Juncal González-Soriano

• Complutense University of Madrid

Anatomy is critical for understanding the physiological and biological adaptations of living creatures. In the case of Pseudopus apodus, an anguimorph lizard belonging to the Order Squamata, it is particularly important considering the scarce previous works on the morphology of its coelomic cavity. It is interesting to consider that, over the years...

The study of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to obtain detailed anatomical images, useful to describe specific encephalic structures and to analyze possible variabilities. It is widely used in clinical practice and is becoming increasingly used in veterinary medicine, even in exotic animals; however, despite its potential, its...

The Franciscana (also known as the La Plata River Dolphin) is a small dolphin that lives in the coastal waters of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. This species is considered the most endangered marine mammal in the western South Atlantic Ocean. Anatomic dissection of the digestive system of 19 animals of different ages, including 2 neonates, 12 juve...

Simple Summary Anatomy is regarded as a key element in medical and veterinary education all over the world. It is a subject of voluminous and sometimes complex content, which normally causes students’ different difficulties. These difficulties increase dramatically when it comes to the study of neuroanatomy. Hence, there have been continued efforts...

Marine mammals are divided into three groups, with similar adaptations resulting from their aquatic lifestyle: sirenians, pinnipeds, and cetaceans. The present work focused on the South American fur seal, or Arctocephalus australis, a carnivore included in the pinnipeds group. We assessed whether the anatomical features of the Arctocephalus austral...

The main aim of the present study was to determine if synapses from the exceptionally small brain of the Etruscan shrew show any peculiarities compared to the much larger human brain. We analyzed the cortical synaptic density and a variety of structural characteristics of 7,239 3D reconstructed synapses, using using Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electr...

Marine mammals play a critical ecological role as both predator and prey. They are divided into three groups that share similar adaptations to their aquatic life, but that have very different origins and life patterns: sirenians, pinnipeds, cetaceans. The species object of our interest is the South American fur seal or Arctocephalus australis, a ca...

The main aim of the present study was to determine if synapses from the exceptionally small brain of the Etruscan shrew show any peculiarities compared to the much larger human brain. This study constitutes the first description of the Etruscan shrew synaptic characteristics using Focused Ion Beam/Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB/SEM). We analyzed...

FIB-SEM is an electron microscopy technique that allows the acquisition of serial sections in an automated manner. A Focused Ion Beam (FIB) is directed toward the specimen, removing material from its surface. Since the FIB can be positioned and controlled on a nanometer scale, the specimen surface can be milled so that a thin layer of a specified t...

The present study investigates the concentration of Delta (9)-tetrahidrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) in 60 samples of cannabis resin acquired on the streets of Madrid region and its potential danger to consumers' health. Additionally, we study the possible correlation between the potency of samples and their organoleptic...

The hippocampus plays a key role in contextual conditioning and has been proposed as an important component of the cocaine addiction brain circuit. To gain knowledge about cocaine-induced alterations in this circuit, we used focused ion beam milling/scanning electron microscopy to reveal and quantify the three-dimensional synaptic organization of t...

Simple Summary: Amphibians are of critical importance among vertebrates. They play a critical role in their ecosystems, are commonly used as environmental health indicators and are also considered as exotic pets throughout the world. Among amphibians, many anuran species are included in active conservation programs as they are listed as endangered...

Determining the number of synapses that are present in different brain regions is crucial to understand brain connectivity as a whole. Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) are a family of scaffolding proteins that are expressed in excitatory glutamatergic synapses. We used genetic labeling of two of these proteins (PSD95 and SAP102), and...

The hippocampus plays a key role in contextual conditioning and has been proposed as an important component of the cocaine addiction brain circuit. To gain knowledge about cocaine-induced alterations in this circuit, we used Focused Ion Beam milling/Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB/SEM) to reveal and quantify the 3D synaptic organization of the st...

We have estimated the densities of synapses per unit volume in the whole mouse brain. To do this, we combined Spinning Disc confocal Microscopy (SDM) that acquires images of synaptic proteins labeled with fluorophores in large brain areas, and FIB-SEM, a three-dimensional electron microscopy technique that provides a resolution beyond that of the c...

In recent years, numerous studies have shown that astrocytes play an important role in neuronal processing of information. One of the most interesting findings is the existence of bidirectional interactions between neurons and astrocytes at synapses, which has given rise to the concept of "tripartite synapses" from a functional point of view. We us...

The aim of this study is to analyze the adulteration and contamination of cannabis resin obtained on the streets of Madrid, in order to establish whether it is suitable for human consumption. A total of 90 samples obtained through street vending in the Region of Madrid (CAM) were analyzed. Our results showed a direct relationship between the shape...

The most common lesion that develops in patients who have suffered an infectious disease, especially of bacterial origin, is the secondary formation of abscesses. These can vary in size from microabscesses practically imperceptible clinically, to massive accumulations of necrotic tissues and cellular and bacterial debris. Once reached a considerabl...

