Inhibitory effect of intraventricularly applied D-galactosamine on incorporation of labelled precursors into RNA and protein of rat hippocampus

Ten mumoles of intraventricularly injected D-galactosamine (GalN) inhibited the incorporation of [(3)H]-guanosine and [(3)H]-leucine into RNA and protein of the rat hippocampus, respectively. The inhibition of guanosine incorporation of appr. 80% occurred during the first 30 min after GalN treatment and lasted at least 4 h. The incorporation of leucine was inhibited by appr. 30% only; this effect occurred not earlier than 90 min after GalN injection. The results demonstrate a similar effect of GalN on brain macromolecular syntheses as already observed in the liver suggesting the same mechanism of action, namely trapping of uridine phosphates. The results are discussed with regard to the amnesic effect of GalN observed on the retention of a brightness discrimination in rats.     

Is "scopolamine-induced amnesia" in rats the result of state-dependent learning?

The effects of a single and repetitive administration of m-cholinoblocker scopolamine (Sc) to male rats on retention of step-through passive avoidance (PA) or active avoidance (AA) in a shuttle-box were compared. In case of PA Sc (1 mg/kg) was injected i.p. only 30 min before training, only 30 min before testing, or both before training and before testing. In case of AA Sc (0.5 mg/kg/day) was injected i.p. only 15 min before each training session or both before training and before testing (44 days after achievement of learning criterion). The PA and AA retention were impaired only in the experiments, where the drug was administered before training, but did not differ from control, when Sc was injected twice. The Sc-induced amnesia (like many other cases of memory deficits) is suggested to be a manifestation of state-dependent learning. Similarity between the brain state during memory consolidation and during the retention test is necessary for recollection.     

Effects of systemic pancreastatin on memory retention

Pancreastatin, a peptide isolated from the pancreas, was shown to enhance memory retention after peripheral administration in mice when administration following T-maze footshock avoidance training. The effect of pancreastatin on memory retention, one week after training, was time dependent showing enhancement of retention when pancreastatin was administered 0 and 30 min but not 60 min after training. Pancreastatin reversed the amnesia produced by scopolamine. The pancreastatin fragment (33-49) also enhanced memory. Pancreastatin did not increase glucose in vivo. We conclude that peripherally administered pancreastatin modulates memory processing.     

Changes in the acetylcholine content of different brain regions of the rat during a learning experiment

Abstract— The ACh content of the rat hippocampus, visual cortex, auditory cortex and corpus striatum was estimated as so-called free, labile-bound and stable bound acetylcholine at different times after the learning of a brightness discrimination. In the hippocampal region the free acetylcholine was highly increased immediately after the training, whereas the stable bound ACh and the labile-bound fraction rose 70 min and 4 h respectively-after completion of training. Only small alterations of the ACh fractions were observed in the visual and auditory cortices. In the corpus striatum no changes appeared.     

学习记忆对脑内c-fos基因表达的影响

学习记忆是人和动物重要的脑功能，大量事实表明，学习记忆过程与脑内ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因的表达密切相关。由学习记忆所诱导的ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因表达在脑内广泛分布，以皮层、海马和边缘系统为多，依学习记忆训练模型的不同，其表达时程有所差异，但一般于训练后立即或３０分钟左右出现，１～２小时左右达峰值。被动和主动回避训练、光辨别训练及味觉厌恶性条件反射训练等多种学习记忆模型均可诱导脑内ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因的表达。其他影响学习记     

二甲双胍和西格列汀对胰岛素抵抗糖尿病前期KKAy小鼠胰岛β细胞功能的影响*

目的:探讨二甲双胍和西格列汀对胰岛素抵抗糖尿病前期KKAy小鼠胰岛β细胞功能的影响及其机制。方法:将30只6周龄KKAy小鼠随机分为普通饲料喂养组(C组,n=10)及高脂饲料喂养组(n=20),8周龄时将高脂饮食喂养的KKAy小鼠随机分为两组:二甲双胍干预组(Met组,n=10)和西格列汀干预组(SP组,n=10),持续灌胃8周。用口服糖耐量实验(OGTT)检测葡萄糖水平。检测空腹血清胰岛素及血浆脂质水平,计算胰岛素释放指数(HOMA-β)及胰岛素抵抗指数(HOMA-IR)。留取KKAy小鼠胰腺,连续切片分别胰岛素、胰高血糖素免疫荧光染色,ki67/INS双标记分析β细胞增殖情况、凋亡情况。Western blot方法测定胰腺转录因子PDX-1和MafA蛋白表达情况。结果:① OGTT结果提示,与C组比较,Met和SP组KKAy小鼠的空腹血糖、口服葡萄糖后30、60及120 min的血糖均显著降低(P均＜0.01),血糖时间曲线下面积(AUC)显著降低(P＜0.01,P＜0.01)。与Met组比较,SP组口服葡萄糖后30及60 min的血糖无明显统计学差异,120 min的血糖显著降低(P＜0.05),两组AUC无统计学差异。② 胰岛素耐量试验(ITT)结果提示,与C比较,Met和SP组KKAy小鼠的空腹血糖、注射胰岛素后30、60及90 min的血糖显著减低,ITT血糖曲线下面积(AUC)显著升高(P＜0.01),而Met和SP组之间比较无明显统计学差异。③ C组胰岛中β细胞区域亮度较低,边缘散乱,给予二甲双胍后,β细胞区域及亮度有所增加;给予西格列汀治疗后,β细胞区域及亮度显著增加。C组胰岛中,α细胞在胰岛中分布无序,亮度较大。给予二甲双胍后,α细胞区域有所减少,亮度有所降低,一定程度向胰岛边缘的分布;给予西格列汀后,α细胞区域明显减少,亮度显著降低,在胰岛边缘分布。④ 与C组比较,Met组和SP组胰腺MafA表达水平明显升高,分别为1.63倍,1.58倍(P＜0.01,P＜0.01)。各组间胰腺PDX-1表达情况无显著差异。结论:对胰岛素抵抗糖尿病前期KKAy小鼠,给予二甲双胍可以维持胰岛的功能和形态,给与西格列汀可能促进β细胞增殖,提高胰岛素转录因子MafA的表达水平,防止糖尿病的发生发展。     

Fucose incorporation into rat hippocampus structures after acquisition of a brightness discrimination. A histoautoradiographic analysis

Using a brigthness discrimination model in rats, the labeling of discrete hippocampus formation structures was studied after intraventricular application of [3H]-fucose. This substance was injected 5 min before training as well as 5 min, 3, 7 and 23 h after training, the pulse period lasting 120 min in all cases. A significantly training-related enhanced labeling of CA1, CA3 and CA4 cell bodies and fibres revealed that a biphasic time course occurring when radioactive fucose was applied 5 min before training and 7 h after training, whereas the increased labeling of area dentata structures was evidenced only after application of radioactive fucose 5 min before and after training. In all structures under investigation the training-related increase in labeling was more pronounced in the fibre layers than in the pyramidal and granular cell bodies.     

Preventive effect of cholecystokinin octapeptide on experimental amnesia in rats

The effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) on electroconvulsive shock (ECS)-induced amnesia in passive avoidance response was studied in rats. In normal rats, CCK-8 in doses from 1 ng to 1 microgram had no effect on the response when injected before the training trials, immediately after foot shock or before the first retention test. However, proglumide, a CCK-8 receptor blocker, induced marked amnesia when injected in doses from 0.1 to 10 micrograms before the training trials and in doses of 1 and 10 micrograms before the first retention test, though not subsequent to foot shock. ECS given immediately after the foot shock caused amnesia in the 24 hr and 48 hr retention tests, which could have been prevented by CCK-8 injected in doses of 10 ng to 1 microgram prior to the training trials, of 10 ng to 1 microgram following ECS and of 0.1 and 1 microgram before the first retention test. In addition, the effects of CCK-8 and proglumide became pronounced following chronic ICV infusion, using an osmotic minipump, for 7 days at a dose of 1 ng/day and 10 ng/day, respectively. The amnesia induced by proglumide was not affected by arginine vasopressin (AVP), while AVP in doses of 10 ng and 100 ng given 30 min before the training trials prevented ECS-induced amnesia. The antiamnesic effect of AVP was abolished by simultaneous administration of proglumide. On the other hand, AVP-antiserum produced marked amnesia which could be antagonized by CCK-8. However, the antiamnesic effect of CCK-8 was not suppressed by AVP-antiserum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Neonatal administrations of a vasopressin analog (DDAVP) and hypertonic saline enhance learning behavior in rats

