Publications by authors named "D Economidou"

Drug addiction is often associated with impulsivity and altered behavioural responses to both primary and conditioned rewards. Here we investigated whether selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats show differential levels of impulsivity and conditioned behavioural responses to food incentives. P and NP rats were assessed for impulsivity in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), a widely used translational task in humans and other animals, as well as Pavlovian conditioned approach to measure sign- and goal-tracking behaviour.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Distinct environmental and conditioned stimuli influencing ethanol-associated appetitive and consummatory behaviors may jointly contribute to alcohol addiction. To develop an effective translational animal model that illuminates this interaction, daily seeking responses, maintained by alcohol-associated conditioned stimuli (CSs), need to be dissociated from alcohol drinking behavior. For this, we established a procedure whereby alcohol seeking maintained by alcohol-associated CSs is followed by a period during which rats have the opportunity to drink alcohol.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prevalence of adynamic bone disease (ABD), characterized by low bone turnover and absence or a reduced number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, is increasing steadily over the last years. We present a dialysis patient, with recurrent bone fractures and biopsy-proven ABD, who was treated with teriparatide. Nine months after initiation of treatment, iPTH plasma levels increased to 520 pg/mL and a second bone biopsy revealed high bone turnover, normal mineralization and normal bone volume.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since its discovery, the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ)-NOP receptor system has been extensively investigated as a promising target to treat alcoholism. Encouraging results obtained with the endogenous ligand N/OFQ stimulated research towards the development of novel brain-penetrating NOP receptor agonists with a pharmacological and toxicological profile compatible with clinical development. Here we describe the biochemical and alcohol-related behavioral effects of the novel NOP receptor agonist MT-7716.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF