6-Hydroxydopamine and excitotoxin lesions of medial prefrontal cortex fail to affect schedule-induced drinking in the rat

Schedule-induced drinking was examined in rats following 6-hydroxydopamine and N-methyl-D-aspartate lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex. 6-Hydroxydopamine reduced the concentrations of dopamine and noradrenaline in the medial prefrontal cortex to 17 and 37% of control values respectively, while changes were not observed in the nucleus accumbens. Lesions with N-methyl-D-aspartate were confined to the medial prefrontal cortex. Schedule-induced water consumption, determined over 11 consecutive 1 h/day testing sessions, was not significantly altered by either lesion. These results suggest that the mesocortical dopaminergic projection to the medial prefrontal cortex, and reciprocal projections from medial prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, are not essential for the acquisition of schedule-induced drinking.     

Induction of c-fos mRNA in cerebral cortex by excitotoxin stimulation of cortical inputs: involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors.

In this study we have characterized the induction of c-fos mRNA in cerebral cortex in response to unilateral kainate injection into the nucleus basalis. This treatment is associated with an intense stimulation of the ascending pathway and the subsequent induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) enzyme activity and ODC mRNA in ipsilateral cerebral cortex which is sensitive to treatment with MK-801 and dihydropyridine antagonists. Unilateral injection of kainate into nucleus basalis caused a marked induction of c-fos mRNA in ipsilateral cortex which was detectable at 1 h, reached a maximal value at 8 h where c-fos mRNA levels were 16 times those in unoperated animals and then returned to control values by 24 h. However, the early induction of c-fos mRNA at 1 h was not related to a specific effect of kainate since at this time point, sham-operated animals also showed a significant increase in the level of c-fos mRNA in ipsilateral cerebral cortex. No significant induction of c-fos mRNA was detected in ipsilateral cortex in sham-operated animals at 4 and 8 h after injection of vehicle. Treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK-801 (3 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the response obtained at 4 h and 8 h after kainate injection by 73% and 55% respectively, but did not influence the level of c-fos mRNA induced at 1 h. Delaying administration of MK-801 by 30 min reduced the effectiveness of this treatment on the response obtained at 4 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Capillary regeneration following thermal lesions in the mouse cerebral cortex

Summary Cold lesions were induced in the parietal cortex of 20 mice and capillary revascularisation of the necrotic zone in the subsequent four weeks was observed by light and electron microscopy. During the second week after injury, capillaries grew into the lesion from the thickened pia. Each vessel was covered by several thin lamellae of pial cell and was accompanied by bands of collagen.Capillaries which grew into the necrotic zone from the surrounding brain during the 2nd–3rd weeks after injury were all surrounded by astrocyte processes; there was also a pericapillary space which contained pericyte processes and a few collagen fibres. Lacunae lined by basement membrane and surrounded by processes of one or more astrocytes were observed during the early stages of revascularisation. Each lacuna contained a few collagen fibrils together with cell processes which were similar to the pericyte processes around regenerated capillaries. Cells resembling immature endothelial cells were occasionally seen within the lacunae.The hypotheses proposed here are, that the regenerating capillaries grow through or along the astrocyte lacunae and that the course of capillary regeneration is in this way influenced and guided by the astrocytes.     

The effects of excitotoxin lesions of the lateral hypothalamus on self-stimulation reward

Unilateral microinjection into rat lateral hypothalamus (LH) of the excitotoxins ibotenic acid (IBO) and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) produced a local zone of neuronal death but also produced a zone of demyelination. The size of this demyelination zone was related to excitotoxin dose and was smaller than the zone of neuron killing. In behavioral testing, MFB self-stimulation reward and performance were measured with a rate-frequency curve-shift method before and after IBO or NMDA lesions of the LH. Excitotoxin lesions were made anterior or posterior to the LH electrode so that the zone of neuronal death, but not demyelination, extended to the electrode tip. These lesions produced small, temporary LH stimulation reward deficits, leading to the conclusion that intrinsic LH neurons are not a major substrate of MFB stimulation reward.     