Groups of newborn Wistar rats received daily 1-desamino-8-D-arginine-vasopressin (DDAVP), oxytocin (OXT), hypertonic saline or normal saline for 14 days from day 1 to day 14 of life. One or three months later they were trained in a maze for brightness discrimination (BD). A group of untreated adult male rats received posttrial DDAVP or normal saline for brightness discrimination. Subsequently all the retentions of BD were tested after one month. We found that the neonatal treatments with both DDAVP and hypertonic saline facilitated acquisition and subsequent maintenance of brightness discrimination in immature and mature rats, and also that posttreatment with DDAVP enhanced retention of BD in adult rats. Oxytocin and normal saline had no effect on these parameters. The results are interpreted as showing that endogenous AVP and its synthetic analog enhance the development and adult function of central neural substrates involved in learning behaviors.     

Over-reinforcement protects against memory deficits induced by muscarinic blockade of the striatum

It has been shown that blockade of muscarinic receptors of the anterior striatum (AS) induces significant impairments in the retrieval of stored information of a passive avoidance task, trained with conventional parameters of footshock, and that the same blockade is ineffective in altering short-term memory of this task. The results of the present experimental series showed that in conditions of over-reinforcement, microinjections of scopolamine into the AS shortly after training or before retention testing of passive avoidance, do not produce memory deficits when retention is assessed 30 min, 24 h or 48 h after training. It is suggested that after an enhanced learning experience (over-reinforcement) striatal cholinergic activity is not involved in short- and long-term memory functions.     

Effects of temperature and heat activation on germination of individual spores of Bacillus subtilis

Phase intensity changes of individual germinating spores of Bacillus subtilis were determined by phase-contrast light microscopy and image analysis. Two germination phases were investigated. The length of the time period before a change in phase brightness was evident and the duration of the phase intensity change until a constant greylevel was maintained. The incubation temperature (37 and 20 °C) and heat activation (10 min at 65 °C) had a distinct effect on both phases. At 37 °C, spores of B. subtilis 604 started to show a decrease in brightness in l -alanine buffer after 3–39 min and needed 10–39 min to complete the phase change. At 20 °C, lag times of 10–100 min were observed and the spores needed 30–100 min to reach a constant greylevel. Heat activation and subsequently exposure to l -alanine buffer at 20 °C reduced the lag phase to 6–90 min and the phase change was finished after 30–60 min. Our results indicate enzymatic involvement before and during the phase intensity change of germinating spores.     

Retroactive interference after discrimination reversal decreases following temporal and physical context changes in human subjects

One experiment was conducted to test the additive effects of physical context changes and the passage of time on a retroactive interference task in human subjects. Participants learned a discrimination in a symbolic matching to sample situation within a specific context. The discrimination was subsequently reversed. The context in which the reversal occurred was combined factorially with the passage of time before the test. All testing was conducted in the context in which the original discrimination was acquired. Participants had received the discrimination reversal in either a context different from that in which the original discrimination was acquired, or in the same context. Half of each of the groups mentioned above received testing immediately after reversal training and the other half received testing 48 h later. Both manipulations, changing the context after the reversal and the passage of time following the reversal, led to a recovery of the original discrimination performance. Participants that received both a context change and retention interval showed the largest recovery.     

Substance P evokes bradycardia by stimulation of postganglionic cholinergic neurons.

