lithium-pilocarpine induced SE rat model was established on both preconditioning group and SE group. The rats were sacrificed at the above six time points, and the brains were removed to make paraffin sections. Nissl staining was performed by toluidine blue to evaluate the hippocampal neuronal damage after seizure, and the number of survival neurons in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions of the rats were counted. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expressions of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78 and X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1 in hippocampal CA3 region of the rats.  Results The number of survival neurons in preconditioning group was much more than that in SE group at 7 d after seizure (t = 5.353, P = 0.000, and was more obvious in CA1 region. There was no significant hippocampal neuronal damage in control group. The expressions of GRP78 and XBP-1 in CA3 region of hippocampus in SE group at 6 h after seizure were significantly higher than that in control group (P = 0.000, and then kept increasing until reaching the peak at 2 d (P = 0.000, for all. The expressions of GRP78 and XBP-1 in hippocampal CA3 region in preconditioning group were significantly higher than that in control group before seizure (P = 0.000, for all. The level of GRP78 maintained the highest at 24 h and 2 d after seizure (P = 0.000, for all, while the XBP-1 level

  9. Hippocampal Dosimetry Predicts Neurocognitive Function Impairment After Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Benign or Low-Grade Adult Brain Tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gondi, Vinai; Hermann, Bruce P.; Mehta, Minesh P.; Tomé, Wolfgang A.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the association between hippocampal dose and long-term neurocognitive function (NCF) impairment for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). Methods and Materials: Adult patients with benign or low-grade adult brain tumors were treated with FSRT per institutional practice. No attempt was made to spare the hippocampus. NCF testing was conducted at baseline and 18 months follow-up, on a prospective clinical trial. Regression-based standardized z scores were calculated by using similar healthy control individuals evaluated at the same test–retest interval. NCF impairment was defined as a z score ≤−1.5. After delineation of the bilateral hippocampi according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group contouring atlas, dose–volume histograms were generated for the left and right hippocampi and for the composite pair. Biologically equivalent doses in 2-Gy fractions (EQD 2 ) assuming an α/β ratio of 2 Gy were computed. Fisher’s exact test and binary logistic regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Dose–response data were fit to a nonlinear model. Results: Of 29 patients enrolled in this trial, 18 completed both baseline and 18-month NCF testing. An EQD 2 to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi >7.3 Gy was associated with impairment in Wechsler Memory Scale-III Word List (WMS-WL) delayed recall (odds ratio [OR] 19.3; p = 0.043). The association between WMS-WL delayed recall and EQD 2 to 100% of the bilateral hippocampi >0.0 Gy trended to significance (OR 14.8; p = 0.068). Conclusion: EQD 2 to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi greater than 7.3 Gy is associated with long-term impairment in list-learning delayed recall after FSRT for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors. Given that modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques can reduce the dose to the bilateral hippocampi below this dosimetric threshold, patients should be enrolled in

  10. Hippocampal Dosimetry Predicts Neurocognitive Function Impairment After Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Benign or Low-Grade Adult Brain Tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gondi, Vinai [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Hermann, Bruce P. [Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Mehta, Minesh P. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (United States); Tome, Wolfgang A., E-mail: tome@humonc.wisc.edu [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2012-07-15

    Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the association between hippocampal dose and long-term neurocognitive function (NCF) impairment for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). Methods and Materials: Adult patients with benign or low-grade adult brain tumors were treated with FSRT per institutional practice. No attempt was made to spare the hippocampus. NCF testing was conducted at baseline and 18 months follow-up, on a prospective clinical trial. Regression-based standardized z scores were calculated by using similar healthy control individuals evaluated at the same test-retest interval. NCF impairment was defined as a z score {<=}-1.5. After delineation of the bilateral hippocampi according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group contouring atlas, dose-volume histograms were generated for the left and right hippocampi and for the composite pair. Biologically equivalent doses in 2-Gy fractions (EQD{sub 2}) assuming an {alpha}/{beta} ratio of 2 Gy were computed. Fisher's exact test and binary logistic regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Dose-response data were fit to a nonlinear model. Results: Of 29 patients enrolled in this trial, 18 completed both baseline and 18-month NCF testing. An EQD{sub 2} to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi >7.3 Gy was associated with impairment in Wechsler Memory Scale-III Word List (WMS-WL) delayed recall (odds ratio [OR] 19.3; p = 0.043). The association between WMS-WL delayed recall and EQD{sub 2} to 100% of the bilateral hippocampi >0.0 Gy trended to significance (OR 14.8; p = 0.068). Conclusion: EQD{sub 2} to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi greater than 7.3 Gy is associated with long-term impairment in list-learning delayed recall after FSRT for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors. Given that modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques can reduce the dose to the bilateral hippocampi below this dosimetric threshold

  11. Hippocampal Dosimetry Predicts Neurocognitive Function Impairment After Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Benign or Low-Grade Adult Brain Tumors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gondi, Vinai [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Hermann, Bruce P. [Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Mehta, Minesh P. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (United States); Tome, Wolfgang A., E-mail: tome@humonc.wisc.edu [Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

    2013-02-01

    Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the association between hippocampal dose and long-term neurocognitive function (NCF) impairment for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). Methods and Materials: Adult patients with benign or low-grade adult brain tumors were treated with FSRT per institutional practice. No attempt was made to spare the hippocampus. NCF testing was conducted at baseline and 18 months follow-up, on a prospective clinical trial. Regression-based standardized z scores were calculated by using similar healthy control individuals evaluated at the same test-retest interval. NCF impairment was defined as a z score {<=}-1.5. After delineation of the bilateral hippocampi according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group contouring atlas, dose-volume histograms were generated for the left and right hippocampi and for the composite pair. Biologically equivalent doses in 2-Gy fractions (EQD{sub 2}) assuming an {alpha}/{beta} ratio of 2 Gy were computed. Fisher's exact test and binary logistic regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Dose-response data were fit to a nonlinear model. Results: Of 29 patients enrolled in this trial, 18 completed both baseline and 18-month NCF testing. An EQD{sub 2} to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi >7.3 Gy was associated with impairment in Wechsler Memory Scale-III Word List (WMS-WL) delayed recall (odds ratio [OR] 19.3; p = 0.043). The association between WMS-WL delayed recall and EQD{sub 2} to 100% of the bilateral hippocampi >0.0 Gy trended to significance (OR 14.8; p = 0.068). Conclusion: EQD{sub 2} to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi greater than 7.3 Gy is associated with long-term impairment in list-learning delayed recall after FSRT for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors. Given that modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques can reduce the dose to the bilateral hippocampi below this dosimetric threshold

  12. Hippocampal Dosimetry Predicts Neurocognitive Function Impairment After Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Benign or Low-Grade Adult Brain Tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gondi, Vinai; Hermann, Bruce P.; Mehta, Minesh P.; Tomé, Wolfgang A.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the association between hippocampal dose and long-term neurocognitive function (NCF) impairment for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). Methods and Materials: Adult patients with benign or low-grade adult brain tumors were treated with FSRT per institutional practice. No attempt was made to spare the hippocampus. NCF testing was conducted at baseline and 18 months follow-up, on a prospective clinical trial. Regression-based standardized z scores were calculated by using similar healthy control individuals evaluated at the same test–retest interval. NCF impairment was defined as a z score ≤−1.5. After delineation of the bilateral hippocampi according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group contouring atlas, dose–volume histograms were generated for the left and right hippocampi and for the composite pair. Biologically equivalent doses in 2-Gy fractions (EQD 2 ) assuming an α/β ratio of 2 Gy were computed. Fisher’s exact test and binary logistic regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Dose–response data were fit to a nonlinear model. Results: Of 29 patients enrolled in this trial, 18 completed both baseline and 18-month NCF testing. An EQD 2 to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi >7.3 Gy was associated with impairment in Wechsler Memory Scale-III Word List (WMS-WL) delayed recall (odds ratio [OR] 19.3; p = 0.043). The association between WMS-WL delayed recall and EQD 2 to 100% of the bilateral hippocampi >0.0 Gy trended to significance (OR 14.8; p = 0.068). Conclusion: EQD 2 to 40% of the bilateral hippocampi greater than 7.3 Gy is associated with long-term impairment in list-learning delayed recall after FSRT for benign or low-grade adult brain tumors. Given that modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques can reduce the dose to the bilateral hippocampi below this dosimetric threshold, patients should be enrolled in

  13. Low and High Frequency Hippocampal Stimulation for Drug-Resistant Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Siew-Na; Lee, Ching-Yi; Lee, Shih-Tseng; Tu, Po-Hsun; Chang, Bao-Luen; Lee, Chih-Hong; Cheng, Mei-Yun; Chang, Chun-Wei; Tseng, Wei-En Johnny; Hsieh, Hsiang-Yao; Chiang, Hsing-I; Wu, Tony

    2016-06-01

    Electrical stimulation of the hippocampus offers the possibility to treat patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) who are not surgical candidates. We report long-term follow-up results in five patients receiving low or high frequency hippocampal stimulation for drug-resistant MTLE. The patients underwent stereotactic implantation of quadripolar stimulating electrodes in the hippocampus. Two of the patients received unilateral electrode implantation, while the other three received bilateral implantation. Stimulation of the hippocampal electrodes was turned ON immediately after the implantation of an implantable pulse generator, with initial stimulation parameters: 1 V, 90-150 μs, 5 or 145 Hz. The frequency of seizures was monitored and compared with preimplantation baseline data. Two men and three women, aged 27-61 years were studied, with a mean follow-up period of 38.4 months (range, 30-42 months). The baseline seizure frequency was 2.0-15.3/month. The five patients had an average 45% (range 22-72%) reduction in the frequency of seizures after hippocampal stimulation over the study period. Low frequency hippocampal stimulation decreased the frequency of seizures in two patients (by 54% and 72%, respectively). No implantation- or stimulation-related side effects were reported. Electrical stimulation of the hippocampus is a minimally invasive and reversible method that can improve seizure outcomes in patients with drug-resistant MTLE. The optimal frequency of stimulation varied from patient to patient and therefore required individual setting. These experimental results warrant further controlled studies with a large patient population to evaluate the long-term effect of hippocampal stimulation with different stimulation parameters. © 2016 The Authors. Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Neuromodulation Society.

  14. Detection of volume loss in hippocampal layers in Alzheimer's disease using 7 T MRI: A feasibility study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire Boutet

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In Alzheimer's disease (AD, the hippocampus is an early site of tau pathology and neurodegeneration. Histological studies have shown that lesions are not uniformly distributed within the hippocampus. Moreover, alterations of different hippocampal layers may reflect distinct pathological processes. 7 T MRI dramatically improves the visualization of hippocampal subregions and layers. In this study, we aimed to assess whether 7 T MRI can detect volumetric changes in hippocampal layers in vivo in patients with AD. We studied four AD patients and seven control subjects. MR images were acquired using a whole-body 7 T scanner with an eight channel transmit–receive coil. Hippocampal subregions were manually segmented from coronal T2*-weighted gradient echo images with 0.3 × 0.3 × 1.2 mm3 resolution using a protocol that distinguishes between layers richer or poorer in neuronal bodies. Five subregions were segmented in the region of the hippocampal body: alveus, strata radiatum, lacunosum and moleculare (SRLM of the cornu Ammonis (CA, hilum, stratum pyramidale of CA and stratum pyramidale of the subiculum. We found strong bilateral reductions in the SRLM of the cornu Ammonis and in the stratum pyramidale of the subiculum (p < 0.05, with average cross-sectional area reductions ranging from −29% to −49%. These results show that it is possible to detect volume loss in distinct hippocampal layers using segmentation of 7 T MRI. 7 T MRI-based segmentation is a promising tool for AD research.

  15. Resveratrol Ameliorates Tau Hyperphosphorylation at Ser396 Site and Oxidative Damage in Rat Hippocampal Slices Exposed to Vanadate: Implication of ERK1/2 and GSK-3β Signaling Cascades.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jhang, Kyoung A; Park, Jin-Sun; Kim, Hee-Sun; Chong, Young Hae

    2017-11-08

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol (a natural polyphenolic phytostilbene) on tau hyperphosphorylation and oxidative damage induced by sodium orthovanadate (Na 3 VO 4 ), the prevalent species of vanadium (vanadate), in rat hippocampal slices. Our results showed that resveratrol significantly inhibited Na 3 VO 4 -induced hyperphosphorylation of tau at the Ser396 (p-S396-tau) site, which is upregulated in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains and principally linked to AD-associated cognitive dysfunction. Subsequent mechanistic studies revealed that reduction of ERK1/2 activation was involved in the inhibitory effect of resveratrol by inhibiting the ERK1/2 pathway with SL327 mimicking the aforementioned effect of resveratrol. Moreover, resveratrol potently induced GSK-3β Ser9 phosphorylation and reduced Na 3 VO 4 -induced p-S396-tau levels, which were markedly replicated by pharmacologic inhibition of GSK-3β with LiCl. These results indicate that resveratrol could suppress Na 3 VO 4 -induced p-S396-tau levels via downregulating ERK1/2 and GSK-3β signaling cascades in rat hippocampal slices. In addition, resveratrol diminished the increased extracellular reactive oxygen species generation and hippocampal toxicity upon long-term exposure to Na 3 VO 4 or FeCl 2 . Our findings strongly support the notion that resveratrol may serve as a potential nutraceutical agent for AD.

  16. Spatial memory and hippocampal function: Where are we now?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Good

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of this paper is to provide an overview of current debates concerning the role of the mammalian hippocampus in learning with a particular emphasis on spatial learning. The review discusses recent debates on (1 the role of the primate hippocampus in recognition memory and object-in-place memory, (2 the role of the hippocampus in spatial navigation in both rats and humans, and (3 the effects of hippocampal damage on processing contextual information. Evidence from these lines of research have led many current theories to posit a function for the hippocampus that has as its organizing principle the association or binding of stimulus representations. Based on this principle, recent theories of hippocampal function have extended their application beyond the spatial domain to capture features of declarative and episodic memory processes.

  17. DDPH ameliorated oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced injury in rat hippocampal neurons via interrupting Ca2+ overload and glutamate release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhi; Lu, Qing; Xu, Xulin; Huang, Lin; Chen, Jianguo; Guo, Lianjun

    2009-01-28

    Our previous work has demonstrated that DDPH (1-(2, 6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-(3, 4-dimethoxyphenylethylamino) propane hydrochloride), a competitive alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist, could improve cognitive deficits, reduce histopathological damage and facilitate synaptic plasticity in vivo possibly via increasing NR2B (NMDA receptor 2B) expression and antioxidation of DDPH itself. The present study further evaluated effects of DDPH on OGD (Oxygen and glucose deprivation)-induced neuronal damage in rat primary hippocampal cells. The addition of DDPH to the cultured cells 12 h before OGD for 4 h significantly reduced neuronal damage as determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) release experiments. The effects of DDPH on intracellular calcium concentration were explored by Fura-2 based calcium imaging techniques and results showed that DDPH at the dosages of 5 microM and 10 microM suppressed the increase of intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) stimulated by 50 mM KCl in Ca(2+)-containing extracellular solutions. However, DDPH couldn't suppress the increase of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by both 50 microM glutamate in Ca(2+)-containing extracellular solutions and 20 microM ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) in Ca(2+)-free solution. These results indicated that DDPH prevented [Ca(2+)](i) overload in hippocampal neurons by blocking Ca(2+) influx (voltage-dependent calcium channel) but not Ca(2+) mobilization from the intracellular Ca(2+) store in endoplasm reticulum (ER). We also demonstrated that DDPH could decrease glutamate release when hippocampal cells were subjected to OGD. These observations demonstrated that DDPH protected hippocampal neurons against OGD-induced damage by preventing the Ca(2+) influx and decreasing glutamate release.

  18. Thalamo-Cortical Disruption Contributes to Short-Term Memory Deficits in Patients with Medial Temporal Lobe Damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voets, Natalie L; Menke, Ricarda A L; Jbabdi, Saad; Husain, Masud; Stacey, Richard; Carpenter, Katherine; Adcock, Jane E

    2015-11-01

    Short-term (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have largely been considered as separate brain systems reflecting fronto-parietal and medial temporal lobe (MTL) functions, respectively. This functional dichotomy has been called into question by evidence of deficits on aspects of working memory in patients with MTL damage, suggesting a potentially direct hippocampal contribution to STM. As the hippocampus has direct anatomical connections with the thalamus, we tested the hypothesis that damage to thalamic nuclei regulating cortico-cortical interactions may contribute to STM deficits in patients with hippocampal dysfunction. We used diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-based tractography to identify anatomical subdivisions in patients with MTL epilepsy. From these, we measured resting-state functional connectivity with detailed cortical divisions of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Whereas thalamo-temporal functional connectivity reflected LTM performance, thalamo-prefrontal functional connectivity specifically predicted STM performance. Notably, patients with hippocampal volume loss showed thalamic volume loss, most prominent in the pulvinar region, not detected in patients with normal hippocampal volumes. Aberrant thalamo-cortical connectivity in the epileptic hemisphere was mirrored in a loss of behavioral association with STM performance specifically in patients with hippocampal atrophy. These findings identify thalamo-cortical disruption as a potential mechanism contributing to STM deficits in the context of MTL damage. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  19. Hippocampal infusions of glucose reverse memory deficits produced by co-infusions of a GABA receptor agonist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krebs-Kraft, Desiree L; Parent, Marise B

    2008-02-01

    Although septal infusions of glucose typically have positive effects on memory, we have shown repeatedly that this treatment exacerbates memory deficits produced by co-infusions of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists. The present experiments tested whether this negative interaction between glucose and GABA in the medial septum would be observed in the hippocampus, a brain region where glucose typically has positive effects on memory. Specifically, we determined whether hippocampal infusions of glucose would reverse or exacerbate memory deficits produced by hippocampal co-infusions of the GABA receptor agonist muscimol. Fifteen minutes prior to either assessing spontaneous alternation (SA) or continuous multiple trial inhibitory avoidance (CMIA) training, male Sprague-Dawley-derived rats were given bilateral hippocampal infusions of vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline [PBS], 1 microl/2 min), glucose (33 or 50 nmol), muscimol (0.3 or 0.4 microg, SA or 3 microg, CMIA) or muscimol and glucose combined in one solution. The results indicated that hippocampal infusions of muscimol alone decreased SA scores and CMIA retention latencies. More importantly, hippocampal infusions of glucose, at doses that had no effect when infused alone, attenuated (33 nmol) or reversed (50 nmol) the muscimol-induced memory deficits. Thus, although co-infusions of glucose with muscimol into the medial septum impair memory, the present findings show that an opposite effect is observed in the hippocampus. Collectively, these findings suggest that the memory-impairing interaction between glucose and GABA in the medial septum is not a general property of the brain, but rather is brain region-dependent.

  20. Lateralized hippocampal effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide on learning and memory in rats in a model of depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, Margarita; Belcheva, Stiliana; Belcheva, Iren; Negrev, Negrin; Tashev, Roman

    2012-06-01

    Findings of pharmacological studies revealed that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) plays a modulatory role in learning and memory. A role of the peptide in the neurobiological mechanisms of affective disorders was also suggested. The objectives are to study the involvement of VIP in learning and memory processes after unilateral and bilateral local application into hippocampal CA1 area in rats with a model of depression (bilateral olfactory bulbectomy--OBX) and to test whether VIP receptors could affect cognition. VIP (50 ng) and combination (VIP(6-28) 10 ng + VIP 50 ng) microinjected bilaterally or into the right CA1 area improved the learning and memory of OBX rats in shuttle-box and step-through behavioral tests as compared to the saline-treated OBX controls. Left-side VIP microinjections did not affect the number of avoidances (shuttle box) and learning criteria (step through) as compared to the left-side saline-treated OBX controls. The administration of the combination into left CA1 influenced positively the performance in the step-through task. VIP antagonist (VIP(6-28), 10 ng) did not affect learning and memory of OBX rats. These findings suggest asymmetric effect of VIP on cognitive processes in hippocampus of rats with OBX model of depression. Our results point to a lateralized modulatory effect of VIP injected in the hippocampal CA1 area on the avoidance deficits in OBX rats. The right CA1 area was predominantly involved in the positive effect of VIP on learning and memory. A possible role of the PAC1 receptors is suggested.

  1. Phenolic antioxidants attenuate hippocampal neuronal cell damage ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    CP had lower Fe3+ reducing activity in comparison to WS and AV. Plant extracts given singly ... modulators of nervous system damage. In epilepsy, ex- ..... D 1978 Antimicrobial agents from higher plants, Glycy- rrhiza glabra L. I. Some ...

  2. Curcumin ameliorates hippocampal neuron damage induced by human immunodeficiency virus-1★

    OpenAIRE

    Tang, Hongmei; Pan, Rui; Fang, Wenli; Xing, Yanyan; Chen, Dexi; Chen, Xiaobao; Yu, Yuanyuan; Wang, Junbing; Gong, Zheng; Xiong, Guoyin; Dong, Jun

    2013-01-01

    Our previous studies have shown that infection with the gp120 V3 loop can cause human immunodeficiency virus-1 associated neurocognitive disorders. Curcumin has been shown to improve these effects to some degree, but the precise mechanisms remain unknown. The present study analyzed the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of curcumin in relation to hippocampal neurons. Results showed that 1 nmol/L gp120 V3 loop suppressed the growth of synapses. After administration of 1 μmol/L curcumin, syna...

  3. Electroconvulsive stimulation results in long-term survival of newly generated hippocampal neurons in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Mikkel Vestergaard; Wörtwein, Gitta; Folke, Jonas

    2017-01-01

    Electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) is one of the strongest stimulators of hippocampal neurogenesis in rodents that represents a plausible mechanism for the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in major depressive disorder. Using design-based stereological cell counting, we recently...... in neurogenesis facilitates the behavioral outcome of the forced swim test (FST), an animal model of depression. The results showed that ECS in conjunction with CRS stimulates hippocampal neurogenesis, and that a significant quantity of the newly formed hippocampal neurons survives up to 12 months. The new Brd......U-positive neurons showed time-dependent attrition of ∼40% from day 1 to 3 months, with no further decline between 3 and 12 months. ECS did not affect the number of pre-existing dentate granule neurons or the volume of the dentate granule cell layer, suggesting no damaging effect of the treatment. Finally, we found...

  4. Short-term memory deficits correlate with hippocampal-thalamic functional connectivity alterations following acute sleep restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chengyang, Li; Daqing, Huang; Jianlin, Qi; Haisheng, Chang; Qingqing, Meng; Jin, Wang; Jiajia, Liu; Enmao, Ye; Yongcong, Shao; Xi, Zhang

    2017-08-01

    Acute sleep restriction heavily influences cognitive function, affecting executive processes such as attention, response inhibition, and memory. Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested a link between hippocampal activity and short-term memory function. However, the specific contribution of the hippocampus to the decline of short-term memory following sleep restriction has yet to be established. In the current study, we utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the association between hippocampal functional connectivity (FC) and the decline of short-term memory following total sleep deprivation (TSD). Twenty healthy adult males aged 20.9 ± 2.3 years (age range, 18-24 years) were enrolled in a within-subject crossover study. Short-term memory and FC were assessed using a Delay-matching short-term memory test and a resting-state fMRI scan before and after TSD. Seed-based correlation analysis was performed using fMRI data for the left and right hippocampus to identify differences in hippocampal FC following TSD. Subjects demonstrated reduced alertness and a decline in short-term memory performance following TSD. Moreover, fMRI analysis identified reduced hippocampal FC with the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), temporal regions, and supplementary motor area. In addition, an increase in FC between the hippocampus and bilateral thalamus was observed, the extent of which correlated with short-term memory performance following TSD. Our findings indicate that the disruption of hippocampal-cortical connectivity is linked to the decline in short-term memory observed after acute sleep restriction. Such results provide further evidence that support the cognitive impairment model of sleep deprivation.

  5. Distemper virus encephalitis exerts detrimental effects on hippocampal neurogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Rüden, E-L; Avemary, J; Zellinger, C; Algermissen, D; Bock, P; Beineke, A; Baumgärtner, W; Stein, V M; Tipold, A; Potschka, H

    2012-08-01

    Despite knowledge about the impact of brain inflammation on hippocampal neurogenesis, data on the influence of virus encephalitis on dentate granule cell neurogenesis are so far limited. Canine distemper is considered an interesting model of virus encephalitis, which can be associated with a chronic progressing disease course and can cause symptomatic seizures. To determine the impact of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection on hippocampal neurogenesis, we compared post-mortem tissue from dogs with infection with and without seizures, from epileptic dogs with non-viral aetiology and from dogs without central nervous system diseases. The majority of animals with infection and with epilepsy of non-viral aetiology exhibited neuronal progenitor numbers below the age average in controls. Virus infection with and without seizures significantly decreased the mean number of neuronal progenitor cells by 43% and 76% as compared to age-matched controls. Ki-67 labelling demonstrated that hippocampal cell proliferation was neither affected by infection nor by epilepsy of non-viral aetiology. Analysis of CDV infection in cells expressing caspase-3, doublecortin or Ki-67 indicated that infection of neuronal progenitor cells is extremely rare and suggests that infection might damage non-differentiated progenitor cells, hamper neuronal differentiation and promote glial differentiation. A high inter-individual variance in the number of lectin-reactive microglial cells was evident in dogs with distemper infection. Statistical analyses did not reveal a correlation between the number of lectin-reactive microglia cells and neuronal progenitor cells. Our data demonstrate that virus encephalitis with and without seizures can exert detrimental effects on hippocampal neurogenesis, which might contribute to long-term consequences of the disease. The lack of a significant impact of distemper virus on Ki-67-labelled cells indicates that the infection affected neuronal differentiation and

  6. Anton’s Syndrome due to Bilateral Ischemic Occipital Lobe Strokes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanela Zukić

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a case of a patient with Anton’s syndrome (i.e., visual anosognosia with confabulations, who developed bilateral occipital lobe infarct. Bilateral occipital brain damage results in blindness, and patients start to confabulate to fill in the missing sensory input. In addition, the patient occasionally becomes agitated and talks to himself, which indicates that, besides Anton’s syndrome, he might have had Charles Bonnet syndrome, characterized by both visual loss and hallucinations. Anton syndrome, is not so frequent condition and is most commonly caused by ischemic stroke. In this particular case, the patient had successive bilateral occipital ischemia as a result of massive stenoses of head and neck arteries.

  7. Focal CA3 hippocampal subfield atrophy following LGI1 VGKC-complex antibody limbic encephalitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Thomas D; Chong, Trevor T-J; Aimola Davies, Anne M; Ng, Tammy W C; Johnson, Michael R; Irani, Sarosh R; Vincent, Angela; Husain, Masud; Jacob, Saiju; Maddison, Paul; Kennard, Christopher; Gowland, Penny A; Rosenthal, Clive R

    2017-05-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging has linked chronic voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibody-mediated limbic encephalitis with generalized hippocampal atrophy. However, autoantibodies bind to specific rodent hippocampal subfields. Here, human hippocampal subfield (subiculum, cornu ammonis 1-3, and dentate gyrus) targets of immunomodulation-treated LGI1 VGKC-complex antibody-mediated limbic encephalitis were investigated using in vivo ultra-high resolution (0.39 × 0.39 × 1.0 mm3) 7.0 T magnetic resonance imaging [n = 18 patients, 17 patients (94%) positive for LGI1 antibody and one patient negative for LGI1/CASPR2 but positive for VGKC-complex antibodies, mean age: 64.0 ± 2.55 years, median 4 years post-limbic encephalitis onset; n = 18 controls]. First, hippocampal subfield quantitative morphometry indicated significant volume loss confined to bilateral CA3 [F(1,34) = 16.87, P 3 months from symptom onset) were associated with CA3 atrophy. Third, whole-brain voxel-by-voxel morphometry revealed no significant grey matter loss. Fourth, CA3 subfield atrophy was associated with severe episodic but not semantic amnesia for postmorbid autobiographical events that was predicted by variability in CA3 volume. The results raise important questions about the links with histopathology, the impact of the observed focal atrophy on other CA3-mediated reconstructive and episodic mechanisms, and the role of potential antibody-mediated pathogenicity as part of the pathophysiology cascade in humans. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

  8. Cudarflavone B Provides Neuroprotection against Glutamate-Induced Mouse Hippocampal HT22 Cell Damage through the Nrf2 and PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathways

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong-Sung Lee

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Oxidative cell damage contributes to neuronal degeneration in many central nervous system (CNS diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemia. Nrf2 signaling-mediated heme oxygenase (HO-1 expression acts against oxidants that are thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of neuronal diseases. Cudraflavone B is a prenylated flavone isolated from C. tricuspidata which has shown anti-proliferative activity, mouse brain monoamine oxidase (MAO inhibitory effects, apoptotic actions in human gastric carcinoma cells and mouse melanoma cells, and hepatoprotective activity. In this study, cudraflavone B showed neuroprotective effects and reactive oxygen species (ROS inhibition against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity by inducing the expression of HO-1 in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. Furthermore, cudraflavone B caused the nuclear accumulation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2 and increased the promoter activity of antioxidant response elements (ARE in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. In addition, we found that the Nrf2-midiated HO-1 expression by cudraflavone B is involved in the cell protective response and ROS reductions, and cudraflavone B-induced expression of HO-1 was mediated through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/Akt pathway in HT22 cells. Our results demonstrated the potential application of naturally occurring cudraflavone B as a therapeutic agent from neurodegenerative disease.

  9. Bigger is better! Hippocampal volume and declarative memory performance in healthy young men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohlack, Sebastian T; Meyer, Patric; Cacciaglia, Raffaele; Liebscher, Claudia; Ridder, Stephanie; Flor, Herta

    2014-01-01

    The importance of the hippocampus for declarative memory processes is firmly established. Nevertheless, the issue of a correlation between declarative memory performance and hippocampal volume in healthy subjects still remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate this relationship in more detail. For this purpose, 50 healthy young male participants performed the California Verbal Learning Test. Hippocampal volume was assessed by manual segmentation of high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance images. We found a significant positive correlation between putatively hippocampus-dependent memory measures like short-delay retention, long-delay retention and discriminability and percent hippocampal volume. No significant correlation with measures related to executive processes was found. In addition, percent amygdala volume was not related to any of these measures. Our data advance previous findings reported in studies of brain-damaged individuals in a large and homogeneous young healthy sample and are important for theories on the neural basis of episodic memory.

  10. Roles of PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 and dynamin-related protein 1 in transient global ischemia-induced hippocampal neuronal injury

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Shang-Der; Lin, Tsu-Kung; Yang, Ding-I.; Lee, Su-Ying; Shaw, Fu-Zen; Liou, Chia-Wei; Chuang, Yao-Chung

    2015-01-01

    Recent studies showed that increased mitochondrial fission is an early event of cell death during cerebral ischemia and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) plays an important role in mitochondrial fission, which may be regulated by PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), a mitochondrial serine/threonine-protein kinase thought to protect cells from stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and regulate mitochondrial fission. However, the roles of PINK1 and Drp1 in hippocampal injury caused by transient global ischemia (TGI) remain unknown. We therefore tested the hypothesis that TGI may induce PINK1 causing downregulation of Drp1 phosphorylation to enhance hippocampal neuronal survival, thus functioning as an endogenous neuroprotective mechanism. We found progressively increased PINK1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 subfield1-48 h following TGI, reaching the maximal level at 4 h. Despite lack of changes in the expression level of total Drp1 and phosphor-Drp1 at Ser637, TGI induced a time-dependent increase of Drp1 phosphorlation at Ser616 that peaked after 24 h. Notably, PINK1-siRNA increased p-Drp1(Ser616) protein level in hippocampal CA1 subfield 24 h after TGI. The PINK1 siRNA also aggravated the TGI-induced oxidative DNA damage with an increased 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content in hippocampal CA1 subfield. Furthermore, PINK1 siRNA also augmented TGI-induced apoptosis as evidenced by the increased numbers of TUNEL-positive staining and enhanced DNA fragmentation. These findings indicated that PINK1 is an endogenous protective mediator vital for neuronal survival under ischemic insult through regulating Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser616. - Highlights: • Transient global ischemia increases expression of PINK1 and p-Drp1 at Ser616 in hippocampal CA1 subfield. • PINK1-siRNA decreases PINK1 expression but increases p-Drp1 at Ser616 in hippocampal CA1 subfield. • PINK1-siRNA augments oxidative stress and neuronal damage in hippocampal CA1 subfield

  11. Roles of PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 and dynamin-related protein 1 in transient global ischemia-induced hippocampal neuronal injury

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Shang-Der, E-mail: chensd@adm.cgmh.org.tw [Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Lin, Tsu-Kung [Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Yang, Ding-I. [Institute of Brain Science and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lee, Su-Ying [Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Shaw, Fu-Zen [Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Liou, Chia-Wei [Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Chuang, Yao-Chung, E-mail: ycchuang@adm.cgmh.org.tw [Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China); Center for Translational Research in Biomedical Sciences, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taiwan (China)

    2015-05-01

    Recent studies showed that increased mitochondrial fission is an early event of cell death during cerebral ischemia and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) plays an important role in mitochondrial fission, which may be regulated by PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), a mitochondrial serine/threonine-protein kinase thought to protect cells from stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and regulate mitochondrial fission. However, the roles of PINK1 and Drp1 in hippocampal injury caused by transient global ischemia (TGI) remain unknown. We therefore tested the hypothesis that TGI may induce PINK1 causing downregulation of Drp1 phosphorylation to enhance hippocampal neuronal survival, thus functioning as an endogenous neuroprotective mechanism. We found progressively increased PINK1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 subfield1-48 h following TGI, reaching the maximal level at 4 h. Despite lack of changes in the expression level of total Drp1 and phosphor-Drp1 at Ser637, TGI induced a time-dependent increase of Drp1 phosphorlation at Ser616 that peaked after 24 h. Notably, PINK1-siRNA increased p-Drp1(Ser616) protein level in hippocampal CA1 subfield 24 h after TGI. The PINK1 siRNA also aggravated the TGI-induced oxidative DNA damage with an increased 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content in hippocampal CA1 subfield. Furthermore, PINK1 siRNA also augmented TGI-induced apoptosis as evidenced by the increased numbers of TUNEL-positive staining and enhanced DNA fragmentation. These findings indicated that PINK1 is an endogenous protective mediator vital for neuronal survival under ischemic insult through regulating Drp1 phosphorylation at Ser616. - Highlights: • Transient global ischemia increases expression of PINK1 and p-Drp1 at Ser616 in hippocampal CA1 subfield. • PINK1-siRNA decreases PINK1 expression but increases p-Drp1 at Ser616 in hippocampal CA1 subfield. • PINK1-siRNA augments oxidative stress and neuronal damage in hippocampal CA1 subfield.

  12. Hippocampal N-methyl-d-aspartate and kainate binding in response to entorhinal cortex aspiration or 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the basal forebrain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gallagher, M.; Gill, T.M.; Shivers, A.; Nicolle, M.M.

    1997-01-01

    Lesion models in the rat were used to examine the effects of removing innervation of the hippocampal formation on glutamate receptor binding in that system. Bilateral aspiration of the entorhinal cortex was used to remove the cortical innervation of the hippocampal formation and the dentate gyrus. The subcortical input to the hippocampus from cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain was lesioned by microinjection of the immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin into the medial septum and vertical limb of diagonal band. After a 30-day postlesion survival, the effects of these lesions on N-methyl-d-aspartate-displaceable [ 3 H]glutamate and [ 3 H]kainate binding in the hippocampus were quantified using in vitro autoradiography. The bilateral entorhinal lesion induced a sprouting response in the dentate gyrus, measured by an increase in the width of [ 3 H]kainate binding. It also induced an increase in the density of [ 3 H]kainate binding in CA3 stratum lucidum and an increase in N-methyl-d-aspartate binding throughout the hippocampus proper and the dentate gyrus. The selective lesion of cholinergic septal input did not have any effect on hippocampal [ 3 H]kainate binding and induced only a moderate decrease in N-methyl-d-aspartate binding that was not statistically reliable.The entorhinal and cholinergic lesions were used as in vivo models of the degeneration of hippocampal input that occurs in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. The results from the present lesion study suggest that some, but not all, of the effects on hippocampal [ 3 H]kainate and N-methyl-d-aspartate binding induced by the lesions are consistent with the status of binding to these receptors in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Consistent with the effects of aging and Alzheimer's disease is an altered topography of [ 3 H]kainate binding after entorhinal cortex lesion and a modest decline in N-methyl-d-aspartate binding after lesions of the cholinergic septal input to the hippocampus. (Copyright (c) 1997

  13. Hippocampal lesions impair performance on a conditional delayed matching and non-matching to position task in the rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sloan, Hazel L; Döbrössy, Màtè; Dunnett, Stephen B

    2006-08-10

    The hippocampus is thought to be involved in a range of cognitive processes, from the ability to acquire new memories, to the ability to learn about spatial relationships. Humans and monkeys with damage to the hippocampus are typically impaired on delayed matching to sample tasks, of which the operant delayed matching to position task (DMTP) is a rat analogue. The reported effects of hippocampal damage on DMTP vary, ranging from delay-dependent deficits to no deficit whatsoever. The present study investigates a novel memory task; the conditional delayed matching/non-matching to position task (CDM/NMTP) in the Skinner box. CDM/NMTP uses the presence of specific stimulus cues to signify whether a particular trial is matching or non-matching in nature. Thus, it incorporates both the task contingencies within one session, and supplements the requirement for remembering the side of the lever in the sample phase with attending to the stimulus and remembering the conditional discrimination for the rule. Rats were trained preoperatively and the effects of bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the hippocampus were examined on postoperative retention of the task. Rats with lesions of the hippocampus incurred a significant impairment on the task that was manifest at all delays intervals. Despite a bias towards matching during training, trials of either type were performed with equivalent accuracy and neither rule was affected differentially by the lesion. This task may prove useful in determining the cognitive roles of a range of brain areas.

  14. Impaired integration of object knowledge and visual input in a case of ventral simultanagnosia with bilateral damage to area V4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leek, E Charles; d'Avossa, Giovanni; Tainturier, Marie-Josèphe; Roberts, Daniel J; Yuen, Sung Lai; Hu, Mo; Rafal, Robert

    2012-01-01

    This study examines how brain damage can affect the cognitive processes that support the integration of sensory input and prior knowledge during shape perception. It is based on the first detailed study of acquired ventral simultanagnosia, which was found in a patient (M.T.) with posterior occipitotemporal lesions encompassing V4 bilaterally. Despite showing normal object recognition for single items in both accuracy and response times (RTs), and intact low-level vision assessed across an extensive battery of tests, M.T. was impaired in object identification with overlapping figures displays. Task performance was modulated by familiarity: Unlike controls, M.T. was faster with overlapping displays of abstract shapes than with overlapping displays of common objects. His performance with overlapping common object displays was also influenced by both the semantic relatedness and visual similarity of the display items. These findings challenge claims that visual perception is driven solely by feedforward mechanisms and show how brain damage can selectively impair high-level perceptual processes supporting the integration of stored knowledge and visual sensory input.

  15. Automated Volumetry and Regional Thickness Analysis of Hippocampal Subfields and Medial Temporal Cortical Structures in Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yushkevich, Paul A.; Pluta, John B.; Wang, Hongzhi; Xie, Long; Ding, Song-Lin; Gertje, E. C.; Mancuso, Lauren; Kliot, Daria; Das, Sandhitsu R.; Wolk, David A.

    2014-01-01

    We evaluate a fully automatic technique for labeling hippocampal subfields and cortical subregions in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in in vivo 3 Tesla MRI. The method performs segmentation on a T2-weighted MRI scan with 0.4 × 0.4 × 2.0 mm3 resolution, partial brain coverage, and oblique orientation. Hippocampal subfields, entorhinal cortex, and perirhinal cortex are labeled using a pipeline that combines multi-atlas label fusion and learning-based error correction. In contrast to earlier work on automatic subfield segmentation in T2-weighted MRI (Yushkevich et al., 2010), our approach requires no manual initialization, labels hippocampal subfields over a greater anterior-posterior extent, and labels the perirhinal cortex, which is further subdivided into Brodmann areas 35 and 36. The accuracy of the automatic segmentation relative to manual segmentation is measured using cross-validation in 29 subjects from a study of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and is highest for the dentate gyrus (Dice coefficient is 0.823), CA1 (0.803), perirhinal cortex (0.797) and entorhinal cortex (0.786) labels. A larger cohort of 83 subjects is used to examine the effects of aMCI in the hippocampal region using both subfield volume and regional subfield thickness maps. Most significant differences between aMCI and healthy aging are observed bilaterally in the CA1 subfield and in the left Brodmann area 35. Thickness analysis results are consistent with volumetry, but provide additional regional specificity and suggest non-uniformity in the effects of aMCI on hippocampal subfields and MTL cortical subregions. PMID:25181316

  16. A grading system for hippocampal sclerosis based on the degree of hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gispen, W.H.; Proper, E.A.; Jansen, G.H.; Veelen, C.W. van; Rijen, P.C. van; Graan, P.N.E. de

    2001-01-01

    Abstract. In patients suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) a highly variable degree of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) can be observed. For standard neuropathological evaluation after hippocampal resection, neuronal cell loss in the hippocampal subareas is assessed (Wyler score 0-4) [Wyler et al.

  17. Relationship between Interleukin-6 gene polymorphism and hippocampal volume in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia: evidence for differential susceptibility?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunil Vasu Kalmady

    Full Text Available Various lines of evidence including epidemiological, genetic and foetal pathogenetic models suggest a compelling role for Interleukin-6 (IL-6 in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. IL-6 mediated inflammatory response triggered by maternal infection or stress induces disruption of prenatal hippocampal development which might contribute towards psychopathology during adulthood. There is a substantial lack of knowledge on how genetic predisposition to elevated IL-6 expression effects hippocampal structure in schizophrenia patients. In this first-time study, we evaluated the relationship between functional polymorphism rs1800795 of IL-6 and hippocampal gray matter volume in antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients in comparison with healthy controls.We examined antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenia patients [N = 28] in comparison with healthy controls [N = 37] group matched on age, sex and handedness. Using 3 Tesla - MRI, bilateral hippocampi were manually segmented by blinded raters with good inter-rater reliability using a valid method. Additionally, Voxel-based Morphometry (VBM analysis was performed using hippocampal mask. The IL-6 level was measured in blood plasma using ELISA technique. SNP rs1800795 was genotyped using PCR and DNA sequencing. Psychotic symptoms were assessed using Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms and Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms.Schizophrenia patients had significantly deficient left and right hippocampal volumes after controlling for the potential confounding effects of age, sex and total brain volume. Plasma IL-6 levels were significantly higher in patients than controls. There was a significant diagnosis by rs1800795 genotype interaction involving both right and left hippocampal volumes. Interestingly, this effect was significant only in men but not in women.Our first time observations suggest a significant relationship between IL-6 rs1800795 and reduced hippocampal volume in antipsychotic

  18. Bilateral perisylvian ulegyria: an under-recognized, surgically remediable epileptic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilling, Lucas P; Kieling, Renata R; Pascoal, Tharick A; Kim, Hyoung-Ihl; Lee, Min Cheol; Kim, Yun Hee; Paglioli, Eliseu; Neto, Pedro R; Costa, Jaderson C; Palmini, Andre

    2013-08-01

    Interest in the association of epilepsy and pseudobulbar palsy was rekindled since the identification through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria (PMG). Seizures are often intractable, but resective epilepsy surgery has not been recommended. However, a similar clinical picture can be encountered in patients with bilateral perisylvian destructive lesions, which fit the description of ulegyria (ULG). We report a series of patients with epilepsy and pseudobulbar palsy due to bilateral perisylvian ULG (BP-ULG), show that hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is often associated and highlight the fact that in this entity, unlike in malformative bilateral perisylvian PMG, seizures may be surgically treated. The motor, cognitive, epileptologic, and imaging features of 12 patients with perisylvian ULG followed at three institutions are described. For patients with refractory seizures, we detail extracranial and intracranial electrographic recordings, surgical strategies, histopathologic analyses of the resected tissue, and outcome of surgical treatment. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative and categorical variables. Student's t-test was used to compare means, and a p Dual pathology with associated unilateral HS was present in four. One patient with dual pathology had a temporolimbic electroclinical picture and had an anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) based upon noninvasive evaluation. The other four had ictal semiology suggesting involvement of both temporolimbic and perisylvian cortex. Intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) showed concomitant seizure onset in the anterior temporal region and in the ipsilateral ULG in three of the four with dual pathology and in the ulegyric cortex in the one without HS. Resection guided by a combination of semiology, MRI, and extra and intracranial EEG led to complete seizure control in two and almost complete seizure control (Engel class II) in two other patients. The only surgical failure was an

  19. Alterations of White Matter Integrity and Hippocampal Functional Connectivity in Type 2 Diabetes Without Mild Cognitive Impairment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Sun

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Aims: To investigate the white matter (WM integrity and hippocampal functional connectivity (FC in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM patients without mild cognitive impairment (MCI by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI, respectively.Methods: Twelve T2DM patients without MCI and 24 age, sex and education matched healthy controls (HC were recruited. DTI and rs-fMRI data were subsequently acquired on a 3.0T MR scanner. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS combining region of interests (ROIs analysis was used to investigate the alterations of DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy (FA, mean diffusivity (MD, λ1 and λ23 and FC measurement was performed to calculate hippocampal FC with other brain regions. Cognitive function was evaluated by using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA. Brain volumes were also evaluated among these participants.Results: There were no difference of MMSE and MoCA scores between two groups. Neither whole brain nor regional brain volume decrease was revealed in T2DM patients without MCI. DTI analysis revealed extensive WM disruptions, especially in the body of corpus callosum (CC. Significant decreases of hippocampal FC with certain brain structures were revealed, especially with the bilateral frontal cortex. Furthermore, the decreased FA in left posterior thalamic radiation (PTR and increased MD in the splenium of CC were closely related with the decreased hippocampal FC to caudate nucleus and frontal cortex.Conclusions: T2DM patients without MCI showed extensive WM disruptions and abnormal hippocampal FC. Moreover, the WM disruptions and abnormal hippocampal FC were closely associated.Highlights-T2DM patients without MCI demonstrated no obvious brain volume decrease.-Extensive white matter disruptions, especially within the body of corpus callosum, were revealed with DTI analysis among the T2DM patients.-Despite no MCI in T2

  20. Regional cerebral palmitate incorporation following transient bilateral carotid occlusion in awake gerbils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tone, O.; Miller, J.C.; Bell, J.M.; Rapoport, S.I.

    1987-11-01

    (/sup 14/C)Palmitate was injected intravenously in awake gerbils at various times after 5 minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion or a sham operation. Regional rates of incorporation of plasma palmitate into the hippocampus and other regions of the anterior circulation were determined relative to the mean rate of incorporation into regions of the posterior circulation using quantitative autoradiography and a ratio method of analysis. One day after bilateral carotid occlusion, relative palmitate incorporation was elevated significantly by 16% in the CA4 pyramidal cell layer and by 20% in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus compared with sham-operated gerbils. At 3 days, significant elevations of this magnitude were found in the CA3 and CA4 cell layers, whereas relative incorporation was reduced by 26% in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer. At 7 days, the only significant difference from control was a 15% elevated incorporation in the CA3 pyramidal cell layer. Histologic examination indicated substantial cell death in the CA1 pyramidal layer at 3 days, with extensive glial reaction and phagocytic invasion at 7 days. Our results suggest that the turnover of palmitate-containing lipids is reduced in the CA1 layer of the gerbil hippocampus but that lipid synthesis is stimulated in hippocampal regions (CA3, CA4, dentate gyrus) affected by but recovering from transient bilateral carotid occlusion.

  1. Regional cerebral palmitate incorporation following transient bilateral carotid occlusion in awake gerbils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tone, O.; Miller, J.C.; Bell, J.M.; Rapoport, S.I.

    1987-01-01

    [ 14 C]Palmitate was injected intravenously in awake gerbils at various times after 5 minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion or a sham operation. Regional rates of incorporation of plasma palmitate into the hippocampus and other regions of the anterior circulation were determined relative to the mean rate of incorporation into regions of the posterior circulation using quantitative autoradiography and a ratio method of analysis. One day after bilateral carotid occlusion, relative palmitate incorporation was elevated significantly by 16% in the CA4 pyramidal cell layer and by 20% in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus compared with sham-operated gerbils. At 3 days, significant elevations of this magnitude were found in the CA3 and CA4 cell layers, whereas relative incorporation was reduced by 26% in the CA1 pyramidal cell layer. At 7 days, the only significant difference from control was a 15% elevated incorporation in the CA3 pyramidal cell layer. Histologic examination indicated substantial cell death in the CA1 pyramidal layer at 3 days, with extensive glial reaction and phagocytic invasion at 7 days. Our results suggest that the turnover of palmitate-containing lipids is reduced in the CA1 layer of the gerbil hippocampus but that lipid synthesis is stimulated in hippocampal regions (CA3, CA4, dentate gyrus) affected by but recovering from transient bilateral carotid occlusion

  2. The hippocampal response to psychosocial stress varies with salivary uric acid level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Adam M.; Wheelock, Muriah D.; Harnett, Nathaniel G.; Mrug, Sylvie; Granger, Douglas A.; Knight, David C.

    2016-01-01

    Uric acid is a naturally occurring, endogenous compound that impacts mental health. In particular, uric acid levels are associated with emotion-related psychopathology (e.g., anxiety and depression). Therefore, understanding uric acid’s impact on the brain would provide valuable new knowledge regarding neural mechanisms that mediate the relationship between uric acid and mental health. Brain regions including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus underlie stress reactivity and emotion regulation. Thus, uric acid may impact emotion by modifying the function of these brain regions. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a psychosocial stress task to investigate the relationship between baseline uric acid levels (in saliva) and brain function. Results demonstrate that activity within the bilateral hippocampal complex varied with uric acid concentrations. Specifically, activity within the hippocampus and surrounding cortex increased as a function of uric acid level. The current findings suggest that uric acid levels modulate stress-related hippocampal activity. Given that the hippocampus has been implicated in emotion regulation during psychosocial stress, the present findings offer a potential mechanism by which uric acid impacts mental health. PMID:27725214

  3. The hippocampal response to psychosocial stress varies with salivary uric acid level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Adam M; Wheelock, Muriah D; Harnett, Nathaniel G; Mrug, Sylvie; Granger, Douglas A; Knight, David C

    2016-12-17

    Uric acid is a naturally occurring, endogenous compound that impacts mental health. In particular, uric acid levels are associated with emotion-related psychopathology (e.g., anxiety and depression). Therefore, understanding uric acid's impact on the brain would provide valuable new knowledge regarding neural mechanisms that mediate the relationship between uric acid and mental health. Brain regions including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus underlie stress reactivity and emotion regulation. Thus, uric acid may impact emotion by modifying the function of these brain regions. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a psychosocial stress task to investigate the relationship between baseline uric acid levels (in saliva) and brain function. Results demonstrate that activity within the bilateral hippocampal complex varied with uric acid concentrations. Specifically, activity within the hippocampus and surrounding cortex increased as a function of uric acid level. The current findings suggest that uric acid levels modulate stress-related hippocampal activity. Given that the hippocampus has been implicated in emotion regulation during psychosocial stress, the present findings offer a potential mechanism by which uric acid impacts mental health. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Control theory-based regulation of hippocampal CA1 nonlinear dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiao, Min-Chi; Song, Dong; Berger, Theodore W

    2008-01-01

    We are developing a biomimetic electronic neural prosthesis to replace regions of the hippocampal brain area that have been damaged by disease or insult. Our previous study has shown that the VLSI implementation of a CA3 nonlinear dynamic model can functionally replace the CA3 subregion of the hippocampal slice. As a result, the propagation of temporal patterns of activity from DG-->VLSI-->CA1 reproduces the activity observed experimentally in the biological DG-->CA3-->CA1 circuit. In this project, we incorporate an open-loop controller to optimize the output (CA1) response. Specifically, we seek to optimize the stimulation signal to CA1 using a predictive dentate gyrus (DG)-CA1 nonlinear model (i.e., DG-CA1 trajectory model) and a CA1 input-output model (i.e., CA1 plant model), such that the ultimate CA1 response (i.e., desired output) can be first predicted by the DG-CA1 trajectory model and then transformed to the desired stimulation through the inversed CA1 plant model. Lastly, the desired CA1 output is evoked by the estimated optimal stimulation. This study will be the first stage of formulating an integrated modeling-control strategy for the hippocampal neural prosthetic system.

  5. Concentration-dependent effects of fullerenol on cultured hippocampal neuron viability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zha YY

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Ying-ying Zha,1 Bo Yang,1 Ming-liang Tang,2 Qiu-chen Guo,1 Ju-tao Chen,1 Long-ping Wen,3 Ming Wang11CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 2Suzhou Institute of NanoTech and NanoBionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 3Laboratory of Nano-biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of ChinaBackground: Recent studies have shown that the biological actions and toxicity of the water-soluble compound, polyhydroxyfullerene (fullerenol, are related to the concentrations present at a particular site of action. This study investigated the effects of different concentrations of fullerenol on cultured rat hippocampal neurons.Methods and results: Fullerenol at low concentrations significantly enhanced hippocampal neuron viability as tested by MTT assay and Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide double stain detection. At high concentrations, fullerenol induced apoptosis confirmed by Comet assay and assessment of caspase proteins.Conclusion: These findings suggest that fullerenol promotes cell death and protects against cell damage, depending on the concentration present. The concentration-dependent effects of fullerenol were mainly due to its influence on the reduction-oxidation pathway.Keywords: fullerenol, nanomaterial, neurotoxicity, neuroprotection, hippocampal neuron

  6. Black Rice (Oryza sativa L., Poaceae) Extract Reduces Hippocampal Neuronal Cell Death Induced by Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Sun-Nyoung; Kim, Jae-Cheon; Bhuiyan, Mohammad Iqbal Hossain; Kim, Joo Youn; Yang, Ji Seon; Yoon, Shin Hee; Yoon, Kee Dong; Kim, Seong Yun

    2018-04-01

    Rice is the most commonly consumed grain in the world. Black rice has been suggested to contain various bioactive compounds including anthocyanin antioxidants. There is currently little information about the nutritional benefits of black rice on brain pathology. Here, we investigated the effects of black rice ( Oryza sativa L ., Poaceae) extract (BRE) on the hippocampal neuronal damage induced by ischemic insult. BRE (300 mg/kg) was orally administered to adult male C57BL/6 mice once a day for 21 days. Bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) was performed for 23 min on the 8th day of BRE or vehicle administration. Histological analyses conducted on the 22nd day of BRE or vehicle administration revealed that administering BRE profoundly attenuated neuronal cell death, inhibited reactive astrogliosis, and prevented loss of glutathione peroxidase expression in the hippocampus when compared to vehicle treatment. In addition, BRE considerably ameliorated BCCAO-induced memory impairment on the Morris water maze test from the 15th day to the 22nd day of BRE or vehicle administration. These results indicate that chronic administration of BRE is potentially beneficial in cerebral ischemia.

  7. Neurogenic function in rats with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis that experienced early-life status epilepticus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunleavy, Mark; Schindler, Clara K; Shinoda, Sachiko; Crilly, Shane; Henshall, David C

    2014-01-01

    Status epilepticus in the adult brain invariably causes an increase in hippocampal neurogenesis and the appearance of ectopic cells and this has been implicated as a causal factor in epileptogenesis. The effect of status epilepticus on neurogenesis in the developing brain is less well characterized and models of early-life seizures typically do not reproduce the hippocampal damage common to human mesial temporal sclerosis. We recently reported that evoking status epilepticus by intra-amygdala microinjection of kainic acid in post-natal (P) day 10 rats caused substantial acute neuronal death within the ipsilateral hippocampus and rats later developed unilateral hippocampal sclerosis and spontaneous recurrent seizures. Here, we examined the expression of a selection of genes associated with neurogenesis and assessed neurogenic function in this model. Protein levels of several markers of neurogenesis including polysialic acid neural cell adhesion molecule, neuroD and doublecortin were reduced in the hippocampus three days after status epilepticus in P10 rats. In contrast, protein levels of neurogenesis markers were similar to control in rats at P55. Pulse-chase experiments using thymidine analogues suggested there was a reduction in new neurons at 72 h after status epilepticus in P10 rats, whereas numbers of new neurons labelled in epileptic rats at P55 with hippocampal sclerosis were similar to controls. The present study suggests that status epilepticus in the immature brain suppresses neurogenesis but the neurogenic potential is retained in animals that later develop hippocampal sclerosis. PMID:25755841

  8. Identification of common variants associated with human hippocampal and intracranial volumes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Jason L; Medland, Sarah E; Vasquez, Alejandro Arias; Hibar, Derrek P; Senstad, Rudy E; Winkler, Anderson M; Toro, Roberto; Appel, Katja; Bartecek, Richard; Bergmann, Ørjan; Bernard, Manon; Brown, Andrew A; Cannon, Dara M; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Christoforou, Andrea; Domin, Martin; Grimm, Oliver; Hollinshead, Marisa; Holmes, Avram J; Homuth, Georg; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Langan, Camilla; Lopez, Lorna M; Hansell, Narelle K; Hwang, Kristy S; Kim, Sungeun; Laje, Gonzalo; Lee, Phil H; Liu, Xinmin; Loth, Eva; Lourdusamy, Anbarasu; Mattingsdal, Morten; Mohnke, Sebastian; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Nho, Kwangsik; Nugent, Allison C; O’Brien, Carol; Papmeyer, Martina; Pütz, Benno; Ramasamy, Adaikalavan; Rasmussen, Jerod; Rijpkema, Mark; Risacher, Shannon L; Roddey, J Cooper; Rose, Emma J; Ryten, Mina; Shen, Li; Sprooten, Emma; Strengman, Eric; Teumer, Alexander; Trabzuni, Daniah; Turner, Jessica; van Eijk, Kristel; van Erp, Theo G M; van Tol, Marie-Jose; Wittfeld, Katharina; Wolf, Christiane; Woudstra, Saskia; Aleman, Andre; Alhusaini, Saud; Almasy, Laura; Binder, Elisabeth B; Brohawn, David G; Cantor, Rita M; Carless, Melanie A; Corvin, Aiden; Czisch, Michael; Curran, Joanne E; Davies, Gail; de Almeida, Marcio A A; Delanty, Norman; Depondt, Chantal; Duggirala, Ravi; Dyer, Thomas D; Erk, Susanne; Fagerness, Jesen; Fox, Peter T; Freimer, Nelson B; Gill, Michael; Göring, Harald H H; Hagler, Donald J; Hoehn, David; Holsboer, Florian; Hoogman, Martine; Hosten, Norbert; Jahanshad, Neda; Johnson, Matthew P; Kasperaviciute, Dalia; Kent, Jack W; Kochunov, Peter; Lancaster, Jack L; Lawrie, Stephen M; Liewald, David C; Mandl, René; Matarin, Mar; Mattheisen, Manuel; Meisenzahl, Eva; Melle, Ingrid; Moses, Eric K; Mühleisen, Thomas W; Nauck, Matthias; Nöthen, Markus M; Olvera, Rene L; Pandolfo, Massimo; Pike, G Bruce; Puls, Ralf; Reinvang, Ivar; Rentería, Miguel E; Rietschel, Marcella; Roffman, Joshua L; Royle, Natalie A; Rujescu, Dan; Savitz, Jonathan; Schnack, Hugo G; Schnell, Knut; Seiferth, Nina; Smith, Colin; Steen, Vidar M; Valdés Hernández, Maria C; Van den Heuvel, Martijn; van der Wee, Nic J; Van Haren, Neeltje E M; Veltman, Joris A; Völzke, Henry; Walker, Robert; Westlye, Lars T; Whelan, Christopher D; Agartz, Ingrid; Boomsma, Dorret I; Cavalleri, Gianpiero L; Dale, Anders M; Djurovic, Srdjan; Drevets, Wayne C; Hagoort, Peter; Hall, Jeremy; Heinz, Andreas; Jack, Clifford R; Foroud, Tatiana M; Le Hellard, Stephanie; Macciardi, Fabio; Montgomery, Grant W; Poline, Jean Baptiste; Porteous, David J; Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Starr, John M; Sussmann, Jessika; Toga, Arthur W; Veltman, Dick J; Walter, Henrik; Weiner, Michael W; Bis, Joshua C; Ikram, M Arfan; Smith, Albert V; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Tzourio, Christophe; Vernooij, Meike W; Launer, Lenore J; DeCarli, Charles; Seshadri, Sudha; Andreassen, Ole A; Apostolova, Liana G; Bastin, Mark E; Blangero, John; Brunner, Han G; Buckner, Randy L; Cichon, Sven; Coppola, Giovanni; de Zubicaray, Greig I; Deary, Ian J; Donohoe, Gary; de Geus, Eco J C; Espeseth, Thomas; Fernández, Guillén; Glahn, David C; Grabe, Hans J; Hardy, John; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Jenkinson, Mark; Kahn, René S; McDonald, Colm; McIntosh, Andrew M; McMahon, Francis J; McMahon, Katie L; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Morris, Derek W; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Nichols, Thomas E; Ophoff, Roel A; Paus, Tomas; Pausova, Zdenka; Penninx, Brenda W; Potkin, Steven G; Sämann, Philipp G; Saykin, Andrew J; Schumann, Gunter; Smoller, Jordan W; Wardlaw, Joanna M; Weale, Michael E; Martin, Nicholas G; Franke, Barbara; Wright, Margaret J; Thompson, Paul M

    2013-01-01

    Identifying genetic variants influencing human brain structures may reveal new biological mechanisms underlying cognition and neuropsychiatric illness. The volume of the hippocampus is a biomarker of incipient Alzheimer’s disease1,2 and is reduced in schizophrenia3, major depression4 and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy5. Whereas many brain imaging phenotypes are highly heritable6,7, identifying and replicating genetic influences has been difficult, as small effects and the high costs of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have led to underpowered studies. Here we report genome-wide association meta-analyses and replication for mean bilateral hippocampal, total brain and intracranial volumes from a large multinational consortium. The intergenic variant rs7294919 was associated with hippocampal volume (12q24.22; N = 21,151; P = 6.70 × 10−16) and the expression levels of the positional candidate gene TESC in brain tissue. Additionally, rs10784502, located within HMGA2, was associated with intracranial volume (12q14.3; N = 15,782; P = 1.12 × 10−12). We also identified a suggestive association with total brain volume at rs10494373 within DDR2 (1q23.3; N = 6,500; P = 5.81 × 10−7). PMID:22504417

  9. Confabulations after Bilateral Consecutive Strokes of the Lenticulostriate Arteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Carota

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available We describe the case of a 75-year-old woman who manifested persistent confabulations after two consecutive strokes encompassing the area of the lenticulostriate arteries territory on both hemispheres. Findings reported on this rare clinical syndrome suggest that fantastic confabulations and delusional thoughts may arise after bilateral damage of subcortical nonthalamic structures.

