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Biomedical subjects

B Bjelke

Publications and source records attributed to B Bjelke.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

On the role of neuropeptide Y in information handling in the central nervous system in normal and physiopathological states. Focus on volume transmission and neuropeptide Y/alpha 2 receptor interactions.

The NPY neurons play an important role in information handling in the CNS by their ability to interact in both wiring and volume transmission at the network, local circuit and synaptic level. The importance of NPY/alpha 2 receptor-receptor interactions in cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and vigilance control is emphasized. Alterations in these receptor-receptor interactions take place in the spontaneously hypertensive rats as well as in the ischemic brain, which may have profound consequences for the information handling and contribute to the functional alterations found in these pathophysiological states. Finally, in the aging brain there appears to exist a marked reduction in NPY transmission line, which may affect higher brain functions, such as learning and memory retrieval. The most impressive result is, however, the indications of a role for NPY in volume transmission, where NPY appears to produce syndromic actions via its conversion into biologically active fragments, which may have preferential actions at Y2 NPY receptors. These syndromic pathways may be altered in the spontaneously hypertensive rat and may be controlled by gonadal steroids and glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoid receptors have been demonstrated in all arcuate NPY neurons and all NA/NPY and A/NPY costoring neurons.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

Increased diffusion of prolactin-like material into the brain neuropil from homologous adenohypophyseal transplants in the rat neostriatum after a 6-OH-dopamine induced degeneration of the mesostriatal dopamine neurons.

Young adult female rats were used as donors and recipients of homologous adenohypophyseal transplants. The transplants were stereotaxically placed unilaterally into the intact and 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OH-DA) denervated neostriatum. In the 6-OH-DA-denervated neostriatum the zone of prolactin-like immunoreactivity was increased in the neuropil surrounding the adenohypophyseal transplant compared with that in the non-denervated neostriatum. These results indicate that the loss of neostriatal dopamine leads to an increase in prolactin release from the adenohypophyseal striatal transplant giving further evidence for the existence of volume transmission in brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Restricted fiber growth from substance P-immunoreactive brain neurons grafted to the anterior eye chamber of the rat.

Substance P (SP)-immunoreactive cell groups from fetal rat brain were homografted to the anterior eye chamber and left there for 2 months to mature, to elucidate their capacity to form nerve fibers in this ectopic environment. All grafts survived well, were rapidly revascularized from the host iris and proliferated to final sizes 2- to 4-fold the volume at transplantation. In spite of a rich SP fiber innervation of the transplant neuropil, no or almost no SP-positive fibers reached out from the transplant on to the iris. Monoamine histochemical analysis of the same locus coeruleus transplants revealed abundant fluorescent locus-derived nerve fibers of the host irides. Thus, a marked difference in growth behavior between noradrenergic and SP-immunoreactive neurons from the same brainstem region was found.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Morphological distribution of MBP-like immunoreactivity in the brain during development.

Myelin-basic protein (MBP)-like immunoreactivity was studied during development from postnatal day 1 to day 21 as a marker for the myelination process in the rat brain. Using monoclonal MBP antibodies, the caudo-rostral successive progression of MBP immunoreactivity was mapped in 1-, 7-, 14-, and 21-day-old animals using fluorescence microscopy of both coronal and sagittal sections. At 1 day of age, MBP-immunoreactive single fibers were seen in the lower brain stem, especially in formatio reticularis, whereas the rest of the brain was negative. In 1-week-old animals, MBP-positive fibers extended all the way into frontal cortex, but still in sparse arrays of single fibers with the largest number at the brain stem level. The 2-week stage showed a dramatic increase in the number of MBP-immunoreactive fibers. At the brain stem level, MBP-positive fiber plexuses were mixed with MBP-positive longitudinal axonal pathways. In cerebellar cortex, positive fibers began to radiate out from the white matter into the grey matter. A dense network of MBP-positive fibers was located in thalamus, and dense fluorescent fiber bundles were seen in capsula interna piercing through striatum. In cerebral cortex positive radiating fibers were considerably more numerous than at the previous stage. At the age of 3 weeks, MBP-immunoreactive fibers could be seen in networks and bundles in all parts of the brain. In the brain stem, a dense plexus of positive fibers filled formatio reticularis. In cortex cerebelli and cortex cerebri, a high density of radiating positive fibers was found. In striatum, a sparse distribution of single fibers was found in the neuropil surrounding the now strongly positive bundles of capsula interna. MBP-like immunoreactivity was followed during postnatal rat brain development and seemed to serve as a good indicator of progression of the myelinization process. With the excellent signal-to-noise ratio and the detailed morphological description of the distribution of MBP-like immunoreactivity, the present report can serve as a reference for studies of pathological disturbances of myelination in CNS as they relate to mechanical, chemical or hormonal perturbations.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Protective effects of chronic nicotine treatment on lesioned nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in the male rat.