Discrete glioneuronal malformative lesions in the foetal and infantile cerebral cortex

Microdysgenesis is a term describing microscopic cortical cytoarchitectural abnormalities. Histologically this change shows an irregular glioneuronal tissue combination forming an abnormal structure of the cortex. The pathological features of this malformation are subtle and less well defined than other more distinctive cortical malformations. The clinical significance of these discrete glioneuronal malformations is controversial. Microscopic dysgenetic changes have been reported in cases with intractable epilepsy but similar changes may be seen in neurologically normal adults. The purpose of our study was the investigation of microdysgenetic lesions in the developing nervous system with regard to normal neuronal migration, differentiation and maturation. The post-mortem routine investigated foetal and infantile brains which were analysed histologically for the presence of discrete cortical malformations. A wide spectrum of cytoarchitectural glioneuronal malformations was found in the investigated material. We observed leptomeningeal glioneuronal heterotopias, subpial bands of heterotopic neurones, nests of ectopic neurones in the first cortical layer, neuronal and glial clusters, small foci with irregularity of laminar structure of the cortex. Microdysgenetic changes arose from an insult occurring in the later stages of cortical development and influencing the normal fate of neuroglial cells. Various types of focal morphological and cytoarchitectonial developmental abnormalities have been associated with behavioural and neuropsychological deficits in older infants.     

Difficulities in the auditory reception of language and lesions of the cerebral cortex

We present the results on a test of phonemic discrimination used for subjects with unilateral cerebral left or right sided lesions. Particularly we have noted the possibility of poor results among patients with anterior left-sided lesion.     

Light and electron microscopic characterization of dopamine-immunoreactive axons in human cerebral cortex.

The distribution and synaptic connections of dopamine axons were studied by light and electron microscopy in human cerebral cortex. For this purpose, dopamine immunoreactivity was characterized in apparently normal anteriolateral temporal cortex, which was removed to gain access to the medial temporal lobe during tumor excision or treatment of epilepsy. Nissl sections showed this to be granular neocortex. Dopamine fibers were distributed throughout this cortex, although there were relatively more fibers in layers I-II and in layers V-VIa, compared to layers III-IV and VIb, resulting in a bilaminar pattern of labeling. In all layers, fibers were seen to form numerous varicosities, and to vary in size from thick to very fine. Fibers were relatively straight, sparsely branched and were oriented in various planes within the cortex. However, in layer I, they often ran parallel to the pial surface. In order to analyze the functional interactions of dopamine fibers, individual cortical layers were surveyed for dopamine synapses. These were usually symmetrical (Gray's type II), although 13% of them were asymmetrical. Approximately 60% of dopamine synapses were made with dendritic spines, and 40% with dendritic shafts, and this ratio was similar in all layers. On both spines and shafts, it was common to see dopamine synapses closely apposed to an unlabeled asymmetric input, suggesting a dopamine modulation of excitatory input. Some postsynaptic dendritic shafts had features of pyramidal cells, including formation of spines. Since pyramidal cells are the major type of cortical spiny neuron, they probably represent the main target of dopamine synapses in this cortex. There were also dopamine profiles apposed to membrane densities on unlabeled axon terminals, suggesting another type of synaptic interaction. These findings provide the first documentation of dopamine synapses in the human cortex, and show that they form classical synaptic junctions. The location of these synapses on spines and distal dendrites, and their proximity to asymmetric synapses, suggest a modulatory role on excitatory input to pyramidal cells.     

脑皮层创伤灶注射法移植神经干细胞实验研究

目的 观察食蟹猴自体骨髓源神经干细胞移植到大脑皮层创伤灶内的存活、生长情况.方法 取骨髓分离、纯化骨髓基质细胞,培养诱导成神经干细胞,nestin染色表达阳性后再加入细胞标记物BrdU进行共培养7d待移植用.移植前将BrdU标记的神经干细胞收集、离心,制成干细胞悬液,要求活细胞＞80%.食蟹猴在采用Allen's打击法制作皮层创伤灶后,分即时移植(术后即在创伤灶注入,n=3)和延迟移植组(术后30 d在创伤灶注入,n=3),用微量注射针将干细胞悬液注入到猴脑皮质损伤灶.同时设置对照组(n=1),在动物的左侧皮层制作创伤灶并按上述方法注射含同样浓度BrdU的神经干细胞培养液0.5 mL,右侧皮层注入干细胞悬液.移植后1、3、6个月即时移植组、延迟移植组各灌杀1只食蟹猴,移植后6月灌杀对照组食蟹猴,做移植区组织切片染色检查.结果 即时移植组和延迟移植组都可观察到脑皮层创伤灶内有棕褐色的BrdU标记阳性细胞,而对照组组织切片中则未见BrdU阳性表达细胞.移植后BrdU阳性表达细胞早期呈簇状分布,随后散在分布,6个月后细胞形态多样.移植后6个月在移植区邻近的脑白质内也可观察到有BrdU阳性表达的细胞.结论 移植的骨髓源性神经干细胞在脑皮层创伤灶内有存活并可向邻近区域迁移.     

