Carmen Castro

Carmen Castro
Universidad de Cádiz | UCA · Biomedicine Biotecnology and Public Health

Ph.D

About

98
Publications
8,582
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2,120
Citations
Introduction
Additional affiliations
September 2004 - present
Facultad de Medicina
Position
  • Profesora Titular
January 2000 - August 2004
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Position
  • Posdoctoral Research Associate

Publications

Publications (98)
Article
Full-text available
Introduction Neural stem cells from the subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenic niche provide neurons that integrate in the olfactory bulb circuitry. However, in response to cortical injuries, the neurogenic activity of the SVZ is significantly altered, leading to increased number of neuroblasts with a modified migration pattern that leads cells towar...
Preprint
Full-text available
INTRODUCTION Neural stem cells from the subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenic niche provide neurons that integrate in the olfactory bulb circuitry. However, in response to cortical injuries, the neurogenic activity of the SVZ is significantly altered, leading to increased number of neuroblasts with a modified migration pattern that leads cells towar...
Article
Full-text available
Las lesiones cerebrales de diversas etiologías cursan con una pérdida irreversible de neuronas que conlleva la aparición de déficits cognitivos motores y sensoriales. El conocimiento de los mecanismos de reemplazo neuronal en el cerebro adulto ha abierto las puertas al desarrollo de nuevas terapias relacionadas con la promoción de la neurogénesis...
Article
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Background: Exercise has shown beneficial effects on neuronal neuroplasticity; therefore, we want to analyze the influence of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on neuroplasticity markers in post-stroke patients. Methods: A systematic review of RCTs including studies with stroke participants was conducted using the following databases (PubMed,...
Article
Full-text available
Background Neurogenesis is stimulated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mice with cortical brain injuries. In most of these injuries, newly generated neuroblasts attempt to migrate toward the injury, accumulating within the corpus callosum not reaching the perilesional area. Methods We use a murine model of mechanical cortical brain injury, in w...
Article
Full-text available
Neuropathological aging is associated with memory impairment and cognitive decline, affecting several brain areas including the neurogenic niche of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG). In the healthy brain, homeostatic mechanisms regulate neurogenesis within the DG to facilitate the continuous generation of neurons from neural stem cells (NSC...
Article
Full-text available
Harmonic mechanisms orchestrate neurogenesis in the healthy brain within specific neurogenic niches, which generate neurons from neural stem cells as a homeostatic mechanism. These newly generated neurons integrate into existing neuronal circuits to participate in different brain tasks. Despite the mechanisms that protect the mammalian brain, this...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Neurogenesis is stimulated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mice with cortical brain injuries. In most of these injuries, newly generated neuroblasts attempt to migrate toward the injury, accumulating within the corpus callosum not reaching the perilesional area. Methods We use a murine model of mechanical cortical brain injury, in w...
Article
p>Al impartir por primera vez Anatomía en el grado en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y Deporte, nos enfrentamos al descontento del alumnado, pues consideraban la Anatomía como una asignatura compleja y sin interés para ellos. Por eso, nos planteamos desarrollar un modelo motivacional y diseñamos prácticas específicas donde estudiar un grupo muscul...
Article
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Glioblastoma (GB) is the most prevalent primary brain cancer and the most aggressive form of glioma because of its poor prognosis and high recurrence. To confirm the importance of epigenetics in glioma, we explored The Cancer Gene Atlas (TCGA) database and we found that several histone/DNA modifications and chromatin remodeling factors were affecte...
Preprint
Full-text available
Neuropathological aging is associated with memory impairment and cognitive decline, and affects several brain areas including the neurogenic niche of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG). In the healthy brain homeostatic mechanisms regulate neurogenesis in the DG to facilitate the continuous generation of neurons from neural stem cells (NSC)....
Article
Full-text available
Polyphosphate (polyP), a phosphate polymer released by activated platelets, may modulate various stages of hemostasis by binding to blood proteins. In this context, we previously reported that polyP binds to the von Willebrand factor (VWF). One of the most significant functions of VWF is to bind to and protect the blood circulating Factor VIII (FVI...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Neurogenesis is stimulated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mice with cortical brain injuries. In most of these injuries, newly generated neuroblasts attempt to migrate toward the injury, accumulating within the corpus callosum not reaching the perilesional area. Methods We use a murine model of mechanical cortical brain injury, in w...
Preprint
Full-text available
This article is devoted to the mathematical modeling of migration of neuroblasts, precursor cells of neurons, along the pathway they usually follow before maturing. This pathway is determined mainly by chemotaxis and the heterogeneous mobility of neuroblasts in different regions of the brain. In numerical simulations, the application of novel disco...
