Elder mistreatment experiences, perceptions, and help-seeking behaviors of Asian American older adults.

This study examined the experiences and the perceptions of elder mistreatment (EM), as well as help-seeking knowledge and behaviors, particularly about Adult Protective Services (APS), among community samples of Asian American older adults, including Koreans, Chinese, and others (N = 288). Approximately 27% of the study participants experienced at least one EM incident in the past year. Between 27% and 38% of the participants reported that they were likely to seek help from APS for different types of EM. Significant differences were found across the three Asian groups in their perceptions toward EM and intention to seek help from APS in the event of EM. However, many Asian American older adults in the study did not know about APS prior to participating in the study (75.5%) and other formal sources of help (66.3%). Implications for helping professionals, particularly APS and community-based organizations serving Asian Americans, are discussed.

Intimate Partner Violence Among Hispanic/Latinx and White College Students.

Hispanic/Latinx individuals disproportionately experience intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to their non-Hispanic/Latinx counterparts, and little is known about IPV among college-aged Hispanic/Latinx students. This study examines the rates of IPV victimization and perpetration and their correlates among Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic White college students by analyzing cross-sectional survey data of 3,397 Hispanic/Latinx and White college students enrolled in seven universities. Compared to their White counterparts, Hispanic/Latinx students reported higher rates of IPV victimization and perpetration. Age, gender, drug use, and adverse childhood experience were associated with both IPV victimization and perpetration, while ethnicity was only associated with IPV perpetration. This study's findings highlight the urgent need for more culturally sensitive IPV prevention services and responses to support Hispanic/Latinx college students.

An artificial neural-network approach to identify motor hotspot for upper-limb based on electroencephalography: a proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: To apply transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) to the motor cortex, motor hotspots are generally identified using motor evoked potentials by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The objective of this study is to validate the feasibility of a novel electroencephalography (EEG)-based motor-hotspot-identification approach using a machine learning technique as a potential alternative to TMS. METHODS: EEG data were measured using 63 channels from thirty subjects as they performed a simple finger tapping task. Power spectral densities of the EEG data were extracted from six frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma, and full) and were independently used to train and test an artificial neural network for motor hotspot identification. The 3D coordinate information of individual motor hotspots identified by TMS were quantitatively compared with those estimated by our EEG-based motor-hotspot-identification approach to assess its feasibility. RESULTS: The minimum mean error distance between the motor hotspot locations identified by TMS and our proposed motor-hotspot-identification approach was 0.22 ± 0.03 cm, demonstrating the proof-of-concept of our proposed EEG-based approach. A mean error distance of 1.32 ± 0.15 cm was measured when using only nine channels attached to the middle of the motor cortex, showing the possibility of practically using the proposed motor-hotspot-identification approach based on a relatively small number of EEG channels. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the feasibility of our novel EEG-based motor-hotspot-identification method. It is expected that our approach can be used as an alternative to TMS for motor hotspot identification. In particular, its usability would significantly increase when using a recently developed portable tES device integrated with an EEG device.

Korean Immigrants' Perception of Mental Well-Being and Help-Seeking Behaviors.

This article describes a study that investigated Korean immigrants' perception of mental well-being and help-seeking behaviors with particular focus on those with mental illness. Participants with probable diagnoses of anxiety or depression were more likely to recognize their mental health problems and their impact than those without such diagnoses. However, many of them did not acknowledge experiencing mental health problems and did not show high likelihood of seeking professional mental health services. The cultural beliefs and the lack of culturally competent mental health services appeared to contribute to the low levels of recognition of mental health problems and also the low rates of mental health service utilization. The participants listed mental health professionals' ability to communicate in the language of their preference, confidentiality, and affordability as significant factors in their decision to seek professional help. The study findings emphasize the great need of mental health educational programs within the Korean immigrant community. The findings also suggest that resources and infrastructures be secured for the provision of culturally competent mental health services for this population.

On the Feasibility of Using an Ear-EEG to Develop an Endogenous Brain-Computer Interface.

