Effects of glucose modulation in lateral hypothalamus on motivated behavior to obtain sucrose in an operant task.

Orexin neurons in the Lateral Hypothalamus (LH) play an important role in food seeking behavior. Approximately 60 percent of LH orexin neurons are inhibited by elevated extracellular glucose. It has been shown that elevated LH glucose decreases conditioned place preference for a food associated chamber.

Repetitive mild TBI causes pTau aggregation in nigra without altering preexisting fibril induced Parkinson's-like pathology burden.

Population studies have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's disease (PD) and among U.S. Veterans with a history of TBI this risk is 56% higher.

Electrophysiological evidence of alterations to the nucleus accumbens and dorsolateral striatum during chronic cocaine self-administration.

As drug use becomes chronic, aberrant striatal processing contributes to the development of perseverative drug-taking behaviors. Two particular portions of the striatum, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), are known to undergo neurobiological changes from acute to chronic drug use. However, little is known about the exact progression of changes in functional striatal processing as drug intake persists.

Daily treadmill exercise attenuates cocaine cue-induced reinstatement and cocaine induced locomotor response but increases cocaine-primed reinstatement.

Exercise affects neuroplasticity and neurotransmission including dopamine (DA), which modulates drug-taking behavior. Previous research in rodents has shown that exercise may attenuate the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse. The present study examined the effects of high and low exercise on cocaine responses in male Wistar rats that had been trained to self-administer and were compared to a group of sedentary rats.

Chronic forced exercise during adolescence decreases cocaine conditioned place preference in Lewis rats.

Chronic physical activity (exercise) may be beneficial in the prevention of substance use disorders; however, the extent to which physical activity can interfere with the reinforcing effects of drugs during the adolescent period, which is one of great vulnerability for drug experimentation, has not been fully evaluated. Here, we assess the effects of chronic forced exercise during adolescence on preference for cocaine using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in male and female Lewis rats. The group of rats exposed to exercise ran on a treadmill for 6 weeks on a progressive time-increased schedule for up to 1h of exercise per day, while the groups of sedentary rats remained in their home cage.