No description available.

No description available.

A ocorrência de status epileticus (SE) desencadeia algumas alterações no sistema nervoso central. O giro denteado (GD) do hipocampo sofre com modificações na expressão gênica dos canais iônicos das células granulares (CGs) e essas células sofrem alterações morfológicas. Essas alterações se manifestam com o brotamento de fibras musgosas, redução no número de espinhas dendríticas, encurtamento e estreitamento da arborização dendrítica. As modificações na expressão gênica dos canais iônicos afetam suas densidades máximas de condutância. Este estudo utilizou 40 modelos computacionais realistas para simular alterações nas condutâncias de canais iônicos e seus efeitos sobre dois grupos de CGs do GD. Os modelos foram construídos com base em reconstruções tridimensionais de 20 CGS com morfologia alterada após SE induzido por pilocarpina (CG-PILO) e 20 de morfologia normal (CG-controle). Foram dotados dos canais iônicos de sódio rápido (Na), canal de potássio de retificação tardia rápido (fKdr), canal de potássio de retificação tardia lento (fKdr), canal de potássio de tipo A (KA), canal de potássio dependente de cálcio e de voltagem de alta condutância (BK), canal de potássio dependente de cálcio de baixa condutância (SK) e canais de cálcio dos tipos T, N e L. As simulações foram realizadas no software Neuron. Foram realizados test t para detectar se ocorre diferenças significativas entre os grupos CG-controle e CG-PILO As alterações nas densidades máximas de condutância provocaram mudanças nos parâmetros de excitabilidade dos grupos CG-PILO e CG- controle, alterando valores de frequência de disparos, reobase e cronaxia. Os grupos apresentam respostas significativamente diferentes para as médias de reobase para a maioria dos valores de densidade máxima de condutância,, porém para cronaxia a maioria dos grupo não apresentou diferenças significativas. O grupo CG-controle apresentou médias maiores de frequência de disparos que o CG-PILO e o grupo CG-PILO apresentou valores de reobase maior para as alterações de densidade de condutância da maioria dos canais, sendo essas diferenças significativas. / The occurrence of status epilepticus (SE) triggers some changes in the central nervous system. The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus suffers from changes in gene expression of ion channels of granule cells (GCs) and these cells undergo morphological changes. These changes manifest themselves with mossy fiber sprouting, reduction in the number of dendritic spines, shortening and narrowing of dendritic branching. Changes in gene expression of ion channels affect their maximum densities of conductance. This study used 40 realistic computer models to simulate changes in conductance of ion channels and its effect on two groups of CGs of the GD. The models were built based on three-dimensional reconstructions of 20 CGS with morphology changed after pilocarpine-induced SE (CG-PILO) and 20 normal morphology (CG-control). The models were equipped with the ion channels of fast sodium (Na), fast delayed rectifying potassium channel (fKDR), slow delayed rectifying potassium channel (fKdr), potassium channel type A (KA), potassium channel dependent calcium and high voltage conductance (BK), potassium channel dependent calcium low conductance (SK) and the calcium channel types T, N and L. The simulations were performed at Neuron software.T tests were performed to p-values <0.05 for detecting significant differences between the GC-control group and GC-PILO. Changes in maximum densities conductance caused changes in excitability parameters CG-PILO and GC- control groups, by changing frequency values of spikes, rheobase and chronaxie. The groups have significantly different responses to the averages for the most rheobase maximum density values of conductance, but these differences were shortly found for chronaxie values. The CG-control group had higher average frequency of spikes than the CG-PILO group. The CG-PILO group had rheobase values higher for conductance density changes the most channels. These differences are significant.

Post-traumatic epilepsy is a common outcome of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The development of spontaneous seizures after traumatic brain injury generally follows a latent period of little to no symptoms. The series of events occurring in this latent period are not well understood. Additionally, there is no current treatment to prevent the development of epilepsy after TBI (i.e. antiepileptogenics). One cell signaling pathway activated in models of TBI and in models of epilepsy is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR activity is sustained for weeks after the initial insult in models of TBI, and the inhibition of mTOR using rapamycin has shown promising pre-clinical outcomes in rodent models. This makes rapamycin an ideal therapeutic to test various outcomes associated with epileptogenesis after TBI. The results from this study suggest that rapamycin treatment after controlled cortical impact reduces aberrant axonal sprouting of ipsilateral dentate granule cells, prevents increased neurogenesis in the subgranular zone, and differentially alters phasic and tonic inhibition in dentate granule cells. However, rapamycin treatment did not prevent all forms of axon sprouting in the dentate gyrus or cell loss in selected regions of the hippocampus. Collectively these results support a role of mTOR activity in both excitatory and inhibitory plasticity in the mouse dentate gyrus after TBI.

A ocorrência de status epileticus (SE) desencadeia algumas alterações no sistema nervoso central. O giro denteado (GD) do hipocampo sofre com modificações na expressão gênica dos canais iônicos das células granulares (CGs) e essas células sofrem alterações morfológicas. Essas alterações se manifestam com o brotamento de fibras musgosas, redução no número de espinhas dendríticas, encurtamento e estreitamento da arborização dendrítica. As modificações na expressão gênica dos canais iônicos afetam suas densidades máximas de condutância. Este estudo utilizou 40 modelos computacionais realistas para simular alterações nas condutâncias de canais iônicos e seus efeitos sobre dois grupos de CGs do GD. Os modelos foram construídos com base em reconstruções tridimensionais de 20 CGS com morfologia alterada após SE induzido por pilocarpina (CG-PILO) e 20 de morfologia normal (CG-controle). Foram dotados dos canais iônicos de sódio rápido (Na), canal de potássio de retificação tardia rápido (fKdr), canal de potássio de retificação tardia lento (fKdr), canal de potássio de tipo A (KA), canal de potássio dependente de cálcio e de voltagem de alta condutância (BK), canal de potássio dependente de cálcio de baixa condutância (SK) e canais de cálcio dos tipos T, N e L. As simulações foram realizadas no software Neuron. Foram realizados test t para detectar se ocorre diferenças significativas entre os grupos CG-controle e CG-PILO As alterações nas densidades máximas de condutância provocaram mudanças nos parâmetros de excitabilidade dos grupos CG-PILO e CG- controle, alterando valores de frequência de disparos, reobase e cronaxia. Os grupos apresentam respostas significativamente diferentes para as médias de reobase para a maioria dos valores de densidade máxima de condutância,, porém para cronaxia a maioria dos grupo não apresentou diferenças significativas. O grupo CG-controle apresentou médias maiores de frequência de disparos que o CG-PILO e o grupo CG-PILO apresentou valores de reobase maior para as alterações de densidade de condutância da maioria dos canais, sendo essas diferenças significativas. / The occurrence of status epilepticus (SE) triggers some changes in the central nervous system. The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus suffers from changes in gene expression of ion channels of granule cells (GCs) and these cells undergo morphological changes. These changes manifest themselves with mossy fiber sprouting, reduction in the number of dendritic spines, shortening and narrowing of dendritic branching. Changes in gene expression of ion channels affect their maximum densities of conductance. This study used 40 realistic computer models to simulate changes in conductance of ion channels and its effect on two groups of CGs of the GD. The models were built based on three-dimensional reconstructions of 20 CGS with morphology changed after pilocarpine-induced SE (CG-PILO) and 20 normal morphology (CG-control). The models were equipped with the ion channels of fast sodium (Na), fast delayed rectifying potassium channel (fKDR), slow delayed rectifying potassium channel (fKdr), potassium channel type A (KA), potassium channel dependent calcium and high voltage conductance (BK), potassium channel dependent calcium low conductance (SK) and the calcium channel types T, N and L. The simulations were performed at Neuron software.T tests were performed to p-values <0.05 for detecting significant differences between the GC-control group and GC-PILO. Changes in maximum densities conductance caused changes in excitability parameters CG-PILO and GC- control groups, by changing frequency values of spikes, rheobase and chronaxie. The groups have significantly different responses to the averages for the most rheobase maximum density values of conductance, but these differences were shortly found for chronaxie values. The CG-control group had higher average frequency of spikes than the CG-PILO group. The CG-PILO group had rheobase values higher for conductance density changes the most channels. These differences are significant.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

<p>Apoptosis is a type of cell death with a specific morphology and molecular program, which is essential for the development of the nervous system. However, inappropriate cell death has been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. The Bcl-2 protein family is a class of proteins, which can regulate the cell death program in either a positive (pro-apoptotic family members) or a negative (anti-apoptotic family members) way. </p><p> This thesis further elucidates the role of Bcl-2 family members in the nervous system. Special focus has been put on the anti-apoptotic family member Bcl-w, whose function in the nervous system was previously unknown, and the pro-apoptotic family member Bad which serves as a link between growth factor signalling and apoptosis.</p><p> Bcl-w mRNA was found to be upregulated during rat brain development suggesting increasing importance of Bcl-w with age in the nervous system. In contrast, mRNA levels encoding the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-x were downregulated during development. Bcl-w was also found to have an anti-apoptotic function in neurons, rescuing sympathetic neurons from cell death after nerve growth factor deprivation.</p><p> To further elucidate the mechanism by which Bcl-w exerts its function, we screened a yeast two-hybrid library for proteins interacting with Bcl-w. Two of the isolated positive clones encoded the pro-apoptotic protein Bad and a novel splice variant of Bad with a different carboxyterminal sequence. Both isoforms of Bad induced cell death in sympathetic neurons, which could be counteracted by Bcl-w, indicating that Bcl-w and Bad can interact both physically and functionally.</p><p> Further studies on the genomic structure of the Bad gene suggested the presence of an additional splice variant, not expressing the first exon. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that the isoform(s) not expressing the first exon is more widely expressed in adult rat brain than the known forms.</p><p> Finally, we show that high cell density can enhance survival of cerebellar granule neurons and that bcl-2 and bcl-x mRNA levels are upregulated in high density cultures.</p>