Neurochemical Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol Addiction: Model Experiments on Rats

We measured the activities of the main alcohol-metabolizing enzymes (alcohol dehydrogenase, AlDH, and aldehyde dehydrogenase, AdhDH) in the blood serum, comparing these indices with the contents of ethanol and its main metabolite, acetaldehyde (AcAdh), in the blood, and also measured the contents of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine) in the blood and in different brain structures (hypothalamus, midbrain, and neocortex) of rats in the states of acute alcohol intoxication and chronic alcohol addiction. It was shown that, because of dissimilar changes in the activities of AlDH and AdhDH under conditions of alcohol intoxication, the dynamic balance between endogenous ethanol and AcAdh existing in the norm is disturbed, which results in an increase in the level of AcAdh. Such a phenomenon probably is one of the crucial factors underlying the development of alcohol addiction.     

Effects of an Analog of Vasopressin on the Content of Biogenic Amines in the Brain Structures and Blood of Rats in Alcohol Intoxication

On rats with genetically determined inclination to ethanol consumption under conditions of free choice between ethanol solution and water as liquids for drinking, we studied the effects of an analog of vasopressin (anVP, the tetrapeptide corresponding to the ring part of the molecule of this hormone) on the contents of noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the hypothalamus, midbrain, and neocortex and also on the contents of adrenaline (A), NA, and 5-HT in the blood. Injections of 1.0 g/kg anVP did not significantly change the above indices. Injections of this agent in a higher dose (5.0 g/kg) resulted in an increase in the content of NA in the hypothalamus by 80%, on average, and in a decrease in the A level in the blood by 40%. At the same time, the level of 5-HT in all the brain structures under study dropped rather sharply. After injection of 5.0 g/kg anVP against the background of acute alcohol intoxication (infusion of 4.0 g/kg ethanol into the stomach), the level of biogenic amines, which to a considerable extent changed under conditions of such intoxication, demonstrated clear trends toward normalization in all the studied brain structures.     

Involvement of Serotonin in the Pathogenesis of Alcohol Addiction

We studied the contents of serotonin (5-HT) in a few brain structures (hypothalamus, midbrain, and neocortex) and in blood of rats with genetically determined preference of either ethanol solution or water as a liquid for drinking (groups preferring ethanol, PE, or preferring water, PW, respectively). Rats of the PE group differed from PW animals by significantly higher levels of 5-HT in the hypothalamus and blood. Peroral introduction of 4 g/kg ethanol into PE rats resulted in rapid (in not more than 15 min) sharp increases in the 5-HT content in the hypothalamus, neocortex, and blood, but 45 min after ethanol introduction the 5-HT contents in the hypothalamus, midbrain, neocortex, and blood noticeably dropped. It is suggested that within this time interval condensation of 5-HT with acetaldehyde (AcAdh, the first metabolite of ethanol oxidation) is intensified. This results in the production of -carbolines, analogs of morphine-like alkaloids, which are ligands of the opioid receptors. Under conditions of the development of alcohol addiction (free access of PE animals to the ethanol solution and water for several months), the content of 5-HT in the brain structures and blood increased in a parallel manner with an increase in the daily consumption of alcohol. Our findings are proof of the significant involvement of the serotoninergic system in the development of the euphoria state after single alcohol consumption and motivation for its consumption in the course of formation of alcohol addiction.     

甜菜碱醛脱氢酶在菠菜叶细胞中的定位

将菠菜叶片匀浆后．用差速离心和梯度率心分离叶绿体、过氧物酶体、微粒体等细胞器和１０００００×ｇ上清法部分。用酶活测定法测定各部分甜菜碱醛脱氢酶（ＢＡＤＨ）的活性;用免疫扩散法鉴定各组分的ＢＡＤＨ。除叶绿体外,过氧物酶体、微粒体．以及１０００００×ｇ上清液中也存在ＢＡＤＨ。     