Brain-computer interface (BCI) studies based on electroencephalography (EEG) measured around the ears (ear-EEGs) have mostly used exogenous paradigms involving brain activity evoked by external stimuli. The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of ear-EEGs for development of an endogenous BCI system that uses self-modulated brain activity. We performed preliminary and main experiments where EEGs were measured on the scalp and behind the ears to check the reliability of ear-EEGs as compared to scalp-EEGs. In the preliminary and main experiments, subjects performed eyes-open and eyes-closed tasks, and they performed mental arithmetic (MA) and light cognitive (LC) tasks, respectively. For data analysis, the brain area was divided into four regions of interest (ROIs) (i.e., frontal, central, occipital, and ear area). The preliminary experiment showed that the degree of alpha activity increase of the ear area with eyes closed is comparable to those of other ROIs (occipital > ear > central > frontal). In the main experiment, similar event-related (de)synchronization (ERD/ERS) patterns were observed between the four ROIs during MA and LC, and all ROIs showed the mean classification accuracies above 70% required for effective binary communication (MA vs. LC) (occipital = ear = central = frontal). From the results, we demonstrated that ear-EEG can be used to develop an endogenous BCI system based on cognitive tasks without external stimuli, which allows the usability of ear-EEGs to be extended.

Curcumin Alters Neural Plasticity and Viability of Intact Hippocampal Circuits and Attenuates Behavioral Despair and COX-2 Expression in Chronically Stressed Rats.

Curcumin is a major diarylheptanoid component of Curcuma longa with traditional usage for anxiety and depression. It has been known for the anti-inflammatory, antistress, and neurotropic effects. Here we examined curcumin effect in neural plasticity and cell viability. 60-channel multielectrode array was applied on organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) to monitor the effect of 10 µM curcumin in long-term depression (LTD) through low-frequency stimulation (LFS) to the Schaffer collaterals and commissural pathways. Cell viability was assayed by propidium iodide uptake test in OHSCs. In addition, the influence of oral curcumin administration on rat behavior was assessed with the forced swim test (FST). Finally, protein expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were measured by Western blot in chronically stressed rats. Our results demonstrated that 10 µM curcumin attenuated LTD and reduced cell death. It also recovered the behavior immobility of FST, rescued the attenuated BDNF expression, and inhibited the enhancement of COX-2 expression in stressed animals. These findings indicate that curcumin can enhance postsynaptic electrical reactivity and cell viability in intact neural circuits with antidepressant-like effects, possibly through the upregulation of BDNF and reduction of inflammatory factors in the brain.

Understanding breast cancer screening behaviors of Korean American women in sociocultural contexts.

This study examines the breast cancer screening behaviors of Korean American women focusing on their cultural beliefs and access to health care. A total of 111 Korean American women participated in the cross-sectional survey research. Korean American women who felt embarrassed about breast cancer screenings were less likely to have received clinical breast exams or mammograms. Implications to culturally competent social work practice in promoting their breast cancer screening behaviors are discussed.

Acute rosmarinic acid treatment enhances long-term potentiation, BDNF and GluR-2 protein expression, and cell survival rate against scopolamine challenge in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

BACKGROUND: Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a polyphenolic ester of caffeic acid and is commonly found in the Nepetoideae subfamily of flowering mint plants. Because RA has previously exhibited antioxidant, neuroprotective, and antidepressant-like effects, we evaluated its influences on cellular functions in neuronal cultures. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate possible mechanisms of RA, we investigated the influences of acute RA administration on long-term potentiation (LTP), plasticity-related protein expression, and scopolamine-induced cell death in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. METHODS: LTP analysis in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) was carried out with various ion channel blockers, such as AP5 (10 µM), CNQX (10 µM), niflumic acid (100 µM), and scopolamine (300 µM) in response to RA (1, 10 or 100 µg/mL) treatment. Protein expression and cell death assays in the presence of scopolamine were examined to observe the effects of RA. For LTP analysis, baseline field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded in CA1 by a 60-channel multielectrode array (MEA) every min for 40 min before 15 min of high-frequency stimulation (HFS) to the Schaffer collaterals and commissural pathways, followed by a successive 50 min of recording. For protein expression measurements, anti-BDNF and anti-GluR2 antibodies were used for Western blotting assays in whole-hippocampal tissue homogenate. Finally, for cell death assays, OHSCs were exposed to a culture medium containing propidium iodide (PI) for 24 or 48 h, followed by the assessment of cell death by fluorescent image analysis of PI uptake. RESULTS: and discussion: Our results indicate that RA treatment enhances fEPSPs following HFS in CA1 synapses at 1 and 10 µg/ml RA, an effect that was inhibited by CNQX and NFA but not by AP5. RA treatment also increases the expression of BDNF and GluR-2 proteins and prevents cell death of scopolamine-exposed OHSCs. Our results suggest the possibility that rosmarinic acid can enhance neural plasticity by modulating glutamatergic signaling pathways, as well as providing neuroprotection with reduced cholinergic activity.

