We conclude that the constitutive selleck products presence of p-p38(MAPK)-IR microglia in aging mouse brain is indicative of a longitudinal

role for this kinase in normal brain physiology. We suggest that this fact, as well as the fact that a pool of p-p38(MAPK)-IR microglia appears to restrict β-amyloid plaque core development, needs to be duly considered when ascribing functions for p38(MAPK) signalling in the AD brain. “
“Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in a myriad of health problems in the affected offspring ranging from growth deficiencies to central nervous system impairments that result in cognitive deficits. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is thought to play a role in cognition (i.e. learning and memory) and can be modulated by extrinsic factors such as alcohol consumption and physical exercise. We examined the impact of voluntary physical exercise on adult hippocampal neurogenesis in a rat model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Intragastric intubation was used to deliver ethanol to rats in a highly controlled fashion through all three trimester equivalents (i.e. throughout gestation and during the first 10 days of postnatal life). Ethanol-exposed animals and their pair-fed and ad libitum controls were left undisturbed

until they reached a young adult stage at which point they had free access to a running wheel for 12 days. Prenatal and early postnatal PD0332991 concentration ethanol exposure altered cell proliferation in young adult female rats and increased early neuronal maturation without affecting cell survival in the dentate

gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. Voluntary wheel running increased cell proliferation, neuronal maturation Edoxaban and cell survival as well as levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the DG of both ethanol-exposed female rats and their pair-fed and ad libitum controls. These results indicate that the capacity of the brain to respond to exercise is not impaired in this model of FASD, highlighting the potential therapeutic value of physical exercise for this developmental disorder. “
“Although much is known about the regulation of the circadian rest–activity cycle by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus in nocturnal rodents, little is known about the neural substrates that regulate the temporal organization of nocturnal activity within the active phase. In this report, data are presented in Syrian hamsters to implicate the habenula – believed to be involved in motivation, reward and motor control – as a candidate site for such a role. First, by examining hamsters during the day and night and by introducing a ‘novel’ running wheel in order to induce daytime motor activity, we showed that immunoreactive c-Fos expression in the lateral and medial habenula is related to motor activity/arousal.