RESUMO
Brain benefits from physical exercise associated with antioxidant supplements such as flaxseed oil. This low cost and simple association may improve hippocampal plasticity, which may work as a preventive and effective therapy in neuroprotection and neuroplasticity processes. This work evaluated the effects of physical exercise with flaxseed oil supplementation (Linum usitatissimum L.) in the hippocampus of Wistar rats. We separated male Wistar rats into four experimental groups: control group (sedentary), a sedentary group with a supplemental diet of flaxseed oil, a group under exercise program with flaxseed oil supplementation, and a group exclusively under exercise program. The swimming exercise consisted of a progressive 28day protocol followed by behavioral assessment, brain perfusion, microtomy, immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cellular morphology, and optical density analysis. We used the ANOVA test with Tukey's posttest for behavioral analysis. The exercise program with flaxseed oil supplementation was able to alter the GFAP expression in astrocytes in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions of the hippocampus and modulate the behavioral aspects of memory and anxiety.
Assuntos
Hipocampo , Óleo de Semente do Linho , Neuroglia , Condicionamento Físico Animal , Animais , Masculino , Ratos , Astrócitos/metabolismo , Suplementos Nutricionais , Proteína Glial Fibrilar Ácida/metabolismo , Hipocampo/metabolismo , Óleo de Semente do Linho/farmacologia , Neuroglia/metabolismo , Ratos WistarRESUMO
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is associated with impaired cognitive function such as in the case of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. The present study provides a detailed analysis of the cytoarchitectural and myeloarchitectural organization of the EC in the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus. Data were collected using Nissl and fiber stained preparations, supplemented with acetylcholinesterase and parvalbumin immunohistochemistry. The EC layers and subfields in the marmoset seem to be architectonically similar to those that have been proposed in nonhuman primates and humans to date; however, slight differences could be revealed using the present techniques. Throughout its rostrocaudal length, the entorhinal cortex presents a clear six-layered pattern. The entorhinal cortex is divided into six fields, named mainly in accordance to their rostrocaudal and mediolateral positions. At rostral levels, the neurons tend to be organized in patches that are surrounded by large, thick, radially oriented bundles of fibers, and the deep layers are poorly developed. At caudal levels, the divisions are more laminated in appearance. AChE staining at the borders of adjacent fields are consistent with the changes in layering revealed in Nissl-stained sections, of which the lateral regions of the EC display denser AChE staining than that of the medial banks. PV immunoreactivity was found in the labeled somata, dendrites, and axons in all layers and subdivisions. Additionally, we distinguished three subtypes of PV-immunoreactive neurons: multipolar, bipolar and spherical-shaped neurons, based on the shape of the somata and the disposition of the dendrites.
Assuntos
Córtex Entorrinal/química , Córtex Entorrinal/citologia , Neurônios/química , Animais , Callithrix , Córtex Entorrinal/anatomia & histologia , Feminino , Masculino , Coloração e Rotulagem/métodosRESUMO
The amygdaloid complex (AC) is a heterogeneous aggregate of nuclei located in the rostromedial region of the temporal lobe. In addition to being partly connected among themselves, the AC nuclei are strongly interconnected with the cerebral cortex, striatum, basal forebrain, hypothalamus and brainstem. Animal and human functional studies have established that the AC is a central hub of the neuronal networks supporting emotional responsivity, particularly its negative/aversive components. Dysfunction of AC circuits in humans has been implicated in anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The small New-World marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) has recently become a key model for neuroscience research. However, the nuclear and fiber tract organization of marmoset AC has not been examined in detail. Thus, the extent to which it can be compared to the AC of Old-World (human and macaque) primates is yet unclear. Here, using Nissl and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemical stains as a reference, we analyzed the cytoarchitecture and nuclear parcellation of the marmoset AC. In addition, given the increasing relevance of tractographic localization for high-resolution in vivo imaging studies in non-human primates, we also identified the myelin fiber tracts present within and around the AC as revealed by the Gallyas method. The present study provides a detailed atlas of marmoset AC. Moreover, it reveals that, despite phylogenetic distance and brain size differences, every nucleus and myelinated axon bundle described in human and macaque studies can be confidently recognized in marmosets.
RESUMO
Studies from the last two decades have pointed to multiple mechanisms of fear. For responding to predators, there is a group of highly interconnected hypothalamic nuclei formed by the anterior hypothalamic nucleus, the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and the dorsal premammillary nucleusthe predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit. This circuit expresses Fos in response to predator presence or its odor. Lesion of any component of this system blocks or reduces the expression of fear and consequently defensive behavior when faced with a predator or its cue. However, most of the knowledge about that circuit has been obtained using the rat as a model of prey and the cat as a source of predator cues. In the present study, we exposed mice to strong cat or snake odors, two known mice predators, and then we used the rat exposure test (RET) to study their behavior when confronted with the same predator's odor. Our data point to a differential response of mice exposed to these odors. When Swiss mice were exposed to the cat odor, they show defensive behavior and the predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit expressed Fos. The opposite was seen when they faced snake's odor. The acute odor exposure was not sufficient to activate the mouse predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit and the mice acted like they were not in a stressful situation, showing almost no sign of fear or defensive posture. This leads us to the conclusion that not all the predator cues are sufficient to activate the predator-responsive hypothalamic circuit of mice and that their response depends on the danger that these predators represent in the natural history of the prey.
Assuntos
Encéfalo/fisiologia , Odorantes , Percepção Olfatória/fisiologia , Comportamento Predatório , Animais , Boidae , Gatos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Masculino , Camundongos , Atividade Motora/fisiologia , Vias Neurais/fisiologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-fos/metabolismo , Distribuição AleatóriaRESUMO
Traditional retinal projections target three functionally complementary systems in the brain of mammals: the primary visual system, the visuomotor integration systems and the circadian timing system. In recent years, studies in several animals have been conducted to investigate the retinal projections to these three systems, despite some evidence of additional targets. The aim of this study was to disclose a previously unknown connection between the retina and the parabrachial complex of the common marmoset, by means of the intraocular injection of cholera toxin subunit b. A few labeled retinal fibers/terminals that are detected in the medial parabrachial portion of the marmoset brain show clear varicosities, suggesting terminal fields. Although the possible role of these projections remains unknown, they may provide a modulation of the cholinergic parabrachial neurons which project to the thalamic dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus.