37 research outputs found
CSF-Biomarkers in Olympic Boxing: Diagnosis and Effects of Repetitive Head Trauma
Background
Sports-related head trauma is common but still there is no established laboratory test used in the diagnostics of minimal or mild traumatic brain injuries. Further the effects of recurrent head trauma on brain injury markers are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Olympic (amateur) boxing and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) brain injury biomarkers.
Methods
The study was designed as a prospective cohort study. Thirty Olympic boxers with a minimum of 45 bouts and 25 non-boxing matched controls were included in the study. CSF samples were collected by lumbar puncture 1â6 days after a bout and after a rest period for at least 14 days. The controls were tested once. Biomarkers for acute and chronic brain injury were analysed.
Results
NFL (mean ± SD, 532±553 vs 135±51 ng/L p = 0.001), GFAP (496±238 vs 247±147 ng/L p<0.001), T-tau (58±26 vs 49±21 ng/L p<0.025) and S-100B (0.76±0.29 vs 0.60±0.23 ng/L p = 0.03) concentrations were significantly increased after boxing compared to controls. NFL (402±434 ng/L p = 0.004) and GFAP (369±113 ng/L p = 0.001) concentrations remained elevated after the rest period.
Conclusion
Increased CSF levels of T-tau, NFL, GFAP, and S-100B in >80% of the boxers demonstrate that both the acute and the cumulative effect of head trauma in Olympic boxing may induce CSF biomarker changes that suggest minor central nervous injuries. The lack of normalization of NFL and GFAP after the rest period in a subgroup of boxers may indicate ongoing degeneration. The recurrent head trauma in boxing may be associated with increased risk of chronic traumatic brain injury
Augmented acquisition of cocaine self-administration and altered brain glucose metabolism in adult female but not male rats exposed to a cannabinoid agonist during adolescence
Marijuana consumption during adolescence has been proposed to be a stepping stone for adult cocaine addiction. However, experimental evidence for this hypothesis is missing. In this work we chronically injected male and female Wistar rats with either the
cannabinoid agonist CP 55,940 (CP; 0.4 mg/kg) or its corresponding vehicle. Adult acquisition (seven 30 min daily sessions) and
maintenance (fourteen 2 h daily sessions) of cocaine self administration (1 mg/kg), food reinforced operant learning under conditions of
normal (ad libitum access to food), and high motivation (food restriction schedule) were measured. Additionally, brain metabolic activity
was analyzed by means of [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. During the acquisition phase, female CP treated rats
showed a higher rate of cocaine self administration as compared to vehicle treated females and males; no differences were found
between both male groups. This effect disappeared in the maintenance phase. Moreover, no differences among groups were evident in
the food reinforced operant task, pointing to the cocaine specific nature of the effect seen in self administration rather than a general
change in reward processing. Basal brain metabolic activity also changed in CP treated females when compared to their vehicle treated
counterparts with no differences being found in the males; more specifically we observed a hyper activation of the frontal cortex and a
hypo activation of the amygdalo entorhinal cortex. Our results suggest that a chronic exposure to cannabinoids during adolescence alters
the susceptibility to acquire cocaine self administration, in a sex specific fashion. This increased susceptibility could be related to thechanges in brain metabolic activity induced by cannabinoids during adolescenceThis work was supported by Grants FIS G03/05 (Red de Trastornos Adictivos), BSO2001-1099, FIS 01-05-01, Plan Nacional sobre Drogas (PNSD) 2001â2003, PNSD 2004â2007, GR-SAL/0260/2004 to EA and Grants INT/2012/ 2002, CB06/01/0079, and CENIT (2006â2009) to MDPublicad
Good Things From Maine: Fine Prints
Printmaker Addie Best describes her work: the process of creating using her vintage Vandercook printing press, the inspiration behind her images, and her feelings when she sees her art displayed and enjoyed