Nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons undergo sprouting around the margins of a striatal wound. The mechanism of this periwound sprouting has been unclear. In this study, we have examined the role played by the macrophage and microglial response that follows striatal injury. Macrophages and activated microglia quickly accumulate after injury and reach their greatest numbers in the first week. Subs...

Background. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease in elder people, pathophysiologic basis of which is the severe deficiency of dopamine in the striatum. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of low-frequency rTMS on Parkinson's disease in model mice. Methods. The effects of low-frequency rTMS on the motor function, cortex excitability, neuroche...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is pleiotropic cytokine involved in many central nervous system disorders including stroke, and elevated serum IL-6 has been found in acute stroke patients. IL-6 is implicated in the inflammation, which contributes to both injury and repair process after cerebral ischemia. However, IL-6 is one of the neurotrophic cytokines sharing a common receptor subunit, gp130, with othe...

Recent work has shown that infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) promotes a switch in the mechanisms mediating morphine motivation, from a dopamine-independent to a dopamine-dependent pathway. Here we showed that a single infusion of intra-VTA BDNF also promoted a switch in the mechanisms mediating ethanol motivation, from a dopamine-dependen...

Abbreviations: 6-hydroxydopamine, (6-OHDA); adeno-associated virus, (AAV); Alzheimer’s disease, (AD); amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (ALS); brain derived neurotrophic factor, (BDNF); Core Program for Intracerebral Transplantations, (CAPIT); central nervous system, (CNS); ciliary neurotrophic factor, (CNTF); cerebrospinal fluid, (CSF); dopamine, dopaminergic, (DA); deoxyribonucleic acid, (DNA); ...

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disorder characterized by neuronal dysfunction and degeneration in striatum and cerebral cortex. Although the signaling pathways involved in HD are not yet clearly elucidated, mutant huntingtin protein is a key factor in the induction of neurodegeneration. The mutant huntingtin protein alters intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis, disrupts intracellular traf...

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and Neurturin (NRTN) bind to a receptor complex consisting of a member of the GDNF family receptor (GFR)-α and the Ret tyrosine kinase. Both factors were shown to protect nigro-striatal dopaminergic neurons and reduce motor symptoms when applied terminally in toxin-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) models. However, clinical trials based on intra...

Cerebral hypoperfusion is associated with enhanced cognitive decline and increased risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. Erythropoietin (EPO) a neurotrophic factor known to improve function in preclinical clinical studies neurodegenerative psychiatric However, the application EPO limited due its erythropoietic activity that can adversely elevate hematocrit non-anemic populations. Carbamoylated er...