菠菜甜菜碱醛脱氢酶基因在棉花中的过量表达和抗冻耐逆性分析

分离出菠菜甜菜碱醛脱氢酶基因(SoBADH)构建成由CaMV35S驱动的双元植物表达载体pBSB, 农杆菌菌株LBA4404携带该载体转化棉花, 获得转基因棉花植株。65株转基因植株经过PCR筛选、Southern blotting分析证明有45株为成功的转化株, 外源基因已经被整合到棉花的染色体组中, 并以单拷贝插入居多。对部分株系的SoBADH基因的表达进行分析表明均有较高的mRNA和蛋白的表达。经测定这些株系中的甜菜碱脱氢酶活性显著提高, 达到0.66~1.70 nmol/min/mg水平。同时这些转基因株系在盐胁迫下比对照长势强, 株高和地上部分的鲜重显著高于非转基因对照; 在低温胁迫下, 这些转基因株系表现出显著的抗冻性能。结果表明菠菜甜菜碱醛脱氢酶能够在异源植物棉花中过量表达, 并具有较高的酶活性, 转基因棉花可作为抗逆育种的种质材料。     

Maternal Coordination of the Daily Rhythm of Malate Dehydrogenase Activity in Testes from Young Rats: Effect of Maternal Sympathetic Denervation of the Pineal Gland and Administration of Melatonin

Chronic sympathetic denervation of the pineal gland by bilateral removal of the superior cervical ganglia (SCG) was performed on female rats 30 days before impregnation. The offspring, maintained in the dark from birth, had disruption of the malate dehydrogenase circadian rhythm in the testes at 25 days of age. A daily injection of melatonin (1 mg/kg s.c. at 10:00 or 18:00 h) to denervated mothers from the 14th day of pregnancy up to the 10th day postpartum produced one daily phase in the enzyme activity of testes in the offspring. Entrainment of daily enzyme activity also was obtained when the hormone was administered orally to the pups during the postnatal period or when pups were reared by intact (not denervated) foster mothers. The results indicate the involvement of the maternal pineal gland in the maternal transfer of photoperiodic information necessary for the coordination of the circadian system in young rats.     

Maternal Coordination of the Daily Rhythm of Malate Dehydrogenase Activity in Testes from Young Rats: Effect of Maternal Sympathetic Denervation of the Pineal Gland and Administration of Melatonin

Chronic sympathetic denervation of the pineal gland by bilateral removal of the superior cervical ganglia (SCG) was performed on female rats 30 days before impregnation. The offspring, maintained in the dark from birth, had disruption of the malate dehydrogenase circadian rhythm in the testes at 25 days of age. A daily injection of melatonin (1 mg/kg s.c. at 10:00 or 18:00 h) to denervated mothers from the 14th day of pregnancy up to the 10th day postpartum produced one daily phase in the enzyme activity of testes in the offspring. Entrainment of daily enzyme activity also was obtained when the hormone was administered orally to the pups during the postnatal period or when pups were reared by intact (not denervated) foster mothers. The results indicate the involvement of the maternal pineal gland in the maternal transfer of photoperiodic information necessary for the coordination of the circadian system in young rats.     

Transmembrane Transport and Release of GABA in the Brain of Rats Subjected to Postnatal Hypoxia

We studied the effects of early postnatal hypoxia on the efficiency of active GABA transport through the plasma membrane of synaptic terminals (synaptosomes) isolated from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus of rats and on non-stimulated and Ca²⁺-stimulated GABA release. The state of hypoxia was induced by exposure of 10- to 12-day-old rats to a respiratory medium with low O₂ content (4% О₂ and 96% N₂) for 12 min (up to the initiation of clonico-tonic seizures). Animals were taken in the experiment 8 to 9 weeks after an episode of hypoxic stress. The intensity of transmembrane transport of GABA was estimated according to accumulation of [³Н]GABA in a coarse synaptosomal fraction. The process was characterized by calculation of the Michaelis constant K _m and also of the initial (within the 1st min) and maximum rates of accumulation of [³Н]GABA. The means of the initial rate of [³Н]GABA accumulation in preparations from the thalamus, cortex, and hippocampus were 205.5 ± 8.8, 266.2 ± 29.6, and 302.3 ± 31.2 pmol/min⋅mg protein, respectively. Hypoxic stress influenced the rates of accumulation of [³Н]GABA in synaptic terminals from the cortex and hippocampus but not in those from the thalamus. According to the characteristics of the response to hypoxic stress, all experimental animals could be classified into two groups. In some rats, accumulation of [³Н]GABA in both cortical and hippocampal synaptosomes decreased insignificantly (by about 15%), while in other animals this parameter increased significantly (by nearly 50%) for the cortex and decreased by 21.5%, on average, for the hippocampus. The affinity of the transporter with respect to [³Н]GABA in the cortex and hippocampus was nearly the same and showed no changes under the influence of hypoxia. The non-stimulated release of [³Н]GABA after the influence of hypoxia increased in all structures, while the depolarization-induced Ca²⁺-dependent release of [³Н]GABA was intensified only in synaptosomes from the cerebral cortex. The mechanisms of development of modifications of GABA-ergic processes under the influence of hypoxic stress in the course of the perinatal period are discussed. Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 293–302, July–August, 2008.     

Relationship Between Plasma and Brain Large Neutral Amino Acids in Rats Fed Diets with Different Compositions at Different Times of the Day

Large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) compete with each other for carrier-mediated transport through the blood-brain barrier into the brain. The relative plasma concentration, expressed as the ratio of each LNAA to the sum of LNAAs, is considered the main regulator of brain LNAA concentrations. In order to investigate the consistency of this assumption throughout a 24-h period, we have compared the relationship of plasma LNAAs to brain LNAAs among groups of rats fed diets containing various amounts of protein (in order to obtain a wide range of plasma LNAA levels) at two different phases of the light/dark cycle (0900 and 2100 hours). The relationship between plasma and brain LNAAs was found to be dependent on both diet and the time of day. Similar plasma amino acid concentrations in the morning and in the evening contrasted with different brain concentrations. Furthermore, previous findings that brain LNAA concentrations are influenced by plasma amino acid concentrations were confirmed.     

Areal Distributions of Cortical Neurons Projecting to Different Levels of the Caudal Brain Stem and Spinal Cord in Rats

Distributions of corticospinal and corticobulbar neurons were revealed by tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) processing after injections of wheatgerm agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA:HRP) into the cervical or lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord, or medullary or pontine levels of the brain stem. Sections reacted for cytochrome oxidase (CO) allowed patterns of labeled neurons to be related to the details of the body surface map in the first somatosensory cortical area (SI). The results indicate that a number of cortical areas project to these subcortical levels: (1) Projection neurons in granular SI formed a clear somatotopic pattern. The hindpaw region projected to the lumbar enlargement, the forepaw region to the cervical enlargement, the whisker pad field to the lower medulla, and the more rostral face region to more rostral brain stem levels. (2) Each zone of labeled neurons in SI extended into adjacent dysgranular somatosensory cortex, forming a second somatotopic pattern of projection neurons. (3) A somatotopic pattern of projection neurons in primary motor cortex (MI) paralleled SI in mediolateral sequence corresponding to the hindlimb, forelimb, and face. (4) A weak somatotopic pattern of projection neurons was suggested in medial agranular cortex (Ag_m), indicating a premotor field with a rostromedial-to-caudolateral representation of hindlimb, forelimb, and face. (5) A somatotopic pattern of projection neurons representing the foot to face in a mediolateral sequence was observed in medial parietal cortex (PM) located between SI and area 17. (6) In the second somatosensory cortical area (SII), neurons projecting to the brain stem were immediately adjacent caudolaterally to the barrel field of SI, whereas neurons projecting to the upper spinal cord were more lateral. No projection neurons in this region were labeled by the injections in the lower spinal cord. (7) Other foci of projection neurons for the face and forelimb were located rostral to SII, providing evidence for a parietal ventral area (PV) in perirhinal cortex (PR) lateral to SI, and in cortex between SII and PM. None of these regions, which may be higher-order somatosensory areas, contained labeled neurons after injections in the lower spinal cord. Thus, more cortical fields directly influence brain stem and spinal cord levels related to sensory and motor functions of the face and forepaw than the hindlimb.

