Neurosciences

Article Behavioral Sciences

A novel investigation of placebo analgesia through social communication in mice

Stacie K. Totsch, Robert E. Sorge

Summary: This study investigates the placebo analgesic effect in mice through social communication rather than direct conditioning. Bystander mice showed a placebo analgesic response to their cagemate's morphine-paired flavor, which was not impacted by naloxone.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Protective effect of vitamin D on learning and memory impairment in rats induced by high fructose corn syrup

Cahide Aslan, Rahime Aslankoc, Ozlem Ozmen, Buse Nur Suluk, Oguzhan Kavrik, Nurhan Gumral

Summary: This study examined the negative effects of high fructose corn syrup on prefrontal cortex damage in adolescent rats, as well as the protective role of vitamin D.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Low-dose Esketamine suppresses NLRP3-mediated apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death in microglial cells to ameliorate LPS-induced depression via ablating GSK-3β

Sen Zhou, Yang Liu, Binbin Xue, Peigen Yuan

Summary: This study confirmed that low-dose Esketamine alleviates LPS-induced depressive symptoms by regulating the GSK-3 beta/NLRP3 pathway. Appropriate doses of Esketamine are essential for the treatment of depression in the clinical setting.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Cortical activation and BCI performance during brief tactile imagery: A comparative study with motor imagery

Puja Sengupta, Kishor Lakshminarayanan

Summary: This study compared the cortical activity and digit classification performance induced by tactile imagery (TI) and motor imagery (MI) in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The results showed similar cortical activity patterns and no significant difference in classification accuracy between TI and MI. This suggests the potential of TI as an effective mental strategy in BCIs, particularly for individuals unable to rely on visual cues.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Coordination function index: A novel indicator for assessing hindlimb locomotor recovery in spinal cord injury rats based on catwalk gait parameters

Song Liu, Qiang Wu, Liyue Wang, Cong Xing, Junrui Guo, Baicao Li, Hongpeng Ma, Hao Zhong, Mi Zhou, Shibo Zhu, Rusen Zhu, Guangzhi Ning

Summary: In this study, a systematic assessment indicator was developed to objectively evaluate hindlimb motor function recovery in rats after thoracic contusion SCI. By screening CatWalk XT gait parameters and using exploratory factor analysis, 38 suitable parameters for assessing motor function were identified. A reliable Coordinated Function Index (CFI) was proposed based on these parameters and simplified for improved assessment efficacy.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Loneliness during the post-confinement period: The significance of social living conditions for stress biomarkers and memory

Daniela Batallas, Valerie Rodriguez-Hernandez, Vanesa Hidalgo, Alicia Salvador

Summary: This study examined the effects of post-lockdown social restrictions on psychological, biological, and cognitive dimensions, with a focus on perceived loneliness and living situation. The findings indicated that participants who experienced significant family changes and international relocation reported fewer face-to-face interactions, higher hair cortisol levels, and worse working and prospective memory performance compared to those who maintained their nuclear family and did not move from their home country. The study highlights the complex relationships between loneliness, cortisol, and memory.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Transcranial alternating current stimulation does not affect microscale learning

Kyosuke Shiga, Shota Miyaguchi, Yasuto Inukai, Naofumi Otsuru, Hideaki Onishi

Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on microscale learning in implicit motor tasks. Contrary to expectations, the results showed that the stimulation protocol had no significant effects on microscale learning, revealing a novel aspect of microscale learning in implicit motor tasks.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Orexin receptors in the hippocampal dentate gyrus modulated the restraint stress-induced analgesia in the animal model of chronic pain

Matin Baghani, Arad Bolouri-Roudsari, Reyhaneh Askari, Abbas Haghparast

Summary: The study suggests that the orexinergic system in the dentate gyrus region of the brain may act as an endogenous pain control system and a potential target for treating stress-related disorders.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Continuous high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation at extremely low intensity affects exploratory behavior and spatial cognition in mice

Yunfan Zhang, Yunbin Zhang, Zhuangfei Chen, Ping Ren, Yu Fu

Summary: This study systematically investigated the effects of extremely low intensity HF-rTMS on cognition in mice and found that 40 Hz rTMS significantly impaired exploratory behavior and spatial memory at both 10 mT and 1 mT conditions. Additionally, 40 Hz stimulation had remarkably different effects on exploratory behavior depending on intensity, compared to 10 Hz stimulation.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Forty-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations of rat pups predict adult behavior in the elevated plus-maze behavior but not the effect of cocaine on 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations

Nicolas Cordeiro, Jose Augusto Pochapski, William Sanchez Luna, Gabriel Baltazar, Rainer K. Schwarting, Roberto Andreatini, Claudio Da Cunha

Summary: Ultrasonic vocalizations play a role in conveying emotional states in both young pups and adult rats, with differences observed between genders and developmental stages. Pup vocalizations can predict adult behaviors, while adult vocalizations are influenced by stimulants.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Current scenario and potential of music therapy in the management of diseases

Sayali Bhandarkar, Bhagyashree Salvi, Pravin Shende

Summary: Music therapy has gained significant attention in recent years for its potential to effectively manage various conditions like Alzheimer's, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. It is a patient-friendly form of therapy with minimal side effects that activates brain's reward pathway. This review article discusses the advantages, disadvantages, mechanism of action, and effective applications of music therapy in different diseases. It also highlights the impact of music therapy on sleep quality and brain waves.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Photomodulatory effects in the hypothalamus of sleep-deprived young and aged rats

Radwa H. Lutfy, Sherine Abdel Salam, Haitham S. Mohammed, Marwa M. Shakweer, Amina E. Essawy

Summary: Insufficient sleep is associated with impaired hypothalamic activity and declined attentional performance. This study found that near-infrared (NIR) laser therapy can alleviate the effects of sleep deprivation on the hypothalamus, enhance antioxidant status, suppress neuroinflammation, and regulate cellular activity.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

N-acetylcysteine ameliorates chemotherapy-induced impaired anxiety and depression-like behaviors by regulating inflammation, oxidative and cholinergic status, and BDNF release

Durmus Ali Aslanlar, Emin Fatih Visneci, Mehmet Oz, K. Esra Nurullahoglu Atalik

Summary: Mood disorders caused by chemotherapy have become more important as cancer patients' survival increases. This study used methotrexate to induce mood disorders in rats and found that treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can alleviate anxiety and depression-like behaviors, increase antioxidant capacity, reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory response, and regulate brain chemistry. The findings suggest that NAC treatment could be an effective strategy in revising the treatment for individuals suffering from chemotherapy-induced mood disorders.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Role of serotonin in the lack of sensitization caused by prolonged food deprivation in Aplysia

Xin Deng, I. -Shuo Huang, Kourtlin Williams, Marcy L. Wainwright, Paul Zimba, Riccardo Mozzachiodi

Summary: Food deprivation can lead to neurological dysfunctions, including memory impairment. This study used Aplysia as an animal model to investigate the memory deficits caused by prolonged food deprivation. The results showed that 14 days of food deprivation decreased the level of 5-HT in the hemolymph, which contributed to the lack of sensitization and its cellular correlates. However, exogenous application of 5-HT partially induced sensitization in the food deprived animals.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

The effects of a dual orexin receptor antagonist on fear extinction memory and sleep in mice: Implications for exposure therapy

Ihori Kobayashi, Patrick A. Forcelli

Summary: The study found that intervention with the dual orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant did not have the expected effects on extinction memory and sleep. Higher percentages of REM sleep were associated with poorer extinction memory recall and stronger fear responses. Additionally, the fear extinction training protocol used in this study did not lead to complete fear extinction.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Barnes maze test for spatial memory: A new, sensitive scoring system for mouse search strategies

Laura Rodriguez Peris, Myriam Ilona Scheuber, Huimin Shan, Marie Braun, Martin E. Schwab

Summary: The Barnes maze is a task used to evaluate spatial learning and memory in rodents. The commonly used parameters of latency and path length do not accurately reflect the different navigation strategies chosen by the animals. Therefore, we propose an 11-point scoring scheme to supplement time and path length, in order to evaluate the behavior of animals in the maze.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

The antidepressant-like effect of doxycycline is associated with decreased nitric oxide metabolite levels in the prefrontal cortex

Amanda J. Sales, Samia R. L. Joca, Elaine Del Bel, Francisco S. Guimaraes

Summary: Doxycycline, an antibiotic, has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant-like effects. It inhibits the synthesis of nitric oxide and reduces its levels in the prefrontal cortex, leading to rapid antidepressant-like effects in mice.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Nicotinamide mononucleotide pretreatment improves long-term isoflurane anesthesia-induced cognitive impairment in mice

Jiyan Xu, Xinlu Chen, Shuai Liu, Ziqi Wei, Minhui Xu, Linhao Jiang, Xue Han, Liangyu Peng, Xiaoping Gu, Tianjiao Xia

Summary: This study investigated the effects of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on oxidative stress and cognitive function in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) mice. The results showed that NMN pretreatment reduced oxidative stress damage and alleviated cognitive impairment in POCD mice.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Alterations in regional homogeneity and functional connectivity in the cerebellum of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Xuan Xuan, Guangling Zheng, Wenjia Zhu, Qionghua Sun, Yawei Zeng, Juan Du, Xusheng Huang

Summary: This study examines the functional characteristics of the cerebellum in individuals with sALS and their correlation with clinical data. The results show changes in both local and global functional connectivity in the cerebellum of sALS patients, suggesting a pathophysiological role of the cerebellum in sALS.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)

Article Behavioral Sciences

Parental involvement affects parent-adolescents brain-to-brain synchrony when experiencing different emotions together: An EEG-based hyperscanning study

Xinmei Deng, Kexin Chen, Xiaoming Chen, Lin Zhang, Mingping Lin, Xiaoqing Li, Qiufeng Gao

Summary: Parental involvement affects the relationship and communication between parents and adolescents. This study found that high parental involvement is associated with stronger brain-to-brain synchrony during shared positive emotional experiences, while low parental involvement is associated with stronger synchrony during shared negative emotional experiences.

BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH (2024)