Egg White Hydrolysate Mitigates Cadmium-induced Neurological Disorders and Oxidative Damage.

We aimed to investigate whether the consumption of Egg White Hydrolysate (EWH) acts on nervous system disorders induced by exposure to Cadmium (Cd) in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into (a) Control (Ct): H2O by gavage for 28 days + H2O (i.p. - 15th - 28th day); (b) Cadmium (Cd): H2O by gavage + CdCl2 - 1 mg/kg/day (i.p. - 15th - 28th day); (c) EWH 14d: EWH 1 g/kg/day by gavage for 14 days + H2O (i.p.- 15th - 28th day); (d) Cd + EWH cotreatment (Cd + EWHco): CdCl2 + EWH for 14 days; (e) EWH 28d: EWH for 28 days; (f) EWHpre + Cd: EWH (1st - 28th day) + CdCl2 (15th - 28th day). At the beginning and the end of treatment, neuromotor performance (Neurological Deficit Scale); motor function (Rota-Rod test); ability to move and explore (Open Field test); thermal sensitivity (Hot Plate test); and state of anxiety (Elevated Maze test) were tested. The antioxidant status in the cerebral cortex and the striatum were biochemically analyzed. Cd induces anxiety, and neuromotor, and thermal sensitivity deficits. EWH consumption prevented anxiety, neuromotor deficits, and alterations in thermal sensitivity, avoiding neuromotor deficits both when the administration was performed before or during Cd exposure. Both modes of administration reduced the levels of reactive species, and the lipid peroxidation increased by Cd and improved the striatum's antioxidant capacity. Pretreatment proved to be beneficial in preventing the reduction of SOD activity in the cortex. EWH could be used as a functional food with antioxidant properties capable of preventing neurological damage induced by Cd.

Long-term impact of neuroscience outreach interventions on elementary students' knowledge.

Neuroeducation is characterized as a subarea of neuroscience that involves comprehending the teaching and learning processes and relating them to neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology. The inclusion of some aspects of the neuroscience of learning in teachers' and students' formation, applying them in teaching-learning environments, contributes to the quality of education and impacts students' quality of life and health. Thus, the POPNEURO outreach program performs interventions with students and teachers of low-income schools to disseminate neuroscience concepts, relating them to the students' daily lives. This study reports the impact of these actions, assessed 1 yr after their conclusion. The results showed that the long-term impact of the activities carried out is, in general, positive. Even 1 yr after the activities end, students demonstrate knowledge about the neuroscience themes and satisfaction with participating.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article reports on neuroscience disclosure activities performed with school students and describes their short- and long-term positive impact. Even 1 yr after the activities, students demonstrate knowledge about the themes worked on and satisfaction with the activities.

Supplementation with Manihot esculenta Crantz (Cassava) leaves' extract prevents recognition memory deficits and hippocampal antioxidant dysfunction induced by Amyloid-ß.

OBJECTIVE: The Manihot esculenta Crantz (Cassava) is a typical South American plant rich in nutrients and energetic compounds. Lately, our group has shown that non-pharmacological interventions with natural antioxidants present different neuroprotective effects on oxidative balance and memory deficits in AD-like animal models. Here, our objective was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of Cassava leaves' extract (CAS) in an AD-like model induced by amyloid-beta (Aß) 25-35 peptide. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 40; 60 days old) were subjected to 10 days of CAS supplementation; then, we injected 2 µL Aß 25-35 in the hippocampus by stereotaxic surgery. Ten days later, we evaluated object recognition (OR) memory. Cassavas' total polyphenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins content were measured, as well as hippocampal lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity. RESULTS: CAS protected against Aß-induced OR memory deficits. In addition, Aß promoted antioxidant capacity decrease, while CAS was able to prevent it, in addition to diminishing lipoperoxidation compared to Aß. DISCUSSION: We show that treatment with Cassava leaves' extract before AD induction prevents recognition memory deficits related to Aß hippocampal injection. At least part of these effects can be related to the Cassava leaves' extract supplementation effects on diminishing lipid peroxidation and preventing a decrease in the hippocampal total antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus of AD-like animals without adverse effects. Once cassavais a plant of warm and dry ground that can adapt to growon various soil types and seems to resist several insects, our results enable Cassava to be considered asa potential preventive intervention to avoid or minimizeAD-induced memory deficits worldwide.