Substance P (SP) evokes bradycardia that is mediated by cholinergic neurons in experiments with isolated guinea pig hearts. This project investigates the negative chronotropic action of SP in vivo. Guinea pigs were anesthetized with urethane, vagotomized and artificially respired. Using this model, IV injection of SP (32 nmol/kg/50 microl saline) caused a brief decrease in heart rate (-30+/-3 beats/min from a baseline of 256+/-4 beats/min, n = 27) and a long-lasting decrease in blood pressure (-28+/-2 mmHg from baseline of 51+/-5 mmHg, n = 27). The negative chronotropic response to SP was attenuated by muscarinic receptor blockade with atropine (-29 +/- 9 beats/min before vs -8 +/- 2 beats/min after treatment, P = 0.0204, n = 5) and augmented by inhibition of cholinesterases with physostigmine (-23 +/- 6 beats/min before versus -74 +/- 20 beats/min after treatment, P = 0.0250, n = 5). Ganglion blockade with chlorisondamine did not diminish the negative chronotropic response to SP. In another series of experiments, animals were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital or urethane and studied with or without vagotomy. Neither anesthetic nor vagotomy had a significant effect on the negative chronotropic response to SP (F3,24 = 1.97, P = 0.2198). Comparison of responses to 640 nmol/kg nitroprusside and 32 nmol/kg SP demonstrated that the bradycardic effect of SP occurs independent of vasodilation. These results suggest that SP can evoke bradycardia in vivo through stimulation of postganglionic cholinergic neurons.     

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are involved in early phase of memory formation: possible role of modulation of glutamate release

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) groups I and II are involved in the cellular processes of long-term potentiation (LTP) and learning and memory formation. I.c.v. injection of the mGluRs agonist 1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) can impair memory formation in some types of learning task. The role of mGluRs in neurotransmitters release and production of second messengers has been suggested. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of i.c.v. administration of the new potent mGluRs agonist ABHxD-I and compare its effect with that of ACPD. We studied the effect of both agonists on acquisition and memory for a one-trial passive avoidance learning task in day-old chicks and on the training related glutamate (Glu) release. ACPD or ABHxD-I (50 nmole per chick, i.c.v. injection) were administered at different times before or after training and chicks were tested at various times after training. Chicks injected with ABHxD-I 30 min before training showed amnesia when tested 30 min or 3h after training. The amnestic effect of ACPD was significant only 30 min after training. Glu release evoked by 70 mM KCl was measured in slices prepared from the IMHV of chick brain isolated from animals injected with either ACPD or ABHxD-I 30 min before training and tested 30 min after training. Glu concentration was measured using HPLC. Both ACPD and ABHxD-I significantly increased Glu release in slices isolated from untrained chicks (30 and 48% compare to control, respectively, P<0.05). Training itself increased Glu release (41% compared to control, P<0.01) and no additional effect of either ACPD or ABHxD-I was observed. These results suggest that mGluRs groups I and II are involved in the early stages of memory formation and that application of either of the studied mGluRs agonists may interfere with that process. The amnestic effect of ABHxD-I seems to be stronger and longer lasting. Although the mechanism of this effect still remains unclear, our results suggest that disregulation of Glu release by mGluR agonists may participate in this process.     

Effects of stress and of amphetamine on passive avoidance conditioning in rats

This study examined the effects of immobilization stress combined with water immersion (ICS) and/or amphetamine (AM) on different memory phases in the passive avoidance task in rats. The performance of rats was evaluated in the retention tests 24 and 48 h after a single acquisition trial. ICS exposure lasting 1 h impaired retention of the learned avoidance response if applied 2 to 4 h before or immediately after training. The stressor did not affect retrieval if presented 5 or 2 h before the retention test. AM was used i.p. at the dose of 8 or 1 mg/kg. Neither 8 mg AM administered 4 h before nor 8 or 1 mg doses given after training did not impair the retention performance in unstressed rats. The 1 mg AM prevented the impairment of retention in animals exposed to the stressor 3 or 4 h before training but had no effect when the stronger impairment was induced by ICS 2 h before training. However, when given 1 h before retention testing, 1 mg AM attenuated even the severe impairment induced by the pre-training stressor exposure. Our results suggest that ICS impairs primarily the early phase of memory consolidation and a low dose of AM can prevent this effect.     