Changes of synaptic vesicles in three-dimensional synapse models by treatment with umbelliferone in scopolamine-induced hippocampal injury model.

The neuroprotective effects of umbelliferone (UMB) were visualized in three-dimensional (3D) images on vesicle density changes of organotypic hippocampal slice tissues (OHSCs) induced by scopolamine by high voltage electron microscopy. Observations revealed that the number of vesicles decreased in OHSCs induced by scopolamine, and UMB was found to inhibit scopolamine-induced reduction in vesicles, resulting in an increase in vesicle count. These 3D models provide valuable insight for understanding the increase of synapse vesicles in hippocampal tissues treated with UMB.

Phenolic changes in a combined herbal extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Houttuynia cordata, and Spirodela polyrhiza and alleviation of DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis in BALB/c mice.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease showing skin barrier dysfunction, eczematous lesions, severe itching, and abnormal immune responses. The aim of this study was to determine whether an herb combination of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LE), Houttuynia cordata (HC), and Spirodela polyrhiza (SP) has a superior anti-AD effect. Forty-two compounds were identified in LE, HC, SP, and a combined herb extract of LE, HC, and SP (LHS) using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (MS). The concentration of flavonoid glycosides including orientin (luteolin-8-C-glucoside), quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, and luteolin-7-O-glucoside in the LHS was increased than in individual extracts. Furthermore, the treatment of LHS most effectively inhibited the increase of epidermal thickness, the number of mast cells, and the release of immunoglobulin E compared with that with each extract. These results suggest that the potential anti-AD effects of the LHS are due to the changes of bioactive compounds by the combination of herbs. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01329-7.

Ameliorative effect of vanillic acid against scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in rat via attenuation of oxidative stress and dysfunctional synaptic plasticity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment, loss of learning and memory, and abnormal behaviors. Scopolamine (SCOP) is a non-selective antagonist of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors that exhibits the behavioral and molecular hallmarks of AD. Vanillic acid (VA), a phenolic compound, is obtained from the roots of a traditional plant called Angelica sinensis, and has several pharmacologic effects, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, and antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, VA's neuroprotective potential associated with the memory has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study investigated whether VA treatment has an ameliorative effect on the learning and memory impairment induced by SCOP in rats. Behavioral experiments were utilized to assess the learning and memory performance associated with the hippocampus. Using western blotting analysis and assay kits, the neuronal damage, oxidative stress, and acetylcholinesterase activity responses of hippocampus were evaluated. Additionally, the measurement of long-term potentiation was used to determine the function of synaptic plasticity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. In addition, the synaptic vesicles' density and the length and width of the postsynaptic density were evaluated using electron microscopy. Consequently, the behavioral, biochemical, electrophysiological, and ultrastructural analyses revealed that VA treatment prevents learning and memory impairments caused by SCOP in rats. The study's findings suggest that VA has a neuroprotective effect on SCOP-induced learning and memory impairment linked to the hippocampal cholinergic system, oxidative damage, and synaptic plasticity. Therefore, VA may be a prospective therapeutic agent for treating AD.

Steam reforming of glycerol for hydrogen production over supported nickel catalysts on alumina.

