Hemmung von Morphin-Effekten durch synthetische Substanz P

Summary Synthetic Substance P and naloxone abolish the proconvulsive action of morphine on pentetrasol-induced seizures. It is suggested that Substance P could be a natural antagonist of morphine in the central nervous system.

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Am 20. März 1976 gestorben.     

Einbau von H3-thymidin in zellen und gewebe vonHelix pomatia L. (gastropoda,pulmonata)

Summary It has been demonstrated by injections of H³-Thymidine into adult and juvenile snails (Helix pomatia) that the mitotic activity in the central nervous system, the connective tissue and epidermis was generally higher in juvenile animals than in adult ones. Data are given for the amount of triated thymidine labelled nuclei in the tissues, which are investigated.     

Light and electron microscopic localization of cholinesterase activity in a marine invertebrate (Nereis pelagica L., Annelida, Polychaeta)]

High specific and nonspecific cholinesterase activities have been demonstrated in the whole nervous system of Nereis. These might reveal the existence of a cholinergic nervous system whose control would be exerted in different sites (central nervous centers, muscular junctions...).     

Neural regulators of innate immune responses and inflammation

The nervous system regulates immune function and inflammation. Experimental evidence shows an important role of the autonomic nervous system in the bidirectional communication between the brain and the immune system, underlying the ability of the brain to monitor immune status and control inflammation. Here we review the involvement of the autonomic nervous system in regulating inflammation, with a focus on the vagus nerve. The clinical implications of the recently discovered anti-inflammatory role of the efferent vagus nerve are also discussed.Received 8 March 2004; received after revision 26 April 2004; accepted 29 April 2004     

Sleeping sickness and the brain

Recent progress in understanding the neuro-pathological mechanisms of sleeping sickness reveals a complex relationship between the trypanosome parasite that causes this disease and the host nervous system. The pathology of late-stage sleeping sickness, in which the central nervous system is involved, is complicated and is associated with disturbances in the circadian rhythm of sleep. The blood-brain barrier, which separates circulating blood from the central nervous system, regulates the flow of materials to and from the brain. During the course of disease, the integrity of the blood-brain barrier is compromised. Dysfunction of the nervous system may be exacerbated by factors of trypanosomal origin or by host responses to parasites. Microscopic examination of cerebrospinal fluid remains the best way to confirm late-stage sleeping sickness, but this necessitates a risky lumbar puncture. Most drugs, including many trypanocides, do not cross the blood-brain barrier efficiently. Improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are thus urgently required. The latter might benefit from approaches which manipulate the blood-brain barrier to enhance permeability or to limit drug efflux. This review summarizes our current understanding of the neurological aspects of sleeping sickness, and envisages new research into blood-brain barrier models that are necessary to understand the interactions between trypanosomes and drugs active against them within the host nervous system. Received 10 October 2001; received after revision 29 November 2001; accepted 5 December 2001     

Kainate receptor pharmacology and physiology

Glutamate is the primary neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. One of the classes of ionotropic glutamate receptors is kainate receptors. Recent developments in the pharmacology of kainate receptors have resulted in the emergence of several selective agonists and antagonists. These compounds have allowed scientists to begin to probe the functional properties of these receptors in neurons and gain a better understanding of the role of these receptors in the nervous system.     

Neuroactive steroids: State of the art and new perspectives

Neuroactive steroids include synthetic steroidal compounds and endogenous steroids, produced by endocrine glands (hormonal steroids) or the nervous tissue (neurosteroids), which regulate neural functions. These steroids bind to nuclear receptors or act through the activation of membrane-associated signaling pathways to modulate various important processes including the development of the nervous system, neural plasticity and the adaptive responses of neurons and glial cells under pathological conditions. Reviewed and updated in the present paper are the pleiotropic and protective abilities of neuroactive steroids. The fundamental evidence and knowledge gained constitute a profound background that offers interesting possibilities for developing effective strategies against several disorders of the nervous system. Received 3 September 2007; received after revision 24 October 2007; accepted 29 October 2007     

Identification of the bioactive peptide PEC-60 in brain

PEC-60 is a 60-residue peptide originally isolated from pig intestine. It inhibits glucose-induced insulin secretion from perfused pancreas in a hormonal manner and also has biological activity in the immune system. PEC-60-like immunoreactive material has been reported in catecholamine neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems, but the peptide has not been identified from that material. We have now isolated PEC-60 from pig and rat brains with a method that combines column purification procedures with the specificity of a radioimmunoassay and the sensitivity of mass spectrometry to directly identify the peptide. The results show that PEC-60, like many other peptides, is expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. The specific regional brain distribution and interaction with classical neurotransmitters raise the possibility that PEC-60may play a role in the central nervous system disorders involving dopamine dysregulation. Received 6 December 2002; received after revision 10 December 2002; accepted 11 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author.     

Galanin – 25 years with a multitalented neuropeptide

The neuropeptide galanin is widely, but not ubiquitously, expressed in the adult nervous system. Its expression is markedly upregulated in many neuronal tissues after nerve injury or disease. Over the last 10 years we have demonstrated that the peptide plays a developmental survival role to subsets of neurons in the peripheral and central nervous systems with resulting phenotypic changes in neuropathic pain and cognition. Galanin also appears to play a trophic role to adult sensory neurons following injury, via activation of GalR2, by stimulating neurite outgrowth. Furthermore, galanin also plays a neuroprotective role to the hippocampus following excitotoxic injury, again mediated by activation of GalR2. In summary, these studies demonstrate that a GalR2 agonist might have clinical utility in a variety of human diseases that affect the nervous system.     

Intracellular localization of alpha-fetoprotein and serum albumin in the central nervous system of the rat during fetal and postnatal development]

The morphological localisation of alphafetoprotein (AFP), serumalbumin (SA), transferrin and immunoglobulins (IgG) has been studied in the developing central nervous system of the Rat by immunocytochemical methods. Evidence is presented of a highly selective staining for AFP and SA, both proteins exhibiting the same topographical distribution. Practically all the areas of the brain and the spinal cord are stained at a given moment of the developmental process. The labeling is cytoplasmic and in the neuronal elements extends to their axonic and dendritic prolongations. The localization of AFP and SA in the nervous system may be related to the well known binding properties of these proteins for varied substances (estrogen and/or fatty acids). The morphological data presented here suggest that both proteins may be actively involved in the uptake of such substances by the cellular structures of the nervous tissue.     

Von der Mathematik der nervösen Ordnungsleistung

Summary An exact analysis of the coordination of movements in arthropods and vertebrates leads to the rejection of older explanations in terms of reflex physiology and to a dynamic conception of the process in the central nervous system, which admits of representation by a physical model (as well as of a mathematical formulation). This conception carries with it the implication that locomotion is caused by automatic elements that work in the rhythm of locomotion and are prior to the motor elements.This view stands in close relation to the physiology of the nervous system and to Gestalt psychology.     

Introduction: invertebrate axons find their way

The mechanisms that generate the immense complexity of synaptic connections within the developing nervous system have fascinated biologists for decades. Analysis of nervous system development in simple systems, such as insects, has made a major contribution to our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control the formation of axon pathways and precise connections. This enterprise has a long, interesting, and somewhat controversial history. This collection of reviews on axon guidance in insects provides a brief update to integrate current molecular and developmental insights in a number of areas from initial axon pathfinding to the recognition of synaptic partners.     

Tetanus intoxication causes an increment of serotonin in the central nervous system

Mice injected with tetanus toxin (TTx) showed an increase of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin, 5-HT) levels in the central nervous system. The increment was not uniform throughout the central nervous system. Particularly significant were the 25% and 80% increases observed, respectively, in whole brain and spinal cord. The levels of dopamine and norepinephrine remained unchanged. The subsequent studies of 5-HT turnover revealed a synthesis rate in the tetanic animals that was almost double that of controls. The degradation rate of the amine as well as the levels of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid were unaffected.     

Tetanus intoxication causes an increment of serotonin in the central nervous system

Summary Mice injected with tetanus toxin (TTx) showed an increase of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin, 5-HT) levels in the central nervous system. The increment was not uniform thoughout the central nervous system. Particularly significant were the 25% and 80% increases observed, respectively, in whole brain and spinal cord. The levels of dopamine and norepinephrine remained unchanged. The subsequent studies of 5-HT turnover revealed a synthesis rate in the tetanic animals that was almost double that of controls. The degradation rate of the amine as well as the levels of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid were unaffected.     

Effect of chemical sympathectomy,adrenalectomy and adrenergicα- andβ-blocking agents on the development of hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin in the rat

Summary The sympathetic nervous system in the rat does not play any significant role in the streptozotocin-induced and tolbutamipe-induced hypoglycemia.     

Localization of substance P in the nervous system of the human fetus : preliminary results

Substance P (SP) immunoreactive structures were localized by immunofluorescence technique within the central nervous system of human fetuses (12, 15, 19 and 24 weeks old). Specificity of the anti-SP serum was established by immunocytology and radio-immunology. A wide distribution of SP positive structures (pericaryons and/or fibres) was found in brain, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Mesencephalon, pons and dorsal horns of the spinal cord showed very intense fluorescence. The preliminary observations are the first report concerning SP ontogeny in the Human central nervous system. However, it was difficult to ascribe a significance to this neuropeptide during fetal life.     

Adaptation of the deoxyglucose method to the cellular level: histologic preparation of the central nervous system for high resolution radioautography]

Vascular perfusion of all products required for primary fixation, postfixation, dehydration and embedding of nervous tissue in Epon permits radio-autographic detection of radioactivity accumulated in the central nervous system after intravenous injection of [3H]deoxyglucose. This histological technique should allow application of the deoxyglucose method at cellular if not subcellular level, since a high proportion of the tracer appears to be retained in situ in specimens adequately preserved for light and electron microscope radio-autography.