International Review of Neurobiology 

About: International Review of Neurobiology is an academic journal published by Elsevier BV. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Parkinson's disease & Medicine. It has an ISSN identifier of 0074-7742. Over the lifetime, 1889 publications have been published receiving 79376 citations. The journal is also known as: Neurobiology.

Neurobiology of zinc and zinc-containing neurons.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses separate pools of CNS zinc, which are, vesicular zinc, free zinc, and protein-bound zinc Vesicular zinc is the one which is sequestered in the presynaptic vesicles of a special class of neurons, the zinc-containing neurons, which are found primarily in limbic, cerebrocortical, and corticofugal systems This vesicular zinc can be selectively stained by several histochemical procedures and is, therefore, accessible to histological and histoanalytical studies The second pool, free zinc, is an entirely hypothetical pool of ionic Zn +2 in the cytosol or interstitial fluid that may or may not be present in normal, healthy brain tissue The third pool of zinc is that which is bound firmly into the structure of the many zinc-containing enzymes in the brain The enzymatic zinc is, therefore, a stable pool, involved only in the specific function of the zinc-containing enzymes Zinc metalloenzymes are essential to the normal biology of brain cells, and any experimental treatment that is extreme enough to affect the metalloenzymes, such as prolonged zinc undernutrition or administration of chelators, can disrupt brain function through metalloenzymatic effects

The Axon Reaction: A Review of the Principal Features of Perikaryal Responses to Axon Injury

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the principal features of perikaryal responses to axon injury. The neuron is an unusual cell. Its axon terminals may be situated at what in cellular terms is an enormous distance from the cell body (perikaryon); the volume of the latter may be but a small fraction of the total cellular volume. Yet the neuronal processes are maintained and their substance is constantly renewed from the perikaryon. The separation of an axon from its cell body results (in vertebrates) in the degeneration of the separated portion and is followed by a series of morphological changes in the perikarya. The most conspicuous of these is the disintegration, redistribution, and apparent disappearance from the cell body of cytoplasmic basophil material. Changes in axotomized neurons are generally assessed by comparison with the corresponding contralateral neurons of the experimental animal.

The Cerebrocerebellar System

Abstract: The cerebellum has massive reciprocal interconnections with the cerebral cortex and with cerebral subcortical structures that complement its interconnections with the spinal cord and brainstem. The major cerebrocerebellar link is mediated by the feedforward/afferent corticopontine projections and mossy fibers emanating from the pontocerebellar projections, and the feedback/efferent cerebellothalamic and thalamocortical projections. These highly arranged connections link sensorimotor, associative and limbic regions of cerebral cortex with the cerebellum and the intervening pontine nuclei and thalamus in a topographically precise manner. The cerebellum also has reciprocal links with the basal ganglia and hypothalamus, and with structures in the limbic circuit. In addition to these mossy fiber afferents to cerebellum, the inferior olive receives indirect input from motor and associative regions of the cerebral cortex by way of the red nucleus and zona incerta, and it conveys these inputs to cerebellum via climbing fibers. The cerebrocerebellar pathways are organized into segregated loops of information processing and stand in contrast to the cerebellar cortical architecture that is essentially uniform. Knowledge of cerebrocerebellar circuits is critical to understanding theories of the cerebellar contribution to motor and nonmotor function, and to the diagnosis and management of patients with lesions in these pathways.

Adenosine and Brain Function

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the role of adenosine in brain function Adenosine is an endogenous neuromodulator that influences many functions in the central nervous system (CNS) The levels of adenosine increase when there is an imbalance between the rates of energy use and the rates of energy delivery Increased neuronal activity, and hypoxia or ischemia results in elevated levels of adenosine Adenosine receptors (ARs) were based on the ability of methylxanthines, such as theophylline and caffeine to act as antagonists The two receptors, A1 and A2, inhibit and stimulate adenylyl cyclase respectively The functions of ARs include: (1) regulation of nerve activity, (2) regulation of transmitter release, (3) interaction with other transmitter systems, and (4) various other functions Increased extracellular adenosine in response to ischemia and hypoxia acts as a neuro-protectant during cerebral ischemia and other neuronal insults ARs (A 1 Rs and A 2A Rs) are expressed at moderate to high levels in the brain areas enriched with dopaminergic innervation, thus providing an anatomical basis for interaction between these neurotransmitter systems Different features of the phenotypes provide clues to the roles of defects in AR genes in human disease The chapter discusses the roles of adenosine A 2A receptors in neurodegenerative disorders and ARs in psychiatric disorders Caffeine is used to improve wakefulness and the main actions of caffeine are mediated by brain ARs Adenosine might be an endogenous regulator of sleep–wake cycles, as adenosine analogs induced a sleep-like state In addition, ARs may play many roles in pathways that contribute to pain Clearly much additional work is needed to pinpoint the sites and mechanisms of action, as well as the roles in chronic pain states

The physiological role of adenosine in the central nervous system.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the physiological role of adenosine in the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, the chapter's attention is directed to the actions of adenosine and related purines in the CNS. One of the major advances in the understanding of purine actions in the central nervous system is the characterization of high affinity specific receptors for purines in brain membranes. The physiological actions of purines, the receptors and biochemical actions that underlie these functional responses and behavioral responses to purinergic drugs are considered. There are three different adenosine receptor sites in brain, which can be distinguished primarily by their effects upon adenylate cyclase, their pharmacological properties, and by their ability to bind labeled analogs of adenosine. One of the best-characterized physiological actions of adenosine is the inhibition of the release of neurotransmitters, an action that has been unequivocally established at many peripheral synapses. If one thing remains clear, it is that purines have a multitude of complex actions at every level, including the biochemical, physiological, and behavioral. There remains little question, but that adenosine or other purines constitute important and rather ubiquitous regulators of neuronalactivity in brain. Despite the evidence that purines play a significant role in neural function, it has remained difficult to define the functional role(s) of purines in brain.