Using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining technique at the light- and electron-microscope levels and two monoclonal antibodies against microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), we found that astrocytes located at the periphery of the rat optic nerve were strongly stained, while those in the central region were very weakly stained. MAP2 immunoreactivity was present in astrocytes of the optic c...

Single-unit recordings of nucleus accumbens septi (NAS) neurons in halothane-anesthetized rats revealed that microinfusions of morphine into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) primarily inhibited spontaneously active NAS units. These inhibitory effects were reversed by alpha-flupenthixol (s.c.), suggesting a role for dopamine (DA) in the observed opiate-induced effect. VTA opiate microinfusions a...

Recent studies have shown that estrogen replacement can enhance the functional status of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. Studies have also shown that estrogen has neuroprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo on a variety of cells and against a variety of insults. The present study examined the ability of estrogen replacement to protect basal forebrain cholinergic neurons from the effe...

The present experiment was designed to determine the extent to which two different mechanisms were responsible for the recovery of function produced by grafts of fetal basal forebrain tissue into the hippocampus of rats given fimbria-fornix lesions. The place fields of single units in the hippocampus were recorded as rats moved about a radial arm maze. Two measures of the discriminative stimuli...

In previous experiments it has been demonstrated that the synthesis of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and NGF in neurons of the hippocampus is regulated by neuronal activity. The glutamate system is predominantly responsible for upregulation and the GABAergic system for downregulation both in vitro and in vivo (Zafra et al., 1990, 1991). The aim of the present study is to examine the ...

The events leading to the most common and most lethal ovarian carcinoma - high grade serous carcinoma - have been poorly understood. However, the detailed pathologic study of asymptomatic women with germ-line BRCA 1 or BRCA2 (BCRA+) mutations has unearthed an early malignancy, serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (STIC), which has linked many peritoneal and ovarian serous carcinomas to the f...

The formation of dental plaque, a highly complex biofilm that causes gingivitis and periodontitis, requires specific adherence among many oral microbes, including the coaggregation of Actinomyces oris with Streptococcus oralis that helps to seed biofilm development. Here, we report the discovery of a key coaggregation factor for this process. This protein, which we named coaggregation factor A ...

Afa/Dr fimbriae constitute the major virulence factor of diffusely adhering Escherichia coli (Afa/Dr DAEC). After recognizing membrane-bound signaling receptors, they trigger cell responses. One of these receptors is the human decay-accelerating factor (hDAF). It has previously been reported that the binding of Afa/Dr fimbriae to hDAF quickly induces recruitment of hDAF around adhering bacteria...

More than 50% of multiple sclerosis patients develop cognitive impairment. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear, and there is no effective treatment. LINGO-1 (LRR and Ig domain containing NOGO receptor interacting protein 1) has been identified as an inhibitor of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. Using the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse mode...