Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

The Calcium-Dependent Interaction of S100B with Its Protein Targets.
Authors: Zimmer DB, Weber DJ Abstract S100B is a calcium signaling protein that is a member of the S100 protein family. An important feature of S100B and most other S100 proteins (S100s) is that they often bind Ca(2+) ions relatively weakly in the absence of a protein target; upon binding their target proteins, Ca(2+)-binding then increases by as much as from 200- to 400-fold. This manuscript reviews the structural basis and physiological significance of increased Ca(2+)-binding affinity in the presence of protein targets. New information regarding redundancy among family members and the structural domains...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

A Comparison of the Dynamics of S100B, S100A1, and S100A6 mRNA Expression in Hippocampal CA1 Area of Rats during Long-Term Potentiation and after Low-Frequency Stimulation.
Authors: Lisachev PD, Shtark MB, Sokolova OO, Pustylnyak VO, Salakhutdinova MY, Epstein OI Abstract The interest in tissue- and cell-specific S100 proteins physiological roles in the brain remains high. However, necessary experimental data for the assessment of their dynamics in one of the most important brain activities, its plasticity, is not sufficient. We studied the expression of S100B, S100A1, and S100A6 mRNA in the subfield CA1 of rat hippocampal slices after tetanic and low-frequency stimulation by real-time PCR. Within 30 min after tetanization, a 2-4 fold increase of the S100B mRNA level was ob...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Targeting S100B in Cerebral Ischemia and in Alzheimer's Disease.
Authors: Mori T, Asano T, Town T Abstract S100B is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein that exerts both intracellular and extracellular effects on a variety of cellular processes. The protein is predominantly expressed in the central nervous system by astrocytes, both physiologically and during the course of neurological disease. In the healthy adult brain and during development, constitutive S100B expression acts as a trophic factor to drive neurite extension and to referee neuroplasticity. Yet, when induced during central nervous system disease, the protein can take on maladaptive roles and thereby exacer...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Forebrain ischemia triggers GABAergic system degeneration in substantia nigra at chronic stages in rats.
This study revealed delayed neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra 8 weeks after 12.5 minutes of global ischemia in rat brain. Following neuronal loss of 30-40% in central and dorsolateral striatum at day 3, neuronal damage in the substantia nigra (SN) was assessed at 4-8 weeks using immunohistochemistry for glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67), vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), and calretinin (CR). At day 56, the optical density of GAD67-, but not VGAT-, immunoreactivity in substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR)-significantly decreased. CR-neurons concentrated in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) were reduced by 27% ...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

S100B Protein in the Nervous System and Cardiovascular Apparatus in Normal and Pathological Conditions.
Authors: Donato R, Heizmann CW PMID: 21076683 [PubMed] (Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology)
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Vascular pathology and blood-brain barrier disruption in cognitive and psychiatric complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Authors: Serlin Y, Levy J, Shalev H Abstract Vascular pathology is recognized as a principle insult in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Co-morbidities such as structural brain abnormalities, cognitive, learning and memory deficits are also prevailing in T2DM patients. We previously suggested that microvascular pathologies involving blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown results in leakage of serum-derived components into the brain parenchyma, leading to neuronal dysfunction manifested as psychiatric illnesses. The current postulate focuses on the molecular mechanisms controlling BBB permeability in T2DM, as k...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Slice cultures as a model to study neurovascular coupling and blood brain barrier in vitro.
Authors: Kovács R, Papageorgiou I, Heinemann U Abstract Proper neuronal functioning depends on a strictly regulated interstitial environment and tight coupling of neuronal and metabolic activity involving adequate vascular responses. These functions take place at the blood brain barrier (BBB) composed of endothelial cells, basal lamina covered with pericytes, and the endfeet of perivascular astrocytes. In conventional in vitro models of the BBB, some of these components are missing. Here we describe a new model system for studying BBB and neurovascular coupling by using confocal microscopy and fluorescenc...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Blood-brain barrier breakdown following traumatic brain injury: a possible role in posttraumatic epilepsy.
This study aimed to investigate the frequency, extent, and functional correlates of BBB disruption in epileptic patients following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thirty-seven TBI patients were included in this study, 19 of whom suffered from PTE. All underwent electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings and brain magnetic resonance imaging (bMRI). bMRIs were evaluated for BBB disruption using novel quantitative techniques. Cortical dysfunction was localized using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). TBI patients displayed significant EEG slowing compared to controls with no significant d...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Occult cerebrovascular disease and late-onset epilepsy: could loss of neurovascular unit integrity be a viable model?
We describe novel magnetic resonance imaging methods to detect abnormal neurovascular unit function in subjects with LOE and controls. We hypothesise that occult CVD may cause LOE as a result of neurovascular unit dysfunction. PMID: 21461380 [PubMed] (Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology)
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Case series of post-thrombolysis patients undergoing hemicraniectomy for malignant anterior circulation ischaemic stroke.
Authors: Williams A, Sittampalam M, Barua N, Mohd Nor A Abstract While ischaemic stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability, there have been recent advancements in treatment modalities including thrombolysis and decompressive hemicraniectomy. A retrospective review of patients treated in our NHS teaching hospital, in Plymouth (UK), over a 2 year period identified 17 thrombolysed patients, of whom two had undergone subsequent decompressive hemicraniectomy. These were non-dominant hemisphere strokes in young patients, aged 51 and 57. Initial NIHSS scores were 16 and 17, and they received thrombol...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