The termination patterns of corticospinal and corticobulbar projections were studied in other rats with injections of WGA:HRP in SI. Injections in lateral SI representing the face produced dense terminal label in the contralateral trigeminal complex. Injections in cortex devoted to the forelimb and forepaw labeled the contralateral cuneate nucleus and parts of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The cortical injections also demonstrated interconnections of parts of SI with some of the other regions of cortex with projections to the spinal cord, and provided further evidence for the existence of PV in rats.     

The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex: Cloning of the Rat Somatic El α Subunit and Its Coordinate Expression with the mRNAs for the E1β E2, and E3 Catalytic Subunits in Developing Rat Brain

Abstract: We report the isolation of cDNA clones encoding the somatic form of the E1α subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of rat. The deduced amino acid sequence has 99.5, 98, and 97% identity, respectively, with the orthologous proteins of mouse, human, and pig and 98.5% identity with a rat E1α sequence reported previously. The cDNAs isolated in this and earlier studies predict different E1α subunit mRNA sizes and amino acid sequences. These differences have been investigated by PCR, northern blot hybridization, and RNase protection. We have used our E1α cDNA, in conjunction with cDNA probes to the E1β, E2, and E3 catalytic subunits of rat pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and also to rat citrate synthase, to perform RNase protection assays of developing rat whole brain RNA. The results show a 2.5-fold increase in the concentration of each of the subunit mRNAs and a 1.2-fold increase in citrate synthase mRNA from late foetal stage to 5 days post partum. Thereafter, the mRNA levels remained constant. These data indicate that the respective six-and threefold increases in the amounts of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and citrate synthase found to occur in rat brain between birth and adulthood are mediated principally by translational and/or posttranslational mechanisms.     

Comparison of the Vascular Permeability of the Brain and the Spinal Cord to Mannitol and Inulin in Rats

The kinetics of the movement of [14C]mannitol and [14C]inulin from the blood into the CNS of the rat were measured. The spinal cord was found to have a higher permeability to these two substances than the brain. It is likely that the channels through which the tracers diffused are larger in the capillaries of the spinal cord than those in the brain.     

Changes in the Sensitivity of the Brain Cortex to the Action of Convulsants within the Remote Period after Electrostimulation-Induced Kindling in Rats

In acute experiments on rats, we measured the intensity of epileptiform events after applications of agonists of the receptors to excitatory amino acids, NMDA (10.0 mg/ml) and kainic acid (2.0 mg/ml), to the cortex. The rats were preliminarily subjected to a kindling procedure using electrical stimulations (ES) of the ventrobasal amygdala. Within the remote post-kindling period (three weeks after the last ES session), the sensitivity to the above drugs increased: the latency of the first EEG spike potential decreased, the amplitude of epileptic discharges within the period of the highest activity increased, and the epileptic nidi existed for a longer period. Applications of NMDA and kainic acid after preliminary intraventricular injections of an agonist of the -opiate receptors, DAMGO (0.5 g), on the one hand, evoked more intensive epileptogenic effects in kindling rats, and, on the other hand, did not change the above-mentioned indices of epileptogenesis in the control animals. The effects of applications of other convulsants (30 mg/ml strychnine or 10,000 IU/ml benzylpenicillin) showed no changes under the influence of DAMGO.     

