Inhibitory avoidance task does not change NCS-1 level in rat brain.

Step-down inhibitory avoidance is usually acquired in one single trial, which makes it ideal for studying processes initiated by training, uncontaminated by prior or further trials, rehearsals, or retrievals. Neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS-1) is a dopamine receptor interacting protein that has been associated with associative learning and memory. We evaluated whether inhibitory avoidance can alter NCS-1 levels in rat brain.

Early long-term exposure with caffeine induces cross-sensitization to methylphenidate with involvement of DARPP-32 in adulthood of rats.

Chronic ingestion of caffeine causes dependence and sleep disturbance in children and adolescents. In rodents, the administration of caffeine may produce behavioral cross-sensitization to some psychostimulants, such as dopaminergic psychoactive drugs. Methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin) is a psychostimulant used in pediatric- and adult human populations to manage the symptoms associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

DARPP-32 and NCS-1 expression is not altered in brains of rats treated with typical or atypical antipsychotics.

Dopamine-mediated neurotransmission imbalances are associated with several psychiatry illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Recently it was demonstrated that two proteins involved in dopamine signaling are altered in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of schizophrenic patients. DARPP-32 is a key downstream effector of intracellular signaling pathway and is downregulated in PFC of schizophrenic subjects.