Is dorsal vagal complex the key nucleus of acupuncture regulation of gastric function？ / 中国针灸

Acupuncture has remarkable effects on treating functional gastrointestinal diseases, but its central mechanism is not clear. At present, the research has mainly focused on several central nuclei, such as the dorsal vagus complex (DVC), nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), locus coeruleus (LC), subnucleus reticularis dorsalis (SRD), hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN), central amygdala (CeA), etc. It is not clear whether the nuclei are involved in acupuncture regulation of gastric function through certain interrelation. A further summary of related literature indicates that many brain regions or nuclei in the central nervous system are closely related to gastric function, such as DVC, NRM, parabrachial nuclei (PBN), LC, periaqueductal gray (PAG), cerebellum, PVN, arcuate nucleus (Arc), hippocampus, CeA, etc. Most of these nuclei have certain fiber connections with each other, in which DVC is the basic center, and other nuclei are directly or indirectly involved in the regulation of gastric function through DVC. Is DVC the key target in acupuncture regulation of gastric function? Does other nuclei have direct or indirect neural circuit with DVC to participate in the regulation of gastric function by acupuncture, such as the possibility of CeA-DVC neural loop in acupuncture regulating gastric function. Therefore, more advanced techniques such as photogenetics, chemical genetics should be introduced and the central mechanism of acupuncture on regulating gastric function with DVC as center, from the view of nerve loop, will become the focus of further research, which could explain the central integration mechanism of acupoint compatibility by modern neuroscience technology.

Role of the central nucleus of the amygdala in regulating the nongenomic effect of aldosterone on sodium intake in rat nucleus tractus solitarius / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To reveal the nongenomic effect of aldosterone on the regulation of sodium intake in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and the role of central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in regulating this effect.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Adult male SD rats were divided into four groups and underwent operations to induce bilateral CeA electrolytic lesions (400 μA, 25 s; =28), bilateral sham CeA lesions (=28), unilateral CeA lesions (=28), or unilateral sham CeA lesions (=26). After 3 days of recovery, the rats received implantation of a stainless steel 23-gauge cannula wih two tubes into the NTS followed by a recovery period of 7 days. The rats in each group were then divided into two subgroups for microinjection of aldosterone (50 ng/μL) or control solution in the NTS, and the cumulative intake within 30 min of 0.3 mol/L NaCl solution was recorded for each rat.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Bilateral CeA lesions (3 days) eliminated the increased 0.3 mol/L NaCl intake induced by aldosterone microinjected into the NTS (0.3±0.04 mL in CeA lesion group 1.3±0.3 mL in sham lesion group). Unilateral CeA lesion (3 days) reduced aldosterone-induced increase of NaCl intake in the first 15 min ( < 0.05) but not in 15-30 min ( > 0.05). In rats with sham lesions, aldosterone (50 ng/μL) still induced a significant increase in NaCl intake[1.3±0.3 mL 0.25±0.02 mL in the control group; F (3, 224)=24.0, < 0.05].</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The regulation of sodium intake by aldosterone is subjected to descending facilitatory modulation by the bilateral CeA, and CeA integrity is essential for aldosterone to execute the nongenomic effect in regulating rapid sodium intake.</p>

Altered Neuronal Activity in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Induced by Restraint Water-Immersion Stress in Rats / 神经科学通报·英文版

Restraint water-immersion stress (RWIS), a compound stress model, has been widely used to induce acute gastric ulceration in rats. A wealth of evidence suggests that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is a focal region for mediating the biological response to stress. Different stressors induce distinct alterations of neuronal activity in the CEA; however, few studies have reported the characteristics of CEA neuronal activity induced by RWIS. Therefore, we explored this issue using immunohistochemistry and in vivo extracellular single-unit recording. Our results showed that RWIS and restraint stress (RS) differentially changed the c-Fos expression and firing properties of neurons in the medial CEA. In addition, RWIS, but not RS, induced the activation of corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the CEA. These findings suggested that specific neuronal activation in the CEA is involved in the formation of RWIS-induced gastric ulcers. This study also provides a possible theoretical explanation for the different gastric dysfunctions induced by different stressors.