  10. Sustained Na+/H+ exchanger activation promotes gliotransmitter release from reactive hippocampal astrocytes following oxygen-glucose deprivation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pelin Cengiz

    Full Text Available Hypoxia ischemia (HI-related brain injury is the major cause of long-term morbidity in neonates. One characteristic hallmark of neonatal HI is the development of reactive astrogliosis in the hippocampus. However, the impact of reactive astrogliosis in hippocampal damage after neonatal HI is not fully understood. In the current study, we investigated the role of Na(+/H(+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1 protein in mouse reactive hippocampal astrocyte function in an in vitro ischemia model (oxygen/glucose deprivation and reoxygenation, OGD/REOX. 2 h OGD significantly increased NHE1 protein expression and NHE1-mediated H(+ efflux in hippocampal astrocytes. NHE1 activity remained stimulated during 1-5 h REOX and returned to the basal level at 24 h REOX. NHE1 activation in hippocampal astrocytes resulted in intracellular Na(+ and Ca(2+ overload. The latter was mediated by reversal of Na(+/Ca(2+ exchange. Hippocampal astrocytes also exhibited a robust release of gliotransmitters (glutamate and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNFα during 1-24 h REOX. Interestingly, inhibition of NHE1 activity with its potent inhibitor HOE 642 not only reduced Na(+ overload but also gliotransmitter release from hippocampal astrocytes. The noncompetitive excitatory amino acid transporter inhibitor TBOA showed a similar effect on blocking the glutamate release. Taken together, we concluded that NHE1 plays an essential role in maintaining H(+ homeostasis in hippocampal astrocytes. Over-stimulation of NHE1 activity following in vitro ischemia disrupts Na(+ and Ca(2+ homeostasis, which reduces Na(+-dependent glutamate uptake and promotes release of glutamate and cytokines from reactive astrocytes. Therefore, blocking sustained NHE1 activation in reactive astrocytes may provide neuroprotection following HI.

  11. Bilateral cochlear implantation in a patient with bilateral temporal bone fractures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jae Ho; Shin, Myung Chul; Min, Hyun Jung; Park, Chul Won; Lee, Seung Hwan

    2011-01-01

    With the emphasis on bilateral hearing nowadays, bilateral cochlear implantation has been tried out for bilateral aural rehabilitation. Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss caused by head trauma can get help from cochlear implantation. We present the case of a 44-year-old man with bilateral otic capsule violating temporal bone fractures due to head trauma. The patient demonstrated much improved audiometric and psychoacoustic performance after bilateral cochlear implantation. We believe bilateral cochlear implantation in such patient can be a very effective tool for rehabilitation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Comparison of Hippocampal Volume in Dementia Subtypes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vijayakumar, Avinash; Vijayakumar, Abhishek

    2012-01-01

    Aims. To examine the relationship between different types of dementia and hippocampal volume. Methods. Hippocampal volume was measured using FL3D sequence magnetic resonance imaging in 26 Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, mixed dementia, and normal pressure hydrocephalus patients and 15 healthy controls and also hippocampal ratio, analyzed. Minimental scale was used to stratify patients on cognitive function impairments. Results. Hippocampal volume and ratio was reduced by 25% in Alzheimer's disease, 21% in mixed dementia, 11% in vascular dementia and 5% in normal pressure hydrocephalus in comparison to control. Also an asymmetrical decrease in volume of left hippocampus was noted. The severity of dementia increased in accordance to decreasing hippocampal volume. Conclusion. Measurement in hippocampal volume may facilitate in differentiating different types of dementia and in disease progression. There was a correlation between hippocampal volume and severity of cognitive impairment

  13. Mutant APP and Amyloid beta-induced defective autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial structural and functional changes and synaptic damage in hippocampal neurons from Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, P Hemachandra; Yin, XiangLin; Manczak, Maria; Kumar, Subodh; Jangampalli Adi, Pradeepkiran; Vijayan, Murali; Reddy, Arubala P

    2018-04-25

    The purpose of our study was to determine the toxic effects of hippocampal mutant APP and amyloid beta (Aβ) in human mutant APP (mAPP) cDNA transfected with primary mouse hippocampal neurons (HT22). Hippocampal tissues are the best source of studying learning and memory functions in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy controls. However, investigating immortalized hippocampal neurons that express AD proteins provide an excellent opportunity for drug testing. Using quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting & immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy, we assessed mRNA and protein levels of synaptic, autophagy, mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, biogenesis, dendritic protein MAP2, and assessed mitochondrial number and length in mAPP-HT22 cells that express Swedish/Indiana mutations. Mitochondrial function was assessed by measuring the levels of hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation, cytochrome c oxidase activity and mitochondrial ATP. Increased levels of mRNA and protein levels of mitochondrial fission genes, Drp1 and Fis1 and decreased levels fusion (Mfn1, Mfn2 and Opa1) biogenesis (PGC1α, NRF1, NRF2 & TFAM), autophagy (ATG5 & LC3BI, LC3BII), mitophagy (PINK1 & TERT, BCL2 & BNIPBL), synaptic (synaptophysin & PSD95) and dendritic (MAP2) genes were found in mAPP-HT22 cells relative to WT-HT22 cells. Cell survival was significantly reduced mAPP-HT22 cells. GTPase-Dp1 enzymatic activity was increased in mAPP-HT22 cells. Transmission electron microscopy revealed significantly increased mitochondrial numbers and reduced mitochondrial length in mAPP-HT22 cells. These findings suggest that hippocampal accumulation of mutant APP and Aβ is responsible for abnormal mitochondrial dynamics and defective biogenesis, reduced MAP2, autophagy, mitophagy and synaptic proteins & reduced dendritic spines and mitochondrial structural and functional changes in mutant APP hippocampal cells. These observations strongly suggest that accumulation of mAPP and A

  14. Bilateral amygdala damage impairs the acquisition and use of common ground in social interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Rupa; Duff, Melissa C; Tranel, Daniel

    2011-03-01

    The development of "common ground," or mutual knowledge of shared information, is believed to require the ability to update a mental representation of another person's thoughts and knowledge based on verbal information and nonverbal social and emotional signals, to facilitate economical communication. As in other forms of everyday social communication, the development of common ground likely requires the orchestration of multiple cognitive processes supported by various neural systems. Here, we investigate the contribution of the amygdala to these processes. SM, a patient with complete, focal, bilateral amygdala damage, and deficits in social and emotional processing, and five healthy comparison participants, each interacted with a familiar partner. We investigated the participants' ability to develop and use referential labels across 24 dynamic, collaborative interactions. Participants verbally directed their partner how to arrange a set of 12 abstract tangrams while separated by a low barrier, allowing them to see each other but hiding their tangrams. In contrast to comparison participants, SM exhibited an impaired rate of learning across trials and did not show the typical simplification in the labels generated during the interactions. Detailed analyses of SM's interactional discourse and social behavior suggested that she has impaired perspective-taking or what can be interpreted as deficient "theory of mind," manifested in abnormal "language-in-use." These results support the conclusion that the amygdala, a structure critical for social and emotional processing, plays an important role in the acquisition and use of common ground and in social communication more broadly.

  15. Charting the acquisition of semantic knowledge in a case of developmental amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardiner, John M; Brandt, Karen R; Baddeley, Alan D; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh; Mishkin, Mortimer

    2008-09-01

    We report the acquisition and recall of novel facts by Jon, a young adult with early onset developmental amnesia whose episodic memory is gravely impaired due to selective bilateral hippocampal damage. Jon succeeded in learning some novel facts but compared with a control group his intertrial retention was impaired during acquisition and, except for the most frequently repeated facts, he was also less accurate in correctly sourcing these facts to the experiment. The results further support the hypothesis that despite a severely compromised episodic memory and hippocampal system, there is nevertheless the capacity to accrue semantic knowledge available to recall.

  16. Charting the acquisition of semantic knowledge in a case of developmental amnesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardiner, John M.; Brandt, Karen R.; Baddeley, Alan D.; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh; Mishkin, Mortimer

    2009-01-01

    We report the acquisition and recall of novel facts by Jon, a young adult with early onset developmental amnesia whose episodic memory is gravely impaired due to selective bilateral hippocampal damage. Jon succeeded in learning some novel facts but compared with a control group his intertrial retention was impaired during acquisition and, except for the most frequently repeated facts, he was also less accurate in correctly sourcing these facts to the experiment. The results further support the hypothesis that despite a severely compromised episodic memory and hippocampal system, there is nevertheless the capacity to accrue semantic knowledge available to recall. PMID:18589461

  17. Accelerated Age-Dependent Hippocampal Volume Loss in Parkinson Disease With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Christine B; Donix, Markus; Linse, Katharina; Werner, Annett; Fauser, Mareike; Klingelhoefer, Lisa; Löhle, Matthias; von Kummer, Rüdiger; Reichmann, Heinz; Storch, Alexander

    2017-09-01

    Patients with Parkinson disease are at high risk of developing dementia. During the course of the disease, a substantial number of patients will experience a cognitive decline, indicating the dynamics of the underlying neuropathology. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become increasingly useful for identifying structural characteristics in radiological brain anatomy existing prior to clinical symptoms. Whether these changes reflect pathology, whether they are aging related, or both often remains unclear. We hypothesized that aging-associated brain structural changes would be more pronounced in the hippocampal region among patients with Parkinson disease having mild cognitive deficits relative to cognitively unimpaired patients. Using MRI, we investigated 30 cognitively healthy patients with Parkinson disease and 33 patients with nondemented Parkinson disease having mild cognitive impairment. All participants underwent structural MRI scanning and extensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments. Irrespective of the study participants' cognitive status, older age was associated with reduced cortical thickness in various neocortical regions. Having mild cognitive impairment was not associated with an increased rate of cortical thinning or volume loss in these regions, except in the hippocampus bilaterally. Patients with Parkinson disease having mild cognitive impairment show an accelerated age-dependent hippocampal volume loss when compared with cognitively healthy patients with Parkinson disease. This may indicate pathological processes in a key region for memory functioning in patients with Parkinson disease at risk of developing dementia. Structural MRI of the hippocampal region could potentially contribute to identifying patients who should receive early treatment aimed at delaying the clinical onset of dementia.

  18. Parálisis diafragmática bilateral. Presentación de un caso Bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Carnot Pereira

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available La parálisis diafragmática bilateral es una entidad muy infrecuente en la clínica, debido a diferentes entidades con capacidad de lesionar el nervio frénico. El compromiso respiratorio que produce requiere cuidado especializado. Este es el primer caso reportado en nuestra literatura a consecuencia de hernias cervicales múltiples. Se presenta un caso de un paciente de 43 años, con antecedentes de salud, exatleta de alto rendimiento, que ingresó en nuestro servicio, con disnea de 5 meses de evolución, que aumentó progresivamente en intensidad hasta mantenerlo en ortopnea constante, fue estudiado exhaustivamente hasta llegar a diagnostico definido y derivarlo al servicio de Neurocirugía para su solución definitiva. La importancia del tema que se presenta es que se describe una presentación rara de parálisis diafragmática bilateral, a consecuencia de hernias discales cervicales múltiples.Bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis is a rare condition in clinical practice due to different entities that can damage phrenic nerve. The resulting respiratory compromise requires medical special care. This is the first case reported in our medical literature caused by multiple cervical hernias. A 43 year-old patient having health history, high performance ex-athlete, admitted in the service with 5-month evolution of dyspnea which progressively increased in intensity up to maintain him in permanent orthopnea, thorough studies were conducted to the definite diagnosis and he was transferred to Neurosurgery Service to a definite solution. A rare presentation of a bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis resulting from multiple cervical hernias gives importance to the topic.

  19. Incomplete hippocampal inversion - is there a relation to epilepsy?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bajic, Dragan [Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Uppsala (Sweden); Kumlien, Eva; Mattsson, Peter [Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala (Sweden); Lundberg, Staffan [Uppsala University Hospital, Department of Women' s and Children' s Health, Uppsala (Sweden); Wang, Chen [Karolinska University Hospital, Department of Neuroradiology, Stockholm (Sweden); Raininko, Raili [Uppsala University, Department of Radiology, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2009-10-15

    Incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI) has been described in patients with epilepsy or severe midline malformations but also in nonepileptic subjects without obvious developmental anomalies. We studied the frequency of IHI in different epilepsy syndromes to evaluate their relationship. Three hundred patients were drawn from the regional epilepsy register. Of these, 99 were excluded because of a disease or condition affecting the temporal lobes or incomplete data. Controls were 150 subjects without epilepsy or obvious intracranial developmental anomalies. The coronal MR images were analysed without knowledge of the clinical data. Among epilepsy patients, 30% had IHI (40 left-sided, 4 right-sided, 16 bilateral). Of controls, 18% had IHI (20 left-sided, 8 bilateral). The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, 25% had IHI, which was not a significantly higher frequency than in controls (P=0.34). There was no correlation between EEG and IHI laterality. A total of 44% of Rolandic epilepsy patients and 57% of cryptogenic generalised epilepsy patients had IHI. The IHI frequency was very high in some epileptic syndromes, but not significantly higher in TLE compared to controls. No causality between TLE and IHI could be found. IHI can be a sign of disturbed cerebral development affecting other parts of the brain, maybe leading to epilepsy. (orig.)

  20. Incomplete hippocampal inversion - is there a relation to epilepsy?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bajic, Dragan; Kumlien, Eva; Mattsson, Peter; Lundberg, Staffan; Wang, Chen; Raininko, Raili

    2009-01-01

    Incomplete hippocampal inversion (IHI) has been described in patients with epilepsy or severe midline malformations but also in nonepileptic subjects without obvious developmental anomalies. We studied the frequency of IHI in different epilepsy syndromes to evaluate their relationship. Three hundred patients were drawn from the regional epilepsy register. Of these, 99 were excluded because of a disease or condition affecting the temporal lobes or incomplete data. Controls were 150 subjects without epilepsy or obvious intracranial developmental anomalies. The coronal MR images were analysed without knowledge of the clinical data. Among epilepsy patients, 30% had IHI (40 left-sided, 4 right-sided, 16 bilateral). Of controls, 18% had IHI (20 left-sided, 8 bilateral). The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, 25% had IHI, which was not a significantly higher frequency than in controls (P=0.34). There was no correlation between EEG and IHI laterality. A total of 44% of Rolandic epilepsy patients and 57% of cryptogenic generalised epilepsy patients had IHI. The IHI frequency was very high in some epileptic syndromes, but not significantly higher in TLE compared to controls. No causality between TLE and IHI could be found. IHI can be a sign of disturbed cerebral development affecting other parts of the brain, maybe leading to epilepsy. (orig.)

  1. Effects of hippocampal lesions on the monkey's ability to learn large sets of object-place associations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belcher, Annabelle M; Harrington, Rebecca A; Malkova, Ludise; Mishkin, Mortimer

    2006-01-01

    Earlier studies found that recognition memory for object-place associations was impaired in patients with relatively selective hippocampal damage (Vargha-Khadem et al., Science 1997; 277:376-380), but was unaffected after selective hippocampal lesions in monkeys (Malkova and Mishkin, J Neurosci 2003; 23:1956-1965). A potentially important methodological difference between the two studies is that the patients were required to remember a set of 20 object-place associations for several minutes, whereas the monkeys had to remember only two such associations at a time, and only for a few seconds. To approximate more closely the task given to the patients, we trained monkeys on several successive sets of 10 object-place pairs each, with each set requiring learning across days. Despite the increased associative memory demands, monkeys given hippocampal lesions were unimpaired relative to their unoperated controls, suggesting that differences other than set size and memory duration underlie the different outcomes in the human and animal studies. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  2. Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hibar, Derrek P; Adams, Hieab H H; Jahanshad, Neda; Chauhan, Ganesh; Stein, Jason L; Hofer, Edith; Renteria, Miguel E; Bis, Joshua C; Arias-Vasquez, Alejandro; Ikram, M Kamran; Desrivières, Sylvane; Vernooij, Meike W; Abramovic, Lucija; Alhusaini, Saud; Amin, Najaf; Andersson, Micael; Arfanakis, Konstantinos; Aribisala, Benjamin S; Armstrong, Nicola J; Athanasiu, Lavinia; Axelsson, Tomas; Beecham, Ashley H; Beiser, Alexa; Bernard, Manon; Blanton, Susan H; Bohlken, Marc M; Boks, Marco P; Bralten, Janita; Brickman, Adam M; Carmichael, Owen; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Chen, Qiang; Ching, Christopher R K; Chouraki, Vincent; Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel; Crivello, Fabrice; Den Braber, Anouk; Doan, Nhat Trung; Ehrlich, Stefan; Giddaluru, Sudheer; Goldman, Aaron L; Gottesman, Rebecca F; Grimm, Oliver; Griswold, Michael E; Guadalupe, Tulio; Gutman, Boris A; Hass, Johanna; Haukvik, Unn K; Hoehn, David; Holmes, Avram J; Hoogman, Martine; Janowitz, Deborah; Jia, Tianye; Jørgensen, Kjetil N; Karbalai, Nazanin; Kasperaviciute, Dalia; Kim, Sungeun; Klein, Marieke; Kraemer, Bernd; Lee, Phil H; Liewald, David C M; Lopez, Lorna M; Luciano, Michelle; Macare, Christine; Marquand, Andre F; Matarin, Mar; Mather, Karen A; Mattheisen, Manuel; McKay, David R; Milaneschi, Yuri; Muñoz Maniega, Susana; Nho, Kwangsik; Nugent, Allison C; Nyquist, Paul; Loohuis, Loes M Olde; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Papmeyer, Martina; Pirpamer, Lukas; Pütz, Benno; Ramasamy, Adaikalavan; Richards, Jennifer S; Risacher, Shannon L; Roiz-Santiañez, Roberto; Rommelse, Nanda; Ropele, Stefan; Rose, Emma J; Royle, Natalie A; Rundek, Tatjana; Sämann, Philipp G; Saremi, Arvin; Satizabal, Claudia L; Schmaal, Lianne; Schork, Andrew J; Shen, Li; Shin, Jean; Shumskaya, Elena; Smith, Albert V; Sprooten, Emma; Strike, Lachlan T; Teumer, Alexander; Tordesillas-Gutierrez, Diana; Toro, Roberto; Trabzuni, Daniah; Trompet, Stella; Vaidya, Dhananjay; Van der Grond, Jeroen; Van der Lee, Sven J; Van der Meer, Dennis; Van Donkelaar, Marjolein M J; Van Eijk, Kristel R; Van Erp, Theo G M; Van Rooij, Daan; Walton, Esther; Westlye, Lars T; Whelan, Christopher D; Windham, Beverly G; Winkler, Anderson M; Wittfeld, Katharina; Woldehawariat, Girma; Wolf, Christiane; Wolfers, Thomas; Yanek, Lisa R; Yang, Jingyun; Zijdenbos, Alex; Zwiers, Marcel P; Agartz, Ingrid; Almasy, Laura; Ames, David; Amouyel, Philippe; Andreassen, Ole A; Arepalli, Sampath; Assareh, Amelia A; Barral, Sandra; Bastin, Mark E; Becker, Diane M; Becker, James T; Bennett, David A; Blangero, John; van Bokhoven, Hans; Boomsma, Dorret I; Brodaty, Henry; Brouwer, Rachel M; Brunner, Han G; Buckner, Randy L; Buitelaar, Jan K; Bulayeva, Kazima B; Cahn, Wiepke; Calhoun, Vince D; Cannon, Dara M; Cavalleri, Gianpiero L; Cheng, Ching-Yu; Cichon, Sven; Cookson, Mark R; Corvin, Aiden; Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto; Curran, Joanne E; Czisch, Michael; Dale, Anders M; Davies, Gareth E; De Craen, Anton J M; De Geus, Eco J C; De Jager, Philip L; De Zubicaray, Greig I; Deary, Ian J; Debette, Stéphanie; DeCarli, Charles; Delanty, Norman; Depondt, Chantal; DeStefano, Anita; Dillman, Allissa; Djurovic, Srdjan; Donohoe, Gary; Drevets, Wayne C; Duggirala, Ravi; Dyer, Thomas D; Enzinger, Christian; Erk, Susanne; Espeseth, Thomas; Fedko, Iryna O; Fernández, Guillén; Ferrucci, Luigi; Fisher, Simon E; Fleischman, Debra A; Ford, Ian; Fornage, Myriam; Foroud, Tatiana M; Fox, Peter T; Francks, Clyde; Fukunaga, Masaki; Gibbs, J Raphael; Glahn, David C; Gollub, Randy L; Göring, Harald H H; Green, Robert C; Gruber, Oliver; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Guelfi, Sebastian; Håberg, Asta K; Hansell, Narelle K; Hardy, John; Hartman, Catharina A; Hashimoto, Ryota; Hegenscheid, Katrin; Heinz, Andreas; Le Hellard, Stephanie; Hernandez, Dena G; Heslenfeld, Dirk J; Ho, Beng-Choon; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Hoffmann, Wolfgang; Hofman, Albert; Holsboer, Florian; Homuth, Georg; Hosten, Norbert; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Huentelman, Matthew; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Ikeda, Masashi; Jack, Clifford R; Jenkinson, Mark; Johnson, Robert; Jönsson, Erik G; Jukema, J Wouter; Kahn, René S; Kanai, Ryota; Kloszewska, Iwona; Knopman, David S; Kochunov, Peter; Kwok, John B; Lawrie, Stephen M; Lemaître, Hervé; Liu, Xinmin; Longo, Dan L; Lopez, Oscar L; Lovestone, Simon; Martinez, Oliver; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Mattay, Venkata S; McDonald, Colm; McIntosh, Andrew M; McMahon, Francis J; McMahon, Katie L; Mecocci, Patrizia; Melle, Ingrid; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Mohnke, Sebastian; Montgomery, Grant W; Morris, Derek W; Mosley, Thomas H; Mühleisen, Thomas W; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Nalls, Michael A; Nauck, Matthias; Nichols, Thomas E; Niessen, Wiro J; Nöthen, Markus M; Nyberg, Lars; Ohi, Kazutaka; Olvera, Rene L; Ophoff, Roel A; Pandolfo, Massimo; Paus, Tomas; Pausova, Zdenka; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Pike, G Bruce; Potkin, Steven G; Psaty, Bruce M; Reppermund, Simone; Rietschel, Marcella; Roffman, Joshua L; Romanczuk-Seiferth, Nina; Rotter, Jerome I; Ryten, Mina; Sacco, Ralph L; Sachdev, Perminder S; Saykin, Andrew J; Schmidt, Reinhold; Schmidt, Helena; Schofield, Peter R; Sigursson, Sigurdur; Simmons, Andrew; Singleton, Andrew; Sisodiya, Sanjay M; Smith, Colin; Smoller, Jordan W; Soininen, Hilkka; Steen, Vidar M; Stott, David J; Sussmann, Jessika E; Thalamuthu, Anbupalam; Toga, Arthur W; Traynor, Bryan J; Troncoso, Juan; Tsolaki, Magda; Tzourio, Christophe; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Hernández, Maria C Valdés; Van der Brug, Marcel; van der Lugt, Aad; van der Wee, Nic J A; Van Haren, Neeltje E M; van 't Ent, Dennis; Van Tol, Marie-Jose; Vardarajan, Badri N; Vellas, Bruno; Veltman, Dick J; Völzke, Henry; Walter, Henrik; Wardlaw, Joanna M; Wassink, Thomas H; Weale, Michael E; Weinberger, Daniel R; Weiner, Michael W; Wen, Wei; Westman, Eric; White, Tonya; Wong, Tien Y; Wright, Clinton B; Zielke, Ronald H; Zonderman, Alan B; Martin, Nicholas G; Van Duijn, Cornelia M; Wright, Margaret J; Longstreth, W T; Schumann, Gunter; Grabe, Hans J; Franke, Barbara; Launer, Lenore J; Medland, Sarah E; Seshadri, Sudha; Thompson, Paul M; Ikram, M Arfan

    2017-01-18

    The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (r g =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness.

  3. Polygenic Risk Score for Alzheimer's Disease: Implications for Memory Performance and Hippocampal Volumes in Early Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Axelrud, Luiza K; Santoro, Marcos L; Pine, Daniel S; Talarico, Fernanda; Gadelha, Ary; Manfro, Gisele G; Pan, Pedro M; Jackowski, Andrea; Picon, Felipe; Brietzke, Elisa; Grassi-Oliveira, Rodrigo; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Miguel, Eurípedes C; Rohde, Luis A; Hakonarson, Hakon; Pausova, Zdenka; Belangero, Sintia; Paus, Tomas; Salum, Giovanni A

    2018-06-01

    Alzheimer's disease is a heritable neurodegenerative disorder in which early-life precursors may manifest in cognition and brain structure. The authors evaluate this possibility by examining, in youths, associations among polygenic risk score for Alzheimer's disease, cognitive abilities, and hippocampal volume. Participants were children 6-14 years of age in two Brazilian cities, constituting the discovery (N=364) and replication samples (N=352). As an additional replication, data from a Canadian sample (N=1,029), with distinct tasks, MRI protocol, and genetic risk, were included. Cognitive tests quantified memory and executive function. Reading and writing abilities were assessed by standardized tests. Hippocampal volumes were derived from the Multiple Automatically Generated Templates (MAGeT) multi-atlas segmentation brain algorithm. Genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease was quantified using summary statistics from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project. Analyses showed that for the Brazilian discovery sample, each one-unit increase in z-score for Alzheimer's polygenic risk score significantly predicted a 0.185 decrement in z-score for immediate recall and a 0.282 decrement for delayed recall. Findings were similar for the Brazilian replication sample (immediate and delayed recall, β=-0.259 and β=-0.232, both significant). Quantile regressions showed lower hippocampal volumes bilaterally for individuals with high polygenic risk scores. Associations fell short of significance for the Canadian sample. Genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease may affect early-life cognition and hippocampal volumes, as shown in two independent samples. These data support previous evidence that some forms of late-life dementia may represent developmental conditions with roots in childhood. This result may vary depending on a sample's genetic risk and may be specific to some types of memory tasks.

  4. Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

    OpenAIRE

    Hibar, Derrek P.; Adams, Hieab H. H.; Jahanshad, Neda; Chauhan, Ganesh; Stein, Jason L.; Hofer, Edith; Renteria, Miguel E.; Bis, Joshua C.; Arias-Vasquez, Alejandro; Ikram, M. Kamran; Desrivieres, Sylvane; Vernooij, Meike W.; Abramovic, Lucija; Alhusaini, Saud; Amin, Najaf

    2017-01-01

    International audience; The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal ...

  5. Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures for studies of brain damage, neuroprotection and neurorepair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Noraberg, Jens; Poulsen, Frantz Rom; Blaabjerg, Morten

    2005-01-01

    Slices of developing brain tissue can be grown for several weeks as so-called organotypic slice cultures. Here we summarize and review studies using hippocampal slice cultures to investigate mechanisms and treatment strategies for the neurodegenerative disorders like stroke (cerebral ischemia......), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and epilepsia. Studies of non-excitotoxic neurotoxic compounds and the experimental use of slice cultures in studies of HIV neurotoxicity, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurogenesis are included. For cerebral ischemia, experimental models with oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD......) and exposure to glutamate receptor agonists (excitotoxins) are reviewed. For epilepsia, focus is on induction of seizures with effects on neuronal loss, axonal sprouting and neurogenesis. For Alzheimer's disease, the review centers on the use of beta-amyloid (Abeta) in different models, while the section...

  6. Five-year retrospective changes in hippocampal atrophy and cognitive screening test performances in very mild Alzheimer's disease: the Tajiri Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, S.; Meguro, K.; Shimada, M.; Ishizaki, J.; Yamadori, A.; Sekita, Y.

    2002-01-01

    The medial temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus, is important for normal cognitive function, especially for memory, and is the region with the earliest and most extensive pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the atrophic changes of the hippocampus over a 5-year period and its relation to cognitive screening test performances in normal elderly subjects, those with very mild AD, and patients with AD. Fifty-seven elderly subjects without a moderate or greater degree of cerebrovascular disease as shown by MRI were randomly selected from the town of Tajiri. Thirty-three subjects with a clinical dementia rating (CDR) of 0 (normal), 18 CDR-0.5 (very mild AD) subjects, and six CDR-1 and 2 (AD) subjects underwent MRI and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) twice during the period. Retrospective changes in the hippocampal width and the MMSE scores were evaluated. There were significant CDR group effects for the changes in the mean bilateral hippocampal widths and the MMSE scores. Normal subjects did not show cognitive decline, although there was a slight tendency for hippocampal atrophy. A significant and meaningful Spearman's correlation was noted between left hippocampal atrophy and the MMSE scores over the 5-year period for the CDR-0.5 group. These CDR-0.5 subjects met the MCI (mild cognitive impairment) criteria as proposed by the consensus paper. Findings suggested that normal elderly subjects maintain a high level of cognitive functions for at least 5 years, although hippocampal atrophy might occur. Atrophic change of the left hippocampus might be a good marker of the very early stage of AD. (orig.)

  7. Hippocampal nicotinic receptors have a modulatory role for ethanol and MDMA interaction in memory retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rostami, Maryam; Rezayof, Ameneh; Alijanpour, Sakineh; Sharifi, Khadijeh Alsadat

    2017-08-15

    The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of dorsal hippocampal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) activation on the functional interaction between ethanol and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) in memory retrieval. The dorsal hippocampal CA1 regions of adult male NMRI mice were bilaterally cannulated and memory retrieval was measured in a step-down type passive avoidance apparatus. Post-training or pre-test systemic administration of ethanol (1g/kg, i.p.) induced amnesia. Pre-test administration of ethanol reversed pre-training ethanol-induced amnesia, suggesting ethanol state-dependent learning. Pre-test intra-CA1 microinjection of different doses of MDMA (0.25-1µg/mouse) with an ineffective dose of ethanol (0.25g/kg, i.p.) also induced amnesia. Interestingly, pre-test intra-CA1 microinjection of MDMA (0.25-1µg/mouse) potentiated ethanol state-dependent learning. On the other hand, the activation of the dorsal hippocampal nAChRs by pre-test microinjection of nicotine (0.1-1µg/mouse, intra-CA1) improved amnesia induced by the co-administration of MDMD and ethanol. It is important to note that intra-CA1 microinjection of the same doses of MDMA or nicotine could not affect memory formation by itself. Pre-test intra-CA1 microinjection of nicotine (0.3-0.9µg/mouse) could not reverse amnesia induced by pre-training administration of ethanol while this treatment enhanced MDMA response on ethanol state-dependent learning. Thus, it can be concluded that there may be functional interactions among ethanol, MDMA and nicotine via the dorsal hippocampal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mechanism in memory retrieval and drug state-dependent learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. MRI findings of brain damage due to neonatal hypoglycemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Lu; Fan Guoguang; Ji Xu; Sun Baohai; Guo Qiyong

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To report the MRI findings of brain damage observed in neonatal patients who suffered from isolated hypoglycemia and to explore the value of diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI) in early detection of neonatal hypoglycemic brain injury. Methods: Twelve neonates with isolated hypoglycemia (10 of the 12 were diagnosed to suffer from hypoglycemic encephalopathy) were enrolled in this study. They were first scanned at age from 3 days to 10 days with T 1 WI, T 2 WI and DWI(b is 0 s/mm 2 , 1000 s/mm 2 ), and 4 of them were then scanned from 7 days to 10 days following the initial scan. All acquired MR images were retrospectively analysed. Results: First series of DWI images showed distinct hyperintense signal in 11 cases in several areas including bilateral occipital cortex (2 cases), right occipital cortex (1 case), left occipital cortex and subcortical white matter(1 case), bilateral occipital cortex and subcortical white matter (2 cases), bilateral parieto-occipital cortex (2 cases), bilateral parieto-occipital cortex and subcortical white matter(2 cases), the splenium of corpus callosum (4 cases), bilateral corona radiata( 2 cases), left caudate nucleus and globus pallidus (1 case), bilateral thalamus (1 case), bilaterally posterior limb of internal capsule (1 case). In the initial T 1 WI and T 2 WI images, there were subtle hypointensity in the damaged cortical areas (3 cases), hyperintensity in the bilaterally affected occipital cortex( 1 case) on T 1 weighted images, and hyperintensity in the affected cortex and subcortical white matter with poor differentiation on T 2 weighted images. The followed-up MRI of 4 cases showed regional encephalomalacia in the affected occipital lobes(4 cases), slightly hyperintensity on T 2 weighted images in the damaged occipital cortex (2 cases), extensive demyelination (1 case), disappearance of hyperintensity of the splenium of corpus callosum (1 case), and persistent hyperintensity in the splenium of corpus callosum (1 case

  9. Behavioral inhibition in childhood predicts smaller hippocampal volume in adolescent offspring of parents with panic disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, C E; Kunwar, P S; Hirshfeld-Becker, D R; Henin, A; Vangel, M G; Rauch, S L; Biederman, J; Rosenbaum, J F

    2015-01-01

    Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a genetically influenced behavioral profile seen in 15–20% of 2-year-old children. Children with BI are timid with people, objects and situations that are novel or unfamiliar, and are more reactive physiologically to these challenges as evidenced by higher heart rate, pupillary dilation, vocal cord tension and higher levels of cortisol. BI predisposes to the later development of anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Reduced hippocampal volumes have been observed in anxiety disorders, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. Animal models have demonstrated that chronic stress can damage the hippocampal formation and implicated cortisol in these effects. We, therefore, hypothesized that the hippocampi of late adolescents who had been behaviorally inhibited as children would be smaller compared with those who had not been inhibited. Hippocampal volume was measured with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging in 43 females and 40 males at 17 years of age who were determined to be BI+ or BI− based on behaviors observed in the laboratory as young children. BI in childhood predicted reduced hippocampal volumes in the adolescents who were offspring of parents with panic disorder, or panic disorder with comorbid major depression. We discuss genetic and environmental factors emanating from both child and parent that may explain these findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a relationship between the most extensively studied form of temperamentally based human trait anxiety, BI, and hippocampal structure. The reduction in hippocampal volume, as reported by us, suggests a role for the hippocampus in human trait anxiety and anxiety disorder that warrants further investigation. PMID:26196438

  10. Moderate traumatic brain injury causes acute dendritic and synaptic degeneration in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang Gao

    Full Text Available Hippocampal injury-associated learning and memory deficits are frequent hallmarks of brain trauma and are the most enduring and devastating consequences following traumatic brain injury (TBI. Several reports, including our recent paper, showed that TBI brought on by a moderate level of controlled cortical impact (CCI induces immature newborn neuron death in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. In contrast, the majority of mature neurons are spared. Less research has been focused on these spared neurons, which may also be injured or compromised by TBI. Here we examined the dendrite morphologies, dendritic spines, and synaptic structures using a genetic approach in combination with immunohistochemistry and Golgi staining. We found that although most of the mature granular neurons were spared following TBI at a moderate level of impact, they exhibited dramatic dendritic beading and fragmentation, decreased number of dendritic branches, and a lower density of dendritic spines, particularly the mushroom-shaped mature spines. Further studies showed that the density of synapses in the molecular layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus was significantly reduced. The electrophysiological activity of neurons was impaired as well. These results indicate that TBI not only induces cell death in immature granular neurons, it also causes significant dendritic and synaptic degeneration in pathohistology. TBI also impairs the function of the spared mature granular neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. These observations point to a potential anatomic substrate to explain, in part, the development of posttraumatic memory deficits. They also indicate that dendritic damage in the hippocampal dentate gyrus may serve as a therapeutic target following TBI.

  11. Effects of GABA-B receptor positive modulator on ketamine-induced psychosis-relevant behaviors and hippocampal electrical activity in freely moving rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Jingyi; Stan Leung, L

    2017-10-01

    Decreased GABA B receptor function is proposed to mediate some symptoms of schizophrenia. In this study, we tested the effect of CGP7930, a GABA B receptor positive allosteric modulator, on ketamine-induced psychosis-relevant behaviors and hippocampal electrical activity in behaving rats. Electrodes were bilaterally implanted into the hippocampus, and cannulae were placed into the lateral ventricles of Long-Evans rats. CGP7930 or vehicle was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), alone or 15 min prior to ketamine (3 mg/kg, subcutaneous) injection. Paired click auditory evoked potentials in the hippocampus (AEP), prepulse inhibition (PPI), and locomotor activity were recorded before and after drug injection. CGP7930 at doses of 1 mg/kg (i.p.) prevented ketamine-induced deficit of PPI. CGP7930 (1 mg/kg i.p.) also prevented the decrease in gating of hippocampal AEP and the increase in hippocampal gamma (65-100 Hz) waves induced by ketamine. Unilateral i.c.v. infusion of CGP7930 (0.3 mM/1 μL) also prevented the decrease in gating of hippocampal AEP induced by ketamine. Ketamine-induced behavioral hyperlocomotion was suppressed by 5 mg/kg i.p. CGP7930. CGP7930 alone, without ketamine, did not significantly affect integrated PPI, locomotion, gating of hippocampal AEP, or gamma waves. CGP7930 (1 mg/kg i.p.) increased heterosynaptically mediated paired pulse depression in the hippocampus, a measure of GABA B receptor function in vivo. CGP7930 reduces the behavioral and electrophysiological disruptions induced by ketamine in animals, and the hippocampus may be one of the neural targets where CGP7930 exerts its actions.

  12. A cross-sectional MRI study of brain regional atrophy and clinical characteristics of temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    2012-02-01

    PURPOSE: Applying a cross-sectional design, we set out to further characterize the significance of extrahippocampal brain atrophy in a large sample of \\'sporadic\\' mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE+HS). By evaluating the influence of epilepsy chronicity on structural atrophy, this work represents an important step towards the characterization of MRI-based volumetric measurements as genetic endophenotypes for this condition. METHODS: Using an automated brain segmentation technique, MRI-based volume measurements of several brain regions were compared between 75 patients with \\'sporadic\\' MTLE+HS and 50 healthy controls. Applying linear regression models, we examined the relationship between structural atrophy and important clinical features of MTLE+HS, including disease duration, lifetime number of partial and generalized seizures, and history of initial precipitating insults (IPIs). RESULTS: Significant volume loss was detected in ipsilateral hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and cerebral white matter (WM). In addition, contralateral hippocampal and bilateral cerebellar grey matter (GM) volume loss was observed in left MTLE+HS patients. Hippocampal, amygdalar, and cerebral WM volume loss correlated with duration of epilepsy. This correlation was stronger in patients with prior IPIs history. Further, cerebral WM, cerebellar GM, and contralateral hippocampal volume loss correlated with lifetime number of generalized seizures. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that multiple brain regions beyond the hippocampus are involved in the pathogenesis of MTLE+HS. IPIs are an important factor influencing the rate of regional atrophy but our results also support a role for processes related to epilepsy chronicity. The consequence of epilepsy chronicity on candidate brain regions has important implications on their application as genetic endophenotypes.

  13. Moxibustion upregulates hippocampal progranulin expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Yi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In China, moxibustion is reported to be useful and has few side effects for chronic fatigue syndrome, but its mechanisms are largely unknown. More recently, the focus has been on the wealth of information supporting stress as a factor in chronic fatigue syndrome, and largely concerns dysregulation in the stress-related hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the effect of moxibustion on behavioral symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome rats and examine possible mechanisms. Rats were subjected to a combination of chronic restraint stress and forced swimming to induce chronic fatigue syndrome. The acupoints Guanyuan (CV4 and Zusanli (ST36, bilateral were simultaneously administered moxibustion. Untreated chronic fatigue syndrome rats and normal rats were used as controls. Results from the forced swimming test, open field test, tail suspension test, real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and western blot assay showed that moxibustion treatment decreased mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus, and adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone levels in plasma, and markedly increased progranulin mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. These findings suggest that moxibustion may relieve the behavioral symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, at least in part, by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and upregulating hippocampal progranulin.

  14. Palmitoylethanolamide Ameliorates Hippocampal Damage and Behavioral Dysfunction After Perinatal Asphyxia in the Immature Rat Brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María I. Herrera

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Perinatal asphyxia (PA is an obstetric complication associated with an impaired gas exchange. This health problem continues to be a determinant of neonatal mortality and neurodevelopmental disorders. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA has exerted neuroprotection in several models of brain injury and neurodegeneration. We aimed at evaluating the potential neuroprotective role of PEA in an experimental model, which induces PA in the immature rat brain. PA was induced by placing Sprague Dawley newborn rats in a water bath at 37°C for 19 min. Once their physiological conditions improved, they were given to surrogate mothers that had delivered normally within the last 24 h. The control group was represented by non-fostered vaginally delivered pups, mimicking the clinical situation. Treatment with PEA (10 mg/kg was administered within the first hour of life. Modifications in the hippocampus were analyzed with conventional electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry (for NeuN, pNF-H/M, MAP-2, and GFAP and western blot (for pNF H/M, MAP-2, and GFAP. Behavior was also studied throughout Open Field (OF Test, Passive Avoidance (PA Task and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM Test. After 1 month of the PA insult, we observed neuronal nucleus degeneration in CA1 using electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry revealed a significant increase in pNF-H/M and decrease in MAP-2 in CA1 reactive area. These changes were also observed when analyzing the level of expression of these markers by western blot. Vertical exploration impairments and anxiety-related behaviors were encountered in the OF and EPM tests. PEA treatment attenuated PA-induced hippocampal damage and its corresponding behavioral alterations. These results contribute to the elucidation of PEA neuroprotective role after PA and the future establishment of therapeutic strategies for the developing brain.

  15. Hippocampal Sclerosis in Older Patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cykowski, Matthew D.; Powell, Suzanne Z.; Schulz, Paul E.; Takei, Hidehiro; Rivera, Andreana L.; Jackson, Robert E.; Roman, Gustavo; Jicha, Gregory A.; Nelson, Peter T.

    2018-01-01

    Context Autopsy studies of the older population (≥65 years of age), and particularly of the “oldest-old” (≥85 years of age), have identified a significant proportion (~20%) of cognitively impaired patients in which hippocampal sclerosis is the major substrate of an amnestic syndrome. Hippocampal sclerosis may also be comorbid with frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Alzheimer disease, and Lewy body disease. Until recently, the terms hippocampal sclerosis of aging or hippocampal sclerosis dementia were applied in this context. Recent discoveries have prompted a conceptual expansion of hippocampal sclerosis of aging because (1) cellular inclusions of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) are frequent; (2) TDP-43 pathology may be found outside hippocampus; and (3) brain arteriolosclerosis is a common, possibly pathogenic, component. Objective To aid pathologists with recent recommendations for diagnoses of common neuropathologies in older persons, particularly hippocampal sclerosis, and highlight the recent shift in diagnostic terminology from HS-aging to cerebral age-related TDP-43 with sclerosis (CARTS). Data Sources Peer-reviewed literature and 5 autopsy examples that illustrate common age-related neuropathologies, including CARTS, and emphasize the importance of distinguishing CARTS from late-onset frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology and from advanced Alzheimer disease with TDP-43 pathology. Conclusions In advanced old age, the substrates of cognitive impairment are often multifactorial. This article demonstrates common and frequently comorbid neuropathologic substrates of cognitive impairment in the older population, including CARTS, to aid those practicing in this area of pathology. PMID:28467211

  16. Motor function in a patient with bilateral lesions of the globus pallidus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haaxma, R; vanBoxtel, A; Brouwer, WH; Goeken, LNH; vanderGon, JJD; Colebatch, JG; Martin, A; Brooks, DJ; Noth, J; Marsden, CD

    1995-01-01

    This study describes the long-term motor deficits of a patient who, after a toxic encephalopathy, sustained extensive bilateral damage to both segments of the globus pallidus (GP) and the right substantia nigra (SN). There were no signs of lesions of the pyramidal tracts or of other motor

  17. Multimodal assessments of the hippocampal formation in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Evidences from neurobehavioral measures and functional and structural MRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Knöchel

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A potential clinical and etiological overlap between schizophrenia (SZ and bipolar disorder (BD has long been a subject of discussion. Imaging studies imply functional and structural alterations of the hippocampus in both diseases. Thus, imaging this core memory region could provide insight into the pathophysiology of these disorders and the associated cognitive deficits. To examine possible shared alterations in the hippocampus, we conducted a multi-modal assessment, including functional and structural imaging as well as neurobehavioral measures of memory performance in BD and SZ patients compared with healthy controls. We assessed episodic memory performance, using tests of verbal and visual learning (HVLT, BVMT in three groups of participants: BD patients (n = 21, SZ patients (n = 21 and matched (age, gender, education healthy control subjects (n = 21. In addition, we examined hippocampal resting state functional connectivity, hippocampal volume using voxel-based morphometry (VBM and fibre integrity of hippocampal connections using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI. We found memory deficits, changes in functional connectivity within the hippocampal network as well as volumetric reductions and altered white matter fibre integrity across patient groups in comparison with controls. However, SZ patients when directly compared with BD patients were more severely affected in several of the assessed parameters (verbal learning, left hippocampal volumes, mean diffusivity of bilateral cingulum and right uncinated fasciculus. The results of our study suggest a graded expression of verbal learning deficits accompanied by structural alterations within the hippocampus in BD patients and SZ patients, with SZ patients being more strongly affected. Our findings imply that these two disorders may share some common pathophysiological mechanisms. The results could thus help to further advance and integrate current pathophysiological models of SZ and BD.

  18. Simultaneous bilateral laser therapy accelerates recovery after noise-induced hearing loss in a rat model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae-Hun Lee

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Noise-induced hearing loss is a common type of hearing loss. The effects of laser therapy have been investigated from various perspectives, including in wound healing, inflammation reduction, and nerve regeneration, as well as in hearing research. A promising feature of the laser is its capability to penetrate soft tissue; depending on the wavelength, laser energy can penetrate into the deepest part of the body without damaging non-target soft tissues. Based on this idea, we developed bilateral transtympanic laser therapy, which uses simultaneous laser irradiation in both ears, and evaluated the effects of bilateral laser therapy on cochlear damage caused by noise overexposure. Thus, the purpose of this research was to assess the benefits of simultaneous bilateral laser therapy compared with unilateral laser therapy and a control. Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to narrow-band noise at 115 dB SPL for 6 h. Multiple auditory brainstem responses were measured after each laser irradiation, and cochlear hair cells were counted after the 15th such irradiation. The penetration depth of the 808 nm laser was also measured after sacrifice. Approximately 5% of the laser energy reached the contralateral cochlea. Both bilateral and unilateral laser therapy decreased the hearing threshold after noise overstimulation in the rat model. The bilateral laser therapy group showed faster functional recovery at all tested frequencies compared with the unilateral laser therapy group. However, there was no difference in the endpoint ABR results or final hair cell survival, which was analyzed histologically.

  19. Five-year retrospective changes in hippocampal atrophy and cognitive screening test performances in very mild Alzheimer's disease: the Tajiri Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamaguchi, S.; Meguro, K.; Shimada, M.; Ishizaki, J.; Yamadori, A. [Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Disability Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan); Sekita, Y. [Tohoku University Graduate School of Economics, Sendai (Japan)

    2002-01-01

    The medial temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus, is important for normal cognitive function, especially for memory, and is the region with the earliest and most extensive pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the atrophic changes of the hippocampus over a 5-year period and its relation to cognitive screening test performances in normal elderly subjects, those with very mild AD, and patients with AD. Fifty-seven elderly subjects without a moderate or greater degree of cerebrovascular disease as shown by MRI were randomly selected from the town of Tajiri. Thirty-three subjects with a clinical dementia rating (CDR) of 0 (normal), 18 CDR-0.5 (very mild AD) subjects, and six CDR-1 and 2 (AD) subjects underwent MRI and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) twice during the period. Retrospective changes in the hippocampal width and the MMSE scores were evaluated. There were significant CDR group effects for the changes in the mean bilateral hippocampal widths and the MMSE scores. Normal subjects did not show cognitive decline, although there was a slight tendency for hippocampal atrophy. A significant and meaningful Spearman's correlation was noted between left hippocampal atrophy and the MMSE scores over the 5-year period for the CDR-0.5 group. These CDR-0.5 subjects met the MCI (mild cognitive impairment) criteria as proposed by the consensus paper. Findings suggested that normal elderly subjects maintain a high level of cognitive functions for at least 5 years, although hippocampal atrophy might occur. Atrophic change of the left hippocampus might be a good marker of the very early stage of AD. (orig.)

  20. Bilateral Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Caused by Eye Rubbing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savastano, Alfonso; Savastano, Maria Cristina; Carlomusto, Laura; Savastano, Silvio

    2015-01-01

    In this report, we describe a particular condition of a 52-year-old man who showed advanced bilateral glaucomatous-like optic disc damage, even though the intraocular pressure resulted normal during all examinations performed. Visual field test, steady-state pattern electroretinogram, retinal nerve fiber layer and retinal tomographic evaluations were performed to evaluate the optic disc damage. Over a 4-year observational period, his visual acuity decreased to 12/20 in the right eye and counting fingers in the left eye. Visual fields were severely compromised, and intraocular pressure values were not superior to 14 mm Hg during routine examinations. An accurate anamnesis and the suspicion of this disease represent a crucial aspect to establish the correct diagnosis. In fact, our patient strongly rubbed his eyes for more than 10 h per day. Recurrent and continuous eye rubbing can induce progressive optic neuropathy, causing severe visual field damage similar to the pathology of advanced glaucoma.

  1. Vagus nerve stimulation ameliorated deficits in one-way active avoidance learning and stimulated hippocampal neurogenesis in bulbectomized rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gebhardt, Nils; Bär, Karl-Jürgen; Boettger, Michael K; Grecksch, Gisela; Keilhoff, Gerburg; Reichart, Rupert; Becker, Axel

    2013-01-01

    Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been introduced as a therapeutic option for treatment-resistant depression. The neural and chemical mechanisms responsible for the effects of VNS are largely unclear. Bilateral removal of the olfactory bulbs (OBX) is a validated animal model in depression research. We studied the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on disturbed one-way active avoidance learning and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of rats. After a stimulation period of 3 weeks, OBX rats acquired the learning task as controls. In addition, the OBX-related decrease of neuronal differentiated BrdU positive cells in the dentate gyrus was prevented by VNS. This suggests that chronic VNS and changes in hippocampal neurogenesis induced by VNS may also account for the amelioration of behavioral deficits in OBX rats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the restorative effects of VNS on behavioral function in an animal model of depression that can be compared with the effects of antidepressants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Glucocorticoids inhibit glucose transport and glutamate uptake in hippocampal astrocytes: implications for glucocorticoid neurotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Virgin, C E; Ha, T P; Packan, D R; Tombaugh, G C; Yang, S H; Horner, H C; Sapolsky, R M

    1991-10-01

    Glucocorticoids (GCs), the adrenal steroid hormones secreted during stress, can damage the hippocampus and impair its capacity to survive coincident neurological insults. This GC endangerment of the hippocampus is energetic in nature, as it can be prevented when neurons are supplemented with additional energy substrates. This energetic endangerment might arise from the ability of GCs to inhibit glucose transport into both hippocampal neurons and astrocytes. The present study explores the GC inhibition in astrocytes. (1) GCs inhibited glucose transport approximately 15-30% in both primary and secondary hippocampal astrocyte cultures. (2) The parameters of inhibition agreed with the mechanisms of GC inhibition of glucose transport in peripheral tissues: A minimum of 4 h of GC exposure were required, and the effect was steroid specific (i.e., it was not triggered by estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone) and tissue specific (i.e., it was not triggered by GCs in cerebellar or cortical cultures). (3) Similar GC treatment caused a decrease in astrocyte survival during hypoglycemia and a decrease in the affinity of glutamate uptake. This latter observation suggests that GCs might impair the ability of astrocytes to aid neurons during times of neurologic crisis (i.e., by impairing their ability to remove damaging glutamate from the synapse).

  3. A Rare Entity: Bilateral First Rib Fractures Accompanying Bilateral Scapular Fractures

    OpenAIRE

    Gulbahar, Gultekin; Kaplan, Tevfik; Turker, Hasan Bozkurt; Gundogdu, Ahmet Gokhan; Han, Serdar

    2015-01-01

    First rib fractures are scarce due to their well-protected anatomic locations. Bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures are very rare, although they may be together with scapular and clavicular fractures. According to our knowledge, no case of bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures has been reported, so we herein discussed the diagnosis, treatment, and complications of bone fractures due to thoracic trauma in bias of this rare en...

  4. A Rare Entity: Bilateral First Rib Fractures Accompanying Bilateral Scapular Fractures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulbahar, Gultekin; Kaplan, Tevfik; Turker, Hasan Bozkurt; Gundogdu, Ahmet Gokhan; Han, Serdar

    2015-01-01

    First rib fractures are scarce due to their well-protected anatomic locations. Bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures are very rare, although they may be together with scapular and clavicular fractures. According to our knowledge, no case of bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures has been reported, so we herein discussed the diagnosis, treatment, and complications of bone fractures due to thoracic trauma in bias of this rare entity.

  5. Frequent seizures are associated with a network of gray matter atrophy in temporal lobe epilepsy with or without hippocampal sclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana C Coan

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE with hippocampal sclerosis (HS have diffuse subtle gray matter (GM atrophy detectable by MRI quantification analyses. However, it is not clear whether the etiology and seizure frequency are associated with this atrophy. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of GM atrophy and the influence of seizure frequency in patients with TLE and either normal MRI (TLE-NL or MRI signs of HS (TLE-HS. METHODS: We evaluated a group of 172 consecutive patients with unilateral TLE-HS or TLE-NL as defined by hippocampal volumetry and signal quantification (122 TLE-HS and 50 TLE-NL plus a group of 82 healthy individuals. Voxel-based morphometry was performed with VBM8/SPM8 in 3T MRIs. Patients with up to three complex partial seizures and no generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the previous year were considered to have infrequent seizures. Those who did not fulfill these criteria were considered to have frequent seizures. RESULTS: Patients with TLE-HS had more pronounced GM atrophy, including the ipsilateral mesial temporal structures, temporal lobe, bilateral thalami and pre/post-central gyri. Patients with TLE-NL had more subtle GM atrophy, including the ipsilateral orbitofrontal cortex, bilateral thalami and pre/post-central gyri. Both TLE-HS and TLE-NL showed increased GM volume in the contralateral pons. TLE-HS patients with frequent seizures had more pronounced GM atrophy in extra-temporal regions than TLE-HS with infrequent seizures. Patients with TLE-NL and infrequent seizures had no detectable GM atrophy. In both TLE-HS and TLE-NL, the duration of epilepsy correlated with GM atrophy in extra-hippocampal regions. CONCLUSION: Although a diffuse network GM atrophy occurs in both TLE-HS and TLE-NL, this is strikingly more evident in TLE-HS and in patients with frequent seizures. These findings suggest that neocortical atrophy in TLE is related to the ongoing seizures and epilepsy duration, while thalamic

  6. Amount of lifetime video gaming is positively associated with entorhinal, hippocampal and occipital volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kühn, S; Gallinat, J

    2014-07-01

    Playing video games is a popular leisure activity among children and adults, and may therefore potentially influence brain structure. We have previously shown a positive association between probability of gray matter (GM) volume in the ventral striatum and frequent video gaming in adolescence. Here we set out to investigate structural correlates of video gaming in adulthood, as the effects observed in adolescents may reflect only a fraction of the potential neural long-term effects seen in adults. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 62 male adults, we computed voxel-based morphometry to explore the correlation of GM with the lifetime amount of video gaming (termed joystick years). We found a significant positive association between GM in bilateral parahippocamal region (entorhinal cortex) and left occipital cortex/inferior parietal lobe and joystick years (Pvideo game genres played, such as logic/puzzle games and platform games contributing positively, and action-based role-playing games contributing negatively. Furthermore, joystick years were positively correlated with hippocampus volume. The association of lifetime amount of video game playing with bilateral entorhinal cortex, hippocampal and occipital GM volume could reflect adaptive neural plasticity related to navigation and visual attention.

  7. [Bilateral cochlear implants].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, J

    2017-07-01

    Cochlear implants (CI) are standard for the hearing rehabilitation of severe to profound deafness. Nowadays, if bilaterally indicated, bilateral implantation is usually recommended (in accordance with German guidelines). Bilateral implantation enables better speech discrimination in quiet and in noise, and restores directional and spatial hearing. Children with bilateral CI are able to undergo hearing-based hearing and speech development. Within the scope of their individual possibilities, bilaterally implanted children develop faster than children with unilateral CI and attain, e.g., a larger vocabulary within a certain time interval. Only bilateral implantation allows "binaural hearing," with all the benefits that people with normal hearing profit from, namely: better speech discrimination in quiet and in noise, as well as directional and spatial hearing. Naturally, the developments take time. Binaural CI users benefit from the same effects as normal hearing persons: head shadow effect, squelch effect, and summation and redundancy effects. Sequential CI fitting is not necessarily disadvantageous-both simultaneously and sequentially fitted patients benefit in a similar way. For children, earliest possible fitting and shortest possible interval between the two surgeries seems to positively influence the outcome if bilateral CI are indicated.

  8. Molecular Imaging on the Cerebral Pathological Damage Target of Ketamine Dependence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YANG Hong-jie1,2;HU Shu1;JIA Shao-wei1;GAO Zhou1;WANG Tong3;ZHAO Zheng-qin1

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available To study the cerebral pathological damage target which result from abusing ketamine through molecular imaging techniques, 20 cases of ketamine dependent patients looking for treatment at the Peking University Shenzhen Hospital and 31 healthy volunteers were included in this study, all of them got brain SPECT DAT imaging. The results were analyzed by SPSS 16.0. The bilateral caudate nucleus and putamen of healthy volunteers were roughly equally large, and the radioactive distribution of DAT in healthy volunteers were uniform and symmetrical. The bilateral corpora striatum showed typical “panda eyes” pattern. But the bilateral corpora striatum of ketamine dependent patients got smaller in shape, got disorders in pattern, and the radioactive distribution of DAT reduced or defected or even got disturbance and with much more non-specific radioactive. The V, m and Ra of bilateral corpora striatum in ketamine dependent patients were (21.03±3.15) cm3, (22.08±3.31) g and (5.37±1.08) %, respectively, which were significantly lower than the healthy volunteers (p<0.01. The cerebral pathological damage target which resulted from abusing ketamine was similar to those of compound codeine phosphate antitussive solution dependence, heroin dependence and MDMA dependence, all of these psychoactive substances damaged the function of DAT.

  9. Functional implications of hippocampal degeneration in early Alzheimer's disease: a combined DTI and PET study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yakushev, Igor; Mueller, Matthias J.; Schermuly, Ingrid; Fellgiebel, Andreas; Schreckenberger, Matthias; Cumming, Paul; Stoeter, Peter; Gerhard, Alex

    2011-01-01

    Hypometabolism of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to arise in part due to AD-specific neuronal damage to the hippocampal formation. Here, we explored the association between microstructural alterations within the hippocampus and whole-brain glucose metabolism in subjects with AD, also in relation to episodic memory impairment. Twenty patients with early AD (Mini-Mental State Examination 25.7 ± 1.7) were studied with [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography and diffusion tensor imaging. Episodic memory performance was assessed using the free delayed verbal recall task (DVR). Voxel-wise relative FDG uptake was correlated to diffusivity indices of the hippocampus, followed by extraction of FDG uptake values from significant clusters. Linear regression analysis was performed to test for unique contributions of diffusivity and metabolic indices in the prediction of memory function. Diffusivity in the left anterior hippocampus negatively correlated with FDG uptake primarily in the left anterior hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and the PCC (p< 0.005). The same correlation pattern was found for right hippocampal diffusivity (p< 0.05). In linear regression analysis, left anterior hippocampal diffusivity and FDG uptake from the PCC cluster were the only significant predictors for performance on DVR, together explaining 60.6% of the variance. We found an inverse association between anterior hippocampal diffusivity and PCC glucose metabolism, which was in turn strongly related to episodic memory performance in subjects with early AD. These findings support the diaschisis hypothesis of AD and implicate a dysfunction of structures along the hippocampal output pathways as a significant contributor to the genesis of episodic memory impairment. (orig.)

