Flavonoids are a group of low molecular weight polyphenolic compounds derived from plants. 5,7-dihydroxy-8methoxy ̄avone (Wogonin), a ̄avonoid originated from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been shown to exert various anti-in ̄ammatory effects such as inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 production in macrophages. Because glial cells have been previously shown to ...

Hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurons express nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in an activity-dependent manner. In the present study, the effect of aging on the NOS expression of the SON neurons, as detected by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase activity, was studied under normal conditions and under dehydration stress induced by salt loading. In the control rats, the num...

The purpose of the present experiments was to investigate the effects of a reaction time (RT) task on postural control, during and following the execution. Three different RT tasks consisting in verbal responses to visual and auditory stimuli were supposed to require different demands on cognitive resources. There was also a control condition in which no concurrent task was required. Postural c...

The input-output relation of a single neuron stands at the basis of every biologically oriented description of the brain. This report shows that the input-output relation of cultured cortical neurons is non-linearly tuned by the input frequency. Increasing the rate of stimulation results in the appearance of ordered temporal ®ring patterns, which are qualitatively different for different input ...

To investigate the involvement of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in the control of non-shivering thermogenesis, we tested the effects of electrical or chemical stimulation of the PAG on thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in urethane anesthetized rats. Electrical stimulation (0.1 mA, 33 Hz, 0.5 ms) or application of d,l-homocysteic acid (0.5 mM, 0.3 ml) into the lateral region of the cau...

Recognizing odors is an important biological function, both in the animal kingdom as well as for humans. It has been debated whether there exist different forms of human odor memory. For verbal memory, the concept of recollection and familiarity for conscious and unconscious recognition is widely accepted. Here we introduce a similar model for human odor memory. We use a combination of an odor ...

It has been reported that more than 50% of lupus patients show various forms of neurological de®cits including impaired cognitive functions and psychiatric disorders. Using an animal model of lupus we investigated the production of neuropeptides in the brain of NZB/W F1 female hybrid mice and its parental strain NZB and NZW. Our results indicate that the alteration in learning and memory descri...

The mollusc, Lymnaea stagnalis, has been used as a model to study the mechanisms of temperature-dependent processes in the central nervous system. Effects of temperature changes on transmission in monosynaptic connections, made by the FMRFamide-containing neurone VD4 and the giant dopaminergic neurone RPeD1 with follower neurones, were recorded with intracellular microelectrodes. In the tempera...

We investigated the degree to which differences in the pattern of blood oxygen level dependent activity (BOLD) between syncopated and synchronized coordination patterns are altered by practice. Baseline levels of BOLD activity were obtained from eight subjects while they syncopated or synchronized with an auditory metronome at 1.25 Hz. Subjects then practiced syncopation at the same rate for fo...

The effect of a subchronic (4-week) exposure to low concentrations of toluene (40 or 80 parts per million, ppm) on the brain dopaminergic system has been examined in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. A unilateral lesion of the substantia nigra (SN) dopamine (DA) nerve cells was performed by injection of a low dose of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OH DA). The peak activity of contralateral rotational b...