Glutamate transporter

Abstract Vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2 (VGLUT1 and VGLUT2) have distinct distributions in the cochlear nucleus that correspond to the sources of the labeled terminals. VGLUT1 is associated with terminals of auditory nerve fibers, whereas VGLUT2 is associated with glutamatergic terminals deriving from other sources that project to the cochlear nucleus (CN), including somatosensory and vestibular terminals. Previous studies in guinea pig and rat have shown that cochlear damage results…

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869 discovered Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (The ALS Association, 2015). ALS is more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease after Lou Gehrig, a great American baseball player whose career unfortunately ended abruptly due to this incurable degenerative disease. ALS is the deterioration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that leads to muscle weakness. This significant decrease in muscle strength eventually…

indirect action of toxins on the nervous system. This theory stipulates that many exogenous substances that go into the body produce in the individual the effects or symptoms of mental illness (Baumeister & Hawkins, 2004). Like the dopamine and glutamate hypothesis, serotonin holds that schizophrenia originated from the effect of recreational drugs like hallucinogenic or psychotomimetic drugs, like LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, and ecstasy on the neurotransmitter serotonin. The drugs act as…

Models: 5.a.1. 6- Hydroxydopamine model: One of the most frequently used toxin-based animal model is 6-OHDA. It was first isolated in 1950. It is frequently used in rats. It shows affinity for catecholaminergic transporter. For example, norepinephrine transporter and dopamine transporter. Though the structure of 6-OHDA is similar to dopamine but the existence of excess amount of hydroxyl group makes it toxic to dopaminergic neurons. Catecholaminergic neurons are damaged by a combined effect of…

(Advokat, Comaty & Julien, 2014). Although the exact cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown, it is hypothesized that two systems crucial for the communication between brain cells fail due to the down regulation of acetylcholine and the over activation of glutamate, which result in the death of neurons (IOS Press, 2008). It is believed to involve the irreversible loss of cholinergic neurons, specifically in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus (Advokat et al., 2014). The onset of this disease usually…

Commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease where the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord die (Harmon, 2012). Diagnosis generally occurs after age fifty and from that point, the patient generally has three to five years until his/her motor neurons controlling the diaphragm die, resulting in death by asphyxiation (Al-Chalabi et al., 2014; “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” n.d.). An anomaly to this generalization is Stephen…

Inquiry Statement Methamphetamine or METH is a highly addictive psychostimulant that has neurodegenerative effects on the human brain (Krasnova & Cadet 2009)(Krasnova and Cadet, 2009). METH abuse in Hawaii is one of the highest in the nation (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Oct/12/ln/ln02a.html). METH is also commonly used by HIV-infected individuals(Cadet & Krasnova 2007). Drug use in the presence of HIV-infection increases the severity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder…

Sertraline. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for controlling fundamental physiological aspects of the body. In the central nervous system (CNS), serotonin has a key role in regulating sleep, appetite, sexual desire and mood, also some cognitive function, including memory, learning and depression. Individuals who suffer from major depressive disorder are associated with decreased availability of serotonin or inefficient levels of serotonin. In addition, suicidal patients have…

Introduction The scientific study of Huntington’s Disease (HD) had began in 1872, by George Huntington who is a family physician that had published a report on the clinical symptoms and peculiar mode of inheritance of the disorder.(1, 2) Huntington’s disease has 3 subtypes according to the age onset, which are infantile, juvenile and the adult-onset.(2) Individuals with Huntington’s disease can become asymptomatic between the ages of 1 and 80 years.(3) The typical mean age of onset is 40 years,…

Serotonin reuptake inhibitor is an antidepressant that blocks SERT transporter or serotonin transporter. This transporter carries serotonin from presynaptic spaces. As a result serotonin builds up and 5-HT1A receptors are downregulated. The presynaptic neuron then becomes disinhibited to release more serotonin. First generation antipsychotics…