UVB irradiation induces contralateral changes in galanin, substance P and c-fos immunoreactivity in rat dorsal root ganglia, dorsal horn and lateral spinal nucleus.

The selection of control group is crucial, as the use of an inadequate group may strongly affect the results. In this study we examine the effect on contralateral tissue protein levels, in a model of unilateral UVB irradiation, as the contralateral side is commonly used as a control. Previous studies have shown that UVB irradiation increases immunoreactivity for inflammatory regulated neuropeptides. Unilateral UVB irradiation of rat hind paw was performed and corresponding contralateral spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were collected 2-96 h after and investigated for changes in galanin, substance P and c-fos immunoreactivity. Control tissue was collected from naïve rats. Measurement of skin blood flow from contralateral heel hind paws (Doppler), revealed no change compared to naïve rats. However, UVB irradiation caused a significant reduction in the contralateral proportion of galanin immunopositive DRG neurons, at all-time points, as well as an increase in the contralateral spinal cord dorsal horn, around the central canal and in the lateral spinal nucleus (2-48 h). The contralateral proportion of SP positive DRG neurons and dorsal horn immunoreactivity was unchanged, whereas the lateral spinal nucleus area showed increased immunoreactivity (48 h). UVB irradiation also induced a slight contralateral upregulation of c-fos in the dorsal horn/central canal area (24 and 48 h). In summary, unilateral UVB irradiation induced contralateral changes in inflammatory/nociceptive neuropeptides in spinal cord and afferent pathways involved in pain signaling already within 24 h, a time point when also ipsilateral neurochemical/physiological changes have been reported for rats and humans.

Time and dose-dependent impairment of neonatal respiratory motor activity after systemic inflammation.

Neonatal respiratory impairment during infection is common, yet its effects on respiratory neural circuitry are not fully understood. We hypothesized that the timing and severity of systemic inflammation is positively correlated with impairment in neonatal respiratory activity. To test this, we evaluated time- and dose-dependent impairment of in vitro fictive respiratory activity. Systemic inflammation (induced by lipopolysaccharide, LPS, 5 mg/kg, i.p.) impaired burst amplitude during the early (1 h) inflammatory response. The greatest impairment in respiratory activity (decreased amplitude, frequency, and increased rhythm disturbances) occurred during the peak (3 h) inflammatory response in brainstem-spinal cord preparations. Surprisingly, isolated medullary respiratory circuitry within rhythmic slices showed decreased baseline frequency and delayed onset of rhythm only after higher systemic inflammation (LPS 10 mg/kg) early in the inflammatory response (1 h), with no impairments at the peak inflammatory response (3 h). Thus, different components of neonatal respiratory circuitry have differential temporal and dose sensitivities to systemic inflammation, creating multiple windows of vulnerability for neonates after systemic inflammation.

Chronic infusion of lisinopril into hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus modulates cytokines and attenuates oxidative stress in rostral ventrolateral medulla in hypertension.

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) play a critical role in the generation and maintenance of sympathetic nerve activity. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the brain is involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. This study was designed to determine whether inhibition of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the PVN modulates cytokines and attenuates oxidative stress (ROS) in the RVLM, and decreases the blood pressure and sympathetic activity in renovascular hypertensive rats. Renovascular hypertension was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by the two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) method. Renovascular hypertensive rats received bilateral PVN infusion with ACE inhibitor lisinopril (LSP, 10µg/h) or vehicle via osmotic minipump for 4weeks. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), and plasma proinflammatory cytokines (PICs) were significantly increased in renovascular hypertensive rats. The renovascular hypertensive rats also had higher levels of ACE in the PVN, and lower level of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the RVLM. In addition, the levels of PICs, the chemokine MCP-1, the subunit of NAD(P)H oxidase (gp91(phox)) and ROS in the RVLM were increased in hypertensive rats. PVN treatment with LSP attenuated those changes occurring in renovascular hypertensive rats. Our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of ACE inhibition in the PVN in renovascular hypertension are partly due to modulation cytokines and attenuation oxidative stress in the RVLM.

The novel endocannabinoid receptor GPR18 is expressed in the rostral ventrolateral medulla and exerts tonic restraining influence on blood pressure.

