• Energy Research
• Open Access close
• JP close
• IN close
• Neuroinformatics close

The electrochemical sensor for Dopamine (DA) was investigated using poly(amido black) modified carbon paste electrode (MCPE) by the cyclic voltammetric (CV) technique. The film-coated electrode exposed supreme electrocatalytic properties towards electrochemical detection DA and uric acid (UA). The limit of detection (LOD) of DA and UA found to be 2.03 µM and 3.6 µM respectively. Furthermore effectively selective separation of DA and UA in a binary mixture was accomplished. The application of the developed electrode was demonstrated by detecting DA in the injection sample with adequate recoveries. The sensor was stable, sensitive, selective and reproducible.

The effect of excercise on brain function was investigated through animal experiments. Exercise leads to increased serum calcium levels, and the calcium is transported to the brain. This in turn enhances brain dopamine synthesis through a calmodulin-dependent system, and increased dopamine levels regulate various brain functions. There are abnormally low levels of dopamine in the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens of epileptic mice (El mice strain) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The low dopamine levels in those animals were improved following intracerebroventricular administration of calcium chloride. Dopamine levels and blood pressure in SHR were also normalized by exercise. In epileptic El mice, convulsions normalized dopamine levels and physiologic function. These findings suggest that exercise or convulsions affect brain function through calcium/calmodulin-dependent dopamine synthesis. This leads to the possibility that some symptoms of Parkinson's disease or senile dementia might be improved by exercise.

 While the molecular entity responsible for the rewarding effects of virtually all drugs of abuse is known, that for ethanol remains uncertain. Some lines of evidence suggest that the rewarding effects of alcohol are mediated not by ethanol per se but by acetaldehyde generated by catalase in the brain. However, the lack of specific inhibitors of catalase has not allowed strong conclusions to be drawn about its role on the rewarding properties of ethanol. The present studies determined the effect on voluntary alcohol consumption of two gene vectors, one designed to inhibit catalase synthesis and one designed to synthesize alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), to respectively inhibit or increase brain acetaldehyde synthesis. The lentiviral vectors, which incorporate the genes they carry into the cell genome, were (i) one encoding a shRNA anticatalase synthesis and (ii) one encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (rADH1). These were stereotaxically microinjected into the brain ventral tegmental area (VTA) of Wistar-derived rats bred for generations for their high alcohol preference (UChB), which were allowed access to an ethanol solution and water. Microinjection into the VTA of the lentiviral vector encoding the anticatalase shRNA virtually abolished (-94% p < 0.001) the voluntary consumption of alcohol by the rats. Conversely, injection into the VTA of the lentiviral vector coding for ADH greatly stimulated (2 to 3 fold p < 0.001) their voluntary ethanol consumption.The study strongly suggests that to generate reward and reinforcement, ethanol must be metabolized into acetaldehyde in the brain. Data suggest novel targets for interventions aimed at reducing chronic alcohol intake.

Since 1997, focused shock waves therapy (FSWT) has been reported to be useful in the treatment of muscle hypertonia and dystonia. More recently, also radial shock wave therapy (RSWT) has been successfully used to treat muscle hypertonia. The studies where FSWT and RSWT have been used to treat muscle hypertonia and dystonia are reviewed in this paper. The more consistent and long lasting results were obtained in the lower limb muscles of patients affected by cerebral palsy with both FSWT and RSWT and in the distal upper limb muscles of adult stroke patients using FSWT. The most probable mechanism of action is a direct effect of shock waves on muscle fibrosis and other nonreflex components of muscle hypertonia. However, we believe that up to now the biological effects of shock waves on muscle hypertonia and dystonia cannot be clearly separated from a placebo effect.

AbstractOcean acidification (OA) is known to affect the physiology, survival, behaviour, and fitness of various fish species with repercussions at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. Some fish species, however, seem to acclimate rapidly to OA conditions and even thrive in acidified environments. The molecular mechanisms that enable species to successfully inhabit high CO2environments has not been fully elucidated especially in wild fish populations. Here, we used the natural CO2seep in Vulcano Island, Italy to study the effects of elevated CO2exposure on the brain transcriptome of the anemone goby, a species with high population density in the CO2seep and investigate their potential for acclimation. When compared to fish from environments with ambient CO2, gobies living in the CO2seep showed differences in expression of transcripts involved in ion transport and pH homeostasis, cellular stress, immune response, circadian rhythm, and metabolism. We also found evidence of potential adaptive mechanisms to restore the functioning of GABAergic pathways, whose activity can be affected by exposure to elevated CO2levels. Our findings indicate that gobies living in the CO2seep may be capable of mitigating CO2induced oxidative stress and maintaining physiological pH while meeting the consequent increased energetic costs. The conspicuous difference in expression of core circadian rhythm transcripts could provide an adaptive advantage by increasing flexibility of physiological processes in elevated CO2conditions thereby facilitating acclimation. Our results show potential molecular processes of acclimation to elevated CO2in gobies enabling them to thrive in the acidified waters of Vulcano Island.

ABSTRACTIt is known that the developing serotonergic system is one of the targets of ethanol teratogenicity. Because serotonin has multiple functions in both mature and immature brains, disturbance of the serotonergic system by ethanol exposurein uterocan be cause of a wide range of psychiatric problems in adulthood. In the present study, we observed serotonergic neurons in the midbrain raphe nuclei and anxiety‐like behaviors which would be affected by an altered serotonergic system in adult rats prenatally exposed to ethanol. Pregnant rats were fed a liquid diet containing 2.5–5.0% (w/v) ethanol on gestational days 10–21. Their offspring were examined at 60–70 days of age. A significant decrease in the number of serotonergic cells in the midbrain raphe nuclei was shown in prenatally ethanol‐exposed offspring. In an open field test, they spent more time in a central area compared to controls. Also in an elevated plus maze test, prenatally ethanol‐exposed offspring spent more time on the open arms than controls. These behavioral results suggested that prenatally ethanol‐exposed rats were less sensitive to anxiety. However, 44% of prenatally ethanol‐exposed offspring exhibited freezing behavior on the open arms of the elevated plus maze, causing strong anxiety, compared with 0% in intact control and 12.5% in isocaloric sucrose‐fed control groups. These findings suggest that prenatal ethanol exposure decreases both susceptibility and resistance of anxiety. Insufficient serotonergic actions caused by reduced serotonergic neurons in the raphe nuclei might contribute to the alterations in anxiety‐related behaviors observed in our prenatally ethanol‐exposed rats.