10 documents found, page 1 of 1
Cleavage of the TrkB-FL receptor during epileptogenesis: insights from a kainic...
Ribeiro Rodrigues, Leonor; Fonseca-Gomes, João; Paulo, Sara L; Viais, Ricardo; Ribeiro, Filipa; Miranda-Lourenço, Catarina; Mouro, FranciscoBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for neuronal survival, differentiation, and plasticity. In epilepsy, BDNF exhibits a dual role, exerting both antiepileptic and pro-epileptic effects. The cleavage of its main receptor, full-length tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB-FL), was suggested to occur in status epilepticus (SE) in vitro. Moreover, under excitotoxic conditions, TrkB-FL was found to b...
Cognitive comorbidities of experimental absence seizures are independent of anx...
Neuparth-Sottomayor, Mariana; Pina, Carolina; Morais, Tatiana P.; Farinha Ferreira, Jorge Miguel; Abreu, Daniela Sofia; Solano, Filipa; Mouro, FranciscoTypical absence seizures (ASs) are brief periods of lack of consciousness, associated with 2.5-4 Hz spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in the EEG, which are highly prevalent in children and teenagers. The majority of probands in these young epileptic cohorts show neuropsychological comorbidities, including cognitive, memory and mood impairments, even after the seizures are pharmacologically controlled. Similar cognit...
Sustained NMDA receptor hypofunction impairs brain-derived neurotropic factor s...
Tanqueiro, Sara; Mouro, Francisco; Ferreira, Catarina B.; Freitas, Céline; Fonseca-Gomes, João; Simões Do Couto, Frederico; Sebastião, Ana MBackground: Cognitive deficits profoundly impact on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia. Alterations in brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signalling, which regulates synaptic function through the activation of full-length tropomyosin-related kinase B receptors (TrkB-FL), are implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia, as is N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) hypofunction. However, wh...
Challenges of BDNF-based therapies : from common to rare diseases
Miranda-Lourenço, Catarina; Ribeiro Rodrigues, Leonor; Fonseca-Gomes, João; Tanqueiro, Sara; Belo, Rita F.; Ferreira, Catarina B.; Rei, NádiaNeurotrophins are a well-known family of neurotrophic factors that play an important role both in the central and peripheral nervous systems, where they modulate neuronal survival, development, function and plasticity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) possesses diverse biological functions which are mediated by the activation of two main classes of receptors, the tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) B and t...
In vivo bio-distribution and toxicity evaluation of polymeric and lipid-based n...
Fonseca-Gomes, João; Loureiro, Joana A; Tanqueiro, Sara; Mouro, Francisco; Ruivo, Pedro; Carvalho, Tânia; Sebastião, Ana M; Diógenes, Maria JoséNanoparticles (NPs), as drug delivery systems, appear to be a promising tool for prolonged therapeutic strategies as they allow a controlled drug release over time. However, most of the studies found in the literature simply contemplate the use of a single or low number of dosages with low NPs concentrations. In the context of chronic diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, cancer or human immunodeficiency virus (H...
From cannabinoids and neurosteroids to statins and the ketogenic diet: new ther...
Mouro, Francisco; Miranda-Lourenço, Catarina; Sebastião, Ana M; Diógenes, Maria JoséRett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused mainly by mutations in the MECP2 gene, being one of the leading causes of mental disability in females. Mutations in the MECP2 gene are responsible for 95% of the diagnosed RTT cases and the mechanisms through which these mutations relate with symptomatology are still elusive. Children with RTT present a period of apparent normal development ...
Cannabinoid actions on neural stem cells: implications for pathophysiology
Rodrigues, Rui S.; Lourenço, Diogo M.; Paulo, Sara L; Mateus, Joana; Ferreira, Miguel F.; Mouro, Francisco; Moreira, João B.; Ribeiro, FilipaWith the increase of life expectancy, neurodegenerative disorders are becoming not only a health but also a social burden worldwide. However, due to the multitude of pathophysiological disease states, current treatments fail to meet the desired outcomes. Therefore, there is a need for new therapeutic strategies focusing on more integrated, personalized and effective approaches. The prospect of using neural stem...
Adenosine A2A receptors facilitate synaptic NMDA currents in CA1 pyramidal neurons
Mouro, Francisco; Rombo, Diogo M.; Dias, Raquel Baptista; Ribeiro, Joaquim A.; Sebastião, Ana MBackground and purpose: NMDA receptors play a key role in both synaptic plasticity and neurodegeneration. Adenosine is an endogenous neuromodulator and through membrane receptors of the A2A subtype can influence both synaptic plasticity and neuronal death. The present work was designed to evaluate the influence of adenosine A2A receptors upon NMDA receptor activity in CA1 hippocampal neurons. We discriminated b...
Chronic, intermittent treatment with a cannabinoid receptor agonist impairs rec...
Mouro, Francisco; Ribeiro, Joaquim A.; Sebastião, Ana M; Dawson, NeilElucidating how cannabinoids affect brain function is instrumental for the development of therapeutic tools aiming to mitigate 'on target' side effects of cannabinoid-based therapies. A single treatment with the cannabinoid receptor agonist, WIN 55,212-2, disrupts recognition memory in mice. Here, we evaluate how prolonged, intermittent (30 days) exposure to WIN 55,212-2 (1 mg/kg) alters recognition memory and ...
Chronic and acute adenosine A2A receptor blockade prevents long-term episodic m...
Mouro, Francisco; Batalha, Vânia; Ferreira, Diana; Coelho, Joana E; Baqi, Younis; Müller, Christa E.; Lopes, Luisa V.; Ribeiro, Joaquim A.Cannabinoid-mediated memory impairment is a concern in cannabinoid-based therapies. Caffeine exacerbates cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R)-induced memory deficits through an adenosine A1 receptor-mediated mechanism. We now evaluated how chronic or acute blockade of adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) affects long-term episodic memory deficits induced by a single injection of a selective CB1R agonist. Long-term episod...