White Matter Lesions Are Not Related to ß-Amyloid Deposition in an Autopsy-Based Study.

Population-based studies have investigated the relation between ß-amyloid levels in cerebrospinal fluid or plasma and white matter lesions (WMLs). However, these circulating levels of ß-amyloid in cerebrospinal fluid or plasma may not reliably reflect the actual degree of amyloid present in the brain. Therefore, we investigated the relation between WMLs and ß-amyloid plaques and amyloid angiopathy in brain tissue. WML on MRI or CT were rated in 28 nondemented patients whose neuroimaging was available prior to death. ß-amyloid in plaques and arterioles were immunohistochemically stained and quantified in postmortem brain necropsies. WMLs were present in 43% of the total population. Both cortex and periventricular region showed no differences for ß-amyloid deposition in either plaques or blood vessel walls in patients with WMLs compared to those without WMLs. Thus, our results indicate that there is no relation between the degree of WMLs and ß-amyloid deposition in the brain.

Citalopram combined with WAY 100635 inhibits ejaculation and ejaculation-related Fos immunoreactivity.

The role of 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT)(1A) receptor activation in the sexual side-effects, in particular delayed ejaculation, of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was studied. Male Wistar rats were treated for 15 days with vehicle, the SSRI citalopram (10 mg/kg/day p.o.), the 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl] ethyl]-N-(2-pyridinyl) cyclohexane carboxamide 3HCL (WAY 100635, 0.1 mg/kg/ day s.c.), or both drugs combined. Sexual behavior was assessed weekly. One h after the last sexual behavior test, rat brains were processed for Fos-immunohistochemistry. Acute and chronic citalopram mildly inhibited ejaculation, which was strongly augmented by co-administration of WAY 100635. WAY 100635 alone did not alter sexual behavior. Brain sites associated with ejaculation showed reduced Fos-immunoreactivity in rats treated with both citalopram and WAY 100635. Citalopram reduced Fos-immunoreactivity in the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus, an area that might link serotonergic neurotransmission to ejaculation.

Stress-induced hyperthermia in the mouse: c-fos expression, corticosterone and temperature changes.

In mammals, stress exposure is frequently associated with an elevated body temperature ['emotional fever', stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH)]. Rectal measurement of body core temperature of the mouse induces a rise of 1-1.5 degrees C over a 10- to 15-min time interval. This phenomenon has been exploited to design a specific test for measuring stress-induced hyperthermia: the singly-housed SIH paradigm in mice. In the present experiments, changes in body temperature and corticosterone levels were studied 10, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after the first insertion of the rectal probe. In addition, changes in patterns of neural activation, as observed after immunostaining for Fos-immunoreactivity (Fos-IR), were studied in the brains of animals perfused at times 0, 60 or 120 min. Our results show that SIH and corticosterone levels have their peak values between 10 and 30 min and are no longer different from control values after 60 min. Patterns of Fos-IR have been studied in 11 brain areas, of which 2 brain areas (anterodorsal preoptic and periolivary nuclei) showed a continuing rise in Fos-IR after 60 and 120 min, while six nuclei, mostly hypothalamic and septal, showed a peak induction of Fos-IR after 60 min. In three brain areas, no consistent changes in Fos-IR could be observed. The authors conclude that the changes observed in the patterns of Fos-IR, after application of the singly-housed SIH-test in mice, reflect the effects of both the stressor application and the ensuing thermoregulatory responses. The role of each activated brain area in either one of these effects is discussed in view of data available from the literature.