Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis

This paper was designed for delving into the mechanism adopted by interleukin‑4 (IL‑4) to relieve cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion injury (CIRI) in rats via suppressing autophagy. Herein, rats stochastically fell into sham operation (sham), model (RI), model + IL‑4 intervention (IL‑4), model + HIF‑1α inhibitor (2‑methoxyestradiol, 2ME2) and model + IL‑4 + 2ME2 (IL‑4 + 2ME2) groups. Next, western blotting was utilized to examine the protein expressions of microtubule‑associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3), p62, hypoxia‑inducible factor 1‑alpha (HIF‑1α) and Bcl‑2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa‑interacting protein 3 (BNIP3)...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the dose‑dependent effect of bee venom (BV) on behavioral functions in rats and the physiological role of leptin in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala tissues. Adult Sprague‑Dawley male rats were used in the experiments. The rats were divided into three groups of control, 0.1 mg/kg BV, and 0.5 mg/kg BV. The rats were injected with BV subcutaneously for 15 consecutive days. The open field test (OFT), the elevated plus maze test (EPM), and the forced swimming test (FST) were performed as behavioral assessments...

The study aimed to compare the effect of a series of 20 sessions of whole‑body cryotherapy (WBC) on the level of CAT, GPx and SOD in women with multiple sclerosis and healthy women. The consent of the Bioethics Committee at the Regional Medical Chamber in Krakow was obtained, and the trial was registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. Thirty people took part in the study: the study group (MS) and the control group (CONT). All subjects participated in 20 cryotherapy sessions. Venous blood was collected for analysis before the WBC session and after 20 sessions...

The function of microRNA (miRNA) in neuropathic pain (NP) has received widespread attention. The current research sought to address the contribution of miR‑488‑3p in NP and its downstream mechanisms. The NP rat model was constructed by chronic constriction injury (CCI) surgery in rats. Regulation of miR‑488‑3p or Rho‑associated coiled‑coil‑containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) in rats by intrathecal injection of lentivirus or plasmid. Real‑time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) to examine the levels of miR‑488‑3p and ROCK1 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG)...

Language disorders can occur as a consequence of stroke or neurodegenerative disorders, among other causes. Post‑stroke aphasia (PSA) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) are syndromes that, despite having common features, differ in the brain mechanisms that cause their symptoms. These differences in the underlying functional neuroanatomical changes may influence the way they are addressed by different non‑invasive brain stimulation techniques and, in particular, by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)...

Studies have shown that vitamin D plays a crucial role in brain development, brain metabolism and neuroprotection. There is little evidence for the neuroprotective effect of 1, 25‑dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25‑(OH)2D3) on various brain injury models. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotection effect of 1,25‑(OH)2D3 against hyperoxia‑induced brain injury in premature rats. Sprague‑Dawley rats were exposed to 95% oxygen or room air for 24 h and treated with 1,25‑(OH)2D3 or normal saline for 14 consecutive days...

Vitamin D (VD) is a vital liposoluble neurosteroid micronutrient, particularly crucial for women's health. International literature strongly correlates sufficient VD levels with comprehensive mental well‑being in women. This link is intricately related to neurobiological pathways and hormonal fluctuations, where low VD levels are notably associated with depression. This study comprehensively explores the neurobiological mechanisms that link VD and altered mood in women. Considering the increased susceptibility to hormonal shifts in women, our research investigates the intricate interplay between VD's neurobiology and mood regulation...

This study explored the protective effect and mechanism of hydrogen‑rich saline (HRS) on the neurological function of mice with cerebral ischemia. Effects of HRS on neurological function in mice with cerebral ischemia were evaluated by neurological function scores. Infarct volume and histological damage were evaluated by 2,3,5‑triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining (TTC staining). Golgi‑Cox staining was conducted to measure the morphological changes of neuronal dendrites and dendritic spines...

Neuropeptides play an important role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. In the present study, the effect of nesfatin‑1, a neuropeptide, was investigated on penicillin‑induced epilepsy model. Epileptiform activity was induced by an injection of penicillin into the somatomotor cortex at 56 albino Wistar rats. Nesfatin‑1 (i.c.v.) was administered at five different doses (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 pmol) 30 min after a penicillin administration. Astressin 2B, a corticotropin‑releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonist, was administered 10 minutes later the effective dose of nesfatin‑1 (50 pmol, i...

This study investigated the effects of sub‑chronic administration of lead (Pb) acetate on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBA‑RS), total sulfhydryl content, protein carbonyl content, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxidase [GSH‑Px]), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and Na+K+‑ATPase in the cerebral structures of rats. Male Wistar rats aged 60 days were treated with saline (control group) or Pb (treatment group), at various doses, by gavage, once a day for 35 days...