A 3-D-printed synaptic puzzle contributes to students' synaptic transmission comprehension.

We created the "3-dimensional synaptic puzzle" (3Dsp) as an educational resource for the physiology teaching of synaptic transmission (ST). In this study, we aimed to apply and evaluate the use of 3Dsp. For this, we divided 175 university students from public and private universities into two groups: 1) control (CT; students that were only exposed to traditional class or video lessons about ST), and; 2) test (3Dsp; students that were exposed to the 3Dsp practical class in addition to the traditional theoretical class). ST knowledge of students was evaluated before, immediately after, and 15 days after interventions. Additionally, students completed a questionnaire about their perception of teaching-learning methods used in physiology classes and their self-perception of engagement in the physiology content. The CT groups improved their ST knowledge score from pretest to immediate (P < 0.0001 for all groups) and late posttest (P < 0.0001 for all groups). 3Dsp groups also enhanced their score from pretest to immediate (P = 0.029 for public university students; P < 0.0001 for private university students) and late posttest (P < 0.0001 for all groups). We also observed improvement from the immediate to late posttest in the 3Dsp group from private universities (P < 0.001). Both private groups performed better in general ST and specific electrical synapse questions in the pretest and immediate posttest compared to the public CT group (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). More than 90% of the students from both universities affirmed that the 3Dsp contributed to their physiology comprehension and that they would recommend the use of the 3-D models to other teachers in their classes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We included a 3-dimensional puzzle (3Dsp) of electrical and chemical synapses in the physiology of synaptic transmission (ST) teaching. After a traditional or video lesson class, students from private and public universities were oriented to use the educational resource. More than 90% of the students affirmed that the 3Dsp improved their comprehension of ST content.

Novelty promotes recognition memory persistence by D1 dopamine receptor and protein kinase A signalling in rat hippocampus.

Strategies for improving memory are increasingly studied, and exposure to a novel experience can be an efficient neuromodulator. Novelty effects on memory depend on D1-family dopamine receptors (D1Rs) activation. Here, we evaluated the novelty effect on memory persistence of Wistar rats and investigated the contribution of D1Rs and their signalling pathways by protein kinase A (PKA) and C (PKC). Animals with infusion cannulae inserted into the CA1 hippocampus area were trained on the novel object recognition (NOR) task, which involved exploring two different objects. After training, some rats received intrahippocampal infusions of vehicle or D1Rs agonist; others explored a novel environment for 5 min and were infused with a variety of drugs targeting D1Rs and their signalling pathways. We demonstrated that pharmacological stimulation of D1Rs or novelty exposure promoted NOR memory persistence for 14 days and that the novelty effect depended on D1Rs activation. To determine if the D1 and D5 receptor subtypes were necessary for the impact of novelty exposure on memory, we blocked or stimulated PKA or PKC-protein kinases activated mainly by D1 and D5, respectively. Only PKA inhibition impaired the effect of novelty on memory persistence. After novelty and D1Rs blocking, PKA but not PKC stimulation maintained the memory persistence effect. Thus, we concluded that novelty promoted memory persistence by a mechanism-dependent on activating hippocampal D1Rs and PKA pathway.

Neuroprotective effects of strength training in a neuroinflammatory animal model.

