In recent decades, scientists in Asian and Western countries have been paying great attention to ginseng research. Today, more than 200 ginsenosides and non-saponin constituents have been isolated and identified. Ginsenosides show biological activities only after being deglycosylated by intestinal bacteria. Aglycone protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol show the highest bioactivities. According to literature, the noticeable action of ginseng is that of delaying aging and especially increasing the nootropic effect, and it was found for the first time that Rg1 could increase hippocampal neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo under physiological and pathological circumstances. This is one of primary mechanisms underlying many of its pharmacological actions on the central nervous system. Rg1 was further shown to improve learning and memory in normal rats and mice. The nootropic signaling pathway has also been carried out in normal rats, and the Rg1-induced signaling pathway is similar to the memory formation that occurs in mammals, suggesting that Rg1 may have a potential effect in increasing intellectual capacity in normal people. Comparisons of chemical structures and pharmacologic functions between Panax ginseng and Panax quiquefolium were carried out by many scientists. The conclusion is that each has its own characteristics. There is no superiority or inferiority to the other.
Animals ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Ginsenosides ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Neurogenesis ; Neuronal Plasticity ; drug effects ; Panax ; chemistry ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

In recent years there have been more widely and deeply studies in investigating melamine toxicity. Generally, it is believed that the main target of melamine is the urinary system. However, previous studies revealed that it also had additional biological actions. Obviously, the toxicity mechanisms of melamine have not been fully clarified. It is well known that fetus and infant periods play the most fundamental role in the brain development. And melamine can pass through the placental and blood-brain barrier, and then exerts toxic effects on the central nervous system. This article reviewed the reports about the topic in recent years, for better understanding the dangers of melamine to infants and providing experimental data for further study.
Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; drug effects ; Brain ; growth & development ; Central Nervous System ; drug effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal-Fetal Exchange ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Triazines ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity

Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) is responsible for muscle building and masculinizing. Using AAS can enhance muscle development and strength, and improve athletic performance. AAS abuse is not only seen in sport. Research has shown that there is an increasing number of adolescent AAS abusers. Adolescents are at a critical period of physical and mental development. Sex hormones are one of the important physiological factors affecting the development of their bodies and brains. Long-term or high-dose AAS treatment is likely to cause irreversible damage to their nervous system and psychological behavior, and these effects are easily overlooked. The article reviewed the long-term adverse effects of AAS on psychological behavior, emotion, cognitive functions and the nervous system of adolescents.
Adolescent ; Anabolic Agents ; pharmacology ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Humans ; Nervous System ; drug effects ; Steroids ; pharmacology ; Substance-Related Disorders

OBJECTIVETo clarify the effect of aluminum exposure on the cognitive function in electrolytic workers and the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among them by prevalence survey, and to investigate its influential factors.

METHODSSixty-six retired workers from the electrolysis workshop of an electrolytic aluminum plant were selected as an aluminum exposure group, while 70 retired workers from a flour mill in the same region were selected as a control group. MCI patients were screened out by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); the blood aluminum level was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; multivariate statistical analysis was used to investigate the influential factors for MMSE scores and the correlation between blood aluminum level and MCI prevalence.

RESULTSThe aluminum exposure group showed a significantly higher blood aluminum level than the control group (25.18 ± 2.65 µg/L vs 9.97 ± 2.83 µg/L, P < 0.01). The total MMSE score of the aluminum exposure group (26.13 ± 2.57) was significantly lower than that of the control group (27.89 ± 1.91) (P < 0.05), particularly the scores on time and place orientation, short-term memory, calculation ability, and language skill (P < 0.05). The detection rate of MCI was significantly higher in the aluminum exposure group (18.2%) than in the control group (5.7%) (P < 0.01). The main influential factors for MMSE scores were gender, age, education level, and blood aluminum level. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the MCI prevalence was significantly correlated with blood aluminum level in the study population (OR = 1.168, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONLong-term exposure to aluminum can cause cognitive disorders in electrolytic workers and may be one of the risk factors for MCI. Advanced age, male, low education level, and high blood aluminum level may be high-risk factors for cognitive impairment.