Some observations on axonal degeneration resulting from superficial lesions of the cerebral cortex

Thermal lesions were placed in the superficial cell layers of the neocortex in rats, cats, and tree shrews, and the resulting intracortical axonal degeneration was studied by the Fink-Heimer technique and by electron microscopy. Certain features of the degeneration resulting from such lesions are common to each cortical area studied. Despite the finding of appreciable axonal degeneration spreading tangentially, the most conspicuous axonal degeneration in each area studied was noted to be oriented vertically with terminations occurring in the deeper layers, especially in the region of the large pyramidal cells of layer V. The bulk of the degeneration in the deeper layers was confined to an area coextensive with the boundaries of the superficial lesion.     

Differential sparing of somatostatin-neuropeptide Y and cholinergic neurons following striatal excitotoxin lesions

We previously found that quinolinic acid striatal excitotoxin lesions result in a relative sparing of somatostatin and neuropeptide Y neurons. In the present study we examined dose-response effects of excitotoxins acting at the three subtypes of glutamate receptors: N-methyl-D-aspartate (AA1), quisqualate (AA2), and kainic acid (AA3). Concentrations of both somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) and neuropeptide a Y-like immunoreactivity (NPYLI) were compared with those of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) and GABA. Kainic acid (AA3), quisqualic acid (AA2), and AMPA (AA2) resulted in dose-dependent reductions in all four neurochemical markers examined, while N-methyl-D,L-aspartate (AA1) and quinolinic acid (AA1) resulted in relative sparing of SLI and NPYLI. At doses of each excitotoxin which resulted in comparable 50% reductions in both GABA and SPLI only N-methyl-D,L-aspartate and quinolinic acid had no significant effect on concentrations of SLI and NPYLI. The relative sparing of somatostatin-neuropeptide Y neurons was confirmed histologically by using histochemical staining for NADPH-diaphorase neurons combined with either Nissl stains, or immunohistochemical staining for enkephalin. Lesions with N-methyl-D-aspartate agonists resulted in preferential sparing of NADPH-diaphorase neurons while these neurons were more vulnerable than other neurons to kainic acid or AMPA. Choline acetyltransferase neurons were relatively spared, as compared with other neurons, by agents acting at all three glutamate receptor subtypes. N-methyl-D,L-aspartate lesions were blocked with MK-801, while there was no effect on quisqualic acid or kainic acid lesions. The relative sparing of somatostatin-neuropeptide Y neurons following striatal excitotoxin lesions with N-methyl-D-aspartate (AA1) agonists probably reflects a paucity of AA1 receptors on these neurons. Since these neurons are also spared in Huntington's disease, excitotoxins acting at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (AA1) site provide an improved neurochemical model of this illness.     

Flattening the cerebral cortex by computer.

A computer program was developed for unfolding the cerebral cortex so that it could be viewed as a 2-dimensional surface. Input to the program consisted of tissue sections cut in a standard plane of section. Each section was represented by one line, which corresponded to a contour line in the flattened map. From these data, the computer constructed a 3-dimensional surface representation, which it then flattened. Because the cerebral cortex has considerable intrinsic curvature, flattening required that some regions be expanded and others shrunken. These changes occurred as a natural consequence of local decisions made by the computer as it laid down successive contours. The user could intervene during both surfacing and flattening in order to shape the developing map. The program has been used to generate 37 flattened maps from various regions of cat cortex, and 1 from monkey cortex. The local topography of cortical features such as gyri, sulci, architectonic boundaries, and patches of transported tracer, appeared to be conserved fairly faithfully. Areal distortion was also modest, with an average change in surface area of only 12%.     

Apraxia in deep cerebral lesions.

In a series of 50 patients with cerebrovascular lesions (demonstrated with CT scan), seven patients had lesions located in the basal ganglia and/or thalamus. All these seven patients were apractic. Ideomotor apraxia was present in all patients; five also had constructional apraxia, and one had bucco-facial apraxia. None of the patients had utilisation apraxia. These observations indicated that apraxia is not only a "high cerebral (cortical) function", but may depend also on the integrity of subcortical circuits and structures.     