Systemic administration of the G-protein-coupled receptor 18 (GPR18) agonist abnormal cannabidiol (Abn CBD) lowers blood pressure (BP). Whether GPR18 is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and plays a role in BP control is not known despite the abundance of the GPR18 ligand N-arachidonoyl glycine (NAGly) in the CNS. Therefore, we first determined whether GPR18 is expressed in the presympathetic tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive (ir) neurons of the brainstem cardiovascular regulatory nuclei. Second, we investigated the impact of GPR18 activation and blockade on BP and heart rate (HR) and neurochemical modulators of sympathetic activity and BP. Immunofluorescence findings revealed GPR18 expression in TH-ir neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). Intra-RVLM GPR18 activation (Abn CBD) and blockade (O-1918, 1,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-2-[(1R,6R)-3-methyl-6-(1-methylethenyl)-2-,cyclohexen-1-yl]benzene) elicited dose-dependent reductions and elevations in BP, respectively, along with respective increases and decreases in HR in conscious male Sprague-Dawley rats. RVLM GPR18 activation increased neuronal adiponectin (ADN) and NO and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and GPR18 blockade reduced neuronal ADN and increased oxidative stress (i.e., ROS) in the RVLM. Finally, we hypothesized that the negligible hypotensive effect caused by the endogenous GPR18 ligand NAGly could be due to concurrent activation of CB(1)R in the RVLM. Our findings support this hypothesis because NAGly-evoked hypotension was doubled after RVLM CB(1)R blockade (SR141716, rimonabant). These findings are the first to demonstrate GPR18 expression in the RVLM and to suggest a sympathoinhibitory role for this receptor. The findings yield new insight into the role of a novel cannabinoid receptor (GPR18) in central BP control.

Aquaporin-4 autoantibody: a neurogenic cause of anorexia and weight loss.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a severe inflammatory demyelinating disease often associated with a highly specific autoantibody, aquaporin-4 antibody. Although the classic syndrome involves the optic nerves and spinal cord, aquaporin-4 antibody has been important in defining the true spectrum of NMO, which now includes brain lesions in areas of high aquaporin-4 expression. Brainstem involvement, specifically area postrema involvement in the medulla, has been associated with intractable vomiting in some patients with NMO. We describe a 14-year-old female with positive aquaporin-4 antibody whose clinical course was dominated by severe anorexia with associated weight loss (from 68-41kg; body mass index 25.2-15.6). Magnetic resonance imaging showed lesions in the medulla, pons, and thalami. Although she had asymptomatic radiological longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, she never had symptoms or signs referable to the spinal cord or the optic nerves. We propose that anorexia and weight loss should be considered part of the NMO spectrum, probably related to area postrema involvement.

Ascending caudal medullary catecholamine pathways drive sickness-induced deficits in exploratory behavior: brain substrates for fatigue?

Immune challenges can lead to marked behavioral changes, including fatigue, reduced social interest, anorexia, and somnolence, but the precise neuronal mechanisms that underlie sickness behavior remain elusive. Part of the neurocircuitry influencing behavior associated with illness likely includes viscerosensory nuclei located in the caudal brainstem, based on findings that inactivation of the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) can prevent social withdrawal. These brainstem nuclei contribute multiple neuronal projections that target different components of autonomic and stress-related neurocircuitry. In particular, catecholaminergic neurons in the ventrolateral medulla (VLM) and DVC target the hypothalamus and drive neuroendocrine responses to immune challenge, but their particular role in sickness behavior is not known. To test whether this catecholamine pathway also mediates sickness behavior, we compared effects of DVC inactivation with targeted lesion of the catecholamine pathway on exploratory behavior, which provides an index of motivation and fatigue, and associated patterns of brain activation assessed by immunohistochemical detection of c-Fos protein. LPS treatment dramatically reduced exploratory behavior, and produced a pattern of increased c-Fos expression in brain regions associated with stress and autonomic adjustments paraventricular hypothalamus (PVN), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), central amygdala (CEA), whereas activation was reduced in regions involved in exploratory behavior (hippocampus, dorsal striatum, ventral tuberomammillary nucleus, and ventral tegmental area). Both DVC inactivation and catecholamine lesion prevented reductions in exploratory behavior and completely blocked the inhibitory LPS effects on c-Fos expression in the behavior-associated regions. In contrast, LPS-induced activation in the CEA and BST was inhibited by DVC inactivation but not by catecholamine lesion. The findings support the idea that parallel pathways from immune-sensory caudal brainstem sources target distinct populations of forebrain neurons that likely mediate different aspects of sickness. The caudal medullary catecholaminergic projections to the hypothalamus may significantly contribute to brain mechanisms that induce behavioral "fatigue" in the context of physiological stressors.