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric hepatic‑induced syndrome in which several factors are involved in promoting brain perturbations, with ammonia being the primary factor. Motor impairment, incoordination, and gut dysbiosis are some of the well‑known symptoms of HE. Nevertheless, the link between the direct effect of hyperammonemia and associated gut dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of HE is not well established. Thus, this work aimed to assess motor function in hyperammonemia and gut dysbiosis in mice...

The effect of nicotine on both anxiety and depression has been broadly studied. Moreover, citalopram and citicoline play a role in the modulation of anxiety and depression. This study was designed to examine the effects of nicotine on the antidepressant and anxiolytic responses induced by citalopram and citicoline in mice. Anxiety‑ and depression‑related behaviors were assessed with the elevated plus maze and forced swim test, respectively. The results showed that subcutaneous administration of nicotine decreased open‑arm time (OAT) and open‑arm entries (OAE) but increased immobility time, suggesting anxiogenic‑like and depressive‑like effects...

Crocin and Terminalia chebula (T. chebula) were proven to have neuroprotective effects. In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of crocin and alcoholic extract of the T. chebula alone and in combination to examine their efficacy against chronic restraint stress (CRS)‑induced cognitive impairment, anxiety‑like behaviors, hippocampal synaptic plasticity deficit as well as neuronal arborization damage in the hippocampal CA1 neurons. Over 14 consecutive days, animals received crocin, T...

Neurodegeneration is characterized by loss of neurons causing changes that lead individuals to debilitating conditions; the most common of this condition is the Alzheimer's disease. It has been related that enriched environment (EE) induces experience‑dependent plasticity mechanisms, improving the performance of the animals in learning and memory tests. This study evaluated the effects of EE on histological parameters of the cerebellum in rats that received intracerebroventricular streptozotocin. In the standard environment, streptozotocin (STZ) promoted a significant increase between the gaps in the Purkinje layer of approximately 20%...

Both cannabinoid and opioid receptors are involved in pain behavior. The administration of morphine and cannabis in rats has been shown to decrease thyroid weight and thyroid‑stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. We hypothesized that the third ventricle, due to its adjacency to the hypothalamus, is involved in the modulation of hypothalamic‑pituitary‑thyroid axis activity and descending pain pathways. The present study examined the effect of intra‑third ventricle administration of morphine and cannabis agents on the modulation of pain behavior in normal, hypothyroid (increased serum TSH), and hyperthyroid (decreased serum TSH) rats using the tail‑flick test...

Dopamine (DA) depletion in the dorsal striatum underlies symptoms of basal ganglia pathologies, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Various drug compounds are used to enhance DA levels for therapeutic purposes. Understanding neural signaling and movement patterns associated with over‑ and under‑stimulation of the DA system is essential. This study investigated striatal local field potential (LFP) oscillation and locomotor activity following treatments with morphine, a DA release enhancer, and haloperidol (HAL), a DA D2 receptor (D2R) antagonist in mice...

APOE‑ε4 genotype (apolipoprotein E, epsilon 4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite years of research, it is still not known how it contributes to dementia development. APOE has been implicated in many AD pathology mechanisms, like Aβ clearance, brain metabolism, changes within microglia and other glial functions and inflammatory processes. In fact, immunological/inflammatory processes are recently discussed as an important factor in Alzheimer's development and granulocyte profiles changes are reported in patients...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) is an unprecedented global health concern that was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Although primarily recognized by respiratory symptoms, growing evidence suggested the causal relationship between the infection with the disease agent, namely severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), and neurological manifestations. Given that the virus‑induced neurological involvement is associated with a poorer prognosis, persistent neurological sequelae, and a more severe form of the disease, efforts have been made to introduce a biomarker to recognize neurological abnormalities early in the course of the disease...

The Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil exerts neuroprotective effects. We previously showed that fasudil can regulate M1/M2 microglia polarization and inhibit neuroinflammation. Here, the therapeutic effect of fasudil on cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion (I/R) injury was investigated using the middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) model in Sprague‑Dawley rats. The effect of fasudil on the phenotype of microglia and neurotrophic factors in the I/R brain and its potential molecular mechanism was also explored...

In the central nervous system, long‑term effects of a vagotomy include disturbance of monoaminergic activity of the limbic system. Since low vagal activity is observed in major depression and autism spectrum disorder, the study aimed to determine whether animals fully recovered after subdiaphragmatic vagotomy demonstrates neurochemical indicators of altered well‑being and social component of sickness behavior. Bilateral vagotomy or sham surgery was performed in adult rats. After one month of recovery, rats were challenged with lipopolysaccharide or vehicle to determine the role of central signaling upon sickness...