Synaptic Plasticity in an In Vitro Slice Preparation of the Rat Nucleus Accumbens

Extra- and intracellular recordings in slices were used to examine what types of synaptic plasticity can be found in the core of the nucleus accumbens, and how these forms of plasticity may be modulated by dopamine. Stimulus electrodes were placed at the rostral border of the nucleus accumbens in order to excite primarily infralimbic and prelimbic afferents, as was confirmed by injections of the retrograde tracer fluoro-gold. In extracellular recordings, tetanization induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of the population spike in 20 out of 53 slices. The presynaptic compound action potential did not change following LTP induction. For the intracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potential, three types of synaptic plasticity were noted: long-term potentiation (16 out of 54 cells), decremental potentiation (eight cells) and long-term depression (LTD; six cells). No correlation was found between the occurrence of potentiation or depression and various parameters of the tetanic depolarization (e.g. peak voltage, integral under the curve). The N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor antagonist d (–)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (50 μM; d -AP5) reduced, but did not completely prevent, the induction of LTP. The incidence of LTD was not markedly affected by d -AP5. No difference in LTP was found when comparing slices bathed in dopamine (10 μM) and controls. Likewise, slices treated with a mixture of the D1 receptor antagonist Sch 23390 (1 μM) and the D2 antagonist S (–)-sulpiride (1 μM) generated a similar amount of LTP as controls. In conclusion, both LTP and LTD can be induced in a key structure of the limbic-innervated basal ganglia. LTP in the nucleus accumbens strongly depends on N -methyl- d -aspartate receptor activity, but is not significantly affected by dopamine.     

Anatomy and histology of the musk shrew (Suncus murinus) prostate

Gross anatomy and the light and electron microscopic characteristics of the musk shrew (Suncus murinus, Insectivora) prostate are described. The prostate is a pair of compound tubuloalveolar glands with one main excretory duct for each gland. Each gland is divided into ventral and dorsal lobes. The tubuloalveoli are larger in diameter and the secretory cells are lower in the ventral than in the dorsal lobes. Probable spontaneous release of secretory granules and accumulation of secretory material in secretory lumina are only observed in the ventral lobes. Secretory material is often crystallized in the secretory lumina. The epithelium of excretory ducts consists of mucous-type secretory cells and the boundary between this epithelium and the glandular epithelium is complex. The glandular epithelium consists of secretory and clear cells. This report illustrates that the structure of the prostate of musk shrew is unique among mammals.     

Guidance of dopaminergic neuritic growth by immature astrocytes in organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon.

Astrocytes, with their many functions in producing and controlling the environment in the brain, are of great interest when it comes to studying regeneration after injury and neurodegenerative diseases such as in grafting in Parkinson's disease. This study was performed to investigate astrocytic guidance of growth derived from dopaminergic neurons using organotypic cultures of rat fetal ventral mesencephalon. Primary cultures were studied at different time points starting from 3 days up to 28 days. Cultures were treated with either interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), which has stimulating effects on astrocytic proliferation, or the astrocytic inhibitor cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunohistochemistry was used to visualize dopaminergic neurons, and antibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100 beta were used to label astrocytes. The results revealed that a robust TH-positive nerve fiber production was seen already at 3 days in vitro. These neurites had disappeared by 5 days. This early nerve fiber outgrowth was not guided by direct interactions with glial cells. Later, at 7 days in vitro, a second wave of TH-positive neuritic outgrowth was clearly observed. GFAP-positive astrocytic processes guided these neurites. TH-positive neurites arborized overlying S100 beta-positive astrocytes in an area distal to the GFAP-positive astrocytic processes. Treatment with IL-1 beta resulted in an increased area of TH-positive nerve fiber network. In cultures treated with Ara-C, neither astrocytes nor outgrowth of dopaminergic neurites were observed. In conclusion, this study shows that astrocytes play a major role in long-term dopaminergic outgrowth, both in axonal elongation and branching of neurites. The long-term nerve fiber growth is preceded by an early transient outgrowth of dopamine neurites.     

延髓—脊髓P物质能神经元下行通路参与毒扁豆碱的中枢升压反应

大鼠延髓腹侧面头端应用毒扁豆碱引起血压升高和心率加快,伴有延髓腹侧面头端胆碱酯酶活性降低和脊髓蛛网膜下腔灌流液中P物质样免疫反应活性升高。在延髓腹侧面头端应用阿托品或脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射P物质拮抗剂D-脯~2,D-苯丙~7,D-色~9-P物质均可阻断毒扁豆碱的心血管效应。脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射P物质抗血清或辣椒素均可减弱毒扁豆碱的升压反应。实验结果提示,毒扁豆碱作用于延髓腹侧面头端的M受体,兴奋了延髓-脊髓P物质能神经元下行通路,使之释放P物质,引起交感肾上腺髓质系统兴奋,从而使血压升高和心率加快。     

Influence of statins on postoperative wound complications after inguinal or ventral herniorrhaphy

The lipid-lowering agents, statins, are the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the western world. Because of their widespread use, many patients undergo surgical procedures while on statins. Statins, in addition to cholesterol-lowering effects, also have anticoagulant, immunosuppressive, and antiproliferative properties that may affect the risk of local wound complications. This study investigated the relationship between statins and postoperative wound complications in a large cohort of patients undergoing inguinal or ventral hernia repair. Data mining was performed in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)16 Data Warehouse. This database contains clinical and demographic information about all veterans cared for at the ten VA Medical Centers that comprise the South Central VA Healthcare Network in the mid-south region of the US. Aggregate data (age, body mass index, smoking history, gender, race, history of diabetes, statin use, and postoperative wound complications) were obtained for all patients who underwent inguinal or ventral hernia repair during the period October 1, 1996–November 30, 2004. During the period of the query, 10,782 patients (10,676 male, 106 female), 1,242 (11.5%) of whom received statins, underwent herniorrhaphy. Statin use did not affect the risk of wound infection or delayed wound healing. Statin use was, however, associated with an increased rate of local postoperative bleeding complications (P=0.01). When the type of hernia, age, smoking, diabetes, and body mass index were included in a multivariate analysis, statins remained borderline significant as an independent predictor of wound hematoma/postoperative bleeding (P=0.04), odds ratio 1.6 (95% CI 1.03–2.44). Patients who undergo inguinal herniorrhaphy while on statins have an increased risk of postoperative wound hematoma/hemorrhage. Focus on additional factors that may affect the propensity to postoperative bleeding and on meticulous intraoperative hemostasis are particularly important in such patients.     

枕骨大孔区腹侧脑膜瘤的显微手术技术探讨

目的探讨远外侧入路在治疗枕骨大孔区腹侧脑膜瘤中的应用。方法对14例脑膜瘤患者采用远外侧入路显微手术治疗,其中枕髁后入路8例,经部分枕髁入路3例,经C1、2关节面侧方联合部分枕髁入路2例,经完整枕髁入路1例。结果肿瘤全切11例,次全切除3例;1例行枕颈融合,无手术死亡病例。所有患者术后均未出现寰枕关节不稳定的症状,手术并发症主要是后组颅神经损伤、椎动脉损伤、脑脊液漏以及脑干缺血。结论远外侧入路是手术治疗下斜坡区和上段颈髓腹侧、腹外侧病变的理想入路,可以理想显露肿瘤及其基底部并减少术中出血,但手术操作比较复杂且具有一定的风险。     

Thalamic connections of the vestibular cortical fields in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).

The afferent thalamic connections to cortical fields important for control of head movement in space were analysed by intracortical retrograde tracer injections. The proprioceptive/vestibular area 3aV, the neck-trunk region of area 3a, receives two thirds of its thalamic projections from the oral and superior ventroposterior nucleus (VPO/VPS), which is considered as the proprioceptive relay of the ventroposterior complex (Kaas et al., J. Comp. Neurol. 226:211-240, 1984). The parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC, area retroinsularis, Ri) receives its main thalamic input from posterior parts of the ventroposterior complex and from the medial pulvinar. Anatomical evidence is presented that the posterior region of the ventroposterior complex is a special compartment within this principal somatosensory relay complex. The parietotemporal association area T3, mainly involved in visual-optokinetic signal processing, receives a substantial input from the medial, the lateral, and the inferior pulvinar. Dual tracer experiments revealed that about 5% of the thalamic neurons projecting to 3aV were spatially intermingled with neurons projecting to areas PIVC or T3. This spatial intermingling was distributed over small but numerous, circumscribed thalamic regions, called "common patches," which were found mainly in the intralaminar nuclei, the posterior group of thalamic nuclei, and the caudal parts of the ventroposterior complex. The "common patches" may indicate a functional coupling of area 3aV with the PIVC or area T3 on the thalamic level. In control experiments thalamic projections to the granular insula Ig and the anterior part of area 7, two cerebral structures connected with the vestibular cortical areas, were studied. Some overlap in the thalamic relay structures projecting to these areas with those projecting to the vestibular cortices was found. A quantitative evaluation of thalamic regions projecting to different cortical structures was performed by constructing so-called "thalamograms." A scheme was developed that describes the afferent thalamic connections by which vestibular, visual-optokinetic, and proprioceptive signals reach the vestibular cortical areas PIVC and 3aV.     

Ascending and descending internuclear connections of the trigeminal sensory nuclei in the cat. A study with the retrograde and anterograde horseradish peroxidase technique

The distribution of cells of origin of ascending and descending internuclear connections in the trigeminal sensory nuclei was studied by the retrograde horseradish peroxidase technique in the cat. The termination of collaterals of these ascending axons was also studied by the anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. Following injections of horseradish peroxidase into the ventral part of the principal sensory nucleus and the adjacent reticular formation many small neurons were labeled ipsilaterally in the whole area of the caudal portion of the nucleus interpolaris and in laminae III and IV of the nucleus caudalis. Labeled neurons were also found in laminae I and V. Injections limited to either nucleus oralis, the ventral part of the principal sensory nucleus and the medial parabrachial nucleus labeled similar types of neurons in the above regions with a topographic relationship; neurons in the dorsal part of the nuclei caudalis and interpolaris project, dorsally, to rostral portions of the trigeminal sensory nuclei while those in the ventral part of the nuclei caudalis and interpolaris project ventrally. Anterograde labeling of axons arising from the nucleus caudalis demonstrates that the axons ascend in the intranuclear bundles and the adjacent reticular formation, and give off collaterals to the nuclei interpolaris and oralis, and the ventral part of the principal sensory nucleus. Injections limited to the nucleus caudalis labeled small neurons in the rostral portion of the nucleus oralis and the caudal portion of the nucleus interpolaris. The present study suggests that these ascending and descending internuclear connections of the trigeminal sensory nuclei may modulate transmission of afferent inputs to various projection sites, such as thalamus, superior colliculus, cerebellum and spinal cord.