Reviving through human hippocampal newborn neurons

Recent contradictory data has renewed discussion regarding the existence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in humans, i.e., the continued production of new neurons in the brain after birth. The present review revisits the debate of AHN in humans from a historical point of view in the face of contradictory evidence, analyzing the methods employed to investigate this phenomenon. Thus, to date, of the 57 studies performed in humans that we reviewed, 84% (48) concluded in favor of the presence of newborn neurons in the human adult hippocampus. Besides quality of the tissue (such as postmortem intervals below 26 hours as well as tissue conservation and fixation), considerations for assessing and quantify AHN in the human brain require the use of stereology and toxicological analyses of clinical data of the patient.     

去势后大鼠海马结构一氧化氮合酶阳性神经元的变化

目的：观察去势后大鼠海马结构一氧化氮合酶（NOS）阳性神经元的变化。方法：用黄递酶组织化学染色方法观察切除双侧卵巢后雌后SD大鼠海马结构NOS阳性神经元的形态，分布的变化，并进行计算机图像分析。结果：去势后海马结构NOS阳性神经元分布变化有区域差异性；NOS阳性神经元在下托、海马（CA）一区邻近下托的部分、CA三区、CA四区（CA4）和齿状回（DG）数目明显减少，而在CA二区数目明显明显增多，CA4和DG的NOS阳性神经元平均密度降低，胞体的平均周长和平均截面积都明显减少。结论：雌激素可能通过影响海马结构NOS的表达来影响学习和记忆。     

Ineffectiveness of organic calcium channel blockers in antagonizing long-term potentiation

Evidence has accumulated suggesting that the presence of calcium is critical for development of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). However, there is a paucity of information about whether calcium's role in LTP is pre- or postsynaptic. In the present study, we examined the effectiveness of nitrendipine, verapamil, flunarizine and the benzodiazepine diazepam in: blocking voltage-dependent calcium channels; blocking synaptic transmission; and preventing development of LTP. Using the in vitro slice preparation, we obtained intracellular and extracellular recordings from guinea pig hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. At the cellular level, all 4 drugs were ineffective in blocking voltage-dependent calcium spikes (TTX resistant) and the calcium-dependent afterhyperpolarization. Verapamil and diazepam appeared to antagonize synaptic transmission, as reflected in smaller population spike amplitudes. Development of long-term potentiation was not affected by the presence of verapamil, flunarizine and diazepam. Nitrendipine appeared to reduce the percentage of slices exhibiting LTP; however, ethanol, the vehicle used to dissolve nitrendipine, was shown in separate experiments to reduce the percentage of slices exhibiting LTP. These results suggest that neither the organic calcium channel blockers--nitrendipine, verapamil, and flunarizine--nor micromolar concentrations of diazepam are potent blockers of extrasynaptic voltage-sensitive calcium channels in hippocampus. They thus cannot be used to demonstrate a specific pre- or postsynaptic calcium role in LTP.     

Angular bundle kindling is accelerated in rats with a genetic predisposition to acoustic stimulus-induced seizures

Limbic kindling was examined in genetically epilepsy-prone (GEPR) and non-epileptic control rats. The early stage of kindling development was accelerated in both groups of GEPR rats compared to controls. Later stages of kindling were accelerated in GEPR-9 but not GEPR-3 rats. These results indicate that GEPR rats have an enhanced susceptibility to limbic kindling and suggest that limbic brain alterations may contribute to acceleration of the early stage kindling development in GEPR rats.     

GIRK1在颞叶癫痫大鼠海马齿状回中的表达及其意义

目的探讨GIRK1在颞叶癫癎大鼠海马齿状回的表达及其意义.方法112只雄性SD大鼠随机分为实验组(n=70)与对照组(n=42),同时建立海人藻酸(KA)颞叶癫模型.选取KA腹腔注射后3、6、12、24、48 h,7、30 d为研究的时间点.用原位杂交法及免疫组织化学法检测海马齿状回GIRK1 mRNA及蛋白的表达.结果实验组大鼠海马齿状回GIRK1 mRNA表达在致癎后6 h较对照组减少,而在致癎后至7～30 d较对照组增高.结论在颞叶癫癎的不同时期海马齿状回GIRK1表达的变化反映出颞叶癫癎的复杂性.     

Integrity of perforant path fibers and the frequency of action potential independent excitatory and inhibitory synaptic events in dentate gyrus granule cells.

Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings in 400 microns thick hippocampal slices revealed discrete excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents which persisted at synapses on granule cells following abolition of action potentials with 1 microM tetrodotoxin (TTX). The conductances associated with excitatory amino acid and GABAA receptor mediated events had mean peaks of 200 and 800 pS, and decayed monoexponentially with time constants of 5.6 and 5.3 ms. At a holding potential close to the normal resting membrane potential of granule cells (-80 to -90 mV), the frequency of glutamate/aspartate mediated spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) was decreased from 2.04 Hz in slices cut parallel to the plane of the perforant path to 0.87 Hz in slices cut in a plane that disrupted the distal perforant path fibres, suggesting that presynaptic integrity influences the rate of action potential independent neurotransmitter release. The orientation of the slicing had no effect on the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs).     

Rapid effect of stress concentration corticosterone on glutamate receptor and its subtype NMDA receptor activity in cultured hippocampal neurons

Objective: To study the rapid effect of glucocorticoids (GCs) on NMDA receptor activity in hippocampal neurons in stress and to elucidate its underlying probable membrane mechanisms. Methods: Whole-cell patch-clamp recording was used to assess the effect of stress concentration corticosterone (B) on the responses of cultured hippocampal neurons to glutamate and NMDA (N-methy-D-asparatic acid). To make clear the target of B, intracellular dialysis of B(10μmol/L)through patch pipette and extracellular application of bovine serum albumin-conjugated corticosterone (B-BSA, 10μmol/L)were carried out to observe their influence on peak amplitude of NMDA-evoked current. Results: B had a rapid, reversible and inhibitory effect on peak amplitude of GLU-or NMDA-evoked current in cultured hippoeampal neurons. Furthermore, B-BSA had the inhibitory effect on INMDA as that of B, but intraeeUularly dialyzed B had no significant effect on INMDA. Conclusion: These results suggest that under the condition of stress, GCs may rapidly, negatively regulate excitatory synaptic receptors-glutamate receptors (GluRs), especially NMDA receptor (NMDAR) in central nervous system, which is mediated by rapid membrane mechanisms, but not by classical, genomic mechanisms.     

Direct excitatory effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on rat hippocampal neurones in vitro

Intracellular recordings from granule cells of the rat dentate gyrus show neuropeptide Y (NPY) applied by pressure ejection from pipettes containing 1.2-12 microM by pressures of less than 200 kPa for 1-5 s in duration to consistently evoke membrane depolarisations accompanied by a reduction in membrane resistance. The depolarisations were accompanied by an increase in excitability. Since the depolarisations evoked by NPY were not attenuated by either tetrodotoxin or kynurenic acid a direct excitatory action of NPY is postulated.     

神经保护剂鸡尾酒疗法对海马神经元氧糖剥离（OGD）后神经元凋亡及抗凋亡蛋白Bcl一2表达的影响

目的：探讨不同类型神经保护剂联合应用即鸡尾酒（cocktail）疗法是否较单一神经保护剂对海马神经元培养氧糖剥离（OGD）后有更好的保护作用。方法：采用海马神经元培养氧糖剥离（OGD）模型，分为1，6-二磷酸果糖（FDP）组、MK-801组、N-乙酰半胱氨酸（NAC）组、cocktail组和对照组，观察神经元凋亡及抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2表达情况。结果：cocktail组神经元凋亡减少，Bcl-2表达增多，与单-用药各组相比有显著性差异（P＜0．05）。结论：神经保护剂cocktail疗法对神经元缺血保护作用较单一用药明显增强。     

Alterations of G-protein Coupling Function in Phosphoinositide Signalling Pathways of Rat Hippocampus by Ischaemic Brain Injury

The activation of membrane-associated phospholipase C is rapidly and transiently induced in the central nervous system by a variety of stimuli. Ischaemic brain injury is one of the situations that leads to a dramatic increase in polyphosphoinositide (PPI) turnover. In this study, stimulation of PPI hydrolysis by glutamate (500 μM) was measured in hippocampal slices from rats up to 21 days after an ischaemic insult of 30 min. Ischaemia was induced using the four-vessel occlusion method. PPI hydrolysis elicited by glutamate was significantly increased in the slices prepared from ischaemic rats 24 h after reperfusion, the accumulation of inositol phosphates (InsP_s) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP₃) was 614±74% ( n = 8) and 182±11% ( n = 9) of the basal level respectively. This potentiation was also observed 21 days after ischaemia. Hyper-responsiveness to glutamate was also accompanied by an increase in AIF⁻₄-stimulated formation of [³H]inositol phosphates. In addition, global ischaemia did not change either high-affinity [³H]glutamate binding in hippocampal membranes or the stimulation of PPI hydrolysis by carbachol or noradrenaline in hippocampal slices. The present results suggest that the increased responsiveness to glutamate is the result, at least in part, of functional changes at the G-protein level, and may contribute to the pathophysiology of ischaemic brain injury or to the regenerative phenomena that accompany ischaemic damage.