Neurochemical characterization of dopaminergic neurons in human striatum

We examined the neurochemical phenotype of striatal neurons expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA to determine if they form a distinct class of neurons within the human striatum. Double in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemical (IHC) procedures were used to know if TH mRNA-positive striatal neurons express molecular markers of mature neurons (MAP2 and NeuN), dopaminergic neurons (DAT and Nurr1) or immature neurons (TuJ1). All TH mRNA-labeled neurons were found to express NeuN, DAT and Nurr1, whereas about 80% of them exhibited MAP2, confirming their neuronal and dopaminergic nature. Only about 30% of TH mRNA-labeled neurons expressed TuJ1, suggesting that this ectopic dopaminergic neuronal population is principally composed of mature neurons. The same double ISH/IHC approach was then used to know if these dopamine neurons display markers of well-established classes of striatal projection neurons (GAD65 and calbindin) or local circuit neurons (GAD65, calretinin, somatostatin and parvalbumin). Virtually all TH-labeled neurons expressed GAD65 mRNA, about 30% of them exhibited calretinin, but none stained for the other striatal neuron markers. These results suggest that the majority of TH-positive neurons intrinsic to the human striatum belong to a distinct subpopulation of striatal interneurons characterized by their ability to produce dopamine and GABA.     

Neuropathological analysis of the brainstem and cerebral cortex lesions on epileptogenesis in hereditary dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy

In order to investigate epileptogenesis in hereditary dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), we immunohistochemically examined the expression of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, calcium-binding proteins and/or glutamate transporters in the brainstem and cerebral cortex in autopsy cases. The subjects comprised 14 cases of clinicopathologically confirmed DRPLA, including 7 cases of juvenile and 2 cases of early adult types with progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME), 5 cases of late adult type without PME, and 10 age-matched controls. Serial sections of the brainstem and cerebral cortex were treated with antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase, tryptophan hydroxylase, substance P, methionine-enkephalin, parvalbumin, calbindin-D28K, calretinin, and excitatory amino acid transporters. Although the size of the tegmentum was small, we failed to find any PME-specific brainstem changes in the expression of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and calcium-binding proteins. The number of interneurons immunoreactive for calbindin-D28K and parvalbumin, markers of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons, were reduced throughout the cerebral cortex, but there was no significant difference in the density of immunoreactive neurons between DRPLA patients of each type. The expression of glutamate transporters was comparatively spared. The current study revealed an absence of PME-specific brainstem lesions and indicated a possible involvement of the reduced GABAergic interneurons in the cerebral cortex in formation of PME in DRPLA.     

Suction lesions of the frontal cerebral cortex in the rat induce asymmetrical behavioral and catecholaminergic responses

Suction lesions of the right frontal cerebral cortex in rats induce a period of spontaneous hyperactivity. This hyperactivity, as measured by an increase in running wheel activity begins about one week post-operatively and continues throughout the remainder of a 30-day observation period. The increased activity is accompanied by a bilateral decrease in norepinephrine concentrations in both the ipsilateral and contralateral cortex and locus coeruleus. Identical lesions of the left frontal cerebral cortex produce neither the hyperactivity nor a decrease in norepinephrine concentrations. These experiments have reproduced many of the behavioral and biochemical asymmetries seen after middle cerebral artery ligation; however, suction lesions are both simpler to produce and histologically less variable in their effects.     

Olanzapine increases allopregnanolone in the rat cerebral cortex.

BACKGROUND: The neurosteroid allopregnanolone (3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one) has anxiolytic and anticonvulsant properties, potentiating GABA(A) receptor chloride channel function with 20-fold higher potency than benzodiazepines. Behavioral studies demonstrate that olanzapine has anxiolyticlike properties in animals, but the mechanism responsible for these effects is not clear. We examined the effect of acute olanzapine administration on cerebral cortical allopregnanolone and its relationship to serum progesterone and corticosterone levels in rats. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were habituated to intraperitoneal (IP) saline injection for 5 days. On the day of the experiment, rats were injected with olanzapine (0, 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg IP, 10-11 rats per condition). Rats were sacrificed 1 hour later, and cerebral cortical allopregnanolone levels and serum progesterone and corticosterone levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Olanzapine increases cerebral cortical allopregnanolone up to fourfold, depending on dose. Positive correlations were observed between cerebral cortical allopregnanolone and serum progesterone levels and between cerebral cortical allopregnanolone and serum corticosterone levels. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine-induced increases in the potent GABA(A) receptor modulator allopregnanolone may alter GABAergic neurotransmission, possibly contributing to antipsychotic efficacy. If allopregnanolone alterations are linked to psychotic symptom relief, neurosteroids may represent molecules for pharmacologic intervention.