Neuro- and vasoprotective potential of neuropeptide Y Y2 receptor agonist, NPY13-36, against transient focal cerebral ischemia in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Numerous in vitro and in vivo experimental studies indicate that neuropeptide Y Y2 receptors (Y2R) are potential targets for neuroprotective therapy, including neuroprotection against ischemic stroke in healthy rats. Since stroke in humans is typically associated with comorbidities and long-term hypertension is the most common comorbidity leading to stroke, this study aimed to assess the neuroprotective potential of the Y2R agonist NPY13-36 in the rats with essential hypertension (SHR) subjected to 90 min middle cerebral artery suture occlusion with subsequent reperfusion (MCAOR). The cerebrocortical microflow in the ischemic focus and penumbra was continuously monitored with a Laser-Doppler flowmeter.

L-DOPA Improves Ventilation but Not the Ventilatory Response to Hypercapnia in a Reserpine Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of the substantia nigra that affects mainly movement control. However, pathological changes associated with the development of PD may also alter respiration and can lead to chronic episodes of hypoxia and hypercapnia. The mechanism behind impaired ventilation in PD is unclear.

Distinct circuits in rat central amygdala for defensive behaviors evoked by socially signaled imminent versus remote danger.

Animals display a rich repertoire of defensive responses adequate to the threat proximity. In social species, these reactions can be additionally influenced by the behavior of fearful conspecifics. However, the majority of neuroscientific studies on socially triggered defensive responses focuses on one type of behavior, freezing.

Playback of Alarm and Appetitive Calls Differentially Impacts Vocal, Heart-Rate, and Motor Response in Rats.

Our rudimentary knowledge about rat intraspecific vocal system of information exchange is limited by experimental models of communication. Rats emit 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in appetitive states and 22-kHz ones in aversive states. Both affective states influence heart rate.

Neuroprotection of Retinal Ganglion Cells with AAV2-BDNF Pretreatment Restoring Normal TrkB Receptor Protein Levels in Glaucoma.

Intravitreal delivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) by injection of recombinant protein or by gene therapy can alleviate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss after optic nerve injury (ONI) or laser-induced ocular hypertension (OHT). In models of glaucoma, BDNF therapy can delay or halt RGCs loss, but this protection is time-limited. The decreased efficacy of BDNF supplementation has been in part attributed to BDNF TrkB receptor downregulation.

Respiratory pattern and phrenic and hypoglossal nerve activity during normoxia and hypoxia in 6-OHDA-induced bilateral model of Parkinson's disease.

Respiratory disturbances present in Parkinson's disease (PD) are not well understood. Thus, studies in animal models aimed to link brain dopamine (DA) deficits with respiratory impairment are needed. Adult Wistar rats were lesioned with injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the third cerebral ventricle.

Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Human and in Neurons Exhibit Changes in Behavior and Calcium Homeostasis but Show No Signs of Neurodegeneration.

The maintenance of proper cytosolic Ca level is crucial for neuronal survival, and dysregulation of Ca homeostasis is found in a variety of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. According to the "Ca hypothesis of aging", Ca disturbances precede the onset of AD symptoms and lead to neurodegeneration. STIM and ORAI proteins are involved in neuronal physiological and pathological processes as essential components of the store-operated Ca entry.

Amot and Yap1 regulate neuronal dendritic tree complexity and locomotor coordination in mice.

The angiomotin (Amot)-Yes-associated protein 1 (Yap1) complex plays a major role in regulating the inhibition of cell contact, cellular polarity, and cell growth in many cell types. However, the function of Amot and the Hippo pathway transcription coactivator Yap1 in the central nervous system remains unclear. We found that Amot is a critical mediator of dendritic morphogenesis in cultured hippocampal cells and Purkinje cells in the brain.

Behavioral and electrophysiological changes in female mice overexpressing ORAI1 in neurons.

Orai proteins form highly selective Ca release-activated channels (CRACs). They play a critical role in store-operated Ca entry (SOCE; i.e.

Aggression and Helping as Responses to Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Rejection in Men and Women.

Research shows that interpersonal rejection increases aggression and decreases helping toward the rejecter. Based on the assumptions of the evolutionary approach, it was hypothesized that aggression would be higher and helping would be lower after rejection by a same-sex rather than an opposite-sex other. Moreover, it was predicted that the effect for aggression would be stronger in men, and the effect for helping would be stronger in women.

Pramipexole and Fingolimod exert neuroprotection in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease by activation of sphingosine kinase 1 and Akt kinase.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most severe neurodegenerative diseases with unknown pathogenesis and currently unsuccessful therapies. Recently, neuroprotection via sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-dependent signalling has become a promising target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Our previous study demonstrated down-regulation and inhibition of the S1P-synthesizing enzyme sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in a PD cellular model.

Neuroprotective effect of the group III mGlu receptor agonist ACPT-I after ischemic stroke in rats with essential hypertension.

Our previous studies have shown that ACPT-I [(1S, 3R,4S)-1-aminocyclopentane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid], a blood-brain barrier permeable agonist of group III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors, was neuroprotective against middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) in normotensive rats. Preclinical studies are typically performed on healthy animals, whereas stroke patients predominately exhibit comorbidities, such as hypertension; therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of ACPT-I in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) after MCAO/R. We examined the potential neuroprotective action of ACPT-I (30 mg/kg) when administered during occlusion or reperfusion via the assessment of not only the brain infarction volume but also motor (CatWalk gait analysis and open field test) and sensorimotor (vibrissae-evoked forelimb-placing test) functions following MCAO/R.