Aged ; Aluminum ; adverse effects ; Case-Control Studies ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Cognition Disorders ; chemically induced ; epidemiology ; Electrolysis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Occupational Exposure

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of different doses of dexmedetomidine (Dex) on early postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.

METHODSEighty ASAI-III elderly patients (over 65 years) were randomized equally into 4 groups including a control group without dexmedetomidine and 3 dexmedetomidine groups (groups D1, D2, and D3) with loading dexmedetomidine doses of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 µg/kg and maintenance doses of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 µg·kg(-1)·h(-1), respectively. Dex was discontinued 30 min before the end of surgery. The time of operation, adverse reactions, time from the end of surgery to spontaneous breathing recovery (TR), time from spontaneous breathing recovery to opening eyes (TO), and time from opening eyes to extubation (TE) were recorded. Mini-Mental State (MMSE) test was used to assess the cognitive function 1 day before and at 1 day and 3 days after the operation.

RESULTSThe incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) was significantly lower in groups D2 and D3 than in the control group and group D1 (P<0.05). The incidences of hypotension and bradycardia were the highest in group D3 (P<0.05), which also had longer significantly TO and TE than the other 3 groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONDexmedetomidine with a loading dose of 0.5 µg/kg followed by maintenance doses of 0.5 and 0.8 µg·kg(-1)·h(-1) (preferentially 0.5 µg·kg(-1)·h(-1)) can reduce the incidence of POCD in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer.

Aged ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Dexmedetomidine ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Postoperative Complications ; Respiration

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of tetramethylpyrazine on learning, memory, and cholinergic system in D-galactose-lesioned mice.

METHODSC57BL/6J mice were given subcutaneous injection of 2% D-galactose for 40 days (100 mg.kg-1.d-1). Normal saline, tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) and Huperzine A (HupA) were given respectively by intragastric administration in different study groups from the third week on. Learning and memory ability were tested by Morris water maze for 5 days at the sixth week. Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity, the binding sites (Bmax) and the affinity (KD) of M-cholinergic receptor were determined.

RESULTSThe learning and memory dysfunction, with lowered AchE activity and M-cholinergic receptor binding sites were found in the model group as compared with the normal control group. The tetramethylpyrazine, especially at the dose of 100 mg.kg-1.d-1, could markedly attenuate cognitive dysfunction, while elevate the lowered AchE activity (P < 0.05) and M-cholinergic receptor binding sites (P < 0.005) in the cerebral cortex of mice treated with D-galactose.

CONCLUSIONSThe tetramethylpyrazine can significantly improve central cholinergic system function, and thus enhance the learning and memory ability in D-galactose-lesioned mice.

Acetylcholinesterase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Avoidance Learning ; drug effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Galactose ; Learning ; drug effects ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; Receptor, Muscarinic M1 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Cholinergic ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of lead exposure in rats during the developmental stage on the expression of leptin in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and hippocampus, as well as investigating whether leptin is associated with the mechanism of cognitive impairment induced by lead exposure.

METHODSThe rat model of cognitive impairment after chronic lead exposure was established by adding lead acetate into drinking water. According to the concentration of lead acetate in drinking water, the rats were divided into control (0 ppm), low-lead (50 ppm), medium-lead (200 ppm), and high-lead groups (1 000 ppm), with 16 rats in each group. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure the content of lead in the plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and hippocampus. ELISA was used to measure the level of leptin in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the distribution of leptin protein in the hippocampus. Western blot was used for relative quantification of leptin proteins in the hippocampus.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the lead exposure groups showed significant increases in the content of lead in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and hippocampus (P<0.01), as well as significant reductions in the levels of leptin in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (P<0.05). The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that leptin was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA region. The results of Western blot showed that compared with the control group, the three lead exposure groups showed a slight increase in the protein expression of leptin in the hippocampus (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLead exposure can reduce the levels of leptin in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in rats, which may be associated with the mechanism of cognitive impairment induced by lead exposure.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Female ; Hippocampus ; chemistry ; drug effects ; pathology ; Lead ; blood ; toxicity ; Leptin ; analysis ; blood ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUNDThe advent of brain stimulation techniques to treat movement disorders and psychiatric diseases has shown potential to decode the neural mechanism that underlies the cognitive process by modulating the interrupted circuit. Here, the present investigation aimed at evaluating the influence of deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus thalamus (ANT-DBS) on memory.

