Taken together, these results suggest group III mGluRs can negatively modulate TRPV1 through inhibition of adenyl cyclase and downstream intracellular activity, blocking TRPV1-induced activation of nociceptors. (C) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Studies suggest that smaller hippocampal volume predicts Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, few, studies have demonstrated decline rates in cognition and hippocampal volume in MCI subjects with stable clinical presentation. Furthermore, the effects of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) on the change rates of medial

temporal structures and cognition in MCI are rarely investigated. Fifty-eight subjects with amnestic MCI and 20 normal aging elderly controls received annual neuropsychological and magnetic resonance KU-60019 selleck compound imaging (MRI) assessments. Annual decline rates in neuropsychological test scores, hippocampal and amygdalar volumes were calculated. ApoE genotypes were examined. Nineteen (32.7%) MCI subjects converted to AD during an average 22.5-month follow-up period. The annual hippocampal atrophy

rate was correlated with a decline in memory test scores. The presence of the ApoE epsilon A allele did not affect the change rates in neuropsychological test scores and medial temporal structures volume. Compared to subjects with stable MCI (MCI-S) and normal aging, progressive MCI (MCI-P) had the highest annual decline rates in cognition and hippocampal volume. Logistic regression analysis showed that higher annual decline rates in hippocampal

volume and global cognitive test scores were associated with conversion to AD. Furthermore, although MCI-S subjects had little cognitive decline, their hippocampal atrophy rates were higher than those of normal aging controls. Therefore, accelerated hippocampal atrophy rates may be an early and important presentation in MCI subjects. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Tanycytes, glial-like cells that line the third ventricle, are emerging as components of the hypothalamic networks Atorvastatin that control body weight and energy balance. They contact the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and send processes that come into close contact with neurons in the arcuate and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei. Tanycytes are glucosensitive and are able to respond to transmitters associated with arousal and the drive to feed. At least some tanycytes are stem cells and, in the median eminence, may be stimulated by diet to generate new neurons. The quest is on to understand how tanycytes detect and respond to changes in energy balance and how they communicate with the rest of the nervous system to effect their functions.”
“The goal of this study was to compare the extent to which young and older adults exhibit flexibility in adjusting decision criteria in response to changes in recognition task difficulty.