Recent electron microscopy (EM) imaging techniques permit the automatic acquisition of a large number of serial sections from brain samples. Manual segmentation of these images is tedious, time-consuming and requires a high degree of user expertise. Therefore, there is considerable interest in developing automatic segmentation methods. However, cur...

Effects of FGL on passive membrane properties of CA1 hippocampal neurons. (A–B) Application of FGL to cultured hippocampal slices did not alter input resistance (a) or holding current (b) when compared with untreated control neurons. N, number of cells. (TIF)

FGL alters NMDAR decay kinetics in a PKC-independent manner. Organotypic slice cultures were treated with FGL (with or without chelerythrine) for 24 h and then transferred to fresh culture medium for an additional 24 h prior to recordings. Control slices were kept in regular culture medium until the recordings. NMDAR-mediated synaptic responses wer...

FGL does not alter structural plasticity of dendritic spines. (A) Representative confocal fluorescence image of dendritic spines expressing actin-GFP before (0′) or at different times after induction of LTP (5′, 20′) from untreated or FGL-treated organotypic slices. Spine heads undergoing plasticity are marked with arrows. LTP was induced using a s...

Chelerythrine inhibition of PKC activity on MARCKS (Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C-Kinase Substrate). (A) Left panels. Representative confocal images of BHK cells transfected with GFP-MARCKS under basal conditions (“no treatment”) or 20 s after application of the PKC activator 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (“TPA,” 0.1 µM). Right panels. Simila...

FGL does not alter long-term synaptic depression. Organotypic slice cultures were treated with FGL for 24 h and then transferred to fresh culture medium (without FGL) for an additional 24 h prior to recordings. Control slices were kept in regular culture medium until the recordings. LTD was induced by pairing presynaptic 1 Hz stimulation (300 pulse...

Unaltered spine neck length after FGL treatment. (A) Representative confocal projection image of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Bar = 150 µm. (B) Representative high magnification confocal projection image of apical dendrites to illustrate dendritic spines. Bar = 1.5 µm. (C) Quantification of spine neck length measured three-dimensionally. N, number of rat...

Spatial learning in the Morris water maze is altered by MEK and PI3K inhibitors. Mean distances traveled to find the hidden platform in the Morris water maze over the 2 training days (four trials each). N, number of animals. Rats injected with vehicle, FGL (20 µg), PD98059 (MEK inhibitor, 20 nmol), or LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor, 4.5 nmol), as indicat...

Additional experimental procedures are described in this supplementary text. (DOCX)

FGL facilitates LTP in CA1 neurons. Cumulative frequency distribution of EPSC fold potentiation from the individual LTP experiments plotted in Figure 6D–E. Data are presented for control slices or slices treated with FGL, chelerythrine, or FGL plus chelerythrine, as indicated. (TIF)

PKC inhibition does not alter spatial learning. Mean distances swam to find the hidden platform in the Morris water maze from vehicle- (white column) and PKC inhibitor-treated rats (gray columns; A, chelerythrine; B, GF109203X), over the eight training trials (four trials per day). N, the number of animals. (TIF)

Author Summary The human brain contains trillions of neuronal connections, called synapses, whose pattern of activity controls all our cognitive functions. These synaptic connections are dynamic and constantly changing in their strength and properties, and this process of synaptic plasticity is essential for learning and memory. Alterations in syna...

INEDU.PRO is a professional group of teachers, founded by professors at the Complutense University of Madrid (www.inedupro.com). The main objective is the elaboration and development of the virtual platform with innovation and interdisciplinary educational resources, being available to the general public, students and professionals from different a...

A multidisciplinary team of university teachers, in collaboration with veterinary clinicians working in private institutions, are developing a series of interactive CDs to support teaching in Anatomy of Exotic Animals. The aim is to provide students with a material which fosters the applied sense of Anatomy, its close relationship with the Clinic,...

Hippocampal sclerosis is the most frequent pathology encountered in resected mesial temporal structures from patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Here, we have used stereological methods to compare the overall density of synapses and neurons between non-sclerotic and sclerotic hippocampal tissue obtained by surgical resection fro...

The neurons in the cortical white matter (WM neurons) originate from the first set of postmitotic neurons that migrates from the ventricular zone. In particular, they arise in the subplate that contains the earliest cells generated in the telencephalon, prior to the appearance of neurons in gray matter cortical layers. These cortical WM neurons are...

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) suffer from impaired memory and emotional disturbances, the pathogenesis of which is not entirely clear. In APP/PS1 transgenic mice, a model of AD in which amyloid β (Aβ) accumulates in the brain, we have examined neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA), a brain region crucial to establish cued fea...

The mechanism by which dementia occurs in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not known. We assessed changes in hippocampal dendritic spines of APP/PS1 transgenic mice that accumulate amyloid beta throughout the brain. Three-dimensional analysis of 21,507 dendritic spines in the dentate gyrus, a region crucial for learning and memory, reveale...

Certain cognitive functions differ in men and women, although the anatomical and functional substrates underlying these differences remain unknown. Because neocortical activity is directly related with higher brain function, numerous studies have focused on the cerebral cortex when searching for possible structural correlates of cognitive gender di...

