26 research outputs found
On the importance of long-term functional assessment after stroke to improve translation from bench to bedside
Despite extensive research efforts in the field of cerebral ischemia, numerous disappointments came from the translational step. Even if experimental studies showed a large number of promising drugs, most of them failed to be efficient in clinical trials. Based on these reports, factors that play a significant role in causing outcome differences between animal experiments and clinical trials have been identified; and latest works in the field have tried to discard them in order to improve the scope of the results. Nevertheless, efforts must be maintained, especially for long-term functional evaluations. As observed in clinical practice, animals display a large degree of spontaneous recovery after stroke. The neurological impairment, assessed by basic items, typically disappears during the firsts week following stroke in rodents. On the contrary, more demanding sensorimotor and cognitive tasks underline other deficits, which are usually long-lasting. Unfortunately, studies addressing such behavioral impairments are less abundant. Because the characterization of long-term functional recovery is critical for evaluating the efficacy of potential therapeutic agents in experimental strokes, behavioral tests that proved sensitive enough to detect long-term deficits are reported here. And since the ultimate goal of any stroke therapy is the restoration of normal function, an objective appraisal of the behavioral deficits should be done
Amphetamine-induced changes in normal and mptp-lesioned mice: a behavioural and fmri study
A temporal MRI assessment of neuropathology after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat: Correlations with behavior
Continuous delivery of ropinirole reverses motor deficits without dyskinesia induction in MPTP-treated common marmosets
L-DOPA treatment of Parkinson's disease induces a high incidence of motor complications, notably dyskinesia. Longer acting dopamine agonists, e.g. ropinirole, are thought to produce more continuous dopaminergic stimulation and less severe dyskinesia. However, standard oral administration of dopamine agonists does not result in constant plasma drug levels, therefore, more continuous drug delivery may result in both prolonged reversal of motor deficits and reduced levels of dyskinesia. Therefore, we compared the effects of repeated oral administration of ropinirole to constant subcutaneous infusion in MPTP-treated common marmosets. Animals received oral administration (0.4 mg/kg, BID) or continuous infusion of ropinirole (0.8 mg/kg/day) via osmotic minipumps for 14 days (Phase I). The treatments were then switched and continued for a further 14 days (Phase II). In Phase I, locomotor activity was similar between treatment groups but reversal of motor disability was more pronounced in animals receiving continuous infusion. Dyskinesia intensity was low in both groups however there was a trend suggestive of less marked dyskinesia in those animals receiving continuous infusion. In Phase II, increased locomotor activity was maintained but animals switched from oral to continuous treatment showing an initial period of enhanced locomotor activity. The reversal of motor disability was maintained in both groups, however, motor disability tended towards greater improvement following continuous infusion. Importantly, dyskinesia remained low in both groups suggesting that constant delivery of ropinirole neither leads to priming nor expression of dyskinesia. These results suggest that a once-daily controlled-release formulation may provide improvements over existing benefits with standard oral ropinirole in Parkinson's disease patients. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe
The quantification of gene expression in an animal model of brain ischaemia using TaqMan (TM) real-time RT-PCR
Human Neural Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Ischemic Stroke: Charting Progress from Laboratory to Patients
The PPARγ agonist pioglitazone is effective in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease through inhibition of monoamine oxidase B
Elasticities of road traffic and fuel consumption with respect to price and income: A review
This paper gives the main results of a literature review of new empirical studies, published since 1990, updating work on the effects of price and income on fuel consumption, traffic levels, and where available other indicators including fuel efficiency and car ownership. The results are broadly consistent with several earlier reviews, though not always with current practice. The work was carried out as one of two parallel 'blind' literature reviews, the other being summarized in a companion paper by Graham and Glaister: the results are broadly, though not in every respect, consistent. © 2004 Taylor and Francis Ltd