Preventive Effects of Baclofen but Not Diazepam on Hippocampal Memory and Glucocorticoid Alterations After Prolonged Alcohol Withdrawal in Mice.

Our study aims at comparing in C57/Bl male mice, the impact of repeated injections of baclofen (an agonist of GABAB receptor) or diazepam (a benzodiazepine acting through a positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptor) administered during the alcohol-withdrawal period on hippocampus-dependent memory impairments and brain regional glucocorticoid dysfunction after a short (1-week) or a long (4-week) abstinence. Hence, mice were submitted to a 6-month alcohol consumption (12%v/v) and were progressively withdrawn to water. Then, after a 1- or 4-weeks abstinence, they were submitted to a contextual memory task followed by measurements of corticosterone concentrations in the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

Detecting fine and elaborate movements with piezo sensors provides non-invasive access to overlooked behavioral components.

Behavioral phenotyping devices have been successfully used to build ethograms, but many aspects of behavior remain out of reach of available phenotyping systems. We now report on a novel device, which consists in an open-field platform resting on highly sensitive piezoelectric (electromechanical) pressure-sensors, with which we could detect the slightest movements (up to individual heart beats during rest) from freely moving rats and mice. The combination with video recordings and signal analysis based on time-frequency decomposition, clustering, and machine learning algorithms provided non-invasive access to previously overlooked behavioral components.

Potential Involvement of Impaired BK Channel Function in Sensory Defensiveness and Some Behavioral Disturbances Induced by Unfamiliar Environment in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome.

In fragile X syndrome (FXS), sensory hypersensitivity and impaired habituation is thought to result in attention overload and various behavioral abnormalities in reaction to the excessive and remanent salience of environment features that would normally be ignored. This phenomenon, termed sensory defensiveness, has been proposed as the potential cause of hyperactivity, hyperarousal, and negative reactions to changes in routine that are often deleterious for FXS patients. However, the lack of tools for manipulating sensory hypersensitivity has not allowed the experimental testing required to evaluate the relevance of this hypothesis.