The experiment was carried out to produce hydrogen through steam reforming of glycerol over nano-sized Ni catalysts supported on alumina (Al2O3). The catalysts were characterized by BET surface area, metal dispersion, XRD, TPR, NH3-TPD and SEM. 15 wt% Ni/Al2O3 catalysts presented carbon nano fiber after the catalyst was used. However, when the Ni loading was higher than that of 15 wt%, the catalytic activity reduced, and the increase of the Ni particle size and the formation of graphitic carbon occurred. The Ni/SiO2(70)-Al2O3 with the high surface area and the small Ni particle size promoted the catalytic activity and could easily reduce from NiO to Ni, inhibiting the formation of NiAl2O4.

Phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of ethanol extracts of perilla seed meal.

Perilla frutescens is a medicinal herb that is commonly cultivated in Asian countries. Perilla seed is extensively pressed for cooking oil extraction. However, phenolic chemicals are still abundant in pressed perilla seed meal (PSM), which was previously thought to be useless after oil extraction. In our study, PSM was extracted using five solvents (water and 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% ethanol) based on different ethanol concentrations, and its antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, and inhibitory effects against key enzymes related to diabetes mellitus were evaluated. The 75% ethanol extract had higher phenolic (105.58 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoid (66.52 mg QE/g DW) contents and showed better antioxidant and inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. Analysis of the phenolic compounds of the five extracts by HPLC indicated the presence of apigenin, rosmarinic acid, benzoic acid, caffeic acid, and vanillic acid. Therefore, because of its high antioxidant activity and inhibitory capacity against enzymes relevant to diabetes, the 75% ethanol extract of perilla seed meal has the most potential to be used as a functional or nutraceutical food in the prevention and treatment of oxidation and diabetes.

Altered Functional Networks of Alpha and Low-Beta Bands During Upper Limb Movement and Association with Motor Impairment in Chronic Stroke.

Background: Impaired movement after stroke is closely associated with altered brain functions, and thus the investigation on neural substrates of patients with stroke can pave a way for not only understanding the underlying mechanisms of neuropathological traits, but also providing an innovative solution for stroke rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to precisely investigate altered brain functions in terms of power spectral and brain network analyses. Methods: Altered brain function was investigated by using electroencephalography (EEG) measured while 34 patients with chronic stroke performed movement tasks with the affected and unaffected hands. The relationships between functional brain network indices and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores were also investigated. Results: A stronger low-beta event-related desynchronization was found in the contralesional hemisphere for both affected and unaffected movement tasks compared with that of the ipsilesional hemisphere. More efficient whole-brain networks (increased strength and clustering coefficient, and prolonged path length) in the low-beta frequency band were revealed when moving the unaffected hand compared with when moving the affected hand. In addition, the brain network indices of the contralesional hemisphere indicated higher efficiency and cost-effectiveness than those of the ipsilesional hemisphere in both the alpha and low-beta frequency bands. Moreover, the alpha network indices (strength, clustering coefficient, path length, and small-worldness) were significantly correlated with the FMA scores. Conclusions: Efficient functional brain network indices are associated with better motor outcomes in patients with stroke and could be useful biomarkers to monitor stroke recovery during rehabilitation.

Intimate Partner Violence and Openness to Online Counseling Among College Students.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent and has devastating consequences for college students. Online counseling (OC) may be a way to decrease barriers to help. This study seeks to determine openness to OC compared to face-to-face counseling (F2F) by examining: (1) How openness to OC varies depending on college students' personal and IPV characteristics and (2) How these characteristics vary compared to college non-IPV survivors. Two linear regressions were conducted using a sample from a cross sectional survey. First with the entire sample of college students (N = 1,518) to examine characteristics of those more open to OC and second with only those that identified as experiencing IPV (n = 1,211). The results demonstrated that IPV survivors are less open to OC than to F2F counseling (b = -.23, p < .01). For the model with all college students, those who were significantly more open to OC were female (b = -.39, p < .001), identified as LGBT (b = .23, p < .05), or Asian/Pacific Islander (API) (b = .26, p < .05), and had a physical health issue (b = -.19, p < .05). For the model that only analyzed IPV survivors, the same characteristics were shown to be significantly related to openness to OC. More research is needed to explore why IPV survivors are less open to OC compared to F2F counseling. Exploring why characteristics of female, LGBT, and physical health issues lead to openness to OC could help understand what barriers need to be addressed for wider use.