BACKGROUND: The preventive role of muscular strength on diminishing neuroinflammation is yet unknown. In this study, the role of the prophylactic muscular strength exercise was investigated in order to verify whether it would diminish cognitive alterations and modify the antioxidant intracellular scenery in an animal neuroinflammatory model in of the CA1 region of the hippocampus. METHODS: The animals received muscular strength training (SE) three times a week for eight weeks. Subsequently, the stereotaxic surgery was performed with an intra-hippocampal infusion of either saline solution (SAL) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Next, we performed the behavioral tests: object recognition and social recognition. Then, the animals were euthanized, and their hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were collected. In another moment, we performed the dosage of the antioxidant activity and histological analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the muscular strength exercises could show a beneficial prophylactic effect in the cognitive deficiencies caused by acute neuroinflammation. Regarding oxidative stress, there was an increase in catalase enzyme activity (CAT) in the group (SE + LPS) compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). As for the cognitive alterations, there were found in the (SE + LPS) group, diminishing the mnemonic hazard of the discriminative and social memories compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We concluded, therefore, that the exercise performed prophylactically presents a protective effect capable of minimizing such mnemonic deficits and increasing catalase enzyme activity in rats that suffered a local neuroinflammatory process in the hippocampus.

Physiology faculty and student contributions to schoolteacher training in neuroscience: innovations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research investigating how the brain develops and learns profoundly impacts education. Understanding the brain mechanisms responsible for learning and memory and the factors that influence them, such as age, environment, emotions, and motivation, can transform educational strategies by contributing to the development of programs that optimize learning. Including neuroscience education in teachers' training requires teaching them a multidisciplinary approach to science, which presents a challenge. Furthermore, the potential educational advances from the incorporation of neuroscience into teachers' training are hindered by significant obstacles such as translating research into the classroom; this includes the spread of neuromyths and the products, practices, and programs based on them. Our group has 9 years of experience in developing courses for training teachers. However, in 2020 the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed on society a new way of carrying out its daily activities, including teaching. This study reports the experiences of our group as we developed the ninth edition of the Neuroscience Applied to Education teachers' training in an online format that included synchronous and asynchronous activities. Sixty teachers participated in the course. The synchronous meetings lasted 1.5 h/wk and addressed different themes: neuroscience and education, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurobiology of learning and memory, factors that interfere with learning, and pedagogical innovation. According to the teachers' perceptions, the course was fundamental for them in terms of acquiring new knowledge about neuroscience. Everyone agreed on the possible applicability of the concepts covered to improve their pedagogical practice and teaching environment.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study reports the experience of developing the ninth edition of the Neuroscience Applied to Education course in an online format that included synchronous and asynchronous activities. Here we show that schoolteachers consider the course important for acquiring new knowledge about neuroscience and the applicability of the concepts covered to improve their pedagogical practice and teaching environment. The online format did not prejudice the experience, and the technologies used were well evaluated.

Report on the online course "Basic Concepts in Neurophysiology": a course promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine.

"Basic Concepts in Neurophysiology" was a 3-wk online course developed during six synchronous meetings combined with asynchronous activities. We proposed an active learning course that used free online platforms to teach physiology during a period in which undergraduates were not in classrooms or taking online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we report the course organization and the students' involvement in, acceptance of, and evaluation of the course. To address the students' perceptions about these points, we sent a questionnaire to 49 participants who finished the course. We found that although most students (52.5%) had never taken a course with similar methods before, almost all of them (95%) liked the flipped class model. Additionally, a majority of the students (92.5%) said that the method increased their study frequency during the social distancing period, which is an important aspect to consider during this challenging time for both students and professors.

Relating human physiology content to COVID-19: a strategy to keep students in touch with physiology in times of social distance due to pandemic.