  10. [Effect of Scalp-acupuncture Stimulation on Neurological Function and Expression of ASIC 1 a and ASIC 2 b of Hippocampal CA 1 Region in Cerebral Ischemia Rats].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Liang; Wang, Jin-Hai; Zhao, Min; Bao, Ying-Cun; Shang, Jun-Fang; Yan, Qi; Zhang, Zhen-Chang; Du, Xiao-Zheng; Jiang, Hua; Sun, Run-Jie; Yuan, Bo; Zhang, Xing-Hua; Zhang, Ting-Zhuo; Li, Xing-Lan

    2016-10-25

    To observe the influence of scalp-acupuncture on the expression of acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) 1 a and 2 b of hippocampal CA 1 region in cerebral ischemia (CI) rats, so as to investigate its mechanism underlying improvement of ischemic stroke. Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly allocated to normal control, model, scalp-acupuncture and Amiloride group ( n =8 in each group). The model of focal CI was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Scalp acupuncture stimulation was applied to bilateral Dingnieqianxiexian (MS 6) and Dingniehouxiexian (MS 7), once daily for 7 days. Rats of the Amiloride group were fed with Amiloride solution, twice a day for 7 days, and those of the normal control and model groups were grabbled and fixed in the same way with the acupuncture and Amiloride groups. The neurological deficit score was given according to Longa's method. The expression of hippocampal ASIC 1 a and ASIC 2 b was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the Ca 2+ concentration in the hippocampal tissue assayed using flowing cytometry. After the intervention, the neurological deficit score of both the scalp-acupuncture and Amiloride groups were significantly decreased in comparison with pre-treatment ( P ASIC 1 a and ASIC 2 b in the hippocampal CA 1 region and hip-pocampal Ca 2+ concentration were significantly up-regulated in the model group compared with the normal control group ( P ASIC 1 a and ASIC 2 b expression and Ca 2+ concentration ( P >0.05). Scalp-acupuncture stimulation can improve neurological function in CI rats, which may be related to its effects in suppressing the increased expression of hippocampal ASIC 1 a and ASIC 2 b proteins and in reducing calcium overload in hip-pocampal neurocytes.

  11. A Rare Entity: Bilateral First Rib Fractures Accompanying Bilateral Scapular Fractures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gultekin Gulbahar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available First rib fractures are scarce due to their well-protected anatomic locations. Bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures are very rare, although they may be together with scapular and clavicular fractures. According to our knowledge, no case of bilateral first rib fractures accompanying bilateral scapular fractures has been reported, so we herein discussed the diagnosis, treatment, and complications of bone fractures due to thoracic trauma in bias of this rare entity.

  12. Less Daily Computer Use is Related to Smaller Hippocampal Volumes in Cognitively Intact Elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silbert, Lisa C; Dodge, Hiroko H; Lahna, David; Promjunyakul, Nutta-On; Austin, Daniel; Mattek, Nora; Erten-Lyons, Deniz; Kaye, Jeffrey A

    2016-01-01

    Computer use is becoming a common activity in the daily life of older individuals and declines over time in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The relationship between daily computer use (DCU) and imaging markers of neurodegeneration is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between average DCU and volumetric markers of neurodegeneration on brain MRI. Cognitively intact volunteers enrolled in the Intelligent Systems for Assessing Aging Change study underwent MRI. Total in-home computer use per day was calculated using mouse movement detection and averaged over a one-month period surrounding the MRI. Spearman's rank order correlation (univariate analysis) and linear regression models (multivariate analysis) examined hippocampal, gray matter (GM), white matter hyperintensity (WMH), and ventricular cerebral spinal fluid (vCSF) volumes in relation to DCU. A voxel-based morphometry analysis identified relationships between regional GM density and DCU. Twenty-seven cognitively intact participants used their computer for 51.3 minutes per day on average. Less DCU was associated with smaller hippocampal volumes (r = 0.48, p = 0.01), but not total GM, WMH, or vCSF volumes. After adjusting for age, education, and gender, less DCU remained associated with smaller hippocampal volume (p = 0.01). Voxel-wise analysis demonstrated that less daily computer use was associated with decreased GM density in the bilateral hippocampi and temporal lobes. Less daily computer use is associated with smaller brain volume in regions that are integral to memory function and known to be involved early with Alzheimer's pathology and conversion to dementia. Continuous monitoring of daily computer use may detect signs of preclinical neurodegeneration in older individuals at risk for dementia.

  13. Alkaloid fraction of Uncaria rhynchophylla protects against N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced apoptosis in rat hippocampal slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jongseok; Son, Dongwook; Lee, Pyeongjae; Kim, Sun-Yeou; Kim, Hocheol; Kim, Chang-Ju; Lim, Eunhee

    2003-09-04

    Uncaria rhynchophylla is a medicinal herb which has sedative and anticonvulsive effects and has been applied in the treatment of epilepsy in Oriental medicine. In this study, the effect of alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neuronal cell death was investigated. Pretreatment with an alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla for 1 h decreased the degree of neuronal damage induced by NMDA exposure in cultured hippocampal slices and also inhibited NMDA-induced enhanced expressions of apoptosis-related genes such as c-jun, p53, and bax. In the present study, the alkaloid fraction of U. rhynchophylla was shown to have a protective property against NMDA-induced cytotoxicity by suppressing the NMDA-induced apoptosis in rat hippocampal slices.

  14. Vitamin C deficiency in early postnatal life impairs spatial memory and reduces the number of hippocampal neurons in guinea pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tveden-Nyborg, Pernille Yde; Johansen, Louise Kruse; Raida, Zindy

    2009-01-01

    C deficiency and neuronal damage in newborn guinea pigs. DESIGN: Thirty 6- to 7-d-old guinea pigs were randomly assigned to 2 groups to receive either a vitamin C-sufficient diet or the same diet containing a low concentration of vitamin C (but adequate to prevent scurvy) for 2 mo. Spatial memory...... was assessed by the Morris Water Maze, and hippocampal neuron numbers were quantified by stereologic techniques. RESULTS: The results showed a reduction in spatial memory (P ... a lower total number of neurons in hippocampal subdivisions (dentate gyrus, cornu ammonis 1, and cornu ammonis 2-3) than did the normal controls (P impaired neuronal development and a functional decrease...

  15. A longitudinal study of the bilateral benefit in children with bilateral cochlear implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asp, Filip; Mäki-Torkko, Elina; Karltorp, Eva; Harder, Henrik; Hergils, Leif; Eskilsson, Gunnar; Stenfelt, Stefan

    2015-02-01

    To study the development of the bilateral benefit in children using bilateral cochlear implants by measurements of speech recognition and sound localization. Bilateral and unilateral speech recognition in quiet, in multi-source noise, and horizontal sound localization was measured at three occasions during a two-year period, without controlling for age or implant experience. Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses were performed. Results were compared to cross-sectional data from children with normal hearing. Seventy-eight children aged 5.1-11.9 years, with a mean bilateral cochlear implant experience of 3.3 years and a mean age of 7.8 years, at inclusion in the study. Thirty children with normal hearing aged 4.8-9.0 years provided normative data. For children with cochlear implants, bilateral and unilateral speech recognition in quiet was comparable whereas a bilateral benefit for speech recognition in noise and sound localization was found at all three test occasions. Absolute performance was lower than in children with normal hearing. Early bilateral implantation facilitated sound localization. A bilateral benefit for speech recognition in noise and sound localization continues to exist over time for children with bilateral cochlear implants, but no relative improvement is found after three years of bilateral cochlear implant experience.

  16. N-acetylaspartate, choline and myoinositol concentration changes in MR spectroscopy (1H MRS) of hippocampal formation in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - preliminary study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pawlowska, A.; Cwikla, J.; Walecki, J.; Gabryelewicz, T.; Barcikowska, M.

    2004-01-01

    Cognitive and memory impairment are very common problems in elderly patients. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is known as a transitional clinical state between normal ('successful') aging and dementia. In some cases MCI may be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Early neuronal loss and metabolic changes have been documented in previous studies in AD patients in some 'strategic ' regions of the brain, mainly in hippocampal formation. Our goal was to determine whether there are statistically significant changes in hippocampal N-acetylaspartate, choline and myoinositol levels obtained by single-voxel spectroscopy in MCI patients and normal aging and to evaluate its clinical diagnostic utility. 30 patients with MCI and 15 cognitively normal elderly subjects underwent proton MR spectroscopy at 1.5 T system. MR spectra were obtained from anterior and posterior part of hippocampal formation bilaterally, using the point-resolved spectroscopy sequence. Metabolite ratios of NAA/H 2 O, Cho/H 2 O and mI/H 2 O were calculated from the peak height measurements. Relative to the control group, patients with MCI demonstrated elevated mI/H 2 O and Cho/H 2 O ratios in both hippocampal formations. The most significant increase was observed in mI/H 2 O ratio in anterior part of left hippocampus and in Cho/H 2 O ratio in posterior part of right hippocampus, in MCI patients vs.cognitively normal elderly. There were no significant differences between mean NAA/H 2 O ratios measured in hippocampal formation in both groups. Proton MRS may be used as valuable additional tool in the evaluation of regional metabolic changes in patients with MCI. Increase of mI and Cho levels in hippocampal formation may be an early sign of cognitive impairment in elderly subjects that can be measured using MRS. (author)

  17. Selective impairment of subcategories of long-term memory in mice with hippocampal lesions accessed by the olfactory tubing maze.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaillan, F A; Marchetti, E; Soumireu-Mourat, B; Roman, F S

    2005-03-30

    A new apparatus, the olfactory tubing maze for mice, was developed recently to study learning and memory processes in mice in regard to their ethological abilities. As in humans, BALB/c mice with selective bilateral lesions of the hippocampal formation showed selective impairment of subcategories of long-term memory when tested with the olfactory tubing maze. After three learning sessions, control mice reached a high percentage of correct responses. They consistently made the olfactory-reward associations, but antero-dorsal and postero-ventral hippocampal-lesioned mice did not. However, all lesioned mice learned the paradigm and the timing of the task as fast and as well as control mice. These data suggest that the olfactory tubing maze can be used to study subcategories of memory, such as declarative and non-declarative memory, which are similar in some respects to those observed in humans. Consequently, possible memory effects of classical approaches (i.e., pharmacological or lesion studies) or genetic modifications in transgenic or gene-targeting mice can be effectively analyzed using this new apparatus.

  18. Improving efficiency in bilateral emission trading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burtraw, D.; Harrison, K.W.; Turner, P.

    1998-01-01

    When environmental damages from emissions are spatially nonuniform, permit trading has been modeled most often as a 'pollution offset program' in which emission permits are traded between agents, subject to constraints on ambient air quality. To date the institution envisioned to implement such a program involves trading on a bilateral and sequential basis. However, simulation studies indicate that the sequence of trades may alter the outcome and undermine the cost savings from a pollution offset program. This paper identifies a design for the trading institution that tends to overcome this phenomenon and improve the efficiency of equilibria obtained in a simulation model. We model a bilateral trading process for the reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions with a stochastic description of the sequence of trades within groups of nations in Europe. When trading takes place between disaggregated, stylistic representations of economic enterprises, rather than between national governments, a significantly greater portion of potential savings is achieved. In fact, under most sets of assumptions, approximate first order stochastic dominance is achieved wherein the more decentralized the trading agents, the greater the expected savings from a trading program. 4 figs., 2 tabs., 31 refs

  19. Hybrid fixation in the bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for lower jaw advancement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felipe Ladeira Pereira

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Miniplate and screw fixation has been widely used in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy, but some issues remain unclear concerning its lack of rigidity when compared to Spiessl's bicortical technique. This paper demonstrates the hybrid fixation technique in a case report. A 34-year-old female patient underwent a double jaw surgery with counter-clockwise rotation of the mandible fixed using the hybrid fixation technique. The patient evolved well in the postoperative period and is still under follow up after 14 months, reporting satisfaction with the results and no significant deviation from the treatment plan up to now. No damage to tooth roots was done, maxillomandibular range of motion was within normality and regression of the inferior alveolar nerve paresthesia was observed bilaterally. The hybrid mandibular fixation is clearly visible in the panoramic and cephalometric control radiographs. It seems that the hybrid fixation can sum the advantages of both monocortical and bicortical techniques in lower jaw advancement, increasing fixation stability without significant damage to the mandibular articulation and the inferior alveolar nerve. A statistical investigation seems necessary to prove its efficacy.

  20. Developmental changes in hippocampal shape among preadolescent children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Muqing; Fwu, Peter T; Buss, Claudia; Davis, Elysia P; Head, Kevin; Muftuler, L Tugan; Sandman, Curt A; Su, Min-Ying

    2013-11-01

    It is known that the largest developmental changes in the hippocampus take place during the prenatal period and during the first two years of postnatal life. Few studies have been conducted to address the normal developmental trajectory of the hippocampus during childhood. In this study shape analysis was applied to study the normal developing hippocampus in a group of 103 typically developing 6- to 10-year-old preadolescent children. The individual brain was normalized to a template, and then the hippocampus was manually segmented and further divided into the head, body, and tail sub-regions. Three different methods were applied for hippocampal shape analysis: radial distance mapping, surface-based template registration using the robust point matching (RPM) algorithm, and volume-based template registration using the Demons algorithm. All three methods show that the older children have bilateral expanded head segments compared to the younger children. The results analyzed based on radial distance to the centerline were consistent with those analyzed using template-based registration methods. In analyses stratified by sex, it was found that the age-associated anatomical changes were similar in boys and girls, but the age-association was strongest in girls. Total hippocampal volume and sub-regional volumes analyzed using manual segmentation did not show a significant age-association. Our results suggest that shape analysis is sensitive to detect sub-regional differences that are not revealed in volumetric analysis. The three methods presented in this study may be applied in future studies to investigate the normal developmental trajectory of the hippocampus in children. They may be further applied to detect early deviations from the normal developmental trajectory in young children for evaluating susceptibility for psychopathological disorders involving hippocampus. Copyright © 2013 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Hippocampal atrophy on MRI is predictive of histopathological patterns and surgical prognosis in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jardim, Anaclara Prada; Corso, Jeana Torres; Garcia, Maria Teresa Fernandes Castilho; Gaça, Larissa Botelho; Comper, Sandra Mara; Lancellotti, Carmen Lúcia Penteado; Centeno, Ricardo Silva; Carrete, Henrique; Cavalheiro, Esper Abrão; Scorza, Carla Alessandra; Yacubian, Elza Márcia Targas

    2016-12-01

    To correlate hippocampal volumes obtained from brain structural imaging with histopathological patterns of hippocampal sclerosis (HS), in order to predict surgical outcome. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with HS were selected. Clinical data were assessed pre-operatively and surgical outcome in the first year post surgery. One block of mid hippocampal body was selected for HS classification according to ILAE criteria. NeuN-immunoreactive cell bodies were counted within hippocampal subfields, in four randomly visual fields, and cell densities were transformed into z-score values. FreeSurfer processing of 1.5T brain structural images was used for subcortical and cortical volumetric estimation of the ipsilateral hippocampus. Univariate analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation test were applied for statistical analyses. Sixty-two cases (31 female, 32 right HS) were included. ILAE type 1 HS was identified in 48 patients, type 2 in eight, type 3 in two, and four had no-HS. Better results regarding seizure control, i.e. ILAE 1, were achieved by patients with type 1 HS (58.3%). Patients with types 1 and 2 had smaller hippocampal volumes compared to those with no-HS (p<0.001 and p=0.004, respectively). Positive correlation was encountered between hippocampal volumes and CA1, CA3, CA4, and total estimated neuronal densities. CA2 was the only sector which did not correlate its neuronal density with hippocampal volume (p=0.390). This is the first study correlating hippocampal volume on MRI submitted to FreeSurfer processing with ILAE patterns of HS and neuronal loss within each hippocampal subfield, a fundamental finding to anticipate surgical prognosis for patients with drug-resistant MTLE and HS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Performance of a Multi-Atlas Hippocampal Segmentation Method using the Harmonized Hippocampal Protocol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anker, Cecilie Benedicte; Sørensen, Lauge; Pai, Akshay

    PURPOSE Hippocampal volumetry is the most widely used structural MRI biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and state-of-the-art, automatic hippocampal segmentation can be obtained using longitudinal FreeSurfer. In this study, we compare the diagnostic AD performance of a single time point, multi...

  3. Study of the protective effects of nootropic agents against neuronal damage induced by amyloid-beta (fragment 25-35) in cultured hippocampal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sendrowski, Krzysztof; Sobaniec, Wojciech; Stasiak-Barmuta, Anna; Sobaniec, Piotr; Popko, Janusz

    2015-04-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, in which progressive neuron loss, mainly in the hippocampus, is observed. The critical events in the pathogenesis of AD are associated with accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides in the brain. Deposits of Aβ initiate a neurotoxic "cascade" leading to apoptotic death of neurons. Aim of this study was to assess a putative neuroprotective effects of two nootropic drugs: piracetam (PIR) and levetiracetam (LEV) on Aβ-injured hippocampal neurons in culture. Primary cultures of rat's hippocampal neurons at 7 day in vitro were exposed to Aβ(25-35) in the presence or absence of nootropics in varied concentrations. Flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI staining was used for counting and establishing neurons as viable, necrotic or apoptotic. Additionally, release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to the culture medium, as a marker of cell death, was evaluated. Aβ(25-35) caused concentration-dependent death of about one third number of hippocampal neurons, mainly through an apoptotic pathway. In drugs-containing cultures, number of neurons injured with 20 μM Aβ(25-35) was about one-third lesser for PIR and almost two-fold lesser for LEV. When 40 μM Aβ(25-35) was used, only LEV exerted beneficial neuroprotective action, while PIR was ineffective. Our results suggest the protective potential of both studied nootropics against Aβ-induced death of cultured hippocampal neurons with more powerful neuroprotective effects of LEV. Copyright © 2014 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  4. A β Damages Learning and Memory in Alzheimer's Disease Rats with Kidney-Yang Deficiency

    OpenAIRE

    Qi, Dongmei; Qiao, Yongfa; Zhang, Xin; Yu, Huijuan; Cheng, Bin; Qiao, Haifa

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies demonstrated that Alzheimer's disease was considered as the consequence produced by deficiency of Kidney essence. However, the mechanism underlying the symptoms also remains elusive. Here we report that spatial learning and memory, escape, and swimming capacities were damaged significantly in Kidney-yang deficiency rats. Indeed, both hippocampal A β 40 and 42 increases in Kidney-yang deficiency contribute to the learning and memory impairments. Specifically, damage of synapti...

  5. Hippocampal MR volumetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haller, John W.; Botteron, K.; Brunsden, Barry S.; Sheline, Yvette I.; Walkup, Ronald K.; Black, Kevin J.; Gado, Mokhtar; Vannier, Michael W.

    1994-09-01

    Goal: To estimate hippocampal volumes from in vivo 3D magnetic resonance (MR) brain images and determine inter-rater and intra- rater repeatability. Objective: The precision and repeatability of hippocampal volume estimates using stereologic measurement methods is sought. Design: Five normal control and five schizophrenic subjects were MR scanned using a MPRAGE protocol. Fixed grid stereologic methods were used to estimate hippocampal volumes on a graphics workstation. The images were preprocessed using histogram analysis to standardize 3D MR image scaling from 16 to 8 bits and image volumes were interpolated to 0.5 mm3 isotropic voxels. The following variables were constant for the repeated stereologic measures: grid size, inter-slice distance (1.5 mm), voxel dimensions (0.5 mm3), number of hippocampi measured (10), total number of measurements per rater (40), and number of raters (5). Two grid sizes were tested to determine the coefficient of error associated with the number of sampled 'hits' (approximately 140 and 280) on the hippocampus. Starting slice and grid position were randomly varied to assure unbiased volume estimates. Raters were blind to subject identity, diagnosis, and side of the brain from which the image volumes were extracted and the order of subject presentation was randomized for each of the raters. Inter- and intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were determined. Results: The data indicate excellent repeatability of fixed grid stereologic hippocampal volume measures when using an inter-slice distance of 1.5 mm and a 6.25 mm2 grid (inter-rater ICCs equals 0.86 - 0.97, intra- rater ICCs equals 0.85 - 0.97). One major advantage of the current study was the use of 3D MR data which significantly improved visualization of hippocampal boundaries by providing the ability to access simultaneous orthogonal views while counting stereological marks within the hippocampus. Conclusion: Stereological estimates of 3D volumes from 2D MR

  6. Effects of Single and Repeated Exposure to a 50-Hz 2-mT Electromagnetic Field on Primary Cultured Hippocampal Neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Ying; Shen, Yunyun; Hong, Ling; Chen, Yanfeng; Shi, Xiaofang; Zeng, Qunli; Yu, Peilin

    2017-06-01

    The prevalence of domestic and industrial electrical appliances has raised concerns about the health risk of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs). At present, the effects of ELF-MFs on the central nervous system are still highly controversial, and few studies have investigated its effects on cultured neurons. Here, we evaluated the biological effects of different patterns of ELF-MF exposure on primary cultured hippocampal neurons in terms of viability, apoptosis, genomic instability, and oxidative stress. The results showed that repeated exposure to 50-Hz 2-mT ELF-MF for 8 h per day after different times in culture decreased the viability and increased the production of intracellular reactive oxidative species in hippocampal neurons. The mechanism was potentially related to the up-regulation of Nox2 expression. Moreover, none of the repeated exposure patterns had significant effects on DNA damage, apoptosis, or autophagy, which suggested that ELF-MF exposure has no severe biological consequences in cultured hippocampal neurons.

  7. Cortisol, Cytokines, and Hippocampal Volume in the Elderly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keith Daniel Sudheimer

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Separate bodies of literature report that elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines and cortisol negatively affect hippocampal structure and cognitive functioning, particularly in older adults. Although interactions between cytokines and cortisol occur through a variety of known mechanisms, few studies consider how their interactions affect brain structure. In this preliminary study, we assess the impact of interactions between circulating levels of IL-1Beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, TNF-alpha, and waking cortisol on hippocampal volume. Twenty-eight community-dwelling older adults underwent blood draws for quantification of circulating cytokines and saliva collections to quantify the cortisol awakening response. Hippocampal volume measurements were made using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Elevated levels of waking cortisol in conjunction with higher concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. In addition, independent of cortisol, higher levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were also associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. These data provide preliminary evidence that higher cortisol, in conjunction with higher IL-6 and TNF-alpha, are associated with smaller hippocampal volume in older adults. We suggest that the dynamic balance between the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis and inflammation processes may explain hippocampal volume reductions in older adults better than either set of measures do in isolation.

  8. Hippocampal sclerosis in children younger than 2 years

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kadom, Nadja [Children' s National Medical Center, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Washington, DC (United States); Tsuchida, Tammy; Gaillard, William D. [Children' s National Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Washington, DC (United States)

    2011-10-15

    Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is rarely considered as a diagnosis in children younger than 2 years. To describe imaging features in conjunction with clinical information in patients with hippocampal sclerosis who are younger than 2 years. We retrospectively reviewed MR brain imaging and clinical information in five children in whom the diagnosis of HS was made both clinically and by MRI prior to 2 years of age. Imaging features establishing the diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis were bright T2 signal and volume loss, while the internal architecture of the hippocampal formation was preserved in almost all children. Clinically, all children had an infectious trigger. It is necessary for radiologists to consider HS in children with certain clinical features to plan an MRI protocol that is appropriate for detection of hippocampal pathology. (orig.)

  9. Hippocampal sclerosis in children younger than 2 years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadom, Nadja; Tsuchida, Tammy; Gaillard, William D.

    2011-01-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is rarely considered as a diagnosis in children younger than 2 years. To describe imaging features in conjunction with clinical information in patients with hippocampal sclerosis who are younger than 2 years. We retrospectively reviewed MR brain imaging and clinical information in five children in whom the diagnosis of HS was made both clinically and by MRI prior to 2 years of age. Imaging features establishing the diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis were bright T2 signal and volume loss, while the internal architecture of the hippocampal formation was preserved in almost all children. Clinically, all children had an infectious trigger. It is necessary for radiologists to consider HS in children with certain clinical features to plan an MRI protocol that is appropriate for detection of hippocampal pathology. (orig.)

  10. Hand gestures support word learning in patients with hippocampal amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilverman, Caitlin; Cook, Susan Wagner; Duff, Melissa C

    2018-06-01

    Co-speech hand gesture facilitates learning and memory, yet the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting this remain unclear. One possibility is that motor information in gesture may engage procedural memory representations. Alternatively, iconic information from gesture may contribute to declarative memory representations mediated by the hippocampus. To investigate these alternatives, we examined gesture's effects on word learning in patients with hippocampal damage and declarative memory impairment, with intact procedural memory, and in healthy and in brain-damaged comparison groups. Participants learned novel label-object pairings while producing gesture, observing gesture, or observing without gesture. After a delay, recall and object identification were assessed. Unsurprisingly, amnesic patients were unable to recall the labels at test. However, they correctly identified objects at above chance levels, but only if they produced a gesture at encoding. Comparison groups performed well above chance at both recall and object identification regardless of gesture. These findings suggest that gesture production may support word learning by engaging nondeclarative (procedural) memory. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss as an unusual consequence of accidental ingestion of potassium hydroxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciorba, A; Bovo, R; Castiglione, A; Pirodda, A; Martini, A

    2010-01-01

    To discuss the possible etiopathogenetic mechanism of inner ear damage induced by the ingestion of potassium hydroxide (KOH). We report the case of a 37-year-old patient with sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss after accidental ingestion of a KOH solution. The first ear, nose and throat examination disclosed only mild edema of the upper airways. He was treated in the intensive care unit and prescribed high-dose steroids, proton pump inhibitors and sucralfate for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, there was no recovery of the hearing loss, and no audiogram changes were noticed after 12 months of follow-up. After exploring the possible etiopathogenetic mechanism involved, the authors believe that in this case, a transient severe hemodynamic imbalance can actually be considered to be the most reliable explanation for the inner ear damage and subsequent onset of permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  12. Pretreatment with apoaequorin protects hippocampal CA1 neurons from oxygen-glucose deprivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detert, Julia A; Adams, Erin L; Lescher, Jacob D; Lyons, Jeri-Anne; Moyer, James R

    2013-01-01

    Ischemic stroke affects ∼795,000 people each year in the U.S., which results in an estimated annual cost of $73.7 billion. Calcium is pivotal in a variety of neuronal signaling cascades, however, during ischemia, excess calcium influx can trigger excitotoxic cell death. Calcium binding proteins help neurons regulate/buffer intracellular calcium levels during ischemia. Aequorin is a calcium binding protein isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, and has been used for years as a calcium indicator, but little is known about its neuroprotective properties. The present study used an in vitro rat brain slice preparation to test the hypothesis that an intra-hippocampal infusion of apoaequorin (the calcium binding component of aequorin) protects neurons from ischemic cell death. Bilaterally cannulated rats received an apoaequorin infusion in one hemisphere and vehicle control in the other. Hippocampal slices were then prepared and subjected to 5 minutes of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), and cell death was assayed by trypan blue exclusion. Apoaequorin dose-dependently protected neurons from OGD--doses of 1% and 4% (but not 0.4%) significantly decreased the number of trypan blue-labeled neurons. This effect was also time dependent, lasting up to 48 hours. This time dependent effect was paralleled by changes in cytokine and chemokine expression, indicating that apoaequorin may protect neurons via a neuroimmunomodulatory mechanism. These data support the hypothesis that pretreatment with apoaequorin protects neurons against ischemic cell death, and may be an effective neurotherapeutic.

  13. Novel derivative of Paeonol, Paeononlsilatie sodium, alleviates behavioral damage and hippocampal dendritic injury in Alzheimer's disease concurrent with cofilin1/phosphorylated-cofilin1 and RAC1/CDC42 alterations in rats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Han

    Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is a typical hippocampal amnesia and the most common senile dementia. Many studies suggest that cognitive impairments are more closely correlated with synaptic loss than the burden of amyloid deposits in AD progression. To date, there is no effective treatment for this disease. Paeonol has been widely employed in traditional Chinese medicine. This compound improves learning behavior in an animal model; however, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, Paeononlsilatie sodium (Pa, a derivative of Paeonol, attenuated D-galactose (D-gal and AlCl3-induced behavioral damages in rats based on evaluations of the open field test (OFT, elevated plus maze test (EPMT, and Morris water maze test (MWMT. Pa increased the dendritic complexity and the density of dendritic spines. Correlation analysis indicated that morphological changes in neuronal dendrites are closely correlated with behavioral changes. Pa treatment reduced the production of Aβ, affected the phosphorylation and redistribution of cofilin1 and inhibited rod-like formation in hippocampal neurons. The induction of D-gal and AlCl3 promoted the expression of RAC1/CDC42 expression; however, the tendency of gene expression was inhibited by pretreatment with Pa. Taken together, our results suggest that Pa may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the improvement of cognitive and emotional behaviors and dendritic morphology in an AD animal model.

  14. Insulin protects against Aβ-induced spatial memory impairment, hippocampal apoptosis and MAPKs signaling disruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi, Rasoul; Zarifkar, Asadollah; Rastegar, Karim; maghsoudi, Nader; Moosavi, Maryam

    2014-10-01

    Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by extracellular deposits of beta amyloid (Aβ) and neuronal loss particularly in the hippocampus. Accumulating evidences have implied that insulin signaling impairment plays a key role in the pathology of AD; as much as it is considered as type 3 Diabetes. MAPKs are a group of signaling molecules which are involved in pathobiology of AD. Therefore this study was designed to investigate if intrahippocampal insulin hinders Aβ-related memory deterioration, hippocampal apoptosis and MAPKs signaling alteration induced by Aβ. Adult male Sprague-Dawely rats weighing 250-300 g were used in this study. The canules were implanted bilaterally into CA1 region. Aβ25-35 was administered during first 4 days after surgery (5 μg/2.5 μL/daily). Insulin treatment (0.5 or 6 mU) was done during days 4-9. The animal's learning and memory capability was assessed on days 10-13 using Morris water maze. After finishing of behavioral studies the hippocampi was isolated and the amount of hippocampal cleaved caspase 3 (the landmark of apoptosis) and the phosphorylated (activated) forms of P38, JNK and ERK was analyzed by western blot. The results showed that insulin in 6 but not 0.5 mU reversed the memory loss induced by Aβ25-35. Western blot analysis revealed that Aβ25-35 induced elevation of caspase-3 and all 3 MAPks subfamily activity, while insulin in 6 mu restored ERK and P38 activation but has no effect on JNK. This study disclosed that intrahippocampal insulin treatment averts not only Aβ-induced memory deterioration but also hippocampal caspase-3, ERK and P38 activation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The effects of hormones and physical exercise on hippocampal structural plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triviño-Paredes, Juan; Patten, Anna R; Gil-Mohapel, Joana; Christie, Brian R

    2016-04-01

    The hippocampus plays an integral role in certain aspects of cognition. Hippocampal structural plasticity and in particular adult hippocampal neurogenesis can be influenced by several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here we review how hormones (i.e., intrinsic modulators) and physical exercise (i.e., an extrinsic modulator) can differentially modulate hippocampal plasticity in general and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in particular. Specifically, we provide an overview of the effects of sex hormones, stress hormones, and metabolic hormones on hippocampal structural plasticity and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, we also discuss how physical exercise modulates these forms of hippocampal plasticity, giving particular emphasis on how this modulation can be affected by variables such as exercise regime, duration, and intensity. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the modulation of hippocampal structural plasticity by intrinsic and extrinsic factors will impact the design of new therapeutic approaches aimed at restoring hippocampal plasticity following brain injury or neurodegeneration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Long term exposure to combination paradigm of environmental enrichment, physical exercise and diet reverses the spatial memory deficits and restores hippocampal neurogenesis in ventral subicular lesioned rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapgal, Vijayakumar; Prem, Neethi; Hegde, Preethi; Laxmi, T R; Kutty, Bindu M

    2016-04-01

    Subiculum is an important structure of the hippocampal formation and plays an imperative role in spatial learning and memory functions. We have demonstrated earlier the cognitive impairment following bilateral ventral subicular lesion (VSL) in rats. We found that short term exposure to enriched environment (EE) did not help to reverse the spatial memory deficits in water maze task suggesting the need for an appropriate enriched paradigm towards the recovery of spatial memory. In the present study, the efficacy of long term exposure of VSL rats to combination paradigm of environmental enrichment (EE), physical exercise and 18 C.W. diet (Combination Therapy - CT) in reversing the spatial memory deficits in Morris water maze task has been studied. Ibotenate lesioning of ventral subiculum produced significant impairment of performance in the Morris water maze and reduced the hippocampal neurogenesis in rats. Post lesion exposure to C.T. restored the hippocampal neurogenesis and improved the spatial memory functions in VSL rats. Our study supports the hypothesis that the combination paradigm is critical towards the development of an enhanced behavioral and cognitive experience especially in conditions of CNS insults and the associated cognitive dysfunctions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Functional implications of hippocampal degeneration in early Alzheimer's disease: a combined DTI and PET study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yakushev, Igor; Mueller, Matthias J.; Schermuly, Ingrid; Fellgiebel, Andreas [University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Mainz (Germany); Schreckenberger, Matthias [University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Mainz (Germany); Cumming, Paul [University of Munich, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Munich (Germany); Stoeter, Peter [University Medical Center Mainz, Institute of Neuroradiology, Mainz (Germany); Gerhard, Alex [University Medical Center Mainz, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Mainz (Germany); University of Manchester, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, Manchester (United Kingdom)

    2011-12-15

    Hypometabolism of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to arise in part due to AD-specific neuronal damage to the hippocampal formation. Here, we explored the association between microstructural alterations within the hippocampus and whole-brain glucose metabolism in subjects with AD, also in relation to episodic memory impairment. Twenty patients with early AD (Mini-Mental State Examination 25.7 {+-} 1.7) were studied with [{sup 18}F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography and diffusion tensor imaging. Episodic memory performance was assessed using the free delayed verbal recall task (DVR). Voxel-wise relative FDG uptake was correlated to diffusivity indices of the hippocampus, followed by extraction of FDG uptake values from significant clusters. Linear regression analysis was performed to test for unique contributions of diffusivity and metabolic indices in the prediction of memory function. Diffusivity in the left anterior hippocampus negatively correlated with FDG uptake primarily in the left anterior hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and the PCC (p< 0.005). The same correlation pattern was found for right hippocampal diffusivity (p< 0.05). In linear regression analysis, left anterior hippocampal diffusivity and FDG uptake from the PCC cluster were the only significant predictors for performance on DVR, together explaining 60.6% of the variance. We found an inverse association between anterior hippocampal diffusivity and PCC glucose metabolism, which was in turn strongly related to episodic memory performance in subjects with early AD. These findings support the diaschisis hypothesis of AD and implicate a dysfunction of structures along the hippocampal output pathways as a significant contributor to the genesis of episodic memory impairment. (orig.)

  18. The effect of hippocampal NMDA receptor blockade by MK-801 on cued fear extinction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Bo; Li, Chuan-Yu; Wang, Xiu-Song

    2017-08-14

    Extinction of conditioned fear has been suggested to be a new form of learning instead of erasure of what was originally learned, and the process is NMDA (N-methyl d-aspartate) receptor (NMDAR) dependent. Most of studies have so far revealed the important roles of NMDARs in the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in cued fear extinction. Although the ventral hippocampus has intimately reciprocal connections with the amygdala and mPFC, the role of its NMDARs in cued fear extinction remains unclear. The present experiment explored the issue by bilateral pre-extinction microinjection of the noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist MK-801 into the ventral hippocampus. Four groups of rats were given habituation, tone cued fear conditioning, fear extinction training and extinction test. Prior to extinction training, rats received bilateral infusions of either MK-801 (1.5, 3, or 6μg/0.5μl) or saline. Our results showed that MK-801 reduced freezing on the first trial of extinction training with no impact on within-session acquisition of extinction, and that the lower doses of MK-801 resulted in increased freezing on the extinction retrieval test. These findings suggest that ventral hippocampal NMDARs are necessary for the consolidation of tone cued fear extinction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Bilateral bone conduction devices: improved hearing ability in children with bilateral conductive hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dun, Catharina A J; Agterberg, Martijn J H; Cremers, Cor W R J; Hol, Myrthe K S; Snik, Ad F M

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate whether children with bilateral conductive hearing loss benefit from their second device (i.e., the bilateral bone conduction device [BCD]). Speech recognition in noise was assessed in 10 children fitted with bilateral BCDs during childhood. Speech recognition was measured in 2 conditions with both BCDs active. Spatial resolution was tested with the Minimum Audible Angle test in the bilateral and monaural listening conditions. Children demonstrated an improvement in speech recognition when speech was presented from the front and noise was presented from the right-hand side as compared with both speech and noise being presented from the front. The minimum audible angle decreased from 57° in the best monaural condition to 13° in the bilateral condition. The audiological outcomes demonstrate the advantage of bilateral BCD fitting in children with bilateral conductive hearing loss.

  20. Hippocampal hypertrophy and sleep apnea: a role for the ischemic preconditioning?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivana Rosenzweig

    Full Text Available The full impact of multisystem disease such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA on regions of the central nervous system is debated, as the subsequent neurocognitive sequelae are unclear. Several preclinical studies suggest that its purported major culprits, intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation, can differentially affect adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Although the prospective biphasic nature of chronic intermittent hypoxia in animal models of OSA has been acknowledged, so far the evidence for increased 'compensatory' neurogenesis in humans is uncertain. In a cross-sectional study of 32 patients with mixed severity OSA and 32 non-apnoeic matched controls inferential analysis showed bilateral enlargement of hippocampi in the OSA group. Conversely, a trend for smaller thalami in the OSA group was noted. Furthermore, aberrant connectivity between the hippocampus and the cerebellum in the OSA group was also suggested by the correlation analysis. The role for the ischemia/hypoxia preconditioning in the neuropathology of OSA is herein indicated, with possible further reaching clinical implications.

  1. Interactions between entorhinal axons and target hippocampal neurons: a role for glutamate in the development of hippocampal circuitry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattson, M P; Lee, R E; Adams, M E; Guthrie, P B; Kater, S B

    1988-11-01

    A coculture system consisting of input axons from entorhinal cortex explants and target hippocampal pyramidal neurons was used to demonstrate that glutamate, released spontaneously from afferent axons, can influence both dendritic geometry of target neurons and formation of presumptive synaptic sites. Dendritic outgrowth was reduced in hippocampal neurons growing on entorhinal axons when compared with neurons growing off the axons. Presumptive presynaptic sites were observed in association with hippocampal neuron dendrites and somas. HPLC analysis showed that glutamate was released from the explants in an activity- and Ca2(+)-dependent manner. The general glutamate receptor antagonist D-glutamylglycine significantly increased dendritic outgrowth in pyramidal neurons associated with entorhinal axons and reduced presumptive presynaptic sites. Tetrodotoxin and reduction of extracellular Ca2+ also promoted dendritic outgrowth and reduced the formation of presumptive synaptic sites. The results suggest that the neurotransmitter glutamate may play important roles in the development of hippocampal circuitry.

  2. Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.P. Hibar (Derrek); H.H.H. Adams (Hieab); N. Jahanshad (Neda); G. Chauhan (Ganesh); J.L. Stein; E. Hofer (Edith); M.E. Rentería (Miguel); J.C. Bis (Joshua); A. Arias-Vásquez (Alejandro); Ikram, M.K. (M. Kamran); S. Desrivières (Sylvane); M.W. Vernooij (Meike); L. Abramovic (Lucija); S. Alhusaini (Saud); N. Amin (Najaf); M. Andersson (Micael); K. Arfanakis (Konstantinos); B. Aribisala (Benjamin); N.J. Armstrong (Nicola J.); L. Athanasiu (Lavinia); T. Axelsson (Tomas); A.H. Beecham (Ashley); A. Beiser (Alexa); M. Bernard (Manon); S.H. Blanton (Susan H.); M.M. Bohlken (Marc M.); M.P.M. Boks (Marco); L.B.C. Bralten (Linda); A.M. Brickman (Adam M.); Carmichael, O. (Owen); M.M. Chakravarty (M. Mallar); Q. Chen (Qiang); C.R.K. Ching (Christopher); V. Chouraki (Vincent); G. Cuellar-Partida (Gabriel); F. Crivello (Fabrice); A. den Braber (Anouk); Doan, N.T. (Nhat Trung); S.M. Ehrlich (Stefan); S. Giddaluru (Sudheer); A.L. Goldman (Aaron L.); R.F. Gottesman (Rebecca); O. Grimm (Oliver); M.D. Griswold (Michael); T. Guadalupe (Tulio); Gutman, B.A. (Boris A.); J. Hass (Johanna); U.K. Haukvik (Unn); D. Hoehn (David); A.J. Holmes (Avram); M. Hoogman (Martine); D. Janowitz (Deborah); T. Jia (Tianye); Jørgensen, K.N. (Kjetil N.); N. Karbalai (Nazanin); D. Kasperaviciute (Dalia); S. Kim (Shinseog); M. Klein (Marieke); B. Kraemer (Bernd); P.H. Lee (Phil); D.C. Liewald (David C.); L.M. Lopez (Lorna); M. Luciano (Michelle); C. MacAre (Christine); Marquand, A.F. (Andre F.); M. Matarin (Mar); R. Mather; M. Mattheisen (Manuel); McKay, D.R. (David R.); Milaneschi, Y. (Yuri); S. Muñoz Maniega (Susana); K. Nho (Kwangsik); A.C. Nugent (Allison); P. Nyquist (Paul); Loohuis, L.M.O. (Loes M. Olde); J. Oosterlaan (Jaap); M. Papmeyer (Martina); Pirpamer, L. (Lukas); B. Pütz (Benno); A. Ramasamy (Adaikalavan); Richards, J.S. (Jennifer S.); S.L. Risacher (Shannon); R. Roiz-Santiañez (Roberto); N. Rommelse (Nanda); S. Ropele (Stefan); E.J. Rose (Emma); N.A. Royle (Natalie); T. Rundek (Tatjana); P.G. Sämann (Philipp); Saremi, A. (Arvin); C.L. Satizabal (Claudia L.); L. Schmaal (Lianne); N.J. Schork (Nicholas); Shen, L. (Li); J. Shin (Jean); Shumskaya, E. (Elena); A.V. Smith (Albert Vernon); R. Sprooten (Roy); L.T. Strike (Lachlan); A. Teumer (Alexander); D. Tordesillas-Gutierrez (Diana); R. Toro (Roberto); D. Trabzuni (Danyah); S. Trompet (Stella); D. Vaidya (Dhananjay); J. van der Grond (Jeroen); S.J. van der Lee (Sven); Van Der Meer, D. (Dennis); M.M.J. Van Donkelaar (Marjolein M. J.); K.R. van Eijk (Kristel); T.G.M. van Erp (Theo G.); Van Rooij, D. (Daan); E. Walton (Esther); L.T. Westlye (Lars); C.D. Whelan (Christopher); B.G. Windham (B Gwen); A.M. Winkler (Anderson); K. Wittfeld (Katharina); G. Woldehawariat (Girma); A. Björnsson (Asgeir); Wolfers, T. (Thomas); L.R. Yanek (Lisa); Yang, J. (Jingyun); A.P. Zijdenbos; M.P. Zwiers (Marcel); I. Agartz (Ingrid); L. Almasy (Laura); D.J. Ames (David); Amouyel, P. (Philippe); O.A. Andreassen (Ole); S. Arepalli (Sampath); A.A. Assareh; S. Barral (Sandra); M.E. Bastin (Mark); Becker, D.M. (Diane M.); J.T. Becker (James); D.A. Bennett (David A.); J. Blangero (John); H. van Bokhoven (Hans); D.I. Boomsma (Dorret); H. Brodaty (Henry); R.M. Brouwer (Rachel); H.G. Brunner; M. Buckner; J.K. Buitelaar (Jan); K. Bulayeva (Kazima); W. Cahn (Wiepke); V.D. Calhoun Vince D. (V.); D.M. Cannon (Dara); G. Cavalleri (Gianpiero); Cheng, C.-Y. (Ching-Yu); S. Cichon (Sven); M.R. Cookson (Mark); A. Corvin (Aiden); B. Crespo-Facorro (Benedicto); J.E. Curran (Joanne); M. Czisch (Michael); A.M. Dale (Anders); G.E. Davies (Gareth); A.J. de Craen (Anton); E.J.C. de Geus (Eco); P.L. de Jager (Philip); G.I. de Zubicaray (Greig); I.J. Deary (Ian J.); S. Debette (Stéphanie); C. DeCarli (Charles); N. Delanty; C. Depondt (Chantal); A.L. DeStefano (Anita); A. Dillman (Allissa); S. Djurovic (Srdjan); D.J. Donohoe (Dennis); D.A. Drevets (Douglas); Duggirala, R. (Ravi); M.D. Dyer (Matthew); C. Enzinger (Christian); S. Erk; T. Espeseth (Thomas); Fedko, I.O. (Iryna O.); Fernández, G. (Guillén); L. Ferrucci (Luigi); S.E. Fisher (Simon); D. Fleischman (Debra); I. Ford (Ian); M. Fornage (Myriam); T. Foroud (Tatiana); P.T. Fox (Peter); C. Francks (Clyde); Fukunaga, M. (Masaki); Gibbs, J.R. (J. Raphael); D.C. Glahn (David); R.L. Gollub (Randy); H.H.H. Göring (Harald H.); R.C. Green (Robert C.); O. Gruber (Oliver); V. Gudnason (Vilmundur); S. Guelfi (Sebastian); Håberg, A.K. (Asta K.); N.K. Hansell (Narelle); J. Hardy (John); C.A. Hartman (C.); Hashimoto, R. (Ryota); K. Hegenscheid (Katrin); J. Heinz (Judith); S. Le Hellard (Stephanie); D.G. Hernandez (Dena); D.J. Heslenfeld (Dirk); Ho, B.-C. (Beng-Choon); P.J. Hoekstra (Pieter); W. Hoffmann (Wolfgang); A. Hofman (Albert); F. Holsboer (Florian); G. Homuth (Georg); N. Hosten (Norbert); J.J. Hottenga (Jouke Jan); M.J. Huentelman (Matthew); H.H. Pol; Ikeda, M. (Masashi); Jack, C.R. (Clifford R.); S. Jenkinson (Sarah); R. Johnson (Robert); Jönsson, E.G. (Erik G.); J.W. Jukema; R. Kahn (René); Kanai, R. (Ryota); I. Kloszewska (Iwona); Knopman, D.S. (David S.); P. Kochunov (Peter); Kwok, J.B. (John B.); S. Lawrie (Stephen); H. Lemaître (Herve); X. Liu (Xinmin); D.L. Longo (Dan L.); O.L. Lopez (Oscar L.); S. Lovestone (Simon); Martinez, O. (Oliver); J.-L. Martinot (Jean-Luc); V.S. Mattay (Venkata S.); McDonald, C. (Colm); A.M. McIntosh (Andrew); McMahon, F.J. (Francis J.); McMahon, K.L. (Katie L.); P. Mecocci (Patrizia); I. Melle (Ingrid); Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (Andreas); S. Mohnke (Sebastian); Montgomery, G.W. (Grant W.); D.W. Morris (Derek W); T.H. Mosley (Thomas H.); T.W. Mühleisen (Thomas); B. Müller-Myhsok (B.); M.A. Nalls (Michael); M. Nauck (Matthias); T.E. Nichols (Thomas); W.J. Niessen (Wiro); M.M. Nöthen (Markus); L. Nyberg (Lars); Ohi, K. (Kazutaka); R.L. Olvera (Rene); R.A. Ophoff (Roel); M. Pandolfo (Massimo); T. Paus (Tomas); Z. Pausova (Zdenka); B.W.J.H. Penninx (Brenda); Pike, G.B. (G. Bruce); S.G. Potkin (Steven); B.M. Psaty (Bruce); S. Reppermund; M. Rietschel (Marcella); J.L. Roffman (Joshua); N. Seiferth (Nina); J.I. Rotter (Jerome I.); M. Ryten (Mina); Sacco, R.L. (Ralph L.); P.S. Sachdev (Perminder); A.J. Saykin (Andrew); R. Schmidt (Reinhold); Schmidt, H. (Helena); C.J. Schofield (Christopher); Sigursson, S. (Sigurdur); Simmons, A. (Andrew); A. Singleton (Andrew); S.M. Sisodiya (Sanjay); Smith, C. (Colin); J.W. Smoller; H. Soininen (H.); V.M. Steen (Vidar); D.J. Stott (David J.); J. Sussmann (Jessika); A. Thalamuthu (Anbupalam); A.W. Toga (Arthur W.); B. Traynor (Bryan); J.C. Troncoso (Juan); M. Tsolaki (Magda); C. Tzourio (Christophe); A.G. Uitterlinden (André); Hernández, M.C.V. (Maria C. Valdés); M.P. van der Brug (Marcel); A. van der Lugt (Aad); N.J. van der Wee (Nic); N.E.M. van Haren (Neeltje E.); D. van 't Ent (Dennis); M.J.D. van Tol (Marie-José); B.N. Vardarajan (Badri); B. Vellas (Bruno); D.J. Veltman (Dick); H. Völzke (Henry); H.J. Walter (Henrik); J. Wardlaw (Joanna); A.M.J. Wassink (Annemarie); M.E. Weale (Michael); Weinberger, D.R. (Daniel R.); Weiner, M.W. (Michael W.); Wen, W. (Wei); E. Westman (Eric); T.J.H. White (Tonya); Wong, T.Y. (Tien Y.); Wright, C.B. (Clinton B.); R.H. Zielke (Ronald H.); A.B. Zonderman; N.G. Martin (Nicholas); C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia); M.J. Wright (Margaret); W.T. Longstreth Jr; G. Schumann (Gunter); H.J. Grabe (Hans Jörgen); B. Franke (Barbara); L.J. Launer (Lenore); S.E. Medland (Sarah Elizabeth); S. Seshadri (Sudha); P.M. Thompson (Paul); M.K. Ikram (Kamran)

    2017-01-01

    textabstractThe hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic

  3. Compensation for damage in the case of transfrontier reactor accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gornig, G.

    1986-01-01

    The author discusses possibilities to recover in German and Soviet courts claims for the compensation of damage for a German citizen arising from the reactor accident in Chernobyl. Concerning the claims for damage suffered in the Federal Republic of Germany he investigates possible breaches of bilateral or multilateral international agreements and of universal international law by the Soviet Union. (WG) [de

  4. Automatic planning on hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Shuo, E-mail: shuo0220@gmail.com; Zheng, Dandan; Zhang, Chi; Ma, Rongtao; Bennion, Nathan R.; Lei, Yu; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Enke, Charles A.; Zhou, Sumin

    2017-04-01

    Mounting evidence suggests that radiation-induced damage to the hippocampus plays a role in neurocognitive decline for patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy (HA-WBRT) has been proposed to reduce the putative neurocognitive deficits by limiting the dose to the hippocampus. However, urgency of palliation for patients as well as the complexities of the treatment planning may be barriers to protocol enrollment to accumulate further clinical evidence. This warrants expedited quality planning of HA-WBRT. Pinnacle{sup 3} Automatic treatment planning was designed to increase planning efficiency while maintaining or improving plan quality and consistency. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the performance of the Pinnacle{sup 3} Auto-Planning on HA-WBRT treatment planning. Ten patients previously treated for brain metastases were selected. Hippocampal volumes were contoured on T1 magnetic resonance (MR) images, and planning target volumes (PTVs) were generated based on RTOG0933. The following 2 types of plans were generated by Pinnacle{sup 3} Auto-Planning: the one with 2 coplanar volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) arcs and the other with 9-field noncoplanar intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). D{sub 2%} and D{sub 98%} of PTV were used to calculate homogeneity index (HI). HI and Paddick Conformity index (CI) of PTV as well as D{sub 100%} and D{sub max} of the hippocampus were used to evaluate the plan quality. All the auto-plans met the dose coverage and constraint objectives based on RTOG0933. The auto-plans eliminated the necessity of generating pseudostructures by the planners, and it required little manual intervention which expedited the planning process. IMRT quality assurance (QA) results also suggest that all the auto-plans are practically acceptable on delivery. Pinnacle{sup 3} Auto-Planning generates acceptable plans by RTOG0933 criteria without time-consuming planning process. The

  5. Automatic planning on hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Shuo; Zheng, Dandan; Zhang, Chi; Ma, Rongtao; Bennion, Nathan R.; Lei, Yu; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Enke, Charles A.; Zhou, Sumin

    2017-01-01

    Mounting evidence suggests that radiation-induced damage to the hippocampus plays a role in neurocognitive decline for patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy (HA-WBRT) has been proposed to reduce the putative neurocognitive deficits by limiting the dose to the hippocampus. However, urgency of palliation for patients as well as the complexities of the treatment planning may be barriers to protocol enrollment to accumulate further clinical evidence. This warrants expedited quality planning of HA-WBRT. Pinnacle 3 Automatic treatment planning was designed to increase planning efficiency while maintaining or improving plan quality and consistency. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the performance of the Pinnacle 3 Auto-Planning on HA-WBRT treatment planning. Ten patients previously treated for brain metastases were selected. Hippocampal volumes were contoured on T1 magnetic resonance (MR) images, and planning target volumes (PTVs) were generated based on RTOG0933. The following 2 types of plans were generated by Pinnacle 3 Auto-Planning: the one with 2 coplanar volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) arcs and the other with 9-field noncoplanar intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). D 2% and D 98% of PTV were used to calculate homogeneity index (HI). HI and Paddick Conformity index (CI) of PTV as well as D 100% and D max of the hippocampus were used to evaluate the plan quality. All the auto-plans met the dose coverage and constraint objectives based on RTOG0933. The auto-plans eliminated the necessity of generating pseudostructures by the planners, and it required little manual intervention which expedited the planning process. IMRT quality assurance (QA) results also suggest that all the auto-plans are practically acceptable on delivery. Pinnacle 3 Auto-Planning generates acceptable plans by RTOG0933 criteria without time-consuming planning process. The expedited quality planning achieved by

  6. Bacteremia causes hippocampal apoptosis in experimental pneumococcal meningitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Christian Østergaard; Leib, S.L.; Rowland, Ian J

    2010-01-01

    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Bacteremia and systemic complications both play important roles in brain pathophysiological alterations and the outcome of pneumococcal meningitis. Their individual contributions to the development of brain damage, however, still remain to be defined. METHODS: Using an adult...... rat pneumococcal meningitis model, the impact of bacteremia accompanying meningitis on the development of hippocampal injury was studied. The study comprised of the three groups: I. Meningitis (n=11), II. meningitis with attenuated bacteremia resulting from iv injection of serotype......-specific pneumococcal antibodies (n=14), and III. uninfected controls (n=6). RESULTS: Pneumococcal meningitis resulted in a significantly higher apoptosis score 0.22 (0.18-0.35) compared to uninfected controls (0.02 (0.00-0.02), Mann Whitney test, P=0.0003). Also, meningitis with an attenuation of bacteremia...

  7. Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hibar, Derrek P.; Adams, Hieab H. H.; Jahanshad, Neda; Chauhan, Ganesh; Stein, Jason L.; Hofer, Edith; Renteria, Miguel E.; Bis, Joshua C.; Arias-Vasquez, Alejandro; Ikram, M. Kamran; Desrivières, Sylvane; Vernooij, Meike W.; Abramovic, Lucija; Alhusaini, Saud; Amin, Najaf; Andersson, Micael; Arfanakis, Konstantinos; Aribisala, Benjamin S.; Armstrong, Nicola J.; Athanasiu, Lavinia; Axelsson, Tomas; Beecham, Ashley H.; Beiser, Alexa; Bernard, Manon; Blanton, Susan H.; Bohlken, Marc M.; Boks, Marco P.; Bralten, Janita; Brickman, Adam M.; Carmichael, Owen; Chakravarty, M. Mallar; Chen, Qiang; Ching, Christopher R. K.; Chouraki, Vincent; Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel; Crivello, Fabrice; den Braber, Anouk; Doan, Nhat Trung; Ehrlich, Stefan; Giddaluru, Sudheer; Goldman, Aaron L.; Gottesman, Rebecca F.; Grimm, Oliver; Griswold, Michael E.; Guadalupe, Tulio; Gutman, Boris A.; Hass, Johanna; Haukvik, Unn K.; Hoehn, David; Holmes, Avram J.; Hoogman, Martine; Janowitz, Deborah; Jia, Tianye; Jørgensen, Kjetil N.; Karbalai, Nazanin; Kasperaviciute, Dalia; Kim, Sungeun; Klein, Marieke; Kraemer, Bernd; Lee, Phil H.; Liewald, David C. M.; Lopez, Lorna M.; Luciano, Michelle; Macare, Christine; Marquand, Andre F.; Matarin, Mar; Mather, Karen A.; Mattheisen, Manuel; McKay, David R.; Milaneschi, Yuri; Muñoz Maniega, Susana; Nho, Kwangsik; Nugent, Allison C.; Nyquist, Paul; Loohuis, Loes M. Olde; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Papmeyer, Martina; Pirpamer, Lukas; Pütz, Benno; Ramasamy, Adaikalavan; Richards, Jennifer S.; Risacher, Shannon L.; Roiz-Santiañez, Roberto; Rommelse, Nanda; Ropele, Stefan; Rose, Emma J.; Royle, Natalie A.; Rundek, Tatjana; Sämann, Philipp G.; Saremi, Arvin; Satizabal, Claudia L.; Schmaal, Lianne; Schork, Andrew J.; Shen, Li; Shin, Jean; Shumskaya, Elena; Smith, Albert V.; Sprooten, Emma; Strike, Lachlan T.; Teumer, Alexander; Tordesillas-Gutierrez, Diana; Toro, Roberto; Trabzuni, Daniah; Trompet, Stella; Vaidya, Dhananjay; van der Grond, Jeroen; van der Lee, Sven J.; van der Meer, Dennis; van Donkelaar, Marjolein M. J.; van Eijk, Kristel R.; van Erp, Theo G. M.; van Rooij, Daan; Walton, Esther; Westlye, Lars T.; Whelan, Christopher D.; Windham, Beverly G.; Winkler, Anderson M.; Wittfeld, Katharina; Woldehawariat, Girma; Wolf, Christiane; Wolfers, Thomas; Yanek, Lisa R.; Yang, Jingyun; Zijdenbos, Alex; Zwiers, Marcel P.; Agartz, Ingrid; Almasy, Laura; Ames, David; Amouyel, Philippe; Andreassen, Ole A.; Arepalli, Sampath; Assareh, Amelia A.; Barral, Sandra; Bastin, Mark E.; Becker, Diane M.; Becker, James T.; Bennett, David A.; Blangero, John; van Bokhoven, Hans; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Brodaty, Henry; Brouwer, Rachel M.; Brunner, Han G.; Buckner, Randy L.; Buitelaar, Jan K.; Bulayeva, Kazima B.; Cahn, Wiepke; Calhoun, Vince D.; Cannon, Dara M.; Cavalleri, Gianpiero L.; Cheng, Ching-Yu; Cichon, Sven; Cookson, Mark R.; Corvin, Aiden; Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto; Curran, Joanne E.; Czisch, Michael; Dale, Anders M.; Davies, Gareth E.; de Craen, Anton J. M.; de Geus, Eco J. C.; de Jager, Philip L.; de Zubicaray, Greig I.; Deary, Ian J.; Debette, Stéphanie; Decarli, Charles; Delanty, Norman; Depondt, Chantal; DeStefano, Anita; Dillman, Allissa; Djurovic, Srdjan; Donohoe, Gary; Drevets, Wayne C.; Duggirala, Ravi; Dyer, Thomas D.; Enzinger, Christian; Erk, Susanne; Espeseth, Thomas; Fedko, Iryna O.; Fernández, Guillén; Ferrucci, Luigi; Fisher, Simon E.; Fleischman, Debra A.; Ford, Ian; Fornage, Myriam; Foroud, Tatiana M.; Fox, Peter T.; Francks, Clyde; Fukunaga, Masaki; Gibbs, J. Raphael; Glahn, David C.; Gollub, Randy L.; Göring, Harald H. H.; Green, Robert C.; Gruber, Oliver; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Guelfi, Sebastian; Håberg, Asta K.; Hansell, Narelle K.; Hardy, John; Hartman, Catharina A.; Hashimoto, Ryota; Hegenscheid, Katrin; Heinz, Andreas; Le Hellard, Stephanie; Hernandez, Dena G.; Heslenfeld, Dirk J.; Ho, Beng-Choon; Hoekstra, Pieter J.; Hoffmann, Wolfgang; Hofman, Albert; Holsboer, Florian; Homuth, Georg; Hosten, Norbert; Hottenga, Jouke-Jan; Huentelman, Matthew; Pol, Hilleke E. Hulshoff; Ikeda, Masashi; Jack, Clifford R.; Jenkinson, Mark; Johnson, Robert; Jönsson, Erik G.; Jukema, J. Wouter; Kahn, René S.; Kanai, Ryota; Kloszewska, Iwona; Knopman, David S.; Kochunov, Peter; Kwok, John B.; Lawrie, Stephen M.; Lemaître, Hervé; Liu, Xinmin; Longo, Dan L.; Lopez, Oscar L.; Lovestone, Simon; Martinez, Oliver; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Mattay, Venkata S.; McDonald, Colm; McIntosh, Andrew M.; McMahon, Francis J.; McMahon, Katie L.; Mecocci, Patrizia; Melle, Ingrid; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Mohnke, Sebastian; Montgomery, Grant W.; Morris, Derek W.; Mosley, Thomas H.; Mühleisen, Thomas W.; Müller-Myhsok, Bertram; Nalls, Michael A.; Nauck, Matthias; Nichols, Thomas E.; Niessen, Wiro J.; Nöthen, Markus M.; Nyberg, Lars; Ohi, Kazutaka; Olvera, Rene L.; Ophoff, Roel A.; Pandolfo, Massimo; Paus, Tomas; Pausova, Zdenka; Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.; Pike, G. Bruce; Potkin, Steven G.; Psaty, Bruce M.; Reppermund, Simone; Rietschel, Marcella; Roffman, Joshua L.; Romanczuk-Seiferth, Nina; Rotter, Jerome I.; Ryten, Mina; Sacco, Ralph L.; Sachdev, Perminder S.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Schmidt, Reinhold; Schmidt, Helena; Schofield, Peter R.; Sigursson, Sigurdur; Simmons, Andrew; Singleton, Andrew; Sisodiya, Sanjay M.; Smith, Colin; Smoller, Jordan W.; Soininen, Hilkka; Steen, Vidar M.; Stott, David J.; Sussmann, Jessika E.; Thalamuthu, Anbupalam; Toga, Arthur W.; Traynor, Bryan J.; Troncoso, Juan; Tsolaki, Magda; Tzourio, Christophe; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Hernández, Maria C. Valdés; van der Brug, Marcel; van der Lugt, Aad; van der Wee, Nic J. A.; van Haren, Neeltje E. M.; van 't Ent, Dennis; van Tol, Marie-Jose; Vardarajan, Badri N.; Vellas, Bruno; Veltman, Dick J.; Völzke, Henry; Walter, Henrik; Wardlaw, Joanna M.; Wassink, Thomas H.; Weale, Michael E.; Weinberger, Daniel R.; Weiner, Michael W.; Wen, Wei; Westman, Eric; White, Tonya; Wong, Tien Y.; Wright, Clinton B.; Zielke, Ronald H.; Zonderman, Alan B.; Martin, Nicholas G.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Wright, Margaret J.; Longstreth, W. T.; Schumann, Gunter; Grabe, Hans J.; Franke, Barbara; Launer, Lenore J.; Medland, Sarah E.; Seshadri, Sudha; Thompson, Paul M.; Ikram, M. Arfan

    2017-01-01

    The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of

  8. Visual performance of pigeons following hippocampal lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bingman, V P; Hodos, W

    1992-11-15

    The effect of hippocampal lesions on performance in two psychophysical measures of spatial vision (acuity and size-difference threshold) was examined in 7 pigeons. No difference between the preoperative and postoperative thresholds of the experimental birds was found. The visual performance of pigeons in the psychophysical tasks failed to reveal a role of the hippocampal formation in vision. The results argue strongly that the behavioral deficits found in pigeons with hippocampal lesions when tested in a variety of memory-related spatial tasks is not based on a defect in spatial vision but impaired spatial cognition.