Neuromodulatory feasibility of a current limiter-based tDCS device: a resting-state electroencephalography study.

Recently, we introduced a current limiter-based novel transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) device that does not generate significant tDCS-induced electrical artifacts, thereby facilitating simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) measurement during tDCS application. In this study, we investigated the neuromodulatory effect of the tDCS device using resting-state EEG data measured during tDCS application in terms of EEG power spectral densities (PSD) and brain network indices (clustering coefficient and path length). Resting-state EEG data were recorded from 10 healthy subjects during both eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) states for each of five different conditions (baseline, sham, post-sham, tDCS, and post-tDCS). In the tDCS condition, tDCS was applied for 12 min with a current intensity of 1.5 mA, whereas tDCS was applied only for the first 30 s in the sham condition. EEG PSD and brain network indices were computed for the alpha frequency band most closely associated with resting-state EEG. Both alpha PSD and network indices were found to significantly increase during and after tDCS application compared to those of the baseline condition in the EO state, but not in the EC state owing to the ceiling effect. Our results demonstrate the neuromodulatory effect of the tDCS device that does not generate significant tDCS-induced electrical artifacts, thereby allowing simultaneous measurement of electrical brain activity. We expect our novel tDCS device to be practically useful in exploring the impact of tDCS on neuromodulation more precisely using ongoing EEG data simultaneously measured during tDCS application.

Electroencephalography Network Indices as Biomarkers of Upper Limb Impairment in Chronic Stroke.

Alteration of electroencephalography (EEG) signals during task-specific movement of the impaired limb has been reported as a potential biomarker for the severity of motor impairment and for the prediction of motor recovery in individuals with stroke. When implementing EEG experiments, detailed paradigms and well-organized experiment protocols are required to obtain robust and interpretable results. In this protocol, we illustrate a task-specific paradigm with upper limb movement and methods and techniques needed for the acquisition and analysis of EEG data. The paradigm consists of 1 min of rest followed by 10 trials comprising alternating 5 s and 3 s of resting and task (hand extension)-states, respectively, over 4 sessions. EEG signals were acquired using 32 Ag/AgCl scalp electrodes at a sampling rate of 1,000 Hz. Event-related spectral perturbation analysis associated with limb movement and functional network analyses at the global level in the low-beta (12-20 Hz) frequency band were performed. Representative results showed an alteration of the functional network of low-beta EEG frequency bands during movement of the impaired upper limb, and the altered functional network was associated with the degree of motor impairment in chronic stroke patients. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the experimental paradigm in EEG measurements during upper limb movement in individuals with stroke. Further research using this paradigm is needed to determine the potential value of EEG signals as biomarkers of motor impairment and recovery.

Effect of Sinapic Acid on Scopolamine-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment in SD Rats.

The seriousness of the diseases caused by aging have recently gained attention. Alzheimer's disease (AD), a chronic neurodegenerative disease, accounts for 60-80% of senile dementia cases. Continuous research is being conducted on the cause of Alzheimer's disease, and it is believed to include complex factors, such as genetic factors, the accumulation of amyloid beta plaques, a tangle of tau protein, oxidative stress, cholinergic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and cell death. Sinapic acid is a hydroxycinnamic acid found in plant families, such as oranges, grapefruit, cranberry, mustard seeds, and rapeseeds. It exhibits various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-depressant effects. Sinapic acid is an acetylcholine esterase inhibitor that can be applied to the treatment of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. However, electrophysiological studies on the effects of sinapic acid on memory and learning must still be conducted. Therefore, it was confirmed that sinapic acid was effective in long-term potentiation (LTP) using organotypic hippocampal segment tissue. In addition, the effect on scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment was measured by oral administration of sinapic acid 10 mg/kg/day for 14 days, and behavioral experiments related to short-term and long-term spatial memory and avoidance memory were conducted. Sinapic acid increased the activity of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) in a dose-dependent manner after TBS, and restored fEPSP activity in the CA1 region suppressed by scopolamine. The scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment group showed lower results than the control group in the Y-maze, Passive avoidance (PA), and Morris water maze (MWM) experiments. Sinapic acid improved avoidance memory, short and long-term spatial recognition learning, and memory. In addition, sinapic acid weakened the inhibition of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and the activation of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX-2) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) induced by scopolamine in the hippocampus. These results show that sinapic acid is effective in restoring LTP and cognitive impairment induced by the cholinergic receptor blockade. Moreover, it showed the effect of alleviating the reduction in scopolamine-induced BDNF and TrkB, and alleviated neuroinflammatory effects by inhibiting the increase in COX-2 and IL-1ß. Therefore, we showed that sinapic acid has potential as a treatment for neurodegenerative cognitive impairment.

