One week after

tMCAO, T-cell populations were analysed from brains, and levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1, IL-4, IL-5, interferon Dactolisib in vivo gamma and IL-13 were analysed. After levodopa/benserazide treatment, we found a significant reduction of cytotoxic T-cells (CD3+CD8+) in the ischemic hemisphere together with reduced levels of T-cell-associated cytokine IL-5, while other T-cell populations (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD4+CD25+) were unchanged compared with vehicle-treated rats. Moreover, a reduced number of cells was associated with reduced levels of intercellular adhesion molecule 1, expressed in endothelial cells, in the infarct core of levodopa/benserazide-treated animals. Together, we provide the first evidence that dopamine can act as a potential immunomodulator by attenuating inflammation in the post-ischemic brain. “
“We investigated the electrophysiological correlates of somatosensory processing under different arm postures by recording event-related potentials at frontal, central and centroparietal sites during tactile stimulation of the hands. Short series of 200 ms vibrotactile stimuli were presented to the palms of the participants’

hands, one hand at ABT-737 chemical structure a time, in either uncrossed- or crossed-hands postures. The manipulation of posture allowed us to investigate the electrophysiological processes underlying the spatial remapping of somatosensory stimuli from anatomical into external frames of reference. To examine somatosensory spatial remapping independently of its effects on attentional processes, the stimuli were presented unpredictably in terms of location, and in temporal onset. We also examined PR 171 how vision of the limbs affects the process of remapping. When participants had sight of their hands (Experiment 1) the effect of posture was observed over regions contralateral to the stimulated hand from 128 ms, whereas when their limbs were covered (Experiment 2) effects of posture influenced

the ipsilateral regions from 150 ms. These findings add to an increasing body of evidence which indicates that sight of the hand modulates the way in which information in other modalities is processed. We argue that in this case, sight of the hand biases spatial encoding of touch towards an anatomical frame of reference. Localizing a touch on the body is a two-stage process, in which the stimulus is first localised on the body, and then mapped onto a corresponding location in external space by taking account of the layout of the limbs (Longo et al., 2010). Changes in body posture have an impact on this process as, when our limbs move, the relationship between tactile and external space changes. To locate a tactile stimulus in external space, a remapping of somatosensory space according to current posture is required.