BACKGROUND Application of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) between 0.1 and 640 Hz of the primary motor cortex (M1) for 10 min induces a persistent excitability increase lasting for at least 60 min. However, the mechanism of tRNS-induced cortical excitability alterations is not yet fully understood. OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study was to get first efficacy data with regard to ...

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is characterized by focal seizures, associated with hippocampal sclerosis, and often resistance to antiepileptic drugs. The parafascicular nucleus (PF) of the thalamus is involved in the generation of physiological oscillatory rhythms. It receives excitatory inputs from the cortex and inhibitory inputs from the basal ganglia, a system implicated in the contr...

NMDA receptors are of particular importance in the control of synaptic strength and integration of synaptic activity. Dopamine receptor modulation of NMDA receptors in neonatal striatum may influence the efficacy of synaptic transmission in the cortico-striatal pathway and if so, this modulation will affect the behaviour of the basal ganglia network. Here, we show that in acute brain slices of ...

The amino acid sequence of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B from the brown ghost knife fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus has been determined and compared with the sequence of the murine NR2B. This comparison revealed high levels of sequence conservation throughout the ligand binding and membrane spanning segments. The functional properties of the NR1 and NR2B receptor complex ...

Chronic exposure to lead (Pb) affects neural functions in central nervous system (CNS) particularly the learning and memory. On the other hand, alteration of calcium level in the CNS results in activation of NOS. It has been shown that lead enters the neurons through calcium channels and displaces Ca2+ from calcium binding proteins such as calmodulin and troponin C thereby affecting calcium-med...

Neuronal migration in the cortex is controlled by the paracrine action of the classical neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. Glutamate controls radial migration of pyramidal neurons by acting primarily on NMDA receptors and regulates tangential migration of inhibitory interneurons by activating non-NMDA and NMDA receptors. GABA, acting on ionotropic GABAA-rho and GABAA receptors, has a dichoto...

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) is a tetrameric protein composed of homologous NR1 and NR2 subunits, which require the binding of glycine and glutamate, respectively, for efficient channel gating. The extracellular N-terminal domains (NTDs) of iGluR subunits show sequence homology to the bacterial periplasmic leucine/isoleucine/valine binding p...

Amphetamine (AMPH) induces behavioral sensitization and neurotoxicity primarily by enhancing the dopamine-mediated neurotransmission. However, the involvement of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in AMPH-induced neuropathology is also known. Recent investigation has found that high concentration of dopamine could inhibit NMDA receptor-mediated responses by blocking the NMDA receptor chan...