Neuropeptide Y Y2 and Y5 receptors as promising targets for neuroprotection in primary neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and in transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.

It was postulated that neuropeptide Y (NPY)-ergic system could be involved in the ischemic pathophysiology, however, the role of particular subtypes of NPY receptors (YRs) in neuroprotection against ischemia is still not well known. Therefore, we investigated the effect of NPY and YR ligands using in vitro and in vivo experimental ischemic stroke models. Our in vitro findings showed that NPY (0.

Overexpression of STIM1 in neurons in mouse brain improves contextual learning and impairs long-term depression.

STIM1 is an endoplasmic reticulum calcium sensor that is involved in several processes in neurons, including store-operated calcium entry. STIM1 also inhibits voltage-gated calcium channels, such as Ca1.2 and Ca3.

Eco-HAB as a fully automated and ecologically relevant assessment of social impairments in mouse models of autism.

Eco-HAB is an open source, RFID-based system for automated measurement and analysis of social preference and in-cohort sociability in mice. The system closely follows murine ethology. It requires no contact between a human experimenter and tested animals, overcoming the confounding factors that lead to irreproducible assessment of murine social behavior between laboratories.

Non-parametric analysis of neurochemical effects and Arc expression in amphetamine-induced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization.

A number of studies have identified the importance of dopaminergic, opioid, serotonergic, noradrenergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in amphetamine-induced "50-kHz" ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Amphetamine became a topic of interest for many researchers interested in USVs due to its ability to induce 50-kHz USVs. To date, it has been difficult to identify the neurotransmitters responsible for this phenomenon.

Breathing in Parkinsonism in the Rat.

Parkinsonism is underlain by dopamine (DA) deficiency in the mid-brain, a neurotransmitter innately involved with respiratory regulation. However, the state of respiration in parkinsonism is an unsettled issue. In this study we seek to determine ventilation and its responses to hypoxia in a reserpine--alpha-methyl-tyrosine model of parkinsonism in the rat.

Three-dimensional grammar in the brain: Dissociating the neural correlates of natural sign language and manually coded spoken language.

In several countries natural sign languages were considered inadequate for education. Instead, new sign-supported systems were created, based on the belief that spoken/written language is grammatically superior. One such system called SJM (system językowo-migowy) preserves the grammatical and lexical structure of spoken Polish and since 1960s has been extensively employed in schools and on TV.

Antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects of mild hypobaric hypoxia in mice: possible involvement of neuropeptide Y.

Previous studies have demonstrated that repeated submission of rats to mild hypobaric hypoxia reduces the persistent behavioral and hormonal depressive symptoms induced by exposure to footshock in the learned helplessness paradigm. The aim of this study was to determine whether hypoxic preconditioning of mice can also induce antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects that are detectable with the other commonly used behavioral tests, and to determine whether these effects are accompanied by an increase in neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the hippocampus, which may suggest the involvement of NPY in these mechanisms. The intermittent mild hypobaric hypoxia was generated by 2-h exposure of mice to 0.

N-acetyl cysteine does not modify the sensitization of the rewarding effect of amphetamine as assessed with frequency-modulated 50-kHz vocalization in the rat.

A satisfactory pharmacological cure for addictions to psychostimulants has not yet been developed. Because of the well-known role of changes in the corticoaccumbal and corticostriatal glutamatergic system(s) in drug seeking and relapses in psychostimulant addiction, much hope is presently linked to the use of agents that restore glutamate homeostasis. In this regard, one of the most promising agents is N-acetyl cysteine, which has been shown to reverse some changes in neuroplasticity associated with psychostimulant addiction/dependence.

Sexual performance and precontact 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in WAG/Rij rats: effects of opioid receptor treatment.

WAG/Rij rats are genetically selected animals that model absence epilepsy in rats. Ultrasonic vocalizations and sexual behavior - both ethologically relevant markers of reward system functioning - are poorly described in this strain. The aim of our experiment was to investigate reward-dependent precontact 50-kHz vocalizations (PVs) and copulatory behavior as well as the effects of opioid receptor treatment on such behaviors in sexually experienced WAG/Rij males and rats from two control strains: Sprague-Dawley and Crl: Han Wistar.

Muscarinic receptor activation enables persistent firing in pyramidal neurons from superficial layers of dorsal perirhinal cortex.

Persistent-firing neurons in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) continue to discharge long after the termination of the original, spike-initiating current. An emerging theory proposes that endogenous persistent firing helps support a transient memory system. This study demonstrated that persistent-firing neurons are also prevalent in rat perirhinal cortex (PR), which lies immediately adjacent to and is reciprocally connected with EC and LA.

Age increases anxiety and reactivity of the fear/anxiety circuit in Lewis rats.

A growing body of data indicates that changes in emotional behavior occur with age. Young Lewis rats are known to display hypofunction of the HPA axis. With age the reactivity of this axis is thought to increase with a concomitant rise in anxiety.