Tag: Clinical and Applied Neuroscience

Contributions of the Sodium Leak Channel NALCN to Pacemaking of Medial Ventral Tegmental Area and Substantia Nigra Dopaminergic Neurons

AI SummaryThe sodium leak channel, NALCN, is found to play a significant role in driving pacemaking in dopaminergic neuron subpopulations in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, pacemaking in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) neurons is not affected by NALCN. Instead, NALCN regulates the excitability of SNc neurons. These findings have implications for developing targeted… Continue reading Contributions of the Sodium Leak Channel NALCN to Pacemaking of Medial Ventral Tegmental Area and Substantia Nigra Dopaminergic Neurons

Growth Hormone Action in Somatostatin Neurons Regulates Anxiety and Fear Memory

AI SummaryDysfunctions in growth hormone (GH) secretion can lead to anxiety and other neuropsychiatric diseases. Researchers found that GH receptor (GHR) signaling in a specific group of neurons in the amygdala influences fear memory associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. In mice, GHR ablation in these neurons caused increased anxiety in males, but not females, and… Continue reading Growth Hormone Action in Somatostatin Neurons Regulates Anxiety and Fear Memory

Awakening neural survival mechanisms after stroke: Lipid metabolism in brain-autonomous repair

In this issue of Neuron, Nakamura et al.1 report the discovery that neuronally secreted phospholipase PLA2G2E releases dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) that generates 15-hydroxy-eicosatrienoic acid (15-HETrE), which in turn induces peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4/PADI4) to elicit neuronal pro-survival and pro-reparative events following ischemic brain injury.

Retrospective Evaluation of Neuropathologic Proxies of the Minimal Atrophy Subtype Compared With Corticolimbic Alzheimer Disease Subtypes

AI SummaryThe text discusses a study that aimed to identify a neuropathologic proxy for the neuroimaging-defined minimal atrophy subtype of Alzheimer’s disease. The study found that cases with a Braak tangle stage IV had similar characteristics to the minimal atrophy subtype, including high brain weight and a high proportion of APOE 4 carriers. These cases… Continue reading Retrospective Evaluation of Neuropathologic Proxies of the Minimal Atrophy Subtype Compared With Corticolimbic Alzheimer Disease Subtypes

Structural Neuroimaging in Adults and Adolescents With Newly Diagnosed Focal Epilepsy: The Human Epilepsy Project

In the Research Article “Structural Neuroimaging in Adults and Adolescents With Newly Diagnosed Focal Epilepsy: The Human Epilepsy Project” by Bank et al.,1 there were minor errors and omitted coinvestigators in Appendix 2. The updated Appendix 2 can be accessed here in links.lww.com/WNL/C674. The authors regret the errors.

Four McGovern Investigators receive NIH BRAIN Initiative grants

AI SummaryThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a new program to support research projects that aim to map the connections in the human brain. Four of these research projects will take place at the McGovern Institute. The projects funded by the NIH aim to generate wiring diagrams that span entire brains across multiple… Continue reading Four McGovern Investigators receive NIH BRAIN Initiative grants