Naringin enhances long-term potentiation and recovers learning and memory deficits of amyloid-beta induced Alzheimer's disease-like behavioral rat model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), as the most typical type of dementia, is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive learning and memory impairment. It is known that the main causes of AD are the accumulation of ß-amyloid (Aß) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) containing hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Naringin is a flavonoid from citrus fruits, especially in grapefruit, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective activities. However, the effect of naringin in AD caused by Aß has not been clearly studied, and there are few studies on the electrophysiological aspect. Thus, we investigated the ex vivo neuroprotective effect of naringin through the long-term potentiation (LTP) on organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. We evaluated the in vivo effects of naringin (100 mg/kg/day) orally treated for 20 days on learning, memory, and cognition which was impaired by bilateral CA1 subregion injection of Aß. Cognitive behaviors were measured 2 weeks after Aß injection using behavioral tests and the hippocampal expression of apoptotic and neurotrophic regulators were measured by immunoblotting. In hippocampal tissue slices, naringin dose-dependently increased the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) after theta burst stimulation and attenuated Aß-induced blockade of fEPSP in the hippocampal CA1 area. In Aß injected rats, naringin improved object recognition memory in the novel object test, avoidance memory in the passive avoidance test and spatial recognition memory in the Morris water maze test. In the hippocampus, naringin attenuated the Aß-induced cyclooxygenase-2, Bax activation and Bcl-2, CREB, BDNF and TrkB inhibition. These results suggest that naringin has therapeutic potential to reduce neuronal inflammation and apoptosis induced by Aß related with the BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling.

Umbelliferone Ameliorates Memory Impairment and Enhances Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in Scopolamine-Induced Rat Model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline. Among the suggested pathogenic mechanisms of AD, the cholinergic hypothesis proposes that AD symptoms are a result of reduced synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh). A non-selective antagonist of the muscarinic ACh receptor, scopolamine (SCOP) induced cognitive impairment in rodents. Umbelliferone (UMB) is a Apiaceae-family-derived 7-hydeoxycoumarin known for its antioxidant, anti-tumor, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic properties. However, the effects of UMB on the electrophysiological and ultrastructure morphological aspects of learning and memory are still not well-established. Thus, we investigated the effect of UMB treatment on cognitive behaviors and used organotypic hippocampal slice cultures for long-term potentiation (LTP) and the hippocampal synaptic ultrastructure. A hippocampal tissue analysis revealed that UMB attenuated a SCOP-induced blockade of field excitatory post-synaptic potential (fEPSP) activity and ameliorated the impairment of LTP by the NMDA and AMPA receptor antagonists. UMB also enhanced the hippocampal synaptic vesicle density on the synaptic ultrastructure. Furthermore, behavioral tests on male SD rats (7-8 weeks old) using the Y-maze test, passive avoidance test (PA), and Morris water maze test (MWM) showed that UMB recovered learning and memory deficits by SCOP. These cognitive improvements were in association with the enhanced expression of BDNF, TrkB, and the pCREB/CREB ratio and the suppression of acetylcholinesterase activity. The current findings indicate that UMB may be an effective neuroprotective reagent applicable for improving learning and memory against AD.