Local effects of substance P on respiratory regulation in the rat medulla oblongata.

The effect of substance P (SP) and the SP antagonist [D-Pro2,D-Trp7,9]-SP on basal ventilation was investigated in halothane-anesthetized rats. Microinjections of SP (0.4-1.5 nmol) into the ventrolateral medulla oblongata (VLM), (nuclei gigantocellularis, facialis, ambiguus, and reticularis lateralis) or into the dorsomedial medulla oblongata (DM, nucleus tractus solitarius) and its ventral surroundings dose dependently increased tidal volume (VT) and/or minute ventilation. In sensitive areas, the ventilatory stimulation was initiated within minutes, peaked around 8-10 min, and slowly returned to normal over 30-45 min after the injection. In the VLM sites, the increase in VT was generally accompanied by a decrease in respiratory frequency (f), whereas in the DM, f increased in parallel with VT. Furthermore, within the VLM, the respiratory response patterns differed with the definite location of the SP injection. A shortening of inspiratory time was observed in the ventromedial part, the ventrolateral portion of the nucleus paragigantocellularis and ventral to the nucleus facialis. In contrast, a lengthening of expiratory time was seen when SP was injected or applied more laterally along the ventral portion of nucleus facialis and near or directly on the ventral medullary surface. Application of [D-Pro2, D-Trp7,9]SP before or after SP completely antagonized the excitatory effects of SP on ventilation. The SP antagonist administered into the VLM decreased the ventilatory response to hypoxic breathing but caused no change during hyperoxic conditions.     

Inhibition of astrocytic energy metabolism by D-lactate exposure impairs memory

Bead discrimination learning in day-old chicken was inhibited by bilateral injection into the intermediate medial mesopallium (IMM), a homolog of the mammalian brain cortex, of the poorly metabolized enantiomer of L-lactate, D-lactate. The window of vulnerability extended from 10 min before training to 20 min after training. Unilateral injection 10 min before training inhibited only in the left IMM, whereas 10 min after training injection was only inhibitory if made into the right hemisphere. The pre-training administration caused memory loss from the earliest time tested whereas memory was maintained for another 20 min when D-lactate was injected 10 min post-training. The ability of acetate, an astrocyte-specific substrate, injected into the IMM to counteract the inhibitory effect was tested. Following D-lactate injection 10 min before training, rescue of memory immediately after training was achieved by acetate as long as aspartate, an oxaloacetate precursor, was also present. This suggests that pyruvate carboxylation is necessary for net synthesis of glutamate, which is known to occur at this time [Gibbs, M.E., Lloyd, H.G.E., Santa, T., Hertz, L., 2007. Glycogen is a preferred glutamate precursor during learning in 1-day-old chick: biochemical and behavioral evidence. J. Neurosci. Res., 85, 3326-3333]. However, acetate alone rescued memory 20 min post-training (following d-lactate injection 10 min after training), indicating that pyruvate at this time is used for energy production, consistent with memory inhibition by dinitrophenol. These findings suggest that D-lactate acts by inhibiting uptake of L-lactate into astrocytes (an extracellular effect) or metabolism of pyruvate in astrocytic mitochondria (an intracellular effect). An apparent lag phase between the administration of d-lactate and its inhibition of learning favors the latter possibility. Thus, under the present experimental conditions D-lactate acts as an astrocytic metabolic inhibitor rather than as an inhibitor of neuronal L-lactate uptake, as has occasionally been suggested. Analogously, a rare reversible neurological syndrome with memory deficits, D-lactate encephalopathy, may mainly or exclusively be due to astrocytic malfunction.     

Effects of hypohydration on thermoregulation during exercise before and after 5-day aerobic training in a warm environment in young men

We examined whether enhanced cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses during exercise after short-term aerobic training in a warm environment were reversed when plasma volume (PV) expansion was reversed by acute isotonic hypohydration. Seven young men performed aerobic training at the 70% peak oxygen consumption rate (Vo(?peak)) at 30°C atmospheric temperature and 50% relative humidity, 30 min/day for 5 days. Before and after training, we performed the thermoregulatory response test while measuring esophageal temperature (T(es)), forearm skin vascular conductance, sweat rate (SR), and PV during 30 min exercise at the metabolic rate equivalent to pretraining 65% Vo(?peak) in euhydration under the same environment as during training in four trials (euhydration and hypohydration, respectively). Hypohydration targeting 3% body mass was attained by combined treatment with low-salt meals to subjects from ~48 h before the test and administration of a diuretic ~4 h before the test. After training, the T(es) thresholds for cutaneous vasodilation and sweating decreased by 0.3 and 0.2°C (P = 0.008 and 0.012, respectively) when PV increased by ~10%. When PV before and after training was reduced to a similar level, ~10% reduction from that in euhydration before training, the training-induced reduction in the threshold for cutaneous vasodilation increased to a level similar to hypohydration before training (P = 0.093) while that for sweating remained significantly lower than that before training (P = 0.004). Thus the enhanced cutaneous vasodilation response after aerobic training in a warm environment was reversed when PV expansion was reversed while the enhanced SR response remained partially.     

Time course of protein synthesis-dependent phase of olfactory memory in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus

The cricket Gryllus bimaculatus forms a stable olfactory memory that lasts for practically a lifetime. As a first step to elucidate the cellular mechanisms of olfactory learning and memory retention in crickets, we studied the dependency of memory retention on the de novo brain protein synthesis by injecting the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) into the head capsule. Injection of CHX inhibited (3)H-leucine incorporation into brain proteins by > 90% for 3 hr. Crickets were trained to associate peppermint odor with water (reward) and vanilla odor with saline solution (non-reward) and were injected with CHX before or at different times after training. Their odor preferences were tested at 2 hr, 1 day and 4 days after training. Memory retention at 2 hr after training was unaffected by CHX injection. However, the level of retention at 1 day and 4 days after training was lowered when CHX was injected 1 hour before training or at 1 hr or 6 hr after training. To study the time course of the development of CHX-sensitive memory phase, crickets that had been injected with CHX at 1 hr after training were tested at different times from 2 to 12 hr after training. The level of retention was unaffected up to 4 hr after training but significantly lowered at 5 hr after training, and the CHX-sensitive memory phase developed gradually during the next several hours. CHX dissociates two phases of olfactory memory in crickets: earlier protein synthesis-independent phase (< 4 hr) and later (> 5 hr) protein synthesis-dependent phase.     

经皮电穴位电刺激足三里穴对胃癌患者术后血清IgG、IgM水平的影响

目的:观察经皮穴位电刺激对胃癌根治术患者术后血清免疫球蛋白M(Ig M)、免疫球蛋白G(Ig G)水平的影响。方法:选择全麻择期行胃癌根治术的患者102例(男88例,女14例),年龄40~75岁,将其随机分为经皮穴位电刺激组、假电刺激组和对照组。经皮电刺激双侧"足三里"(ST 36)、"三阴交"(SP 6)穴,于手术当日、术后第1日和术后第2日进行经皮电刺激治疗。于术前30分钟、术后24 h、术后72 h采集静脉血标本,测定免疫球蛋白G(Immunoglobulin G,Ig G)、免疫球蛋白M(Immunoglobulin M,Ig M)的水平。术后监测和记录肛门的排气时间。结果:在术后第1天,对照组外周血Ig G水平显著低于术前30分钟(P0.05),TEAS组外周血Ig M水平显著高于术前30分钟(P0.05),TEAS组外周血Ig G和Ig M水平显著高于对照组(P0.05)。在术后第3天,对照组外周血Ig G、Ig M水平显著低于术前30分钟(P0.05),TEAS组外周血Ig G、Ig M水平均显著低于术后1天(P0.05)。三组患者术后肛门排气时间比较无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:经皮穴位电刺激可以升高胃癌根治术患者术后1天降低的外周血Ig G和Ig M水平,减轻其术后免疫抑制。