The objective of this study was to investigate the possible modulatory role of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) production on the urethral striated muscle (USM) function in the sheep urethra. Significant NO synthase (NOS) activity was measured in both the particulate and cytosolic fractions of USM homogenates. NOS activity was calcium-dependent and sho...

Some of the morphometrical features and functional properties of the lamb external urethral sphincter (EUS) were determined by means of ATPase histochemistry. In this study, eight female urethras of 2- to 3-month-old lambs were used. The samples were studied by using an unbiased stereological design and were statistically evaluated with a Kolmogoro...

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) forms an essential part of the circuits that link the thalamus to the cortex, whereas the perireticular thalamic nucleus (PRN) consists of scattered neurons that are located in the internal capsule, in close relation to the TRN. A common feature of these nuclei in different species is the immunoreactivity for so...

We studied the distribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the effects of nitric oxide (NO) modulating drugs on contractile function of the external urethral sphincter of lambs. Gender differences were evaluated. Longitudinal and transverse sections of the external urethral sphincter from 10 female and 10 male lambs were studied using...

Due to its strategic position, the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) plays an important role within the thalamo-cortical circuits. The perireticular thalamic nucleus (PRN) is a smaller group of cells, which is associated with the TRN and lies among the fibres of the internal capsule (IC). Studies of nuclei in rodents and carnivores have been conduct...

Nitric oxide (NO) and calcium-binding proteins (CaBP) are important neuromodulators implicated in brain plasticity and brain disease. In addition, the mammalian superior colliculus (SC) has one of the highest concentrations of NO within the brain. The present study was designed to determine the distribution of nitric oxide-synthesizing neurons in t...

The cerebral ventricles represent cavities of the brain which are used for diagnostic purposes. Although a wide variety of age related changes have been described in the Central Nervous System (CNS) of many species, few studies about the effect of ageing on the canine brain have been published until now. However, to date there is no previous data c...

The expression pattern of two calcium binding proteins (CaBP), calbindin D28k (CB) and parvalbumin (PV), in the superior colliculus (SC) of the adult rabbit, as well as the morphology of the immunoreactive cells were examined. The study was performed on 12 rabbits. Coronal sections from postmortem SC were analyzed by light microscopy, and drawings...

As in a number of mammals, the most prominent feature of the ganglion-cell layer in the retina of the murciano-granadina goat is an increase in the density of ganglion cells in the central area, as well as a concentration along a ridge extending horizontally across the retina, below the optic disc, and in the upper temporal retina. Thus, there is a...

Corticothalamic axons have been studied in adult Lister hooded rats with single or dual injections of tracers into the visual cortex. Labelled axons leave medial and lateral injection sites in separate or partially overlapping bundles along parallel trajectories in the subcortical white matter. In the internal capsule they converge and both bundles...

This study deals with some macroscopical, microscopical, and ultrastructural aspects of the spinal cord central canal of the German shepherd dog. The caudal end of the spinal cord is constituted by the conus medullaris, which may extend to the first sacral vertebra, the terminal ventricle, and the filum terminale. The latter structure is considered...

As in the number of mammals, the most prominent feature of the ganglion-cell layer in the retina of the German shepherd dog is the sharp increase in the density of ganglion cells in the central area. There is an area of maximum density and also a 'cat-like' visual streak, located dorsal to the optic disc. The isodensity lines of ganglion-cell distr...

Retinal horizontal cells of four rodent species, rat, mouse, gerbil, and guinea pig were examined to determine whether they conform to the basic pattern of two horizontal cell types found in other mammalian orders. Intracellular injections of Lucifer-Yellow were made to reveal the morphologies of individual cells. Immunocytochemistry with antisera...

In several mammals only one of the two types of retinal horizontal cell, the axonless A-type, appears to express neurofilaments. Neurofilament immunostaining of rodent retinas reveals a horizontal cell plexus that has previously been interpreted as belonging to A-type cells. Our intracellular Lucifer yellow injections strongly suggest that there ar...

This article presents abundant rigorous information concerning the whole of the neocortex of a gyrencephalate mammal (the dog), including the buried cortex. The outline of 50 μm transverse sections stained with cresyl echt violet were measured with a Vids II image analyser, measurements being taken between reference points which mostly consisted in...

This article presents abundant rigorous information concerning the whole of the neocortex of a gyrencephalate mammal (the dog), including the buried cortex. The outline of 50 μm transverse sections stained with cresyl echt violet were measured with a Vids II image analyser, measurements being taken between reference points which mostly consisted in...

This article describes the structural organization of the neocortex of the dog from purely morphological point of view. Series of 50 urn transverse sections were cut from the frozen right hemiencephala of adult greyhounds, stained by Nissl's method, and drawn. His's method was then used to construct life-size lateral, dorsal and medial views of the...

The basal ganglia are very similarly disposed in superior animal, but their way of grouping is different in human species and domestic mammals. We have studied them in the dog, except for the Nucleus accumbens, from macroscopic and microscopic points of view, with the help of 25 and 50 pm thick transverse serial sections, stained by Nissl's techniq...