Small Neuron-Derived Extracellular Vesicles from Individuals with Down Syndrome Propagate Tau Pathology in the Wildtype Mouse Brain.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology at a young age, including amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Tau pathology can spread via extracellular vesicles, such as exosomes. The cargo of neuron-derived small extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) from individuals with DS contains p-Tau at an early age. The goal of the study was to investigate whether NDEVs isolated from the blood of individuals with DS can spread Tau pathology in the brain of wildtype mice. We purified NDEVs from the plasma of patients with DS-AD and controls and injected small quantities using stereotaxic surgery into the dorsal hippocampus of adult wildtype mice. Seeding competent Tau conformers were amplified in vitro from DS-AD NDEVs but not NDEVs from controls. One month or 4 months post-injection, we examined Tau pathology in mouse brains. We found abundant p-Tau immunostaining in the hippocampus of the mice injected with DS-AD NDEVs compared to injections of age-matched control NDEVs. Double labeling with neuronal and glial markers showed that p-Tau staining was largely found in neurons and, to a lesser extent, in glial cells and that p-Tau immunostaining was spreading along the corpus callosum and the medio-lateral axis of the hippocampus. These studies demonstrate that NDEVs from DS-AD patients exhibit Tau seeding capacity and give rise to tangle-like intracellular inclusions.

Bdnf deficiency in the neonatal hippocampus contributes to global dna hypomethylation and adult behavioral changes.

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorder, encompassing genetic and environmental risk factors. For several decades, investigators have been implementing the use of lesions of the neonatal rodent hippocampus to model schizophrenia, resulting in a broad spectrum of adult schizophrenia-related behavioral changes. Despite the extensive use of these proposed animal models of schizophrenia, the mechanisms by which these lesions result in schizophrenia-like behavioral alterations remain unclear. Here we provide in vivo evidence that transient pharmacological inactivation of the hippocampus via tetrodotoxin microinjections or a genetic reduction in brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels (BDNF+/- rats) lead to global DNA hypomethylation, disrupted maturation of the neuronal nucleus and aberrant acoustic startle response in the adult rat. The similarity between the effects of the two treatments strongly indicate that BDNF signaling is involved in effects obtained after the TTX microinjections. These findings may shed light on the cellular mechanisms underlying the phenotypical features of neonatal transient inhibition of the hippocampus as a preclinical model of schizophrenia and suggest that BDNF signaling represents a target pathway for development of novel treatment therapies.

Effects of psilocybin on hippocampal neurogenesis and extinction of trace fear conditioning.

Drugs that modulate serotonin (5-HT) synaptic concentrations impact neurogenesis and hippocampal (HPC)-dependent learning. The primary objective is to determine the extent to which psilocybin (PSOP) modulates neurogenesis and thereby affects acquisition and extinction of HPC-dependent trace fear conditioning. PSOP, the 5-HT2A agonist 25I-NBMeO and the 5-HT2A/C antagonist ketanserin were administered via an acute intraperitoneal injection to mice. Trace fear conditioning was measured as the amount of time spent immobile in the presence of the conditioned stimulus (CS, auditory tone), trace (silent interval) and post-trace interval over 10 trials. Extinction was determined by the number of trials required to resume mobility during CS, trace and post-trace when the shock was not delivered. Neurogenesis was determined by unbiased counts of cells in the dentate gyrus of the HPC birth-dated with BrdU co-expressing a neuronal marker. Mice treated with a range of doses of PSOP acquired a robust conditioned fear response. Mice injected with low doses of PSOP extinguished cued fear conditioning significantly more rapidly than high-dose PSOP or saline-treated mice. Injection of PSOP, 25I-NBMeO or ketanserin resulted in significant dose-dependent decreases in number of newborn neurons in hippocampus. At the low doses of PSOP that enhanced extinction, neurogenesis was not decreased, but rather tended toward an increase. Extinction of "fear conditioning" may be mediated by actions of the drugs at sites other than hippocampus such as the amygdala, which is known to mediate the perception of fear. Another caveat is that PSOP is not purely selective for 5-HT2A receptors. PSOP facilitates extinction of the classically conditioned fear response, and this, and similar agents, should be explored as potential treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions.

Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 and protein kinase Cδ contribute to endothelin-1 constriction and elevated blood pressure in intermittent hypoxia.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular complications including hypertension. Previous findings from our laboratory indicate that exposure to intermittent hypoxia (IH), to mimic sleep apnea, increases blood pressure in rats. IH also increases endothelin-1 (ET-1) constrictor sensitivity in a protein kinase C (PKC) δ-dependent manner in mesenteric arteries. Because phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1) regulates PKCδ activity, we hypothesized that PDK-1 contributes to the augmented ET-1 constrictor sensitivity and elevated blood pressure following IH. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either sham or IH (cycles between 21% O(2)/0% CO(2) and 5% O(2)/5% CO(2)) conditions for 7 h/day for 14 or 21 days. The contribution of PKCδ and PDK-1 to ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction was assessed in mesenteric arteries using pharmacological inhibitors. Constrictor sensitivity to ET-1 was enhanced in arteries from IH-exposed rats. Inhibition of PKCδ or PDK-1 blunted ET-1 constriction in arteries from IH but not sham group rats. Western analysis revealed similar levels of total and phosphorylated PDK-1 in arteries from sham and IH group rats but decreased protein-protein interaction between PKCδ and PDK-1 in arteries from IH- compared with sham-exposed rats. Blood pressure was increased in rats exposed to IH, and treatment with the PDK-1 inhibitor OSU-03012 [2-amino-N-{4-[5-(2-phenanthrenyl)-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]-phenyl}-acetamide] (33 mg/day) lowered blood pressure in IH but not sham group rats. Our results suggest that exposure to IH unmasks a role for PDK-1 in regulating ET-1 constrictor sensitivity and blood pressure that is not present under normal conditions. These novel findings suggest that PDK-1 may be a uniquely effective antihypertensive therapy for OSA patients.

Intermittent hypoxia in rats increases myogenic tone through loss of hydrogen sulfide activation of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels.

RATIONALE: Myogenic tone, an important regulator of vascular resistance, is dependent on vascular smooth muscle (VSM) depolarization, can be modulated by endothelial factors, and is increased in several models of hypertension. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) elevates blood pressure and causes endothelial dysfunction. Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), a recently described endothelium-derived vasodilator, is produced by the enzyme cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) and acts by hyperpolarizing VSM. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether IH decreases endothelial H(2)S production to increase myogenic tone in small mesenteric arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myogenic tone was greater in mesenteric arteries from IH than sham control rat arteries, and VSM membrane potential was depolarized in IH in comparison with sham arteries. Endothelium inactivation or scavenging of H(2)S enhanced myogenic tone in sham arteries to the level of IH. Inhibiting CSE also enhanced myogenic tone and depolarized VSM in sham but not IH arteries. Similar results were seen in cerebral arteries. Exogenous H(2)S dilated and hyperpolarized sham and IH arteries, and this dilation was blocked by iberiotoxin, paxilline, and KCl preconstriction but not glibenclamide or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Iberiotoxin enhanced myogenic tone in both groups but more in sham than IH. CSE immunofluorescence was less in the endothelium of IH than in sham mesenteric arteries. Endogenouse H(2)S dilation was reduced in IH arteries. CONCLUSIONS: IH appears to decrease endothelial CSE expression to reduce H(2)S production, depolarize VSM, and enhance myogenic tone. H(2)S dilatation and hyperpolarization of VSM in small mesenteric arteries requires BK(Ca) channels.

Análisis de los factores articulares para el diagnóstico de los desórdenes temporomandibulares en adultos jóvenes / Articular factorial analysis for the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders in young adults

Numerosos signos y síntomas han sido descritos para el diagnóstico de los desórdenes temporomandibulares (DTM). Este estudio analizan los factores articulares relacionados al diagnóstico de los DTM en adultos jóvenes. Ochenta y cinco sujetos entre los 15 y 20 años de edad fueron examinados utilizando el índice craneomandibular de Fricton. Se analizaron los siguientes componentes: movimiento mandibular, ruido articular y palpación articular. Utilizando el análisis de correlación de Pearson y análisis factorial se encontraron factores principales: Factor 1: compuesto por limitación al movimiento, dolor a la laterotrusión y dolor a la palpación de la cápsula articular superior, posterior y lateral. Factor 2: desviación lateral, rigidez mandibular, chasquido bilateral reproducible en apertura o cierre y crepitación bilateral fina. Factor 3: chasquido bilateral recíproco y chasquido bilateral reproducible en lateralidad. Factor 4: crepitación bilateral gruesa. El presente estudio recomienda la utilización de estos cuatro factores para el diagnóstico y evaluación de los desórdens articulares.

Relación entre la magnitud y características de los ruidos articulares con los movimientos funcionales mandibulares en sujetos portadores de dentaduras completas / Relation between the magnitude and characteristics of articulation sounds with functional mandibular movements in complete denture wearers

El propósito de la presente investigación fue establecer la relación entre la magnitud y características de los ruidos articulares con los movimientos funcionales mandibulares en sujetos portadores de dentaduras completas con esquema oclusal monoplano. nueve sujetos, 5 varones y 4 mujeres entre los 65 y 75años de edad fueron evaluados mediante sonografía para registrar el número, amplitud y punto de inicio del ruido articular y mediante kinesiógrafia para registar el desplazamiento y velocidad en máxima apertura y cierre durante la actividad masticatoria, con alimentos de consistencia blanda y dura. El tipo de ciclo masticatorio fue clasificado en unilateral y bilateral. Las variables fueron analizadas y correlacionadas utilizando la prueba de Spearman. Se obtuvieron relaciones directamente proporcionales entre el número y magnitud de los ruidos articulares con los movimientos mandibulares durante la actividad masticatoria y en menor grado con el movimiento de apertura y cierre. Se halló una tendencia a la presencia de ciclos unilaterales en relación a un mayor número, amplitud y punto de inicio del ruido articular.