Immune challenge and satiety-related activation of both distinct and overlapping neuronal populations in the brainstem indicate parallel pathways for viscerosensory signaling.

Caudal brainstem viscerosensory nuclei convey information about the body's internal state to forebrain regions implicated in feeding behavior and responses to immune challenge, and may modulate ingestive behavior following immune activation. Illness-induced appetite loss might be attributed to accentuated "satiety" pathways, activation of a distinct "danger channel" separate from satiety pathways, or both. To evaluate neural substrates that could mediate the effects of illness on ingestive behavior, we analyzed the pattern and phenotypes of medullary neurons responsive to consumption of a preferred food, sweetened milk, and to intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide challenge that reduced sweetened milk intake. Brainstem sections were stained for c-Fos, dopamine beta-hydroxylase, phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) immunoreactivity. Sweetened milk intake activated many neurons throughout the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), including A2 noradrenergic neurons in the caudal half of the NTS. LPS challenge activated a similar population of neurons in the NTS, in addition to rostral C2 adrenergic and mid-level A2 noradrenergic neurons in the NTS, many C1 and A1 neurons in the ventrolateral medulla, and in GLP-1 neurons in the dorsal medullary reticular nucleus. Increased numbers of activated GLP-1 neurons in the NTS were only associated with sweetened milk ingestion. Evidence for parallel processing was reflected in the parabrachial nucleus, where sweetened milk intake resulted in activation of the inner external lateral, ventrolateral and central medial portions, whereas LPS challenge induced c-Fos expression in the outer external lateral portions. Thus, signals generated in response to potentially dangerous physiological conditions seem to be propagated via specific populations of catecholaminergic neurons in the NTS and VLM, and likely include a pathway through the external lateral PBN. The data indicate that immune challenge engages multiple ascending neural pathways including both a distinct catecholaminergic "danger" pathway, and a possibly multimodal pathway derived from the NTS.

Gene expression profiling reveals upregulation of Tlr4 receptors in Cckb receptor deficient mice.

The cholecystokinin B (2) receptor knockout (Cckbr KO) protects against allodynia induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI). The mechanism of this phenomenon is unknown, but must involve persistent changes in pain modulation and/or inflammatory pathways. We performed a gene expression study in two brain areas (midbrain and medulla) after surgical induction of CCI in Cckbr KO and wild-type (wt) control mice. The patterns of gene expression differences suggest that the immune system is activated in higher brain structures following CCI in the wt mice. The strongest differences include genes related to the MAPK pathway activation and cytokine production. In Cckbr KO mice this expressional pattern was absent. In addition, we found significant elevation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4) in the supraspinal structures of the mice with deleted Cckbr compared to wt control mice. This up-regulation is most likely induced by the deletion of Cckbr. We suggest that there is a functional deficiency in the Tlr4 pathway which disables the development of neuropathic pain in Cckbr KO mice. Indeed, real time PCR analysis detected a CCI-induced upregulation of Tlr4 and Il1b expression in the lumbar region of wt but not Cckbr KO mice. Gene expression profiling indicates that elements of the immune response are not activated in Cckbr KO mice following CCI. Our findings suggest that there may be a role for CCK in the regulation of innate immunity.

Inflammation-induced changes in rostral ventromedial medulla mu and kappa opioid receptor mediated antinociception.

Acute microinjection of mu-, delta-, or kappa-opioid receptor (MOPr, DOPr, KOPr) agonists into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) produces antinociception. Thermal antinociception produced by MOPr and DOPr agonists is potentiated during inflammation [Hurley RW, Hammond DL. The analgesic effects of supraspinal mu and delta opioid receptor agonists are potentiated during persistent inflammation. J Neurosci 2000;20:1249-59]. Whether this potentiation extends to other stimulus modalities or to KOPr agonists is unknown. To examine these issues, rats received a unilateral intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Antinociception produced by RVM infusion of the KOPr agonist, U69593, and the MOPr agonist, DAMGO, was tested 4h-2 weeks thereafter. Thermal paw withdrawal latencies (PWLs) were assessed using the Hargreaves method. Mechanical thresholds were determined with the Von Frey and Randall-Selitto method. PWLs of the inflamed paw were reduced 4h-2 weeks after CFA injection. Infusion of either U69593 or DAMGO increased PWLs in CFA treated rats. A bilateral enhancement of the response to both agonists was observed 2 weeks relative to 4h post-CFA injection. Mechanical thresholds of the inflamed paw were decreased for >2 weeks post-CFA injection. Infusion of either agonist elevated thresholds of the inflamed and non-inflamed paws of CFA-treated rats. The magnitude of these effects was greater 2 weeks post-CFA injection for DAMGO and increased progressively for U69593. These data demonstrate that RVM infusion of MOPr or KOPr agonists attenuates CFA-evoked thermal and tactile allodynia and that these effects increase during prolonged inflammation. The augmented response of the non-inflamed paw to agonists suggests that inflammation induces centrally-mediated neuroplastic changes which enhance MOPr- and KOPr-mediated antinociception.

Fatal neurological disease in scrapie-infected mice induced for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

During the years or decades of prion disease incubation, at-risk individuals are certain to encounter diverse pathological insults, such as viral and bacterial infections, autoimmune diseases, or inflammatory processes. Whether prion disease incubation time and clinical signs or otherwise the pathology of intercurrent diseases can be affected by the coinfection process is unknown. To investigate this possibility, mice infected with the scrapie agent at both high and low titers were subsequently induced for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an immune system-mediated model of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. We show here that co-induced mice died from a progressive neurological disease long before control mice succumbed to classical scrapie. To investigate the mechanism of the co-induced syndrome, we evaluated biochemical and pathological markers of both diseases. Brain and spleen PrP(Sc) levels in the dying co-induced mice were comparable to those observed in asymptomatic scrapie-infected animals, suggesting that co-induced disease is not an accelerated form of scrapie. In contrast, inflammatory markers, such as demyelination, immune cell infiltrates, and gliosis, were markedly increased in co-induced mouse spinal cords. Activated astrocytes were especially elevated in the medulla oblongata. Furthermore, PrP(sc) depositions were found in demyelinated white matter areas in co-induced mouse spinal cords, suggesting the presence of activated infected immune cells that infiltrate into the CNS to facilitate the process of prion neuroinvasion. We hypothesize that inflammatory processes affecting the CNS may have severe clinical implications in subjects incubating prion diseases.

Organization of immune-responsive medullary projections to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, central amygdala, and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus: evidence for parallel viscerosensory pathways in the rat brain.

Immune-responsive neurons in the brainstem, primarily in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and ventrolateral medulla (VLM), contribute to a significant drive on forebrain nuclei responsible for brain-mediated host defense responses. The current study investigated the relative contribution of brainstem-derived ascending pathways to forebrain immune-responsive nuclei in the rat by means of retrograde tract tracing and c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Fluorogold was iontophoresed into the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BST), central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), and the pontine lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBL; an important component of ascending viscerosensensory pathways) followed 2 weeks later by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.1 mg/kg) or saline. The NTS and VLM provide immune-responsive input to all four regions, via direct, predominantly catecholaminergic, projections to the PVN, the lateral BST, and the CEA, and mostly non-catecholaminergic projections to the PBL. The PBL provides a major LPS-activated input to the BST and CEA. The pattern of LPS-activated catecholaminergic projections from the VLM and NTS to the forebrain is characterized by a strong predominance of VLM input to the PVN, whereas the NTS provides a greater contribution to the BST. These findings indicate that direct and indirect pathways originate in the caudal brainstem that propagate immune-related information from the periphery with multiple levels of processing en route to the forebrain nuclei, which may allow for integration of brain responses to infection.

Orcokinin immunoreactivity in the accessory medulla of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae.

The accessory medulla is the master circadian clock in the brain of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae and controls circadian locomotor activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that a variety of neuropeptides are prominent neuromediators in this brain area. Recently, members of the orcokinin family of crustacean neuropeptides have been identified in several insect species and shown to be widely distributed in the brain, including the accessory medulla. To investigate the possible involvement of orcokinins in circadian clock function, we have analyzed the distribution of orcokinin immunostaining in the accessory medulla of L. maderae in detail. The accessory medulla is densely innervated by approximately 30 orcokinin-immunoreactive neurons with cell bodies distributed in five of six established cell groups in the accessory medulla. Immunostaining is particularly prominent in three ventromedian neurons. These neurons have processes in a median layer of the medulla and in the internodular neuropil of the accessory medulla and send axonal fibers via the posterior optic commissure to their contralateral counterparts. Double-labeling experiments have revealed the colocalization of orcokinin immunostaining with immunoreactivity for pigment-dispersing hormone, FMRFamide, Mas-allatotropin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid in two cell groups of the accessory medulla, but not in the ventromedian neurons or in the anterior and posterior optic commissure. Immunostaining in the ventromedian neurons suggests that orcokinin-related peptides play a role in the heterolateral transmission of photic input to the pacemaker and/or in the coupling of the bilateral pacemakers of the cockroach.

Immunization does not interfere with uptake and transport by motor neurons of the binding fragment of tetanus toxin.

The nontoxic binding domain of tetanus toxin (fragment C or TTC) readily undergoes retrograde axonal transport from an intramuscular injection site. This property has led to investigation of TTC as a possible vector for delivering therapeutic proteins to motor neurons. However, the vast majority of individuals in the developed world have been vaccinated with tetanus toxoid and have circulating antitetanus antibodies that cross-react with TTC and may block the delivery of a TTC-linked therapeutic protein. However, it is uncertain whether the immune response is capable of completely neutralizing an intramuscular depot of protein prior to its internalization by presynaptic nerve terminals, where it is inaccessible to antibody. We have evaluated uptake of rhodamine-labeled TTC following intramuscular injection in normal animals and animals vaccinated with tetanus toxoid prior to injection of fluorescently labeled TTC. All animals demonstrated uptake of TTC, with fluorescence appropriately localized to the hypoglossal nerve and nucleus. The distribution and intensity of fluorescence within neurons and processes were indistinguishable between the two groups and were characteristic of TTC. Vaccinated animals showed levels of uptake of TTC into the brain comparable to those of immunologically naïve animals as measured by quantitative fluorimetry. All vaccinated animals had protective levels of antitetanus antibodies as measured by ELISA. Uptake of TTC by nerve terminals from an intramuscular depot is an avid and rapid process and is not blocked by vaccination associated with protection from tetanus toxin.

Effects of peripheral inflammation on activation of ERK in the rostral ventromedial medulla.

In the present study, the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) following the injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the rat hindpaw was examined in order to clarify the mechanisms underlying the dynamic changes in the descending pain modulatory system after peripheral inflammation. Phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase-immunoreactive (p-ERK-IR) neurons were observed in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) and nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis pars alpha (GiA). Inflammation induced the activation of ERK in the RVM, with a peak at 7 h after the injection of CFA into the hindpaw and a duration of 24 h. In the RVM, the number of p-ERK-IR neurons per section in rats killed at 7 h after CFA injection (14.2 +/- 1.7) was significantly higher than that in the control group (4.5 +/- 0.9) [P < 0.01]. At 7 h after CFA injection, about 60% of p-ERK-IR neurons in the RVM were serotonergic neurons. The percentage of RVM serotonergic neurons that are also p-ERK positive in the rats with inflammation (20.5% +/- 2.3%) was seven times higher than that in control rats (2.7% +/- 1.4%) [P < 0.01]. These findings suggest that inflammation-induced activation of ERK in the RVM may be involved in the plasticity in the descending pain modulatory system following inflammation.

Migration of dendritic cells into the brain in a mouse model of prion disease.

The immune system plays a key role in the dissemination of prion infections from the periphery to the central nervous system (CNS). While follicular dendritic cells are critical for prion replication in lymphoid tissue and subsequent neuroinvasion, myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) have been implicated in both the clearance and propagation of pathological prion protein. Since nothing is known on the ability of DCs to migrate to the CNS during prion diseases, we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of CD205(+) DCs in the brain of C57BL/6 mice intraperitoneally infected with the mouse-adapted KFu strain of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome, a human genetic prion disorder. In normal brain, CD205(+) cells were present in the meninges and choroid plexus, whereas in the majority of mice sacrificed between 120 and 300 days post infection, CD205(+) DCs were also detected in the cerebral cortex, subcortical white matter, thalamus and medulla oblongata. These findings demonstrate that DCs can enter the CNS of prion-infected mice, suggesting a possible role for these cells in the pathogenesis of prion disorders.

Reversible inactivation of the dorsal vagal complex blocks lipopolysaccharide-induced social withdrawal and c-Fos expression in central autonomic nuclei.

