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An abstract to the article "Executive function and sensorimotor skill in older adults: An intervention study" by Z. Gallant and R.I. Nicolson, is presented.

An abstract of the article "Heart rate variability, executive function and functional fitness in women over 65 years old" by I. Martinez, C. Blasco-Lafarga, A. Cordellat, G. Sanchis-Soler, A. Roldan, A. Montoya-Vieco and R. Sanchis-Sanchis is presented.

Even though it has been established the neuroprotective effect of estrogen on cognitive functions in postmenopausal women, some discrepancy still exists. Moreover, emerging reports mention that progesterone stimulates reward center and has neuroprotective role on cognitive function, but some contradictory still exists. So this study was aimed to compare cognitive functions between menstruation (low estrogen phase) and postovulatory phase (high progesterone phase) of menstrual cycle (MC) in consenting 34 healthy female volunteers (age 19-37 years). Menstruation-cognitive functions were assessed in between 2-5 days of start of menses and postovulatory-cognitive functions were assessed in between 23-27 days of the MC. Four aspects of cognitive functions were assessed (viz: attentional, perceptual, executive and working memory). Attentional task as visual reaction time (VRT) and Go/No-Go VRT (pattern), perceptual task as fast counting (FC), executive task as Erisken flanker test (EFT) and Stroop test (ST) i.e. color interference reading and, working memory task as remembering picture 2-back were assessed by using cognitivefun.net program. Data were expressed in median and interquartile range (IQR), compared by using Wilcoxon test. Postovulatory phase showed better performance in Go/No-Go VRT average time (422.66 ms, IQR: 391.2 to 450 vs. 465.2 ms, IQR: 425.6 to 504; p=0.003), Go/No-Go VRT combined time (450 ms, IQR: 422 to 457.32 vs. 541.67 ms, IQR: 465.2 to 605; p=0.000), ST percentage accuracy (100% with IQR: 100 to 100 vs. 95.24% with IQR: 90.12 to 100; p=0.000), ST color interference time (1105.3ms, IQR: 1100.3 to 1335.25 vs. 1428ms, IQR: 1346.39 to 1621.25; p=0.001), and FC speed (1081.51 ms, IQR: 902.6 to 1147.18 vs. 1130.6 ms, IQR: 1066.6 to 1209.18; p=0.041) than in menstruation phase. Other cognitive task variables (viz: VRT, EFT, working memory) were comparable between menstruation and postovulatory phase of MC. Some aspects of cognitive function varied across the MC. But these two phases of MC had no effect on working memory. Thus, it can be concluded that postovulatory phase of menstrual cycle improves attentional (pattern recognition), perceptual, and executive function (as assessed by stroop test) of cognition. Probably progesterone, which is higher during postovulatory phase, is responsible to modulate the neurons action in the brain and enhancing the cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Brain imaging and the neuropsychology of risk factors for falls" by K. Delbaere is presented.

An abstract of the article "Role of nutritional supplementation on brain health in older adults" by P. Jackson and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the article "A study on the motor development of undernourished Santal children of Purulia district, India" by S. Dutta Chowdhury is presented.

The article presents abstracts on physiology topics including the role of p38-mitogen activated protein kinases in cardiac dysfunction and progression, incidence of fracture in former male athletes, and the effect of tyrosine supplementation on the ability to perform prolonged exercise in a warm environment.

An abstract for the article "The effect of cardiovascular fitness training on cognition in older adults" by A. Dennis and colleagues, is presented.

An abstract of the article "Ageing, exercise and recovery of motor and cognitive function following stroke" by D. Corbett is presented.

An abstract to the article "Cardiometabolic risk factors clustered around metabolic syndrome and apolipoprotein E genotype predict cerebrovascular health in older adults: results from the Brain in Motion study" by A.V. Tyndall and colleagues, is presented.

An abstract of the article "Enhancing cognition in aging and vascular disease" by G. Eskes and M.J. Poulin is presented.