  9. Hippocampal “Time Cells”: Time versus Path Integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, Benjamin J.; Robinson, Robert J.; White, John A.; Eichenbaum, Howard; Hasselmo, Michael E.

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY Recent studies have reported the existence of hippocampal “time cells,” neurons that fire at particular moments during periods when behavior and location are relatively constant. However, an alternative explanation of apparent time coding is that hippocampal neurons “path integrate” to encode the distance an animal has traveled. Here, we examined hippocampal neuronal firing patterns as rats ran in place on a treadmill, thus “clamping” behavior and location, while we varied the treadmill speed to distinguish time elapsed from distance traveled. Hippocampal neurons were strongly influenced by time and distance, and less so by minor variations in location. Furthermore, the activity of different neurons reflected integration over time and distance to varying extents, with most neurons strongly influenced by both factors and some significantly influenced by only time or distance. Thus, hippocampal neuronal networks captured both the organization of time and distance in a situation where these dimensions dominated an ongoing experience. PMID:23707613

  10. Hippocampal-neocortical functional reorganization underlies children's cognitive development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Shaozheng; Cho, Soohyun; Chen, Tianwen; Rosenberg-Lee, Miriam; Geary, David C; Menon, Vinod

    2014-09-01

    The importance of the hippocampal system for rapid learning and memory is well recognized, but its contributions to a cardinal feature of children's cognitive development-the transition from procedure-based to memory-based problem-solving strategies-are unknown. Here we show that the hippocampal system is pivotal to this strategic transition. Longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 7-9-year-old children revealed that the transition from use of counting to memory-based retrieval parallels increased hippocampal and decreased prefrontal-parietal engagement during arithmetic problem solving. Longitudinal improvements in retrieval-strategy use were predicted by increased hippocampal-neocortical functional connectivity. Beyond childhood, retrieval-strategy use continued to improve through adolescence into adulthood and was associated with decreased activation but more stable interproblem representations in the hippocampus. Our findings provide insights into the dynamic role of the hippocampus in the maturation of memory-based problem solving and establish a critical link between hippocampal-neocortical reorganization and children's cognitive development.

  11. Progressive and widespread brain damage in ALS: MRI voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senda, Joe; Kato, Shigenori; Kaga, Tomotsugu; Ito, Mizuki; Atsuta, Naoki; Nakamura, Tomohiko; Watanabe, Hirohisa; Tanaka, Fumiaki; Naganawa, Shinji; Sobue, Gen

    2011-01-01

    We investigated 17 patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and voxel-based analysis of diffusion tensor images (DTI) at baseline and after a six-month follow-up. Compared with 17 healthy controls, ALS patients at baseline showed only minimal white matter volume decreases in the inferior frontal gyrus but marked decreases in the gray matter of several regions, especially in the bilateral paracentral lobule of the premotor cortex. DTI revealed reduced fractional anisotropy in the bilateral corticospinal tracts, insula, ventrolateral premotor cortex, and parietal cortex. Increased mean diffusivity was noted bilaterally in the motor cortex, ventrolateral premotor cortex, insula, hippocampal formation, and temporal gyrus. At the six-month follow-up, ALS patients showed widespread volume decreases in gray matter, and DTI abnormalities extended mainly into the bilateral frontal lobes, while volume changes in the white matter remained minimal but more distinct. Our combined VBM and DTI techniques revealed extra-corticospinal tract neuronal degeneration mainly in the frontotemporal lobe of ALS patients. In particular, follow-up examinations in these patients showed that whole-brain DTI changes occurred predominantly in the regions of brain atrophy. These objective analyses can be used to assess the disease condition of the ALS brain.

  12. How does the brain deal with cumulative stress? A review with focus on developmental stress, HPA axis function and hippocampal structure in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frodl, Thomas; O'Keane, Veronica

    2013-04-01

    There is evidence that excessive stress exposure of the brain, mediated through the neurotoxic effects of cortisol and possibly neuroinflammation, causes damage to brain structure and function: the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis. Functional changes of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well as alterations in brain structures like the hippocampus have been consistently reported in major depression. However, there has not been a lot of emphasis on bringing findings from studies on early childhood stress, HPA axis functioning and hippocampal imaging together. This is the subject for this systematic review of the literature on how developmental stress, specifically childhood maltreatment, may impact on HPA axis function and hippocampal structure. We will also review the literature on the relationship between HPA axis function and hippocampal volume in healthy, depressed and other disease states. There is evidence that prenatal stress and childhood maltreatment is associated with an abnormally developing HPA system, as well as hippocampal volume reduction. Smaller hippocampal volumes are associated with increased cortisol secretion during the day. We conclude that a model integrating childhood maltreatment, cortisol abnormalities and hippocampal volume may need to take other factors into account, such as temperament, genetics or the presence of depression; to provide a cohesive explanation of all the findings. Finally, we have to conclude that the cascade hypothesis, mainly based on preclinical studies, has not been translated enough into humans. While there is evidence that early life maltreatment results in structural hippocampal changes and these are in turn more prominent in subjects with higher continuous cortisol secretion it is less clear which role early life maltreatment plays in HPA axis alteration. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Magnesium chloride alone or in combination with diazepam fails to prevent hippocampal damage following transient forebrain ischemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Milani

    1999-10-01

    Full Text Available In the central nervous system, magnesium ion (Mg2+ acts as an endogenous modulator of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA-coupled calcium channels, and may play a major role in the pathomechanisms of ischemic brain damage. In the present study, we investigated the effects of magnesium chloride (MgCl2, 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 mmol/kg, either alone or in combination with diazepam (DZ, on ischemia-induced hippocampal cell death. Male Wistar rats (250-300 g were subjected to transient forebrain ischemia for 15 min using the 4-vessel occlusion model. MgCl2 was applied systemically (sc in single (1x, 2 h post-ischemia or multiple doses (4x, 1, 2, 24 and 48 h post-ischemia. DZ was always given twice, at 1 and 2 h post-ischemia. Thus, ischemia-subjected rats were assigned to one of the following treatments: vehicle (0.1 ml/kg, N = 34, DZ (10 mg/kg, N = 24, MgCl2 (2.5 mmol/kg, N = 10, MgCl2 (5.0 mmol/kg, N = 17, MgCl2 (7.5 mmol/kg, N = 9 or MgCl2 (5 mmol/kg + DZ (10 mg/kg, N = 14. Seven days after ischemia the brains were analyzed histologically. Fifteen minutes of ischemia caused massive pyramidal cell loss in the subiculum (90.3% and CA1 (88.4% sectors of the hippocampus (P0.05. Both DZ alone and DZ + MgCl2 reduced rectal temperature significantly (P<0.05. No animal death was observed after drug treatment. These data indicate that exogenous magnesium, when administered systemically post-ischemia even in different multiple dose schedules, alone or with diazepam, is not useful against the histopathological effects of transient global cerebral ischemia in rats.

  14. Bilateral acute lupus pneumonitis in a case of rhupus syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supriya Sarkar

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Rhupus syndrome, the overlap of rheumatoid arthritis (RA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, is an extremely uncommon condition. Organ damages found due to SLE are usually mild in rhupus. Lupus pneumonitis in rhupus syndrome has not been reported worldwide. We are reporting a 23-year-old female with bilateral symmetric erosive arthritis, oral ulcer, alopecia, polyserositis, anemia, leucopenia, positive RA-factor, anti nuclear antibody (ANA and anti ds-DNA. She presented with acute onset dyspnea, high fever, chest pain, tachycardia, tachypnea, hypoxia and respiratory alkalosis. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT-thorax showed bilateral, basal consolidation with air bronchogram. Repeated sputum and single broncho alveolar lavage (BAL fluid examination revealed no organism or Hemosiderin-laden macrophage. The diagnosis of rhupus was confirmed by combined manifestations of RA and SLE, and the diagnosis of acute lupus pneumonitis was established by clinico-radiological picture and by excluding other possibilities.

  15. Bilateral breast carcinoma: results with breast conservation therapy and a comparison with bilateral mastectomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, David H.; Haffty, Bruce G.

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: To assess outcome of patients with bilateral breast carcinoma treated with bilateral breast conserving surgery with radiation therapy (CS+RT) and to compare their outcome to (1) patients with unilateral disease treated with CS+RT and (2) patients of comparable stage treated with bilateral mastectomy. Methods and Materials: The charts of all patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer treated with CS+RT at our facilities prior to 1993 were reviewed to identify patients with bilateral disease. A total of 50 patients identified as having bilateral breast cancer conservatively treated(BCT) served as the index population. Out of the 50 patients, 23 presented with synchronous bilateral breast cancer and 27 presented with metachronous bilateral breast cancer. A group of 984 patients with unilateral breast cancer (UCT) treated with CS+RT during the same time interval served as the first control group. A second control group was comprised of 42 patients with early stage bilateral breast cancer presenting during the same time interval treated with bilateral mastectomy (BMAST). Patients who had locally advanced disease in either breast or those patients treated exclusively for lobular carcinoma in situ in either breast were excluded from the analysis. Of the 42 BMAST patients, 33 presented with synchronous disease and nine presented with metachronous disease. Local-regional relapse rates were calculated from the date of treatment of each breast. Overall survival and distant relapse rates were calculated from the date of treatment of the second breast cancer diagnosed. Survival curves were calculated via the life table method and statistical comparisons between curves were performed using the log rank statistic. Chi square analysis was used to detect differences between categorical variables. Results: As of December 1995, the median follow-up of the bilateral conservatively treated patient population was 9.4 years. No statistically significant differences were noted

  16. Bilateral Pulmonary Thromboembolism: An Unusual Presentation of Infection with Influenza A (H1N1 Virus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parviz Saleh

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available AbstractSwine flue is a highly contagious acute respiratory diseasecaused by a subtype of influenza A virus. Herein we presentthree patients with H1N1 infection complicated with pulmonarythromboembolism. The patients had chest pain and unexplaineddyspnea. Imaging studies showed bilateral hilar predominance.Computed tomographic angiography confirmed bilateral thromboembolism(an unusual presentation of H1N1 infection. We didnot find any predisposing factor including endothelial damage,stasis, or hypercoagulable state in these patients. They did notreceive any medication. After anticoagulation and treatment withoseltamivir, all the patients were discharged in good condition.To the best of our knowledge bilateral pulmonary thromboembolismhas not been reported in English language literature inpatients with swine flu infection. Appropriate diagnosis andtreatment will be life saving in this condition.Iran J Med Sci 2010; 35(2: 149-153.

  17. Role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in stress resilience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brunno R. Levone

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available There is a growing appreciation that adult hippocampal neurogenesis plays a role in emotional and cognitive processes related to psychiatric disorders. Although many studies have investigated the effects of stress on adult hippocampal neurogenesis, most have not focused on whether stress-induced changes in neurogenesis occur specifically in animals that are more resilient or more susceptible to the behavioural and neuroendocrine effects of stress. Thus, in the present review we explore whether there is a clear relationship between stress-induced changes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, stress resilience and antidepressant-induced recovery from stress-induced changes in behaviour. Exposure to different stressors is known to reduce adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but some stressors have also been shown to exert opposite effects. Ablation of neurogenesis does not lead to a depressive phenotype, but it can enhance responsiveness to stress and affect stress susceptibility. Monoaminergic-targeted antidepressants, environmental enrichment and adrenalectomy are beneficial for reversing stress-induced changes in behaviour and have been shown to do so in a neurogenesis-dependant manner. In addition, stress and antidepressants can affect hippocampal neurogenesis, preferentially in the ventral hippocampus. Together, these data show that adult hippocampal neurogenesis may play a role in the neuroendocrine and behavioural responses to stress, although it is not yet fully clear under which circumstances neurogenesis promotes resilience or susceptibility to stress. It will be important that future studies carefully examine how adult hippocampal neurogenesis can contribute to stress resilience/susceptibility so that it may be appropriately exploited for the development of new and more effective treatments for stress-related psychiatric disorders.

  18. Anesthetic keratopathy presenting as bilateral Mooren-like ulcers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khakshoor H

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Hamid Khakshoor,1 Majid Moshirfar,2 Rachel G Simpson,3 Hamid Gharaee,1 Amir H Vejdani,1 Steven M Christiansen,2 Jason N Edmonds,2 Nicholas L Behunin21Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Department of Ophthalmology, Mashad, Iran; 2John A Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 3The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USAAbstract: This observational case report describes the development of bilateral Mooren-like ulcers in a patient with anesthetic keratopathy. A 42-year-old man with a recent history of minor eye trauma and pain self-treated with tetracaine eye drops presented with complaints of acutely worsening vision and severe pain bilaterally. His visual acuity at presentation was limited to hand motion. Slit-lamp examination revealed bilateral epithelial defects at the center of the cornea, and an area of stromal infiltration and thinning with an undermining leading edge resembling a Mooren's ulcer in both eyes. Corneal haze and hypopyon were visible. Anesthetic use was halted immediately and the patient was started on prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept®, after which visual acuity gradually improved and pain decreased. Despite improvement of symptoms, residual epithelial defects remained, and the patient was ultimately treated with keratoplasty for recovery of vision. We suggest that anesthetic keratopathy should be included in the differential diagnosis for any patient presenting with ring-shaped stromal infiltrates or nonhealing epithelial defects.Keywords: anesthetic abuse, corneal damage, corneal ulceration

  19. Creativity, Comprehension, Conversation and the Hippocampal Region: New Data and Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donald G. MacKay

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This article examines conceptual frameworks for explaining relations between creativity and the hippocampal region (HR and reports two new experimental studies. In both studies, seventeen people participated in extensive face-to-face interviews: sixteen normal individuals and H.M., an amnesic with cerebellar and HR damage but virtually no neocortical damage. The results indicated that HR damage impairs aspects of everyday language comprehension and production that require creativity—defined as the ability to form new internal representations that satisfy relevant constraints for being useful or valuable in the real world. Study 1 demonstrated deficits in H.M.’s comprehension of creative but not routine aspects of the interviews—extending to the real world twelve prior demonstrations that H.M. understands routine but not novel aspects of experimentally constructed sentences, deficits that reflected his HR damage, but not his cerebellar damage, his explicit or declarative memory problems, inability to comprehend or recall the instructions, forgetting, poor visual acuity, motoric slowing, time pressure, deficits in visual scanning or attentional allocation, lack of motivation, and excessive memory load in the tasks. Study 2 demonstrated similar deficits in H.M.’s ability to produce creative but not routine aspects of conversational discourse, extending findings in five prior sentence production experiments to real-world creativity. Both types of deficits impaired communication in the interviews, results that support some theories of creativity and the HR but not others.

  20. Bilateral herpes zoster

    OpenAIRE

    Singh K; Bajaj A; Dwivedi N; Merchery A

    1993-01-01

    A case of bilateral herpes zoster of lumbosacral region is reported in association with diabetes mellitus in a 55 years old female. The case is of interest due to bilateral distribution which is rare and sacral region involvement which is quite uncommon.

  1. Hippocampal and Amygdalar Volumes in Dissociative Identity Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermetten, Eric; Schmahl, Christian; Lindner, Sanneke; Loewenstein, Richard J.; Bremner, J. Douglas

    2011-01-01

    Objective Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in several stress-related psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder with early abuse, and depression with early abuse. Patients with borderline personality disorder and early abuse have also been found to have smaller amygdalar volume. The authors examined hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, a disorder that has been associated with a history of severe childhood trauma. Method The authors used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala in 15 female patients with dissociative identity disorder and 23 female subjects without dissociative identity disorder or any other psychiatric disorder. The volumetric measurements for the two groups were compared. Results Hippocampal volume was 19.2% smaller and amygdalar volume was 31.6% smaller in the patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared to the healthy subjects. The ratio of hippocampal volume to amygdalar volume was significantly different between groups. Conclusions The findings are consistent with the presence of smaller hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared with healthy subjects. PMID:16585437

  2. Hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in dissociative identity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermetten, Eric; Schmahl, Christian; Lindner, Sanneke; Loewenstein, Richard J; Bremner, J Douglas

    2006-04-01

    Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in several stress-related psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder with early abuse, and depression with early abuse. Patients with borderline personality disorder and early abuse have also been found to have smaller amygdalar volume. The authors examined hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, a disorder that has been associated with a history of severe childhood trauma. The authors used magnetic resonance imaging to measure the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala in 15 female patients with dissociative identity disorder and 23 female subjects without dissociative identity disorder or any other psychiatric disorder. The volumetric measurements for the two groups were compared. Hippocampal volume was 19.2% smaller and amygdalar volume was 31.6% smaller in the patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared to the healthy subjects. The ratio of hippocampal volume to amygdalar volume was significantly different between groups. The findings are consistent with the presence of smaller hippocampal and amygdalar volumes in patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared with healthy subjects.

  3. Induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks in hippocampal neurons of mice of different age after exposure to 60Co γ-rays in vivo and in vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozhina, R. A.; Chausov, V. N.; Kuzmina, E. A.; Boreyko, A. V.

    2018-04-01

    One of the central problems of modern radiobiology is the study of DNA damage induction and repair mechanisms in central nervous system cells, in particular, in hippocampal cells. The study of the regularities of molecular damage formation and repair in the hippocampus cells is of special interest, because these cells, unlike most cells of the central nervous system (CNS), keep proliferative activity, i.e. ability to neurogenesis. Age-related changes in hippocampus play an important role, which could lead to radiosensitivity changes in neurons to the ionizing radiation exposure. Regularities in DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) induction and repair in different aged mice hippocampal cells in vivo and in vitro under the action of γ-rays 60Co were studied with DNA comet-assay. The obtained dose dependences of DNA DSB induction are linear both in vivo and in vitro. It is established that in young animals' cells, the degree of DNA damage is higher than in older animals. It is shown that repair kinetics is basically different for exposure in vivo and in vitro.

  4. Inter-relationships among Diet, Obesity and Hippocampal-dependent Cognitive Function

    OpenAIRE

    Davidson, Terry L.; Hargrave, Sara L.; Swithers, Susan E.; Sample, Camille H.; Fu, Xue; Kinzig, Kimberly P.; Zheng, Wei

    2013-01-01

    Intake of a Western diet (WD), which is high in saturated fat and sugar, is associated with deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes as well as with markers of hippocampal pathology. In the present study, rats were trained to asymptote on hippocampal-dependent serial feature negative (FN) and hippocampal-independent simple discrimination problems. Performance was then assessed following 7 days on ad libitum chow and after 10, 24, 40, 60, and 90 days of maintenance on WD...

  5. Bilateral Testicular Tumors Resulting in Recurrent Cushing Disease After Bilateral Adrenalectomy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Puar, T.; Engels, M.; Herwaarden, A.E. van; Sweep, F.C.; Hulsbergen-van de Kaa, C.A.; Kamphuis-van Ulzen, K.; Chortis, V.; Arlt, W.; Stikkelbroeck, N.; Claahsen-van der Grinten, H.L.; Hermus, A.R.M.M.

    2017-01-01

    Context: Recurrence of hypercortisolism in patients after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing disease is extremely rare. Patient: We present a 27-year-old man who previously underwent bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing disease with complete clinical resolution. Cushingoid features recurred 12 years

  6. Bilateral abducens nerve and right facial nerve palsy occuring after head trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ismail Boyraz

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Lesions of the nervus abducens, the 6th cranial nerve tend to be rare, usually occur suddenly following head injuries. A 43-year-old male patient presented with a history of fall from a height due to an occupational accident on the date of 11.01.2014. Cranial tomography demonstrated bilateral epidural hematoma. The epidural hematoma was drained during the operation. After the surgery, eye examination showed no vision loss, except limited bilateral lateral gaze. When the patient was unable to walk due to diplopia, he was advised to close one eye. On the right side, there were findings suggesting central facial paralysis. There may be multiple cranial nerve damage following head injury. Therefore, all cranial nerves should be thoroughly examined. [J Contemp Med 2016; 6(2.000: 110-113

  7. Methamphetamine-induced changes in the mice hippocampal neuropeptide Y system: implications for memory impairment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gonçalves, J; Baptista, S; Olesen, MV

    2012-01-01

    Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychostimulant drug that causes irreversible brain damage leading to several neurological and psychiatric abnormalities, including cognitive deficits. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is abundant in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) and has several important functions......, being involved in learning and memory processing. It has been demonstrated that METH induces significant alteration in mice striatal NPY, Y(1) and Y(2) receptor mRNA levels. However, the impact of this drug on the hippocampal NPY system and its consequences remain unknown. Thus, in this study, we...

  8. Effects of melatonin on prenatal dexamethasone-induced epigenetic alterations in hippocampal morphology and reelin and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lui, Chun-Chung; Hsu, Mei-Hsin; Kuo, Ho-Chang; Chen, Chih-Cheng; Sheen, Jiunn-Ming; Yu, Hong-Ren; Tiao, Mao-Meng; Tain, You-Lin; Chang, Kow-Aung; Huang, Li-Tung

    2015-01-01

    Prenatal glucocorticoid exposure causes brain damage in adult offspring; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Melatonin has been shown to have beneficial effects in compromised pregnancies. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were administered vehicle (VEH) or dexamethasone between gestation days 14 and 21. The programming effects of prenatal dexamethasone exposure on the brain were assessed at postnatal days (PND) 7, 42, and ∼120. Melatonin was administered from PND21 to the rats exposed to dexamethasone, and the outcome was assessed at ∼PND120. In total, there were four groups: VEH, vehicle plus melatonin (VEHM), prenatal dexamethasone-exposure (DEX), and prenatal dexamethasone exposure plus melatonin (DEXM). Spatial memory, gross hippocampal morphology, and hippocampal biochemistry were examined. Spatial memory assessed by the Morris water maze showed no significant differences among the four groups. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed that all rats with prenatal dexamethasone exposure (DEX + DEXM) exhibited increased T2-weighted signals in the hippocampus. There were no significant differences in the levels of mRNA expression of hippocampal reln, which encodes reelin, and GAD1, which encodes glutamic acid decarboxylase 67, at PND7. At both PND42 and ∼PND120, reln and GAD1 mRNA expression levels were decreased. At ∼PND120, melatonin restored the reduced levels of hippocampal reln and GAD1 mRNA expression in the DEXM group. In addition, melatonin restored the reln mRNA expression levels by (1) reducing DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) mRNA expression and (2) reducing the binding of DNMT1 and the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) to the reln promoter. The present study showed that prenatal dexamethasone exposure induced gross alterations in hippocampal morphology and reduced the levels of hippocampal mRNA expression of reln and GAD1. Spatial memory was unimpaired. Thus, melatonin had a beneficial effect in restoring hippocampal reln m

  9. Assessing hippocampal development and language in early childhood: Evidence from a new application of the Automatic Segmentation Adapter Tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Joshua K; Nordahl, Christine W; Amaral, David G; Lee, Aaron; Solomon, Marjorie; Ghetti, Simona

    2015-11-01

    Volumetric assessments of the hippocampus and other brain structures during childhood provide useful indices of brain development and correlates of cognitive functioning in typically and atypically developing children. Automated methods such as FreeSurfer promise efficient and replicable segmentation, but may include errors which are avoided by trained manual tracers. A recently devised automated correction tool that uses a machine learning algorithm to remove systematic errors, the Automatic Segmentation Adapter Tool (ASAT), was capable of substantially improving the accuracy of FreeSurfer segmentations in an adult sample [Wang et al., 2011], but the utility of ASAT has not been examined in pediatric samples. In Study 1, the validity of FreeSurfer and ASAT corrected hippocampal segmentations were examined in 20 typically developing children and 20 children with autism spectrum disorder aged 2 and 3 years. We showed that while neither FreeSurfer nor ASAT accuracy differed by disorder or age, the accuracy of ASAT corrected segmentations were substantially better than FreeSurfer segmentations in every case, using as few as 10 training examples. In Study 2, we applied ASAT to 89 typically developing children aged 2 to 4 years to examine relations between hippocampal volume, age, sex, and expressive language. Girls had smaller hippocampi overall, and in left hippocampus this difference was larger in older than younger girls. Expressive language ability was greater in older children, and this difference was larger in those with larger hippocampi, bilaterally. Overall, this research shows that ASAT is highly reliable and useful to examinations relating behavior to hippocampal structure. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Low-frequency stimulation in anterior nucleus of thalamus alleviates kainate-induced chronic epilepsy and modulates the hippocampal EEG rhythm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi; Liang, Jiao; Xu, Cenglin; Wang, Ying; Kuang, Yifang; Xu, Zhenghao; Guo, Yi; Wang, Shuang; Gao, Feng; Chen, Zhong

    2016-02-01

    High-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the anterior nucleus of thalamus (ANT) is a new and alternative option for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. However, the responder rate is relatively low. The present study was designed to determine the effect of low-frequency stimulation (LFS) in ANT on chronic spontaneous recurrent seizures and related pathological pattern in intra-hippocampal kainate mouse model. We found that LFS (1 Hz, 100 μs, 300 μA), but not HFS (100 Hz, 100 μs, 30 μA), in bilateral ANT significantly decreased the frequency of spontaneous recurrent seizures, either non-convulsive focal seizures or tonic-clonic generalized seizures. The anti-epileptic effect persisted for one week after LFS cessation, which manifested as a long-term inhibition of the frequency of seizures with short (20-60 s) and intermediate duration (60-120 s). Meanwhile, LFS decreased the frequency of high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) and interictal spikes, two indicators of seizure severity, whereas HFS increased the HFO frequency. Furthermore, LFS decreased the power of the delta band and increased the power of the gamma band of hippocampal background EEG. In addition, LFS, but not HFS, improved the performance of chronic epileptic mice in objection-location task, novel objection recognition and freezing test. These results provide the first evidence that LFS in ANT alleviates kainate-induced chronic epilepsy and cognitive impairment, which may be related to the modulation of the hippocampal EEG rhythm. This may be of great therapeutic significance for clinical treatment of epilepsy with deep brain stimulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Bilateral herpes zoster

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh K

    1993-01-01

    Full Text Available A case of bilateral herpes zoster of lumbosacral region is reported in association with diabetes mellitus in a 55 years old female. The case is of interest due to bilateral distribution which is rare and sacral region involvement which is quite uncommon.

  12. Dehydroepiandrosterone protects male and female hippocampal neurons and neuroblastoma cells from glucose deprivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vieira-Marques, Claudia; Arbo, Bruno Dutra; Ruiz-Palmero, Isabel; Ortiz-Rodriguez, Ana; Ghorbanpoor, Samar; Kucharski, Luiz Carlos; Arevalo, Maria A; Garcia-Segura, Luis Miguel; Ribeiro, Maria Flávia M

    2016-08-01

    Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) modulates neurogenesis, neuronal function, neuronal survival and metabolism, enhancing mitochondrial oxidative capacity. Glucose deprivation and hypometabolism have been implicated in the mechanisms that mediate neuronal damage in neurological disorders, and some studies have shown that these mechanisms are sexually dimorphic. It was also demonstrated that DHEA is able to attenuate the hypometabolism that is related to some neurodegenerative diseases, eliciting neuroprotective effects in different experimental models of neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DHEA on the viability of male and female hippocampal neurons and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells exposed to glucose deprivation. It was observed that after 12h of pre-treatment, DHEA was able to protect SH-SY5Y cells from glucose deprivation for 6h (DHEA 10(-12), 10(-8) and 10(-6)M) and 8h (DHEA 10(-8)M). In contrast, DHEA was not neuroprotective against glucose deprivation for 12 or 24h. DHEA (10(-8)M) also protected SH-SY5Y cells when added together or even 1h after the beginning of glucose deprivation (6h). Furthermore, DHEA (10(-8)M) also protected primary neurons from both sexes against glucose deprivation. In summary, our findings indicate that DHEA is neuroprotective against glucose deprivation in human neuroblastoma cells and in male and female mouse hippocampal neurons. These results suggest that DHEA could be a promising candidate to be used in clinical studies aiming to reduce neuronal damage in people from both sexes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Point application with Angong Niuhuang sticker protects hippocampal and cortical neurons in rats with cerebral ischemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong-shu Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Angong Niuhuang pill, a Chinese materia medica preparation, can improve neurological functions after acute ischemic stroke. Because of its inconvenient application and toxic components (Cinnabaris and Realgar, we used transdermal enhancers to deliver Angong Niuhuang pill by modern technology, which expanded the safe dose range and clinical indications. In this study, Angong Niuhuang stickers administered at different point application doses (1.35, 2.7, and 5.4 g/kg were administered to the Dazhui (DU14, Qihai (RN6 and Mingmen (DU4 of rats with chronic cerebral ischemia, for 4 weeks. The Morris water maze was used to determine the learning and memory ability of rats. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Nissl staining were used to observe neuronal damage of the cortex and hippocampal CA1 region in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia. The middle- and high-dose point application of Angong Niuhuang stickers attenuated neuronal damage in the cortex and hippocampal CA1 region, and improved the memory of rats with chronic cerebral ischemia with an efficacy similar to interventions by electroacupuncture at Dazhui (DU14, Qihai (RN6 and Mingmen (DU4. Our experimental findings indicate that point application with Angong Niuhuang stickers can improve cognitive function after chronic cerebral ischemia in rats and is neuroprotective with an equivalent efficacy to acupuncture.

  14. Astrocyte-Specific Overexpression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Protects Hippocampal Neurons and Reduces Behavioral Deficits following Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sindhu K Madathil

    Full Text Available Traumatic brain injury (TBI survivors often suffer from long-lasting cognitive impairment that stems from hippocampal injury. Systemic administration of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, a polypeptide growth factor known to play vital roles in neuronal survival, has been shown to attenuate posttraumatic cognitive and motor dysfunction. However, its neuroprotective effects in TBI have not been examined. To this end, moderate or severe contusion brain injury was induced in mice with conditional (postnatal overexpression of IGF-1 using the controlled cortical impact (CCI injury model. CCI brain injury produces robust reactive astrocytosis in regions of neuronal damage such as the hippocampus. We exploited this regional astrocytosis by linking expression of hIGF-1 to the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP promoter, effectively targeting IGF-1 delivery to vulnerable neurons. Following brain injury, IGF-1Tg mice exhibited a progressive increase in hippocampal IGF-1 levels which was coupled with enhanced hippocampal reactive astrocytosis and significantly greater GFAP levels relative to WT mice. IGF-1 overexpression stimulated Akt phosphorylation and reduced acute (1 and 3d hippocampal neurodegeneration, culminating in greater neuron survival at 10d after CCI injury. Hippocampal neuroprotection achieved by IGF-1 overexpression was accompanied by improved motor and cognitive function in brain-injured mice. These data provide strong support for the therapeutic efficacy of increased brain levels of IGF-1 in the setting of TBI.

  15. Astrocyte-Specific Overexpression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Protects Hippocampal Neurons and Reduces Behavioral Deficits following Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madathil, Sindhu K.; Carlson, Shaun W.; Brelsfoard, Jennifer M.; Ye, Ping; D’Ercole, A. Joseph; Saatman, Kathryn E.

    2013-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors often suffer from long-lasting cognitive impairment that stems from hippocampal injury. Systemic administration of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a polypeptide growth factor known to play vital roles in neuronal survival, has been shown to attenuate posttraumatic cognitive and motor dysfunction. However, its neuroprotective effects in TBI have not been examined. To this end, moderate or severe contusion brain injury was induced in mice with conditional (postnatal) overexpression of IGF-1 using the controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model. CCI brain injury produces robust reactive astrocytosis in regions of neuronal damage such as the hippocampus. We exploited this regional astrocytosis by linking expression of hIGF-1 to the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter, effectively targeting IGF-1 delivery to vulnerable neurons. Following brain injury, IGF-1Tg mice exhibited a progressive increase in hippocampal IGF-1 levels which was coupled with enhanced hippocampal reactive astrocytosis and significantly greater GFAP levels relative to WT mice. IGF-1 overexpression stimulated Akt phosphorylation and reduced acute (1 and 3d) hippocampal neurodegeneration, culminating in greater neuron survival at 10d after CCI injury. Hippocampal neuroprotection achieved by IGF-1 overexpression was accompanied by improved motor and cognitive function in brain-injured mice. These data provide strong support for the therapeutic efficacy of increased brain levels of IGF-1 in the setting of TBI. PMID:23826235

  16. Bilateral breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Eung Jo; Oh, Ki Keun

    1990-01-01

    We evaluate 311 breast cancer patients admitted to Yong Dong Severance Hospital Between October 1st 1985 and July 31th 1989, and were able to obtain the following conclusions. 1) There were 14(4.5%) bilateral breast cancers among the 311 confirmed breast cancers. 2) Among the bilateral breast cancers, 5(31%) were synchronous and 9(69%) metachronous. 3) Average interval between the first and the second breast cancer in metachronous cancers was 3.8 year(1-15 years). 4) Bilateral breast cancer was most prevalent in the fifth decade (6/14) with the mean age of 47 years. 5) Film mammogram and sonomammogram showed findings of typical breast malignancies. There was no additional specific findings for each cancer in bilateral breast cancers which was different from unilateral cancers. Therefor, in the patients with unilateral breast cancer, possibility of the second lesion in the contralateral side must be considered and a close follow up observation should be done for at least 3 years

  17. A SECOND CASE OF BILATERAL RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENTS REPAIRED WITH SIMULTANEOUS BILATERAL PNEUMATIC RETINOPEXY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubin, Uriel; De Jager, Cornelis; Zakour, Moayed; Gonder, J Thomas

    2017-01-01

    To present a case of a patient with simultaneous bilateral retinal detachments treated successfully with bilateral pneumatic retinopexy. Case report. This is a case of an otherwise healthy 49-year-old woman with no remarkable ocular history that presented with simultaneous phakic superior bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Treatment on the day of presentation included laser retinopexy of the inferior lattice degeneration in the left eye and bilateral intravitreal injection of 0.4 cc of 100% C3F8 gas preceded by topical anesthesia. After 48 hours, both retinas were completely reattached, and bilateral laser retinopexy was performed to the superior tears. After a review of the literature, the authors could find only two reported cases of simultaneous bilateral retinal detachments treated successfully with pneumatic retinopexy. This is not only a cost-effective procedure but also allows treatment when there is no immediate operating room availability or a when a quick referral for surgery is not possible.

  18. Hyperhomocysteinemia in bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after conventional coronary artery bypass graft: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niro, A; Sborgia, G; Sborgia, A; Alessio, G

    2018-01-17

    The incidence of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after coronary artery bypass graft procedures ranges from 1.3 to 0.25%. The mechanisms of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after cardiovascular procedures remain undefined but many systemic and related-to-surgery risk factors could underlie anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. In this case, we report a rare presentation of a bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after coronary artery bypass graft and speculate on the preoperative hyperhomocysteinemia as an independent risk factor for anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. A 56-year-old white man, a tobacco smoker with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, underwent a conventional coronary artery bypass graft with extracorporeal circulation. In spite of ongoing anti-aggregation, antithrombotic, and vasodilator therapy, 10 days after the surgery he complained of severe bilateral visual loss. Funduscopy and fluorescein angiography revealed a bilateral anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Analysis of preoperative laboratory tests revealed hyperhomocysteinemia. Hyperhomocysteinemia could increase the risk of ocular vascular damage and bilateral ocular involvement in patients who have undergone conventional coronary artery bypass graft.

  19. Comparison with hippocampal atrophy and hypoperfusion in Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, YA; Kim, SH; Chung, SK; Juh, RH; Sohn, HS; Suh, TS; Choe, BY

    2004-01-01

    Objective: Hypoperfusion and hippocampal atropy of the medial temporal lobe are peculiarity of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The manual ROI (region of interest) technique for hippocampal volume estimation is specific and sensitive for the detection of hippocampal atrophy. In patients with AD reported a significant correlation between hippocampal volume and hypoperfusion. This study investigated correlations between atrophy distinct medial temporal lobe structure and hypoperfusion in hippocampal volumetry. Methods: The hippocampi were individually outlined on Tl-weighted volumetry MRI and calculated with MATLAB in 12 patients with AD. All volume measurements were performed by a segmentation technique with a combination of tracing and thresholding. The volume of a given structure in each slice was obtained by automatically counting the number of pixels within the segmented regions and multiplying the number by a voxel size. In order to permit direct regional comparisons, both of each patient's Tc- 99m ECD SPECT was then registered to the patient's MRI. Delineation continued anteriorly in each contiguous slice reaching the head of the hippocampus, which was distinguished from the overlying amygdala by the presence of the alveus or uncal recess. The right hippocampus (RH) was measured first, followed by the left hippocampus (LH). The accuracy of registration was investigated in a validation study with developed brain phantom. Results:The mean total intracranial volume of the AD was significantly smaller volume (1492.9 cm 3 ) and hypo perfused than those in normal subjects. The mean hippocampal volumes were 2.01 cm 3 and l.99 cm 3 for the RH and LH. The correlations between volume and hypoperfusion in the affected hippocampi were found to be significant; especially the medial temporal lobe is markedly hypo perfused. Conclusion: Volumetry is the most sensitive tool for the detection of hippocampal abnormality in AD, and significant correlation between asymmetry in

  20. Canine hippocampal formation composited into three-dimensional structure using MPRAGE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Mi-Ae; Nahm, Sang-Soep; Lee, Min-Su; Lee, In-Hye; Lee, Ah-Ra; Jang, Dong-Pyo; Kim, Young-Bo; Cho, Zang-Hee; Eom, Ki-Dong

    2010-07-01

    This study was performed to anatomically illustrate the living canine hippocampal formation in three-dimensions (3D), and to evaluate its relationship to surrounding brain structures. Three normal beagle dogs were scanned on a MR scanner with inversion recovery segmented 3D gradient echo sequence (known as MP-RAGE: Magnetization Prepared Rapid Gradient Echo). The MRI data was manually segmented and reconstructed into a 3D model using the 3D slicer software tool. From the 3D model, the spatial relationships between hippocampal formation and surrounding structures were evaluated. With the increased spatial resolution and contrast of the MPRAGE, the canine hippocampal formation was easily depicted. The reconstructed 3D image allows easy understanding of the hippocampal contour and demonstrates the structural relationship of the hippocampal formation to surrounding structures in vivo.

  1. Cognitive deficits caused by prefrontal cortical and hippocampal neural disinhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bast, Tobias; Pezze, Marie; McGarrity, Stephanie

    2017-10-01

    We review recent evidence concerning the significance of inhibitory GABA transmission and of neural disinhibition, that is, deficient GABA transmission, within the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, for clinically relevant cognitive functions. Both regions support important cognitive functions, including attention and memory, and their dysfunction has been implicated in cognitive deficits characterizing neuropsychiatric disorders. GABAergic inhibition shapes cortico-hippocampal neural activity, and, recently, prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition has emerged as a pathophysiological feature of major neuropsychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia and age-related cognitive decline. Regional neural disinhibition, disrupting spatio-temporal control of neural activity and causing aberrant drive of projections, may disrupt processing within the disinhibited region and efferent regions. Recent studies in rats showed that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition (by local GABA antagonist microinfusion) dysregulates burst firing, which has been associated with important aspects of neural information processing. Using translational tests of clinically relevant cognitive functions, these studies showed that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition disrupts regional cognitive functions (including prefrontal attention and hippocampal memory function). Moreover, hippocampal neural disinhibition disrupted attentional performance, which does not require the hippocampus but requires prefrontal-striatal circuits modulated by the hippocampus. However, some prefrontal and hippocampal functions (including inhibitory response control) are spared by regional disinhibition. We consider conceptual implications of these findings, regarding the distinct relationships of distinct cognitive functions to prefrontal and hippocampal GABA tone and neural activity. Moreover, the findings support the proposition that prefrontal and hippocampal neural disinhibition

  2. Longitudinal study of hippocampal volumes in heavy cannabis users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koenders, L; Lorenzetti, V; de Haan, L; Suo, C; Vingerhoets, Wam; van den Brink, W; Wiers, R W; Meijer, C J; Machielsen, Mwj; Goudriaan, A E; Veltman, D J; Yücel, M; Cousijn, J

    2017-08-01

    Cannabis exposure, particularly heavy cannabis use, has been associated with neuroanatomical alterations in regions rich with cannabinoid receptors such as the hippocampus in some but not in other (mainly cross-sectional) studies. However, it remains unclear whether continued heavy cannabis use alters hippocampal volume, and whether an earlier age of onset and/or a higher dosage exacerbate these changes. Twenty heavy cannabis users (mean age 21 years, range 18-24 years) and 23 matched non-cannabis using healthy controls were submitted to a comprehensive psychological assessment and magnetic resonance imaging scan at baseline and at follow-up (average of 39 months post-baseline; standard deviation=2.4). Cannabis users started smoking around 16 years and smoked on average five days per week. A novel aspect of the current study is that hippocampal volume estimates were obtained from manual tracing the hippocampus on T1-weighted anatomical magnetic resonance imaging scans, using a previously validated protocol. Compared to controls, cannabis users did not show hippocampal volume alterations at either baseline or follow-up. Hippocampal volumes increased over time in both cannabis users and controls, following similar trajectories of increase. Cannabis dose and age of onset of cannabis use did not affect hippocampal volumes. Continued heavy cannabis use did not affect hippocampal neuroanatomical changes in early adulthood. This contrasts with prior evidence on alterations in this region in samples of older adult cannabis users. In young adults using cannabis at this level, cannabis use may not be heavy enough to affect hippocampal neuroanatomy.

  3. Bilateral acute retinal necrosis associated with bilateral uveal effusion in an immunocompetent patient: A challenging association

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Bala Murugan

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral uveal effusion syndrome associated with bilateral acute retinal necrosis is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A 52 year old man presented with bilateral angle closure with choroidal detachment. With restricted fundus view, parenteral steroid was started. During close follow up bilateral discrete areas of peripheral retinitis were noted. Parenteral steroids were promptly stopped and parenteral antivirals with oral steroids were continued. It showed healing response with nil recurrences till last follow up. Aggressive treatment of bilateral uveal effusion with parenteral steroids can cause progression of bilateral acute retinal necrosis leading to phthisis bulbi. However early diagnosis, prompt intervention and close follow up are the key elements to therapeutic success even during diagnostic surprises and avoid costly mistakes.

  4. 38 CFR 4.26 - Bilateral factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Bilateral factor. 4.26... DISABILITIES General Policy in Rating § 4.26 Bilateral factor. When a partial disability results from disease... disability. The bilateral factor will be applied to such bilateral disabilities before other combinations are...

  5. Pathological changes in hippocampal neuronal circuits underlie age-associated neurodegeneration and memory loss: positive clue toward SAD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moorthi, P; Premkumar, P; Priyanka, R; Jayachandran, K S; Anusuyadevi, M

    2015-08-20

    defect in neuronal-circuits of hippocampus (DG-CA4-CA1-Sub) that were significantly damaged leading to memory impairment. Interestingly, RSV was observed to culminate pathological events in the hippocampal neuronal circuit during aging, proving them as potent therapeutic drug against age-associated neurodegeneration and memory loss. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Delayed hippocampal neuronal death in young gerbil following transient global cerebral ischemia is related to higher and longer-term expression of p63 in the ischemic hippocampus

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    Eun Joo Bae

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The tumor suppressor p63 is one of p53 family members and plays a vital role as a regulator of neuronal apoptosis in the development of the nervous system. However, the role of p63 in mature neuronal death has not been addressed yet. In this study, we first compared ischemia-induced effects on p63 expression in the hippocampal regions (CA1- 3 between the young and adult gerbils subjected to 5 minutes of transient global cerebral ischemia. Neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region of young gerbils was significantly slow compared with that in the adult gerbils after transient global cerebral ischemia. p63 immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in the sham-operated young group was significantly low compared with that in the sham-operated adult group. p63 immunoreactivity was apparently changed in ischemic hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in both ischemia-operated young and adult groups. In the ischemia-operated adult groups, p63 immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was significantly decreased at 4 days post-ischemia; however, p63 immunoreactivity in the ischemia-operated young group was significantly higher than that in the ischemia-operated adult group. At 7 days post-ischemia, p63 immunoreactivity was decreased in the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in both ischemia-operated young and adult groups. Change patterns of p63 level in the hippocampal CA1 region of adult and young gerbils after ischemic damage were similar to those observed in the immunohistochemical results. These findings indicate that higher and longer-term expression of p63 in the hippocampal CA1 region of the young gerbils after ischemia/reperfusion may be related to more delayed neuronal death compared to that in the adults.

  7. Parkia biglobosa Improves Mitochondrial Functioning and Protects against Neurotoxic Agents in Rat Brain Hippocampal Slices

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    Kayode Komolafe

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. Methanolic leaf extracts of Parkia biglobosa, PBE, and one of its major polyphenolic constituents, catechin, were investigated for their protective effects against neurotoxicity induced by different agents on rat brain hippocampal slices and isolated mitochondria. Methods. Hippocampal slices were preincubated with PBE (25, 50, 100, or 200 µg/mL or catechin (1, 5, or 10 µg/mL for 30 min followed by further incubation with 300 µM H2O2, 300 µM SNP, or 200 µM PbCl2 for 1 h. Effects of PBE and catechin on SNP- or CaCl2-induced brain mitochondrial ROS formation and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm were also determined. Results. PBE and catechin decreased basal ROS generation in slices and blunted the prooxidant effects of neurotoxicants on membrane lipid peroxidation and nonprotein thiol contents. PBE rescued hippocampal cellular viability from SNP damage and caused a significant boost in hippocampus Na+, K+-ATPase activity but with no effect on the acetylcholinesterase activity. Both PBE and catechin also mitigated SNP- or CaCl2-dependent mitochondrial ROS generation. Measurement by safranine fluorescence however showed that the mild depolarization of the ΔΨm by PBE was independent of catechin. Conclusion. The results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of PBE is dependent on its constituent antioxidants and mild mitochondrial depolarization propensity.

  8. Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in bilateral retinoblastoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atalar, Banu; Ozyar, Enis; Gunduz, Kaan; Gungor, Gorkem

    2010-01-01

    External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for retinoblastoma has traditionally been done with conventional radiotherapy techniques which resulted high doses to the surrounding normal tissues. A 20 month-old girl with group D bilateral retinoblastoma underwent intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to both eyes after failing chemoreduction and focal therapies including cryotherapy and transpupillary thermotherapy. In this report, we discuss the use of IMRT as a method for reducing doses to adjacent normal tissues while delivering therapeutic doses to the tumour tissues compared with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). At one year follow-up, the patient remained free of any obvious radiation complications. Image guided IMRT provides better dose distribution than 3DCRT in retinoblastoma eyes, delivering the therapeutic dose to the tumours and minimizing adjacent tissue damage

  9. Pregnancy following bilateral salpingectomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oturai, Annette Bang

    2008-01-01

    This report presents a rare case of spontaneous pregnancy following bilateral salpingectomy. A woman with a history of bilateral salpingectomy was admitted to hospital because of abdominal pain and positive urine HCG. Surprisingly, ultrasound confirmed a live intrauterine fetus. The pregnancy...... was unwanted, and the woman decided to terminate the pregnancy. She was offered diagnostic examination to localise a potential fistula, but she declined. In a MEDLINE search of English literature this is only the second case of spontaneous pregnancy following bilateral salpingectomy Udgivelsesdato: 2008/4/21...

  10. Left-right asymmetry defect in the hippocampal circuitry impairs spatial learning and working memory in iv mice.

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    Kazuhiro Goto

    Full Text Available Although left-right (L-R asymmetry is a fundamental feature of higher-order brain function, little is known about how asymmetry defects of the brain affect animal behavior. Previously, we identified structural and functional asymmetries in the circuitry of the mouse hippocampus resulting from the asymmetrical distribution of NMDA receptor GluR ε2 (NR2B subunits. We further examined the ε2 asymmetry in the inversus viscerum (iv mouse, which has randomized laterality of internal organs, and found that the iv mouse hippocampus exhibits right isomerism (bilateral right-sidedness in the synaptic distribution of the ε2 subunit, irrespective of the laterality of visceral organs. To investigate the effects of hippocampal laterality defects on higher-order brain functions, we examined the capacity of reference and working memories of iv mice using a dry maze and a delayed nonmatching-to-position (DNMTP task, respectively. The iv mice improved dry maze performance more slowly than control mice during acquisition, whereas the asymptotic level of performance was similar between the two groups. In the DNMTP task, the iv mice showed poorer accuracy than control mice as the retention interval became longer. These results suggest that the L-R asymmetry of hippocampal circuitry is critical for the acquisition of reference memory and the retention of working memory.

  11. The hippocampal formation: morphological changes induced by thyroid, gonadal and adrenal hormones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, E; Woolley, C S; McEwen, B S

    1991-01-01

    The hippocampal formation is of considerable interest due to its proposed role in a number of important functions, including learning and memory processes. Manipulations of thyroid, gonadal and adrenal hormones have been shown to influence hippocampal physiology as well as learning and memory. The cellular events which underlie these hormone-induced functional changes are largely unexplored. However, studies suggest that hormonal manipulations during development and in adulthood result in dramatic morphological changes within the hippocampal formation. Because neuronal physiology has been suggested to depend upon neuronal morphology, we have been determining the morphologic sensitivity of hippocampal neurons to thyroid and steroid hormones in an effort to elucidate possible structural mechanisms to account for differences in hippocampal function. In this review, hormone-induced structural changes in the developing and adult hippocampal formation are discussed, with particular emphasis on their functional relevance. Sex differences, as well as the developmental effects of thyroid hormone and glucocorticoids, are described. Moreover, the effects of ovarian steroids, thyroid hormone and glucocorticoids on neuronal morphology in the hippocampal formation of the adult rat are reviewed. These hormone-induced structural changes may account, at least in part, for previously reported hormone-induced changes in hippocampal function.

  12. Measurement and genetics of human subcortical and hippocampal asymmetries in large datasets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guadalupe, Tulio; Zwiers, Marcel P; Teumer, Alexander; Wittfeld, Katharina; Vasquez, Alejandro Arias; Hoogman, Martine; Hagoort, Peter; Fernandez, Guillen; Buitelaar, Jan; Hegenscheid, Katrin; Völzke, Henry; Franke, Barbara; Fisher, Simon E; Grabe, Hans J; Francks, Clyde

    2014-07-01

    Functional and anatomical asymmetries are prevalent features of the human brain, linked to gender, handedness, and cognition. However, little is known about the neurodevelopmental processes involved. In zebrafish, asymmetries arise in the diencephalon before extending within the central nervous system. We aimed to identify genes involved in the development of subtle, left-right volumetric asymmetries of human subcortical structures using large datasets. We first tested the feasibility of measuring left-right volume differences in such large-scale samples, as assessed by two automated methods of subcortical segmentation (FSL|FIRST and FreeSurfer), using data from 235 subjects who had undergone MRI twice. We tested the agreement between the first and second scan, and the agreement between the segmentation methods, for measures of bilateral volumes of six subcortical structures and the hippocampus, and their volumetric asymmetries. We also tested whether there were biases introduced by left-right differences in the regional atlases used by the methods, by analyzing left-right flipped images. While many bilateral volumes were measured well (scan-rescan r = 0.6-0.8), most asymmetries, with the exception of the caudate nucleus, showed lower repeatabilites. We meta-analyzed genome-wide association scan results for caudate nucleus asymmetry in a combined sample of 3,028 adult subjects but did not detect associations at genome-wide significance (P left-right patterning of the viscera. Our results provide important information for researchers who are currently aiming to carry out large-scale genome-wide studies of subcortical and hippocampal volumes, and their asymmetries. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Higher-order conditioning is impaired by hippocampal lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilboa, Asaf; Sekeres, Melanie; Moscovitch, Morris; Winocur, Gordon

    2014-09-22

    Behavior in the real world is rarely motivated by primary conditioned stimuli that have been directly associated with potent unconditioned reinforcers. Instead, motivation and choice behavior are driven by complex chains of higher-order associations that are only indirectly linked to intrinsic reward and often exert their influence outside awareness. Second-order conditioning (SOC) [1] is a basic associative-learning mechanism whereby stimuli acquire motivational salience by proxy, in the absence of primary incentives [2, 3]. Memory-systems theories consider first-order conditioning (FOC) and SOC to be prime examples of hippocampal-independent nondeclarative memory [4, 5]. Accordingly, neurobiological models of SOC focus almost exclusively on nondeclarative neural systems that support motivational salience and reward value. Transfer of value from a conditioned stimulus to a neutral stimulus is thought to require the basolateral amygdala [6, 7] and the ventral striatum [2, 3], but not the hippocampus. We developed a new paradigm to measure appetitive SOC of tones in rats. Hippocampal lesions severely impaired both acquisition and expression of SOC despite normal FOC. Unlike controls, rats with hippocampal lesions could not discriminate between positive and negative secondary conditioned tones, although they exhibited general familiarity with previously presented tones compared with new tones. Importantly, normal rats' behavior, in contrast to that of hippocampal groups, also revealed different confidence levels as indexed by effort, a central characteristic of hippocampal relational memory. The results indicate, contrary to current systems models, that representations of intrinsic relationships between reward value, stimulus identity, and motivation require hippocampal mediation when these relationships are of a higher order. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Intermediate levels of hippocampal activity appear optimal for associative memory formation.

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    Xiao Liu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is well established that hippocampal activity is positively related to effective associative memory formation. However, in biological systems often optimal levels of activity are contrasted by both sub- and supra-optimal levels. Sub-optimal levels of hippocampal activity are commonly attributed to unsuccessful memory formation, whereas the supra-optimal levels of hippocampal activity related to unsuccessful memory formation have been rarely studied. It is still unclear under what circumstances such supra-optimal levels of hippocampal activity occur. To clarify this issue, we aimed at creating a condition, in which supra-optimal hippocampal activity is associated with encoding failure. We assumed that such supra-optimal activity occurs when task-relevant information is embedded in task-irrelevant, distracting information, which can be considered as noise. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present fMRI study, we probed neural correlates of associative memory formation in a full-factorial design with associative memory (subsequently remembered versus forgotten and noise (induced by high versus low distraction as factors. Results showed that encoding failure was associated with supra-optimal activity in the high-distraction condition and with sub-optimal activity in the low distraction condition. Thus, we revealed evidence for a bell-shape function relating hippocampal activity with associative encoding success. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings indicate that intermediate levels of hippocampal activity are optimal while both too low and too high levels appear detrimental for associative memory formation. Supra-optimal levels of hippocampal activity seem to occur when task-irrelevant information is added to task-relevant signal. If such task-irrelevant noise is reduced adequately, hippocampal activity is lower and thus optimal for associative memory formation.

  15. Hippocampal sclerosis: correlation of MR imaging findings with surgical outcome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yoon Hee; Chang, Kee Hyun; Kim, Kyung Won; Han, Moon Hee; Park, Sung Ho; Nam, Hyun Woo; Choi, Kyu Ho; Cho, Woo Ho

    2001-01-01

    Atrophy and a high T2 signal of the hippocampus are known to be the principal MR imaging findings of hippocampal sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not individual MRI findings correlate with surgical outcome in patients with this condition. Preoperative MR imaging findings in 57 consecutive patients with pathologically-proven hippocampal sclerosis who underwent anterior temporal lobectomy and were followed-up for 24 months or more were retrospectively reviewed, and the results were compared with the postsurgical outcome (Engel classification). The MR images included routine sagittal T1-weighted and axial T2-weighted spin-echo images, and oblique coronal T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo and T2-weighted 2D fast spin-echo images obtained on either a 1.5 T or 1.0 T unit. The images were visually evaluated by two neuroradiologists blinded to the outcome; their focus was the presence or absence of atrophy and a high T2 hippocampal signal. Hippocampal atrophy was seen in 96% of cases (55/57) [100% (53/53) of the good outcome group (Engel class I and II), and 50% (2/4) of the poor outcome group (class III and IV)]. A high T2 hippocampal signal was seen in 61% of cases (35/57) [62% (33/53) of the good outcome group and 50% (2/4) of the poor outcome group]. All 35 patients with a high T2 signal had hippocampal atrophy. 'Normal' hippocampus, as revealed by MR imaging, occurred in 4% of patients (2/57), both of whom showed a poor outcome (Engel class III). The presence or absence of hippocampal atrophy correlated well with surgical outcome (p 0.05). Compared with a high T2 hippocampal signal, hippocampal atrophy is more common and correlates better with surgical outcome. For the prediction of this, it thus appears to be the more useful indicator

  16. Morphological Variations of Hippocampal Formation in Epilepsy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J Gordon Millichap

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Researchers at Hospital Sao Paulo and other centers in Brazil compared the hippocampal formation (HF morphology of healthy asymptomatic individuals (n=30 with that of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS(n=68, of patients with malformations of cortical development (MCD(n=34, and of patients with morphological HF variations without other structural signs (pure MVHF(n=12.

  17. Bilateral persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jain Tarun

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available A case of bilateral persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV in a 3-month-old male infant, who had bilateral leukokoria, is presented. The child was referred for imaging with a clinical suspicion of retinoblastoma. Gray-scale ultrasound evaluation revealed an echogenic band in the posterior segment of both globes, extending from the posterior surface of the lens capsule to the optic disc. Doppler examination revealed the presence of arterial flow in the band in both globes. Associated echogenic hemorrhage was also seen, which was confirmed by computed tomography. Most cases of PHPV are sporadic and unilateral, and bilateral PHPV is rare. The imaging features in this case suggest the diagnosis of bilateral PHPV and differentiate it from retinoblastoma. This entity, although infrequent, should be considered in the differential diagnosis while evaluating bilateral leukokoria.