Article
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Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by gradually progressive, selective loss of anatomically or physiologically related neuronal systems that produce brain damage from which there is no recovery. Despite the differences in clinical manifestations and neuronal vulnerability, the pathological processes appear to be similar, suggesting common...
Article
Full-text available
Neuroinflammation underlies neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we test whether acute colon inflammation activates microglia and astrocytes, induces neuroinflammation, disturbs neuron intrinsic electrical properties in the primary motor cortex, and alters motor behaviors. We used a rat model of acute colon inflammation induced by dextran sulfate so...
Article
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Achieving the distinctive complex behaviors of adult mammals requires the development of a great variety of specialized neural circuits. Although the development of these circuits begins during the embryonic stage, they remain immature at birth, requiring a postnatal maturation process to achieve these complex tasks. Understanding how the neuronal...
Article
Full-text available
Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive form of glioma and is characterized by poor prognosis and high recurrence despite intensive clinical interventions. To retrieve the key factors underlying the high malignancy of GB with potential diagnosis utility, we combined the analysis of The Cancer Gene Atlas and the REMBRANDT datasets plus a molecular...
Article
Full-text available
A small library of phorbol 12,13-diesters bearing low lipophilicity ester chains was prepared as potential neurogenic agents in the adult brain. They were also used in a targeted UHPLC-HRMS screening of the latex of Euphorbia resinifera. Two new 12-deoxy-16-hydroxyphorbol 13,16-diesters were isolated, and their structures were deduced using two-dim...
Article
Full-text available
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and aggressive primary brain tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis. Despite the use of combined treatment approaches, recurrence is almost inevitable and survival longer than 14 or 15 months after diagnosis is low. It is therefore necessary to identify new therapeutic targets to fight GBM progression...
Article
Full-text available
Cannabis is the third most commonly used psychoactive substance of abuse, yet it also receives considerable attention as a potential therapeutic drug. Therefore, it is essential to fully understand the actions of cannabis in the human brain. The olfactory neuroepithelium (ON) is a peripheral nervous tissue that represents an interesting surrogate m...
Article
Full-text available
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common form of brain tumor characterized by its resistance to conventional therapies, including temozolomide, the most widely used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of GBM. Within the tumor, the presence of glioma stem cells (GSC) seems to be the reason for drug resistance. The discovery of GSC has boosted the s...
Article
Full-text available
Hippocampal neurogenesis has widely been linked to memory and learning performance. New neurons generated from neural stem cells (NSC) within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) integrate in hippocampal circuitry participating in memory tasks. Several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders show cognitive impairment together with a reduct...
Article
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Oxidative stress is one of the main proposed mechanisms involved in neuronal degeneration. To evaluate the consequences of oxidative stress on motor cortex pyramidal neurons during postnatal development, rats were classified into three groups: Newborn (P2–P7); infantile (P11–P15); and young adult (P20–P40). Oxidative stress was induced by 10 µM of...
Article
Full-text available
Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin that participates in several homeostatic functions in mammalian organisms. Lower levels of vitamin D are produced in the older population, vitamin D deficiency being an accelerating factor for the progression of the aging process. In this review, we focus on the effect that vitamin D exerts in the aged...
Article
Full-text available
Neural stem cells are activated within neurogenic niches in response to brain injuries. This results in the production of neuroblasts, which unsuccessfully attempt to migrate toward the damaged tissue. Injuries constitute a gliogenic/non-neurogenic niche generated by the presence of anti-neurogenic signals, which impair neuronal differentiation and...
Article
Full-text available
Lathyrane-type diterpenes previously have been proven to promote proliferation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) by targeting and activating one or more protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes. Aiming to find new drug candidates with a lathyrane skeleton to modulate adult neurogenesis through PKC activation, a phytochemical study of a methanol extract of th...
Article
Full-text available
Acute or chronic injury to the central nervous system (CNS), causes neuronal death and irreversible cognitive deficits or sensory-motor alteration. Despite the capacity of the adult CNS to generate new neurons from neural stem cells (NSC), neuronal replacement following an injury is a restricted process, which does not naturally result in functiona...
Article
Full-text available
Brain injuries of different etiologies lead to irreversible neuronal loss and persisting neuronal deficits. New therapeutic strategies are emerging to compensate neuronal damage upon brain injury. Some of these strategies focus on enhancing endogenous generation of neurons from neural stem cells (NSCs) to substitute the dying neurons. However, the...