Repeated binge-like ethanol administration during adolescence cause decreased C-Fos immunoreactivity in amygdala and arcuate nucleus in adult Sprague-Dawley rats / La administración repetida de etanol, tipo atracón, durante la adolescencia provoca descenso en la expresión de C-Fos en la amígdala y núcleo arqueado de ratas Sprague-Dawley adultas

Binge alcohol drinking during adolescence has been associated with neurotoxicity and increased risk for the development of alcohol use disorders. There is evidence that acute and chronic ethanol administration alters c-fos expression, an indirect index of cellular activity, in different brain regions in adult rats. We evaluate here if a binge-like pattern of ethanol exposure during adolescence has a relevant impact on basal and/or ethanol-stimulated regional c-fos activity during adulthood. For that aim, Sprague-Dawley rats PND 25 were saline pre-treated, (SP group) or binge-ethanol pre-treated (BEP group) for two­consecutive days, at 48-h intervals, over a 14-day period (PND 25 to PND 38). At adult stage (PND 63) and following 25 ethanol-free days, we evaluated c-fos immunoreactivity in response to saline or acute ethanol (1.5 or 3.0 g/kg) in the hypothalamus and amygdala. We found that acute ethanol administration dose-dependently increased c-fos activity in the the Paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Interestingly, binge-ethanol exposure during adolescence significantly reduced basal c-fos activity during adulthood in the Central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the Arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus (Arc). We conclude that binge-like ethanol administration during adolescence causes long-term disturbances in basal neural activity in brain areas critically involved with ethanol consumption.

El consumo en atracón durante la adolescencia está asociado con neurotoxicidad y con el riesgo de desarrollar un trastorno en el uso de alcohol. Diversos estudios muestran que la administración aguda y crónica de alcohol en ratas adultas altera la expresión de c-fos, un marcador indirecto de actividad celular, en diferentes áreas cerebrales. Nosotros evaluamos si el patrón de consumo de alcohol en atracón durante la adolescencia tiene un impacto en la actividad basal de c-fos en esas regiones activadas por el alcohol. Utilizamos ratas Sprague-Dawley en su día post-natal 25 (PND25) tratadas con suero salino (grupo SP) o con etanol tipo atracón (grupo BEP) durante dos días consecutivos, en intervalos de 48 h, durante 14 días (PND25- PND38). En la edad adulta (PND63) y después de 25 días sin etanol, evaluamos la inmunorreactividad para c-fos en respuesta a una administración aguda de suero salino o etanol (1,5 ó 3,0 g/kg) en diferentes regiones cerebrales. La administración de alcohol incrementó de manera dosis-dependiente la actividad de c-fos en el núcleo paraventricular del hipotálamo. Además la exposición a etanol tipo atracón durante la adolescencia disminuyó la actividad basal de c-fos en la adultez en el núcleo central de la amígdala y en el núcleo arqueado del hipotálamo. Concluimos que el consumo de alcohol en atracón durante la adolescencia causa problemas a largo plazo en la actividad basal de regiones cerebrales implicadas en el consumo de alcohol.

Representación social del medio ambiente y de la contaminación del aire: efecto de imbricación de dos objetos / Social representation of the environment and air pollution: effect of overlap of two objects

Las representaciones sociales son formas de pensamiento social, socialmente construidas y, en consecuencia, con una utilidad práctica. En el campo ambiental esta teoría ha demostrado un interés mayor en la comprensión de la base sociocognitiva subyacente a diferentes comportamientos y tomas de posición frente a este objeto de interés social. Este estudio parte de la hipótesis de que los diferentes objetos ambientales (agua, aire, riesgos ambientales, desarrollo sostenible), funcionan como una red de representaciones por el hecho de estar imbricados o anclados en la representación social del medio ambiente como marco normativo. 305 personas participaron al estudio, la mitad habitantes de una zona urbana expuesta a altos índices de polución (Medellín centro=expuestos) del aire y la otra mitad habitantes de una zona con índices negativos de polución (Municipio de Girardota=no expuestos). A través de diferentes análisis que buscan hacer hipótesis sobre la organización interna de las representaciones sociales del medio ambiente y de la contaminación del aire, se muestra empíricamente el rol central del componente "riesgo" en la primera. Un efecto de exposición a fuentes de polución del aire se evidencia para el segundo objeto (contaminación del aire), específicamente en la atribución de causas de la misma.

Social representations are forms of social thought, socially built and therefore with a practical use. In the environmental field, this theory has shown a greater interest in understanding the sociocognitive basis underlying to different behaviors and positions of that object of social interest. This study starts from the hypothesis that different environmental objects (water, air, environmental risks, sustainable development), work as a network of representations for being overlapped or anchored in the environment social representation as a policy framework. 305 people participated in the study, half of an urban population exposed to high levels of of the air pollution (Medellin center = exposed) and the other half living in an area with negative indices of the air pollution (Municipality Girardota= unexposed). Through various analyzes that identify the internal organization of environment and air pollution social representations, we try to empirically show the central role of the "risk" factor in the first one. An effect of exposure to air pollution sources is evidence for the second object (air pollution), specifically in the attribution of causes of pollution.

Role of the amygdala in the reinforcement omission effect

The reinforcement omission effect (ROE) has been attributed to both motivational and attentional consequences of surprising reinforcement omission. Recent evidence suggests that the basolateral complex of the amygdala is involved in motivational components related to reinforcement value, whereas the central nucleus of the amygdala is involved in the processing of the attentional consequences of surprise. This study was designed to verify whether the mechanisms involved in the ROE depend on the integrity of either the basolateral amygdala complex or central nucleus of the amygdala. The ROE was evaluated in rats with lesions of either the central nucleus or basolateral complex of the amygdala and trained on a fixed-interval schedule procedure (Experiment 1) and fixed-interval with limited hold signaled schedule procedure (Experiment 2). The results of Experiment 1 showed that sham-operated rats and rats with lesions of either the central nucleus or basolateral area displayed the ROE. In contrast, in Experiment 2, subjects with lesions of the central nucleus or basolateral complex of the amygdala exhibited a smaller ROE compared with sham-operated subjects. Thus, the effects of selective lesions of amygdala subregions on the ROE in rats depended on the training procedure. Furthermore, the absence of differences between the lesioned groups in either experiment did not allow the dissociation of attentional or motivational components of the ROE with functions of specific areas of the amygdala. Thus, results did not show a functional double-dissociation between the central nucleus and basolateral area in the ROE.

O efeito da omissão de reforço no repertório de ratos com lesão no complexo basolateral e no núcleo central da amígdala / The reinforcement omission effect on behavioral repertoire of rats with lesions in the basolateral complex and central nucleus of the amygdala

Reinforcement omission has been used as a procedure for the evaluation of attentional and motivational processes. Studies show that the activation of some amygdala nuclei may be involved in the modulation of these processes. This study examined the reinforcement omission effects on behavioral repertoire of rats with lesions in the central nucleus and basolateral complex of the amygdala, using classical conditioning and non-contingent reinforcement schemes. Each trial constituted of a 20 second tone, always followed by the delivery of water, in the 19th second. In the sessions involving omission, the water was delivered in half of the trials. The results showed that all groups responded to the omission and only the Basolateral group showed effect in the "Rearing" category, in the period after the omission. These results highlight the need to consider the involvement of a more complex neural network for evaluation of these effects.

A omissão de reforço tem sido usada como procedimento de avaliação dos processos atencionais e motivacionais. Estudos mostram que a ativação de alguns núcleos da amígdala pode estar envolvida na modulação destes processos. O presente trabalho examinou os efeitos da omissão do reforço no repertório comportamental de ratos com lesões no núcleo central e complexo basolateral da amígdala, utilizando-se de esquemas de condicionamento clássico e reforçamento não-contingente. Cada prática constituía de um sinal sonoro de 20 segundos, sempre seguido da liberação de água, no 19º segundo. Nas sessões que envolviam omissão, a água era liberada em metade das práticas. Os resultados mostraram que todos os grupos responderam à omissão e somente o grupo Basolateral apresentou efeito na categoria "Levantar-se", no período após a omissão. Estes resultados apontam a necessidade de se considerar o envolvimento de uma rede neural mais complexa para avaliação destes efeitos.

Saliência de conteúdos de representação social sobre o envelhecimento: análise comparativa entre duas técnicas associativas / Salience of contents of the social representations of aging: comparative analysis between two associative techniques

Nos últimos 30 anos, pesquisadores têm se concentrado em problemas metodológicos da análise dos elementos que conformam uma representação social. Os objetivos do trabalho foram comparar, a partir das técnicas de evocação livre de palavras e triagens hierárquicas sucessivas, a saliência de elementos de representações sociais sobre o assunto envelhecimento e verificar, na prova de triagens hierárquicas sucessivas, a suposta estabilidade dos elementos constitutivos do núcleo central da representação proveniente da técnica de evocação livre de palavras. A amostra foi constituída por dois grupos de mulheres vinculadas à Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, cidade de São Paulo. Para a coleta de dados, optou-se pelos procedimentos associativos de evocação livre de palavras e triagem hierarquizada sucessiva. A coleta abrangeu abril a junho de 2005. Os resultados do estudo em ambos os grupos confirmaram parcialmente hipóteses de elementos centrais do núcleo da representação social acessados pelas evocações livres.

