Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major public health issue worldwide. It not only causes an increased socio-economic burden, but also negatively affects personal lives. It has been shown that depression leads to impairments in synaptic plasticity, such as impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). A recent study reported that administration of agomelatine, a melatonin receptor agonist and 5-hydro...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system, characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline. The two main hypotheses regarding AD involve the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) forming plaques and the intracellular hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, leading to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). These processes are accompanied by neuroinflammation and oxida...

The island of Taiwan represents an ideal context for studying the effects of climatic oscillations and topographic variation on large herbivores due to its varied tropical to sub-tropical climate zones at different elevational ranges. We explored the phylogenetics of Formosan sambar deer ( Rusa unicolor swinhoii ) using the control region of the mitochondrial genome. We detected 18 haplotypes among 454 sequences across the isl...

Sea slug (Subclass Heterobranchia) biodiversity is an important element of marine coral reef communities. However, due to their small size and cryptic behavior, few studies have examined their spatiotemporal variation. Taiwan is in the middle of East Asia Island Arcs, where it is one of the hotspots of sea slug diversity. Meanwhile, the northeast coast of this island lies within the subtropical monsoon region, where the climat...

Clams, Meretrix meretrix, were one of the favorite aquatic products in Taiwan and the world. It was reported that the water pollutants such as heavy metals and chemicals might accumulate in the clam body and shell through filter-feeding behavior. Thus, the bivalves could be used as bioindicators in the aquatic environment. The present study analyzed 20 trace elements, Mg, Sr, Li, Cd, Ba, Mn, Al, U, Ti, Pb, Nd, B, S, Zn, Fe, P,...