Myosin Va functions as a processive, actin-based motor molecule highly enriched in the nervous system, which transports and/or tethers organelles, vesicles, and mRNA and protein translation machinery. Mutation of myosin Va leads to Griscelli disease that is associated with severe neurological deficits and a short life span. Despite playing a critical role in development, the expression of myosi...

Saccades normally place the eye on target with one smooth movement. In late-onset Tay-Sachs (LOTS), intrasaccadic transient decelerations occur that may result from (1) premature omnipause neuron (OPN) re-activation due to malfunction of the latch circuit that inhibits OPNs for the duration of the saccade or (2) premature inhibitory burst neuron (IBN) activation due to fastigial nucleus (FN) dy...

Cerebellar cortical biopsies of the peritumoural region of seven patients with cerebellar haemangioma, mesencephalic meningioma, cerebellopontine astrocytoma, cerebellopontine meningioma, and medulloblastoma of cerebellar vermis were examined by means of conventional transmission electron microscopy. Granule cells showed oedematous cytoplasm and mitochondria. Swollen Golgi cells exhibited lipof...

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycans are major components of the cell surface and the extracellular matrix in the developing brain and bind to various proteins via CS chains in a CS structure-dependent manner. This study demonstrated the expression pattern of three CS sulfotransferase genes, dermatan 4-O-sulfotransferase (D4ST), uronyl 2-O-sulfotransferase (UST), and N-acetylgalactosamine 4-s...

Spectrin isoforms arise from four distinct genes, three of which generate multiple alternative transcripts. With no biochemical restrictions on the assembly of heterodimers, more than 25 distinct heterodimeric spectrin species may exist. Whether (and why) this subtle but substantial diversity is realized in any single cell is unknown. To address this question, sequence-specific antibodies to al...

Axon-like neuritogenesis in neuroblastoma (NG108-15) cells and primary cerebellar granular neurons is furthered by the presence of ganglioside GM1. We describe here that galectin-1 (Gal-1), a homobivalent endogenous lectin, is an effector by cross-linking the ganglioside and its associated glycoprotein α5 β1 -integrin. The thereby triggered signaling cascade involves autophosphorylation of foca...

A clinico-neuropathological study was conducted on 60 cases of brain death, 36 males and 24 females, ranging in age from 11 to 81 years, the average being 49.4 years. Of these, 29 patients died of cerebrovascular disease. The average duration of brain death was 99 hours. The mean weight of the brain was 1466 g. Neuropathological findings were brain edema, congestion, herniation and various suba...

Specific interactions between neurons and glia dissociated from early postnatal mouse cerebellar tissue were studied in vitro by indirect immunocytochemical staining with antisera raised against purified glial filament protein, galactocerebroside, and the NILE glycoprotein. Two forms of cells were stained with antisera raised against purified glial filament protein. The first, characterized by ...

Previous study has shown the adverse effects of gestational diabetes on hippocampal neuronal density in animal model. This study was conducted to determine the effect of gestational diabetes on rat cerebellum in early postnatal life. In this experimental study, 10 dams randomly allocated into control and diabetic groups on day 1 of gestation. Five dams in diabetic group were administered 40 mg/...

Atropine is a non-selective muscarinic receptor antagonist. In overdoses, atropine is poisonous. It is sometimes added to potentially addictive drugs, particularly anti-diarrhoea opioid drugs such as diphenoxylate or difenoxin. The aim of this study was to investigate spatial memory and motor changes associated with varying doses (5 and 10 mg/kg body weight) ingestion of atropine, as well as it...