神经生物学

We present our current methods for isolating and culturing cells from the adult and fetal human CNS. The cell isolation procedures used are also well suited to obtain samples for immediate RNA- and protein-based analyses, particularly as techniques to minimize the amount of material needed b ...

In this chapter, the basic tools and methods to isolate neurons from the embryonic rat cortex are provided. We outline the isolation of fresh neuronal cells and their storage, post-thaw maintenance, and the application of techniques to measure intracellular calcium changes in response to t ...

The cell culture study of neuronal activity in health and disease requires careful consideration of the system used. All neurons are definitely not created equal, and isolation of mature neurons from the tissue of interest is crucial to the understanding of that particular population of neu ...

A popular approach to study living neurons involves the preparation of dissociated cultures. If isolated from neonatal or embryonic animals, neurons survive their removal and subsequent dissociation procedures. They grow processes on appropriate substrates, acquire mature n ...

Cellular transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI); the clinical application of transplantation, however, will require safe and efficient protocols of cell delivery. Lumbar puncture (LP) is a minimally invasive delivery method that allows m ...

The blood–brain barrier (BBB), formed by the endothelial cells of the brain capillaries, restricts access to brain cells of blood-borne compounds and allows only nutrients essential for normal metabolism to reach brain cells. This results in the inability of both small and large therapeut ...

Virus-mediated gene therapies against brain tumors have been limited by the difficulty in tracking glioma cells infiltrating the brain parenchyma. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are particularly attractive cells for clinical use in cell-based therapies because they have tumor- ...

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that is used to study biological processes in vivo. Data obtained in a PET scan can provide information regarding tissue physiology or pathophysiology, as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic informati ...

Antibodies have played a key role in receptor research. These immunoglobulms (Ig) frequently have greater affinities and selectivities for receptors than pharmacological probes. They are often the only probes available that can discern proteins with similar structural and phar ...

Transient transfectron of mammalian cell lines with recombinant DNA has become a common tool for studying functional and structural properties of a wide variety of proteins (1–5). Transient transfections are especially practical for the expression of recombinant multisubunit c ...

Translation of the explosion in knowledge of acute ischemic stroke into satisfactory treatment regimens has yet to happen. At present tPA, intra-arterial prourokinase and low-molecular-weight heparin form the vanguard for therapeutic intervention, yet these treatments have a l ...

To develop novel neuroprotective or neurorestorative agents for clinical application, the appropriate selection and characterization of preclinical focal stroke models is required to provide confidence in predicting therapeutic efficacy. Compelling evidence for nov ...

The recent completion of the Human Genome Project provides the potential to advance our knowledge of pathogenesis and identify the gene(s) associated with particular diseases. However, using human DNA to correlate individual genomic variations with particular disorders such as st ...

Stem cell lines have been and are being developed to treat damage in the central nervous system after stroke. Stem cells are able to migrate to areas of damage and to differentiate into neurons and glia. Grafts of murine stem cells have been shown to promote recovery from behavioral dysfunction after s ...

Almost all injurious stimuli, when applied below the threshold of producing injury, activate endogenous protective mechanisms that significantly decrease the degree of injury after subsequent injurious stimuli. For example, a short duration of ischemia (i.e., ischemic precon ...

Manipulation of the rodent genome by deliberately inserting (transgenic) or removing (knockout) a gene of interest or indeed by selectively breeding animals with a spontaneous or random mutation producing a trait of interest has been developed over several years. Mouse “fanciers” have ...

3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NPA) is a potent mitochondrial inhibitor that can be administered systemically to create a progressive and localized striatal neurodegeneration mimicking many of the pathological features of Huntington’s disease and other forms of metabolic compro ...

Considerable evidence suggests genetic factors are important in the pathogenesis of multifactorial stroke. However, studies identifying the underlying genes have been largely disappointing. This chapter reviews the different approaches and their relative merits. It is lik ...

Stroke is a common entity. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the developed world. More than 110 heritable disorders, more than 175 genetic loci, and more than 2050 unique mutations predisposing to stroke are known. Although ischemic stroke can result f ...

Stroke is a clinically defined neurological syndrome characterized by rapidly progressing symptoms and signs of focal loss of cerebral function. The initiation, propagation, and maturation of ischemic stroke are associated with de novo expression of multiple genes in endogenous ...