The present results demonstrate that chronic nicotine treatment can in part protect against mechanically-induced and neurotoxin-induced degeneration of nigrostriatal DA neurons. These results indicate that in sufficient doses chronic treatment with nicotine may be considered in the pharmacological treatment of Parkinson's disease. It remains to be demonstrated whether these protective actions can be extended to include also other injured neurons such as the cholinergic neurons, known to be severely affected in Alzheimer's disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Some aspects of the communicational and computational organization of the brain.

Some features of the morphofunctional organization of the CNS have been analysed. Different types of hierarchical organization have been recognized, each of which could deeply affect the circulation (communicational aspect) and elaboration (computational aspect) of information. These two aspects have been discussed on the basis of the existence of two types of electrochemical transmission in the CNS: wiring and volume transmission. By evaluating the CNS operations at different levels of analysis a 'computational hierarchical organization' has been delineated. This concept is very relevant to the understanding of the 'computational power' of the brain (Agnati & Fuxe 1984, Conrad 1985a). In fact, it leads to the distinction between horizontal and vertical elaboration of information. The hypothesis is introduced that in the vertical elaboration of information a central role may be played by the neuronal membrane. In fact, this structure can not only be influenced by the extra- and intracellular signals, but also effectively interconvert the electrical coding into the chemical coding of information. These aspects are discussed in the frame of the possible organization of the membrane into 'domains', each domain being a patch of membrane in which pre-selected molecular movements are possible, resulting in molecular interactions. The movement of a molecule outside its domain is considered energetically unfavourable. The possible formal treatment of this hypothesis is mentioned in Conrad's work (1985b).

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Survival of adenohypophyseal homologous transplants in the rat striatum associated with prolactin-like immunoreactivity in the surrounding neuropil of the striatum.

By means of Cresyl violet stainings and immunocytochemical studies on prolactin-, luteinizing hormone (LH)-, and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-like immunoreactivities evidence has been obtained that homologous adenohypophyseal transplants survive for many weeks in the rat neostriatum. Gland cells maintain their endocrine properties and appear to secrete prolactin but not ACTH and LH into the surrounding neuropil of the rat neostriatum, since it contains a strong diffuse prolactin-like immunoreactivity. The diffuse zone of prolactin-like immunoreactivity disappears following inhibition of prolactin secretion by the dopamine agonist bromocriptine. The results support the existence of volume transmission in brain and offer a model for its analysis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer-assisted image analysis techniques allow a characterization of the compartments within the basal ganglia. Focus on functional compartments produced by d-amphetamine activation of the c-fos gene and its relationship to the glucocorticoid receptor.

A new computer-assisted image analysis procedure was developed for the analysis of striatal compartments of the rats visualized in this case by means of c-fos immunocytochemistry after morphine and/or d-amphetamine treatments. In particular it has been shown that d-amphetamine can induce an activation of the c-fos early gene in various subregions of the neostriatum and that morphine treatment can antagonize this activation. A different pattern of morphine antagonistic action could be detected at the rostral versus the caudal striatal level. In fact, at the rostral level the morphine antagonistic action was very marked only in the dorsomedial striatum, while at the caudal level the morphine antagonistic action was marked in all subregions. The developed computer-assisted procedure can detect differences in the pattern of distribution of profiles present in a certain neuroanatomical area. Therefore, this procedure may represent a powerful tool to study integrative functional compartments in the neostriatum. In the present study high level integrative compartments appear to be created by D1/mu-opiate receptor interactions especially within the classical patch system.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The semi-quantitative distribution and cellular localization of angiotensinogen mRNA in the rat brain.

The present study describes the regional distribution and cellular localization of angiotensinogen-mRNA in the rat brain as investigated by means of in situ hybridization also in combination with immunocytochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein. The angiotensinogen gene expression seemed to be restricted to astroglia and showed marked regional differences. In some areas angiotensinogen-mRNA was present in almost all astrocytes with a strong signal (e.g. hypoglossal nucleus), whereas in other areas the angiotensinogen gene was expressed only in a certain population of glial cells. Some areas like the lateral septum were devoid of any detectable angiotensinogen-mRNA. A semi-quantitative atlas of the regional distribution of brain angiotensinogen-mRNA was obtained by using computer-assisted microdensitometry and revealed considerable rostro-caudal fluctuations of the angiotensinogen-mRNA content of certain regions (e.g. the subfornical organ). Furthermore, a semi-quantitative analysis on the cellular level of angiotensinogen gene expression was performed showing a correlation of the angiotensinogen gene expression to the glia content of the regions examined. It was also demonstrated that the angiotensinogen gene expression had its highest levels in several distinct areas of the brain (e.g. the preoptic region and the hypothalamus), whereas other areas showed only low to moderate levels (e.g. the thalamus). The expression of the angiotensinogen gene in the rat brain was not only restricted to areas involved in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine control, but was also present in functionally different regions. Our data thus indicate that, based on the regional distribution of angiotensinogen-mRNA, angiotensin peptides may have other functions besides participation in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine control.

Angiotensinogen↗