A decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin essential for synaptic fun... more A decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin essential for synaptic function, plasticity and neuronal survival, is evident early in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), being apparent in subjects with mild cognitive impairment or mild AD, and both proBDNF and mature BDNF levels are positively correlated with cognitive measures. BDNF delivery is, therefore, considered of great interest as a potentially useful therapeutic strategy to contrast AD. Invasive BDNF administration has indeed been recently used in animal models of AD with promising results in rescuing memory deficits, synaptic density and cell loss. Here, we tested whether non-invasive intranasal administration of different BDNF concentrations after the onset of cognitive and anatomical deficits (6 months of age) could rescue neuropathological and memory deficits in AD11 mice, a model of NGF deprivation-induced neurodegeneration. In addition to AD hallmarks, we investigated BDNF effects on m...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progres... more Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory deficits and cognitive decline. We explored the possibility that Environmental Enrichment (EE) may reduce the disease progression in a comprehensive mouse model for AD like neurodegeneration, the AD11 mice. AD11 mice, which express anti nerve growth factor (NGF) antibodies, develop an age dependent neurodegeneration which encompasses all hallmarks of human AD. We have tested the efficacy of EE starting from 2 months of age, that is before the onset of behavioural deficits in AD11 mice. At 7 months of age, visual recognition memory was tested with the Object Recognition Test (ORT), spatial memory with the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and the presence of AD pathological hallmarks (Abeta clusters, presence of hyperphosphorylated tau and cholinergic deficit) was assessed immunohistochemically. We found that in AD11 mice exposed to EE from 2 to 7 months of age performance in both memor...
One major goal in Neuroscience is the development of strategies promoting neural plasticity in th... more One major goal in Neuroscience is the development of strategies promoting neural plasticity in the adult central nervous system, when functional recovery from brain disease and injury is limited. New evidence has underscored a pivotal role for cortical inhibitory circuitries in regulating plasticity both during development and in adulthood. This paper summarizes recent findings showing that the inhibition-excitation balance controls adult brain plasticity and is at the core of the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, Down syndrome, and Rett syndrome.
A decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin essential for synaptic fun... more A decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin essential for synaptic function, plasticity and neuronal survival, is evident early in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), being apparent in subjects with mild cognitive impairment or mild AD, and both proBDNF and mature BDNF levels are positively correlated with cognitive measures. BDNF delivery is, therefore, considered of great interest as a potentially useful therapeutic strategy to contrast AD. Invasive BDNF administration has indeed been recently used in animal models of AD with promising results in rescuing memory deficits, synaptic density and cell loss. Here, we tested whether non-invasive intranasal administration of different BDNF concentrations after the onset of cognitive and anatomical deficits (6 months of age) could rescue neuropathological and memory deficits in AD11 mice, a model of NGF deprivation-induced neurodegeneration. In addition to AD hallmarks, we investigated BDNF effects on m...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progres... more Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory deficits and cognitive decline. We explored the possibility that Environmental Enrichment (EE) may reduce the disease progression in a comprehensive mouse model for AD like neurodegeneration, the AD11 mice. AD11 mice, which express anti nerve growth factor (NGF) antibodies, develop an age dependent neurodegeneration which encompasses all hallmarks of human AD. We have tested the efficacy of EE starting from 2 months of age, that is before the onset of behavioural deficits in AD11 mice. At 7 months of age, visual recognition memory was tested with the Object Recognition Test (ORT), spatial memory with the Morris Water Maze (MWM) and the presence of AD pathological hallmarks (Abeta clusters, presence of hyperphosphorylated tau and cholinergic deficit) was assessed immunohistochemically. We found that in AD11 mice exposed to EE from 2 to 7 months of age performance in both memor...
One major goal in Neuroscience is the development of strategies promoting neural plasticity in th... more One major goal in Neuroscience is the development of strategies promoting neural plasticity in the adult central nervous system, when functional recovery from brain disease and injury is limited. New evidence has underscored a pivotal role for cortical inhibitory circuitries in regulating plasticity both during development and in adulthood. This paper summarizes recent findings showing that the inhibition-excitation balance controls adult brain plasticity and is at the core of the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, Down syndrome, and Rett syndrome.
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Papers by Chiara Braschi