In 2020 universities had to quickly implement remote education alternatives as a result of the social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep students engaged with the university, we implemented a teaching-learning model that relates physiology contents to the COVID-19 pandemic using online educational platforms. A 1-mo web course was proposed for health sciences students from the Federal University of Pampa. It included synchronous meetings twice a week and asynchronous activities using scientific articles, case studies, and interactive online tools. The students approved the methodology developed, assessing it as dynamic and innovative. They reported that the activity helped to better understand the relations between COVID-19 and physiological systems. The web course also contributed to the identification of reliable sources of news and stimulated the sharing of scientific content with their families. We concluded that the use of online platforms contextualizing the physiology content considering current events helps students in learning human physiology and improves their abilities to apply this information to their daily life, in this specific case, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the role of the dopaminergic system in the memory deficits induced by maternal deprivation.

Previous researches showed that maternal deprivation (MD) leads to memory deficits that persist until adulthood. The hippocampus, an important brain structure involved in memory processes, receives dopaminergic afferents from other brain areas that modulate memory. Here we demonstrated that MD results in object recognition memory deficits that are reverted by intra-hippocampal stimulation of D1-dopaminergic receptor and peripheral administration of a dopamine precursor. The D1-dopaminergic receptor and peripheral administration of a dopamine precursor also promoted memory persistence in control rats.

Student assessment of online tools to foster engagement during the COVID-19 quarantine.

As a result of the installation of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, online education has become an important teaching alternative, and new challenges about how to teach were found. Here we report our experience in offering an online course to review Human Physiology. We proposed synchronous and asynchronous activities using different online tools to address topics considered key to understanding the different systems of human physiology. The students considered important the use of this type of methodology, which uses different online tools to help understand the Human Physiology contents. The students highlighted the use of the Lt platform, Zoom, Mentimeter, and YouTube as the preferred online tools to use in physiology learning.

Comparative effect of Camellia sinensis teas on object recognition test deficit and metabolic changes induced by cafeteria diet.

Objectives: Consumption of high-fat and high-sugar diets in Western countries has increased significantly causing major global health problems including metabolic syndrome and obesity. In addition, studies have suggested that obesity can lead to learning and memory deficits. In this context, the use of natural compounds with low costs, minor side effects and increased antioxidant activity, such as teas, could reduce the damages induced by obesity. We investigated the effect of white, green, red, and black teas (Camellia sinensis) and their possible neuroprotective mechanisms in an experimental obesity model induced by a cafeteria diet (CD). Methods: Female Swiss mice (20-30 g) were used; they received a normal diet or a hypercaloric diet (CD) during 8 weeks. Concomitantly, some mice received orally white, green, red, or black teas (1% dose) or water. Results: The mice subjected to CD showed weight gain, body fat accumulation, increased glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, associated to recognition memory deficits and increased reactive species (RS) levels and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the hippocampus. All teas significantly reduced AChE activity and partially reduced fat accumulation. Green and red teas reduced memory deficit. White, green, and black teas reduced RS levels, while only green and black tea reduced plasma triglyceride levels. Discussion: According to the results obtained it is possible to conclude that green tea was better than other teas in reducing effects of the CD model, being able to protect a greater number of parameters.

Maternal Deprivation Induces Memory Deficits That Are Reduced by One Aerobic Exercise Shot Performed after the Learning Session.

During the neonatal period, the brain is susceptible to external influences. Exposure to stressful events during this phase of life influences brain development and impacts adult life. In animals, the maternal deprivation (MD) model is effective in mimicking stress in the early stages of development. In contrast, physical exercise seems to be able to prevent deficits in memory consolidation. Although the effects of chronic exercise in cognition are already well established, little is known about the effects of acute aerobic exercise. Here, male Wistar rats divided into deprived (MD) and nondeprived (NMD) rats were submitted to the object recognition (OR) memory test. Immediately after OR training, some of the rats were submitted to a single aerobic exercise session for 30 minutes. Memory consolidation and persistence were evaluated by retention tests performed 24 h and 7, 14, and 21 days after OR training. We show that a single physical exercise session is able to modulate learning by promoting memory consolidation and persistence in rats with cognitive deficits induced by MD. Hippocampal dopamine levels, measured by HPLC, were not altered after OR training in rats that performed and in rats that did not perform an exercise session; on the other hand, while OR training promoted increase of hippocampal norepinephrine in NMD rats, the MD rats did not present this increase, regardless of the practice or not of exercise.

