As a result of the installation of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) pandemic, online education has become an important teaching alternative, and new challenges about how to teach were found. Here we report our experience in offering an online course to review Human Physiology. We proposed synchronous and asynchronous activities using different online tools to address topics considered key to understanding the different systems of human physiology. The students considered important the use of this type of methodology, which uses different online tools to help understand the Human Physiology contents. The students highlighted the use of the Lt platform, Zoom, Mentimeter, and YouTube as the preferred online tools to use in physiology learning.
A pandemia da COVID-19 se disseminou amplamente de forma substancial e impôs à sociedade uma nova forma de realizar suas atividades cotidianas, incluindo as atividades de ensino, pesquisa e extensão universitária. Dessa forma, professores e cientistas de todo o mundo, na tentativa de dar continuidade as suas atividades e adaptar-se ao distanciamento social, estão utilizando plataformas de redes sociais, que representam uma das ferramentas de comunicação mais eficazes e populares hoje em dia. Neste sentido, aqui nós relatamos nossas experiências para a manutenção do programa de extensão POPNEURO durante o período de distanciamento social. Nós intensificamos nossas atividades de divulgação da neurociência pelas redes sociais, utilizando a rede social Instagram como veículo de comunicação. Nossos resultados indicam que esta plataforma pode ser utilizada para a divulgação de conteúdos de neurociência, podendo ser uma forma eficaz para a disseminação de conhecimento e aproximação da universidade-comunidade em tempos de pandemia.
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of the amyloid-β peptide in the brain, leading to early oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. It has been suggested that physical exercise could be beneficial in preventing AD, but studies with multicomponent training are scanty. Objective: Verify the effects of multicomponent exercise training to prevent deficits in recognition memory related to Aβ neurotoxicity. Methods: We subjected Wistar rats to multicomponent training (including aerobic and anaerobic physical exercise and cognitive exercise) and then infused amyloid-β peptide into their hippocampus. Results: We show that long-term multicomponent training prevents the amyloid-β-associated neurotoxicity in the hippocampus. It reduces hippocampal lipid peroxidation, restores antioxidant capacity, and increases glutathione levels, finally preventing recognition memory deficits. Conclusion: Multicomponent training avoids memory deficits related to amyloid-β neurotoxicity on an animal model.
Strategies for improving memory are increasingly studied, and exposure to a novel experience can be an efficient neuromodulator. Novelty effects on memory depend on D1‐family dopamine receptors (D1Rs) activation. Here, we evaluated the novelty effect on memory persistence of Wistar rats and investigated the contribution of D1Rs and their signalling pathways by protein kinase A (PKA) and C (PKC). Animals with infusion cannulae inserted into the CA1 hippocampus area were trained on the novel object recognition (NOR) task, which involved exploring two different objects. After training, some rats received intrahippocampal infusions of vehicle or D1Rs agonist; others explored a novel environment for 5 min and were infused with a variety of drugs targeting D1Rs and their signalling pathways. We demonstrated that pharmacological stimulation of D1Rs or novelty exposure promoted NOR memory persistence for 14 days and that the novelty effect depended on D1Rs activation. To determine if the D1 and D5 receptor subtypes were necessary for the impact of novelty exposure on memory, we blocked or stimulated PKA or PKC—protein kinases activated mainly by D1 and D5, respectively. Only PKA inhibition impaired the effect of novelty on memory persistence. After novelty and D1Rs blocking, PKA but not PKC stimulation maintained the memory persistence effect. Thus, we concluded that novelty promoted memory persistence by a mechanism‐dependent on activating hippocampal D1Rs and PKA pathway.
Background
The preventive role of muscular strength on diminishing neuroinflammation is yet unknown. In this study, the role of the prophylactic muscular strength exercise was investigated in order to verify whether it would diminish cognitive alterations and modify the antioxidant intracellular scenery in an animal neuroinflammatory model in of the CA1 region of the hippocampus.
Methods
The animals received muscular strength training (SE) three times a week for eight weeks. Subsequently, the stereotaxic surgery was performed with an intra-hippocampal infusion of either saline solution (SAL) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Next, we performed the behavioral tests: object recognition and social recognition. Then, the animals were euthanized, and their hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were collected. In another moment, we performed the dosage of the antioxidant activity and histological analysis.
Results
The results showed that the muscular strength exercises could show a beneficial prophylactic effect in the cognitive deficiencies caused by acute neuroinflammation. Regarding oxidative stress, there was an increase in catalase enzyme activity (CAT) in the group (SE + LPS) compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). As for the cognitive alterations, there were found in the (SE + LPS) group, diminishing the mnemonic hazard of the discriminative and social memories compared to the control groups (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
We concluded, therefore, that the exercise performed prophylactically presents a protective effect capable of minimizing such mnemonic deficits and increasing catalase enzyme activity in rats that suffered a local neuroinflammatory process in the hippocampus.
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