Autonomic dysreflexia （AD） is a serious cardiovascular disorder in patients with spinal cord injury （SCI）. The primary underlying cause of AD is loss of supraspinal control over sympathetic preganglionic neurons ...Autonomic dysreflexia （AD） is a serious cardiovascular disorder in patients with spinal cord injury （SCI）. The primary underlying cause of AD is loss of supraspinal control over sympathetic preganglionic neurons （SPNs） caudal to the injury, which renders the SPNs hyper-responsive to stimulation. Central maladaptive plasticity, including C-fiber sprouting and propriospinal fiber proliferation exaggerates noxious afferent transmission to the SPNs, causing them to release massive sympathetic discharges that result in severe hypertensive episodes. In parallel, upregulated peripheral vascular sensitivity following SCI exacerbates the hypertensive response by augmenting gastric and pelvic vasoconstriction. Currently, the majority of clinically employed treatments for AD involve anti-hypertensive medications and Botox injections to the bladder. Although these approaches mitigate the severity of AD, they only yield transient effects and target the effector organs, rather than addressing the primary issue of central sympathetic dysregulation. As such, strategies that aim to restore supraspinal reinnervation of SPNs to improve cardiovascular sympathetic regulation are likely more effective for AD. Recent pre-clinical investigations show that cell transplantation therapy is efficacious in reestablishing spinal sympathetic connections and improving hemodynamic per- formance, which holds promise as a potential therapeutic approach.展开更多
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder （ADHD）, a prevalent syndrome in children worldwide, is characterized by impulsivity, inappropriate inattention, and/or hyperactivity. It seriously afflicts cognitive deve...Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder （ADHD）, a prevalent syndrome in children worldwide, is characterized by impulsivity, inappropriate inattention, and/or hyperactivity. It seriously afflicts cognitive development in childhood, and may lead to chronic under-achievement, academic failure, problematic peer relationships, and low self-esteem. There are at least three challenges for the treatment of ADHD. First, the neurobiological bases of its symptoms are still not clear. Second, the commonly prescribed medications, most showing short-term therapeutic efficacy but with a high risk of serious side-effects, are mainly based on a dopamine mechanism. Third, more novel and efficient animal models, especially in nonhuman primates, are required to accelerate the development of new medications. In this article, we review research progress in the related fields, focusing on our previous studies showing that blockade of prefrontal cortical a2A-adrenoceptors in monkeys produces almost all the typical behavioral symptoms of ADHD.展开更多
基金supported by NIH NINDS R01NS099076,Morton Cure Paralysis Funds(MCPF)
文摘Autonomic dysreflexia （AD） is a serious cardiovascular disorder in patients with spinal cord injury （SCI）. The primary underlying cause of AD is loss of supraspinal control over sympathetic preganglionic neurons （SPNs） caudal to the injury, which renders the SPNs hyper-responsive to stimulation. Central maladaptive plasticity, including C-fiber sprouting and propriospinal fiber proliferation exaggerates noxious afferent transmission to the SPNs, causing them to release massive sympathetic discharges that result in severe hypertensive episodes. In parallel, upregulated peripheral vascular sensitivity following SCI exacerbates the hypertensive response by augmenting gastric and pelvic vasoconstriction. Currently, the majority of clinically employed treatments for AD involve anti-hypertensive medications and Botox injections to the bladder. Although these approaches mitigate the severity of AD, they only yield transient effects and target the effector organs, rather than addressing the primary issue of central sympathetic dysregulation. As such, strategies that aim to restore supraspinal reinnervation of SPNs to improve cardiovascular sympathetic regulation are likely more effective for AD. Recent pre-clinical investigations show that cell transplantation therapy is efficacious in reestablishing spinal sympathetic connections and improving hemodynamic per- formance, which holds promise as a potential therapeutic approach.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31460263, 30990263, and 31271171)the National Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China (2013CB835101)
文摘Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder （ADHD）, a prevalent syndrome in children worldwide, is characterized by impulsivity, inappropriate inattention, and/or hyperactivity. It seriously afflicts cognitive development in childhood, and may lead to chronic under-achievement, academic failure, problematic peer relationships, and low self-esteem. There are at least three challenges for the treatment of ADHD. First, the neurobiological bases of its symptoms are still not clear. Second, the commonly prescribed medications, most showing short-term therapeutic efficacy but with a high risk of serious side-effects, are mainly based on a dopamine mechanism. Third, more novel and efficient animal models, especially in nonhuman primates, are required to accelerate the development of new medications. In this article, we review research progress in the related fields, focusing on our previous studies showing that blockade of prefrontal cortical a2A-adrenoceptors in monkeys produces almost all the typical behavioral symptoms of ADHD.
