Diet and Rat Strain as Factors in Nervous System Function and Influence of Confounders

The necessity for understanding normal human cognitive processes and behavior, and themechanisrns which result in dysfunction in these processes are dependant on utilization of a suitable animal model. In order to develop pharmaceutical agents to alleviate mental disturbances and enable the individual to cope within the norms of society, it is incumbent upon investigators to choose a species in which pharmacokinetic principles are established and resemble those of hurnans. The choice of rats in cognition research studies has specific advantages in that these anirnals possess similar pharrnacodynamic parameters to hurnans. Further advantages include availability, low cost, ease of breeding, maintenance and an extensive literature database which enable comparisons to present findings. However, there are substantial differences in the perforrnance of various rat strains in tasks of learning, memory, attention, and responses to stress or drugs. In addition to rat strain, quantity of thed also exerts profound consequences on animal behavior. The aim of this review is to demonstrate that there are differences in the central nervous systern responsivencess of rat strains to chemicals and these could be related to factors such as source of supplier, type and quantity of feed, or season of the year. It is also evident that the genotype differs amongst strains and this may be responsible for the observed differences in CNS sensitivity to chemicals. Strain differences must be identified and taken into consideration in interpretation of assessrnent of neurobehavioural functions. It is also incumbent upon the investigators to utilize healthy (diet-controlled) animal models.

Distribution of paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B in the nervous system related to regeneration difficulties after unilateral lumbar spinal cord injury

Paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B（Pir B） is a functional receptor of myelin-associated inhibitors for axonal regeneration and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system, and thus suppresses nerve regeneration. The regulatory effect of Pir B on injured nerves has received a lot of attention. To better understand nerve regeneration inability after spinal cord injury, this study aimed to investigate the distribution of Pir B（via immunofluorescence） in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system 10 days after injury. Immunoreactivity for Pir B increased in the dorsal root ganglia, sciatic nerves, and spinal cord segments. In the dorsal root ganglia and sciatic nerves, Pir B was mainly distributed along neuronal and axonal membranes. Pir B was found to exhibit a diffuse, intricate distribution in the dorsal and ventral regions. Immunoreactivity for Pir B was enhanced in some cortical neurons located in the bilateral precentral gyri. Overall, the findings suggest a pattern of Pir B immunoreactivity in the nervous system after unilateral spinal transection injury, and also indicate that Pir B may suppress repair after injury.

Effects of nerve growth factor on delayed afterdepolarization and triggered activity in the infarcted ventricle of rabbit model

The noninfarcted myocardium underwent significant electrophysiological remodelling as part of the healed myocardial infarction remodelling. This study aimed at investigating the effects of nervous growth factor （NGF） on delayed afterdepolarizations （DADs） and triggered activity （TA） of the noninfarcted myocardium in the myocardial infarcted rabbit model. Rabbits with the left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion were prepared and recovered for 8 weeks （HMI group, n=9）. Other rabbits with myocardial infarction were infused NGF to the left stellate ganglion （HMI＋NGF group, 400 U/day for 8 weeks, n=8）. Myocytes were isolated from regions of the noninfarcted left ventricular free wall. Action potentials and ion currents were recorded with whole-cell patch clamp. The results showed that more DADs and TA events of HMI＋NGF myocytes than that of HMI and Ctrl group. Iti and ICa-L of NGF＋HMI myocytes were increased significantly compared with HMI and Ctrl cells, which contributed to DADs-related triggered arrhythmia. Comparing with HM1 and Ctrl myocytes, significant prolongations of APD50 and APD90 in HMI＋NGF myocytes were found. The results indicated the electrophysiological change of HMI myocytes with NGF infusion. It suggested that more events of DADs and TA in HMI myocytes with NGF treatment. The underlying mechanism may be involved in the increase of Iti and ICa-L.