Tetrahydroxy stilbene glucoside (TSG) from polygonum multiflorum exerts neuroprotective effects after ischemic stroke. We explored whether TSG improved ischemic stroke injury via PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy. Oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in vitro model and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model were established. Cerebral injury was assessed by neurological score, hematoxylin and eosin staining, TTC staining and brain water content. Apoptosis, cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed by flow cytometry, CCK-8 and JC-1 staining, respectively. Co-localization of LC3-labeled autophagosomes with LAMP2-labeled lysosomes or Tomm20-labeled mitochondria was observed with fluorescence microscopy. Ubiquitination level was determined using ubiquitination assay. The interaction between molecules was validated by co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down. We found that TSG promoted mitophagy and improved cerebral I/R damage in MCAO rats. In OGD/R-subjected neurons...

Selective modifications in the expression or function of dendritic ion channels regulate the propagation of synaptic inputs and determine the intrinsic excitability of a neuron. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels open upon membrane hyperpolarization and conduct a depolarizing inward current (Ih). HCN channels are enriched in the dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons where they regulate the integration of synaptic inputs. Synaptic plasticity can bidirectionally modify dendritic HCN channels in excitatory neurons depending on the strength of synaptic potentiation. In inhibitory neurons, however, the dendritic expression and modulation of HCN channels is largely unknown. In this study, we systematically compared the modulation of Ih by synaptic potentiation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and stratum Radiatum (sRad) interneurons in mouse organotypic cultures. Ih properties were similar in inhibitory and excitatory neurons and contributed to resting membrane potential ...

Animals have evolved innate responses to cues including social, food and predator odors. In the natural environment, animals are faced with choices that involve balancing risk and reward where innate significance may be at odds with internal need. The ability to update the value of a cue through learning is essential for navigating changing and uncertain environments. However, the mechanisms involved in this modulation are not well defined in mammals. We have established a new olfactory assay that challenges a thirsty mouse to choose an aversive odor over an attractive odor in foraging for water, thus, overriding their innate behavioral response to odor. Innately, mice prefer the attractive odor port over the aversive odor port. However, decreasing the probability of water at the attractive port leads mice to prefer the aversive port, reflecting a learned override of the innate response to the odors. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a fourth order olfactory brain area, involved in flexible value associati...

Deficits in social behavior are found in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Since abnormalities in cerebellar morphology and function are observed in ASD patients, the cerebellum is thought to play a role in social behavior. However, it remains unknown whether the cerebellum is involved in social behavior in other animals and how cerebellar circuits control social behavior. To address this issue, we employed zebrafish stereotyped orienting behavior as a model of social behaviors, in which a pair of adult zebrafish in two separate tanks approach each other, with one swimming at synchronized angles (orienting angles) with the other. We harnessed transgenic zebrafish that express botulinum toxin, which inhibits the release of neurotransmitters, in either granule cells or Purkinje cells, and zebrafish mutants of reelin , which is involved in the positioning of cerebellar neurons, including Purkinje cells. These zebrafish, deficient in the function or formation of cerebell...

Age-related brain changes affect sleep and are reflected in properties of sleep slow-waves, however the precise mechanisms behind these changes are still not completely understood. Here, we adapt a previously established whole-brain model relating structural connectivity changes to resting state dynamics, and extend it to a slow-wave sleep brain state. In particular, starting from a representative connectome at the beginning of the aging trajectory, we have gradually reduced the inter-hemispheric connections, and simulated sleep-like slow-wave activity. We show that the main empirically observed trends, namely a decrease in duration and increase in variability of the slow waves are captured by the model. Furthermore, comparing the simulated EEG activity to the source signals, we suggest that the empirically observed decrease in amplitude of the slow waves is caused by the decrease in synchrony between brain regions. Significance Statement Aging is characterized by changes in slow wave (SW) sleep features,...

Since the days of Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramón Y Cajal, light microscopes have provided neuroscientists a glimpse into the anatomy of the brain. Advances in the microscopes themselves and methods to stain and trace neurons have revealed various pathways and structures, as well as organization and hierarchies specific to certain brain regions.

Are you interested in science advocacy but not sure where to start? SfN’s Early Career Policy Ambassadors Program could be right for you. Hear from members of the 2015 class discuss their year in the program, activities they’ve participated in, and how you can apply for the class of 2016.

From career advice to scientific research, these articles, videos, and podcasts offer guidance and insights to help you excel. Prepare for the new year now by catching up on these learning opportunities.

The elevator speech is a framework to talk about what you do — and ideally can be delivered in the length of time it takes to ride an elevator. This concise introduction to yourself and your research can set the stage for the rest of your conversation or presentation—or be the chat that gets you that next position. Whether you are in a scientific setting at a conference, meeting, or reception, or speaking to the public, elevator speeches are extremely useful. Here’s how to begin.

In the presence of temporally organized stimuli, there is a tendency to entrain to the beat, even at the neurological level. Previous research has shown that when adults listen to rhythmic stimuli and are asked to imagine the beat, their neural responses are the same as when the beat is physically accented. The current study explores the neural processing of simple beat structures where the beat is physically accented or inferred from a previously presented physically accented beat structure in a passive listening context. We further explore the associations of these neural correlates with behavioral and self-reported measures of musicality. Fifty-seven participants completed a passive listening EEG paradigm, a behavioral rhythm discrimination task, and a self-reported musicality questionnaire. Our findings suggest that when the beat is physically accented individuals demonstrate distinct neural responses to the beat in the beta (13-23 Hz) and gamma (24-50Hz) frequency bands. We further find that the neura...