Desipramine restores the alterations in circadian entrainment induced by prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids.

Alterations in circadian rhythms are closely linked to depression, and we have shown earlier that progressive alterations in circadian entrainment precede the onset of depression in mice exposed in utero to excess glucocorticoids. The aim of this study was to investigate whether treatment with the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor desipramine (DMI) could restore the alterations in circadian entrainment and prevent the onset of depression-like behavior. C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to dexamethasone (DEX-synthetic glucocorticoid analog, 0.

Bacterial peptidoglycans as novel signaling molecules from microbiota to brain.

Mounting evidence indicates that gut microbiota exerts a broad range of effects on host physiology and development beyond the gastrointestinal tract, including the modulation of brain development. However, the mechanisms mediating the interactions between the microbiota and the developing brain are still poorly understood. Pattern recognition receptors of the innate immune system that recognize microbial products, such as peptidoglycans have emerged as potential key regulators of gut microbiome-brain interactions.

NRXN1 Deletion and Exposure to Methylmercury Increase Astrocyte Differentiation by Different Notch-Dependent Transcriptional Mechanisms.

Controversial evidence points to a possible involvement of methylmercury (MeHg) in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study, we used human neuroepithelial stem cells from healthy donors and from an autistic patient bearing a bi-allelic deletion in the gene encoding for to evaluate whether MeHg would induce cellular changes comparable to those seen in cells derived from the ASD patient. In healthy cells, a subcytotoxic concentration of MeHg enhanced astroglial differentiation similarly to what observed in the diseased cells (N1), as shown by the number of GFAP positive cells and immunofluorescence signal intensity.

Depressive-like phenotype induced by prenatal dexamethasone in mice is reversed by desipramine.

Exposure to prenatal insults has been associated with an increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, but the mechanisms are still poorly understood. Persistent alterations of the HPA axis feedback mechanism as well as adult impaired neurogenesis are believed to play a relevant role in the etiology of depression. In addition, growing evidence points at epigenetic reprogramming as a key factor.

Operant, oral alcoholic beer self-administration by C57BL/6J mice: effect of BHF177, a positive allosteric modulator of GABA(B) receptors.

Rationale: With its high palatability, near-beer has been successfully used in rats as a vehicle to induce ethanol oral self-administration.

Objectives: The study aimed to develop an operant model of oral alcoholic beer self-administration promoting a stable intake of pharmacologically relevant amounts of ethanol in free-feeding C57BL/6J mice. It also aimed to assess the model's predictive validity by evaluating the influence of baclofen, a GABA(B) agonist, and BHF177, a GABA(B) positive allosteric modulator, on alcoholic beer self-administration.