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Rotational Behaviour (rotational + behaviour)
Selected AbstractsElectrophysiological and behavioural evidence for an antagonistic modulatory role of adenosine A2A receptors in dopamine D2 receptor regulation in the rat dopamine-denervated striatumEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2000Ingrid Strömberg Abstract It has been shown that striatal adenosine A2A receptors can antagonistically interact with dopamine D2 receptors at the membrane level leading to a decrease in the affinity and efficacy of D2 receptors. Extracellular recordings and rotational behaviour were employed to obtain a correlate to these findings in an animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD). The recordings were performed in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced catecholamine depletion. While recording in the dopamine-depleted striatum, local applications of the dopamine D2 agonist quinpirole reduced neuronal activity. However, when the adenosine A2A antagonist MSX-3 was applied simultaneously with quinpirole, the inhibition of neuronal firing seen after quinpirole alone was significantly potentiated (P < 0.001, n = 11). In contrast, local application of CGS 21680 attenuated the effect of quinpirole. The doses of MSX-3 and CGS 21680 used to achieve the modulation of quinpirole action had no effect per se on striatal neuronal firing. Furthermore, rotational behaviour revealed that MSX-3 dose-dependently increased the number of turns when administrated together with a threshold dose of quinpirole while no enhancement was achieved when MSX-3 was combined with SKF 38393. MSX-3 alone did not induce rotational behaviour. In conclusion, this study shows that low ineffective doses of MSX-3 enhance the effect of quinpirole on striatal firing rate, while the A2A agonist exerts the opposite action. This mechanism gives a therapeutic potential to A2A antagonists in the treatment of PD by enhancing D2 receptor function. [source] Consistent coupling of beam and shell models for thermo-elastic analysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 14 2004K. S. Chavan Abstract In this paper, the finite element formulation of a transition element for consistent coupling between shell and beam finite element models of thin-walled beam-like structures in thermo-elastic problems is presented. Thin-walled beam-like structures modelled only with beam elements cannot be used to study local stress concentrations or to provide local mechanical or thermal boundary conditions. For this purpose, the structure has to be modelled using shell elements. However, computations using shell elements are a lot more expensive as compared to beam elements. The finite element model can be more efficient when the shell elements are used only in regions where the local effects are to be studied or local boundary conditions have to be provided. The remaining part of the structure can be modelled with beam elements. To couple these two models (i.e. shell and beam models) at transitional cross-sections, transition elements are derived here for thermo-elastic problems. The formulation encloses large displacement and rotational behaviour, which is important in case of thin-walled beam-like structures. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ginkgo biloba affords dose-dependent protection against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced parkinsonism in rats: neurobehavioural, neurochemical and immunohistochemical evidencesJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2005Muzamil Ahmad Abstract Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb), a potent antioxidant and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor, was evaluated for its anti-parkinsonian effects in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of the disease. Rats were treated with 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg EGb for 3 weeks. On day 21, 2 µL 6-OHDA (10 µg in 0.1% ascorbic acid saline) was injected into the right striatum, while the sham-operated group received 2 µL of vehicle. Three weeks after 6-OHDA injection, rats were tested for rotational behaviour, locomotor activity, and muscular coordination. After 6 weeks, they were killed to estimate the generation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content, to measure activities of glutathione- S -transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and to quantify catecholamines, dopamine (DA) D2 receptor binding, and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) fibre density. The increase in drug-induced rotations and deficits in locomotor activity and muscular coordination due to 6-OHDA injections were significantly and dose-dependently restored by EGb. The lesion was followed by an increased generation of TBARS and significant depletion of GSH content in substantia nigra, which was gradually restored with EGb treatment. EGb also dose-dependently restored the activities of glutathione-dependent enzymes, catalase, and SOD in striatum, which had reduced significantly by lesioning. A significant decrease in the level of DA and its metabolites and an increase in the number of dopaminergic D2 receptors in striatum were observed after 6-OHDA injection, both of which were significantly recovered following EGb treatment. Finally, all of these results were exhibited by an increase in the density of TH-IR fibers in the ipsilateral substantia nigra of the lesioned group following treatment with EGb; the lesioning had induced almost a complete loss of TH-IR fibers. Considering our behavioural studies, biochemical analysis, and immunohistochemical observation, we conclude that EGb can be used as a therapeutic approach to check the neuronal loss following parkinsonism. [source] Ginsenoside Rg1 protects dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease through the IGF-I receptor signalling pathwayBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Li Xu Background and purpose:, We have shown that ginsenoside Rg1 is a novel class of potent phytoestrogen and activates insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) signalling pathway in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The present study tested the hypothesis that the neuroprotective actions of Rg1 involved activation of the IGF-IR signalling pathway in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Experimental approach:, Ovariectomized rats were infused unilaterally with 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle to lesion the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway and treated with Rg1 (1.5 h after 6-OHDA injections) in the absence or presence of the IGF-IR antagonist JB-1 (1 h before Rg1 injections). The rotational behaviour induced by apomorphine and the dopamine content in the striatum were studied. Protein and gene expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter and Bcl-2 in the substantia nigra were also determined. Key results:, Rg1 treatment ameliorated the rotational behaviour induced by apomorphine in our model of nigrostriatal injury. This effect was partly blocked by JB-1. 6-OHDA significantly decreased the dopamine content of the striatum and treatment with Rg1 reversed this decrease. Treatment with Rg1 of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats reduced neurotoxicity, as measured by tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter and Bcl-2 protein and gene level in the substantia nigra. These effects were abolished by JB-1. Conclusions and implications:, These data provide the first evidence that Rg1 has neuroprotective effects on dopaminergic neurons in the 6-OHDA model of nigrostriatal injury and its actions might involve activation of the IGF-IR signalling pathway. [source] |