  18. Abnormalities of hippocampal signal intensity in patients with familial mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

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    Coan A.C.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE is associated with hippocampal atrophy and hippocampal signal abnormalities. In our series of familial MTLE (FMTLE, we found a high proportion of hippocampal abnormalities. To quantify signal abnormalities in patients with FMTLE we studied 152 individuals (46 of them asymptomatic with FMTLE. We used NIH-Image® for volumetry and signal quantification in coronal T1 inversion recovery and T2 for all cross-sections of the hippocampus. Values diverging by 2 or more SD from the control mean were considered abnormal. T2 hippocampal signal abnormalities were found in 52% of all individuals: 54% of affected subjects and 48% of asymptomatic subjects. T1 hippocampal signal changes were found in 34% of all individuals: 42.5% of affected subjects and 15% of asymptomatic subjects. Analysis of the hippocampal head (first three slices revealed T2 abnormalities in 73% of all individuals (74% of affected subjects and 72% of asymptomatic subjects and T1 abnormalities in 59% (67% of affected subjects and 41% of asymptomatic subjects. Affected individuals had smaller volumes than controls (P < 0.0001. There was no difference in hippocampal volumes between asymptomatic subjects and controls, although 39% of asymptomatic patients had hippocampal atrophy. Patients with an abnormal hippocampal signal (133 individuals had smaller ipsilateral volume, but no linear correlation could be determined. Hippocampal signal abnormalities in FMTLE were more frequently found in the hippocampal head in both affected and asymptomatic family members, including those with normal volumes. These results indicate that subtle abnormalities leading to an abnormal hippocampal signal in FMTLE are not necessarily related to seizures and may be determined by genetic factors.

  19. Memory impairment in multiple sclerosis: Relevance of hippocampal activation and hippocampal connectivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hulst, H.E.; Schoonheim, M.M.; van Geest, Q.; Uitdehaag, B.M.J.; Barkhof, F.; Geurts, J.J.G.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Memory impairment is frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS), but it is unclear what functional brain changes underlie this cognitive deterioration. Objective: To investigate functional hippocampal activation and connectivity, in relation to memory performance in MS. Methods: Structural and

  20. Safety of the Transcranial Focal Electrical Stimulation via Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes for Hippocampal CA3 Subregion Neurons in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mucio-Ramírez, Samuel; Makeyev, Oleksandr

    2017-01-01

    Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects approximately one percent of the world population. Noninvasive electrical brain stimulation via tripolar concentric ring electrodes has been proposed as an alternative/complementary therapy for seizure control. Previous results suggest its efficacy attenuating acute seizures in penicillin, pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus, and pentylenetetrazole-induced rat seizure models and its safety for the rat scalp, cortical integrity, and memory formation. In this study, neuronal counting was used to assess possible tissue damage in rats ( n = 36) due to the single dose or five doses (given every 24 hours) of stimulation on hippocampal CA3 subregion neurons 24 hours, one week, and one month after the last stimulation dose. Full factorial analysis of variance showed no statistically significant difference in the number of neurons between control and stimulation-treated animals ( p  = 0.71). Moreover, it showed no statistically significant differences due to the number of stimulation doses ( p  = 0.71) nor due to the delay after the last stimulation dose ( p  = 0.96). Obtained results suggest that stimulation at current parameters (50 mA, 200  μ s, 300 Hz, biphasic, charge-balanced pulses for 2 minutes) does not induce neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA3 subregion of the brain.

  1. Safety of the Transcranial Focal Electrical Stimulation via Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes for Hippocampal CA3 Subregion Neurons in Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Mucio-Ramírez

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects approximately one percent of the world population. Noninvasive electrical brain stimulation via tripolar concentric ring electrodes has been proposed as an alternative/complementary therapy for seizure control. Previous results suggest its efficacy attenuating acute seizures in penicillin, pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus, and pentylenetetrazole-induced rat seizure models and its safety for the rat scalp, cortical integrity, and memory formation. In this study, neuronal counting was used to assess possible tissue damage in rats (n=36 due to the single dose or five doses (given every 24 hours of stimulation on hippocampal CA3 subregion neurons 24 hours, one week, and one month after the last stimulation dose. Full factorial analysis of variance showed no statistically significant difference in the number of neurons between control and stimulation-treated animals (p = 0.71. Moreover, it showed no statistically significant differences due to the number of stimulation doses (p = 0.71 nor due to the delay after the last stimulation dose (p = 0.96. Obtained results suggest that stimulation at current parameters (50 mA, 200 μs, 300 Hz, biphasic, charge-balanced pulses for 2 minutes does not induce neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA3 subregion of the brain.

  2. Idiopathic bilateral male breast abscess.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinha, Rajan Kumar; Sinha, Mithilesh Kumar; Gaurav, Kumar; Kumar, Amar

    2014-03-10

    A 38-year-old man presented with bilateral breast swelling, along with pain and redness for 7 days. Bilateral axillary nodes were also palpable; which were multiple and discrete. A provisional diagnosis of bilateral breast abscess was made with suspicion of underlying malignancy. Incision and drainage through subareolar incision was performed and the adjoining tissue was excised and sent for histopathological examination.

  3. Associative reinstatement memory measures hippocampal function in Parkinson's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohn, Melanie; Giannoylis, Irene; De Belder, Maya; Saint-Cyr, Jean A; McAndrews, Mary Pat

    2016-09-01

    In Parkinson's Disease (PD), hippocampal atrophy is associated with rapid cognitive decline. Hippocampal function is typically assessed using memory tests but current clinical tools (e.g., free recall) also rely on executive functions or use material that is not optimally engaging hippocampal memory networks. Because of the ubiquity of executive dysfunction in PD, our ability to detect true memory deficits is suboptimal. Our previous behavioural and neuroimaging work in other populations suggests that an experimental memory task - Associative Reinstatement Memory (ARM) - may prove useful in investigating hippocampal function in PD. In this study, we investigated whether ARM is compromised in PD and we assessed its convergent and divergent validity by comparing it to standardized measures of memory and of attention and executive functioning in PD, respectively. Using fMRI, we also investigated whether performance in PD relates to degree of hippocampal engagement. Fifteen participants with PD and 13 age-matched healthy controls completed neuropsychological testing as well as an ARM fMRI recognition paradigm in which they were instructed to identify word pairs comprised of two studied words (intact or rearranged pairs) and those containing at least one new word (new or half new pairs). ARM is measured by the differences in hit rates between intact and rearranged pairs. Behaviourally, ARM was poorer in PD relative to controls and was correlated with verbal memory measures, but not with attention or executive functioning in the PD group. Hippocampal activation associated with ARM was reduced in PD relative to controls and covaried with ARM scores in both groups. To conclude, ARM is a sensitive measure of hippocampal memory function that is unaffected by attention or executive dysfunction in PD. Our study highlights the benefit of integrating cognitive neuroscience frameworks and novel experimental tasks to improve the practice of clinical neuropsychology in PD

  4. Predicting memory performance in normal ageing using different measures of hippocampal size

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lye, T.C.; Creasey, H.; Kril, J.J.; Grayson, D.A.; Piguet, O.; Bennett, H.P.; Ridley, L.J.; Broe, G.A.

    2006-01-01

    A number of different methods have been employed to correct hippocampal volumes for individual variation in head size. Researchers have previously used qualitative visual inspection to gauge hippocampal atrophy. The purpose of this study was to determine the best measure(s) of hippocampal size for predicting memory functioning in 102 community-dwelling individuals over 80 years of age. Hippocampal size was estimated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetry and qualitative visual assessment. Right and left hippocampal volumes were adjusted by three different estimates of head size: total intracranial volume (TICV), whole-brain volume including ventricles (WB+V) and a more refined measure of whole-brain volume with ventricles extracted (WB). We compared the relative efficacy of these three volumetric adjustment methods and visual ratings of hippocampal size in predicting memory performance using linear regression. All four measures of hippocampal size were significant predictors of memory performance. TICV-adjusted volumes performed most poorly in accounting for variance in memory scores. Hippocampal volumes adjusted by either measure of whole-brain volume performed equally well, although qualitative visual ratings of the hippocampus were at least as effective as the volumetric measures in predicting memory performance in community-dwelling individuals in the ninth or tenth decade of life. (orig.)

  5. Protection of DFP-induced oxidative damage and neurodegeneration by antioxidants and NMDA receptor antagonist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaja-Milatovic, Snjezana; Gupta, Ramesh C.; Aschner, Michael; Milatovic, Dejan

    2009-01-01

    Prophylactic agents acutely administered in response to anticholinesterases intoxication can prevent toxic symptoms, including fasciculations, seizures, convulsions and death. However, anticholinesterases also have long-term unknown pathophysiological effects, making rational prophylaxis/treatment problematic. Increasing evidence suggests that in addition to excessive cholinergic stimulation, organophosphate compounds such as diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (DFP) induce activation of glutamatergic neurons, generation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), leading to neurodegeneration. The present study investigated multiple affectors of DFP exposure critical to cerebral oxidative damage and whether antioxidants and NMDA receptor antagonist memantine provide neuroprotection by preventing DFP-induced biochemical and morphometric changes in rat brain. Rats treated acutely with DFP (1.25 mg/kg, s.c.) developed onset of toxicity signs within 7-15 min that progressed to maximal severity of seizures and fasciculations within 60 min. At this time point, DFP caused significant (p 2 -isoprostanes, F 2 -IsoPs; and F 4 -neuroprostanes, F 4 -NeuroPs), RNS (citrulline), and declines in high-energy phosphates (HEP) in rat cerebrum. At the same time, quantitative morphometric analysis of pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal CA1 region revealed significant (p 2 -IsoPs, F 4 -NeuroPs, citrulline, and depletion of HEP were noted. Furthermore, attenuation in oxidative damage following antioxidants or memantine pretreatment was accompanied by rescue from dendritic degeneration of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 hippocampal area. These findings closely associated DFP-induced lipid peroxidation with dendritic degeneration of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 hippocampal area and point to possible interventions to limit oxidative injury and dendritic degeneration induced by anticholinesterase neurotoxicity.

  6. Bilateral Endoscopic Medial Maxillectomy for Bilateral Inverted Papilloma

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    Satoru Kodama

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Inverted papilloma (IP is a benign tumor of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses that is unilateral in most cases. Bilateral IP, involving both sides of the nasal cavity and sinuses, is extremely rare. This paper describes a large IP that filled in both sides of the nasal cavity and sinuses, mimicking association with malignancy. The tumor was successfully treated by bilateral endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM. The patient is without evidence of the disease 24 months after surgery. If preoperative diagnosis does not confirm the association with malignancy in IP, endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS should be selected, and ESS, including EMM, is a good first choice of the treatment for IP.

  7. Bilateral Endoscopic Medial Maxillectomy for Bilateral Inverted Papilloma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodama, Satoru; Kawano, Toshiaki; Suzuki, Masashi

    2012-01-01

    Inverted papilloma (IP) is a benign tumor of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses that is unilateral in most cases. Bilateral IP, involving both sides of the nasal cavity and sinuses, is extremely rare. This paper describes a large IP that filled in both sides of the nasal cavity and sinuses, mimicking association with malignancy. The tumor was successfully treated by bilateral endoscopic medial maxillectomy (EMM). The patient is without evidence of the disease 24 months after surgery. If preoperative diagnosis does not confirm the association with malignancy in IP, endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) should be selected, and ESS, including EMM, is a good first choice of the treatment for IP. PMID:22953103

  8. Immediate, irreversible, posttraumatic coma: a review indicating that bilateral brainstem injury rather than widespread hemispheric damage is essential for its production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenblum, William I

    2015-03-01

    Traumatic brain injury may result in immediate long-lasting coma. Much attention has been given to predicting this outcome from the initial examination because these predictions can guide future treatment and interactions with the patient's family. Reports of diffuse axonal injury in these cases have ascribed the coma to widespread damage in the deep white matter that disconnects the hemispheres from the ascending arousal system (AAS). However, brainstem lesions are also present in such cases, and the AAS may be interrupted at the brainstem level. This review examines autopsy and imaging literature that assesses the presence, extent, and predictive value of lesions in both sites. The evidence suggests that diffuse injury to the deep white matter is not the usual cause of immediate long-lasting posttraumatic coma. Instead, brainstem lesions in the rostral pons or midbrain are almost always the cause but only if the lesions are bilateral. Moreover, recovery is possible if critical brainstem inputs to the AAS are spared. The precise localization of the latter is subject to ongoing investigation with advanced imaging techniques using magnets of very high magnetic gradients. Limited availability of this equipment plus the need to verify the findings continue to require meticulous autopsy examination.

  9. Dissociable Contributions of Thalamic Nuclei to Recognition Memory: Novel Evidence from a Case of Medial Dorsal Thalamic Damage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newsome, Rachel N.; Trelle, Alexandra N.; Fidalgo, Celia; Hong, Bryan; Smith, Victoria M.; Jacob, Alexander; Ryan, Jennifer D.; Rosenbaum, R. Shayna; Cowell, Rosemary A.; Barense, Morgan D.

    2018-01-01

    The thalamic nuclei are thought to play a critical role in recognition memory. Specifically, the anterior thalamic nuclei and medial dorsal nuclei may serve as critical output structures in distinct hippocampal and perirhinal cortex systems, respectively. Existing evidence indicates that damage to the anterior thalamic nuclei leads to impairments…

  10. A double dissociation of dorsal and ventral hippocampal function on a learning and memory task mediated by the dorso-lateral striatum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Robert J; Jones, Jana; Richards, Blake; Hong, Nancy S

    2006-09-01

    The objectives of this research were to further delineate the neural circuits subserving proposed memory-based behavioural subsystems in the hippocampal formation. These studies were guided by anatomical evidence showing a topographical organization of the hippocampal formation. Briefly, perpendicular to the medial/lateral entorhinal cortex division there is a second system of parallel circuits that separates the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Recent work from this laboratory has provided evidence that the hippocampus incidentally encodes a context-specific inhibitory association during acquisition of a visual discrimination task. One question that emerges from this dataset is whether the dorsal or ventral hippocampus makes a unique contribution to this newly described function. Rats with neurotoxic lesions of the dorsal or ventral hippocampus were assessed on the acquisition of the visual discrimination task. Following asymptotic performance they were given reversal training in either the same or a different context from the original training. The results showed that the context-specific inhibition effect is mediated by a circuit that includes the ventral but not the dorsal hippocampus. Results from a control procedure showed that rats with either dorso-lateral striatum damage or dorsal hippocampal lesions were impaired on a tactile/spatial discrimination. Taken together, the results represent a double dissociation of learning and memory function between the ventral and dorsal hippocampus. The formation of an incidental inhibitory association was dependent on ventral but not dorsal hippocampal circuitry, and the opposite dependence was found for the spatial component of a tactile/spatial discrimination.

  11. Bilateral retinal vein occlusion and rubeosis irides: lessons to learn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Md Noh, Umi Kalthum; Ahem, Amin; Mustapha, Mushawiahti

    2013-01-01

    Uncontrolled hypertension is well- known to give rise to systemic complications involving multiple central organs. Artherosclerosis leads to damage of the retinal vessels wall, contributing to venous stasis, thrombosis and finally, occlusion. Retinal vein occlusions compromise vision through development of ischaemic maculopathy, macular oedema, and rubeotic glaucoma. Laser photocoagulation remains the definitive treatment for ischaemic vein occlusion with secondary neovascularization. Timely treatment with anti- vascular endothelial growth factor prevents development of rubeotic glaucoma. We hereby report an unusual case of bilateral retinal vein occlusion complicated by rubeosis irides, which was successfully managed to improve vision and prevent rubeotic glaucoma.

  12. Zygoma Implant-Supported Prosthetic Rehabilitation of a Patient After Bilateral Maxillectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celakil, Tamer; Ayvalioglu, Demet Cagil; Sancakli, Erkan; Atalay, Belir; Doganay, Ozge; Kayhan, Kivanc Bektas

    2015-10-01

    Maxillectomy defects may vary from localized to extensive soft and hard tissue loss. In addition to physical and psychologic damages, functional and aesthetic aspects must be restored. This clinical report describes the rehabilitation of a patient with a zygoma implant-supported obturator prosthesis caused by a subtotal bilateral maxillectomy due to a squamous oral cell carcinoma. Prosthetic rehabilitation of this patient was performed after zygoma implant surgery. A maxillary obturator prosthesis supported by 2 osseointegrated zygoma implants was fabricated. Despite limited mouth opening and anatomic deficiencies, the patient's aesthetic and functional demands were fulfilled.

  13. Age and Environment Influences on Mouse Prion Disease Progression: Behavioral Changes and Morphometry and Stereology of Hippocampal Astrocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Bento-Torres

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Because enriched environment (EE and exercise increase and aging decreases immune response, we hypothesized that environmental enrichment and aging will, respectively, delay and increase prion disease progression. Mice dorsal striatum received bilateral stereotaxic intracerebral injections of normal or ME7 prion infected mouse brain homogenates. After behavior analysis, animals were euthanized and their brains processed for astrocyte GFAP immunolabeling. Our analysis related to the environmental influence are limited to young adult mice, whereas age influence refers to aged mice raised on standard cages. Burrowing activity began to reduce in ME7-SE two weeks before ME7-EE, while no changes were apparent in ME7 aged mice (ME7-A. Object placement recognition was impaired in ME7-SE, NBH-A, and ME7-A but normal in all other groups. Object identity recognition was impaired in ME7-A. Cluster analysis revealed two morphological families of astrocytes in NBH-SE animals, three in NBH-A and ME7-A, and four in NBH-EE, ME7-SE, and ME7-EE. As compared with control groups, astrocytes from DG and CA3 prion-diseased animals show significant numerical and morphological differences and environmental enrichment did not reverse these changes but induced different morphological changes in GFAP+ hippocampal astroglia. We suggest that environmental enrichment and aging delayed hippocampal-dependent behavioral and neuropathological signs of disease progression.

  14. PirB regulates asymmetries in hippocampal circuitry.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hikari Ukai

    Full Text Available Left-right asymmetry is a fundamental feature of higher-order brain structure; however, the molecular basis of brain asymmetry remains unclear. We recently identified structural and functional asymmetries in mouse hippocampal circuitry that result from the asymmetrical distribution of two distinct populations of pyramidal cell synapses that differ in the density of the NMDA receptor subunit GluRε2 (also known as NR2B, GRIN2B or GluN2B. By examining the synaptic distribution of ε2 subunits, we previously found that β2-microglobulin-deficient mice, which lack cell surface expression of the vast majority of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI proteins, do not exhibit circuit asymmetry. In the present study, we conducted electrophysiological and anatomical analyses on the hippocampal circuitry of mice with a knockout of the paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB, an MHCI receptor. As in β2-microglobulin-deficient mice, the PirB-deficient hippocampus lacked circuit asymmetries. This finding that MHCI loss-of-function mice and PirB knockout mice have identical phenotypes suggests that MHCI signals that produce hippocampal asymmetries are transduced through PirB. Our results provide evidence for a critical role of the MHCI/PirB signaling system in the generation of asymmetries in hippocampal circuitry.

  15. Caffeine Increases Hippocampal Sharp Waves in Vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Yusuke; Ikegaya, Yuji

    2017-01-01

    Caffeine promotes memory consolidation. Memory consolidation is thought to depend at least in part on hippocampal sharp waves (SWs). In the present study, we investigated the effect of bath-application of caffeine in spontaneously occurring SWs in mouse acute hippocampal slices. Caffeine induced an about 100% increase in the event frequency of SWs at concentrations of 60 and 200 µM. The effect of caffeine was reversible after washout of caffeine and was mimicked by an adenosine A 1 receptor antagonist, but not by an A 2A receptor antagonist. Caffeine increased SWs even in dentate-CA3 mini-slices without the CA2 regions, in which adenosine A 1 receptors are abundantly expressed in the hippocampus. Thus, caffeine facilitates SWs by inhibiting adenosine A 1 receptors in the hippocampal CA3 region or the dentate gyrus.

  16. Bilateral, independent juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørkenborg, Marie-Louise; Frendø, M; Stavngaard, T

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a benign, vascular tumour that primarily occurs in adolescent males. Despite its benign nature, aggressive growth patterns can cause potential life-threatening complications. Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is normally unilateral, originating...... from the sphenopalatine artery, but bilateral symptoms can occur if a large tumour extends to the contralateral side of the nasopharynx. This paper presents the first reported case of true bilateral extensive juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma involving clinically challenging pre-surgical planning...... embolisation. Radical removal performed as one-step, computer-assisted functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed. The follow-up period was uncomplicated. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the importance of suspecting bilateral juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in patients presenting with bilateral...

  17. Delayed recall, hippocampal volume and Alzheimer neuropathology: findings from the Nun Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortimer, J A; Gosche, K M; Riley, K P; Markesbery, W R; Snowdon, D A

    2004-02-10

    To examine the associations of hippocampal volume and the severity of neurofibrillary lesions determined at autopsy with delayed verbal recall performance evaluated an average of 1 year prior to death. Hippocampal volumes were computed using postmortem brain MRI from the first 56 scanned participants of the Nun Study. Quantitative neuropathologic studies included lesion counts, Braak staging, and determination of whether neuropathologic criteria for Alzheimer disease (AD) were met. Multiple regression was used to assess the association of hippocampal volume and neuropathologic lesions with the number of words (out of 10) recalled on the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Delayed Word Recall Test administered an average of 1 year prior to death. When entered separately, hippocampal volume, Braak stage, and the mean neurofibrillary tangle counts in the CA-1 region of the hippocampus and the subiculum were strongly associated with the number of words recalled after a delay, adjusting for age and education. When hippocampal volume was entered together with each neuropathologic index, only hippocampal volume retained a significant association with the delayed recall measure. The association between hippocampal volume and the number of words recalled was present in both demented and nondemented individuals as well as in those with and without substantial AD neurofibrillary pathology. The association of neurofibrillary tangles with delayed verbal recall may reflect associated hippocampal atrophy.

  18. BILATERAL SINGLE SESSION URETEROSCOPY FOR URETERAL ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Objectives: To determine the feasibility, safety and success rate of bilateral single session rigid retrograde ureteroscopy (URS) for bilateral ureteral calculi. Patients and Methods: Thirty-five patients underwent bilateral single session ureteroscopic calculus removal. Results: Out of 70 renal units in 35 patients treated, ...

  19. The effect of video game training on the vision of adults with bilateral deprivation amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Seong Taek; Maurer, Daphne; Lewis, Terri L

    2012-01-01

    Amblyopia is a condition involving reduced acuity caused by abnormal visual input during a critical period beginning shortly after birth. Amblyopia is typically considered to be irreversible during adulthood. Here we provide the first demonstration that video game training can improve at least some aspects of the vision of adults with bilateral deprivation amblyopia caused by a history of bilateral congenital cataracts. Specifically, after 40 h of training over one month with an action video game, most patients showed improvement in one or both eyes on a wide variety of tasks including acuity, spatial contrast sensitivity, and sensitivity to global motion. As well, there was evidence of improvement in at least some patients for temporal contrast sensitivity, single letter acuity, crowding, and feature spacing in faces, but not for useful field of view. The results indicate that, long after the end of the critical period for damage, there is enough residual plasticity in the adult visual system to effect improvements, even in cases of deep amblyopia caused by early bilateral deprivation.

  20. BDNF polymorphisms are linked to poorer working memory performance, reduced cerebellar and hippocampal volumes and differences in prefrontal cortex in a Swedish elderly population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samantha J Brooks

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF links learning, memory and cognitive decline in elderly, but evidence linking BDNF allele variation, cognition and brain structural differences is lacking. METHODS: 367 elderly Swedish men (n = 181 and women (n = 186 from Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala seniors (PIVUS were genotyped and the BDNF functional rs6265 SNP was further examined in subjects who completed the Trail Making Task (TMT, verbal fluency task, and had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM examined brain structure, cognition and links with BDNF. RESULTS: The functional BDNF SNP (rs6265, predicted better working memory performance on the TMT with positive association of the Met rs6265, and was linked with greater cerebellar, precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and bilateral hippocampal volume, and reduced brainstem and bilateral posterior cingulate volumes. CONCLUSIONS: The functional BDNF polymorphism influences brain volume in regions associated with memory and regulation of sensorimotor control, with the Met rs6265 allele potentially being more beneficial to these functions in the elderly.

  1. Hippocampal Structure Predicts Statistical Learning and Associative Inference Abilities during Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlichting, Margaret L; Guarino, Katharine F; Schapiro, Anna C; Turk-Browne, Nicholas B; Preston, Alison R

    2017-01-01

    Despite the importance of learning and remembering across the lifespan, little is known about how the episodic memory system develops to support the extraction of associative structure from the environment. Here, we relate individual differences in volumes along the hippocampal long axis to performance on statistical learning and associative inference tasks-both of which require encoding associations that span multiple episodes-in a developmental sample ranging from ages 6 to 30 years. Relating age to volume, we found dissociable patterns across the hippocampal long axis, with opposite nonlinear volume changes in the head and body. These structural differences were paralleled by performance gains across the age range on both tasks, suggesting improvements in the cross-episode binding ability from childhood to adulthood. Controlling for age, we also found that smaller hippocampal heads were associated with superior behavioral performance on both tasks, consistent with this region's hypothesized role in forming generalized codes spanning events. Collectively, these results highlight the importance of examining hippocampal development as a function of position along the hippocampal axis and suggest that the hippocampal head is particularly important in encoding associative structure across development.

  2. Agmatine protects against intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced water maze memory deficit, hippocampal apoptosis and Akt/GSK3β signaling disruption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moosavi, Maryam; Zarifkar, Amir Hossein; Farbood, Yaghoub; Dianat, Mahin; Sarkaki, Alireza; Ghasemi, Rasoul

    2014-08-05

    Centrally administered streptozotocin (STZ), is known to cause Alzheimer׳s like memory deterioration. It mainly affects insulin signaling pathways such as PI3/Akt and GSK-3β which are involved in cell survival. Previous studies indicate that STZ increases the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and thereby induces caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Agmatine, a polyamine derived from l-arginine decarboxylation, is recently shown to exert some neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to assess if agmatine reverses STZ-induced memory deficits, hippocampal Akt/GSK-3β signaling disruption and caspase-3 activation. Adult male Sprague-Dawely rats weighing 200-250 g were used. The canules were implanted bilaterally into lateral ventricles. STZ was administered on days 1 and 3 (3 mg/kg) and agmatine treatment (40 or 80 mg/kg) was started from day 4 and continued in an every other day manner till day 14. The animal׳s learning and memory capability was assessed on days 15-18 using Morris water maze. After complement of behavioral studies the hippocampi was isolated and the amounts of hippocampal cleaved caspase-3 (the landmark of apoptosis), Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, total and phosphorylated forms of GSK-3β and Akt were analyzed by western blot. The results showed that agmatine in 80 but not 40 mg/kg reversed the memory deterioration induced by STZ. Western blot analysis revealed that STZ prompted elevation of caspase-3; Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and disrupted Akt/GSK-3β signaling in the hippocampus. Agmatine treatment prevented apoptosis and Akt/GSK-3β signaling impairment induced by STZ. This study disclosed that agmatine treatment averts not only STZ-induced memory deterioration but also hippocampal apoptosis and Akt/GSK-3β signaling disruption. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Novel Roles for the Insulin-Regulated Glucose Transporter-4 in Hippocampally Dependent Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson-Leary, Jiah; McNay, Ewan C

    2016-11-23

    The insulin-regulated glucose transporter-4 (GluT4) is critical for insulin- and contractile-mediated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. GluT4 is also expressed in some hippocampal neurons, but its functional role in the brain is unclear. Several established molecular modulators of memory processing regulate hippocampal GluT4 trafficking and hippocampal memory formation is limited by both glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that hippocampal GluT4 might be involved in memory processes. Here, we show that, in male rats, hippocampal GluT4 translocates to the plasma membrane after memory training and that acute, selective intrahippocampal inhibition of GluT4-mediated glucose transport impaired memory acquisition, but not memory retrieval. Other studies have shown that prolonged systemic GluT4 blockade causes insulin resistance. Unexpectedly, we found that prolonged hippocampal blockade of glucose transport through GluT4-upregulated markers of hippocampal insulin signaling prevented task-associated depletion of hippocampal glucose and enhanced both working and short-term memory while also impairing long-term memory. These effects were accompanied by increased expression of hippocampal AMPA GluR1 subunits and the neuronal GluT3, but decreased expression of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor, consistent with impaired ability to form long-term memories. Our findings are the first to show the cognitive impact of brain GluT4 modulation. They identify GluT4 as a key regulator of hippocampal memory processing and also suggest differential regulation of GluT4 in the hippocampus from that in peripheral tissues. The role of insulin-regulated glucose transporter-4 (GluT4) in the brain is unclear. In the current study, we demonstrate that GluT4 is a critical component of hippocampal memory processes. Memory training increased hippocampal GluT4 translocation and memory acquisition was impaired by GluT4 blockade. Unexpectedly, whereas long

  4. Osteochondral lesion of the bilateral femoral heads in a young athletic patient

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jung Eun; Ryu, Kyung Nam; Park, Ji Seon; Cho, Yoon Je [Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, So Hee; Park, So Young; Jin, Wook [Dept. of Radiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Kyung Ryeol [Dept. of Radiology, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    Osteochondral lesions of the femoral head are uncommon and few studies have reported their imaging findings. Since joints are at risk of early degeneration after osteochondral damage, timely recognition is important. Osteochondral lesions of femoral head may often be necessary to differentiate from avascular necrosis. Here, we report a case of osteochondral lesions on bilateral femoral heads. This lesion manifested as subchondral cysts in initial radiographs, which led to further evaluation by computed tomography arthrography and magnetic resonance imaging, which revealed overlying cartilage defects.

  5. Hippocampal MRI volumetry at 3 Tesla: reliability and practical guidance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeukens, Cécile R L P N; Vlooswijk, Mariëlle C G; Majoie, H J Marian; de Krom, Marc C T F M; Aldenkamp, Albert P; Hofman, Paul A M; Jansen, Jacobus F A; Backes, Walter H

    2009-09-01

    Although volumetry of the hippocampus is considered to be an established technique, protocols reported in literature are not described in great detail. This article provides a complete and detailed protocol for hippocampal volumetry applicable to T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images acquired at 3 Tesla, which has become the standard for structural brain research. The protocol encompasses T1-weighted image acquisition at 3 Tesla, anatomic guidelines for manual hippocampus delineation, requirements of delineation software, reliability measures, and criteria to assess and ensure sufficient reliability. Moreover, the validity of the correction for total intracranial volume size was critically assessed. The protocol was applied by 2 readers to the MR images of 36 patients with cryptogenic localization-related epilepsy, 4 patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis, and 20 healthy control subjects. The uncorrected hippocampal volumes were 2923 +/- 500 mm3 (mean +/- SD) (left) and 3120 +/- 416 mm3 (right) for the patient group and 3185 +/- 411 mm3 (left) and 3302 +/- 411 mm3 (right) for the healthy control group. The volume of the 4 pathologic hippocampi of the patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis was 2980 +/- 422 mm3. The inter-reader reliability values were determined: intraclass-correlation-coefficient (ICC) = 0.87 (left) and 0.86 (right), percentage volume difference (VD) = 7.0 +/- 4.7% (left) and 6.0 +/- 3.8% (right), and overlap ratio (OR) = 0.82 +/- 0.04 (left) and 0.82 +/- 0.03 (right). The positive Pearson correlation between hippocampal volume and total intracranial volume was found to be low: r = 0.48 (P = 0.03, left) and r = 0.62 (P = 0.004, right) and did not significantly reduce the volumetric variances, showing the limited benefit of the brain size correction. A protocol was described to determine hippocampal volumes based on 3 Tesla MR images with high inter-reader reliability. Although the reliability of hippocampal volumetry at 3 Tesla

  6. Updating the lamellar hypothesis of hippocampal organization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert S Sloviter

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In 1971, Andersen and colleagues proposed that excitatory activity in the entorhinal cortex propagates topographically to the dentate gyrus, and on through a trisynaptic circuit lying within transverse hippocampal slices or lamellae [Andersen, Bliss, and Skrede. 1971. Lamellar organization of hippocampal pathways. Exp Brain Res 13, 222-238]. In this way, a relatively simple structure might mediate complex functions in a manner analogous to the way independent piano keys can produce a nearly infinite variety of unique outputs. The lamellar hypothesis derives primary support from the lamellar distribution of dentate granule cell axons (the mossy fibers, which innervate dentate hilar neurons and area CA3 pyramidal cells and interneurons within the confines of a thin transverse hippocampal segment. Following the initial formulation of the lamellar hypothesis, anatomical studies revealed that unlike granule cells, hilar mossy cells, CA3 pyramidal cells, and Layer II entorhinal cells all form axonal projections that are more divergent along the longitudinal axis than the clearly lamellar mossy fiber pathway. The existence of pathways with translamellar distribution patterns has been interpreted, incorrectly in our view, as justifying outright rejection of the lamellar hypothesis [Amaral and Witter. 1989. The three-dimensional organization of the hippocampal formation: a review of anatomical data. Neuroscience 31, 571-591]. We suggest that the functional implications of longitudinally-projecting axons depend not on whether they exist, but on what they do. The observation that focal granule cell layer discharges normally inhibit, rather than excite, distant granule cells suggests that longitudinal axons in the dentate gyrus may mediate "lateral" inhibition and define lamellar function, rather than undermine it. In this review, we attempt a reconsideration of the evidence that most directly impacts the physiological concept of hippocampal lamellar

  7. Bilateral endoscopic endonasal marsupialization of nasopalatine duct cyst

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yohei Honkura

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Nasopalatine duct cysts are the most common non-odontogenic cysts in the maxilla, and are conventionally treated through a sublabial or palatine approach. Recently, the endoscopic approach has been used, but experience is extremely limited. We treated a 29-year-old male with nasopalatine duct cyst by endoscopic marsupialization, but paresthesia of the incisor region occurred after surgery. This paresthesia gradually remitted within 6 months. The nasopalatine nerve, which innervates the upper incisor region, enters two lateral canals separately at the nasal floor and exits the central main canal at the palate. Damage to the bilateral nasopalatine nerves might lead to paresthesia, so we recommend careful examination for nerve fibers during endoscopic surgery, especially if fenestration is performed on both sides.

  8. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive aging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Román Darío Moreno Fernández

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Aging is a normal developmental process associated with neurobiological changes leading to cognitive alterations with preserved, impaired, and enhanced functions. Evidence from animal and human studies is reviewed to explore the potential role of hippocampal plasticity on age-related cognitive changes with special attention to adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Results from lesion and stimulation strategies, as well as correlation data, support either a direct or modulatory role for adult newborn neurons in cognition at advanced ages. Further research on this topic may help to develop new treatments and to improve the quality of life of older people.

  9. Bilateral Testicular Tumors Resulting in Recurrent Cushing Disease After Bilateral Adrenalectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puar, Troy; Engels, Manon; van Herwaarden, Antonius E; Sweep, Fred C G J; Hulsbergen-van de Kaa, Christina; Kamphuis-van Ulzen, Karin; Chortis, Vasileios; Arlt, Wiebke; Stikkelbroeck, Nike; Claahsen-van der Grinten, Hedi L; Hermus, Ad R M M

    2017-02-01

    Recurrence of hypercortisolism in patients after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing disease is extremely rare. We present a 27-year-old man who previously underwent bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing disease with complete clinical resolution. Cushingoid features recurred 12 years later, with bilateral testicular enlargement. Hormonal tests confirmed adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing disease. Surgical resection of the testicular tumors led to clinical and biochemical remission. Gene expression analysis of the tumor tissue by quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed high expression of all key steroidogenic enzymes. Adrenocortical-specific genes were 5.1 × 105 (CYP11B1), 1.8 × 102 (CYP11B2), and 6.3 × 104 (MC2R) times higher than nonsteroidogenic fibroblast control. This correlated with urine steroid metabolome profiling showing 2 fivefold increases in the excretion of the metabolites of 11-deoxycortisol, 21-deoxycortisol, and total glucocorticoids. Leydig-specific genes were 4.3 × 101 (LHCGR) and 9.3 × 100 (HSD17B3) times higher than control, and urinary steroid profiling showed twofold increased excretion of the major androgen metabolites androsterone and etiocholanolone. These distinctly increased steroid metabolites were suppressed by dexamethasone but unresponsive to human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation, supporting the role of ACTH, but not luteinizing hormone, in regulating tumor-specific steroid excess. We report bilateral testicular tumors occurring in a patient with recurrent Cushing disease 12 years after bilateral adrenalectomy. Using mRNA expression analysis and steroid metabolome profiling, the tumors demonstrated both adrenocortical and gonadal steroidogenic properties, similar to testicular adrenal rest tumors found in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, suggesting the presence of pluripotent cells even in patients without congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Copyright © 2017 by the Endocrine Society

  10. Progressive obtundation in a young woman with bilateral corpus striatum infarction: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zangana Hero M

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bilateral ischemic infarction involving the corpus striatum is a rare event which usually results from global cerebral hypoxia, intoxications, and drug abuse. Case presentation We report a 28 year old Caucasian woman who presented with progressive obtundation and later development of severe expressive dysphasia and Parkinsonism after sustaining ischemic stroke of both corpora striata. Hemorrhagic transformation developed on day four of admission. Conclusion This is a rare case of bilateral basal ganglia infarction with hemorrhagic transformation in a young patient. Our patient's work up did not reveal any cause behind this stroke; however, advanced investigations (such as genetic testing and conventional angiography were not done. The damage resulted in motor dysphasia and Parkinsonism. Neither dystonia nor other involuntary movements developed, and cognitive function was not assessed because of the language disorder.

  11. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis in natural populations of mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amrein, Irmgard

    2015-05-01

    This review will discuss adult hippocampal neurogenesis in wild mammals of different taxa and outline similarities with and differences from laboratory animals. It begins with a review of evidence for hippocampal neurogenesis in various mammals, and shows the similar patterns of age-dependent decline in cell proliferation in wild and domesticated mammals. In contrast, the pool of immature neurons that originate from proliferative activity varies between species, implying a selective advantage for mammals that can make use of a large number of these functionally special neurons. Furthermore, rapid adaptation of hippocampal neurogenesis to experimental challenges appears to be a characteristic of laboratory rodents. Wild mammals show species-specific, rather stable hippocampal neurogenesis, which appears related to demands that characterize the niche exploited by a species rather than to acute events in the life of its members. Studies that investigate adult neurogenesis in wild mammals are not numerous, but the findings of neurogenesis under natural conditions can provide new insights, and thereby also address the question to which cognitive demands neurogenesis may respond during selection. Copyright © 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

  12. Hippocampal damage causes retrograde but not anterograde memory loss for context fear discrimination in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Justin Q; Sutherland, Robert J; McDonald, Robert J

    2017-09-01

    There is a substantial body of evidence that the hippocampus (HPC) plays and essential role in context discrimination in rodents. Studies reporting anterograde amnesia (AA) used repeated, alternating, distributed conditioning and extinction sessions to measure context fear discrimination. In addition, there is uncertainty about the extent of damage to the HPC. Here, we induced conditioned fear prior to discrimination tests and rats sustained extensive, quantified pre- or post-training HPC damage. Unlike previous work, we found that extensive HPC damage spares context discrimination, we observed no AA. There must be a non-HPC system that can acquire long-term memories that support context fear discrimination. Post-training HPC damage caused retrograde amnesia (RA) for context discrimination, even when rats are fear conditioned for multiple sessions. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the role of HPC in long-term memory. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Hippocampal Volume Is Reduced in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder But Not in Psychotic Bipolar I Disorder Demonstrated by Both Manual Tracing and Automated Parcellation (FreeSurfer)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Sara J. M.; Ivleva, Elena I.; Gopal, Tejas A.; Reddy, Anil P.; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Sacco, Carolyn B.; Francis, Alan N.; Tandon, Neeraj; Bidesi, Anup S.; Witte, Bradley; Poudyal, Gaurav; Pearlson, Godfrey D.; Sweeney, John A.; Clementz, Brett A.; Keshavan, Matcheri S.; Tamminga, Carol A.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined hippocampal volume as a putative biomarker for psychotic illness in the Bipolar-Schizophrenia Network on Intermediate Phenotypes (B-SNIP) psychosis sample, contrasting manual tracing and semiautomated (FreeSurfer) region-of-interest outcomes. The study sample (n = 596) included probands with schizophrenia (SZ, n = 71), schizoaffective disorder (SAD, n = 70), and psychotic bipolar I disorder (BDP, n = 86); their first-degree relatives (SZ-Rel, n = 74; SAD-Rel, n = 62; BDP-Rel, n = 88); and healthy controls (HC, n = 145). Hippocampal volumes were derived from 3Tesla T1-weighted MPRAGE images using manual tracing/3DSlicer3.6.3 and semiautomated parcellation/FreeSurfer5.1,64bit. Volumetric outcomes from both methodologies were contrasted in HC and probands and relatives across the 3 diagnoses, using mixed-effect regression models (SAS9.3 Proc MIXED); Pearson correlations between manual tracing and FreeSurfer outcomes were computed. SZ (P = .0007–.02) and SAD (P = .003–.14) had lower hippocampal volumes compared with HC, whereas BDP showed normal volumes bilaterally (P = .18–.55). All relative groups had hippocampal volumes not different from controls (P = .12–.97) and higher than those observed in probands (P = .003–.09), except for FreeSurfer measures in bipolar probands vs relatives (P = .64–.99). Outcomes from manual tracing and FreeSurfer showed direct, moderate to strong, correlations (r = .51–.73, P schizoaffective disorder, but not for psychotic bipolar I disorder, and may reflect a cumulative effect of divergent primary disease processes and/or lifetime medication use. Manual tracing and semiautomated parcellation regional volumetric approaches may provide useful outcomes for defining measurable biomarkers underlying severe mental illness. PMID:24557771

  14. Cavernous angioma associated with ipsilateral hippocampal sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okujava, M.; Ebner, A.; Schmitt, J.; Woermann, F.G.

    2002-01-01

    We report two cases with extratemporal cavernous angioma (CA) and coexisting ipsilateral hippocampal sclerosis. Classically dual pathology is defined as the association of hippocampal sclerosis with an extrahippocampal lesion. Subtle changes in hippocampus might be overlooked in the presence of an unequivocal extrahippocampal abnormality. Seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery in cases with dual pathology is less favourable if only one of the lesions is removed. Dual pathology must always be considered in diagnostic imaging of patients with intractable epilepsy and CA. (orig.)

  15. Cavernous angioma associated with ipsilateral hippocampal sclerosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okujava, M [Institute of Radiology and Interventional Diagnostics, Tbilisi (Georgia); Ebner, A; Schmitt, J; Woermann, F G [Bethel Epilepsy Centre, Mara Hospital, Bielefeld (Germany)

    2002-07-01

    We report two cases with extratemporal cavernous angioma (CA) and coexisting ipsilateral hippocampal sclerosis. Classically dual pathology is defined as the association of hippocampal sclerosis with an extrahippocampal lesion. Subtle changes in hippocampus might be overlooked in the presence of an unequivocal extrahippocampal abnormality. Seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery in cases with dual pathology is less favourable if only one of the lesions is removed. Dual pathology must always be considered in diagnostic imaging of patients with intractable epilepsy and CA. (orig.)

  16. Studies on hippocampal sclerosis by 1H MRS and MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Jing; Du Xiangke; Luan Guoming; Wang Dehang

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To determine the relative utility of 1 H MRS and MRI for pre-surgical diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis by the study on metabolic abnormalities and anatomical alterations in the brain of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: 1 H MRS and MRI were performed on 8 patients with pathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis and 8 healthy volunteers on 2.0 T 1 H MRS/MRI system. The values of NAA, Cr and Cho were calculated by integration of their peaks and the ratios of NAA/Cr, NAA/(Cr + Cho), and Cho/Cr were measured. The volumes of both hippocampal formations in every case were observed and the differences of hippocampal formation (DHF) were analyzed. Results: The ratios of NAA/Cr, NAA/(Cr + Cho), and Cho/Cr in ipsilateral side were 0.55, 1.77 and 1.38, and in control subjects were 0.77, 1.38 and 1.06 separately. The ratios of NAA/Cr and NAA/(Cr + Cho) were decreased on ipsilateral side (t = 2.15, 4.83 separately, P 1 H MRS and MRI, seven of eight cases could be lateralized. Conclusion: 1 H MRS is sensitive to the diagnosis of neuron abnormality and coincident well with the pathological results 1 H MRS and MRI correctly lateralize most patients with hippocampal sclerosis and complement each other in final lateralization. The combination of 1 H MRS and MRI can provide useful information for pre-surgical diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis

  17. Morphological variations of hippocampal formation in epilepsy: image, clinical and electrophysiological data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamad, Ana Paula Andrade; Carrete, Henrique; Bianchin, Marino Muxfeldt; Ferrari-Marinho, Taissa; Lin, Katia; Yacubian, Elza Márcia Targas; Vilanova, Luiz Celso Pereira; Garzon, Eliana; Caboclo, Luís Otávio; Sakamoto, Américo Ceiki

    2013-01-01

    Morphological variations of hippocampal formation (MVHF) are observed in patients with epilepsy but also in asymptomatic individuals. The precise role of these findings in epilepsy is not yet fully understood. This study analyzes the hippocampal formation (HF) morphology of asymptomatic individuals (n = 30) and of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy associated with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) (n = 68), patients with malformations of cortical development (MCD) (n = 34), or patients with pure morphological variations of hippocampal formation (pure MVHF) (n = 12). Main clinical and electrophysiological data of patients with MVHF were also analyzed. Morphological variations of hippocampal formation are more frequently observed in patients with MCD than in patients with MTLE-HS or in asymptomatic individuals. Patients with pure morphological variations of hippocampal formation showed higher incidence of extratemporal seizure onset. Refractoriness seems to be more associated with other abnormalities, like HS or MCD, than with the HF variation itself. Thus, although morphological HF abnormalities might play a role in epileptogenicity, they seem to contribute less to refractoriness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Hippocampal functional connectivity and episodic memory in early childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riggins, Tracy; Geng, Fengji; Blankenship, Sarah L; Redcay, Elizabeth

    2016-06-01

    Episodic memory relies on a distributed network of brain regions, with the hippocampus playing a critical and irreplaceable role. Few studies have examined how changes in this network contribute to episodic memory development early in life. The present addressed this gap by examining relations between hippocampal functional connectivity and episodic memory in 4- and 6-year-old children (n=40). Results revealed similar hippocampal functional connectivity between age groups, which included lateral temporal regions, precuneus, and multiple parietal and prefrontal regions, and functional specialization along the longitudinal axis. Despite these similarities, developmental differences were also observed. Specifically, 3 (of 4) regions within the hippocampal memory network were positively associated with episodic memory in 6-year-old children, but negatively associated with episodic memory in 4-year-old children. In contrast, all 3 regions outside the hippocampal memory network were negatively associated with episodic memory in older children, but positively associated with episodic memory in younger children. These interactions are interpreted within an interactive specialization framework and suggest the hippocampus becomes functionally integrated with cortical regions that are part of the hippocampal memory network in adults and functionally segregated from regions unrelated to memory in adults, both of which are associated with age-related improvements in episodic memory ability. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  19. Taurine increases hippocampal neurogenesis in aging mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elias Gebara

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Aging is associated with increased inflammation and reduced hippocampal neurogenesis, which may in turn contribute to cognitive impairment. Taurine is a free amino acid found in numerous diets, with anti-inflammatory properties. Although abundant in the young brain, the decrease in taurine concentration with age may underlie reduced neurogenesis. Here, we assessed the effect of taurine on hippocampal neurogenesis in middle-aged mice. We found that taurine increased cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus through the activation of quiescent stem cells, resulting in increased number of stem cells and intermediate neural progenitors. Taurine had a direct effect on stem/progenitor cells proliferation, as observed in vitro, and also reduced activated microglia. Furthermore, taurine increased the survival of newborn neurons, resulting in a net increase in adult neurogenesis. Together, these results show that taurine increases several steps of adult neurogenesis and support a beneficial role of taurine on hippocampal neurogenesis in the context of brain aging.

  20. Active sulforhodamine 101 uptake into hippocampal astrocytes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Schnell

    Full Text Available Sulforhodamine 101 (SR101 is widely used as a marker of astrocytes. In this study we investigated labeling of astrocytes by SR101 in acute slices from the ventrolateral medulla and the hippocampus of transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of the astrocyte-specific human GFAP promoter. While SR101 efficiently and specifically labeled EGFP-expressing astrocytes in hippocampus, we found that the same staining procedure failed to label astrocytes efficiently in the ventrolateral medulla. Although carbenoxolone is able to decrease the SR101-labeling of astrocytes in the hippocampus, it is unlikely that SR101 is taken up via gap-junction hemichannels because mefloquine, a blocker for pannexin and connexin hemichannels, was unable to prevent SR101-labeling of hippocampal astrocytes. However, SR101-labeling of the hippocampal astrocytes was significantly reduced by substrates of organic anion transport polypeptides, including estron-3-sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, suggesting that SR101 is actively transported into hippocampal astrocytes.

  1. Hippocampal Dysfunction Provoked by Mercury Chloride Exposure: Evaluation of Cognitive Impairment, Oxidative Stress, Tissue Injury and Nature of Cell Death

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walessa Alana Bragança Aragão

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mercury (Hg is a highly toxic metal, which can be found in its inorganic form in the environment. This form presents lower liposolubility and lower absorption in the body. In order to elucidate the possible toxicity of inorganic Hg in the hippocampus, we investigated the potential of low doses of mercury chloride (HgCl2 to promote hippocampal dysfunction by employing a chronic exposure model. For this, 56 rats were exposed to HgCl2 (0.375 mg/kg/day via the oral route for 45 days. After the exposure period, the animals were submitted to the cognitive test of fear memory. The hippocampus was collected for the measurement of total Hg levels, analysis of oxidative stress, and evaluation of cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and tissue injury. It was observed that chronic exposure to inorganic Hg promotes an increase in mercury levels in this region and damage to short- and long-term memory. Furthermore, we found that this exposure model provoked oxidative stress, which led to cytotoxicity and cell death by apoptosis, affecting astrocytes and neurons in the hippocampus. Our study demonstrated that inorganic Hg, even with its low liposolubility, is able to produce deleterious effects in the central nervous system, resulting in cognitive impairment and hippocampal damage when administered for a long time at low doses in rats.

  2. Alexia for Braille following bilateral occipital stroke in an early blind woman.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, R; Keenan, J P; Catala, M; Pascual-Leone, A

    2000-02-07

    Recent functional imaging and neurophysiologic studies indicate that the occipital cortex may play a role in Braille reading in congenitally and early blind subjects. We report on a woman blind from birth who sustained bilateral occipital damage following an ischemic stroke. Prior to the stroke, the patient was a proficient Braille reader. Following the stroke, she was no longer able to read Braille yet her somatosensory perception appeared otherwise to be unchanged. This case supports the emerging evidence for the recruitment of striate and prestriate cortex for Braille reading in early blind subjects.

  3. Distinguishing cognitive state with multifractal complexity of hippocampal interspike interval sequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dustin eFetterhoff

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Fractality, represented as self-similar repeating patterns, is ubiquitous in nature and the brain. Dynamic patterns of hippocampal spike trains are known to exhibit multifractal properties during working memory processing; however, it is unclear whether the multifractal properties inherent to hippocampal spike trains reflect active cognitive processing. To examine this possibility, hippocampal neuronal ensembles were recorded from rats before, during and after a spatial working memory task following administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, a memory-impairing component of cannabis. Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis was performed on hippocampal interspike interval sequences to determine characteristics of monofractal long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs, quantified by the Hurst exponent, and the degree/magnitude of multifractal complexity, quantified by the width of the singularity spectrum. Our results demonstrate that multifractal firing patterns of hippocampal spike trains are a marker of functional memory processing, as they are more complex during the working memory task and significantly reduced following administration of memory impairing THC doses. Conversely, LRTCs are largest during resting state recordings, therefore reflecting different information compared to multifractality. In order to deepen conceptual understanding of multifractal complexity and LRTCs, these measures were compared to classical methods using hippocampal frequency content and firing variability measures. These results showed that LRTCs, multifractality, and theta rhythm represent independent processes, while delta rhythm correlated with multifractality. Taken together, these results provide a novel perspective on memory function by demonstrating that the multifractal nature of spike trains reflects hippocampal microcircuit activity that can be used to detect and quantify cognitive, physiological and pathological states.

  4. BDNF val(66)met affects hippocampal volume and emotion-related hippocampal memory activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Molendijk, M. L.; van Tol, M-J; Penninx, B. W. J. H.; van der Wee, N. J. A.; Aleman, A.; Veltman, D. J.; Spinhoven, P.; Elzinga, B. M.

    2012-01-01

    The val(66)met polymorphism on the BDNF gene has been reported to explain individual differences in hippocampal volume and memory-related activity. These findings, however, have not been replicated consistently and no studies to date controlled for the potentially confounding impact of early life

  5. Does white matter structure or hippocampal volume mediate associations between cortisol and cognitive ageing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, Simon R.; MacPherson, Sarah E.; Ferguson, Karen J.; Royle, Natalie A.; Maniega, Susana Muñoz; Hernández, Maria del C. Valdés; Bastin, Mark E.; MacLullich, Alasdair M.J.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.; Deary, Ian J.

    2015-01-01

    Elevated glucocorticoid (GC) levels putatively damage specific brain regions, which in turn may accelerate cognitive ageing. However, many studies are cross-sectional or have relatively short follow-up periods, making it difficult to relate GCs directly to changes in cognitive ability with increasing age. Moreover, studies combining endocrine, MRI and cognitive variables are scarce, measurement methods vary considerably, and formal tests of the underlying causal hypothesis (cortisol → brain → cognition) are absent. In this study, 90 men, aged 73 years, provided measures of fluid intelligence, processing speed and memory, diurnal and reactive salivary cortisol and two measures of white matter (WM) structure (WM hyperintensity volume from structural MRI and mean diffusivity averaged across 12 major tracts from diffusion tensor MRI), hippocampal volume, and also cognitive ability at age 11. We tested whether negative relationships between cognitive ageing differences (over more than 60 years) and salivary cortisol were significantly mediated by WM and hippocampal volume. Significant associations between reactive cortisol at 73 and cognitive ageing differences between 11 and 73 (r = −.28 to −.36, p cognition associations (cognitive ageing differences from childhood to the early 70s, partly via brain WM structure. PMID:26298692

  6. Progressive Decline in Hippocampal CA1 Volume in Individuals at Ultra-High-Risk for Psychosis Who Do Not Remit: Findings from the Longitudinal Youth at Risk Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, New Fei; Holt, Daphne J; Cheung, Mike; Iglesias, Juan Eugenio; Goh, Alex; Wang, Mingyuan; Lim, Joseph Kw; de Souza, Joshua; Poh, Joann S; See, Yuen Mei; Adcock, Alison R; Wood, Stephen J; Chee, Michael Wl; Lee, Jimmy; Zhou, Juan

    2017-05-01

    Most individuals identified as ultra-high-risk (UHR) for psychosis do not develop frank psychosis. They continue to exhibit subthreshold symptoms, or go on to fully remit. Prior work has shown that the volume of CA1, a subfield of the hippocampus, is selectively reduced in the early stages of schizophrenia. Here we aimed to determine whether patterns of volume change of CA1 are different in UHR individuals who do or do not achieve symptomatic remission. Structural MRI scans were acquired at baseline and at 1-2 follow-up time points (at 12-month intervals) from 147 UHR and healthy control subjects. An automated method (based on an ex vivo atlas of ultra-high-resolution hippocampal tissue) was used to delineate the hippocampal subfields. Over time, a greater decline in bilateral CA1 subfield volumes was found in the subgroup of UHR subjects whose subthreshold symptoms persisted (n=40) and also those who developed clinical psychosis (n=12), compared with UHR subjects who remitted (n=41) and healthy controls (n=54). No baseline differences in volumes of the overall hippocampus or its subfields were found among the groups. Moreover, the rate of volume decline of CA1, but not of other hippocampal subfields, in the non-remitters was associated with increasing symptom severity over time. Thus, these findings indicate that there is deterioration of CA1 volume in persistently symptomatic UHR individuals in proportion to symptomatic progression.

  7. Hippocampal-prefrontal engagement and dynamic causal interactions in the maturation of children's fact retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Soohyun; Metcalfe, Arron W S; Young, Christina B; Ryali, Srikanth; Geary, David C; Menon, Vinod

    2012-09-01

    Children's gains in problem-solving skills during the elementary school years are characterized by shifts in the mix of problem-solving approaches, with inefficient procedural strategies being gradually replaced with direct retrieval of domain-relevant facts. We used a well-established procedure for strategy assessment during arithmetic problem solving to investigate the neural basis of this critical transition. We indexed behavioral strategy use by focusing on the retrieval frequency and examined changes in brain activity and connectivity associated with retrieval fluency during arithmetic problem solving in second- and third-grade (7- to 9-year-old) children. Children with higher retrieval fluency showed elevated signal in the right hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), lingual gyrus (LG), fusiform gyrus (FG), left ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC), bilateral dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), and posterior angular gyrus. Critically, these effects were not confounded by individual differences in problem-solving speed or accuracy. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed significant effective connectivity of the right hippocampus with bilateral VLPFC and DLPFC during arithmetic problem solving. Dynamic causal modeling analysis revealed strong bidirectional interactions between the hippocampus and the left VLPFC and DLPFC. Furthermore, causal influences from the left VLPFC to the hippocampus served as the main top-down component, whereas causal influences from the hippocampus to the left DLPFC served as the main bottom-up component of this retrieval network. Our study highlights the contribution of hippocampal-prefrontal circuits to the early development of retrieval fluency in arithmetic problem solving and provides a novel framework for studying dynamic developmental processes that accompany children's development of problem-solving skills.

  8. CNS bioavailability and radiation protection of normal hippocampal neurogenesis by a lipophilic Mn porphyrin-based superoxide dismutase mimic, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Leu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Although radiation therapy can be effective against cancer, potential damage to normal tissues limits the amount that can be safely administered. In central nervous system (CNS, radiation damage to normal tissues is presented, in part, as suppressed hippocampal neurogenesis and impaired cognitive functions. Mn porphyrin (MnP-based redox active drugs have demonstrated differential effects on cancer and normal tissues in experimental animals that lead to protection of normal tissues and radio- and chemo-sensitization of cancers. To test the efficacy of MnPs in CNS radioprotection, we first examined the tissue levels of three different MnPs – MnTE-2-PyP5+(MnE, MnTnHex-2-PyP5+(MnHex, and MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+(MnBuOE. Nanomolar concentrations of MnHex and MnBuOE were detected in various brain regions after daily subcutaneous administration, and MnBuOE was well tolerated at a daily dose of 3 mg/kg. Administration of MnBuOE for one week before cranial irradiation and continued for one week afterwards supported production and long-term survival of newborn neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. MnP-driven S-glutathionylation in cortex and hippocampus showed differential responses to MnP administration and radiation in these two brain regions. A better understanding of how preserved hippocampal neurogenesis correlates with cognitive functions following cranial irradiation will be helpful in designing better MnP-based radioprotection strategies. Keywords: Mn porphyrin, Bioavailability, BMX-001, Hippocampus, Neurogenesis, Radioprotection

  9. Role of adult neurogenesis in hippocampal-cortical memory consolidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Acquired memory is initially dependent on the hippocampus (HPC) for permanent memory formation. This hippocampal dependency of memory recall progressively decays with time, a process that is associated with a gradual increase in dependency upon cortical structures. This process is commonly referred to as systems consolidation theory. In this paper, we first review how memory becomes hippocampal dependent to cortical dependent with an emphasis on the interactions that occur between the HPC and cortex during systems consolidation. We also review the mechanisms underlying the gradual decay of HPC dependency during systems consolidation from the perspective of memory erasures by adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Finally, we discuss the relationship between systems consolidation and memory precision. PMID:24552281

  10. Bilateral tension pneumothorax related to acupuncture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagami, Rumi; Moriya, Takashi; Kinoshita, Kosaku; Tanjoh, Katsuhisa

    2013-06-01

    We report on a patient with a rare case of bilateral tension pneumothorax that occurred after acupuncture. A 69-year-old large-bodied man, who otherwise had no risk factors for spontaneous pneumothorax, presented with chest pressure, cold sweats and shortness of breath. Immediately after bilateral pneumothorax had been identified on a chest radiograph in the emergency room, his blood pressure and percutaneous oxygen saturation suddenly decreased to 78 mm Hg and 86%, respectively. We confirmed deterioration in his cardiopulmonary status and diagnosed bilateral tension pneumothorax. We punctured his chest bilaterally and inserted chest tubes for drainage. His vital signs promptly recovered. After the bilateral puncture and drainage, we learnt that he had been treated with acupuncture on his upper back. We finally diagnosed a bilateral tension pneumothorax based on the symptoms that appeared 8 h after the acupuncture. Because the patient had no risk factors for spontaneous pneumothorax, no alternative diagnosis was proposed. We recommend that patients receiving acupuncture around the chest wall must be adequately informed of the possibility of complications and expected symptoms, as a definitive diagnosis can be difficult without complete information.

  11. Hippocampal sleep features: relations to human memory function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michele eFerrara

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The recent spread of intracranial EEG recordings techniques for presurgical evaluation of drug-resistant epileptic patients is providing new information on the activity of different brain structures during both wakefulness and sleep. The interest has been mainly focused on the medial temporal lobe, and in particular the hippocampal formation, whose peculiar local sleep features have been recently described, providing support to the idea that sleep is not a spatially global phenomenon. The study of the hippocampal sleep electrophysiology is particularly interesting because of its central role in the declarative memory formation. Recent data indicate that sleep contributes to memory formation. Therefore, it is relevant to understand whether specific pattern of activity taking place during sleep are related to memory consolidation processes. Fascinating similarities between different states of consciousness (wakefulness, REM sleep, NREM sleep in some electrophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive processes have been reported. For instance, large-scale synchrony in gamma activity is important for waking memory and perception processes, and its changes during sleep may be the neurophysiological substrate of sleep-related deficits of declarative memory. Hippocampal activity seems to specifically support memory consolidation during sleep, through specific coordinated neurophysiological events (slow waves, spindles, ripples that would facilitate the integration of new information into the pre-existing cortical networks. A few studies indeed provided direct evidence that rhinal ripples as well as slow hippocampal oscillations are correlated with memory consolidation in humans. More detailed electrophysiological investigations assessing the specific relations between different types of memory consolidation and hippocampal EEG features are in order. These studies will add an important piece of knowledge to the elucidation of the ultimate sleep

  12. Hippocampal Sleep Features: Relations to Human Memory Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrara, Michele; Moroni, Fabio; De Gennaro, Luigi; Nobili, Lino

    2012-01-01

    The recent spread of intracranial electroencephalographic (EEG) recording techniques for presurgical evaluation of drug-resistant epileptic patients is providing new information on the activity of different brain structures during both wakefulness and sleep. The interest has been mainly focused on the medial temporal lobe, and in particular the hippocampal formation, whose peculiar local sleep features have been recently described, providing support to the idea that sleep is not a spatially global phenomenon. The study of the hippocampal sleep electrophysiology is particularly interesting because of its central role in the declarative memory formation. Recent data indicate that sleep contributes to memory formation. Therefore, it is relevant to understand whether specific patterns of activity taking place during sleep are related to memory consolidation processes. Fascinating similarities between different states of consciousness (wakefulness, REM sleep, non-REM sleep) in some electrophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive processes have been reported. For instance, large-scale synchrony in gamma activity is important for waking memory and perception processes, and its changes during sleep may be the neurophysiological substrate of sleep-related deficits of declarative memory. Hippocampal activity seems to specifically support memory consolidation during sleep, through specific coordinated neurophysiological events (slow waves, spindles, ripples) that would facilitate the integration of new information into the pre-existing cortical networks. A few studies indeed provided direct evidence that rhinal ripples as well as slow hippocampal oscillations are correlated with memory consolidation in humans. More detailed electrophysiological investigations assessing the specific relations between different types of memory consolidation and hippocampal EEG features are in order. These studies will add an important piece of knowledge to the elucidation of the ultimate

  13. Bilateral, independent juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mørkenborg, M-L; Frendø, M; Stavngaard, T; Von Buchwald, C

    2015-10-01

    Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a benign, vascular tumour that primarily occurs in adolescent males. Despite its benign nature, aggressive growth patterns can cause potential life-threatening complications. Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is normally unilateral, originating from the sphenopalatine artery, but bilateral symptoms can occur if a large tumour extends to the contralateral side of the nasopharynx. This paper presents the first reported case of true bilateral extensive juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma involving clinically challenging pre-surgical planning and surgical strategy. A 21-year-old male presented with increasing bilateral nasal obstruction and discharge. Examination revealed tumours bilaterally and imaging demonstrated non-contiguous tumours. Pre-operative angiography showed strictly ipsilateral vascular supplies requiring bilateral embolisation. Radical removal performed as one-step, computer-assisted functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed. The follow-up period was uncomplicated. This case illustrates the importance of suspecting bilateral juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in patients presenting with bilateral symptoms. Our management, including successful pre-operative planning, enabled one-step total removal of both tumours and rapid patient recovery.

  14. Bilateral internal laryngoceles mimicking asthma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elif A Aksoy

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Laryngocele is an air-filled, abnormal dilation of the laryngeal saccule that extends upward within the false vocal fold, in communication with the laryngeal lumen. A case of 43-year-old male with bilateral internal laryngoceles, who has been treated as asthma for 4 years, is presented. The patient had dyspnea, cough, and excessive phlegm for a month and a late onset stridor. Flexible nasopharyngolaryngoscopy showed bilateral cystic enlargements of the false vocal folds and true vocal folds could not be visualized. Laryngeal CT without contrast enhancement showed bilateral internal laryngoceles. Submucosal total excision of bilateral cystic masses including parts of false vocal folds was performed. The symptoms resolved immediately after surgery. Although the incidence of internal laryngocele is rare, it should be remembered in the differential diagnosis of upper airway problems and diagnostic flexible nasopharnygolaryngoscopy is routinely indicated for airway evaluation in at-risk patients.

  15. Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Polygenic Risk Profile Score Predicts Hippocampal Function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Ena; Chen, Qiang; Goldman, Aaron L; Tan, Hao Yang; Healy, Kaitlin; Zoltick, Brad; Das, Saumitra; Kolachana, Bhaskar; Callicott, Joseph H; Dickinson, Dwight; Berman, Karen F; Weinberger, Daniel R; Mattay, Venkata S

    2017-11-01

    We explored the cumulative effect of several late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) risk loci using a polygenic risk profile score (RPS) approach on measures of hippocampal function, cognition, and brain morphometry. In a sample of 231 healthy control subjects (19-55 years of age), we used an RPS to study the effect of several LOAD risk loci reported in a recent meta-analysis on hippocampal function (determined by its engagement with blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging during episodic memory) and several cognitive metrics. We also studied effects on brain morphometry in an overlapping sample of 280 subjects. There was almost no significant association of LOAD-RPS with cognitive or morphometric measures. However, there was a significant negative relationship between LOAD-RPS and hippocampal function (familywise error [small volume correction-hippocampal region of interest] p risk score based on APOE haplotype, and for a combined LOAD-RPS + APOE haplotype risk profile score (p risk genes on hippocampal function even in healthy volunteers. The effect of LOAD-RPS on hippocampal function in the relative absence of any effect on cognitive and morphometric measures is consistent with the reported temporal characteristics of LOAD biomarkers with the earlier manifestation of synaptic dysfunction before morphometric and cognitive changes. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

  16. Memory reconsolidation mediates the updating of hippocampal memory content

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    Jonathan L C Lee

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The retrieval or reactivation of a memory places it into a labile state, requiring a process of reconsolidation to restabilize it. This retrieval-induced plasticity is a potential mechanism for the modification of the existing memory. Following previous data supportive of a functional role for memory reconsolidation in the modification of memory strength, here I show that hippocampal memory reconsolidation also supports the updating of contextual memory content. Using a procedure that separates the learning of pure context from footshock-motivated contextual fear learning, I demonstrate doubly dissociable hippocampal mechanisms of initial context learning and subsequent updating of the neutral contextual representation to incorporate the footshock. Contextual memory consolidation was dependent upon BDNF expression in the dorsal hippocampus, whereas the footshock modification of the contextual representation required the expression of Zif268. These mechanisms match those previously shown to be selectively involved in hippocampal memory consolidation and reconsolidation, respectively. Moreover, memory reactivation is a necessary step in modifying memory content, as inhibition of hippocampal synaptic protein degradation also prevented the footshock-mediated memory modification. Finally, dorsal hippocampal knockdown of Zif268 impaired the reconsolidation of the pure contextual memory only under conditions of weak context memory training, as well as failing to disrupt contextual freezing when a strong contextual fear memory is reactivated by further conditioning. Therefore, an adaptive function of the reactivation and reconsolidation process is to enable the updating of memory content.

  17. Cannabidiol attenuates OGD/R-induced damage by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics and modulating glucose metabolism via pentose-phosphate pathway in hippocampal neurons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shanshan Sun

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Deficient bioenergetics and diminished redox conservation have been implicated in the development of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study, the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD, a nonpsychotropic compound derived from Cannabis sativa with FDA-approved antiepilepsy properties, were studied in vitro using an oxygen–glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R model in a mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line. CBD supplementation during reperfusion rescued OGD/R-induced cell death, attenuated intracellular ROS generation and lipid peroxidation, and simultaneously reversed the abnormal changes in antioxidant biomarkers. Using the Seahorse XFe24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer, we found that CBD significantly improved basal respiration, ATP-linked oxygen consumption rate, and the spare respiratory capacity, and augmented glucose consumption in OGD/R-injured neurons. The activation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the preservation of the NADPH/NADP+ ratio implies that the pentose-phosphate pathway is stimulated by CBD, thus protecting hippocampal neurons from OGD/R injury. This study is the first to document the neuroprotective effects of CBD against OGD/R insult, which depend in part on attenuating oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics, and modulating glucose metabolism via the pentose-phosphate pathway, thus preserving both energy and the redox balance.

  18. Cannabidiol attenuates OGD/R-induced damage by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics and modulating glucose metabolism via pentose-phosphate pathway in hippocampal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shanshan; Hu, Fangyuan; Wu, Jihong; Zhang, Shenghai

    2017-04-01

    Deficient bioenergetics and diminished redox conservation have been implicated in the development of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study, the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychotropic compound derived from Cannabis sativa with FDA-approved antiepilepsy properties, were studied in vitro using an oxygen-glucose-deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) model in a mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line. CBD supplementation during reperfusion rescued OGD/R-induced cell death, attenuated intracellular ROS generation and lipid peroxidation, and simultaneously reversed the abnormal changes in antioxidant biomarkers. Using the Seahorse XF e 24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer, we found that CBD significantly improved basal respiration, ATP-linked oxygen consumption rate, and the spare respiratory capacity, and augmented glucose consumption in OGD/R-injured neurons. The activation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and the preservation of the NADPH/NADP + ratio implies that the pentose-phosphate pathway is stimulated by CBD, thus protecting hippocampal neurons from OGD/R injury. This study is the first to document the neuroprotective effects of CBD against OGD/R insult, which depend in part on attenuating oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics, and modulating glucose metabolism via the pentose-phosphate pathway, thus preserving both energy and the redox balance. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Simultaneous and staged bilateral total hip arthroplasty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindberg-Larsen, Martin; Joergensen, Christoffer Calov; Husted, Henrik

    2013-01-01

    Bilateral total hip arthroplasty (BTHA) and bilateral simultaneous total hip arthroplasty (BSTHA) are done increasingly. Previous studies evaluating outcomes after bilateral procedures have found different results. The aim of this study was to investigate length of hospital stay (LOS), 30 days...

  20. Asymmetry of limbic structure (hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex at PTSD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aida Sarač-Hadžihalilović

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available Defining exact position of weak anatomic function which is find in a base of neurological and psychiatric disorder is just became the subject of intensive research interest. For this purposes it is important to implement structural and functional MRI techniques, also for further lightening and seeing subject of this work, more concretely connected to PTSD. Therefore, exactly MRI gives most sensitive volumetric measuring of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex.The goal of this work was to research asymmetry of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex to the PTSD patients.Results showed that at the axial slice length of hippocampal formation on the left and right side of all patients are significantly asymmetric. At the sagittal slice from the left side of hippocampal formation is in many cases longer than right about 50 %. At the coronal slice, there are no significant differences toward patient proportion according to symm. / asymm. of the hippocampal formation width at the right and left side. Difference in volume average of hippocampal formation between right and left side for axial and coronal slice is not statistically significant, but it is significant for sagittal slice. In about amygdaloidal complex patients with PTSD toward symm. / asymm. Amygdaloidal complex at the right and left side of axial and sagittal slice in all three measurement shows asymmetry, what is especially shown at sagittal slice. Difference in average length of amygdaloidal complex at the right and left side is not statistically significant for no one slice.Therefore, results of a new research that are used MRI, showed smaller hippocampal level at PTSD (researched by Van der Kolka 1996, Pitman 1996, Bremner et al., 1995.. Application of MRI technique in research of asymmetry of hippocampal formation and amygdaloidal complex, which we used in our research, we recommend as a template for future researches in a sense of lightening anatomic function that is

  1. Bilateral spontaneous hemotympanum: Case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Economou Nicolas C

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The most common causes of hemotympanum are therapeutic nasal packing, epistaxis, blood disorders and blunt trauma to the head. Hemotympanum is characterized as idiopathic, when it is detected in the presence of chronic otitis media. A rare case of spontaneous bilateral hemotympanum in a patient treated with anticoagulants is presented herein. Case presentation A 72-year-old male presented with acute deterioration of hearing. In the patient's medical history aortic valve replacement 1 year before presentation was reported. Since then he had been administered regularly coumarinic anticoagulants, with INR levels maintained between 3.4 and 4.0. Otoscopy revealed the presence of bilateral hemotympanum. The audiogram showed symmetrical moderately severe mixed hearing loss bilaterally, with the conductive component predominating. Tympanograms were flat bilaterally with absent acoustic reflexes. A computerized tomography scan showed the presence of fluid in the mastoid and middle ear bilaterally. Treatment was conservative and consisted of a 10-day course of antibiotics, anticongestants and temporary interruption of the anticoagulant therapy. After 3 weeks, normal tympanic membranes were found and hearing had returned to previous levels. Conclusion Anticoagulant intake should be included in the differential diagnosis of hemotympanum, because its detection and appropriate treatment may lead to resolution of the disorder.

  2. Impaired Emotional Declarative Memory Following Unilateral Amygdala Damage

    OpenAIRE

    Adolphs, Ralph; Tranel, Daniel; Denburg, Natalie

    2000-01-01

    Case studies of patients with bilateral amygdala damage and functional imaging studies of normal individuals have demonstrated that the amygdala plays a critical role in encoding emotionally arousing stimuli into long-term declarative memory. However, several issues remain poorly understood: the separate roles of left and right amygdala, the time course over which the amygdala participates in memory consolidation, and the type of knowledge structures it helps consolidate. We investigated thes...

  3. Arteriolosclerosis that affects multiple brain regions is linked to hippocampal sclerosis of ageing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neltner, Janna H; Abner, Erin L; Baker, Steven; Schmitt, Frederick A; Kryscio, Richard J; Jicha, Gregory A; Smith, Charles D; Hammack, Eleanor; Kukull, Walter A; Brenowitz, Willa D; Van Eldik, Linda J; Nelson, Peter T

    2014-01-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis of ageing is a prevalent brain disease that afflicts older persons and has been linked with cerebrovascular pathology. Arteriolosclerosis is a subtype of cerebrovascular pathology characterized by concentrically thickened arterioles. Here we report data from multiple large autopsy series (University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Centre, Nun Study, and National Alzheimer's Coordinating Centre) showing a specific association between hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology and arteriolosclerosis. The present analyses incorporate 226 cases of autopsy-proven hippocampal sclerosis of ageing and 1792 controls. Case-control comparisons were performed including digital pathological assessments for detailed analyses of blood vessel morphology. We found no evidence of associations between hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology and lacunar infarcts, large infarcts, Circle of Willis atherosclerosis, or cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Individuals with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology did not show increased rates of clinically documented hypertension, diabetes, or other cardiac risk factors. The correlation between arteriolosclerosis and hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology was strong in multiple brain regions outside of the hippocampus. For example, the presence of arteriolosclerosis in the frontal cortex (Brodmann area 9) was strongly associated with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology (P studies to optimize immunostaining methods for small blood vessel visualization, our analyses focused on sections immunostained for smooth muscle actin (a marker of arterioles) and CD34 (an endothelial marker), with separate analyses on grey and white matter. A total of 43 834 smooth muscle actin-positive vascular profiles and 603 798 CD34-positive vascular profiles were evaluated. In frontal cortex of cases with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing, smooth muscle actin-immunoreactive arterioles had thicker walls (P < 0.05), larger perimeters (P < 0

  4. Ablation of NMDA receptors enhances the excitability of hippocampal CA3 neurons.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fumiaki Fukushima

    Full Text Available Synchronized discharges in the hippocampal CA3 recurrent network are supposed to underlie network oscillations, memory formation and seizure generation. In the hippocampal CA3 network, NMDA receptors are abundant at the recurrent synapses but scarce at the mossy fiber synapses. We generated mutant mice in which NMDA receptors were abolished in hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons by postnatal day 14. The histological and cytological organizations of the hippocampal CA3 region were indistinguishable between control and mutant mice. We found that mutant mice lacking NMDA receptors selectively in CA3 pyramidal neurons became more susceptible to kainate-induced seizures. Consistently, mutant mice showed characteristic large EEG spikes associated with multiple unit activities (MUA, suggesting enhanced synchronous firing of CA3 neurons. The electrophysiological balance between fast excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission was comparable between control and mutant pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA3 region, while the NMDA receptor-slow AHP coupling was diminished in the mutant neurons. In the adult brain, inducible ablation of NMDA receptors in the hippocampal CA3 region by the viral expression vector for Cre recombinase also induced similar large EEG spikes. Furthermore, pharmacological blockade of CA3 NMDA receptors enhanced the susceptibility to kainate-induced seizures. These results raise an intriguing possibility that hippocampal CA3 NMDA receptors may suppress the excitability of the recurrent network as a whole in vivo by restricting synchronous firing of CA3 neurons.

  5. Episodic autobiographical memory is associated with variation in the size of hippocampal subregions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palombo, Daniela J; Bacopulos, Agnes; Amaral, Robert S C; Olsen, Rosanna K; Todd, Rebecca M; Anderson, Adam K; Levine, Brian

    2018-02-01

    Striking individual differences exist in the human capacity to recollect past events, yet, little is known about the neural correlates of such individual differences. Studies investigating hippocampal volume in relation to individual differences in laboratory measures of episodic memory in young adults suggest that whole hippocampal volume is unrelated (or even negatively associated) with episodic memory. However, anatomical and functional specialization across hippocampal subregions suggests that individual differences in episodic memory may be linked to particular hippocampal subregions, as opposed to whole hippocampal volume. Given that the DG/CA 2/3 circuitry is thought to be especially critical for supporting episodic memory in humans, we predicted that the volume of this region would be associated with individual variability in episodic memory. This prediction was supported using high-resolution MRI of the hippocampal subfields and measures of real-world (autobiographical) episodic memory. In addition to the association with DG/CA 2/3 , we further observed a relationship between episodic autobiographical memory and subiculum volume, whereas no association was observed with CA 1 or with whole hippocampal volume. These findings provide insight into the possible neural substrates that mediate individual differences in real-world episodic remembering in humans. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Silicosis with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fotedar Sanjay

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Presentation with simultaneous bilateral pneumothorax is uncommon and usually in the context of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.The association of pneumothorax and silicosis is infrequent and most cases are unilateral. Bilateral pneumothorax in silicosis is very rare with just a few reports in medical literature.

  7. Arteriolosclerosis that affects multiple brain regions is linked to hippocampal sclerosis of ageing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neltner, Janna H.; Abner, Erin L.; Baker, Steven; Schmitt, Frederick A.; Kryscio, Richard J.; Jicha, Gregory A.; Smith, Charles D.; Hammack, Eleanor; Kukull, Walter A.; Brenowitz, Willa D.; Van Eldik, Linda J.

    2014-01-01

    Hippocampal sclerosis of ageing is a prevalent brain disease that afflicts older persons and has been linked with cerebrovascular pathology. Arteriolosclerosis is a subtype of cerebrovascular pathology characterized by concentrically thickened arterioles. Here we report data from multiple large autopsy series (University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Centre, Nun Study, and National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centre) showing a specific association between hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology and arteriolosclerosis. The present analyses incorporate 226 cases of autopsy-proven hippocampal sclerosis of ageing and 1792 controls. Case–control comparisons were performed including digital pathological assessments for detailed analyses of blood vessel morphology. We found no evidence of associations between hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology and lacunar infarcts, large infarcts, Circle of Willis atherosclerosis, or cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Individuals with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology did not show increased rates of clinically documented hypertension, diabetes, or other cardiac risk factors. The correlation between arteriolosclerosis and hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology was strong in multiple brain regions outside of the hippocampus. For example, the presence of arteriolosclerosis in the frontal cortex (Brodmann area 9) was strongly associated with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing pathology (P ageing (n = 15) and control (n = 42) cases. Following technical studies to optimize immunostaining methods for small blood vessel visualization, our analyses focused on sections immunostained for smooth muscle actin (a marker of arterioles) and CD34 (an endothelial marker), with separate analyses on grey and white matter. A total of 43 834 smooth muscle actin-positive vascular profiles and 603 798 CD34-positive vascular profiles were evaluated. In frontal cortex of cases with hippocampal sclerosis of ageing, smooth muscle actin

  8. Comparison of the dose-response relationship of radiation-induced apoptosis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and intestinal crypt of adult mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, J. S.; Yang, M.; Kim, J.; Lee, D.; Kim, J. C.; Shin, T.; Kim, S. H.; Moon, C.

    2012-01-01

    The present study compared the dose-response curves for the frequency of apoptosis in mouse hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) and intestinal crypt using whole-body gamma irradiation. The incidence of gamma-ray-induced apoptosis was measured using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end-labelling (TUNEL) method. TUNEL-positive apoptotic nuclei in the DG and intestinal crypt were increased in a dose-dependent pattern (0-2 Gy). The dose-response curves were linear-quadratic, with a significant relationship between the appearance of apoptosis and irradiation dose. The slopes of the dose-response curves in the DG were much steeper (∼5-6-fold) than those in the intestinal crypt within the range of 0-1 Gy exposure. Hippocampal DG might be a more effective and sensitive evaluation structure than the intestinal crypt to estimate the degree of radiation exposure in damaged organs of adult mice exposed to low irradiation dose. copy; The Author 2011. Published by Oxford Univ. Press. All rights reserved. (authors)

  9. Hippocampal subfield volumetry in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Joie, Renaud; Perrotin, Audrey; de La Sayette, Vincent; Egret, Stéphanie; Doeuvre, Loïc; Belliard, Serge; Eustache, Francis; Desgranges, Béatrice; Chételat, Gaël

    2013-01-01

    Hippocampal atrophy is a well-known feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but sensitivity and specificity of hippocampal volumetry are limited. Neuropathological studies have shown that hippocampal subfields are differentially vulnerable to AD; hippocampal subfield volumetry may thus prove to be more accurate than global hippocampal volumetry to detect AD. CA1, subiculum and other subfields were manually delineated from 40 healthy controls, 18 AD, 17 amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and 8 semantic dementia (SD) patients using a previously developed high resolution MRI procedure. Non-parametric group comparisons and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted. Complementary analyses were conducted to evaluate differences of hemispheric asymmetry and anterior-predominance between AD and SD patients and to distinguish aMCI patients with or without β-amyloid deposition as assessed by Florbetapir-TEP. Global hippocampi were atrophied in all three patient groups and volume decreases were maximal in the CA1 subfield (22% loss in aMCI, 27% in both AD and SD; all p volumetry was more accurate than global hippocampal measurement to distinguish patients from controls (areas under the ROC curve = 0.88 and 0.76, respectively; p = 0.05) and preliminary analyses suggest that it was independent from the presence of β-amyloid deposition. In patients with SD, whereas the degree of CA1 and subiculum atrophy was similar to that found in AD patients, hemispheric and anterior-posterior asymmetry were significantly more marked than in AD with greater involvement of the left and anterior hippocampal subfields. The findings suggest that CA1 measurement is more sensitive than global hippocampal volumetry to detect structural changes at the pre-dementia stage, although the predominance of CA1 atrophy does not appear to be specific to AD pathophysiological processes.

  10. Bilateral Keratectasia 34 Years after Corneal Transplant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xavier Valldeperas

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available We report the clinical findings of a patient with severe bilateral keratectasia 34 years after a penetrating keratoplasty (PK in both eyes. An otherwise healthy 67-year-old man complained of deterioration of the eyesight in both eyes over the last 6 months. The patient was diagnosed with bilateral keratoconus at the age of 32 years, and he underwent a bilateral PK. At presentation, visual acuity was 20/200 in the right eye and light perception in the left eye. A Pentacam pachymetric map revealed a central pachymetry of 720 µm in the right eye and of 710 µm in the left eye, as well as an average paracentral pachymetry of 436 and 270 µm in the 9-mm zone in the right and the left eye, respectively. Corneal topography revealed bilateral irregular and asymmetric bowing with generalized steepening and high corneal power. We describe a case of bilateral keratectasia 34 years after PK in a patient who was originally diagnosed with bilateral keratoconus.

  11. A boy with bilateral SUNA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vuković Cvetković, Vlasta; Jensen, Rigmor Højland

    2017-01-01

    secondary causes should be searched for vigorously if there are bilateral symptoms. Despite a number of therapeutic trials, effective management for the majority of SUNA patients is not available at present. Management of SUNA is often difficult. Case We report the case of a young boy with bilateral SUNA...

  12. Bilateral juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: report of a case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Edward C; Chark, Davin W; Bhandarkar, Naveen D

    2014-07-01

    Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is the most common benign neoplasm of the nasopharynx. Almost always unilateral on diagnosis, JNAs are locally invasive and may extend across the midline, giving a false bilateral appearance; as such, true bilateral JNA is exceedingly rare. We present a recent case of true bilateral JNA. Single case report of a patient with bilateral JNA, including clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management. The patient presented with unilateral nasal obstruction and recurrent epistaxis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated bilateral, noncontiguous masses. Angiography revealed independent vascular supplies from each respective side with no bilateral supply noted. The patient underwent preoperative embolization followed by endoscopic surgical removal of the larger mass; no complications were noted. Follow-up at 2 years demonstrated no recurrence or growth. The vast majority of JNAs are unilateral, though invasive growth to the contralateral side may appear "bilateral" in presentation. Proper identification of true bilateral JNA is helpful in guiding management, wherein excision of both tumors may not be necessary. © 2014 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

  13. Hippocampal volumes are important predictors for memory function in elderly women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adolfsdottir Steinunn

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Normal aging involves a decline in cognitive function that has been shown to correlate with volumetric change in the hippocampus, and with genetic variability in the APOE-gene. In the present study we utilize 3D MR imaging, genetic analysis and assessment of verbal memory function to investigate relationships between these factors in a sample of 170 healthy volunteers (age range 46–77 years. Methods Brain morphometric analysis was performed with the automated segmentation work-flow implemented in FreeSurfer. Genetic analysis of the APOE genotype was determined with polymerase chain reaction (PCR on DNA from whole-blood. All individuals were subjected to extensive neuropsychological testing, including the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT. To obtain robust and easily interpretable relationships between explanatory variables and verbal memory function we applied the recent method of conditional inference trees in addition to scatterplot matrices and simple pairwise linear least-squares regression analysis. Results APOE genotype had no significant impact on the CVLT results (scores on long delay free recall, CVLT-LD or the ICV-normalized hippocampal volumes. Hippocampal volumes were found to decrease with age and a right-larger-than-left hippocampal asymmetry was also found. These findings are in accordance with previous studies. CVLT-LD score was shown to correlate with hippocampal volume. Multivariate conditional inference analysis showed that gender and left hippocampal volume largely dominated predictive values for CVLT-LD scores in our sample. Left hippocampal volume dominated predictive values for females but not for males. APOE genotype did not alter the model significantly, and age was only partly influencing the results. Conclusion Gender and left hippocampal volumes are main predictors for verbal memory function in normal aging. APOE genotype did not affect the results in any part of our analysis.

  14. Choline-mediated modulation of hippocampal sharp wave-ripple complexes in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Viktoria; Both, Martin; Draguhn, Andreas; Egorov, Alexei V

    2014-06-01

    The cholinergic system is critically involved in the modulation of cognitive functions, including learning and memory. Acetylcholine acts through muscarinic (mAChRs) and nicotinic receptors (nAChRs), which are both abundantly expressed in the hippocampus. Previous evidence indicates that choline, the precursor and degradation product of Acetylcholine, can itself activate nAChRs and thereby affects intrinsic and synaptic neuronal functions. Here, we asked whether the cellular actions of choline directly affect hippocampal network activity. Using mouse hippocampal slices we found that choline efficiently suppresses spontaneously occurring sharp wave-ripple complexes (SPW-R) and can induce gamma oscillations. In addition, choline reduces synaptic transmission between hippocampal subfields CA3 and CA1. Surprisingly, these effects are mediated by activation of both mAChRs and α7-containing nAChRs. Most nicotinic effects became only apparent after local, fast application of choline, indicating rapid desensitization kinetics of nAChRs. Effects were still present following block of choline uptake and are, therefore, likely because of direct actions of choline at the respective receptors. Together, choline turns out to be a potent regulator of patterned network activity within the hippocampus. These actions may be of importance for understanding state transitions in normal and pathologically altered neuronal networks. In this study we asked whether choline, the precursor and degradation product of acetylcholine, directly affects hippocampal network activity. Using mouse hippocampal slices we found that choline efficiently suppresses spontaneously occurring sharp wave-ripple complexes (SPW-R). In addition, choline reduces synaptic transmission between hippocampal subfields. These effects are mediated by direct activation of muscarinic as well as nicotinic cholinergic pathways. Together, choline turns out to be a potent regulator of patterned activity within hippocampal

  15. Hippocampal EEG and behaviour in dog. I. Hippocampal EEG correlates of gross motor behaviour

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnolds, D.E.A.T.; Lopes da Silva, F.H.; Aitink, J.W.; Kamp, A.

    It was shown that rewarding spectral shifts (i.e. increase in amplitude or peak frequency of the hippocampal EEG) causes a solitary dog to show increased motor behaviour. Rewarded spectral shifts concurred with a variety of behavioural transitions. It was found that statistically significant

  16. Aerobic exercise increases hippocampal volume and improves memory in multiple sclerosis: preliminary findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leavitt, V M; Cirnigliaro, C; Cohen, A; Farag, A; Brooks, M; Wecht, J M; Wylie, G R; Chiaravalloti, N D; DeLuca, J; Sumowski, J F

    2014-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis leads to prominent hippocampal atrophy, which is linked to memory deficits. Indeed, 50% of multiple sclerosis patients suffer memory impairment, with negative consequences for quality of life. There are currently no effective memory treatments for multiple sclerosis either pharmacological or behavioral. Aerobic exercise improves memory and promotes hippocampal neurogenesis in nonhuman animals. Here, we investigate the benefits of aerobic exercise in memory-impaired multiple sclerosis patients. Pilot data were collected from two ambulatory, memory-impaired multiple sclerosis participants randomized to non-aerobic (stretching) and aerobic (stationary cycling) conditions. The following baseline/follow-up measurements were taken: high-resolution MRI (neuroanatomical volumes), fMRI (functional connectivity), and memory assessment. Intervention was 30-minute sessions 3 times per week for 3 months. Aerobic exercise resulted in 16.5% increase in hippocampal volume and 53.7% increase in memory, as well as increased hippocampal resting-state functional connectivity. Improvements were specific, with no comparable changes in overall cerebral gray matter (+2.4%), non-hippocampal deep gray matter structures (thalamus, caudate: -4.0%), or in non-memory cognitive functioning (executive functions, processing speed, working memory: changes ranged from -11% to +4%). Non-aerobic exercise resulted in relatively no change in hippocampal volume (2.8%) or memory (0.0%), and no changes in hippocampal functional connectivity. This is the first evidence for aerobic exercise to increase hippocampal volume and connectivity and improve memory in multiple sclerosis. Aerobic exercise represents a cost-effective, widely available, natural, and self-administered treatment with no adverse side effects that may be the first effective memory treatment for multiple sclerosis patients.

  17. Quinacrine pretreatment reduces microwave-induced neuronal damage by stabilizing the cell membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xue-feng; Wu, Yan; Qu, Wen-rui; Fan, Ming; Zhao, Yong-qi

    2018-01-01

    Quinacrine, widely used to treat parasitic diseases, binds to cell membranes. We previously found that quinacrine pretreatment reduced microwave radiation damage in rat hippocampal neurons, but the molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Considering the thermal effects of microwave radiation and the protective effects of quinacrine on heat damage in cells, we hypothesized that quinacrine would prevent microwave radiation damage to cells in a mechanism associated with cell membrane stability. To test this, we used retinoic acid to induce PC12 cells to differentiate into neuron-like cells. We then pretreated the neurons with quinacrine (20 and 40 mM) and irradiated them with 50 mW/cm2 microwaves for 3 or 6 hours. Flow cytometry, atomic force microscopy and western blot assays revealed that irradiated cells pretreated with quinacrine showed markedly less apoptosis, necrosis, and membrane damage, and greater expression of heat shock protein 70, than cells exposed to microwave irradiation alone. These results suggest that quinacrine stabilizes the neuronal membrane structure by upregulating the expression of heat shock protein 70, thus reducing neuronal injury caused by microwave radiation. PMID:29623929

  18. Emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between regional gray matter volume in the bilateral temporal pole and critical thinking disposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Xiaonan; Yuan, Shuge; Yang, Wenjing; Chen, Qunlin; Wei, Dongtao; Hou, Yuling; Zhang, Lijie; Qiu, Jiang; Yang, Dong

    2018-04-01

    Critical thinking enables people to form sound beliefs and provides a basis for emotional life. Research has indicated that individuals with better critical thinking disposition can better recognize and regulate their emotions, though the neuroanatomical mechanisms involved in this process remain to be elucidated. Further, the influence of emotional intelligence on the relationship between brain structure and critical thinking disposition has not been examined. The present study utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate the neural structures underlying critical thinking disposition in a large sample of college students (N = 296). Regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the bilateral temporal pole, which reflects an individual's ability to process social and emotional information, was negatively correlated with critical thinking disposition. In addition, rGMV in bilateral para hippocampal regions -regions involved in contextual association/emotional regulation-exhibited negative correlation with critical thinking disposition. Further analysis revealed that emotional intelligence moderated the relationship between rGMV of the temporal pole and critical thinking disposition. Specifically, critical thinking disposition was associated with decreased GMV of the temporal pole for individuals who have relatively higher emotional intelligence rather than lower emotional intelligence. The results of the present study indicate that people who have higher emotional intelligence exhibit more effective and automatic processing of emotional information and tend to be strong critical thinkers.

  19. Associations between hippocampal morphometry and neuropathologic markers of Alzheimer's disease using 7 T MRI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna E. Blanken

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hippocampal atrophy, amyloid plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles are established pathologic markers of Alzheimer's disease. We analyzed the temporal lobes of 9 Alzheimer's dementia (AD and 7 cognitively normal (NC subjects. Brains were scanned post-mortem at 7 Tesla. We extracted hippocampal volumes and radial distances using automated segmentation techniques. Hippocampal slices were stained for amyloid beta (Aβ, tau, and cresyl violet to evaluate neuronal counts. The hippocampal subfields, CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4, and subiculum were manually traced so that the neuronal counts, Aβ, and tau burden could be obtained for each region. We used linear regression to detect associations between hippocampal atrophy in 3D, clinical diagnosis and total as well as subfield pathology burden measures. As expected, we found significant correlations between hippocampal radial distance and mean neuronal count, as well as diagnosis. There were subfield specific associations between hippocampal radial distance and tau in CA2, and cresyl violet neuronal counts in CA1 and subiculum. These results provide further validation for the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Center Harmonized Hippocampal Segmentation Protocol (HarP.

  20. SU-E-T-198: Hippocampal-Sparing Radiotherapy (HSRT) for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) Using Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dunlop, A; Welsh, L; Nutting, C; Harrington, K; Bhide, S; Newbold, K

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: There is increasing evidence that decline in cognitive function following brain radiotherapy (RT) is related to the radiation dose delivered to the hippocampi. In this work we evaluate the feasibility of using IMRT to generate HSRT plans in HNC. Methods: A planning study was undertaken for ten representative patients with HNC previously treated with radical (chemo)-RT using standard IMRT techniques. The hippocampi were delineated according to the RTOG hippocampal contouring atlas, on a T1w- MRI scan that was registered with the RT planning CT. LINAC-based, clinically acceptable, HSRT plans were generated and assessed using the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system. Results: Using a VMAT technique, a reduction in hippocampal dose was achievable in six cases. For these cases, the EQD2-D40% of the bilateral hippocampi was significantly reduced by HSRT (p = 0.006) from a median of 18.8Gy (range 14.4–34.6) to 6.5 Gy (4.2–9.5) for the delivered and HSRT plans respectively. Plans were also generated using a fixed-field IMRT technique with non-coplanar beams that were designed to avoid the bilateral hippocampi, resulting in a median EQD2-D40% of 11.2Gy (8.0–14.5). Both HSRT techniques also resulted in lower doses to the whole brain, brain stem, and cerebellum. The HSRT plans resulted in higher doses to some regions of non-contoured normaltissue, but the magnitude of these dose differences is unlikely to be of clinical significance in terms of acute and late toxicity. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that it is possible, in many cases, to adapt treatment plans for HNC to significantly reduce dose to the hippocampi. This reduction in dose would be predicted to Resultin a significant reduction in the probability of subsequent decline in cognitive function following RT. Our results point towards the need for the collection of prospective data on cognitive outcomes for the HNC patient population treated with radical (chemo)-RT.

  1. SU-E-T-198: Hippocampal-Sparing Radiotherapy (HSRT) for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) Using Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunlop, A; Welsh, L; Nutting, C; Harrington, K; Bhide, S; Newbold, K

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: There is increasing evidence that decline in cognitive function following brain radiotherapy (RT) is related to the radiation dose delivered to the hippocampi. In this work we evaluate the feasibility of using IMRT to generate HSRT plans in HNC. Methods: A planning study was undertaken for ten representative patients with HNC previously treated with radical (chemo)-RT using standard IMRT techniques. The hippocampi were delineated according to the RTOG hippocampal contouring atlas, on a T1w- MRI scan that was registered with the RT planning CT. LINAC-based, clinically acceptable, HSRT plans were generated and assessed using the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system. Results: Using a VMAT technique, a reduction in hippocampal dose was achievable in six cases. For these cases, the EQD2-D40% of the bilateral hippocampi was significantly reduced by HSRT (p = 0.006) from a median of 18.8Gy (range 14.4–34.6) to 6.5 Gy (4.2–9.5) for the delivered and HSRT plans respectively. Plans were also generated using a fixed-field IMRT technique with non-coplanar beams that were designed to avoid the bilateral hippocampi, resulting in a median EQD2-D40% of 11.2Gy (8.0–14.5). Both HSRT techniques also resulted in lower doses to the whole brain, brain stem, and cerebellum. The HSRT plans resulted in higher doses to some regions of non-contoured normaltissue, but the magnitude of these dose differences is unlikely to be of clinical significance in terms of acute and late toxicity. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that it is possible, in many cases, to adapt treatment plans for HNC to significantly reduce dose to the hippocampi. This reduction in dose would be predicted to Resultin a significant reduction in the probability of subsequent decline in cognitive function following RT. Our results point towards the need for the collection of prospective data on cognitive outcomes for the HNC patient population treated with radical (chemo)-RT

  2. Stimulation of estradiol biosynthesis by tributyltin in rat hippocampal slices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munetsuna, Eiji; Hattori, Minoru; Yamazaki, Takeshi

    2014-01-01

    Hippocampal functions are influenced by steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol. It has been demonstrated that hippocampus-derived steroid hormones play important roles in neuronal protection and synapse formation. Our research groups have demonstrated that estradiol is de novo synthesized in the rat hippocampus. However, the mechanism(s) regulating this synthesis remains unclear. It has been reported that tributyltin, an environmental pollutant, binds to the retinoid X receptor (RXR) and modifies estrogen synthesis in human granulosa-like tumor cells. This compound can penetrate the blood brain barrier, and tends to accumulate in the brain. Based on these facts, we hypothesized that tributyltin could influence the hippocampal estradiol synthesis. A concentration of 0.1 μM tributyltin induced an increase in the mRNA content of P450(17α) and P450arom in hippocampal slices, as determined using real-time PCR. The transcript levels of other steroidogenic enzymes and a steroidogenic acute regulatory protein were not affected. The estradiol level in rat hippocampal slices was subsequently determined using a radioimmunoassay. We found that the estradiol synthesis was stimulated by ∼2-fold following a 48-h treatment with 0.1 μM tributyltin, and this was accompanied by transcriptional activation of P450(17α) and P450arom. Tributyltin stimulated de novo hippocampal estradiol synthesis by modifying the transcription of specific steroidogenic enzymes.

  3. Food restriction reduces neurogenesis in the avian hippocampal formation.

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    Barbara-Anne Robertson

    Full Text Available The mammalian hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to chronic stress. Adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus is suppressed by chronic stress and by administration of glucocorticoid hormones. Post-natal and adult neurogenesis are present in the avian hippocampal formation as well, but much less is known about its sensitivity to chronic stressors. In this study, we investigate this question in a commercial bird model: the broiler breeder chicken. Commercial broiler breeders are food restricted during development to manipulate their growth curve and to avoid negative health outcomes, including obesity and poor reproductive performance. Beyond knowing that these chickens are healthier than fully-fed birds and that they have a high motivation to eat, little is known about how food restriction impacts the animals' physiology. Chickens were kept on a commercial food-restricted diet during the first 12 weeks of life, or released from this restriction by feeding them ad libitum from weeks 7-12 of life. To test the hypothesis that chronic food restriction decreases the production of new neurons (neurogenesis in the hippocampal formation, the cell proliferation marker bromodeoxyuridine was injected one week prior to tissue collection. Corticosterone levels in blood plasma were elevated during food restriction, even though molecular markers of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation did not differ between the treatments. The density of new hippocampal neurons was significantly reduced in the food-restricted condition, as compared to chickens fed ad libitum, similar to findings in rats at a similar developmental stage. Food restriction did not affect hippocampal volume or the total number of neurons. These findings indicate that in birds, like in mammals, reduction in hippocampal neurogenesis is associated with chronically elevated corticosterone levels, and therefore potentially with chronic stress in general. This finding is consistent with the

  4. Peripheral Etanercept Administration Normalizes Behavior, Hippocampal Neurogenesis, and Hippocampal Reelin and GABAA Receptor Expression in a Preclinical Model of Depression

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    Kyle J. Brymer

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder frequently comorbid with autoimmune disorders. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated that repeated corticosterone (CORT injections in rats reliably increase depressive-like behavior, impair hippocampal-dependent memory, reduce the number and complexity of adult-generated neurons in the dentate gyrus, decrease hippocampal reelin expression, and alter markers of GABAergic function. We hypothesized that peripheral injections of the TNF-α inhibitor etanercept could exert antidepressant effects through a restoration of many of these neurobiological changes. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of repeated CORT injections and concurrent injections of etanercept on measures of object-location and object-in-place memory, forced-swim test behavior, hippocampal neurogenesis, and reelin and GABA β2/3 immunohistochemistry. CORT increased immobility behavior in the forced swim test and impaired both object-location and object-in-place memory, and these effects were reversed by etanercept. CORT also decreased both the number and complexity of adult-generated neurons, but etanercept restored these measures back to control levels. Finally, CORT decreased the number of reelin and GABA β2/3-ir cells within the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus, and etanercept restored these to control levels. These novel results demonstrate that peripheral etanercept has antidepressant effects that are accompanied by a restoration of cognitive function, hippocampal neurogenesis, and GABAergic plasticity, and suggest that a normalization of reelin expression in the dentate gyrus could be a key component underlying these novel antidepressant effects.

  5. Docosahexaenoic (DHA modulates phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (Gpx4 gene expression to ensure self-protection from oxidative damage in hippocampal cells

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    Veronica eCasañas-Sanchez

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3 is a unique polyunsaturated fatty acid particularly abundant in nerve cell membrane phospholipids. DHA is a pleiotropic molecule that, not only modulates the physicochemical properties and architecture of neuronal plasma membrane, but it is also involved in multiple facets of neuronal biology, from regulation of synaptic function to neuroprotection and modulation of gene expression. As a highly unsaturated fatty acid due to the presence of six double bonds, DHA is susceptible for oxidation, especially in the highly pro-oxidant environment of brain parenchyma. We have recently reported the ability of DHA to regulate the transcriptional program controlling neuronal antioxidant defenses in a hippocampal cell line, especially the glutathione/glutaredoxin system. Within this antioxidant system, DHA was particularly efficient in triggering the upregulation of Gpx4 gene, which encodes for the nuclear, cytosolic and mitochondrial isoforms of phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PH-GPx/GPx4, the main enzyme protecting cell membranes against lipid peroxidation and capable to reduce oxidized phospholipids in situ. We show here that this novel property of DHA is also significant in the hippocampus of wild-type mice and APP/PS1 transgenic mice, a familial model of Alzheimer’s disease. By doing this, DHA stimulates a mechanism to self-protect from oxidative damage even in the neuronal scenario of high aerobic metabolism and in the presence of elevated levels of transition metals, which inevitably favor the generation of reactive oxygen species. Noticeably, DHA also upregulated a novel Gpx4 splicing variant, harboring part of the first intronic region, which according to the ‘sentinel RNA hypothesis’ would expand the ability of Gpx4 (and DHA to provide neuronal antioxidant defense independently of conventional nuclear splicing in cellular compartments, like dendritic zones, located away from nuclear

  6. Bilateral Multifocal Chorioretinitis and Optic Neuritis due to Epstein-Barr Virus: A Case Report

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    Vasileios G. Peponis

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Epstein-Barr virus (EBV is a DNA virus that mainly causes infectious mononucleosis. Ocular manifestations are rare and typically mild. Only a few cases of EBV involving the retina or the optic nerve have been reported. Herein, we report the case of a 67-year-old man with bilateral chorioretinitis and optic neuritis due to EBV. The patient had no previous ocular history and presented with decreased vision in both eyes. His past medical history included EBV encephalopathy, which was confirmed serologically, a few months before. Ophthalmological examination revealed bilateral chorioretinitis and optic neuritis, confirmed by fluorescein angiography as well as electrophysiological tests (visual evoked potentials and electroretinogram. It is very important to include EBV in the differential diagnosis of chorioretinal atrophic lesions. Clinicians should be aware of ocular manifestations of EBV, in order to suggest ophthalmological examination and start treatment promptly before irreversible damage to the optic nerve or retina occurs.

  7. Changes in Hippocampal Volume are Correlated with Cell Loss but Not with Seizure Frequency in Two Chronic Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polli, Roberson S.; Malheiros, Jackeline M.; dos Santos, Renan; Hamani, Clement; Longo, Beatriz M.; Tannús, Alberto; Mello, Luiz E.; Covolan, Luciene

    2014-01-01

    Kainic acid (KA) or pilocarpine (PILO) have been used in rats to model human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) but the distribution and severity of structural lesions between these two models may differ. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have used quantitative measurements of hippocampal T2 (T2HP) relaxation time and volume, but simultaneous comparative results have not been reported yet. The aim of this study was to compare the MRI T2HP and volume with histological data and frequency of seizures in both models. KA- and PILO-treated rats were imaged with a 2 T MRI scanner. T2HP and volume values were correlated with the number of cells, mossy fiber sprouting, and spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) frequency over the 9 months following status epilepticus (SE). Compared to controls, KA-treated rats had unaltered T2HP, pronounced reduction in hippocampal volume and concomitant cell reduction in granule cell layer, CA1 and CA3 at 3 months post SE. In contrast, hippocampal volume was unchanged in PILO-treated animals despite detectable increased T2HP and cell loss in granule cell layer, CA1 and CA3. In the following 6 months, MRI hippocampal volume remained stable with increase of T2HP signal in the KA-treated group. The number of CA1 and CA3 cells was smaller than age-matched CTL group. In contrast, PILO group had MRI volumetric reduction accompanied by reduction in the number of CA1 and CA3 cells. In this group, T2HP signal was unaltered at 6 or 9 months after status. Reductions in the number of cells were not progressive in both models. Notably, the SRS frequency was higher in PILO than in the KA model. The volumetry data correlated well with tissue damage in the epileptic brain, suggesting that MRI may be useful for tracking longitudinal hippocampal changes, allowing the assessment of individual variability and disease progression. Our results indicate that the temporal changes in hippocampal morphology are distinct for both models of TLE and that

  8. Postencephalitic amnesia with long term-working memory impairment: A case report

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    Beatriz Baldivia

    Full Text Available Abstract Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE is an inflammation of the brain parenchyma caused by virus, leading to focal necrosis in medial temporal lobes, hippocampal complex and basal forebrain. Cognitively, HSVE is associated to many dysfunctions which vary according to the extent of the lesion. Episodic memory impairment is the most common sequelae following HSVE episodes, although others can occur. The aim of this case report was to describe the cognitive profile of a 42 year-old man who had extensive bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobe, insular bilateral and orbitofrontal cortices due to HSVE. Severe anterograde and retrograde amnesia, naming deficits, perseverative behaviors and confabulations were observed on neuropsychological assessment. We discussed the concept of long term-working memory based on this evaluation. These cognitive impairments corroborated HSVE previous findings in the literature.

  9. Roles of hippocampal subfields in verbal and visual episodic memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zammit, Andrea R; Ezzati, Ali; Zimmerman, Molly E; Lipton, Richard B; Lipton, Michael L; Katz, Mindy J

    2017-01-15

    Selective hippocampal (HC) subfield atrophy has been reported in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The goal of this study was to investigate the associations between the volume of hippocampal subfields and visual and verbal episodic memory in cognitively normal older adults. This study was conducted on a subset of 133 participants from the Einstein Aging Study (EAS), a community-based study of non-demented older adults systematically recruited from the Bronx, N.Y. All participants completed comprehensive EAS neuropsychological assessment. Visual episodic memory was assessed using the Complex Figure Delayed Recall subtest from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Verbal episodic memory was assessed using Delayed Recall from the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT). All participants underwent 3T MRI brain scanning with subsequent automatic measurement of the hemispheric hippocampal subfield volumes (CA1, CA2-CA3, CA4-dente gyrus, presubiculum, and subiculum). We used linear regressions to model the association between hippocampal subfield volumes and visual and verbal episodic memory tests while adjusting for age, sex, education, and total intracranial volume. Participants had a mean age of 78.9 (SD=5.1) and 60.2% were female. Total hippocampal volume was associated with Complex Figure Delayed Recall (β=0.31, p=0.001) and FCSRT Delayed Recall (β=0.27, p=0.007); subiculum volume was associated with Complex Figure Delayed Recall (β=0.27, p=0.002) and FCSRT Delayed Recall (β=0.24, p=0.010); CA1 was associated with Complex Figure Delayed Recall (β=0.26, pepisodic memory. Our results suggest that hippocampal subfields have sensitive roles in the process of visual and verbal episodic memory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Hippocampal disconnection in early Alzheimer's disease: a 7 tesla MRI study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wisse, L.E.; Reijmer, Y.D.; Telgte, A. ter; Kuijf, H.J.; Leemans, A.; Luijten, P.R.; Koek, H.L.; Geerlings, M.I.; Biessels, G.J.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: In patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), atrophy of the entorhinal cortex (ERC) and hippocampal formation may induce degeneration of connecting white matter tracts. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association of hippocampal subfield and ERC atrophy at 7 tesla MRI with fornix and

  11. Intermediate levels of hippocampal activity appear optimal for associative memory formation.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, X.; Qin, S.; Rijpkema, M.J.P.; Luo, J.; Fernandez, G.S.E.

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND: It is well established that hippocampal activity is positively related to effective associative memory formation. However, in biological systems often optimal levels of activity are contrasted by both sub- and supra-optimal levels. Sub-optimal levels of hippocampal activity are commonly

  12. Hippocampal volume measurement in patients with Meniere's disease : a pilot study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Cruijsen, Nynke; Hiemstra, Wilma M.; Meiners, Linda C.; Wit, Hero P.; Albers, Frans W. J.

    2007-01-01

    Conclusion. No signs of chronic stress as in hippocampal atrophy were present in patients with Meniere's disease. Objective. To evaluate the effect of chronic stress (allostatic load) by measuring hippocampal volume in patients with Meniere's disease. Subjects and methods. Ten patients with

  13. Erythropoietin enhances hippocampal response during memory retrieval in humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miskowiak, Kamilla; O'Sullivan, Ursula; Harmer, Catherine J

    2007-01-01

    Although erythropoietin (Epo) is best known for its effects on erythropoiesis, recent evidence suggests that it also has neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties in animal models of hippocampal function. Such an action in humans would make it an intriguing novel compound for the treatment....... This is consistent with upregulation of hippocampal BDNF and neurotrophic actions found in animals and highlights Epo as a promising candidate for treatment of psychiatric disorders....

  14. The correlation of serum S100β protein levels and hippocampal Seladin-1 gene expression in a rat model of sporadic Alzheimer\\\\\\'s disease

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    Soheila Hosseinzadeh

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Seladin-1 protein protects the neural cells against amyloid beta toxicity and its expression decreased in vulnerable regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD brains. On the other hand, changes in serum levels of S100 have been considered as a marker of brain damage in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, this study was carried out to determine the relation between the change profile of serum S100β protein levels and hippocampal Seladin-1 gene expression in a rat model of sporadic AD. Methods: In this experimental study that established in Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Science, from March 2011 to April 2013, 72 animals were randomly divided into control, 4, 7, 14, and 21days ICV-STZ/Saline administrated rats. Alzheimer's model was induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV injections of streptozotocin (STZ [3 mg/kg] on days 1 and 3. Serum levels of S100β and hippocampal Seladin-1 gene expression were evalu-ated in experimental groups. The initial and step-through latencies (STL were deter-mined using passive avoidance test. Results: Serum levels of S100β were significantly different between the STZ-7 day and STZ-14 day groups in comparison with the control, saline and STZ-4 day groups. As well as, there was a significant difference between the STZ-7 day group in comparison with the STZ-14 day and STZ-21 day groups (P=0.0001. Hippocampal Seladin-1 gene expression in STZ-14 day and STZ-21 day groups significantly decreased as compared to the control, saline and STZ-4 day groups (P=0.0001. However, significant correla-tion was detected between serum S100β protein decrement and Seladin-1 down regula-tion (P=0.001. Also, the STL was significantly decreased in 21 days ICV-STZ adminis-trated rats as compared to the control or saline groups (P=0.001. Conclusion: Monitoring the changes of serum S100β protein levels by relationship with changes in hippocampal Seladin-1

  15. High postnatal susceptibility of hippocampal cytoskeleton in response to ethanol exposure during pregnancy and lactation.

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    Reis, Karina Pires; Heimfarth, Luana; Pierozan, Paula; Ferreira, Fernanda; Loureiro, Samanta Oliveira; Fernandes, Carolina Gonçalves; Carvalho, Rônan Vivian; Pessoa-Pureur, Regina

    2015-11-01

    Ethanol exposure to offspring during pregnancy and lactation leads to developmental disorders, including central nervous system dysfunction. In the present work, we have studied the effect of chronic ethanol exposure during pregnancy and lactation on the phosphorylating system associated with the astrocytic and neuronal intermediate filament (IF) proteins: glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament (NF) subunits of low, medium, and high molecular weight (NFL, NFM, and NFH, respectively) in 9- and 21-day-old pups. Female rats were fed with 20% ethanol in their drinking water during pregnancy and lactation. The homeostasis of the IF phosphorylation was not altered in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, or hippocampus of 9-day-old pups. However, GFAP, NFL, and NFM were hyperphosphorylated in the hippocampus of 21-day-old pups. PKA had been activated in the hippocampus, and Ser55 in the N-terminal region of NFL was hyperphosphorylated. In addition, JNK/MAPK was activated and KSP repeats in the C-terminal region of NFM were hyperphosphorylated in the hippocampus of 21-day-old pups. Decreased NFH immunocontent but an unaltered total NFH/phosphoNFH ratio suggested altered stoichiometry of NFs in the hippocampus of ethanol-exposed 21-day-old pups. In contrast to the high susceptibility of hippocampal cytoskeleton in developing rats, the homeostasis of the cytoskeleton of ethanol-fed adult females was not altered. Disruption of the cytoskeletal homeostasis in neural cells supports the view that regions of the brain are differentially vulnerable to alcohol insult during pregnancy and lactation, suggesting that modulation of JNK/MAPK and PKA signaling cascades target the hippocampal cytoskeleton in a window of vulnerability in 21-day-old pups. Our findings are relevant, since disruption of the cytoskeleton in immature hippocampus could contribute to later hippocampal damage associated with ethanol toxicity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Bilateral Facial Paralysis Caused by Bilateral Temporal Bone Fracture: A Case Report and a Literature Review

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    Sultan Şevik Eliçora

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral facial paralysis caused by bilateral temporal bone fracture is a rare clinical entity, with seven cases reported in the literature to date. In this paper, we describe a 40-year-old male patient with bilateral facial paralysis and hearing loss that developed after an occupational accident. On physical examination, House-Brackmann (HB facial paralysis of grade 6 was observed on the right side and HB grade 5 paralysis on the left. Upon temporal bone computed tomography (CT examination, a fracture line exhibiting transverse progression was observed in both petrous temporal bones. Our patient underwent transmastoid facial decompression surgery of the right ear. The patient refused a left-side operation. Such patients require extensive monitoring in intensive care units because the presence of multiple injuries means that facial functions are often very difficult to evaluate. Therefore, delays may ensue in both diagnosis and treatment of bilateral facial paralysis.

  17. Hippocampal dentation: Structural variation and its association with episodic memory in healthy adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleming Beattie, Julia; Martin, Roy C; Kana, Rajesh K; Deshpande, Hrishikesh; Lee, Seongtaek; Curé, Joel; Ver Hoef, Lawrence

    2017-07-01

    While the hippocampus has long been identified as a structure integral to memory, the relationship between morphology and function has yet to be fully explained. We present an analysis of hippocampal dentation, a morphological feature previously unexplored in regard to its relationship with episodic memory. "Hippocampal dentation" in this case refers to surface convolutions, primarily present in the CA1/subiculum on the inferior aspect of the hippocampus. Hippocampal dentation was visualized using ultra-high resolution structural MRI and evaluated using a novel visual rating scale. The degree of hippocampal dentation was found to vary considerably across individuals, and was positively associated with verbal memory recall and visual memory recognition in a sample of 22 healthy adults. This study is the first to characterize the variation in hippocampal dentation in a healthy cohort and to demonstrate its association with aspects of episodic memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Imbalance of incidental encoding across tasks: an explanation for non-memory-related hippocampal activations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reas, Emilie T; Brewer, James B

    2013-11-01

    Functional neuroimaging studies have increasingly noted hippocampal activation associated with a variety of cognitive functions--such as decision making, attention, perception, incidental learning, prediction, and working memory--that have little apparent relation to declarative memory. Such findings might be difficult to reconcile with classical hippocampal lesion studies that show remarkable sparing of cognitive functions outside the realm of declarative memory. Even the oft-reported hippocampal activations during confident episodic retrieval are not entirely congruent with evidence that hippocampal lesions reliably impair encoding but inconsistently affect retrieval. Here we explore the conditions under which the hippocampus responds during episodic recall and recognition. Our findings suggest that anterior hippocampal activity may be related to the imbalance of incidental encoding across tasks and conditions rather than due to retrieval per se. Incidental encoding and hippocampal activity may be reduced during conditions where retrieval requires greater attentional engagement. During retrieval, anterior hippocampal activity decreases with increasing search duration and retrieval effort, and this deactivation corresponds with a coincident impaired encoding of the external environment (Israel, Seibert, Black, & Brewer, 2010; Reas & Brewer, 2013; Reas, Gimbel, Hales, & Brewer, 2011). In light of this emerging evidence, we discuss the proposal that some hippocampal activity observed during memory retrieval, or other non-memory conditions, may in fact be attributable to concomitant encoding activity that is regulated by the attentional demands of the principal task. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Comparison of the force exerted by hippocampal and DRG growth cones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Ladan; Ercolini, Erika; Ban, Jelena; Torre, Vincent

    2013-01-01

    Mechanical properties such as force generation are fundamental for neuronal motility, development and regeneration. We used optical tweezers to compare the force exerted by growth cones (GCs) of neurons from the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS), such as Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) neurons, and from the Central Nervous System (CNS) such as hippocampal neurons. Developing GCs from dissociated DRG and hippocampal neurons were obtained from P1-P2 and P10-P12 rats. Comparing their morphology, we observed that the area of GCs of hippocampal neurons was 8-10 µm(2) and did not vary between P1-P2 and P10-P12 rats, but GCs of DRG neurons were larger and their area increased from P1-P2 to P10-P12 by 2-4 times. The force exerted by DRG filopodia was in the order of 1-2 pN and never exceeded 5 pN, while hippocampal filopodia exerted a larger force, often in the order of 5 pN. Hippocampal and DRG lamellipodia exerted lateral forces up to 20 pN, but lamellipodia of DRG neurons could exert a vertical force larger than that of hippocampal neurons. Force-velocity relationships (Fv) in both types of neurons had the same qualitative behaviour, consistent with a common autocatalytic model of force generation. These results indicate that molecular mechanisms of force generation of GC from CNS and PNS neurons are similar but the amplitude of generated force is influenced by their cytoskeletal properties.

  20. A mathematical model of aging-related and cortisol induced hippocampal dysfunction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jones Janette JL

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The hippocampus is essential for declarative memory synthesis and is a core pathological substrate for Alzheimer's disease (AD, the most common aging-related dementing disease. Acute increases in plasma cortisol are associated with transient hippocampal inhibition and retrograde amnesia, while chronic cortisol elevation is associated with hippocampal atrophy. Thus, cortisol levels could be monitored and managed in older people, to decrease their risk of AD type hippocampal dysfunction. We generated an in silicomodel of the chronic effects of elevated plasma cortisol on hippocampal activity and atrophy, using the systems biology mark-up language (SBML. We further challenged the model with biologically based interventions to ascertain if cortisol associated hippocampal dysfunction could be abrogated. Results The in silicoSBML model reflected the in vivoaging of the hippocampus and increased plasma cortisol and negative feedback to the hypothalamic pituitary axis. Aging induced a 12% decrease in hippocampus activity (HA, increased to 30% by acute and 40% by chronic elevations in cortisol. The biological intervention attenuated the cortisol associated decrease in HA by 2% in the acute cortisol simulation and by 8% in the chronic simulation. Conclusion Both acute and chronic elevations in cortisol secretion increased aging-associated hippocampal atrophy and a loss of HA in the model. We suggest that this first SMBL model, in tandem with in vitroand in vivostudies, may provide a backbone to further frame computational cortisol and brain aging models, which may help predict aging-related brain changes in vulnerable older people.

  1. Specific responses of human hippocampal neurons are associated with better memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suthana, Nanthia A; Parikshak, Neelroop N; Ekstrom, Arne D; Ison, Matias J; Knowlton, Barbara J; Bookheimer, Susan Y; Fried, Itzhak

    2015-08-18

    A population of human hippocampal neurons has shown responses to individual concepts (e.g., Jennifer Aniston) that generalize to different instances of the concept. However, recordings from the rodent hippocampus suggest an important function of these neurons is their ability to discriminate overlapping representations, or pattern separate, a process that may facilitate discrimination of similar events for successful memory. In the current study, we explored whether human hippocampal neurons can also demonstrate the ability to discriminate between overlapping representations and whether this selectivity could be directly related to memory performance. We show that among medial temporal lobe (MTL) neurons, certain populations of neurons are selective for a previously studied (target) image in that they show a significant decrease in firing rate to very similar (lure) images. We found that a greater proportion of these neurons can be found in the hippocampus compared with other MTL regions, and that memory for individual items is correlated to the degree of selectivity of hippocampal neurons responsive to those items. Moreover, a greater proportion of hippocampal neurons showed selective firing for target images in good compared with poor performers, with overall memory performance correlated with hippocampal selectivity. In contrast, selectivity in other MTL regions was not associated with memory performance. These findings show that a substantial proportion of human hippocampal neurons encode specific memories that support the discrimination of overlapping representations. These results also provide previously unidentified evidence consistent with a unique role of the human hippocampus in orthogonalization of representations in declarative memory.

  2. Hippocampal histone acetylation regulates object recognition and the estradiol-induced enhancement of object recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zaorui; Fan, Lu; Fortress, Ashley M; Boulware, Marissa I; Frick, Karyn M

    2012-02-15

    Histone acetylation has recently been implicated in learning and memory processes, yet necessity of histone acetylation for such processes has not been demonstrated using pharmacological inhibitors of histone acetyltransferases (HATs). As such, the present study tested whether garcinol, a potent HAT inhibitor in vitro, could impair hippocampal memory consolidation and block the memory-enhancing effects of the modulatory hormone 17β-estradiol E2. We first showed that bilateral infusion of garcinol (0.1, 1, or 10 μg/side) into the dorsal hippocampus (DH) immediately after training impaired object recognition memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice. A behaviorally effective dose of garcinol (10 μg/side) also significantly decreased DH HAT activity. We next examined whether DH infusion of a behaviorally subeffective dose of garcinol (1 ng/side) could block the effects of DH E2 infusion on object recognition and epigenetic processes. Immediately after training, ovariectomized female mice received bilateral DH infusions of vehicle, E2 (5 μg/side), garcinol (1 ng/side), or E2 plus garcinol. Forty-eight hours later, garcinol blocked the memory-enhancing effects of E2. Garcinol also reversed the E2-induced increase in DH histone H3 acetylation, HAT activity, and levels of the de novo methyltransferase DNMT3B, as well as the E2-induced decrease in levels of the memory repressor protein histone deacetylase 2. Collectively, these findings suggest that histone acetylation is critical for object recognition memory consolidation and the beneficial effects of E2 on object recognition. Importantly, this work demonstrates that the role of histone acetylation in memory processes can be studied using a HAT inhibitor.

  3. Low-intensity daily walking activity is associated with hippocampal volume in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varma, Vijay R; Chuang, Yi-Fang; Harris, Gregory C; Tan, Erwin J; Carlson, Michelle C

    2015-05-01

    Hippocampal atrophy is associated with memory impairment and dementia and serves as a key biomarker in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease. Physical activity, one of the most promising behavioral interventions to prevent or delay cognitive decline, has been shown to be associated with hippocampal volume; specifically increased aerobic activity and fitness may have a positive effect on the size of the hippocampus. The majority of older adults, however, are sedentary and have difficulty initiating and maintaining exercise programs. A modestly more active lifestyle may nonetheless be beneficial. This study explored whether greater objectively measured daily walking activity was associated with larger hippocampal volume. We additionally explored whether greater low-intensity walking activity, which may be related to leisure-time physical, functional, and social activities, was associated with larger hippocampal volume independent of exercise and higher-intensity walking activity. Segmentation of hippocampal volumes was performed using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain's Software Library (FSL), and daily walking activity was assessed using a step activity monitor on 92, nondemented, older adult participants. After controlling for age, education, body mass index, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and the Mini Mental State Exam, we found that a greater amount, duration, and frequency of total daily walking activity were each associated with larger hippocampal volume among older women, but not among men. These relationships were specific to hippocampal volume, compared with the thalamus, used as a control brain region, and remained significant for low-intensity walking activity, independent of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity and self-reported exercise. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to explore the relationship between objectively measured daily walking activity and hippocampal volume in an older adult population. Findings

  4. Bilateral optic neuropathy in acute cryptococcal meningitis

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qi Zhe Ngoo; Li Min Evelyn Tai; Wan Hazabbah Wan Hitam; John Tharakan

    2016-01-01

    We reported a case of cryptococcal meningitis presenting with bilateral optic neuropathy in an immunocompetent patient. A 64-year-old Malay gentleman with no medical comorbidities presented with acute bilateral blurring of vision for a week, which was associated with generalised throbbing headache and low grade fever. He also had som-nolence and altered consciousness. Visual acuity in both eyes was no perception of light with poor pupillary reflexes. Extraocular muscle movements were normal. Anterior segments were unremarkable bilaterally. Fundoscopy revealed bilateral optic disc swelling. CT scan of the brain showed multifocal infarct, but no meningeal enhancement or mass. Cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was normal, while its culture grew Cryptococcus neoformans. A diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis with bilateral optic neuropathy was made. Patient was treated with a six-week course of intravenous flu-conazole and started concomitantly on a fortnight's course of intravenous amphotericin B. After that, his general condition improved, but there was still no improvement in his visual acuity. On reviewing at two months post-initiation of treatment, fundi showed bilateral optic atrophy. Bilateral optic neuropathy secondary to cryptococcal meningitis was rare. The prognosis was guarded due to the sequelae of optic atrophy. Anti-fungal medication alone may not be sufficient to manage this condition. However, evidence for other treatment modalities is still lacking and further clinical studies are required.

  5. Hippocampal Abnormalities and Seizure Recurrence

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    J Gordon Millichap

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Hippocampal volumetry and T2 relaxometry were performed on 84 consecutive patients (adolescents and adults with partial epilepsy submitted to antiepileptic drug (AED withdrawal after at least 2 years of seizure control, in a study at State University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Brazil.

  6. Hippocampal Functioning and Verbal Associative Memory in Adolescents with Congenital Hypothyroidism

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    Sarah Marie Wheeler

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Thyroid hormone (TH is essential for normal development of the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and particularly for learning and recalling associations between visual and verbal stimuli. Adolescents with congenital hypothyroidism (CH, who lack TH in late gestation and early life, demonstrate weak verbal recall abilities, reduced hippocampal volumes, and abnormal hippocampal functioning for visually associated material. However, it is not known if their hippocampus functions abnormally when remembering verbal associations. Our objective was to assess hippocampal functioning in CH using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. Fourteen adolescents with CH and 14 typically developing controls (TDC were studied. Participants studied pairs of words and then, during fMRI acquisition, made two types of recognition decisions: in one they judged whether the pairs were the same as when seen originally and in the other, whether individual words were seen before regardless of pairing. Hippocampal activation was greater for pairs than items in both groups, but this difference was only significant in TDC. When we directly compared the groups, the right anterior hippocampus was the primary region in which the TDC and CH groups differed for this pair memory effect. Results signify that adolescents with CH show abnormal hippocampal functioning during verbal memory processing.

  7. Hippocampal sparing radiotherapy for pediatric medulloblastoma: impact of treatment margins and treatment technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodin, N Patrik; Munck af Rosenschöld, Per; Blomstrand, Malin; Kiil-Berthlesen, Anne; Hollensen, Christian; Vogelius, Ivan R; Lannering, Birgitta; Bentzen, Søren M; Björk-Eriksson, Thomas

    2014-04-01

    We investigated how varying the treatment margin and applying hippocampal sparing and proton therapy impact the risk of neurocognitive impairment in pediatric medulloblastoma patients compared with current standard 3D conformal radiotherapy. We included 17 pediatric medulloblastoma patients to represent the variability in tumor location relative to the hippocampal region. Treatment plans were generated using 3D conformal radiotherapy, hippocampal sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and spot-scanned proton therapy, using 3 different treatment margins for the conformal tumor boost. Neurocognitive impairment risk was estimated based on dose-response models from pediatric CNS malignancy survivors and compared among different margins and treatment techniques. Mean hippocampal dose and corresponding risk of cognitive impairment were decreased with decreasing treatment margins (P < .05). The largest risk reduction, however, was seen when applying hippocampal sparing proton therapy-the estimated risk of impaired task efficiency (95% confidence interval) was 92% (66%-98%), 81% (51%-95%), and 50% (30%-70%) for 3D conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and proton therapy, respectively, for the smallest boost margin and 98% (78%-100%), 90% (60%-98%), and 70% (39%-90%) if boosting the whole posterior fossa. Also, the distance between the closest point of the planning target volume and the center of the hippocampus can be used to predict mean hippocampal dose for a given treatment technique. We estimate a considerable clinical benefit of hippocampal sparing radiotherapy. In choosing treatment margins, the tradeoff between margin size and risk of neurocognitive impairment quantified here should be considered.

  8. Necroptosis Mediates TNF-Induced Toxicity of Hippocampal Neurons

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    Shan Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α is a critical proinflammatory cytokine regulating neuroinflammation. Elevated levels of TNF-α have been associated with various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. However, the signaling events that lead to TNF-α-initiated neurotoxicity are still unclear. Here, we report that RIP3-mediated necroptosis, a form of regulated necrosis, is activated in the mouse hippocampus after intracerebroventricular injection of TNF-α. RIP3 deficiency attenuates TNF-α-initiated loss of hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, we characterized the molecular mechanism of TNF-α-induced neurotoxicity in HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cells. HT-22 cells are sensitive to TNF-α only upon caspase blockage and subsequently undergo necrosis. The cell death is suppressed by knockdown of CYLD or RIP1 or RIP3 or MLKL, suggesting that this necrosis is necroptosis and mediated by CYLD-RIP1-RIP3-MLKL signaling pathway. TNF-α-induced necroptosis of HT-22 cells is largely independent of both ROS accumulation and calcium influx although these events have been shown to be critical for necroptosis in certain cell lines. Taken together, these data not only provide the first in vivo evidence for a role of RIP3 in TNF-α-induced toxicity of hippocampal neurons, but also demonstrate that TNF-α promotes CYLD-RIP1-RIP3-MLKL-mediated necroptosis of hippocampal neurons largely bypassing ROS accumulation and calcium influx.

  9. Bilateral renal calculi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sreenevasan, G

    1974-01-01

    Bilateral renal calculi were present in 114 (10.7%) of 1,070 cases of proved urinary calculus admitted to the Urological Department of the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, during the period November 1968—May 1973. The management of bilateral renal calculi is discussed with reference to the first 100 cases in this series. The introduction of renography has greatly facilitated the decision as to which kidney should be operated on first. The management of patients with and without uraemia is discussed and the use of the modified V and V—Y incisions for the removal of staghorn calculi is described. Complications and results are briefly reviewed. ImagesFig. 1Fig. 4Fig. 6Fig. 7 PMID:4845653

  10. FLOWING BILATERAL FILTER: DEFINITION AND IMPLEMENTATIONS

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    Maxime Moreaud

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The bilateral filter plays a key role in image processing applications due to its intuitive parameterization and its high quality filter result, smoothing homogeneous regions while preserving the edges of the objects. Considering the image as a topological relief, seeing pixel intensities as peaks and valleys, we introduce a way to control the tonal weighting coefficients, the flowing bilateral filter, reducing "halo" artifacts typically produced by the regular bilateral filter around a large peak surrounded by two valleys of lower values. In this paper we propose to investigate exact and approximated versions of CPU and parallel GPU (Graphical Processing Unit based implementations of the regular and flowing bilateral filter using the NVidia CUDA API. Fast implementations of these filters are important for the processing of large 3D volumes up to several GB acquired by x-ray or electron tomography.

  11. Bilateral cochlear implantation: current concepts, indications, and results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basura, Gregory J; Eapen, Rose; Buchman, Craig A

    2009-12-01

    The optimal treatment for bilateral hearing loss continues to evolve as cochlear implant (CI) and hearing aid technologies advance, as does our understanding of the central auditory system. Ongoing discussions continue on the validity and feasibility of bilateral CI in terms of performance, justification of need, medical/surgical safety concerns, and economics. The purpose of this review article is to provide an update on the advantages and disadvantages of bilateral CI and to provide a discussion on timing (simultaneous vs. sequential), technology (bimodal vs. binaural) and feasibility. Binaural advantages are found in both adult and pediatric bilateral CI recipients, the greatest being the head shadow effect and improvements in localization and loudness summation. This theoretically offers an advantage over their unilateral implanted counterparts in terms of improved sound localization and enhanced speech perception under noisy conditions. Most investigators agree that bilateral stimulation during critical periods of development is paramount for optimizing auditory functioning in children. Currently, bilateral CI is widely accepted as a safe and effective means of bilateral auditory stimulation.

  12. Gating of hippocampal activity, plasticity, and memory by entorhinal cortex long-range inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Jayeeta; Zaremba, Jeffrey D; Cheung, Stephanie K; Hitti, Frederick L; Zemelman, Boris V; Losonczy, Attila; Siegelbaum, Steven A

    2016-01-08

    The cortico-hippocampal circuit is critical for storage of associational memories. Most studies have focused on the role in memory storage of the excitatory projections from entorhinal cortex to hippocampus. However, entorhinal cortex also sends inhibitory projections, whose role in memory storage and cortico-hippocampal activity remains largely unexplored. We found that these long-range inhibitory projections enhance the specificity of contextual and object memory encoding. At the circuit level, these γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-releasing projections target hippocampal inhibitory neurons and thus act as a disinhibitory gate that transiently promotes the excitation of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons by suppressing feedforward inhibition. This enhances the ability of CA1 pyramidal neurons to fire synaptically evoked dendritic spikes and to generate a temporally precise form of heterosynaptic plasticity. Long-range inhibition from entorhinal cortex may thus increase the precision of hippocampal-based long-term memory associations by assessing the salience of mnemonormation to the immediate sensory input. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  13. Achondroplasia Associated with Bilateral Keratoconus

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    Ammar M. Al Mahmood

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We report a rare case of bilateral keratoconus in association with achondroplasia. A 26-year-old male, with a known case of achondroplasia, complained of bilateral gradual deterioration in vision for the past few years. Slit lamp biomicroscopy showed bilateral central corneal protrusion and stromal thinning at the apex consistent with keratoconus. a trial of hard contact lens fitting failed to improve VA in the left eye (LE. Right eye (RE improved to 20/25. The patient underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PKP in his LE. Twenty-seven months postoperatively, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA was 20/30. Ophthalmologists should be aware that patients with achondroplasia who complain of poor vision should be suspected of having keratoconus once other more common conditions are ruled out.

  14. Tat-antioxidant 1 protects against stress-induced hippocampal HT-22 cells death and attenuate ischaemic insult in animal model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, So Mi; Hwang, In Koo; Yoo, Dae Young; Eum, Won Sik; Kim, Dae Won; Shin, Min Jea; Ahn, Eun Hee; Jo, Hyo Sang; Ryu, Eun Ji; Yong, Ji In; Cho, Sung-Woo; Kwon, Oh-Shin; Lee, Keun Wook; Cho, Yoon Shin; Han, Kyu Hyung; Park, Jinseu; Choi, Soo Young

    2015-06-01

    Oxidative stress-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for various neuronal diseases. Antioxidant 1 (Atox1) regulates copper homoeostasis and promotes cellular antioxidant defence against toxins generated by ROS. The roles of Atox1 protein in ischaemia, however, remain unclear. In this study, we generated a protein transduction domain fused Tat-Atox1 and examined the roles of Tat-Atox1 in oxidative stress-induced hippocampal HT-22 cell death and an ischaemic injury animal model. Tat-Atox1 effectively transduced into HT-22 cells and it protected cells against the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced toxicity including increasing of ROS levels and DNA fragmentation. At the same time, Tat-Atox1 regulated cellular survival signalling such as p53, Bad/Bcl-2, Akt and mitogen-activate protein kinases (MAPKs). In the animal ischaemia model, transduced Tat-Atox1 protected against neuronal cell death in the hippocampal CA1 region. In addition, Tat-Atox1 significantly decreased the activation of astrocytes and microglia as well as lipid peroxidation in the CA1 region after ischaemic insult. Taken together, these results indicate that transduced Tat-Atox1 protects against oxidative stress-induced HT-22 cell death and against neuronal damage in animal ischaemia model. Therefore, we suggest that Tat-Atox1 has potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced ischaemic damage. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  15. Kainate toxicity in energy-compromised rat hippocampal slices: differences between oxygen and glucose deprivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schurr, A; Rigor, B M

    1993-06-18

    The effects of kainate (KA) on the recovery of neuronal function in rat hippocampal slices after hypoxia or glucose deprivation (GD) were investigated and compared to those of (R,S)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4- isoxazoleproprionate (AMPA). KA and AMPA were found to be more toxic than either N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quinolinate, or glutamate, both under normal conditions and under states of energy deprivation. Doses as low as 1 microM KA or AMPA were sufficient to significantly reduce the recovery rate of neuronal function in slices after a standardized period of hypoxia or GD. The enhancement of hypoxic neuronal damage by both agonists could be partially blocked by the antagonist kynurenate, by the NMDA competitive antagonist AP5, and by elevating [Mg2+] in or by omitting Ca2+ from the perfusion medium. The AMPA antagonist glutamic acid diethyl ester was ineffective in preventing the enhanced hypoxic neuronal damage by either KA or AMPA. The antagonist of the glycine modulatory site on the NMDA receptor, 7-chlorokynurenate, did not block the KA toxicity but was able to block the toxicity of AMPA. 2,3-Dihydroxyquinoxaline completely blocked the KA- and AMPA-enhanced hypoxic neuronal damage. The KA-enhanced, GD-induced neuronal damage was prevented by Ca2+ depletion and partially antagonized by kynurenate but not by AP5 or elevated [Mg2+]. The results of the present study indicate that the KA receptor is involved in the mechanism of neuronal damage induced by hypoxia and GD, probably allowing Ca2+ influx and subsequent intracellular Ca2+ overload.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  16. Sildenafil Attenuates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Pelvic Ganglia Neurons after Bilateral Cavernosal Nerve Damage

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    Leah A. Garcia

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Erectile dysfunction is a common complication for patients undergoing surgeries for prostate, bladder, and colorectal cancers, due to damage of the nerves associated with the major pelvic ganglia (MPG. Functional re-innervation of target organs depends on the capacity of the neurons to survive and switch towards a regenerative phenotype. PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5i have been successfully used in promoting the recovery of erectile function after cavernosal nerve damage (BCNR by up-regulating the expression of neurotrophic factors in MPG. However, little is known about the effects of PDE5i on markers of neuronal damage and oxidative stress after BCNR. This study aimed to investigate the changes in gene and protein expression profiles of inflammatory, anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress related-pathways in MPG neurons after BCNR and subsequent treatment with sildenafil. Our results showed that BCNR in Fisher-344 rats promoted up-regulation of cytokines (interleukin- 1 (IL-1 β, IL-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor β 1 (TGFβ1, and oxidative stress factors (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH oxidase, Myeloperoxidase (MPO, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, TNF receptor superfamily member 5 (CD40 that were normalized by sildenafil treatment given in the drinking water. In summary, PDE5i can attenuate the production of damaging factors and can up-regulate the expression of beneficial factors in the MPG that may ameliorate neuropathic pain, promote neuroprotection, and favor nerve regeneration.

  17. Protease-activated receptor-1 negatively regulates proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells derived from the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the adult mouse

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    Masayuki Tanaka

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Thrombin-activated protease-activated receptor (PAR-1 regulates the proliferation of neural cells following brain injury. To elucidate the involvement of PAR-1 in the neurogenesis that occurs in the adult hippocampus, we examined whether PAR-1 regulated the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs derived from the murine hippocampal dentate gyrus. NPC cultures expressed PAR-1 protein and mRNA encoding all subtypes of PAR. Direct exposure of the cells to thrombin dramatically attenuated the cell proliferation without causing cell damage. This thrombin-induced attenuation was almost completely abolished by the PAR antagonist RWJ 56110, as well as by dabigatran and 4-(2-aminoethylbenzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF, which are selective and non-selective thrombin inhibitors, respectively. Expectedly, the PAR-1 agonist peptide (AP SFLLR-NH2 also attenuated the cell proliferation. The cell proliferation was not affected by the PAR-1 negative control peptide RLLFT-NH2, which is an inactive peptide for PAR-1. Independently, we determined the effect of in vivo treatment with AEBSF or AP on hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult mouse. The administration of AEBSF, but not that of AP, significantly increased the number of newly-generated cells in the hippocampal subgranular zone. These data suggest that PAR-1 negatively regulated adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus by inhibiting the proliferative activity of the NPCs.

  18. Bilateral Complex Regional Pain Syndrome after Fracture of Bilateral Tibia and Fibula

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    Senem Şaş

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Complex regional syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1 is a painful clinical condition. It occurs after a painful event and characterized by allodynia, hyperalgesia, edema, abnormalities in skin blood flow and abnormal sudomotor activity. When CRPS-1 is associated with nerve injury, it is defined as CRPS-2. Central and peripheral theory are responsible in etiopathogenesis of CRPS-1. Generally it occurs in the injured limb. But, it may ocur in the opposite extremities. In this article, we present a case developing bilateral CRPS-1 after bilateral tibia and fibula fracture by reviewing current literatüre.

  19. Disrupted functional connectivity of the hippocampus in patients with hyperthyroidism: Evidence from resting-state fMRI

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    Zhang, Wei, E-mail: will.zhang.1111@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Leshan 614000 (China); Liu, Xianjun, E-mail: xianjun6.liu@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Leshan 614000 (China); Zhang, Yi, E-mail: yi.zhang.0833@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces, Leshan 614000 (China); Song, Lingheng, E-mail: songlh1023@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Hou, Jingming, E-mail: jingminghou@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Chen, Bing, E-mail: chenbing3@medmail.com.cn [Department of Endocrinology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); He, Mei, E-mail: sunnusunny0105@gmail.com [Department of Clinical Psychology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Cai, Ping, E-mail: pingc_ddd@sina.com [Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Lii, Haitao, E-mail: haitaolii023@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China)

    2014-10-15

    Objective: The hippocampus expresses high levels of thyroid hormone receptors, suggesting that hippocampal functions, including cognition and regulation of mood, can be disrupted by thyroid pathology. Indeed, structural and functional alterations within the hippocampus have been observed in hyperthyroid patients. In addition to internal circuitry, hippocampal processing is dependent on extensive connections with other limbic and neocortical structures, but the effects of hyperthyroidism on functional connectivity (FC) with these areas have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible abnormalities in the FC between the hippocampus and other neural structures in hyperthyroid patients using resting-state fMRI. Methods: Seed-based correlation analysis was performed on resting-state fMRI data to reveal possible differences in hippocampal FC between hyperthyroid patients and healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the strength of FC in regions showing significant group differences and clinical variables. Results: Compared to controls, hyperthyroid patients showed weaker FC between the bilateral hippocampus and both the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as between the right hippocampus and right medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). Disease duration was negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC and PCC. Levels of depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC. Conclusion: Decreased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and bilateral ACC, PCC, and right mOFC may contribute to the emotional and cognitive dysfunction associated with hyperthyroidism.

  20. Disrupted functional connectivity of the hippocampus in patients with hyperthyroidism: Evidence from resting-state fMRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Wei; Liu, Xianjun; Zhang, Yi; Song, Lingheng; Hou, Jingming; Chen, Bing; He, Mei; Cai, Ping; Lii, Haitao

    2014-01-01

    Objective: The hippocampus expresses high levels of thyroid hormone receptors, suggesting that hippocampal functions, including cognition and regulation of mood, can be disrupted by thyroid pathology. Indeed, structural and functional alterations within the hippocampus have been observed in hyperthyroid patients. In addition to internal circuitry, hippocampal processing is dependent on extensive connections with other limbic and neocortical structures, but the effects of hyperthyroidism on functional connectivity (FC) with these areas have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible abnormalities in the FC between the hippocampus and other neural structures in hyperthyroid patients using resting-state fMRI. Methods: Seed-based correlation analysis was performed on resting-state fMRI data to reveal possible differences in hippocampal FC between hyperthyroid patients and healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the strength of FC in regions showing significant group differences and clinical variables. Results: Compared to controls, hyperthyroid patients showed weaker FC between the bilateral hippocampus and both the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as between the right hippocampus and right medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). Disease duration was negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC and PCC. Levels of depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC. Conclusion: Decreased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and bilateral ACC, PCC, and right mOFC may contribute to the emotional and cognitive dysfunction associated with hyperthyroidism

  1. Disrupted functional connectivity of the hippocampus in patients with hyperthyroidism: evidence from resting-state fMRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Liu, Xianjun; Zhang, Yi; Song, Lingheng; Hou, Jingming; Chen, Bing; He, Mei; Cai, Ping; Lii, Haitao

    2014-10-01

    The hippocampus expresses high levels of thyroid hormone receptors, suggesting that hippocampal functions, including cognition and regulation of mood, can be disrupted by thyroid pathology. Indeed, structural and functional alterations within the hippocampus have been observed in hyperthyroid patients. In addition to internal circuitry, hippocampal processing is dependent on extensive connections with other limbic and neocortical structures, but the effects of hyperthyroidism on functional connectivity (FC) with these areas have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate possible abnormalities in the FC between the hippocampus and other neural structures in hyperthyroid patients using resting-state fMRI. Seed-based correlation analysis was performed on resting-state fMRI data to reveal possible differences in hippocampal FC between hyperthyroid patients and healthy controls. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the strength of FC in regions showing significant group differences and clinical variables. Compared to controls, hyperthyroid patients showed weaker FC between the bilateral hippocampus and both the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), as well as between the right hippocampus and right medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). Disease duration was negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC and PCC. Levels of depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with FC strength between the bilateral hippocampus and bilateral ACC. Decreased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and bilateral ACC, PCC, and right mOFC may contribute to the emotional and cognitive dysfunction associated with hyperthyroidism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The hippocampal network model: A transdiagnostic metaconnectomic approach

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    Eithan Kotkowski

    Full Text Available Purpose: The hippocampus plays a central role in cognitive and affective processes and is commonly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Our study aimed to identify and describe a hippocampal network model (HNM using trans-diagnostic MRI data from the BrainMap® database. We used meta-analysis to test the network degeneration hypothesis (NDH (Seeley et al., 2009 by identifying structural and functional covariance in this hippocampal network. Methods: To generate our network model, we used BrainMap's VBM database to perform a region-to-whole-brain (RtWB meta-analysis of 269 VBM experiments from 165 published studies across a range of 38 psychiatric and neurological diseases reporting hippocampal gray matter density alterations. This step identified 11 significant gray matter foci, or nodes. We subsequently used meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM to define edges of structural covariance between nodes from VBM data as well as functional covariance using the functional task-activation database, also from BrainMap. Finally, we applied a correlation analysis using Pearson's r to assess the similarities and differences between the structural and functional covariance models. Key findings: Our hippocampal RtWB meta-analysis reported consistent and significant structural covariance in 11 key regions. The subsequent structural and functional MACMs showed a strong correlation between HNM nodes with a significant structural-functional covariance correlation of r = .377 (p = .000049. Significance: This novel method of studying network covariance using VBM and functional meta-analytic techniques allows for the identification of generalizable patterns of functional and structural abnormalities pertaining to the hippocampus. In accordance with the NDH, this framework could have major implications in studying and predicting spatial disease patterns using network-based assays. Keywords: Anatomic likelihood estimation, ALE, BrainMap, Functional

  3. Maternal Voluntary Exercise during Pregnancy Enhances the Spatial Learning Acquisition but not the Retention of Memory in Rat Pups via a TrkB-mediated Mechanism: The Role of Hippocampal BDNF Expression

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    Maziar M Akhavan

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available   Objective(s: The effect of maternal voluntary exercise on hippocampal BDNF level in rat offspring was studied. In addition, the possible role of hippocampal BDNF receptors in maternal exercise induced enhancement of learning in the rat pups was investigated.   Materials and Methods: Pregnant rats have been randomly assigned to sedentary control or voluntary exercise groups. Each of the exercising pregnant rats was given access to a cage that was equipped with a running wheel until the end of their pregnancy. On post natal day (PND 36, two groups consisted of 7 male rat pups in each group from sedentary or exercised mothers were sacrificed and the hippocampus was dissected for BDNF proteins level determination. Also, bilateral injection of K252a to the hippocampus was used to block the hippocampal BDNF action on PND59 in the rat pups. Results: Voluntary exercise during pregnancy significantly increased the level of BDNF protein in the hippocampus of the rat pups on PND36 compared to the control group (P=0.048. Inhibiting BDNF action abolished the exercise-induced improvement of learning acquisition in offspring in training trials (P=0.0001. No difference was observed in the platform location latency and the time spent in the target in the probe test between two groups. Conclusion : This study demonstrates that voluntary exercise during pregnancy via a TrkB-mediated mechanism enhances the spatial learning acquisition, however, not the retention of memory in the rat pups.

  4. Building hippocampal circuits to learn and remember: insights into the development of human memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavenex, Pierre; Banta Lavenex, Pamela

    2013-10-01

    The hippocampal formation is essential for the processing of episodic memories for autobiographical events that happen in unique spatiotemporal contexts. Interestingly, before 2 years of age, children are unable to form or store episodic memories for recall later in life, a phenomenon known as infantile amnesia. From 2 to 7 years of age, there are fewer memories than predicted based on a forgetting function alone, a phenomenon known as childhood amnesia. Here, we discuss the postnatal maturation of the primate hippocampal formation with the goal of characterizing the development of the neurobiological substrates thought to subserve the emergence of episodic memory. Distinct regions, layers and cells of the hippocampal formation exhibit different profiles of structural and molecular development during early postnatal life. The protracted period of neuronal addition and maturation in the dentate gyrus is accompanied by the late maturation of specific layers in different hippocampal regions that are located downstream from the dentate gyrus, particularly CA3. In contrast, distinct layers in several hippocampal regions, particularly CA1, which receive direct projections from the entorhinal cortex, exhibit an early maturation. In addition, hippocampal regions that are more highly interconnected with subcortical structures, including the subiculum, presubiculum, parasubiculum and CA2, mature even earlier. These findings, together with our studies of the development of human spatial memory, support the hypothesis that the differential maturation of distinct hippocampal circuits might underlie the differential emergence of specific "hippocampus-dependent" memory processes, culminating in the emergence of episodic memory concomitant with the maturation of all hippocampal circuits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Bilateral tension pneumothorax after acupuncture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammad, Nurashikin

    2018-04-19

    Acupuncture is an ancient complementary medicine which is currently used worldwide. Many serious adverse events have been reported which include a spectrum of mild-to-fatal complications. However, the level of awareness with regard to complications is still low both to physicians and patients. We report a 63-year-old who presented with acute shortness of breath 2 hours after having had acupuncture. On examination, there was absent breath sound heard on the left lung and slightly reduced breath sound on the right lung. She had type 1 respiratory failure. Urgent chest radiograph confirmed bilateral pneumothorax which was more severe on the left with tension pneumothorax and mediastinal shift. Chest tubes were inserted bilaterally after failed needle aspiration attempts. Subsequently, the pneumothoraces resolved, and she was discharged well. The bilateral pneumothoraces caused by acupuncture were curable but could have been potentially fatal if diagnosis was delayed. This case report adds to the limited current literature on the complications of acupuncture leading to bilateral pneumothoraces. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  6. Tinnitus after Simultaneous and Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramakers, Geerte G J; Kraaijenga, Véronique J C; Smulders, Yvette E; van Zon, Alice; Stegeman, Inge; Stokroos, Robert J; Free, Rolien H; Frijns, Johan H M; Huinck, Wendy J; Van Zanten, Gijsbert A; Grolman, Wilko

    2017-01-01

    There is an ongoing global discussion on whether or not bilateral cochlear implantation should be standard care for bilateral deafness. Contrary to unilateral cochlear implantation, however, little is known about the effect of bilateral cochlear implantation on tinnitus. To investigate tinnitus outcomes 1 year after bilateral cochlear implantation. Secondarily, to compare tinnitus outcomes between simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation and to investigate long-term follow-up (3 years). This study is a secondary analysis as part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Thirty-eight postlingually deafened adults were included in the original trial, in which the presence of tinnitus was not an inclusion criterion. All participants received cochlear implants (CIs) because of profound hearing loss. Nineteen participants received bilateral CIs simultaneously and 19 participants received bilateral CIs sequentially with an inter-implant interval of 2 years. The prevalence and severity of tinnitus before and after simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were measured preoperatively and each year after implantation with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ). The prevalence of preoperative tinnitus was 42% (16/38). One year after bilateral implantation, there was a median difference of -8 (inter-quartile range (IQR): -28 to 4) in THI score and -9 (IQR: -17 to -9) in TQ score in the participants with preoperative tinnitus. Induction of tinnitus occurred in five participants, all in the simultaneous group, in the year after bilateral implantation. Although the preoperative and also the postoperative median THI and TQ scores were higher in the simultaneous group, the median difference scores were equal in both groups. In the simultaneous group, tinnitus scores fluctuated in the 3 years after implantation. In the sequential group, four patients had an additional benefit of the second CI: a total

  7. Hydraulic bilateral construction robot; Yuatsushiki bilateral kensetsu robot

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maehata, K.; Mori, N. [Kayaba Industry Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    1999-05-15

    Concerning a hydraulic bilateral construction robot, its system constitution, structures and functions of important components, and the results of some tests are explained, and the researches conducted at Gifu University are described. The construction robot in this report is a servo controlled system of a version developed from the mini-shovel now available in the market. It is equipped, in addition to an electrohydraulic servo control system, with various sensors for detecting the robot attitude, vibration, and load state, and with a camera for visualizing the surrounding landscape. It is also provided with a bilateral joy stick which is a remote control actuator capable of working sensation feedback and with a rocking unit that creates robot movements of rolling, pitching, and heaving. The construction robot discussed here, with output increased and response faster thanks to the employment of a hydraulic driving system for the aim of building a robot system superior in performance to the conventional model designed primarily for heavy duty, proves after tests to be a highly sophisticated remotely controlled robot control system. (NEDO)

  8. Bilateral pallidotomy for generalized dystonia Palidotomia bilateral para distonias generalizadas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélio A. G. Teive

    2001-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bilateral pallidotomies in five patients with generalized dystonia. BACKGROUND: Generalized dystonias are frequently a therapeutic challenge, with poor responses to pharmacological treatment. GPi (globus pallidus internus pallidotomies for Parkinson's disease ameliorate all kinds of dyskinesias/dystonia, and recent studies reported a marked improvement of refractory dystonias with this procedure. METHODS: Five patients with generalized dystonias refractory to medical treatment were selected; one posttraumatic and four idiopathic. The decision to perform bilateral procedures was based on the predominant axial involvement in these patients. Dystonia severity was assessed with the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Scale (BFM. Simultaneous procedures were performed in all but one patient, who had a staged procedure. They were reevaluated with the same scale (BFM by an unblinded rater at 1, 2, 3, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 days post-operatively. RESULTS: The four patients with idiopathic dystonia showed a progressive improvement up to three months; the patient with posttraumatic dystonia relapsed at three months. One patient had a marked improvement, being able to discontinue all the medications. A mean decrease in the BFM scores of 52,58% was noted. One patient had a trans-operative motor seizure followed by a transient hemiparesis secondary to rack hemorrhage; other was lethargic up to three days after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that bilateral GPi pallidotomies may be a safe and effective approach to medically refractory generalized dystonias; it can also be speculated that the posttraumatic subgroup may not benefit with this procedure.As distonias generalizadas são freqüentemente um desafio terapêutico, com pobres respostas aos tratamentos farmacológicos. As cirurgias estereotáxicas, como a palidotomia, têm sido utilizadas com êxito no tratamento da doença de Parkinson e estudos

  9. Simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with bilateral medial epicondyle fractures in a 13-year-old female gymnast with hyperlaxity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Stefan; Dunne, Ben; Whitewood, Colin

    2012-01-01

    Bilateral simultaneous elbow dislocations are extremely rare and have only been described in 12 cases. In the paediatric population unilateral elbow dislocations are rare with 3–6% of all elbow injuries and there are only few studies describing this injury exclusively in children. There is only one case report of a paediatric patient who sustained a simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with medial epicondyle fractures. We present a second paediatric case of simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with associated displaced bilateral medial epicondyle fractures in a gymnast with joint hyperlaxity (3 of 5 Wynne-Davies criteria) treated with closed reduction and short-term immobilisation (3 weeks). The patient returned to full trampoline gymnastics between 4 and 5 months postinjury and made an uneventful recovery. PMID:23234820

  10. Over-expression of TSPO in the hippocampal CA1 area alleviates cognitive dysfunction caused by lipopolysaccharide in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui; Ma, Li; Yin, Yan-Ling; Dong, Lian-Qiang; Cheng, Gang-Ge; Ma, Ya-Qun; Li, Yun-Feng; Xu, Bai-Nan

    2016-09-01

    The translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO) is closely related to regulation of immune/inflammatory response. However, the putative role and signaling mechanisms of TSPO in regulation of neuroinflammation remain unclear. GV287 lentiviral vectors mediating TSPO over-expression were injected into bilateral hippocampal CA1 areas to test whether TSPO over-expression was neuroprotective in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mice model. Finasteride, a blocker of allopregnanolone production, was used to test whether the protective effects were related to steroideogenesis. The results demonstrated that TSPO over-expression increased progesterone and allopregnanolone synthesis. TSPO over-expression in CA1 area improved LPS-induced cognitive deficiency in mice and this cognitive improvement was reversed by finasteride administration. These data suggest that up-regulation of TSPO level during neuroinflammation may be an adaptive response mechanism, a way to provide more neurosteroids. We confer that TSPO could be an attractive drug target for controlling neuroinflammation in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. THE EUROPEAN UNION’S BILATERAL APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludmila BORTA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The EU is a world economic power and a major trading partner for most countries. All the time, this region has been interested and has acted towards a free and fair trade. The decrease and even the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers in the world trade are among the main objectives of the EU strategy for international trade. At the moment, the elusive outcome of the WTO Doha Round has led to the proliferation of bilateral trade agreements worldwide. Although the EU remains committed to further development of the multilateral trading system, however, the EU still has appealed also to the development of bilateral trade relations. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the current bilateral dimension of the common commercial policy of the EU. In conclusion, to describe this bilateral approach of the EU we are using one word, namely “diversity”.

  12. A case of bilateral tubal pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayano Funamizu

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral tubal pregnancy is very rare and occurs in only 1 out of every 200,000 spontaneous pregnancies. In this case, a 29-year-old woman with a history of primary infertility underwent treatment with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, and became pregnant. A gestational sac (GS was not detected in the uterus and transvaginal ultrasonography (USG revealed GS with fetal heartbeat in the left adnexa at 7 weeks and 6 days of gestation. The patient underwent laparoscopic surgery and ultimately, bilateral tubal pregnancy was diagnosed. Consequently, bilateral fallopian tube resection was performed. Afterwards, she conceived by assisted reproductive technology (ART and delivered vaginally. This case suggests that even if a GS is found in one fallopian tube by USG, it is important to evaluate the other fallopian tube carefully. Keywords: bilateral tubal pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, human menopausal gonadotropin, laparoscopy

  13. Structural correlates of impaired working memory in hippocampal sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winston, Gavin P; Stretton, Jason; Sidhu, Meneka K; Symms, Mark R; Thompson, Pamela J; Duncan, John S

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has been considered to impair long-term memory, whilst not affecting working memory, but recent evidence suggests that working memory is compromised. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies demonstrate that working memory involves a bilateral frontoparietal network the activation of which is disrupted in hippocampal sclerosis (HS). A specific role of the hippocampus to deactivate during working memory has been proposed with this mechanism faulty in patients with HS. Structural correlates of disrupted working memory in HS have not been explored. Methods: We studied 54 individuals with medically refractory TLE and unilateral HS (29 left) and 28 healthy controls. Subjects underwent 3T structural MRI, a visuospatial n-back fMRI paradigm and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Working memory capacity assessed by three span tasks (digit span backwards, gesture span, motor sequences) was combined with performance in the visuospatial paradigm to give a global working memory measure. Gray and white matter changes were investigated using voxel-based morphometry and voxel-based analysis of DTI, respectively. Key Findings: Individuals with left or right HS performed less well than healthy controls on all measures of working memory. fMRI demonstrated a bilateral frontoparietal network during the working memory task with reduced activation of the right parietal lobe in both patient groups. In left HS, gray matter loss was seen in the ipsilateral hippocampus and parietal lobe, with maintenance of the gray matter volume of the contralateral parietal lobe associated with better performance. White matter integrity within the frontoparietal network, in particular the superior longitudinal fasciculus and cingulum, and the contralateral temporal lobe, was associated with working memory performance. In right HS, gray matter loss was also seen in the ipsilateral hippocampus and parietal lobe. Working memory performance correlated with the gray matter volume of

  14. Bilateral sarkoidose i glandula parotis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hahn, Pernille; Krogdahl, Annelise; Godballe, Christian

    2012-01-01

    We describe an unusual case of sarcoidosis in which the patient presented with a bilateral swelling of the parotid salivary glands and no other manifestation of the disease. Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown cause in which there may be multiple exocrine involvement......, including the salivary glands. This case emphasises the importance of including sarcoidosis in the differential diagnosis of bilateral parotid swelling....

  15. Preservation of hippocampal neuron numbers and hippocampal subfield volumes in behaviorally characterized aged tree shrews

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keuker, J.I.H.; de Biurrun, G.; Luiten, P.G.M.; Fuchs, E.

    2004-01-01

    Aging is associated with a decreased ability to store and retrieve information. The hippocampal formation plays a critical role in such memory processes, and its integrity is affected during normal aging. We used tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) as an animal model of aging, because in many

  16. MODERN VIEWS ON BILATERAL BREAST CANCER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ye. A. Fesik

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Presented modern literature data on the features of the pathogenesis, course, clinical and morphological expression and tumor characteristics, parameters and nodal metastasis of hematogenous bilateral breast cancer. Highlight the results of domestic and foreign studies in recent years to determine the prognostic factors and recurrence of synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer. It was revealed that the frequency of bilateral breast tumor lesions varies widely, ranging from 0.1 to 20%, with metachronous tumors recorded significantly higher (69.6% than the synchronous (22.7%. The probability of occurrence of metachronous breast cancer is higher in women with a family history, as well as if they have a gene mutation BRCA-1. Found that the most common histological type of breast tumor with bilateral lesions is invasive ductal. However, the incidence of invasive lobular cancer and non-invasive lobular cancer is slightly higher among synchronous bilateral cancer compared with unilateral disease. Studies have shown that in a double-sided synchronous breast cancer tumor, as a rule, has a lower degree of differentiation, and the higher the expression level of estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors. Relevance of the issue because the identification of patterns in the study of lymphatic and hematogenous features bilateral metastasis of mammary tumors provides a basis for speculation about the differences in the progression of neoplastic disease in these groups and is a cause for further detailed research in this area to identify and evaluate the prognosis and also the choice of tactics of such patients.

  17. Moderate exercise ameliorates dysregulated hippocampal glycometabolism and memory function in a rat model of type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shima, Takeru; Matsui, Takashi; Jesmin, Subrina; Okamoto, Masahiro; Soya, Mariko; Inoue, Koshiro; Liu, Yu-Fan; Torres-Aleman, Ignacio; McEwen, Bruce S; Soya, Hideaki

    2017-03-01

    Type 2 diabetes is likely to be an independent risk factor for hippocampal-based memory dysfunction, although this complication has yet to be investigated in detail. As dysregulated glycometabolism in peripheral tissues is a key symptom of type 2 diabetes, it is hypothesised that diabetes-mediated memory dysfunction is also caused by hippocampal glycometabolic dysfunction. If so, such dysfunction should also be ameliorated with moderate exercise by normalising hippocampal glycometabolism, since 4 weeks of moderate exercise enhances memory function and local hippocampal glycogen levels in normal animals. The hippocampal glycometabolism in OLETF rats (model of human type 2 diabetes) was assessed and, subsequently, the effects of exercise on memory function and hippocampal glycometabolism were investigated. OLETF rats, which have memory dysfunction, exhibited higher levels of glycogen in the hippocampus than did control rats, and breakdown of hippocampal glycogen with a single bout of exercise remained unimpaired. However, OLETF rats expressed lower levels of hippocampal monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2, a transporter for lactate to neurons). Four weeks of moderate exercise improved spatial memory accompanied by further increase in hippocampal glycogen levels and restoration of MCT2 expression independent of neurotrophic factor and clinical symptoms in OLETF rats. Our findings are the first to describe detailed profiles of glycometabolism in the type 2 diabetic hippocampus and to show that 4 weeks of moderate exercise improves memory dysfunction in type 2 diabetes via amelioration of dysregulated hippocampal glycometabolism. Dysregulated hippocampal lactate-transport-related glycometabolism is a possible aetiology of type-2-diabetes-mediated memory dysfunction.

  18. Neural Correlates of Body and Face Perception Following Bilateral Destruction of the Primary Visual Cortices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan eVan den Stock

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Non-conscious visual processing of different object categories was investigated in a rare patient with bilateral destruction of the visual cortex (V1 and clinical blindness over the entire visual field. Images of biological and non-biological object categories were presented consisting of human bodies, faces, butterflies, cars, and scrambles. Behaviorally, only the body shape induced higher perceptual sensitivity, as revealed by signal detection analysis. Passive exposure to bodies and faces activated amygdala and superior temporal sulcus. In addition, bodies also activated the extrastriate body area, insula, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC and cerebellum. The results show that following bilateral damage to the primary visual cortex and ensuing complete cortical blindness, the human visual system is able to process categorical properties of human body shapes. This residual vision may be based on V1-independent input to body-selective areas along the ventral stream, in concert with areas involved in the representation of bodily states, like insula, OFC and cerebellum.

  19. A three-plane architectonic atlas of the rat hippocampal region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boccara, Charlotte N; Kjonigsen, Lisa J; Hammer, Ingvild M; Bjaalie, Jan G; Leergaard, Trygve B; Witter, Menno P

    2015-07-01

    The hippocampal region, comprising the hippocampal formation and the parahippocampal region, has been one of the most intensively studied parts of the brain for decades. Better understanding of its functional diversity and complexity has led to an increased demand for specificity in experimental procedures and manipulations. In view of the complex 3D structure of the hippocampal region, precisely positioned experimental approaches require a fine-grained architectural description that is available and readable to experimentalists lacking detailed anatomical experience. In this paper, we provide the first cyto- and chemoarchitectural description of the hippocampal formation and parahippocampal region in the rat at high resolution and in the three standard sectional planes: coronal, horizontal and sagittal. The atlas uses a series of adjacent sections stained for neurons and for a number of chemical marker substances, particularly parvalbumin and calbindin. All the borders defined in one plane have been cross-checked against their counterparts in the other two planes. The entire dataset will be made available as a web-based interactive application through the Rodent Brain WorkBench (http://www.rbwb.org) which, together with this paper, provides a unique atlas resource. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. ASIC-like, proton-activated currents in rat hippocampal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, Anne; Waldmann, Rainer; Lazdunski, Michel

    2002-03-01

    The expression of mRNA for acid sensing ion channels (ASIC) subunits ASIC1a, ASIC2a and ASIC2b has been reported in hippocampal neurons, but the presence of functional hippocampal ASIC channels was never assessed. We report here the first characterization of ASIC-like currents in rat hippocampal neurons in primary culture. An extracellular pH drop induces a transient Na(+) current followed by a sustained non-selective cation current. This current is highly sensitive to pH with an activation threshold around pH 6.9 and a pH(0.5) of 6.2. About half of the total peak current is inhibited by the spider toxin PcTX1, which is specific for homomeric ASIC1a channels. The remaining PcTX1-resistant ASIC-like current is increased by 300 microM Zn(2+) and, whereas not fully activated at pH 5, it shows a pH(0.5) of 6.0 between pH 7.4 and 5. We have previously shown that Zn(2+) is a co-activator of ASIC2a-containing channels. Thus, the hippocampal transient ASIC-like current appears to be generated by a mixture of homomeric ASIC1a channels and ASIC2a-containing channels, probably heteromeric ASIC1a+2a channels. The sustained non-selective current suggests the involvement of ASIC2b-containing heteromeric channels. Activation of the hippocampal ASIC-like current by a pH drop to 6.9 or 6.6 induces a transient depolarization which itself triggers an initial action potential (AP) followed by a sustained depolarization and trains of APs. Zn(2+) increases the acid sensitivity of ASIC channels, and consequently neuronal excitability. It is probably an important co-activator of ASIC channels in the central nervous system.

  1. Pathophysiogenesis of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Is Prevention of Damage Antiepileptogenic?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curia, G.; Lucchi, C.; Vinet, J.; Gualtieri, F.; Marinelli, C.; Torsello, A.; Costantino, L.; Biagini*,, G.

    2014-01-01

    Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is frequently associated with hippocampal sclerosis, possibly caused by a primary brain injury that occurred a long time before the appearance of neurological symptoms. This type of epilepsy is characterized by refractoriness to drug treatment, so to require surgical resection of mesial temporal regions involved in seizure onset. Even this last therapeutic approach may fail in giving relief to patients. Although prevention of hippocampal damage and epileptogenesis after a primary event could be a key innovative approach to TLE, the lack of clear data on the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to TLE does not allow any rational therapy. Here we address the current knowledge on mechanisms supposed to be involved in epileptogenesis, as well as on the possible innovative treatments that may lead to a preventive approach. Besides loss of principal neurons and of specific interneurons, network rearrangement caused by axonal sprouting and neurogenesis are well known phenomena that are integrated by changes in receptor and channel functioning and modifications in other cellular components. In particular, a growing body of evidence from the study of animal models suggests that disruption of vascular and astrocytic components of the blood-brain barrier takes place in injured brain regions such as the hippocampus and piriform cortex. These events may be counteracted by drugs able to prevent damage to the vascular component, as in the case of the growth hormone secretagogue ghrelin and its analogues. A thoroughly investigation on these new pharmacological tools may lead to design effective preventive therapies. PMID:24251566

  2. Cannabis-related hippocampal volumetric abnormalities specific to subregions in dependent users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chye, Yann; Suo, Chao; Yücel, Murat; den Ouden, Lauren; Solowij, Nadia; Lorenzetti, Valentina

    2017-07-01

    Cannabis use is associated with neuroanatomical alterations in the hippocampus. While the hippocampus is composed of multiple subregions, their differential vulnerability to cannabis dependence remains unknown. The objective of the study is to investigate gray matter alteration in each of the hippocampal subregions (presubiculum, subiculum, cornu ammonis (CA) subfields CA1-4, and dentate gyrus (DG)) as associated with cannabis use and dependence. A total of 35 healthy controls (HC), 22 non-dependent (CB-nondep), and 39 dependent (CB-dep) cannabis users were recruited. We investigated group differences in hippocampal subregion volumes between HC, CB-nondep, and CB-dep users. We further explored the association between CB use variables (age of onset of regular use, monthly use, lifetime use) and hippocampal subregions in CB-nondep and CB-dep users separately. The CA1, CA2/3, CA4/DG, as well as total hippocampal gray matter were reduced in volume in CB-dep but not in CB-nondep users, relative to HC. The right CA2/3 and CA4/DG volumes were also negatively associated with lifetime cannabis use in CB-dep users. Our results suggest a regionally and dependence-specific influence of cannabis use on the hippocampus. Hippocampal alteration in cannabis users was specific to the CA and DG regions and confined to dependent users.

  3. Initiation of sleep-dependent cortical-hippocampal correlations at wakefulness-sleep transition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haggerty, Daniel C; Ji, Daoyun

    2014-10-01

    Sleep is involved in memory consolidation. Current theories propose that sleep-dependent memory consolidation requires active communication between the hippocampus and neocortex. Indeed, it is known that neuronal activities in the hippocampus and various neocortical areas are correlated during slow-wave sleep. However, transitioning from wakefulness to slow-wave sleep is a gradual process. How the hippocampal-cortical correlation is established during the wakefulness-sleep transition is unknown. By examining local field potentials and multiunit activities in the rat hippocampus and visual cortex, we show that the wakefulness-sleep transition is characterized by sharp-wave ripple events in the hippocampus and high-voltage spike-wave events in the cortex, both of which are accompanied by highly synchronized multiunit activities in the corresponding area. Hippocampal ripple events occur earlier than the cortical high-voltage spike-wave events, and hippocampal ripple incidence is attenuated by the onset of cortical high-voltage spike waves. This attenuation leads to a temporary weak correlation in the hippocampal-cortical multiunit activities, which eventually evolves to a strong correlation as the brain enters slow-wave sleep. The results suggest that the hippocampal-cortical correlation is established through a concerted, two-step state change that first synchronizes the neuronal firing within each brain area and then couples the synchronized activities between the two regions. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

  4. Inter-relationships among diet, obesity and hippocampal-dependent cognitive function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, T L; Hargrave, S L; Swithers, S E; Sample, C H; Fu, X; Kinzig, K P; Zheng, W

    2013-12-03

    Intake of a Western diet (WD), which is high in saturated fat and sugar, is associated with deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory processes as well as with markers of hippocampal pathology. In the present study, rats were trained to asymptote on hippocampal-dependent serial feature negative (FN) and hippocampal-independent simple discrimination problems. Performance was then assessed following 7 days on ad libitum chow and after 10, 24, 40, 60, and 90 days of maintenance on WD, on ketogenic (KETO) diet, which is high in saturated fat and low in sugar and other carbohydrates, or continued maintenance on chow (CHOW). Confirming and extending previous findings, diet-induced obese (DIO) rats fed WD showed impaired FN performance, increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and increased fasting blood glucose levels compared to CHOW controls and to diet-resistant (DR) rats that did not become obese when maintained on WD. For rats fed the KETO diet, FN performance and BBB integrity were more closely associated with level of circulating ketone bodies than with obesity phenotype (DR or DIO), with higher levels of ketones appearing to provide a protective effect. The evidence also indicated that FN deficits preceded and predicted increased body weight and adiposity. This research (a) further substantiates previous findings of WD-induced deficits in hippocampal-dependent FN discriminations, (b) suggests that ketones may be protective against diet-induced cognitive impairment, and (c) provides evidence that diet-induced cognitive impairment precedes weight gain and obesity. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Paresia diafragmática bilateral idiopática Idiopathic bilateral diaphragmatic paresis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mônica Corso Pereira

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Relata-se o caso de um paciente com dispnéia intensa ao se deitar, em que foram excluídas doenças pulmonares, neuromusculares ou cardíacas, cuja investigação revelou paresia diafragmática bilateral. Um sinal chave para o diagnóstico foi a evidência de respiração paradoxal com o doente em decúbito supino. Havia piora da oxigenação e da capacidade vital forçada com a mudança da posição ortostática para supina. A fluoroscopia ortostática foi normal. A pressão inspiratória máxima estava muito reduzida. A estimulação elétrica transcutânea do diafragma foi normal, e a eletroestimulação do nervo frênico mostrou ausência de resposta, permitindo o diagnóstico de paresia bilateral do diafragma.We report the case of a patient with severe dyspnea upon reclining. Lung disease, neuromuscular disorders and heart disease were ruled out. However, during the course of the investigation, bilateral diaphragmatic paresis was discovered. A key sign leading to the diagnosis was evidence of paradoxical respiration in the dorsal decubitus position. When the patient was moved from the orthostatic position to the dorsal decubitus position, oxygenation and forced vital capacity worsened. The orthostatic fluoroscopy was normal. Maximal inspiratory pressure was severely reduced. The responses to transcutaneous electric stimulation of the diaphragm were normal. However, electric stimulation of the phrenic nerve produced no response, leading to the diagnosis of bilateral diaphragmatic paresis.

  6. Hippocampal declarative memory supports gesture production: Evidence from amnesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilverman, Caitlin; Cook, Susan Wagner; Duff, Melissa C

    2016-12-01

    Spontaneous co-speech hand gestures provide a visuospatial representation of what is being communicated in spoken language. Although it is clear that gestures emerge from representations in memory for what is being communicated (De Ruiter, 1998; Wesp, Hesse, Keutmann, & Wheaton, 2001), the mechanism supporting the relationship between gesture and memory is unknown. Current theories of gesture production posit that action - supported by motor areas of the brain - is key in determining whether gestures are produced. We propose that when and how gestures are produced is determined in part by hippocampally-mediated declarative memory. We examined the speech and gesture of healthy older adults and of memory-impaired patients with hippocampal amnesia during four discourse tasks that required accessing episodes and information from the remote past. Consistent with previous reports of impoverished spoken language in patients with hippocampal amnesia, we predicted that these patients, who have difficulty generating multifaceted declarative memory representations, may in turn have impoverished gesture production. We found that patients gestured less overall relative to healthy comparison participants, and that this was particularly evident in tasks that may rely more heavily on declarative memory. Thus, gestures do not just emerge from the motor representation activated for speaking, but are also sensitive to the representation available in hippocampal declarative memory, suggesting a direct link between memory and gesture production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Bilateral microperc in a severe kyphoscoliosis

    OpenAIRE

    Dağgülli, Mansur; Penbegül, Necmettin; Dede, Onur; Utanğaç, Mehmet Mazhar

    2016-01-01

    Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is the standard modality for large renal calculi in normal and abnormal renal anatomic situations. This case report describes a 57-year-old male patient who presented with bilateral kidney stones and severe kyphoscoliosis. He had successfully been treated with a bilateral microperc technique.

  8. A case of bilateral trench foot.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, S L; Leach, I H; Charnley, R M

    1993-12-01

    A case of severe bilateral trench foot is presented in a patient who lived rough for 3 weeks without removing his boots. Non-operative management yielded no clinical improvement and bilateral below-knee amputation was necessary. Histology revealed subcutaneous and muscle necrosis with secondary arterial thrombosis.

  9. 17β Estradiol increases resilience and improves hippocampal synaptic function in helpless ovariectomized rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bredemann, Teruko M.; McMahon, Lori L.

    2014-01-01

    Summary Memory impairment is the most commonly reported cognitive symptom associated with major depressive disorder. Decreased hippocampal volume and neurogenesis in depression link hippocampal dysfunction with deficits in memory. Stress decreases hippocampal dendritic spine density and long-term potentiation (LTP) at glutamate synapses, a cellular correlate of learning and memory. However, elevated plasma levels of 17β estradiol (E2) during proestrus increase hippocampal structure and function, directly opposing the negative consequences of stress. In women, significant fluctuations in ovarian hormones likely increase vulnerability of hippocampal circuits to stress, potentially contributing to the greater incidence of depression compared to men. Using the learned helplessness model of depression and ovariectomized female rats, we investigated whether acquisition of helplessness and hippocampal synaptic dysfunction is differentially impacted by the presence or absence of plasma E2. We find that inescapable shock induces a greater incidence of helplessness in vehicle- versus E2-treated OVX rats. In the vehicle-treated group, LTP was absent at CA3-CA1 synapses in slices only from helpless rats, and CA1 spine density was decreased compared to resilient rats. In contrast, significant LTP was observed in slices from E2-treated helpless rats; importantly, spine density was not different between E2-treated helpless and resilient rats, dissociating spine density from the LTP magnitude. We also find that E2 replacement can reverse previously established helpless behavior. Thus, our results show that E2 replacement in OVX rats increases resilience and improves hippocampal plasticity, suggesting that E2 therapy may increase resilience to stress and preserve hippocampal function in women experiencing large fluctuations in plasma estrogen levels. PMID:24636504

  10. Hippocampal effects of neuronostatin on memory, anxiety-like behavior and food intake in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlini, V P; Ghersi, M; Gabach, L; Schiöth, H B; Pérez, M F; Ramirez, O A; Fiol de Cuneo, M; de Barioglio, S R

    2011-12-01

    A 13-amino acid peptide named neuronostatin (NST) encoded in the somatostatin pro-hormone has been recently reported. It is produced throughout the body, particularly in brain areas that have significant actions over the metabolic and autonomic regulation. The present study was performed in order to elucidate the functional role of NST on memory, anxiety-like behavior and food intake and the hippocampal participation in these effects. When the peptide was intra-hippocampally administered at 3.0 nmol/μl, it impaired memory retention in both, object recognition and step-down test. Also, this dose blocked the hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) generation. When NST was intra-hippocampally administered at 0.3 nmol/μl and 3.0 nmol/μl, anxiolytic effects were observed. Also, the administration in the third ventricle at the higher dose (3.0 nmol/μl) induced similar effects, and both doses reduced food intake. The main result of the present study is the relevance of the hippocampal formation in the behavioral effects induced by NST, and these effects could be associated to a reduced hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Copyright © 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Ceratite bilateral por Acanthamoeba: relato de caso Bilateral Acanthamoeba keratitis: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilson Nahmatallah Obeid

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available A ceratite por Acanthamoeba é uma infecção ocular grave que, apesar dos recentes progressos no diagnóstico e tratamento, ainda provoca prolongada morbidade e perda da acuidade visual. Relatamos um caso de ceratite bilateral por Acanthamoeba em usuário de lentes de contato, que é o primeiro caso descrito na literatura brasileira.Acanthamoeba keratitis is a severe ocular infection which even with recent progress in diagnosis and treatment still causes long morbidity and loss of visual acuity. We describe a case of bilateral Acanthamoeba keratitis in a user of contact lenses, which is the first case discussed in Brazilian literature.

