Astrocyte-derived Wnt growth factors are required for endothelial blood-brain barrier maintenance

Maintenance of the endothelial blood-brain-barrier (BBB) through Wnt/β-catenin signalling is essential for neuronal function. The cells however, providing Wnt growth factors at the adult neurovascular unit (NVU) are poorly explored. Here we show by conditionally knocking out the evenness interrupted (Evi) gene in astrocytes (Evi(ΔAC)) that astrocytic Wnt release is crucial for BBB and NVU integrity. Evi(ΔAC) mice developed brain oedema and increased vascular tracer leakage. While brain vascularization and endothelial junctions were not altered in 10 and 40 week-old mice, endothelial caveolin(Cav)-1-mediated vesicle formation was increased in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, astrocytic end-feet were swollen, and aquaporin-4 distribution was disturbed, coinciding with decreased astrocytic Wnt activity. Vascular permeability correlated with increased neuronal activation by c-fos staining, indicative of altered neuronal function. Astrocyte-derived Wnts thus serve to maintain Wnt/β-catenin activity in endothelia and in astrocytes, thereby controlling Cav-1 expression, vesicular abundance, and end-feet integrity at the NVU

Cildb: a knowledgebase for centrosomes and cilia

Ciliopathies, pleiotropic diseases provoked by defects in the structure or function of cilia or flagella, reflect the multiple roles of cilia during development, in stem cells, in somatic organs and germ cells. High throughput studies have revealed several hundred proteins that are involved in the composition, function or biogenesis of cilia. The corresponding genes are potential candidates for orphan ciliopathies. To study ciliary genes, model organisms are used in which particular questions on motility, sensory or developmental functions can be approached by genetics. In the course of high throughput studies of cilia in Paramecium tetraurelia, we were confronted with the problem of comparing our results with those obtained in other model organisms. We therefore developed a novel knowledgebase, Cildb, that integrates ciliary data from heterogeneous sources. Cildb links orthology relationships among 18 species to high throughput ciliary studies, and to OMIM data on human hereditary diseases. The web interface of Cildb comprises three tools, BioMart for complex queries, BLAST for sequence homology searches and GBrowse for browsing the human genome in relation to OMIM information for human diseases. Cildb can be used for interspecies comparisons, building candidate ciliary proteomes in any species, or identifying candidate ciliopathy genes

The Electroencephalogram as a Biomarker Based on Signal Processing Using Nonlinear Techniques to Detect Dementia

Dementia being a syndrome caused by a brain disease of a chronic or progressive nature, in which the irreversible loss of intellectual abilities, learning, expressions arises; including memory, thinking, orientation, understanding and adequate communication, of organizing daily life and of leading a family, work and autonomous social life; leads to a state of total dependence; therefore, its early detection and classification is of vital importance in order to serve as clinical support for physicians in the personalization of treatment programs. The use of the electroencephalogram as a tool for obtaining information on the detection of changes in brain activities. This article reviews the types of cognitive spectrum dementia, biomarkers for the detection of dementia, analysis of mental states based on electromagnetic oscillations, signal processing given by the electroencephalogram, review of processing techniques, results obtained where it is proposed the mathematical model about neural networks, discussion and finally the conclusions

The Potential of microRNAs for Stem Cell-based Therapy for Degenerative Skeletal Diseases

Purpose of review: degenerative skeletal disorders including osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) are the result of attenuation of tissue regeneration and lead to painful conditions with limited treatment options. Preventative measures to limit the onset of OA and OP remain a significant unmet clinical need. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to be involved in the differentiation of stem cells, and in combination with stem cell therapy could induce skeletal regeneration and potentially prevent OA and OP onset.Recent findings: the combination of stem cells and miRNA has been successful at regenerating the bone and cartilage in vivo. MiRNAs, including miR-146b known to be involved in chondrogenic differentiation, could provide innovative targets for stem cell-based therapy, for the repair of articular cartilage defects forestalling the onset of OA or in the generation of a stem cell-based therapy for OP.Summary: this review discusses the combination of skeletal stem cells (SSCs) and candidate miRNAs for application in a cell-based therapy approach for skeletal regenerative medicine

Auditory event-related potentials

Auditory event related potentials are electric potentials (AERP, AEP) and magnetic fields (AEF) generated by the synchronous activity of large neural populations in the brain, which are time-locked to some actual or expected sound event

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Bit-mapped imaging of somatosensory evoked potentials after stimulation of the posterior tibial nerves and dorsal nerve of the penis/clitoris.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to unilateral or bilateral posterior tibial nerve (PTN) stimulation and to stimulation of the dorsal nerve (DN) of the penis/clitoris were recorded on 32 channels in 10 volunteers. SEPs to unilateral PTN stimulation consisted of the classic 'W' complex P38-N45-P56-N75 maximal on the ipsilateral central and parietal leads, and two negative waves, N33 and N37, maximal on the contralateral post- and prerolandic areas, respectively. A lemniscal P30 was also recorded. Bilateral PTN stimulation caused, by algebraic summation, the disappearance of both N33 and N37; the W complex was symmetrical and the amplitude of P30 increased. The SEPs to DN stimulation were also symmetrical, and N33 and N37 were absent. These features can be explained by the bilateral character of DN stimulation. They also differed from bilateral PTN SEPs in 3 respects; the absence of P30, the small amplitude and the weaker gradients of field distribution of the 'W' complex, and the somewhat different distribution of penile from clitoral or bilateral PTN, N45 and P56. These differences can be explained both by physiological (the different fiber composition of the DN) and anatomical (the deeper localization of the DN cortical receiving area) mechanisms