The etiological role of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in seizure disorders.
Authors: Marchi N, Tierney W, Alexopoulos AV, Puvenna V, Granata T, Janigro D Abstract A wind of change characterizes epilepsy research efforts. The traditional approach, based on a neurocentric view of seizure generation, promoted understanding of the neuronal mechanisms of seizures; this resulted in the development of potent anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). The fact that a significant number of individuals with epilepsy still fail to respond to available AEDs restates the need for an alternative approach. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction is an important etiological player in seizure disorders, and combi...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

A novel algorithm for the assessment of blood-brain barrier permeability suggests that brain topical application of endothelin-1 does not cause early opening of the barrier in rats.
Authors: Jorks D, Milakara D, Alam M, Kang EJ, Major S, Friedman A, Dreier JP Abstract There are a number of different experimental methods for ex vivo assessment of blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening based on Evans blue dye extravasation. However, these methods require many different steps to prepare the brain and need special equipment for quantification. We here report a novel, simple, and fast semiquantitative algorithm to assess BBB integrity ex vivo. The method is particularly suitable for cranial window experiments, since it keeps the spatial information about where the BBB opened. We validated the a...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Elucidating the Complex Interactions between Stress and Epileptogenic Pathways.
Authors: Friedman AR, Cacheaux LP, Ivens S, Kaufer D Abstract Clinical and experimental data suggest that stress contributes to the pathology of epilepsy. We review mechanisms by which stress, primarily via stress hormones, may exacerbate epilepsy, focusing on the intersection between stress-induced pathways and the progression of pathological events that occur before, during, and after the onset of epileptogenesis. In addition to this temporal nuance, we discuss other complexities in stress-epilepsy interactions, including the role of blood-brain barrier dysfunction, neuron-glia interactions, and inflamma...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

Effects of neonatal systemic inflammation on blood-brain barrier permeability and behaviour in juvenile and adult rats.
Authors: Stolp HB, Johansson PA, Habgood MD, Dziegielewska KM, Saunders NR, Ek CJ Abstract Several neurological disorders have been linked to inflammatory insults suffered during development. We investigated the effects of neonatal systemic inflammation, induced by LPS injections, on blood-brain barrier permeability, endothelial tight junctions and behaviour of juvenile (P20) and adult rats. LPS-treatment resulted in altered cellular localisation of claudin-5 and changes in ultrastructural morphology of a few cerebral blood vessels. Barrier permeability to sucrose was significantly increased in LPS treated...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research

The blood-brain barrier and microvascular water exchange in Alzheimer's disease.
Authors: Anderson VC, Lenar DP, Quinn JF, Rooney WD Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the elderly. Although traditionally considered a disease of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, structural and functional changes in the microvessels may contribute directly to the pathogenesis of the disease. Since vascular dysfunction often precedes cognitive impairment, understanding the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in AD may be key to rational treatment of the disease. We propose that water regulation, a critical function of the BBB, is disturbed in AD and resul...
Source: Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology - November 25, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol Source Type: research