A novel role for phospholamban in the thalamic reticular nucleus.

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a brain region that influences vital neurobehavioral processes, including executive functioning and the generation of sleep rhythms. TRN dysfunction underlies hyperactivity, attention deficits, and sleep disturbances observed across various neurodevelopmental disorders. A specialized sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium (Ca) ATPase 2 (SERCA2)-dependent Ca signaling network operates in the dendrites of TRN neurons to regulate their bursting activity.

A Novel Role for Phospholamban in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus.

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a critical brain region that greatly influences vital neurobehavioral processes, including executive functioning and the generation of sleep rhythms. Recently, TRN dysfunction was suggested to underlie hyperactivity, attention deficits, and sleep disturbances observed across various devastating neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Notably, a highly specialized sarco- endoplasmic reticulum calcium (Ca ) ATPase 2 (SERCA2)-dependent Ca signaling network operates in the dendrites of TRN neurons to regulate their high-frequency bursting activity.

A Role for SERCA Pumps in the Neurobiology of Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Calcium (Ca) is a fundamental regulator of cell fate and intracellular Ca homeostasis is crucial for proper function of the nerve cells. Given the complexity of neurons, a constellation of mechanisms finely tunes the intracellular Ca signaling. We are focusing on the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) calcium (Ca)-ATPase (SERCA) pump, an integral ER protein.

Sex Differences in the Temporal Neuromolecular and Synaptogenic Effects of the Rapid-acting Antidepressant Drug Ketamine in the Mouse Brain.

Preclinical evidence suggests that ketamine's rapid and sustained antidepressant actions are due to the induction of synaptogenesis in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus (HIPP), two brain regions implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression. However, research on the neurobiological effects of ketamine has focused almost exclusively on males. Findings from our group and others indicate that female rodents are more reactive to ketamine's antidepressant effects, since they respond to lower doses in antidepressant-predictive behavioral models.

The SERCA2: A Gatekeeper of Neuronal Calcium Homeostasis in the Brain.

Calcium (Ca) ions are prominent cell signaling regulators that carry information for a variety of cellular processes and are critical for neuronal survival and function. Furthermore, Ca acts as a prominent second messenger that modulates divergent intracellular cascades in the nerve cells. Therefore, nerve cells have developed intricate Ca signaling pathways to couple the Ca signal to their biochemical machinery.

Lipopolysaccharide administration induces sex-dependent behavioural and serotonergic neurochemical signatures in mice.

Challenging the innate immune machinery with the pro-inflammatory agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in the development of a sickness syndrome characterized by numerous depressive-like behavioural and physiological manifestations, most of which overlap with the clinical symptoms of major depression. Although women are known to mount stronger pro-inflammatory responses during infections and being at higher risk to develop depressive disorders compared to men, the vast majority of experimental studies investigating the neurobiological effects of LPS administration have been conducted in males. Herein, we investigated the behavioural effects of LPS administration (0.