METHODSThirty-two rats were randomized into phosphate buffer saline (PBS) group (n = 8, rats received PBS injections without implantation of electrodes into the ANT), Alzheimer's dementia (AD) group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections without implantation of electrodes into the ANT), ANT sham stimulation group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections with implantation of electrodes into the ANT but without stimulation) and ANT stimulation group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections with implantation of electrodes into the ANT and stimulation). A Morris maze test was used for determining the effect of electrical stimulation on cognitive function in rats. The data were assessed statistically with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's tests for multiple post hoc comparisons.

RESULTSThe data showed that in the training test, PBS group and AD group managed to learn the hidden-platform faster and faster while AD group needed a significantly longer time to reach the platform than PBS group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, ANT stimulation group demonstrated a significantly shorter time to reach the platform (P < 0.05) compared to the AD group, while there was no significant difference between the ANT sham stimulation group and the AD group (P > 0.05). On the probe test, the AD group spent less time ((10.15 ± 2.34) seconds) in the target quadrant than the PBS group ((28.20 ± 2.75) seconds) (P < 0.05). And the times of platform-traversing of the AD group (3.35 ± 1.12) significantly decreased compared with the PBS group (8.69 ± 2.87) (P < 0.05). However, the times of platform-traversing and the time spent in the target quadrant of the ANT stimulation group significantly increased compared to the AD group (P < 0.05), while times of platform-traversing or the time spent in the target quadrant was not significantly different between the ANT sham stimulation group and the AD group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBilateral high-frequency stimulation of the ANT may be useful as a potential therapeutic modality for cognitive dysfunction in AD.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Animals ; Anterior Thalamic Nuclei ; drug effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Cognition Disorders ; chemically induced ; therapy ; Deep Brain Stimulation ; methods ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; Male ; Peptide Fragments ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of propofol and isoflurane on surgical stress response and postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients.

METHODSSixty elderly patients scheduled for elective upper abdominal surgery with general anesthesia were randomized equally into propofol group and isoflurane group. The surgical stress response, postoperative Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and the rate of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe surgical stress response in propofol group was relatively stable. Compared with isoflurane group, the patients in propofol group showed significantly faster recovery of the MMSE scores with also lower rate of POCD.

CONCLUSIONCompared with isoflurane, propofol intravenous anesthesia is associated with rapid recovery of the cognitive function, stable surgical stress response and reduced adverse effects in elderly patients.

Abdomen ; surgery ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anesthesia Recovery Period ; Anesthetics, Inhalation ; adverse effects ; Anesthetics, Intravenous ; adverse effects ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Cognition Disorders ; chemically induced ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Propofol ; adverse effects ; Stress, Physiological

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Honokiol on cognitive function in mice with epilepsy. METHODS: Kainic acid (38 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected in 5 weeks old male ICR mice to induce epilepsy. Honokiol at dose of 3, 10, 30 mg/kg was given to epilepic mice by intraperitoneal injection for 10 days. Fluoro-Jade B staining was used to assess neuronal death; Morris water maze and Y maze tests were used to measure cognitive function such as learning and memory; Western blot was performed to detect the expression of acetylated superoxide dismutase (SOD), microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3-Ⅱ (LC3-Ⅱ) and P62 in hippocampus tissue; thiobarbituric acid and WST-1 methods were used to detect malondialdehyde (MDA) and SOD. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the levels of acetylated-SOD, MDA, LC3-Ⅱ, P62 and neuronal death increased, cognitive function and SOD decreased in model group (<0.05 or <0.01). Honokiol at the dose of 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg decreased SOD acetylation, MDA content, expression of LC3-Ⅱ and P62, as well as neuronal death, and the cognitive function was improved (<0.05 or <0.01), especially in 30 mg/kg Honokiol group. CONCLUSIONS Honokiol alleviates oxidative stress and autophagy degradation disorder, decreases neuronal death, and therefore improves cognitive function in epilepsy mice.
Animals ; Biphenyl Compounds ; pharmacology ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Epilepsy ; chemically induced ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; Kainic Acid ; Lignans ; pharmacology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; genetics