Neuroscience Journal of Shefaye Khatam
Year:2018 | Volume:6 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:8

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Neuronal injury and oxidative stress in AD increases the level of inflammatory cytokines. Curcumin has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of curcumin on hippocampal levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in an experimental model of AD.Materials and Methods: 28 male rats divided into 4 groups: Control group (30 days, intraperitoneal injection of DMSO), AD control group (30 days, intraperitoneal injection of DMSO, after induction of AD) and two AD treatment groups with application of 50 and 100 mg/kg of curcumin (30 days, intraperitoneal injection of curcumin, after induction of AD). AD was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 8 mg/kg trimethyltin chloride. At the end of the treatment period, the hippocampal levels of BDNF and serum levels of different cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1b and IL-6) were measured by ELISA method.Results: Compared to AD control group, administration of curcumin with dose of 100 mg/kg significantly increased the hippocampal levels of BDNF (P=0.002) and decreased the serum levels of TNF-a, IL-1b and IL-6 (P=0.001).Conclusion: Administration of curcumin may decrease the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in AD, possibly via enhancement of the hippocampal levels of BDNF. This study suggests the protective effect of curcumin against neuronal damages and oxidative stress in AD.

Introduction: The anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition. Through modulation of stress responses, the anxiety can be controlled. Stress clearly affects the autonomic nervous system and leads to excessive sweating and tachycardia. New methods to identify and manage stress are still needed.Materials and Methods: In this paper, anxiety is controlled by reinforcement learning (RL). For stress level measurement, galvanic skin resistance (GSR) and heart rate were measured. Skin electrical resistance and heart rates are measured in 15 subjects (8 females and 7 males), ages between 22 to 30 years, during exposure to melodies and pictures. By connecting bioelectric sensors to the hand, GSR signal can be tested. Anxiety level was measured by biological signals (biofeedback) through playing melodies and showing pictures. First, GSR and heart rate signals were measured (states of RL). Then, the application plays a melody (agent) and shows a picture (actions). After a period of time, GSR and heart rate were measured again. Based on the differences between initial and secondary values, the reward, indicating stress variations were calculated. Based on the received reward, the agent learns to control the stress level.Results: The intelligent agent of RL, learns which picture to show and what melody to play in order to manage the stress. For each person, different melodies and pictures reduce the stress. This learning procedure should be repeated for each subject.Conclusion: A novel method is proposed and investigated based on RL for anxiety control. The accuracy of diagnosis is improved in a simple, rapid, and low-cost way.

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are the main psychological problems during premenopause. The present study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of behavioral activation treatment in reduction of anxiety and depression during premenopausal state.Materials and Methods: This research was a queasy-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design in experimental and control groups. The statistical population were selected among women in Ahvaz city during premenopausal period. From them, 30 women were selected by voluntary sampling method and randomly assigned to two equal groups. The experimental group was received 8 sessions of 90 minutes training with behavioral activation treatment. The groups completed the questionnaire of anxiety (Beck & et al, 1988) and depression (Beck & Clarck, 1988).Results: The results showed that behavioral activation treatment significantly reduced anxiety and depression during premenopausal state.Conclusion: These study indicates that behavioral activation treatment as an effective method for alleviation of anxiety and depression in premenopausal women.

Introduction: Visual memory and space intelligence are the most important talents for karate athletes. Therefore, the present study investigated the visual memory and space intelligence of female Karate students who practiced Kata and Kumite.Materials and Methods: The method of this research was Ex post facto design. One hundred seventy selected female athletes who were practicing in Karate under the supervision of Iran Karate Federation were selected. Ninety of athletes practiced in Kata, and eighty of them practiced Kumite. The sample was selected by targeting method. The instruments of this study were two questionnaires included; John Luis Selier visual memory test, and Minnesota space visualization test.Results: The results showed that female athletes who practiced Kata had significantly higher visual memory than Kumite group. However, there was no differences between space intelligence in these two groups.Conclusion: Our data revealed that the visual memory and space intelligence are very vital and play a key role in karate. To achieve a better result in karate competitions, practice and reinforcement of these skills seems to be crucial.

Introduction: Cerebral ischemic stroke is the third cause of death worldwide and is one of the main causes of long-term disabilities. Histone deacetylase inhibitors have effects on amelioration of brain disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) as a histone deacetylase inhibitor on short-term working memory and serum level of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) protein in a rat cerebral hypoxic ischemia (HI) model.Materials and Methods: The animals were divided into 5 groups; control, HI+Saline, HI+SB 0.1, HI+SB 0.3, and HI+SB 0.6. Ischemia was induced by left carotid artery occlusion and then rats were placed in the hypoxic chamber containing 8% oxygen for 5 minute. SB was injected at doses of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 (mg/kg/day) intra-peritonealy for 14 consecutive days in three treatment groups. Short-term working memory in these groups was analyzed by Y-maze test. After performing the test, serum value of Bcl2 protein were measured by ELISA.Results: The percent of behavior alteration was higher in treatment groups than HI+Saline group in a dose dependent manner. In addition, SB administration reduced serum levels of Bcl2 in treatment groups.Conclusion: SB may cause amelioration of short-term memory and reduction of Bcl2 level, as an apoptosis marker, in cerebral hypoxic ischemia.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious medical condition that affects annually year more than 2 million people worldwide. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the number of dark neurons induced by TBI in the parieto-temporal cortex.Materials and Methods: LPS (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) was injected i.p. to rats 5 days before induction of TBI in the parieto-temporal cortex. Using toluidine blue staining, we evaluated the number of dark neurons in the hippocampus in sham and LPS preconditioned rats 4 and 12 hours after the trauma.Results: The increase in dark neurons was significantly higher after 4 h of trauma compared to 12 h after TBI. LPS preconditioning significantly decreased the mean number of dark neurons in the hippocampus. In LPS preconditioned rats the mean number of dark neurons was also significantly higher 4 hours after trauma compared to 12 h after TBI.Conclusion: These data indicate that hippocampal cellular damage produced during the first hours after induction of TBI. This cellular damage could be prevented by administration of LPS.

Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of anxiety disorders. PTSD typically follows an exposure to severe stress. It is characterized by a particular clinical syndrome, including re-experiencing symptoms and alterations in arousal, avoidance, cognition, and mood conditions. Recent evidences propose that micro-RNAs are crucial epigenetic players in mental disorders. It has been demonstrated that micro-RNAs are promising non-invasive biomarkers for different mental health disorders. It has been reported that the levels of micro-RNAs have been changed in psychotic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and PTSD.Conclusion: Micro-RNAs seem to play a role in pathophysiology of psychological diseases. In this article, we discussed the new findings suggesting a relationship between micro-RNAs and PTSD as well as the possible roles of micro-RNAs in diagnosis and treatment of this mental disorder.

Introduction: The limbic system plays an important role in neural mechanisms related to emotion and memory. Hallucinogenic drugs are a factor affecting the functioning of this system and interfering with its nervous system regulation. Recent studies on adolescent users of hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana, have shown some degree of behavioral and emotional disorders. Cannabinoids, compounds forming marijuana, acting via its receptors throughout the brain.Conclusion: These ligands bind to their receptors in parts of the limbic system (the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus) and lead to changes in the expression of neurotransmitters and neural pathways in the brain. These alterations influence emotional behavior.