  12. Inhibition of NKCC1 attenuated hippocampal LTP formation and inhibitory avoidance in rat.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng Chang Ko

    Full Text Available The loop diuretic bumetanide (Bumex is thought to have antiepileptic properties via modulate GABAA mediated signaling through their antagonism of cation-chloride cotransporters. Given that loop diuretics may act as antiepileptic drugs that modulate GABAergic signaling, we sought to investigate whether they also affect hippocampal function. The current study was performed to evaluate the possible role of NKCC1 on the hippocampal function. Brain slice extracellular recording, inhibitory avoidance, and western blot were applied in this study. Results showed that hippocampal Long-term potentiation was attenuated by suprafusion of NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide, in a dose dependent manner. Sequent experiment result showed that Intravenous injection of bumetanide (15.2 mg/kg 30 min prior to the training session blocked inhibitory avoidance learning significantly. Subsequent control experiment's results excluded the possible non-specific effect of bumetanide on avoidance learning. We also found the phosphorylation of hippocampal MAPK was attenuated after bumetanide administration. These results suggested that hippocampal NKCC1 may via MAPK signaling cascade to possess its function.

  13. Epigenetic control of hippocampal stem cells: modulation by hyperactivation, glucocorticoids and aging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schouten, M.

    2015-01-01

    The adult brain has the ability to structurally and functionally adapt to changes in its environment. Examples of these adaptations are the addition of new neurons to neurogenic regions such as the hippocampal dentate gyrus, termed adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and alterations in neuronal

  14. Temporal Dissociation of Neocortical and Hippocampal Contributions to Mental Time Travel Using Intracranial Recordings in Humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schurr, Roey; Nitzan, Mor; Eliahou, Ruth; Spinelli, Laurent; Seeck, Margitta; Blanke, Olaf; Arzy, Shahar

    2018-01-01

    In mental time travel (MTT) one is "traveling" back-and-forth in time, remembering, and imagining events. Despite intensive research regarding memory processes in the hippocampus, it was only recently shown that the hippocampus plays an essential role in encoding the temporal order of events remembered, and therefore plays an important role in MTT. Does it also encode the temporal relations of these events to the remembering self? We asked patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation with depth electrodes penetrating the temporal lobes bilaterally toward the hippocampus to project themselves in time to a past, future, or present time-point, and then make judgments regarding various events. Classification analysis of intracranial evoked potentials revealed clear temporal dissociation in the left hemisphere between lateral-temporal electrodes, activated at ~100-300 ms, and hippocampal electrodes, activated at ~400-600 ms. This dissociation may suggest a division of labor in the temporal lobe during self-projection in time, hinting toward the different roles of the lateral-temporal cortex and the hippocampus in MTT and the temporal organization of the related events with respect to the experiencing self.

  15. Focal CA3 hippocampal subfield atrophy following LGI1 VGKC-complex antibody limbic encephalitis

    OpenAIRE

    Miller, T; Chong, T; Aimola Davies, A; Ng, T; Johnson, M; Irani, S; Vincent, A; Husain, M; Jacob, S; Maddison, P; Kennard, C; Gowland, P; Rosenthal, C

    2017-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging has linked chronic voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibody-mediated limbic encephalitis with generalized hippocampal atrophy. However, autoantibodies bind to specific rodent hippocampal subfields. Here, human hippocampal subfield (subiculum, cornu ammonis 1-3, and dentate gyrus) targets of immunomodulation-treated LGI1 VGKC-complex antibody-mediated limbic encephalitis were investigated using in vivo ultra-high resolution (0.39 × 0....

  16. Tinnitus after Simultaneous and Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geerte G. J. Ramakers

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available ImportanceThere is an ongoing global discussion on whether or not bilateral cochlear implantation should be standard care for bilateral deafness. Contrary to unilateral cochlear implantation, however, little is known about the effect of bilateral cochlear implantation on tinnitus.ObjectiveTo investigate tinnitus outcomes 1 year after bilateral cochlear implantation. Secondarily, to compare tinnitus outcomes between simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation and to investigate long-term follow-up (3 years.Study designThis study is a secondary analysis as part of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.MethodsThirty-eight postlingually deafened adults were included in the original trial, in which the presence of tinnitus was not an inclusion criterion. All participants received cochlear implants (CIs because of profound hearing loss. Nineteen participants received bilateral CIs simultaneously and 19 participants received bilateral CIs sequentially with an inter-implant interval of 2 years. The prevalence and severity of tinnitus before and after simultaneous and sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were measured preoperatively and each year after implantation with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI and Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ.ResultsThe prevalence of preoperative tinnitus was 42% (16/38. One year after bilateral implantation, there was a median difference of −8 (inter-quartile range (IQR: −28 to 4 in THI score and −9 (IQR: −17 to −9 in TQ score in the participants with preoperative tinnitus. Induction of tinnitus occurred in five participants, all in the simultaneous group, in the year after bilateral implantation. Although the preoperative and also the postoperative median THI and TQ scores were higher in the simultaneous group, the median difference scores were equal in both groups. In the simultaneous group, tinnitus scores fluctuated in the 3 years after implantation. In the sequential group

  17. Bilateral agenesis of the anterior cruciate ligament: MRI evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bedoya, Maria A.; Jaramillo, Diego [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Radiology Department, Philadelphia, PA (United States); McGraw, Michael H. [Hospitalof theUniversityof Pennsylvania, Divisionof Orthopaedics, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Wells, Lawrence [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Division of Orthopaedics, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2014-09-15

    Bilateral agenesis of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is extremely rare. We describe a 13-year-old girl who presented with bilateral knee pain without history of trauma; she has two family members with knee instability. Magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral absence of the ACL, and medial posterior horn meniscal tears. Bilateral arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed. (orig.)

  18. APP Is a Context-Sensitive Regulator of the Hippocampal Presynaptic Active Zone.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melanie Laßek

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD are characterized by cognitive decline and behavioral changes. The most prominent brain region affected by the progression of AD is the hippocampal formation. The pathogenesis involves a successive loss of hippocampal neurons accompanied by a decline in learning and memory consolidation mainly attributed to an accumulation of senile plaques. The amyloid precursor protein (APP has been identified as precursor of Aβ-peptides, the main constituents of senile plaques. Until now, little is known about the physiological function of APP within the central nervous system. The allocation of APP to the proteome of the highly dynamic presynaptic active zone (PAZ highlights APP as a yet unknown player in neuronal communication and signaling. In this study, we analyze the impact of APP deletion on the hippocampal PAZ proteome. The native hippocampal PAZ derived from APP mouse mutants (APP-KOs and NexCreAPP/APLP2-cDKOs was isolated by subcellular fractionation and immunopurification. Subsequently, an isobaric labeling was performed using TMT6 for protein identification and quantification by high-resolution mass spectrometry. We combine bioinformatics tools and biochemical approaches to address the proteomics dataset and to understand the role of individual proteins. The impact of APP deletion on the hippocampal PAZ proteome was visualized by creating protein-protein interaction (PPI networks that incorporated APP into the synaptic vesicle cycle, cytoskeletal organization, and calcium-homeostasis. The combination of subcellular fractionation, immunopurification, proteomic analysis, and bioinformatics allowed us to identify APP as structural and functional regulator in a context-sensitive manner within the hippocampal active zone network.

  19. Staged bilateral carotid endarterectomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schroeder, T; Sillesen, H; Engell, Hans Christian

    1986-01-01

    In a series of 56 staged bilateral carotid endarterectomies, new neurologic symptoms developed in 5% and 20% following the first and second procedure, respectively. All complications were transient or minor. The incidence of postendarterectomy hypertension was significantly higher following...... the second procedure, when operations were staged less than 3 weeks apart. A correlation between these hypertensive episodes and the occurrence of new neurologic symptoms could not be shown. However, as this correlation has been proved in several other reports, bilateral carotid endarterectomy is advised...... to be staged at least 3 weeks apart. In addition, a conservative attitude towards contralateral asymptomatic lesions is proposed....

  20. Evidence for holistic episodic recollection via hippocampal pattern completion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horner, Aidan J; Bisby, James A; Bush, Daniel; Lin, Wen-Jing; Burgess, Neil

    2015-07-02

    Recollection is thought to be the hallmark of episodic memory. Here we provide evidence that the hippocampus binds together the diverse elements forming an event, allowing holistic recollection via pattern completion of all elements. Participants learn complex 'events' from multiple overlapping pairs of elements, and are tested on all pairwise associations. At encoding, element 'types' (locations, people and objects/animals) produce activation in distinct neocortical regions, while hippocampal activity predicts memory performance for all within-event pairs. When retrieving a pairwise association, neocortical activity corresponding to all event elements is reinstated, including those incidental to the task. Participant's degree of incidental reinstatement correlates with their hippocampal activity. Our results suggest that event elements, represented in distinct neocortical regions, are bound into coherent 'event engrams' in the hippocampus that enable episodic recollection--the re-experiencing or holistic retrieval of all aspects of an event--via a process of hippocampal pattern completion and neocortical reinstatement.

  1. Divergent Roles of Central Serotonin in Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ning-Ning Song

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The central serotonin (5-HT system is the main target of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, the first-line antidepressants widely used in current general practice. One of the prominent features of chronic SSRI treatment in rodents is the enhanced adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus, which has been proposed to contribute to antidepressant effects. Therefore, tremendous effort has been made to decipher how central 5-HT regulates adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In this paper, we review how changes in the central serotonergic system alter adult hippocampal neurogenesis. We focus on data obtained from three categories of genetically engineered mouse models: (1 mice with altered central 5-HT levels from embryonic stages, (2 mice with deletion of 5-HT receptors from embryonic stages, and (3 mice with altered central 5-HT system exclusively in adulthood. These recent findings provide unique insights to interpret the multifaceted roles of central 5-HT on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its associated effects on depression.

  2. A functional magnetic resonance imaging study mapping the episodic memory encoding network in temporal lobe epilepsy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidhu, Meneka K.; Stretton, Jason; Winston, Gavin P.; Bonelli, Silvia; Centeno, Maria; Vollmar, Christian; Symms, Mark; Thompson, Pamela J.; Koepp, Matthias J.

    2013-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging has demonstrated reorganization of memory encoding networks within the temporal lobe in temporal lobe epilepsy, but little is known of the extra-temporal networks in these patients. We investigated the temporal and extra-temporal reorganization of memory encoding networks in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy and the neural correlates of successful subsequent memory formation. We studied 44 patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (24 left) and 26 healthy control subjects. All participants performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging memory encoding paradigm of faces and words with subsequent out-of-scanner recognition assessments. A blocked analysis was used to investigate activations during encoding and neural correlates of subsequent memory were investigated using an event-related analysis. Event-related activations were then correlated with out-of-scanner verbal and visual memory scores. During word encoding, control subjects activated the left prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus whereas patients with left hippocampal sclerosis showed significant additional right temporal and extra-temporal activations. Control subjects displayed subsequent verbal memory effects within left parahippocampal gyrus, left orbitofrontal cortex and fusiform gyrus whereas patients with left hippocampal sclerosis activated only right posterior hippocampus, parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus. Correlational analysis showed that patients with left hippocampal sclerosis with better verbal memory additionally activated left orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and left posterior hippocampus. During face encoding, control subjects showed right lateralized prefrontal cortex and bilateral hippocampal activations. Patients with right hippocampal sclerosis showed increased temporal activations within the superior temporal gyri bilaterally and no increased extra-temporal areas of activation compared with

  3. Reinnervation of bilateral posterior cricoarytenoid muscles using the left phrenic nerve in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng Li

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of reinnervation of the bilateral posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA muscles using the left phrenic nerve in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis. METHODS: Forty-four patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis who underwent reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles using the left phrenic nerve were enrolled in this study. Videostroboscopy, perceptual evaluation, acoustic analysis, maximum phonation time, pulmonary function testing, and laryngeal electromyography were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. Patients were followed-up for at least 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Videostroboscopy showed that within 1 year after reinnervation, abductive movement could be observed in the left vocal folds of 87% of patients and the right vocal folds of 72% of patients. Abductive excursion on the left side was significantly larger than that on the right side (P 0.05. No patients developed immediate dyspnea after surgery, and the pulmonary function parameters recovered to normal reference value levels within 1 year. Postoperative laryngeal electromyography confirmed successful reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles. Eighty-seven percent of patients in this series were decannulated and did not show obvious dyspnea after physical activity. Those who were decannulated after subsequent arytenoidectomy were not included in calculating the success rate of decannulation. CONCLUSIONS: Reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles using the left phrenic nerve can restore inspiratory vocal fold abduction to a physiologically satisfactory extent while preserving phonatory function at the preoperative level without evident morbidity.

  4. Reinnervation of Bilateral Posterior Cricoarytenoid Muscles Using the Left Phrenic Nerve in Patients with Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hongliang; Chen, Donghui; Zhu, Minhui; Wang, Wei; Liu, Fei; Zhang, Caiyun

    2013-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of reinnervation of the bilateral posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscles using the left phrenic nerve in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis. Methods Forty-four patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis who underwent reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles using the left phrenic nerve were enrolled in this study. Videostroboscopy, perceptual evaluation, acoustic analysis, maximum phonation time, pulmonary function testing, and laryngeal electromyography were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. Patients were followed-up for at least 1 year after surgery. Results Videostroboscopy showed that within 1 year after reinnervation, abductive movement could be observed in the left vocal folds of 87% of patients and the right vocal folds of 72% of patients. Abductive excursion on the left side was significantly larger than that on the right side (P 0.05). No patients developed immediate dyspnea after surgery, and the pulmonary function parameters recovered to normal reference value levels within 1 year. Postoperative laryngeal electromyography confirmed successful reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles. Eighty-seven percent of patients in this series were decannulated and did not show obvious dyspnea after physical activity. Those who were decannulated after subsequent arytenoidectomy were not included in calculating the success rate of decannulation. Conclusions Reinnervation of the bilateral PCA muscles using the left phrenic nerve can restore inspiratory vocal fold abduction to a physiologically satisfactory extent while preserving phonatory function at the preoperative level without evident morbidity. PMID:24098581

  5. CB1 receptor antagonism increases hippocampal acetylcholine release: site and mechanism of action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Degroot, Aldemar; Köfalvi, Attila; Wade, Mark R; Davis, Richard J; Rodrigues, Ricardo J; Rebola, Nelson; Cunha, Rodrigo A; Nomikos, George G

    2006-10-01

    Evidence indicates that blockade of cannabinoid receptors increases acetylcholine (ACh) release in brain cortical regions. Although it is assumed that this type of effect is mediated through CB1 receptor (CB1R) antagonism, several in vitro functional studies recently have suggested non-CB1R involvement. In addition, neither the precise neuroanatomical site nor the exact mechanisms underlying this effect are known. We thoroughly examined these issues using a combination of systemic and local administration of CB1R antagonists, different methods of in vivo microdialysis, CB1R knockout (KO) mice, tissue measurements of ACh, and immunochemistry. First, we showed that systemic injections of the CB1R antagonists N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboximide hydrochloride (SR-141716A) and N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2, 4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM251) dose-dependently increased hippocampal ACh efflux. Likewise, local hippocampal, but not septal, infusions of SR141716A or AM251 increased hippocampal ACh release. It is noteworthy that the stimulatory effects of systemically administered CB1R antagonists on hippocampal ACh release were completely abolished in CB1R KO mice. CB1R KO mice had similar basal but higher stress-enhanced hippocampal ACh levels compared with wild-type controls. It is interesting that dopamine D1 receptor antagonism counteracted the stimulatory effect of CB1R blockade on hippocampal ACh levels. Finally, immunohistochemical methods revealed that a high proportion of CB1R-positive nerve terminals were found in hippocampus and confirmed the colocalization of CB1 receptors with cholinergic and dopaminergic nerve terminals. In conclusion, hippocampal ACh release may specifically be controlled through CB1Rs located on both cholinergic and dopaminergic neuronal projections, and CB1R antagonism increases hippocampal ACh release, probably through both a direct

  6. Neuroprotective effects of curcumin on endothelin-1 mediated cell death in hippocampal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stankowska, Dorota L; Krishnamoorthy, Vignesh R; Ellis, Dorette Z; Krishnamoorthy, Raghu R

    2017-06-01

    Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of hippocampal neurons leading to memory deficits and cognitive decline. Studies suggest that levels of the vasoactive peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) are increased in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. Curcumin, the main ingredient of the spice turmeric, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective effects. However, the mechanisms underlying some of these beneficial effects are not completely understood. The objective of this study was to determine if curcumin could protect hippocampal neurons from ET-1 mediated cell death and examine the involvement of c-Jun in this pathway. Primary hippocampal neurons from rat pups were isolated using a previously published protocol. Viability of the cells was measured by the live/dead assay. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to analyze c-Jun levels in hippocampal neurons treated with either ET-1 or a combination of ET-1 and curcumin. Apoptotic changes were evaluated by immunoblot detection of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved fodrin, and a caspase 3/7 activation assay. ET-1 treatment produced a 2-fold increase in the levels of c-Jun as determined by an immunoblot analysis in hippocampal neurons. Co-treatment with curcumin significantly attenuated the ET-1 mediated increase in c-Jun levels. ET-1 caused increased neuronal cell death of hippocampal neurons indicated by elevation of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved fodrin and an increased activity of caspases 3 and 7 which was attenuated by co-treatment with curcumin. Blockade of JNK, an upstream effector of c-Jun by specific inhibitor SP600125 did not fully protect from ET-1 mediated activation of pro-apoptotic enzymes in primary hippocampal cells. Our data suggests that one mechanism by which curcumin protects against ET-1-mediated cell death is through blocking an increase in c-Jun levels. Other possible mechanisms include decreasing pro

  7. Closed Reduction of Bilateral Posterior Shoulder Dislocation with Medium Impression Defect of the Humeral Head: A Case Report and Review of Its Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soorena Rezazadeh

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral dislocation of the shoulder is a rare injury. The main causes are electrical shock, extreme trauma, and epilepsy. A 25-year-old athletic-body man had sustained bilateral shoulder pain and restricted external rotation following electrical shock for five days. Although articular surface damage was about 50% in the right side and 30% in the left, it could be managed successfully by close reduction without pinning. During one-year follow-up, no recurrent dislocation or limitation of motion was seen. Closed management of medium size defect of the humeral head after posterior dislocation can be performed in cooperative and especially muscular patients.

  8. MRI features of bilateral parotid haemangiomas of infancy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andronikou, Savvas; Jadwat, Saaleeha; McHugh, Kieran; Linward, Jane

    2003-01-01

    The aim of this article is to report the MRI features of bilateral parotid haemangiomas of infancy and highlight the diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI especially with regard to those lesions that may cause respiratory compromise. Retrospective review of MRI scans in six infants with bilateral parotid haemangiomas. The bilateral haemangiomas were symmetrical in all but one patient. On T1-weighted images the masses were isointense to muscle and on T2 they were hyperintense with numerous small vessels giving a septated appearance. There was vivid enhancement with gadolinium in all cases. In three patients, deep bilateral extensions were demonstrated involving the parapharyngeal spaces resulting in respiratory compromise which required tracheostomy. Bilateral parotid haemangiomas are rare, but when present may have deep extensions, which can result in respiratory compromise requiring tracheostomy. (orig.)

  9. MRI features of bilateral parotid haemangiomas of infancy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andronikou, Savvas; Jadwat, Saaleeha [Institute of Child Health, University of Cape Town, Klipfontein Road, Rondebosch, 7700, Cape Town (South Africa); McHugh, Kieran; Linward, Jane [Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, WC1N 3JH (United Kingdom)

    2003-04-01

    The aim of this article is to report the MRI features of bilateral parotid haemangiomas of infancy and highlight the diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI especially with regard to those lesions that may cause respiratory compromise. Retrospective review of MRI scans in six infants with bilateral parotid haemangiomas. The bilateral haemangiomas were symmetrical in all but one patient. On T1-weighted images the masses were isointense to muscle and on T2 they were hyperintense with numerous small vessels giving a septated appearance. There was vivid enhancement with gadolinium in all cases. In three patients, deep bilateral extensions were demonstrated involving the parapharyngeal spaces resulting in respiratory compromise which required tracheostomy. Bilateral parotid haemangiomas are rare, but when present may have deep extensions, which can result in respiratory compromise requiring tracheostomy. (orig.)

  10. Bilateral electric energy contracts: return and risk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gunn, Laura K.; Silva, Elisa B.; Correia, Paulo B. [State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). College of Mechanical Engineering

    2009-07-01

    In Brazil electricity is traded through three segments: the spot market that balances offer and demand, with prices calculated by a cost-based computational model; the regulated market , where prices are settled in public auctions, and the free market for bilateral contracts. As spot and regulated market prices are public information, a seller is able to calculate his opportunity price to trade a bilateral contract in the free market by using the non-arbitrage principle. Thus, the seller searches the price of a bilateral contract in the free market that balances his/her revenues with the value expected in case it were negotiated in the regulated and the spot market. Besides the expected revenue, the seller may also consider the CVaR to measure the risk of her/his bilateral contract in the free market. So this paper develops a binomial lattice approach to price bilateral contracts in the free market, considering the seller's opportunity of negotiations in both regulated and spot markets, and measuring the contract risk directly. (author)

  11. Effects of low-level sarin and cyclosarin exposure on hippocampal microstructure in Gulf War Veterans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Linda L; Zhang, Yu

    2018-05-04

    In early March 1991, shortly after the end of the Gulf War (GW), a munitions dump was destroyed at Khamisiyah, Iraq. Later, in 1996, the dump was found to have contained the organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents sarin and cyclosarin. We previously reported evidence of smaller hippocampal volumes in GW veterans with predicted exposure to the Khamisiyah plume compared to unexposed GW veterans. To investigate whether these macroscopic hippocampal volume changes are accompanied by microstructural alterations in the hippocampus, the current study acquired diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), T1-, and T2-weighted images from 170 GW veterans (mean age: 53 ± 7 years), 81 of whom had predicted exposure to the Khamisiyah plume according to Department of Defense (DOD) plume modeling. We examined fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and grey matter (GM) density from a hippocampal region of interest (ROI). Results indicate that, even after accounting for total hippocampal GM density (or hippocampal volume), age, sex, apolipoprotein ε4 genotype, and potential confounding OP pesticide exposures, hippocampal MD significantly predicted Khamisiyah exposure status (model p = 0.005, R 2  = 0.215, standardized coefficient β = 0.26, t = 2.85). Hippocampal MD was also inversely correlated with verbal memory learning performance in the entire study sample (p = 0.001). There were no differences in hippocampal FA or GM density; however, veterans with predicted Khamisiyah exposure had smaller hippocampal volumes compared to unexposed veterans. Because MD is sensitive to general microstructural disruptions that lead to increased extracellular spaces due to neuronal death, inflammation and gliosis, and/or to axonal loss or demyelination, these findings suggest that low-level exposure to the Khamisiyah plume has a detrimental, lasting effects on both macro- and micro-structure of the hippocampus. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. MRI characterization of temporal lobe epilepsy using rapidly measurable spatial indices with hemisphere asymmetries and gender features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Datta, Siddhartha; Chakrabarti, Nilkanta; Sarkar, Sudipta; Chakraborty, Sumit; Basu, Swadhapriya; Mulpuru, Sai Krishna; Tiwary, Basant K.; Roy, Prasun Kumar

    2015-01-01

    The paucity of morphometric markers for hemispheric asymmetries and gender variations in hippocampi and amygdalae in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) calls for better characterization of TLE by finding more useful prognostic MRI parameter(s). T1-weighted MRI (3 T) morphometry using multiple parameters of hippocampus-parahippocampus (angular and linear measures, volumetry) and amygdalae (volumetry) including their hemispheric asymmetry indices (AI) were evaluated in both genders. The cutoff values of parameters were statistically estimated from measurements of healthy subjects to characterize TLE (57 patients, 55 % male) alterations. TLE had differential categories with hippocampal atrophy, parahippocampal angle (PHA) acuteness, and several other parametric changes. Bilateral TLE categories were much more prevalent compared to unilateral TLE categories. Female patients were considerably more disposed to bilateral TLE categories than male patients. Male patients displayed diverse categories of unilateral abnormalities. Few patients (both genders) had combined bilateral appearances of hippocampal atrophy, amygdala atrophy, PHA acuteness, and increase in hippocampal angle (HA) where medial distance ratio (MDR) varied among genders. TLE had gender-specific and hemispheric dominant alterations in AI of parameters. Maximum magnitude of parametric changes in TLE includes (a) AI increase in HA of both genders, (b) HA increase (bilateral) in female patients, and (c) increase in ratio of amygdale/hippocampal volume (unilateral, right hemispheric), and AI decrease in MDR, in male patients. Multiparametric MRI studies of hippocampus and amygdalae, including their hemispheric asymmetry, underscore better characterization of TLE. Rapidly measurable single-slice parameters (HA, PHA, MDR) can readily delineate TLE in a time-constrained clinical setting, which contrasts with customary three-dimensional hippocampal volumetry that requires many slice computation. (orig.)

  13. MRI characterization of temporal lobe epilepsy using rapidly measurable spatial indices with hemisphere asymmetries and gender features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Datta, Siddhartha; Chakrabarti, Nilkanta [University of Calcutta, Department of Physiology and UGC-CPEPA Centre for ' ' Electro-physiological and Neuro-imaging studies including Mathematical Modelling' ' , Kolkata (India); Sarkar, Sudipta; Chakraborty, Sumit; Basu, Swadhapriya [IPGME and R, SSKM Hospital, Department of Radiodiagnosis, Kolkata (India); Mulpuru, Sai Krishna [National Brain Research Centre, National Neuro-Imaging Facility, Manesar (India); Tiwary, Basant K. [Pondicherry University, Centre for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry (India); Roy, Prasun Kumar [National Brain Research Centre, Computational Neuroimaging Division, Manesar (India); National Brain Research Centre, Clinical Neuroscience Unit, Gurgaon (India)

    2015-09-15

    The paucity of morphometric markers for hemispheric asymmetries and gender variations in hippocampi and amygdalae in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) calls for better characterization of TLE by finding more useful prognostic MRI parameter(s). T1-weighted MRI (3 T) morphometry using multiple parameters of hippocampus-parahippocampus (angular and linear measures, volumetry) and amygdalae (volumetry) including their hemispheric asymmetry indices (AI) were evaluated in both genders. The cutoff values of parameters were statistically estimated from measurements of healthy subjects to characterize TLE (57 patients, 55 % male) alterations. TLE had differential categories with hippocampal atrophy, parahippocampal angle (PHA) acuteness, and several other parametric changes. Bilateral TLE categories were much more prevalent compared to unilateral TLE categories. Female patients were considerably more disposed to bilateral TLE categories than male patients. Male patients displayed diverse categories of unilateral abnormalities. Few patients (both genders) had combined bilateral appearances of hippocampal atrophy, amygdala atrophy, PHA acuteness, and increase in hippocampal angle (HA) where medial distance ratio (MDR) varied among genders. TLE had gender-specific and hemispheric dominant alterations in AI of parameters. Maximum magnitude of parametric changes in TLE includes (a) AI increase in HA of both genders, (b) HA increase (bilateral) in female patients, and (c) increase in ratio of amygdale/hippocampal volume (unilateral, right hemispheric), and AI decrease in MDR, in male patients. Multiparametric MRI studies of hippocampus and amygdalae, including their hemispheric asymmetry, underscore better characterization of TLE. Rapidly measurable single-slice parameters (HA, PHA, MDR) can readily delineate TLE in a time-constrained clinical setting, which contrasts with customary three-dimensional hippocampal volumetry that requires many slice computation. (orig.)

  14. Age-dependent loss of cholinergic neurons in learning and memory-related brain regions and impaired learning in SAMP8 mice with trigeminal nerve damage

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yifan He; Jihong Zhu; Fang Huang; Liu Qin; Wenguo Fan; Hongwen He

    2014-01-01

    The tooth belongs to the trigeminal sensory pathway. Dental damage has been associated with impairments in the central nervous system that may be mediated by injury to the trigeminal nerve. In the present study, we investigated the effects of damage to the inferior alveolar nerve, an important peripheral nerve in the trigeminal sensory pathway, on learning and memory be-haviors and structural changes in related brain regions, in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Inferior alveolar nerve transection or sham surgery was performed in middle-aged (4-month-old) or elderly (7-month-old) senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. When the middle-aged mice reached 8 months (middle-aged group 1) or 11 months (middle-aged group 2), and the elderly group reached 11 months, step-down passive avoidance and Y-maze tests of learn-ing and memory were performed, and the cholinergic system was examined in the hippocampus (Nissl staining and acetylcholinesterase histochemistry) and basal forebrain (choline acetyltrans-ferase immunohistochemistry). In the elderly group, animals that underwent nerve transection had fewer pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions, fewer cholinergic ifbers in the CA1 and dentate gyrus, and fewer cholinergic neurons in the medial septal nucleus and vertical limb of the diagonal band, compared with sham-operated animals, as well as showing impairments in learning and memory. Conversely, no signiifcant differences in histology or be-havior were observed between middle-aged group 1 or group 2 transected mice and age-matched sham-operated mice. The present ifndings suggest that trigeminal nerve damage in old age, but not middle age, can induce degeneration of the septal-hippocampal cholinergic system and loss of hippocampal pyramidal neurons, and ultimately impair learning ability. Our results highlight the importance of active treatment of trigeminal nerve damage in elderly patients and those with Alzheimer’s disease, and

  15. Bilateral Traumatic Globe Luxation with Optic Nerve Transection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levent Tok

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document clinical findings and management of a patient with bilateral globe luxation and optic nerve transection. Materials and Methods: A 25-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department with bilateral traumatic globe luxation following a motor vehicle accident. Results: Visual acuity testing showed no light perception. The right pupil was dilated and bilaterally did not react to light. The globes were bilaterally intact. A computed tomography scan revealed Le Fort type II fractures, bilateral optic nerve transection and disruption of all extraocular muscles. The globes of the patient were bilaterally reduced into the orbit. However, the patient developed phthisis bulbi in the right eye at month 3. Conclusion: Globe luxation presents a dramatic clinical picture, and may lead to the development of severe complications due to the concomitance of complete optic nerve dissection and multiple traumas. Even if the luxated globe is repositioned into the orbit, there is still an increased risk of the development of phthisis due to ischemia.

  16. Bilateral Traumatic Globe Luxation with Optic Nerve Transection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tok, Levent; Tok, Ozlem Yalcin; Argun, Tugba Cakmak; Yilmaz, Omer; Gunes, Alime; Unlu, Elif Nisa; Sezer, Sezgin; Ibisoglu, Seda; Argun, Mehmet

    2014-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this study was to document clinical findings and management of a patient with bilateral globe luxation and optic nerve transection. Materials and Methods A 25-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department with bilateral traumatic globe luxation following a motor vehicle accident. Results Visual acuity testing showed no light perception. The right pupil was dilated and bilaterally did not react to light. The globes were bilaterally intact. A computed tomography scan revealed Le Fort type II fractures, bilateral optic nerve transection and disruption of all extraocular muscles. The globes of the patient were bilaterally reduced into the orbit. However, the patient developed phthisis bulbi in the right eye at month 3. Conclusion Globe luxation presents a dramatic clinical picture, and may lead to the development of severe complications due to the concomitance of complete optic nerve dissection and multiple traumas. Even if the luxated globe is repositioned into the orbit, there is still an increased risk of the development of phthisis due to ischemia. PMID:25606034

  17. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of Semicircular Canal and Otolith Deficits in Bilateral Vestibulopathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander A. Tarnutzer

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundGait imbalance and oscillopsia are frequent complaints of bilateral vestibular loss (BLV. Video-head-impulse testing (vHIT of all six semicircular canals (SCCs has demonstrated varying involvement of the different canals. Sparing of anterior-canal function has been linked to aminoglycoside-related vestibulopathy and Menière’s disease. We hypothesized that utricular and saccular impairment [assessed by vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs] may be disease-specific also, possibly facilitating the differential diagnosis.MethodsWe searched our vHIT database (n = 3,271 for patients with bilaterally impaired SCC function who also received ocular VEMPs (oVEMPs and cervical VEMPs (cVEMPs and identified 101 patients. oVEMP/cVEMP latencies above the 95th percentile and peak-to-peak amplitudes below the 5th percentile of normal were considered abnormal. Frequency of impairment of vestibular end organs (horizontal/anterior/posterior SCC, utriculus/sacculus was analyzed with hierarchical cluster analysis and correlated with the underlying etiology.ResultsRates of utricular and saccular loss of function were similar (87.1 vs. 78.2%, p = 0.136, Fisher’s exact test. oVEMP abnormalities were found more frequent in aminoglycoside-related bilateral vestibular loss (BVL compared with Menière’s disease (91.7 vs. 54.6%, p = 0.039. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated distinct patterns of vestibular end-organ impairment, showing that the results for the same end-organs on both sides are more similar than to other end-organs. Relative sparing of anterior-canal function was reflected in late merging with the other end-organs, emphasizing their distinct state. An anatomically corresponding pattern of SCC/otolith hypofunction was present in 60.4% (oVEMPs vs. horizontal SCCs, 34.7% (oVEMPs vs. anterior SCCs, and 48.5% (cVEMPs vs. posterior SCCs of cases. Average (±1 SD number of damaged sensors was 6.8 ± 2.2 out of 10

  18. Bilateral adrenal masses: a single-centre experience

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    Nilesh Lomte

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background Bilateral adrenal masses may have aetiologies like hyperplasia and infiltrative lesions, besides tumours. Hyperplastic and infiltrative lesions may have coexisting hypocortisolism. Bilateral tumours are likely to have hereditary/syndromic associations. The data on clinical profile of bilateral adrenal masses are limited. Aims To analyse clinical, biochemical and radiological features, and management outcomes in patients with bilateral adrenal masses. Methods Retrospective analysis of 70 patients with bilateral adrenal masses presenting to a single tertiary care endocrine centre from western India (2002–2015. Results The most common aetiology was pheochromocytoma (40%, followed by tuberculosis (27.1%, primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL (10%, metastases (5.7%, non-functioning adenomas (4.3%, primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (4.3%, and others (8.6%. Age at presentation was less in patients with pheochromocytoma (33 years and tuberculosis (41 years compared with PAL (48 years and metastases (61 years (P<0.001. The presenting symptoms for pheochromocytoma were hyperadrenergic spells (54% and abdominal pain (29%, whereas tuberculosis presented with adrenal insufficiency (AI (95%. The presenting symptoms for PAL were AI (57% and abdominal pain (43%, whereas all cases of metastasis had abdominal pain. Mean size of adrenal masses was the largest in lymphoma (5.5cm followed by pheochromocytoma (4.8cm, metastasis (4cm and tuberculosis (2.1cm (P<0.001. Biochemically, most patients with pheochromocytoma (92.8% had catecholamine excess. Hypocortisolism was common in tuberculosis (100% and PAL (71.4% and absent with metastases (P<0.001. Conclusion In evaluation of bilateral adrenal masses, age at presentation, presenting symptoms, lesion size, and biochemical features are helpful in delineating varied underlying aetiologies.

  19. Bilateral adrenal masses: a single-centre experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandgar, Tushar; Khare, Shruti; Jadhav, Swati; Lila, Anurag; Goroshi, Manjunath; Kasaliwal, Rajeev; Khadilkar, Kranti; Shah, Nalini S

    2016-01-01

    Background Bilateral adrenal masses may have aetiologies like hyperplasia and infiltrative lesions, besides tumours. Hyperplastic and infiltrative lesions may have coexisting hypocortisolism. Bilateral tumours are likely to have hereditary/syndromic associations. The data on clinical profile of bilateral adrenal masses are limited. Aims To analyse clinical, biochemical and radiological features, and management outcomes in patients with bilateral adrenal masses. Methods Retrospective analysis of 70 patients with bilateral adrenal masses presenting to a single tertiary care endocrine centre from western India (2002–2015). Results The most common aetiology was pheochromocytoma (40%), followed by tuberculosis (27.1%), primary adrenal lymphoma (PAL) (10%), metastases (5.7%), non-functioning adenomas (4.3%), primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (4.3%), and others (8.6%). Age at presentation was less in patients with pheochromocytoma (33 years) and tuberculosis (41 years) compared with PAL (48 years) and metastases (61 years) (P<0.001). The presenting symptoms for pheochromocytoma were hyperadrenergic spells (54%) and abdominal pain (29%), whereas tuberculosis presented with adrenal insufficiency (AI) (95%). The presenting symptoms for PAL were AI (57%) and abdominal pain (43%), whereas all cases of metastasis had abdominal pain. Mean size of adrenal masses was the largest in lymphoma (5.5cm) followed by pheochromocytoma (4.8cm), metastasis (4cm) and tuberculosis (2.1cm) (P<0.001). Biochemically, most patients with pheochromocytoma (92.8%) had catecholamine excess. Hypocortisolism was common in tuberculosis (100%) and PAL (71.4%) and absent with metastases (P<0.001). Conclusion In evaluation of bilateral adrenal masses, age at presentation, presenting symptoms, lesion size, and biochemical features are helpful in delineating varied underlying aetiologies. PMID:27037294

  20. Bilateral Ovarian Fibrothecoma Associated with Ascites, Bilateral Pleural Effusion, and Marked Elevated Serum CA-125

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Védi André Serges Loué

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The risk of ovarian cancer is increased in the association of ovarian tumor, ascites, and hydrothorax with the significant elevated tumor marker CA-125. However, this association can be observed in a rare clinical and benign pathological entity, that is Demons-Meigs’ syndrome. Objective. To describe a rare case of Demons-Meigs' syndrome observed in our department. Methods. A black African woman of 35 years old, seventh gravida and fourth parous, underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingoophorectomy for large bilateral ovarian masses associated with significant ascites, bilateral pleural effusion, and particular highly elevated tumor marker CA-125 (1835 UI/mL in a pronounced general alteration condition. Results. The postoperative course was uneventful characterized by a complete remission of hydrothorax and ascites with normal level of CA-125 three months after tumor excision. Histology of both masses revealed a bilateral ovarian fibrothecoma, a benign tumor of the ovary, thus confirming the diagnosis of Demons-Meigs’ syndrome. Conclusion. The Demons-Meigs syndrome, although it strongly mimics the clinical picture of malignant metastatic ovarian cancer, remains a disease with benign prognosis after surgical tumor resection. This is a rare condition that must be known and recognized by practitioners to avoid unnecessary practices.

  1. Tuning afferent synapses of hippocampal interneurons by neuropeptide Y

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ledri, Marco; Sørensen, Andreas Toft; Erdelyi, Ferenc

    2011-01-01

    Cholecystokinin (CCK)-expressing basket cells encompass a subclass of inhibitory GABAergic interneurons that regulate memory-forming oscillatory network activity of the hippocampal formation in accordance to the emotional and motivational state of the animal, conveyed onto these cells by respective...... are modulated by neuropeptide Y (NPY), one of the major local neuropeptides that strongly inhibits hippocampal excitability and has significant effect on its memory function. Here, using GAD65-GFP transgenic mice for prospective identification of CCK basket cells and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we show...

  2. The neuroprotective action of pyrroloquinoline quinone against glutamate-induced apoptosis in hippocampal neurons is mediated through the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Qi; Shen Mi; Ding Mei; Shen Dingding; Ding Fei

    2011-01-01

    Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), a cofactor in several enzyme-catalyzed redox reactions, possesses a potential capability of scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibiting cell apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of PQQ on glutamate-induced cell death in primary cultured hippocampal neurons and the possible underlying mechanisms. We found that glutamate-induced apoptosis in cultured hippocampal neurons was significantly attenuated by the ensuing PQQ treatment, which also inhibited the glutamate-induced increase in Ca2+ influx, caspase-3 activity, and ROS production, and reversed the glutamate-induced decrease in Bcl-2/Bax ratio. The examination of signaling pathways revealed that PQQ treatment activated the phosphorylation of Akt and suppressed the glutamate-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK). And inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt cascade by LY294002 and wortmannin significantly blocked the protective effects of PQQ, and alleviated the increase in Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Taken together, our results indicated that PQQ could protect primary cultured hippocampal neurons against glutamate-induced cell damage by scavenging ROS, reducing Ca2+ influx, and caspase-3 activity, and suggested that PQQ-activated PI3K/Akt signaling might be responsible for its neuroprotective action through modulation of glutamate-induced imbalance between Bcl-2 and Bax. - Research Highlights: →PQQ attenuated glutamate-induced cell apoptosis of cultured hippocampal neurons. →PQQ inhibited glutamate-induced Ca 2+ influx and caspase-3 activity. →PQQ reduced glutamate-induced increase in ROS production. →PQQ affected phosphorylation of Akt and JNK signalings after glutamate injury. →PI3K/Akt was required for neuroprotection of PQQ by modulating Bcl-2/Bax ratio.

  3. Anticonvulsant Effects of Memantine and MK-801 in Guinea Pig Hippocampal Neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    investigation we compared the anticonvulsant properties of Mem to those of MK-801 in guinea pig hippocampal slices. Extracellular recordings were...obtained from area CA1 of guinea pig hippocampal slices in a total submersion chamber at 32 deg C in normal oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF

  4. High dose tetrabromobisphenol A impairs hippocampal neurogenesis and memory retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ah Hyun; Chun, Hye Jeong; Lee, Seulah; Kim, Hyung Sik; Lee, Jaewon

    2017-08-01

    Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a brominated flame retardant that is commonly used in commercial and household products, such as, computers, televisions, mobile phones, and electronic boards. TBBPA can accumulate in human body fluids, and it has been reported that TBBPA possesses endocrine disruptive activity. However, the neurotoxic effect of TBBPA on hippocampal neurogenesis has not yet been investigated. Accordingly, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of TBBPA on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function. Male C57BL/6 mice were orally administrated vehicle or TBBPA (20 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, or 500 mg/kg daily) for two weeks. TBBPA was observed to significantly and dose-dependently reduce the survival of newly generated cells in the hippocampus but not to affect the proliferation of newly generated cells. Numbers of hippocampal BrdU and NeuN positive cells were dose-dependently reduced by TBBPA, indicating impaired neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Interestingly, glial activation without neuronal death was observed in hippocampi exposed to TBBPA. Furthermore, memory retention was found to be adversely affected by TBBPA exposure by a mechanism involving suppression of the BDNF-CREB signaling pathway. The study suggests high dose TBBPA disrupts hippocampal neurogenesis and induces associated memory deficits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. BDNF downregulates 5-HT(2A) receptor protein levels in hippocampal cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trajkovska, V; Santini, M A; Marcussen, Anders Bue

    2009-01-01

    Both brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT(2A)) have been related to depression pathology. Specific 5-HT(2A) receptor changes seen in BDNF conditional mutant mice suggest that BDNF regulates the 5-HT(2A) receptor level. Here we show a direct effect of BDNF...... on 5-HT(2A) receptor protein levels in primary hippocampal neuronal and mature hippocampal organotypic cultures exposed to different BDNF concentrations for either 1, 3, 5 or 7 days. In vivo effects of BDNF on hippocampal 5-HT(2A) receptor levels were further corroborated in (BDNF +/-) mice...... with reduced BDNF levels. In primary neuronal cultures, 7 days exposure to 25 and 50ng/mL BDNF resulted in downregulation of 5-HT(2A), but not of 5-HT(1A), receptor protein levels. The BDNF-associated downregulation of 5-HT(2A) receptor levels was also observed in mature hippocampal organotypic cultures...

  6. Bilateral Tubal Pregnancy without Known Risk Factor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyacinthe Zamané

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Spontaneous bilateral ectopic gestation is very rare. The authors report a case diagnosed and taken care of at Yalgado Ouedraogo Teaching Hospital, Ouagadougou. It was a 30-year-old patient with no known pathological history. She had presented at the obstetric emergencies with a state of hypovolemic shock by haemoperitoneum with digestive disorders, pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and a mention of delayed menstruation. The ultrasound coupled with the urinary immunological pregnancy test confirmed the diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy and a bilateral form was suspected. A laparotomy in emergency confirmed the diagnosis of bilateral ectopic gestation with a right ampullary unruptured pregnancy and a left isthmic ruptured gestation. A bilateral salpingectomy was performed and counseling was made for the use of medical help of procreation in case of future need of pregnancy.

  7. Cholinergic denervation of the hippocampal formation does not produce long-term changes in glucose metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrell, L.E.; Davis, J.N.

    1984-01-01

    Decreased glucose metabolism is found in Alzheimer's disease associated with a loss of cholinergic neurons. The relationship between the chronic cholinergic denervation produced by medial septal lesions and glucose metabolism was studied using 2-deoxy-D-[ 3 H]glucose in the rat hippocampal formation. Hippocampal glucose metabolism was increased 1 week after medial septal lesions. Three weeks after lesions, glucose metabolism was profoundly suppressed in all regions. By 3 months, intraregional hippocampal glucose metabolism had returned to control values. Our results demonstrate that chronic cholinergic denervation of the hippocampal formation does not result in permanent alterations of metabolic activity

  8. Contribution of Hippocampal 5-HT3 Receptors in Hippocampal Autophagy and Extinction of Conditioned Fear Responses after a Single Prolonged Stress Exposure in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Zhong-Min; Yang, Li-Hua; Cui, Rong; Ni, Gui-Lian; Wu, Feng-Tian; Liang, Yong

    2017-05-01

    One of the hypotheses about the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the dysfunction of serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission. While certain 5-HT receptor subtypes are likely critical for the symptoms of PTSD, few studies have examined the role of 5-HT 3 receptor in the development of PTSD, even though 5-HT 3 receptor is critical for contextual fear extinction and anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, we hypothesized that stimulation of 5-HT 3 receptor in the dorsal hippocampus (DH) could prevent hippocampal autophagy and the development of PTSD-like behavior in animals. To this end, we infused SR57227, selective 5-HT 3 agonist, into the DH after a single prolonged stress (SPS) treatment in rats. Three weeks later, we evaluated the effects of this pharmacological treatment on anxiety-related behaviors and extinction of contextual fear memory. We also accessed hippocampal autophagy and the expression of 5-HT 3A subunit, Beclin-1, LC3-I, and LC3-II in the DH. We found that SPS treatment did not alter anxiety-related behaviors but prolonged the extinction of contextual fear memory, and such a behavioral phenomenon was correlated with increased hippocampal autophagy, decreased 5-HT 3A expression, and increased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. Furthermore, intraDH infusions of SR57227 dose-dependently promoted the extinction of contextual fear memory, prevented hippocampal autophagy, and decreased expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio in the DH. These results indicated that 5-HT 3 receptor in the hippocampus may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of hippocampal autophagy, and is likely involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD.

  9. Hippocampal volume in relation to clinical and cognitive outcome after electroconvulsive therapy in depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordanskog, P; Larsson, M R; Larsson, E-M; Johanson, A

    2014-04-01

    In a previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, we found a significant increase in hippocampal volume immediately after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate hippocampal volume up to 1 year after ECT and investigate its possible relation to clinical and cognitive outcome. Clinical and cognitive outcome in 12 in-patients with depression receiving antidepressive pharmacological treatment referred for ECT were investigated with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and a broad neuropsychological test battery within 1 week before and after ECT. The assessments were repeated 6 and 12 months after baseline in 10 and seven of these patients, respectively. Hippocampal volumes were measured on all four occasions with 3 Tesla MRI. Hippocampal volume returned to baseline during the follow-up period of 6 months. Neither the significant antidepressant effect nor the significant transient decrease in executive and verbal episodic memory tests after ECT could be related to changes in hippocampal volume. No persistent cognitive side effects were observed 1 year after ECT. The immediate increase in hippocampal volume after ECT is reversible and is not related to clinical or cognitive outcome. © 2013 The Authors. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. The relationship between hippocampal asymmetry and temperament in adolescent borderline and antisocial personality pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jovev, Martina; Whittle, Sarah; Yücel, Murat; Simmons, Julian Guy; Allen, Nicholas B; Chanen, Andrew M

    2014-02-01

    Investigating etiological processes early in the life span represents an important step toward a better understanding of the development of personality pathology. The current study evaluated the interaction between an individual difference risk factor (i.e., temperament) and a biological risk factor for aggressive behavior (i.e., atypical [larger] rightward hippocampal asymmetry) in predicting the emergence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder symptoms during early adolescence. The sample consisted of 153 healthy adolescents (M = 12.6 years, SD = 0.4, range = 11.4-13.7) who were selected from a larger sample to maximize variation in temperament. Interactions between four temperament factors (effortful control, negative affectivity, surgency, and affiliativeness), based on the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised, and volumetric measures of hippocampal asymmetry were examined as cross-sectional predictors of BPD and antisocial personality disorder symptoms. Boys were more likely to have elevated BPD symptoms if they were high on affiliation and had larger rightward hippocampal asymmetry. In boys, low affiliation was a significant predictor of BPD symptoms in the presence of low rightward hippocampal asymmetry. For girls, low effortful control was associated with elevated BPD symptoms in the presence of atypical rightward hippocampal asymmetry. This study builds on previous work reporting significant associations between atypical hippocampal asymmetry and poor behavioral regulation.

  11. [Bilateral torticollis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kustos, T; Magdics, M

    1993-12-19

    Bilateral torticollis is a very rare form of a well known deformity i.e. muscular torticollis. This malformation might present a differential diagnostic problem both for orthopaedic surgeons and ophthalmologists, as well as, for neurologists. In agreement with the literature, the role of an injury during labour or defective embriogenesis is suggested to play a part.

  12. Bilateral optic neuropathy in acute cr yptococcal meningitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Zhe Ngoo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available We reported a case of cryptococcal meningitis presenting with bilateral optic neuropathy in an immunocompetent patient. A 64-year-old Malay gentleman with no medical comorbidities presented with acute bilateral blurring of vision for a week, which was associated with generalised throbbing headache and low grade fever. He also had somnolence and altered consciousness. Visual acuity in both eyes was no perception of light with poor pupillary reflexes. Extraocular muscle movements were normal. Anterior segments were unremarkable bilaterally. Fundoscopy revealed bilateral optic disc swelling. CT scan of the brain showed multifocal infarct, but no meningeal enhancement or mass. Cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was normal, while its culture grew Cryptococcus neoformans. A diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis with bilateral optic neuropathy was made. Patient was treated with a six-week course of intravenous fluconazole and started concomitantly on a fortnight's course of intravenous amphotericin B. After that, his general condition improved, but there was still no improvement in his visual acuity. On reviewing at two months post-initiation of treatment, fundi showed bilateral optic atrophy. Bilateral optic neuropathy secondary to cryptococcal meningitis was rare. The prognosis was guarded due to the sequelae of optic atrophy. Anti-fungal medication alone may not be sufficient to manage this condition. However, evidence for other treatment modalities is still lacking and further clinical studies are required.

  13. Neglected simultaneous bilateral femoral neck fractures secondary to narcotic drug abuse treated by bilateral one-staged hemiarthroplasty: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vahedi Ehsan

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Simultaneous bilateral femoral neck fractures are extremely rare and associated with various conditions. Up to now Most cases had correlations with major trauma, repetitive minor trauma, seizure, parathyroid or renal dysfunction, anti-epileptic medications, seizure, etc. A 28-year-old addict man referred to us with a 10-year history of narcotic drug abuse and history of 8 months bilateral groin pain. He admitted with displaced bilateral femoral neck fracture. Because of long duration of this condition and osteonecrosis revealed on bone scan, one-staged bilateral hip hemiarthroplasty was done. A good function was noted after surgery to 4-month follow up. Up to now, have not be founded in the literature that a case of bilateral femoral neck fracture associated with narcotic drug abuse. Because of negative effects of opium or smoking on bone tissues, a simple bone pain should aware us about the risk of stress or fatigue fracture.

  14. Simultaneous Bilateral Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip without Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasuaki Okada

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH is a rare disorder characterized by acute severe coxalgia and temporary osteopenia in the proximal femur. Although most cases were unilateral or staged bilateral TOH, some authors reported that the pregnant patients simultaneously had TOH in their bilateral hips. However, there has been no report of simultaneous bilateral TOH in the patient without pregnancy. A 25-year-old Japanese woman without pregnancy had acute simultaneous bilateral hip pain. Plain X-ray of the bilateral hips did not show a periarticular osteopenia. However, magnetic resonance image obtained one week after the onset demonstrated increased T2-weighted signal intensity and decreased T1-weighted signal intensity in the bilateral femoral heads. She was treated conservatively, and follow-up magnetic resonance image at seven weeks after the onset returned to normal bone marrow signal intensity. Her bilateral coxalgia subsided gradually. At one year after the onset, she had no sign of symptomatic flair. Our experience with this case indicates that recognizing the possibility of simultaneous bilateral TOH is important unless the patient is pregnant, and magnetic resonance image is predictable test to make a diagnosis of TOH, even in the absence of abnormal finding on plain X-ray.

  15. Hippocampal atrophy in people with memory deficits: results from the population-based IPREA study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrarini, Luca; van Lew, Baldur; Reiber, Johan H C; Gandin, Claudia; Galluzzo, Lucia; Scafato, Emanuele; Frisoni, Giovanni B; Milles, Julien; Pievani, Michela

    2014-07-01

    Clinical studies have shown that hippocampal atrophy is present before dementia in people with memory deficits and can predict dementia development. The question remains whether this association holds in the general population. This is of interest for the possible use of hippocampal atrophy to screen population for preventive interventions. The aim of this study was to assess hippocampal volume and shape abnormalities in elderly adults with memory deficits in a cross-sectional population-based study. We included individuals participating in the Italian Project on the Epidemiology of Alzheimer Disease (IPREA) study: 75 cognitively normal individuals (HC), 31 individuals with memory deficits (MEM), and 31 individuals with memory deficits not otherwise specified (MEMnos). Hippocampal volumes and shape were extracted through manual tracing and the growing and adaptive meshes (GAMEs) shape-modeling algorithm. We investigated between-group differences in hippocampal volume and shape, and correlations with memory deficits. In MEM participants, hippocampal volumes were significantly smaller than in HC and were mildly associated with worse memory scores. Memory-associated shape changes mapped to the anterior hippocampus. Shape-based analysis detected no significant difference between MEM and HC, while MEMnos showed shape changes in the posterior hippocampus compared with HC and MEM groups. These findings support the discriminant validity of hippocampal volumetry as a biomarker of memory impairment in the general population. The detection of shape changes in MEMnos but not in MEM participants suggests that shape-based biomarkers might lack sensitivity to detect Alzheimer's-like pathology in the general population.

  16. The developmental expression of fluorescent proteins in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures from transgenic mice and its use in the determination of excitotoxic neurodegeneration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Noraberg, Jens; Jensen, Carsten V; Bonde, Christian

    2007-01-01

    Transgenic mice, expressing fluorescent proteins in neurons and glia, provide new opportunities for real-time microscopic monitoring of degenerative and regenerative structural changes. We have previously validated and compared a number of quantifiable markers for neuronal damage and cell death...... changes, as well as the opportunity to monitor reversible changes or long-term effects in the event of minor damage. As a first step, we present: a) the developmental expression in organotypic hippocampal brain slice cultures of transgenic fluorescent proteins, useful for the visualisation of neuronal...... transgenic mouse strains which express fluorescent proteins in their neurons and/or astroglial cells. From the time of explantation, and subsequently for up to nine weeks in culture, the transgenic neuronal fluorescence displayed the expected characteristics of a developmental, in vivo-like increase...

  17. Perceived Stress Is Differentially Related to Hippocampal Subfield Volumes among Older Adults.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Molly E Zimmerman

    Full Text Available Chronic exposure to stress has been shown to impact a wide range of health-related outcomes in older adults. Despite extensive animal literature revealing deleterious effects of biological markers of stress on the dentate gyrus subfield of the hippocampus, links between hippocampal subfields and psychological stress have not been studied in humans. This study examined the relationship between perceived stress and hippocampal subfield volumes among racially/ethnically diverse older adults.Between July 2011 and March 2014, 116 nondemented participants were consecutively drawn from the Einstein Aging Study, an ongoing community-based sample of individuals over the age of 70 residing in Bronx, New York. All participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and underwent 3.0 T MRI. FreeSurfer was used to derive total hippocampal volume, hippocampal subfield volumes (CA1, CA2/CA3, CA4/Dentate Gyrus (CA4/DG, and subiculum, entorhinal cortex volume, whole brain volume, and total intracranial volume.Linear regression analyses revealed that higher levels of perceived stress were associated with smaller total hippocampal volume (β = -0.20, t = -2.40, p = 0.02, smaller CA2/CA3 volumes (β = -0.18, t = -2.24, p = 0.03 and smaller CA4/DG volumes (β = -0.19, t = -2.28, p = 0.03 after controlling for total intracranial volume, age, gender, and race. These findings remained unchanged after removal of individuals with clinically significant symptoms of depression.Our findings provide evidence of a relationship between a direct indicator of psychological stress and specific hippocampal subfield volumes in elderly individuals. These results highlight the importance of clinical screening for chronic stress in otherwise healthy older adults.

  18. Basic fibroblast growth factor enhances cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of neonatal rats following hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Huan; Qiao, Lixing; Sun, Yao; Yin, Liping; Huang, Li; Jiang, Li; Li, Jiaqing

    2018-04-23

    Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic insult is considered a major contributor to child mortality and morbidity and leads to neurological deficits in newborn infants. There has been a lack of promising neurotherapeutic interventions for hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) for clinical application in infants. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between neurogenesis and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region in neonatal rats following HIBD. Cell proliferation was examined by detecting BrdU signals, and the role of bFGF in cell proliferation in the DG region following neonatal HIBD was investigated. Cell proliferation was induced by HIBD in the hippocampal DG of neonatal rats. Furthermore, bFGF gene expression was upregulated in the hippocampus in neonatal rats, particularly between 7 and 14 days after HIBD. Moreover, intraperitoneal injection of exogenous bFGF enhanced cell proliferation in the hippocampal DG following neonatal HIBD. Taken together, these data indicate that cell proliferation in the DG could be induced by neonatal HIBD, and bFGF promotes proliferation following neonatal HIBD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis tonus is associated with hippocampal microstructural asymmetry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Kathrine Skak; Jernigan, Terry L; Iversen, Pernille

    2012-01-01

    It is well-established that prolonged high levels of cortisol have adverse effects on hippocampal neurons and glial cells. Morphometric studies linking hippocampus volume to basal HPA-axis activity, however, have yielded less consistent results. Asymmetry may also be considered, since there is gr......It is well-established that prolonged high levels of cortisol have adverse effects on hippocampal neurons and glial cells. Morphometric studies linking hippocampus volume to basal HPA-axis activity, however, have yielded less consistent results. Asymmetry may also be considered, since....... Observed associations raise a number of possibilities, among them an asymmetric role of the hippocampus on HPA-axis regulation, or conversely, that individual variations in secreted cortisol, perhaps associated with stress, may have lateralized effects on hippocampal microstructure. Our results point...

  20. Unpacking the cognitive map: the parallel map theory of hippocampal function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, Lucia F; Schenk, Françoise

    2003-04-01

    In the parallel map theory, the hippocampus encodes space with 2 mapping systems. The bearing map is constructed primarily in the dentate gyrus from directional cues such as stimulus gradients. The sketch map is constructed within the hippocampus proper from positional cues. The integrated map emerges when data from the bearing and sketch maps are combined. Because the component maps work in parallel, the impairment of one can reveal residual learning by the other. Such parallel function may explain paradoxes of spatial learning, such as learning after partial hippocampal lesions, taxonomic and sex differences in spatial learning, and the function of hippocampal neurogenesis. By integrating evidence from physiology to phylogeny, the parallel map theory offers a unified explanation for hippocampal function.