An abstract of the article "STIM1 controls neuronal Ca 2+ signaling and mGluR1/TRPC3-dependent synaptic transmission" by R. P. Alexander, J. Hartmann, R. M. Karl, K. Sakimura, Y. Baba, T. Kurosaki and A. Konnerth is presented.

An abstract of the article "Circulating immune markers of age-related cognitive decline" by S. L. Bradburn, J. S. McPhee, L. J. Bagley and C. A. Murgatroyd is presented.

The peels of citrus fruits are a rich source of flavonoids, which have been shown to exert beneficial properties on human health. Nobiletin (5,6,7,8,3',4'- hexamethoxyflavone) is a major component of polymethoxylated flavones found in the peel of citrus fruits, and is used in a Chinese traditional herbal medicine. Nobiletin exhibits a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anticancer, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, nobiletin possesses antiatherogenic and cardiovascular protective effects, and neuronal effects such as neurotrophic effects in vitro, and antidementia activities in vivo, although the precise mechanisms underlying these nobiletin's effects remain to be determined. Adrenal medullary cells derived from the embryonic neural crest are functionally homologous to the sympathetic postganglionic cells. In cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells, the Na+ influx induced by acetylcholine (ACh) via nicotinic ACh receptor-ion channels is a prerequisite for Ca2+ influx via the activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and subsequent catecholamine synthesis and secretion. Stimulation of catecholamine synthesis induced by ACh is associated with an activation of tyrosine hydroxylase, which catalyzes the conversion of tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA), the rate-limiting step of catecholamine biosynthesis. We previously demonstrated that nobiletin enhances catecholamine secretion and Ca2+ influx in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells (J Neurochem., 114: 1030-1038, 2010). Here we report the effects of nobiletin on catecholamine synthesis in the cells. Nobiletin increased the synthesis of 14C-catecholamines from [14C]tyrosine in a time (20-30 min) and concentration (1.0 -100 microM)-dependent manner. Nobiletin (10-100 microM) also activated tyrosine hydroxylase activity. The stimulatory effect of nobiletin on 14C-catecholamine synthesis was not observed when extracellular Ca2+ was deprived from the incubation medium. Several protein kinase inhibitors such as H-89 and KN-93, inhibitors of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, respectively, suppressed the stimulatory effects of nobiletin on catecholamine synthesis as well as tyrosine hydroxylase activity. On the other hand, nobiletin (1.0-100 microM) inhibited 14C-catecholamine synthesis induced by acetylcholine. The present findings suggest that nobiletin, by itself, stimulates catecholamine synthesis and tyrosine hydroxylase activity, whereas it inhibits catecholamine synthesis induced by acetylcholine in bovine adrenal medulla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "A novel role for B-type natriuretic peptide and phosphodiesterase 2A in cardiac sympathetic neurons from prehypertensive rats" by D. Li, L. Woodward, G. Hao, C. Lu, K. Liu and D. J. Paterson is presented.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) release is known to be stimulated by hypovolemia as well as osmotic challenge such as dehydration and chronic salt loading. We have generated a transgenic rat that expresses the AVP-eGFP fusion gene in the paraventricular (PVN) and the supraoptic nuclei (SON) of the hypothalamus. Our previous studies revealed that acute and chronic osmotic stimuli up-regulated the expression of the AVP-eGFP fusion gene in the magnocellular neurons of the PVN and the SON. Here, we demonstrated that polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced hypovolemia was able to cause the up-regulation of the AVP-eGFP gene expression in the PVN and the SON in the transgenic rats. Intraperitoneal (ip) administration of PEG induced isotonic hypovolemia. The intensity of eGFP fluorescence in the PVN and the SON were significantly increased 6 and 24 hours after ip administration of PEG in comparison with controls. Interestingly, the intensity of eGFP fluorescence in the parvocellular division of the PVN was also increased significantly. The present study revealed that PEGinduced hypovolemia caused a significant up-regulation of the AVP-eGFP fusion gene expression in the magnocellular and parvocellular neurons of the PVN and the SON in AVP-eGFP transgenic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]