Article
Full-text available
Brain injuries in the adult mammalian brain are accompanied by a fast neurogenic response inside neurogenic niches. However, this response does not contribute to the generation of new neurons within damaged tissues like the cerebral cortex, which are essentially non-neurogenic. This occurs because injuries create a hostile environment that favors g...
Article
Full-text available
Background and purpose: Pharmacological strategies aimed to facilitate neuronal renewal in the adult brain, by promoting endogenous neurogenesis, constitute promising therapeutic options for pathologic or traumatic brain lesions. We have previously shown that non-tumor-promoting PKC-activating compounds (12-deoxyphorbols) promote adult neural prog...
Article
Hyperhomocysteinemia reduces neurogenesis in the adult mouse brain. Homocysteine (Hcy) inhibits postnatal neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation by specifically impairing the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-Erk1/2-cyclin E signaling pathway. We demonstrate herein that the inhibition of FGFR-dependent NPC proliferation induced by Hcy is...
Poster
Neural precursors cells (NPCs) are activated in central nervous system in response to different types of injuries. Traumatic brain injuries are accompanied by a rapid neurogenic response inside neurogenic niches. However, this response does not contribute to the generation of new neurons within the damaged area since injuries contribute to the gene...
Poster
Adult neural precursor cells (NPC) are activated upon CNS injury, as a consequence GFAP+ reactive astrocytes and nestin-expressing cells appear within the damaged tissue. Nestin+ undifferentiated precursor cells are thought to originate from resident stem cells or from NPC that migrate from a proximal neurogenic region, the subventricular zone, and...
Poster
Generation of new neurons from neural stem cells is induced in the central nervous system in response to different types of injuries. Strategies aimed to facilitate neuronal renewal by promoting neurogenesis constitute a promising therapeutic option to treat brain damage associated with neuronal death. It is well known that cell proliferation is in...
Poster
Neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders frequently occur after brain insults associated with neuronal loss. Strategies aimed to facilitate neuronal renewal by promoting neurogenesis constitute a promising therapeutic option to treat disorders associated with neuronal death. In the adult brain, generation of new neurons occurs physiologically th...
Poster
Generation of new neurons form neural stem cells is induced in the central nervous system in response to different types of injuries. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the activation of neural progenitor cells (NPC) in injured areas would improve the development of strategies aimed to repair brain lesions. In other cellular contexts, non-tum...
Article
Full-text available
Neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders frequently occur after brain insults associated with neuronal loss. Strategies aimed to facilitate neuronal renewal by promoting neurogenesis constitute a promising therapeutic option to treat neuronal death associated disorders. In the adult brain, generation of new neurons occurs physiologically through...
Poster
Adult neural precursor cells (NPC) are activated upon CNS injury, when GFAP+ reactive astrocytes and nestin-expressing cells appear within the damaged tissue. Nestin+ undifferentiated precursor cells are thought to originate from resident stem cells or from NPC that migrate from a proximal neurogenic region, the subventricular zone, and have the ab...
Poster
Generation of new neurons from neural stem cells is induced in mammalian adult brain in response to injuries. Strategies aimed to facilitate adult neurogenesis constitute a promising therapeutic option to treat neuronal death associated with disorders. In other cellular contexts, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) enhances cell proliferation. We...
Article
The hippocampus is a brain area characterized by its high plasticity, observed at all levels of organization: molecular, synaptic and cellular, the latter refering to the capacity of neural precursors within the hippocampus to give rise to new neurons throughout life. Recent findings suggest that promoter methylation is a plastic process subjected...
Poster
Generation of new neurons from neural stem cells is induced in the central nervous system in response to different types of injuries. Within the injured areas, neural stem cells are activated to produce neural progenitor cells (NPC) which proliferate and differentiate into neurons and/or glial cells in an attempt to repair the damaged tissue. Under...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic syndrome of unknown etiology, predominantly defined by signs of psychosis. The onset of the disorder occurs typically in late adolescence or early adulthood. Efforts to study pathophysiological mechanisms in early stages of the disease are crucial in order to prompt intervention. Methods: Case-control study...
Article
Full-text available
Neural precursor cells (NPCs) are activated in central nervous system injury. However, despite being multipotential, their progeny differentiates into astrocytes rather than neurons in situ. We have investigated the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the generation of non-neurogenic conditions. Cultured mouse subventricular zone NPC...
Article
Nitric oxide (NO) donors inhibit the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent auto(trans)phosphorylation of the EGF receptor (EGFR) in several cell types in which NO exerts antiproliferative effects. We demonstrate in this report that NO inhibits, whereas NO synthase inhibition potentiates, the EGFR tyrosine kinase activity in NO-producing cells, in...