Status of research on physiology education in Brazil.

Physiology education research aims to investigate teaching-learning aspects and methods specifically applied to physiology teaching and learning. In this paper exploring Brazilian research public data and information from the Brazilian Physiological Society Teaching Committee, we investigated the status of this research topic (physiology education) in Brazil. The data showed that physiology education research needs to be more recognized and supported in Brazil, and more physiologists may become interested in research in this field. Thus this field will become more developed during the physiologists' education.

A proposal for undergraduate students' inclusion in brain awareness week: promoting interest in curricular neuroscience components.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of neuroscience and the progress and benefits of brain research. Our proposal was to include undergraduate physiology students in the organization and presentation of BAW activities. In this sense, we proposed the BAW as a neurophysiology teaching strategy. BAW 2013 occurred between March 11-17, and physiology students in the Nursing, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy programs of our university were involved in the organization of and participation in the activities. To evaluate student perceptions of their participation, a questionnaire was used to establish whether their involvement increased their interest in physiology/neuroscience. Our results indicated that this strategy was successful and increased the students' interest in neuroscience and physiology. In addition a survey of undergraduate and graduate students participating in BAW established their interest in the various activities available. The attention and reaction time workshop and the neuroanatomy workshop were the most popular of the eight activities available.

Acute physical exercise enhances memory persistence in female rats.

Memory is a complex cognitive process with distinct stages, such as acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in memory consolidation and retrieval. Physical exercise (PE) has been shown to enhance memory and cognitive functions, but the available research is mainly developed with males. So, there is limited knowledge about acute PE's effects on females' memory. This study aimed to investigate the impact of acute PE on memory in female rats and explore potential sex differences in PE memory modulation. Forty-two female Wistar rats were subjected to a novel object recognition (NOR) task, with half of them undergoing a single session of 30 min of PE after the learning session (memory acquisition). Behavioral assessments showed that acute PE improved memory persistence in female rats, with increased discrimination of novel objects. Biochemical analysis revealed elevated noradrenaline levels in the hippocampus following acute PE and NOR training. Notably, the positive effects of acute PE on female rats' memory were similar to those previously observed in male rats. These findings suggest that acute PE can enhance memory in female rats and underscore the importance of considering sex differences in cognitive research. PE may offer a non-invasive strategy to promote cognitive health in both males and females.

Acute physical exercise prevents memory amnesia caused by protein synthesis inhibition in rats' hippocampus.

The benefits of physical exercise (PE) on memory consolidation have been well-documented in both healthy and memory-impaired animals. However, the underlying mechanisms through which PE exerts these effects are still unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of hippocampal protein synthesis in memory modulation by acute PE in rats. After novel object recognition (NOR) training, rats were subjected to a 30-min moderate-intensity acute PE on the treadmill, while control animals did not undergo any procedures. Using anisomycin (ANI) and rapamycin (RAPA), compounds that inhibit protein synthesis through different mechanisms, we manipulated protein synthesis in the CA1 region of the hippocampus to examine its contribution to memory consolidation. Memory was assessed on days 1, 7, and 14 post-training. Our results showed that inhibiting protein synthesis by ANI or RAPA impaired NOR memory consolidation in control animals. However, acute PE prevented this impairment without affecting memory persistence. We also evaluated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels after acute PE at 0.5h, 2h, and 12h afterward and found no differences in levels compared to animals that did not engage in acute PE or were only habituated to the treadmill. Therefore, our findings suggest that acute PE could serve as a non-pharmacological intervention to enhance memory consolidation and prevent memory loss in conditions associated with hippocampal protein synthesis inhibition. This mechanism appears not to depend on BDNF synthesis in the early hours after exercise.