dendritic spines – mycolab.ai

Changes in synaptic markers after administration of ketamine or psychedelics: a systematic scoping review

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This review examines how ketamine and psychedelics affect connections between brain cells. Under stressful conditions, ketamine and psychedelics appear to strengthen these connections in brain areas important for mood and learning. However, the effects are mixed under normal conditions and vary based on dose, sex, and which specific markers are measured. The findings suggest these substances may help restore brain function damaged by stress or substance use.

Microglia and astrocytes mediate synapse engulfment in a MER tyrosine kinase-dependent manner after traumatic brain injury

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After a traumatic brain injury, brain cells called microglia and astrocytes overzealously consume synapses (connections between neurons), which prevents the brain from healing properly. This study shows that these brain cells use a specific protein called MERTK to do this unwanted cleanup. When researchers blocked MERTK in these cells, the mice recovered better motor and cognitive function, had smaller brain injuries, and maintained more healthy synapses.

Assessment of Lab4P Probiotic Effects on Cognition in 3xTg-AD Alzheimer’s Disease Model Mice and the SH-SY5Y Neuronal Cell Line

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Researchers tested a probiotic supplement called Lab4P on mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and on human brain cells exposed to damaging proteins. The supplement successfully improved memory and cognitive function in the mice while protecting brain cells from damage, with stronger benefits when the mice were also on a high-fat diet. These findings suggest that probiotics might help prevent or slow cognitive decline related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Impaired spatial memory in adult vitamin D deficient BALB/c mice is associated with reductions in spine density, nitric oxide, and neural nitric oxide synthase in the hippocampus

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This study found that adults with vitamin D deficiency have impaired spatial memory and reduced brain structures called dendritic spines in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for learning and memory. The researchers identified that low vitamin D decreases nitric oxide production in the brain, which is important for forming and maintaining the synaptic connections needed for memory formation. Importantly, when vitamin D was supplemented back to deficient mice, the brain’s ability to produce nitric oxide was restored, suggesting vitamin D supplementation could potentially improve cognitive function in vitamin D-deficient individuals.

Glutamate-specific gene linked to human brain evolution enhances synaptic plasticity and cognitive processes

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Scientists discovered that a human gene called GLUD2, which evolved as our brains expanded, makes synapses stronger and more plastic through a lactate-dependent process. When they added this gene to mice, the animals showed improved memory, better learning ability, and stronger brain connections. This research suggests that GLUD2 played a key role in the evolution of human intelligence by enhancing the brain’s ability to form new neural connections and adapt to new information.

Neonatal Tactile Stimulation Downregulates Dendritic Spines in Layer V Pyramidal Neurons of the WAG/Rij Rat Somatosensory Cortex

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Researchers found that gently brushing young rats with epilepsy-prone genetics helps prevent abnormal brain development. Specifically, this tactile stimulation reduces the excessive spiny connections on brain cells in the sensory cortex that are associated with seizures. The study shows that simple, early physical stimulation can have lasting protective effects on brain structure in epilepsy-prone individuals.

Neuronal TIMP2 regulates hippocampus-dependent plasticity and extracellular matrix complexity

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Scientists discovered that a protein called TIMP2, which is naturally higher in young blood, plays a crucial role in maintaining brain memory and learning ability. Using laboratory mice, they found that TIMP2 helps keep the brain’s cellular environment flexible by controlling the buildup of structural proteins around nerve connections. Without adequate TIMP2, the brain develops more rigid connections that interfere with forming new memories and creating new brain cells, mimicking changes seen in aging and cognitive decline.

Assessing protein distribution and dendritic spine morphology relationships using structured illumination microscopy in cultured neurons

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This research provides a detailed step-by-step guide for scientists to visualize and measure how proteins are organized inside tiny structures called dendritic spines, which are the connection points between nerve cells in the brain. Using advanced microscopy techniques, researchers can see how different proteins cluster together and how this organization relates to the shape and size of these synaptic connections. Understanding protein arrangement in dendritic spines is important because it helps explain how brain cells communicate and adapt, which has implications for learning, memory, and neurological disorders.

Synaptic degeneration in the prefrontal cortex of a rat AD model revealed by volume electron microscopy

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Researchers used advanced microscopy techniques to examine brain tissue from rats with Alzheimer’s disease and compared it to healthy rats. They found that Alzheimer’s disease causes damage to connections between brain cells (synapses) in a brain region important for thinking and memory. Specifically, the connections were weaker and smaller, and many new spine-like structures formed but didn’t properly connect to other cells, suggesting the brain may be trying unsuccessfully to compensate for the disease.

The Role of Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1A (ASIC1A) in the Behavioral and Synaptic Effects of Oxycodone and Other Opioids

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This study examines how a specific type of brain channel called ASIC1A affects how the brain responds to opioid drugs like oxycodone and morphine. Researchers found that mice without this channel showed stronger attraction to opioid-paired locations and had unusual changes in brain connections related to opioid use. The findings suggest that targeting ASIC1A could potentially be a new way to treat opioid addiction by reducing the brain’s sensitivity to these drugs.

Research Keyword: dendritic spines