Behavioral and brain functions : BBF
June 28, 2026
Godson Emeka Anyanwu, Victoria Onyemachi Chukwu, Nto Johnson Nto et al.
Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, induces cognitive impairments and neurotransmitter imbalances that resemble schizophrenia. In male Wistar rats, mangiferin—a potent antioxidant—was tested for its ability to reverse these effects. Mangiferin dose-dependently improved spatial learning, working memory, and recognition memory, and normalized locomotor activity. It restored cortical GABA and glutamate levels, reduced dopamine and acetylcholinesterase activity, preserved brain cell structure, and reversed ketamine-induced astrogliosis while increasing Nrf2 expression, indicating activation of antioxidant defenses. Mangiferin shows potential for treating neuropsychiatric conditions involving oxidative stress and glial dysfunction.
Behavioral and brain functions : BBF
June 25, 2026
Xiu-Mei Zhu, Yang Li, Wenrui Liu et al.
Ketamine triggers a rapid increase in histone H3 Ser10 phosphorylation in mouse hippocampal neurons and in the mouse hippocampus, an effect driven by JNK activation. Blocking JNK with SP600125 reversed this epigenetic change and reduced ketamine-induced hyperlocomotion and cognitive deficits. Multi-omics analysis 30 minutes after ketamine identified 262 differentially expressed genes, including MAP3K9, enriched in MAPK signaling and neuroactive ligand-receptor pathways, and 165 differentially accessible chromatin regions, with CTCF as a potential regulator. The findings suggest that JNK-mediated H3S10 phosphorylation links ketamine exposure to psychosis-like behaviors, offering a mechanistic connection between stress-sensitive signaling, rapid chromatin remodeling, and transcriptional reprogramming.
Behavioral and brain functions : BBF
December 26, 2018
C Schiappa, S Scarpelli, A D'Atri et al.
Narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder marked by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and hallucinations, profoundly disrupts social, work, and emotional life. Cataplectic attacks are often triggered by emotions like laughter, surprise, or anger. Evidence points to dysfunctional interplay between the hypothalamus and amygdala, along with altered hypocretin levels, as underlying causes. People with narcolepsy-cataplexy may develop coping strategies to avoid emotional triggers, even during sleep, where they experience more vivid, bizarre, and frightening dreams than healthy individuals. This review synthesizes behavioral, neurophysiological, and neurochemical findings to clarify the complex link between narcolepsy and emotional experience, aiming to guide future research.
Behavioral and brain functions : BBF
December 23, 2013
Margherita Melloni, Lucas Sedeño, Blas Couto et al.
Long-term and short-term meditators showed lower anxiety and depression than non-meditators, but no improvement in executive function or social cognition, except for lower personal distress scores on empathy. Meditators did not differ from non-meditators in cardiac interoceptive sensitivity, measured by a heartbeat detection task. The authors suggest that mindfulness meditation may not influence cardiac interoception, possibly because awareness of heartbeat sensations is not emphasized in mindfulness or vipassana practice.