Leptin, a 167 amino acid peptide, is synthesized predominantly in the adipose tissues and plays a key role in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Recent studies indicate that leptin receptor is expressed with high levels in many brain regions that may regulate synaptic plasticity. Here we show that deprivation of rapid eye movement (REMD) sleep resulted in impairment of both cue and ...

During long-term potentiation (LTP) at mossy fibre-granule cell synapses in rat cerebellum synaptic transmission and granule cell intrinsic excitability are enhanced. Although it is clear that changes in granule cell excitability are mediated postsynaptically, there is as yet no direct evidence for the site and mechanism of changes in transmission. To approach this problem, evoked postsynaptic ...

OBJECTIVE Anti-AMPAR encephalitis is a recently discovered disorder characterized by the presence of antibodies in serum or cerebrospinal fluid against the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor. Here, we examine the antigenic specificity of anti-AMPAR antibodies, screen for new patients, and evaluate functional effects of antibody treatment of neurons. METHODS W...

We recorded spontaneous and evoked synaptic currents in pyramidal neurons of layer V in chronically injured, epileptogenic neocortex to assess changes in the efficacy of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission that might promote cortical hyperexcitability. Partial sensory-motor neocortical isolations with intact blood supply ("undercuts") were made in 20 rats on postnatal day 21-25 and exam...

Developmental hearing impairments compromise sound discrimination, speech acquisition, and cognitive function; however, the adjustments of functional properties in the primary auditory cortex (A1) remain unknown. We induced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in developing gerbils and then reared the animals for several days. The intrinsic membrane and synaptic properties of layer 2/3 pyramidal n...

Glucocorticoids rapidly regulate synaptic input to neuroendocrine cells in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) by inducing the retrograde release of endogenous messengers. Here we investigated the rapid effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on excitatory synaptic input to feeding-related, preautonomic PVN neurons using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. In ∼50% of identified gastric-related...

Orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH)/perifornical area (PFA) are known to promote food intake as well as provide excitatory influence on the dopaminergic reward pathway. Dopamine (DA), in turn, inhibits the reward pathway and food intake through its action in the LH/PFA. However, the cellular mechanism by which DA modulates orexin neurons remains largely unknown. Therefore, we examin...

BACKGROUND β1-adrenaline receptor antagonists are often used to avoid circulatory complications during anesthesia in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Of these drugs, esmolol, a short-acting β antagonist, is also reported to exert antinociceptive and anesthetic sparing effects. This study was designed to identify the central mechanism underlying the antinociceptive effect of esmolol. MET...

The effects of methionine-enkephalin (ME) on visualized bulbospinal neurons of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVL) were characterized in thin slices at 32 degrees C using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Thirty-five percent of the recorded neurons were found to be tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (C1 neurons). In voltage-clamp recordings, ME (3 microM) induced an outward current in ...

The effect of blockade of either 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)/serotonin transporter (SERT) with citalopram or the organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3)/plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT) with decynium-22 (D-22) on spontaneous and evoked release of 5-HT in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) was investigated in rat brainstem slices treated with gabazine. 5-HT release was measured indirect...