Specific inhibition of p25/Cdk5 activity by the Cdk5 inhibitory peptide reduces neurodegeneration in vivo

The aberrant hyperactivation of Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), by the production of its truncated activator p25, results in the formation of hyperphosphorylated tau, neuroinflammation, amyloid deposition, and neuronal death in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, this occurs as a result of a neurotoxic insult that invokes the intracellular elevation of calcium to activate calpain, which cleaves the Cdk5 activator p35 into p25. It has been shown previously that the p25 transgenic mouse as a model to investigate the mechanistic implications of p25 production in the brain, which recapitulates deregulated Cdk5-mediated neuropathological changes, such as hyperphosphorylated tau and neuronal death. To date, strategies to inhibit Cdk5 activity have not been successful in targeting selectively aberrant activity without affecting normal Cdk5 activity. Here we show that the selective inhibition of p25/Cdk5 hyperactivation in vivo, through overexpression of the Cdk5 inhibitory peptide (CIP), rescues against the neurodegenerative pathologies caused by p25/Cdk5 hyperactivation without affecting normal neurodevelopment afforded by normal p35/Cdk5 activity. Tau and amyloid pathologies as well as neuroinflammation are significantly reduced in the CIP-p25 tetra transgenic mice, whereas brain atrophy and subsequent cognitive decline are reversed in these mice. The findings reported here represent an important breakthrough in elucidating approaches to selectively inhibit the p25/Cdk5 hyperactivation as a potential therapeutic target to reduce neurodegeneration

Electrical microstimulation of the nucleus incertus induces forward locomotion and rotation in rats

AbstractLocomotion is essential for goal-oriented behavior. Theta frequency oscillations in the hippocampus have been associated with behavioral activation and initiation of movement. Recently, the nucleus incertus, a brainstem nucleus with widespread cortical and subcortical projections, has been reported to modulate the septo-hippocampal axis triggering theta activity in the hippocampus. This suggests that activation of the nucleus incertus would induce movement. In this study, we investigated the effects of electrical microstimulation of the nucleus incertus on locomotion in conscious rats. Rats chronically implanted with microelectrodes targeting the nucleus incertus were electrically stimulated while their behavior was tracked. High frequency electrical microstimulation of the nucleus incertus was sufficient to induce forward locomotion and rotation. The latencies of evoked locomotion were consistent with a role of the nucleus incertus in modulating premotor areas, possibly the septo-hippocampal axis. Electrical microstimulation of the nucleus incertus increased velocity, mobility and rotations during stimulation and post-stimulation. These results suggest that the nucleus incertus plays a role in behavioral activation and locomotion

Ultracompact Multielectrode Array for Neurological Monitoring

Patients with paralysis, spinal cord injury, or amputated limbs could benefit from using brain−machine interface technology for communication and neurorehabilitation. In this study, a 32-channel three-dimensional (3D) multielectrode probe array was developed for the neural interface system of a brain−machine interface to monitor neural activity. A novel microassembly technique involving lead transfer was used to prevent misalignment in the bonding plane during the orthogonal assembly of the 3D multielectrode probe array. Standard microassembly and biopackaging processes were utilized to implement the proposed lead transfer technique. The maximum profile of the integrated 3D neural device was set to 0.50 mm above the pia mater to reduce trauma to brain cells. Benchtop tests characterized the electrical impedance of the neural device. A characterization test revealed that the impedance of the 3D multielectrode probe array was on average approximately 0.55 MΩ at a frequency of 1 KHz. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxicity tests verified the biocompatibility of the device. Subsequently, 3D multielectrode probe arrays were implanted in rats and exhibited the capability to record local field potentials and spike signals

Ginsenoside Rg1 modulates medial prefrontal cortical firing and suppresses the hippocampo-medial prefrontal cortical long-term potentiation

Background: Panax ginseng is one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs worldwide for a variety of therapeutic properties including neurocognitive effects. Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the most abundant active chemical constituents of this herb with known neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and cognition improving effects. Methods: We investigated the effects of Rg1 on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key brain region involved in cognition, information processing, working memory, and decision making. In this study, the effects of systemic administration of Rg1 (1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, or 10 mg/kg) on (1) spontaneous firing of the medial prefrontal cortical neurons and (2) long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal–medial prefrontal cortical (HP–mPFC) pathway were investigated in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Results: The spontaneous neuronal activity of approximately 50% the recorded pyramidal cells in the mPFC was suppressed by Rg1. In addition, Rg1 attenuated LTP in the HP–mPFC pathway. These effects were not dose-dependent. Conclusion: This report suggests that acute treatment of Rg1 impairs LTP in the HP–mPFC pathway, perhaps by suppressing the firing of a subset of mPFC neurons that may contribute to the neurocognitive effects of Rg1. Keywords: ginsenoside Rg1, hippocampus, long-term potentiation, medical prefrontal cortex, single uni

Relaxin' the brain: a case for targeting the nucleus incertus network and relaxin-3/RXFP3 system in neuropsychiatric disorders

10.1111/bph.13564BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY174101061-107

A 100-Channel 1-mW Implantable Neural Recording IC

This paper presents a fully implantable 100-channel neural interface IC for neural activity monitoring. It contains 100-channel analog recording front-ends, 10 multiplexing successive approximation register ADCs, digital control modules and power management circuits. A dual sample-and-hold architecture is proposed, which extends the sampling time of the ADC and reduces the average power per channel by more than 50% compared to the conventional multiplexing neural recording system. A neural amplifier (NA) with current-reuse technique and weak inversion operation is demonstrated, consuming 800 nA under 1-V supply while achieving an input-referred noise of 4.0 μVrms in a 8-kHz bandwidth and a NEF of 1.9 for the whole analog recording chain. The measured frequency response of the analog front-end has a high-pass cutoff frequency from sub-1 Hz to 248 Hz and a low-pass cutoff frequency from 432 Hz to 5.1 kHz, which can be configured to record neural spikes and local field potentials simultaneously or separately. The whole system was fabricated in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process and operates under 1 V for analog blocks and ADC, and 1.8 V for digital modules. The number of active recording channels is programmable and the digital output data rate changes accordingly, leading to high system power efficiency. The overall 100-channel interface IC consumes 1.16-mW total power, making it the optimum solution for multi-channel neural recording systems.ASTAR (Agency for Sci., Tech. and Research, S’pore)Accepted versio