In last thirty years, researchers have concentrated on methodological problems related to the analysis of elements that configure a social representation. With techniques of free word association and successive hierarchical trials, this study has a two-folded objective. First it aims at comparing the salience of elements of social representations of aging; second, in the test of successive hierarchical trials, it aims at verifying the supposed stability of the constituent elements of the central nucleus of the representation proceeding from the free word association technique. The data were constituted by two groups of women linked to the Presbyterian Mackenzie University at São Paulo, Brazil. Data collection was made with associative procedures of the free word evocation technique and successive hierarchical trials. Data was collected between April and June of 2005. In both groups results partially confirmed hypotheses of central elements of the social representation nucleus accessed by free association.

En los últimos 30 años investigadores se han concentrado en problemas metodológicos del análisis de los elementos que forman una representación social. Los objetivos del trabajo fueron comparar, a partir de las técnicas de evocación libre de palabras y despistajes jerárquicos sucesivos, la saliencia de elementos de representaciones sociales sobre el asunto envejecimiento y verificar, en la prueba de despistajes jerárquicos sucesivos, la supuesta estabilidad de los elementos constitutivos del núcleo central de la representación proveniente de la técnica de evocación libre de palabras. La muestra fué formada por dos grupos de mujeres vinculadas a la Universidad Presbiteriana Mackenzie, ciudad de São Paulo-SP-Brasil. La colecta abarcó de abril a junio de 2005. Para la colecta de datos, se optó por los procedimientos asociativos de evocación libre de palabras y despistaje jerárquico sucesivo. En los dos grupos los resultados del estudio muestran una confirmación parcial de hipótesis de elementos centrales del núcleo de la representación social accesados por las evocaciones libres.

Memórias e representações sociais da cidade de Cuiabá, ao longo de três gerações / Memories and social representations of Cuiabá along three generations

Este estudo analisa as memórias e as representações sociais construídas por três gerações acerca da cidade de Cuiabá, ao longo da segunda metade do século XX. A primeira viveu a juventude durante os anos de 1950 a 1967, quando o progresso da cidade foi vagaroso. A segunda presenciou o início da modernização - 1968 a 1986. A terceira coorte foi contemporânea ao mundo globalizado - 1987 a 2000. Os 150 sujeitos inquiridos compreenderam as seguintes faixas etárias: 65 a 75; 44 a 51; 26 a 33 anos. As evocações livres ao termo indutor "Cuiabá no seu tempo" foram processadas pelo software EVOC e submetidas à análise de similitude. Os resultados revelaram que as representações da cidade permaneceram inalteradas no período investigado.

This study analyzes the memories and the social representations constructed by three generations concerning the city of Cuiabá during the second half of the 20th century. The first generation lived the youth age during the years 1950 and 1967, when the progress of the city was slow. The second generation witnessed the beginning of modernization from 1968 through 1986. The third generation was contemporary to the globalized world - from 1987 through 2000. The 150 inquired subjects were included in the age bands: 65 through 75; 44 through 51; 26 through 33 years old. The free evocations expressions carried to the inductive term: "Cuiabá in its time". The findings were processed by the software EVOC and submitted to a similitude analysis. The results revealed that the representations of the city had remained unchanged in the investigated mentioned periods.

Changes of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor(CRF) and Neuropeptide Y(NPY) of Rats in Response to Footshock or Reexposure to Conditions Previously Paired with Footshock

Corticotropin-releasing factor(CRF) and neuropeptide Y(NPY) are known to play important roles in mediating stress responses and stress-related behavior. To elucidate the role of neuropeptides in response to the condition that had paired with traumatic event, we observed the changes of CRF and NPY by immunohistochemistry using a conditioned footshock paradigm. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in a shuttle box and exposed to 20 pairings of a tone(< 70dB, 5sec) followed by a footshock(FS, 0.8mA, 1sec) over 60min. A second group was exposed to the tone-footshock pairings, returned to the homecage for 2days, and then reexposed to the test chamber and 20tones alone for 60min, prior to sacrifice. Control groups were : a) sacrificed without exposure to FS ; b) exposed to the tone-footshock pairings and then sacrificed two days later ; or c) exposed to the chamber and tones alone, returned to the homecage for 2days and then reexposed to the chamber and 20tones over 60min prior to sacrifice. CRF was increased in animals exposed to FS or the aversive condition(context and tone) that had paired to FS in bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) compared to the control. NPY was increased by FS in amygdala and PVN, but the condition previously associated with FS results in slight increase only in amygdala area. These results suggest that the BNST appears to be the mostly involved neural circuit in response to explicit cues previously paired with footshock. Moreover, this study raise the possibility that increased CRF peptide in the BNST in response to re-exposure to the aversive condition may underlie, in part, the experience of conditioned fear-related anxiety behavior.