Central Regulation of Micturition and Its Association With Epilepsy / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

Micturition is a complex process involving the bladder, spinal cord, and the brain. Highly sophisticated central neural program controls bladder function by utilizing multiple brain regions, including pons and suprapontine structures. Periaqueductal grey, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex are components of suprapontine micturition centers. Under pathologic conditions such as epilepsy, urinary dysfunction is a frequent symptom and it seems to be associated with increased suprapontine cortical activity. Interestingly, micturition can also trigger seizures known as reflex epilepsy. During voiding behavior, frontotemporal cortical activation has been reported and it may induce reflex seizures. As current researches are only limited to present clinical cases, more rigorous investigations are needed to elucidate biological mechanisms of micturition to advance our knowledge on the process of micturition in physiology and pathology.

Utilização de cooling central para preservar a regulação do exercício em ambientes quentes / Using central cooling to preserve the exercise regulation in hot environments

As respostas de termorregulação derivam de mecanismos centrais e periféricos que se baseiam na estimulação sensorial de áreas cerebrais termosensíveis. A estes mecanismos, denomina-se interocepção. Funções corporais vitais como a termorregulação parecem interferir sob uma dinâmica complexa para o ajuste do recrutamento muscular e ritmo de exercício. Neste sentido, é provável que técnicas de resfriamento (cooling) possam reduzir a transmissão de informações sensoriais que alcançam os centros cerebrais superiores, alterando a regulação do exercício. O cooling é um método utilizado com finalidades terapêuticas e esportivas, a fim de obter vantagens termorregulatórias. No contexto do desempenho esportivo, o cooling é utilizado para atenuar o ganho e o estoque de calor corporal, reduzindo assim, a sinalização realizada por vias de interocepção. Há indicativos de que atletas podem se beneficiar do resfriamento corporal quando competem em ambientes quentes e úmidos. Há a necessidade, no entanto, de se testar os efeitos do cooling em diferentes instantes, antes e durante exercícios de longa duração, assim como em diferentes modelos de exercício...(AU)

The thermoregulation responses derive from central and peripheral mechanisms, which are based on sensorial stimulation of thermal-sensitive brain regions. These mechanisms are named as interoception. Vital body functions such as thermoregulation seem to affect, in a dynamic-complex manner, the muscular recruitment and pacing adjustments. In this regard, it is likeles that cooling techniques may reduce the sensorial information transmission that reach the upstream cerebral centers, thus altering the exercise regulation. The cooling is a tool used with therapeutic and sporting proposes, in order to obtain thermoregulatory benefits. In the performance context, the cooling is used to attenuate the rate of body heat storage, thereby reducing the signalization provided by interoception means. There are suggestions that athletes may benefit from the body cooling when they compete in humid, hot environment. It is necessary, however, to test the effects of cooling in different instants, before and during long-term exercises, as well as in different exercise modes...(AU)

Effects of Exhausted Treadmill Running on the Expression of Parvalbumin Positive Neurons and GluN2B-containing NMDA Receptors in the Prefrontal Cortex of Rats / 中国运动医学杂志

Objective To explore the effects of excise-induced fatigue on the microloop plasticity of prefrontal cortex through observing the expression of parvalbumin positive neurons in prefrontal cortexes of rats induced by exhaustive exercise,so as to find out the possible mechanism of the central regulation of exercise-induced fatigue by measuring the expression of NMDAR2B receptors.Methods Thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into an exhausted group (E),a repeated exhaustion group (RE) and a control group (CG),each of 12.For group E,the adjusted Bedford incremental load of treadmill exercise program was employed:the initial treadmill speed was 8.2 m/min,lasting for 15 minutes,then increased to 15 m/min for another 15 minutes,and finally increased to 20 m/min till exhaustion.For RE group,they were given continuous treadmill exercises to exhaustion for consecutive 7 days.The immunofluorescence technique was used to observe the expression of PV+ interneurons after exhausted treadmill running.The Western blotting technique was used to determine the expression of NMDAR2B in the tissue of the prefrontal cortex.Results After the exhausted treadmill running,the expression of PV+ interneurons in the prefrontal cortexes of both E and RE groups increased significantly compared with the control group(P＜0.01).The immunofluorescence results indicated that NMDAR2B positive neurons were seen in group E,but not obviously in group CG and RE.The Western blotting showed that compared with CG group the protein expression of NMDAR2B in prefrontal cortexes of group E was relatively high,and that of group RE was relatively low,but without significant difference (P＞0.05).The running distance and prefrontal cortex NMDAR2B expression were found negatively correlated (P＜ 0.01).Conclusions Exhaustive exercises have an impact on the plasticity in rats' prefrontal cortex neural network through regulating the local loop of PV positive neurons.This plasticity of the prefrontal cortex is involved in the regulation of central fatigue.The present study might provide morphological basis for the research of central mechanism of the exercise-induced fatigue.