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Modeling Neurological Disorders in Experimental Animals: New Insights and Emerging Roles: 4th Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 4767

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various animal models have played a key role in neurological disorder research. These models aim to replicate various aspects of the disorders, including the genetic basis, histopathological lesions, and clinical symptoms. They provide us with improved comprehension of the etiopathogenesis of these disorders, with the end goal of mechanistically constructing therapeutics which can eventually lead to the modification and/or prevention of neurological disorders. Despite the vast amount of knowledge previously assimilated, researchers and the general public can still benefit from novel animal models that better recapitulate the human disease, in addition to updates concerning previously established animal models, as well as new insights regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders. This Special Issue intends to present new and interesting developments in the field. Articles offering innovative insights into the multifaceted pathophysiology of neurological disorders are welcome. This Special Issue may include, but is not limited to: original research articles focusing on differential gene expression analyses of genetic models, the development of new models, further characterization of established models, therapeutic studies utilizing animal models, and review articles which summarize and highlight recent advances in the field.

Prof. Dr. Changjong Moon
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • neurological disorders
  • animal models
  • developmental models
  • genetic models
  • molecular mechanisms
  • genetic analysis
  • drug efficacy testing

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 10927 KiB  
Article
Transient Increases in Neural Oscillations and Motor Deficits in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease
by Yue Wu, Lidi Lu, Tao Qing, Suxin Shi and Guangzhan Fang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9545; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179545 - 2 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1439
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms like tremors and bradykinesia. PD’s pathology involves the aggregation of α-synuclein and loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to altered neural oscillations in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic network. Despite extensive research, the relationship between [...] Read more.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms like tremors and bradykinesia. PD’s pathology involves the aggregation of α-synuclein and loss of dopaminergic neurons, leading to altered neural oscillations in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic network. Despite extensive research, the relationship between the motor symptoms of PD and transient changes in brain oscillations before and after motor tasks in different brain regions remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate neural oscillations in both healthy and PD model mice using local field potential (LFP) recordings from multiple brain regions during rest and locomotion. The histological evaluation confirmed the significant dopaminergic neuron loss in the injection side in 6-OHDA lesioned mice. Behavioral tests showed motor deficits in these mice, including impaired coordination and increased forelimb asymmetry. The LFP analysis revealed increased delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma band activity in 6-OHDA lesioned mice during movement, with significant increases in multiple brain regions, including the primary motor cortex (M1), caudate–putamen (CPu), subthalamic nucleus (STN), substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), and pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN). Taken together, these results show that the motor symptoms of PD are accompanied by significant transient increases in brain oscillations, especially in the gamma band. This study provides potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation by elucidating the relationship between specific neural oscillations and motor deficits in PD. Full article
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18 pages, 2769 KiB  
Article
Dried Blood Spot Metabolome Features of Ischemic–Hypoxic Encephalopathy: A Neonatal Rat Model
by Chupalav Eldarov, Natalia Starodubtseva, Yulia Shevtsova, Kirill Goryunov, Oleg Ionov, Vladimir Frankevich, Egor Plotnikov, Gennady Sukhikh, Dmitry Zorov and Denis Silachev
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(16), 8903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25168903 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a severe neurological disorder caused by perinatal asphyxia with significant consequences. Early recognition and intervention are crucial, with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) being the primary treatment, but its efficacy depends on early initiation of treatment. Accurately assessing the HIE severity [...] Read more.
Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a severe neurological disorder caused by perinatal asphyxia with significant consequences. Early recognition and intervention are crucial, with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) being the primary treatment, but its efficacy depends on early initiation of treatment. Accurately assessing the HIE severity in neonatal care poses challenges, but omics approaches have made significant contribution to understanding its complex pathophysiology. Our study further explores the impact of HIE on the blood metabolome over time and investigated changes associated with hypothermia’s therapeutic effects. Using a rat model of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury, we comprehensively analyzed dried blood spot samples for fat-soluble compounds using HPLC-MS. Our research shows significant changes in the blood metabolome after HIE, with a particularly rapid recovery of lipid metabolism observed. Significant changes in lipid metabolites were observed after 3 h of HIE, including increases in ceramides, carnitines, certain fatty acids, phosphocholines, and phosphoethanolamines, while sphingomyelins and N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) decreased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NAEs were found to be significant features in the OPLS-DA model for HIE diagnosis, with an area under the curve of 0.812. TH showed a notable association with decreased concentrations of ceramides. Enrichment analysis further corroborated these observations, showing modulation in several key metabolic pathways, including arachidonic acid oxylipin metabolism, eicosanoid metabolism via lipooxygenases, and leukotriene C4 synthesis deficiency. Our study reveals dynamic changes in the blood metabolome after HIE and the therapeutic effects of hypothermia, which improves our understanding of the pathophysiology of HIE and could lead to the development of new rapid diagnostic approaches for neonatal HIE. Full article
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12 pages, 2745 KiB  
Article
Effects of Intracerebral Aminophylline Dosing on Catalepsy and Gait in an Animal Model of Parkinson’s Disease
by Érica de Moraes Santos Corrêa, Gustavo Christofoletti and Albert Schiaveto de Souza
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(10), 5191; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25105191 - 10 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1345
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive disorder characterized by the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. This study explored the potential effects of aminophylline, a non-selective adenosine A1 and A2A receptor antagonist, on catalepsy and gait in a haloperidol-induced [...] Read more.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive disorder characterized by the apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia. This study explored the potential effects of aminophylline, a non-selective adenosine A1 and A2A receptor antagonist, on catalepsy and gait in a haloperidol-induced PD model. Sixty adult male Swiss mice were surgically implanted with guide cannulas that targeted the basal ganglia. After seven days, the mice received intraperitoneal injections of either haloperidol (experimental group, PD-induced model) or saline solution (control group, non-PD-induced model), followed by intracerebral infusions of aminophylline. The assessments included catalepsy testing on the bar and gait analysis using the Open Field Maze. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s post hoc tests, was employed to evaluate the impact of groups (experimental × control), aminophylline (60 nM × 120 nM × saline/placebo), and interactions. Significance was set at 5%. The results revealed that the systemic administration of haloperidol in the experimental group increased catalepsy and dysfunction of gait that paralleled the observations in PD. Co-treatment with aminophylline at 60 nM and 120 nM reversed catalepsy in the experimental group but did not restore the normal gait pattern of the animals. In the non-PD induced group, which did not present any signs of catalepsy or motor dysfunctions, the intracerebral dose of aminophylline did not exert any interference on reaction time for catalepsy but increased walking distance in the Open Field Maze. Considering the results, this study highlights important adenosine interactions in the basal ganglia of animals with and without signs comparable to those of PD. These findings offer valuable insights into the neurobiology of PD and emphasize the importance of exploring novel therapeutic strategies to improve patient’s catalepsy and gait. Full article
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