Peripheral administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent activator of the immune system, induces symptoms of behavioral depression, such as social withdrawal, concommitant with increases in c-Fos expression in central autonomic network nuclei. Previous studies implicated vagal visceral sensory nerves in transduction of immune-related signals relevant to for the induction of social withdrawal, a symptom of behavioral depression. Vagal sensory nerves terminate in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) of the brainstem, a region that functions to integrate visceral signals and may also play a role in modulating arousal and affect. The objective of the current study was to determine whether the DVC contributes to immunosensory pathways driving symptoms of social withdrawal associated with LPS-induced behavioral depression, using a reversible lesion technique to temporarily inactivate the DVC. To assess the effects of DVC inactivation on LPS-induced social withdrawal and the subsequent changes in brain activation, we used behavioral assessment of social withdrawal, and analyzed c-Fos expression, a marker of neuronal activation, in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and ventromendial preoptic area (VMPO). Two hours following intraperitoneal LPS injection, there was a significant increase in c-Fos immunoreactivity in forebrain regions in animals treated with LPS. DVC inactivation completely blocked LPS-induced social withdrawal and dramatically reduced LPS-induced Fos expression in all four forebrain regions assessed. Collectively, these findings support the idea that the DVC acts as an immune-behavior interface between the peripheral stimuli and brain areas involved in modulating social behavior.

The progression of neuronal, myelin, astrocytic, and immunological changes in the rat brain following exposure to aurothioglucose.

Aurothioglucose (ATG) is presently employed both by clinicians in the treatment of advanced rheumatoid arthritis and by neuroscience researchers to generate lesions around the circumventricular organs (CVOs) of rodent brains, resulting in obese animals. Although the existence of such lesions is well documented, there is relatively little information concerning the changes over time of the different cell types in the regions surrounding the CVOs. To address this question, specific markers allowing identification of four distinct cellular populations were used to characterize respective changes over time. Generally, regions adjacent to the CVOs were more vulnerable than the CVOs themselves, while more caudal structures were more frequently lesioned than more anterior CVO regions. Vascular and glial cells appeared to be the initial targets of ATG, while neuronal cell death occurred subsequent to the inflammatory response. The results of this study help resolve the mechanism of ATG toxicity as reflected by a cascade of pathologies that is consistent with disparate cell types exhibiting specific changes at specific times.

Evidence for involvement of the neural pathway containing the peripheral vagus nerve, medullary visceral zone and central amygdaloid nucleus in neuroimmunomodulation.

It is now evident that a bidirectional communication network exists between the central nervous system (CNS) and immune system (IS). However, the way in which the IS passes inform to the brain is not quite clear.In the present study, one of the neural pathways involved in the cytokine-to-brain communication was investigated in the rat. This pathway starts at the vagal nerve projecting to the medullary visceral zone (MVZ), an arc-shape band from the dorsomedial to ventrolateral area in the middle-caudal segment of the medulla oblongata, and terminates at the central amygdaloid nucleus (Ce) which receives projections from large catecholaminergic neurons in the MVZ. Animals were randomly divided into two experimental groups. Triple-labeling was used in Group I animals to combine wheat germ aggulutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) retrograde tracing with anti-Fos and anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunostaining. WGA-RP was stereotaxically injected into the unilateral Ce of the animals and, after a survival period of 48 h, intraperitoneal (IP) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was performed. Seven kinds of labeled neurons were observed in the MVZ, namely, HRP-, Fos- or TH-singly-labeled neurons; Fos/HRP-, Fos/TH- or HRP/TH-doubly-labeled neurons; and Fos/HRP/TH-triply-labeled neurons. As for Group II animals, bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (SDV) or sham operation was performed, followed 4 weeks later by IP injection of LPS. The number of Fos-positive neurons within the Ce and MVZ was significantly lower (P<0.01) in rats having SDV when compared with those receiving sham operation. Our results suggest that part of the peripheral immune information can be conveyed through the vagus to the catecholaminergic neurons in the MVZ, where it is transported to the Ce. The MVZ is a neural relay station in the immune-to-brain communication and might play a significant role in neuroimmuno-modulation via the vagus-MVZ-Ce pathway.

A monoclonal antibody that enables specific immunohistological detection of prion protein in bovine spongiform encephalopathy cases.

The specificity of a monoclonal antibody (mAB) raised against recombinant bovine prion protein (PrP) for the immunohistological detection of PrP accumulation in the medulla oblongata of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and ovine scrapie cases was investigated. mAB KG9 showed a diffuse low intensity reaction with the cytoplasm of neurones in normal cattle and sheep sections. In BSE sections the mAB detected widespread granular deposits of PrP associated with neurones and the neuropil. Although scrapie sections showed similar levels of granular deposits with another antibody to PrP these were not detected by KG9 which did however detect diffuse staining in neuronal cytoplasm. Possible explanations for the specificity of binding of KG9 are discussed.