不同剂量苯巴比妥钠对缺血性脑损伤大鼠神经功能及认知障碍恢复的影响

摘要 目的：探讨不同剂量苯巴比妥钠对缺血性脑损伤大鼠神经功能及认知障碍恢复的影响。方法：将缺血性脑损伤大鼠(n=48)随机平分为三组-模型组、低剂量组与高剂量组。造模后第7 d起,模型组、低剂量组与高剂量组分别给予腹腔注射生理盐水、苯巴比妥钠50 mg/kg/d与苯巴比妥钠100 mg/kg/d,持续7 d,观察与记录大鼠神经功能及认知障碍恢复情况。结果：低剂量组与高剂量组治疗第3 d与第7 d的寻台潜伏期与跨越原平台位置时间都少于模型组(P<0.05),血清丙二醛(malondialdehyde,MDA)含量低于对照组(P<0.05),超氧化物歧化酶(Superoxide dismutase,SOD)活性高于模型组(P<0.05),低剂量组与高剂量组对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。低剂量组与高剂量组治疗第7 d的脑组织细胞指数高于模型组(P<0.05),Bcl-2、NF-κB p65蛋白相对表达水平低于模型组(P<0.05),低剂量组与高剂量组对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论：低剂量苯巴比妥钠在缺血性脑损伤大鼠的应用就能抑制Bcl-2、NF-κB p65蛋白的表达,也可抑制脑组织细胞凋亡,能促进SOD的释放与降低MDA的含量,有利于促进大鼠学习记忆与工作记忆能力的恢复。     

Seasonal Dynamics of Plankton in Zones with Different Thermal Structures of Water off the Southern Kuril Islands

Based on plankton samples collected from 100–0 m depths in the years 1979–1980, the duration of biological seasons was determined and the seasonal succession of plankton was followed in five surface water modification zones: Kuril, Subarctic, Subtropical transformed, Oyashio (cold), and Soya (warm). The bloom of phytoplankton off the southern Kuril Islands begins in the months March–May and continues until June in waters of warm currents and until September in cold waters. Succession rates vary among the zones. In cold-water zones, the change in the plankton community from the spring to the summer state occurs about half a month later than in warm waters. The reason for this lag is the slower sea surface heating and the later stratification in cold-water zones.     

Modifications of the EEG Activity upon Lateralized Stimulation of the Visual Inputs to the Right and to the Left Brain Hemispheres by Light with Different Wavelengths

In 80 healthy humans, we studied changes in the frequency spectrum and values of the relative spectral coefficients for subsequent 1-Hz-wide frequency bands under conditions of simultaneous lateralized stimulation of the retinal zones, which form receptive fields for the right- and for the left-brain hemispheres; light of different colors was used for stimulation. We found that reactions of the right and left hemispheres to such stimulations demonstrated obvious specificity; spatial characteristics of these reactions were obtained. Changes in the values of most corresponding spectral coefficients in the hemispheres usually had similar directions and demonstrated similarity in their intensities, which is indicative of a complementary pattern of the interhemispheric interaction. Reciprocal changes in the corresponding spectral coefficients in the hemispheres were observed more rarely. Modifications of EEG upon red-green stimulations of different polarity were found to be similar, which can be a manifestation of the moderating influence of the right hemisphere on the left one.     

A Brain-Specific Protein p25 Is Localized and Associated with Oligodendrocytes, Neuropil, and Fiber-Like Structures of the CA3 Hippocampal Region in the Rat Brain

Abstract: Developmental expression and cellular localization of a novel brain-specific 25-kDa protein (p25), a substrate of tau protein kinase II, were investigated in the rat brain using polyclonal antibodies raised against peptides synthesized based on the p25 amino acid sequence. By western immunoblotting, p25 was found to be expressed only slightly in the embryonic period; the expression increased from 11 days up to 5 weeks of age, and continued to increase gradually until 1–2 years of age. Immunohistochemistry revealed distinct staining of glial cells in most regions of the central nervous system in the adult rat brain. These positively immunostained cells were especially abundant in the white matter, such as the corpus callosum, cingulum, external capsule, and internal capsule. The glial cells were identified as oligodendrocytes, and the nuclei of the cells remained unstained. Whereas the neuropil in most parts of the brain was immunostained less intensely than glias, the neuropil in the first and second layers of the cerebral cortex and the dentate gyrus was relatively strongly stained. Fiber-like structures were also stained in the CA3 region of hippocampus.