The midline interlaminar ligament of the spine: An anatomical study.

Introduction: During routine cadaveric dissection, Simonds et al. in 2019 found a previously undocumented ligament, which they termed the midline interlaminar ligament (MIL), in 24 out of 36 (76.5%) lumbar spinal levels.

Examining persistence of acute environmental enrichment-induced anti-sucrose craving effects in rats.

A single, overnight (acute) environmental enrichment (EE; a large environment with conspecifics and novel objects) experience robustly decreases sucrose consumption (taking) and responsiveness to sucrose-paired cues (seeking) in rats. Persisting effects of acute EE on sucrose seeking and taking have not yet been identified. In the present study, rats were trained to self-administer a 10% sucrose solution paired with a compound tone + light stimulus for 10 days in 2-h sessions.

Sucrose Abstinence and Environmental Enrichment Effects on Mesocorticolimbic DARPP32 in Rats.

Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein 32 kDa (DARPP32) is a signaling molecule that could serve as a molecular switch, promoting or restraining sucrose seeking. We measured DARPP32 and pThr34 DARPP32 in the brains of male Long-Evans rats with a history of sucrose self-administration followed by 1 or 30 days of abstinence and exposure to either overnight (acute) or one month (chronic) environmental enrichment (EE). Brains were extracted following a 1 h cue reactivity test or no exposure to the test environment.

Effects of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists on environmental enrichment attenuated sucrose cue reactivity in rats.

Rationale: Acute or chronic environmental enrichment (EE) reduces sucrose cue reactivity in rats. This effect may be mediated by dopamine receptors.

Objectives: We examined whether dopamine D1 or D2 receptor agonism could reverse the EE effect.

Systemic injection of the DAD1 antagonist SCH 23390 reduces saccharin seeking in rats.

Conditioned cues can elicit drug- and sucrose-seeking behaviors that have been shown to depend on dopamine (DA) D1 receptors. If DAD1 receptors are also involved in seeking behavior in general, blocking these receptors should reduce seeking behavior for a non-caloric, non-drug of abuse reinforcer such as saccharin. Forty-six male Long-Evans rats lever pressed for 0.

Effects of acute or chronic environmental enrichment on regional Fos protein expression following sucrose cue-reactivity testing in rats.

Exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) reduces sucrose seeking by rats with a history of sucrose self-administration. The present experiment examined whether acute or chronic EE also reduces brain Fos levels, a protein marker indicative of neuronal activation. Fos levels were also examined after either 1 or 30 days of forced abstinence to examine whether Fos levels vary with the incubation of sucrose craving.

Brief exposure to novel or enriched environments reduces sucrose cue-reactivity and consumption in rats after 1 or 30 days of forced abstinence from self-administration.

Environmental enrichment (EE) reduces drug and sucrose cue-reactivity in rats. In a previous study we reported that 1 month of EE (large cage, toys, and social cohorts) significantly reduced sucrose cue-reactivity. In the present study, we examined whether overnight (22 h) EE would be as effective.