Synergistic interaction between clonidine and ACPA on the modulation of anxiety-like behaviors in non-acute restraint stress and acute restraint stress conditions.

The present research examined the possible role of α-2 adrenergic receptor drugs (clonidine, selective α-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, and yohimbine, competitive α-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist,) on the effect of arachidonylcyclopropylamide (ACPA), a cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist, in non-acute restraint stress (NARS) and acute restraint stress (ARS) mice. The animals were unilaterally implanted with a cannula in the left lateral ventricle. ARS was carried out by movement restraint at a period of 4 h.

Anxiolytic- and antidepressive-like effects of harmaline in mice are mediated via histamine H3 receptor blockade.

Many neuropsychiatric disorders can be caused by neurotransmitter dysfunction. Experimental studies have demonstrated that histamine and the harmaline affect physiological processes through interaction with other neurotransmitter systems. The objective of these experiments was to investigate the involvement of the histaminergic system in the effects of harmaline on anxiety- and depressive-related effects in male NMRI mice.

Antidepressive synergism between crocin and D-AP5 in acute restraint-stressed mice.

Emerging evidence suggests that crocin rescues stress-induced depressive symptoms in mice via stimulation of hippocampal neurogenesis. Glutamate modulators mainly involving N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs) have highlighted a role in neural development, synaptic plasticity, and depression. The research presented here was designed to appraise the interaction between NMDAR agents and crocin on depressive-related behaviors in the NMRI male mice exposed to acute restraint stress (ARS) for a period of 4 h.

Basolateral amygdala cannabinoid CB1 receptors mediate the antinociceptive activity of harmaline in adolescent male mice.

Evidence suggests a clear role for the amygdala endocannabinoid system in pain processing. Harmaline has been also known as the main nociceptive agent extracted from the Peganum harmala plant. In this study, the role of basolateral amygdala (BLA) cannabinoid CB1 receptors in pain sensitivity of harmaline-treated mice were assessed using tail-flick and hot plate methods in adolescent male NMRI mice.

Isobolographic analysis of the antidepressant interaction in two-drug combinations of citalopram, bupropion, and scopolamine in mice.

Depression and anxiety are psychiatric diseases that commonly occur together, and the patient burden and complexity increase when both are present. Comorbid anxiety and depression are often more resistant to common drug treatments such as antidepressants. Combination therapy is a suggested approach in treating these patients, where a decline of doses could reduce undesirable outcomes and still achieve optimal effects.

The effect of URB597, exercise or their combination on the performance of 6-OHDA mouse model of Parkinson disease in the elevated plus maze, tail suspension test and step-down task.

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is often accompanied by motor and psychiatric symptoms. Various approaches have been proposed for the treatment of PD. Here, we investigated the effect of a low dose of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 (as an enhancer of endocannabinoid anandamide levels), exercise or their combination on some behavior alterations in PD mice lesioned by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA).

Anodal tDCS applied to the left frontal cortex abrogates scopolamine‑induced fear memory deficit via the dopaminergic system.

Evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates conditioned fear memories and has effects on cognitive flexibility via the dopaminergic system. This study examines whether modulation of scopolamine‑induced fear memory deficit by anodal tDCS could be mediated by the dopaminergic system. The male NMRI mice received scopolamine, 30 min before fear conditioning, and showed impaired contextual memory retention.

Synergistic antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of harmaline along with cinanserin in acute restraint stress-treated mice.

Rationale: Acute restraint stress (ARS) is an experimental paradigm used for the induction of rodent models of stress-produced neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. β-carbolines and serotonin (5-HT) systems are involved in the modulation of depression and anxiety behaviors.

Objective: This study was designed to examine the effects of intracerebroventricular (i.

URB597 abrogates anxiogenic and depressive behaviors in the methamphetamine-withdrawal mice: Role of the cannabinoid receptor type 1, cannabinoid receptor type 2, and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channels.

Background: Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that possesses toxicity in the brain when taken repeatedly or at higher doses. Methamphetamine neurotoxicity is associated with numerous forms of mental impairment, including depression and anxiety. Evidence has also demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of anxiety and depression.

Combined treatment of scopolamine and group III mGluR antagonist, CPPG, exerts antidepressant activity without affecting anxiety-related behaviors.

Clinical trials have revealed that the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine produces a fast and potent antidepressant response. However, the anticholinergic adverse effects and the risk of psychosis at higher doses limit the widespread clinical use of scopolamine. Combination therapy of scopolamine and other antidepressants in treating depression has been suggested.

Better antidepressant efficacy of mecamylamine in combination with L-NAME than with L-arginine.

Aff ;ective disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders, are a constellation of psychiatric diseases that aff ;ect over 10 % of the world's population. It has been proposed that drugs that change nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) activity can affect mood- and anxiety-related behaviors. Also, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is closely associated with the pathophysiology of these disorders.

Effects of precondition α-adrenoceptor agents on memory- and anxiety-related processes in the transient cerebral ischemic rats.

Neurological evidence for the neuroprotective function of α-adrenoceptors in the cerebral ischemia is inconsistent. It is not examined how pretreatment with a single dose of α-adrenoceptor agents can affect motor function and anxiety- and memory-related responses in the cerebral ischemic animals. The transient forebrain ischemia model was provided, using a bilateral common carotid arterial occlusion (two-vessel occlusion, 2VO) in male Wistar rats.

Cross state-dependent memory retrieval between morphine and norharmane in the mouse dorsal hippocampus.

State-dependent memory (SDM) describes a phenomenon that memory is efficiently restored only when the brain state during restoration matches the state during encoding. Some psychoactive drugs such as morphine, ethanol, and cocaine evoke SDM. The scope of this study was to investigate the cross SDM between morphine and norharmane injected into the dorsal hippocampus of male NMRI mice, and the involvement of μ-opioid receptors (MORs) in the SDM of the drugs.

Antinociceptive and antidepressive efficacies of the combined ineffective doses of S-ketamine and URB597.

Clinical studies have demonstrated that the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine produces rapid antidepressant responses. There are safety concerns and adverse effects that limit the utilization of ketamine in psychiatry. Some studies have suggested combination therapy for optimal ketamine use.

Additive interaction between scopolamine and nitric oxide agents on immobility in the forced swim test but not exploratory activity in the hole-board.

Rationale: The muscarinic cholinergic antagonist scopolamine has received an attention due to its unique antidepressant effects. However, the considerable adverse effects on nervous system limit the use of scopolamine as a psychiatric drug.

Objective: In order to overcome the limitations and increase the therapeutic effects of scopolamine, we decided to examine the effects of joint administration of sub-effective dose of scopolamine and the sub-effective dose of a nitric oxide (NO) precursor L-Arginine or a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME on depression- and anxiety-related behaviors in male NMRI mice.

Ketamine-induced antidepressant like effects in mice: A possible involvement of cannabinoid system.

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible interaction between ketamine and cannabinoid system in the modulation of depression-related responses using the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and open-field test (OFT) in mice. Our results revealed that intra-peritoneal (i.p.

MLC901 during sleep deprivation rescues fear memory disruption in rats.

Several lines of evidence suggest that sleep deprivation disrupts cognitive and emotional abilities and changes the expression of distinctive categories of genes in the brain. In the present study, saline- or MLC901 (a traditional Chinese medicine)-treated male Wistar rats were first submitted to a modified water box (for 24-h sleep deprivation) and then trained in contextual and tone fear conditioning tasks with the purpose to evaluate the effect of MLC901 during sleep deprivation on fear memory retention. Hippocampal mRNA measurement was performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of ACPA and harmaline co-treatment.

Depression and anxiety disorders are among the most common illnesses and a close relationship between them has been found. Because the psychotropic effects and abuse liability of cannabis prevent its therapeutic application in depression and anxiety states, we decided to investigate the effects of the combination of ineffective doses of cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist arachidonylcyclopropylamide (ACPA) and β-carbolines on anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in male NMRI mice. Anxiety- and depression-related behaviors were assesses using elevated plus maze (EPM) and forced swim test (FST), respectively.

Abolishment of fear memory-disruptive effects REM sleep deprivation by harmane.

Harmane, as a neuromodulator, implicates in the learning and memory processes. However, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation negatively affects these processes. Here, we investigated the effects of harmane (2.

Co-administration of the low dose of orexin and nitrergic antagonists induces an antidepressant-like effect in mice.

It is now well-established that orexins (OXs) and their receptors are involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Considering the evidence indicating the importance of nitric oxide (NO) system in the mood modulation, this study investigated the effect of intraperitoneal (i.p.

The modulatory role of accumbens and hippocampus D2 receptors in anxiety and memory.

The present study investigated the role of dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the effect of their dopaminergic activities on anxiety-like behavior and aversive learning using a test-retest elevated plus-maze (EPM) paradigm in male Wistar rats. Guide cannulae were implanted to allow microinjection of D2R agonist quinpirole or antagonist sulpiride. The pre-test intra-NAc microinjection of quinpirole (0.

Effects of harmane during treadmill exercise on spatial memory of restraint-stressed mice.

Chronic stress induces hippocampal-dependent memory deficits, which can be counterbalanced with prolonged exercise. On the other hand, the β-carboline alkaloid harmane exerts potential in therapies for Alzheimer's and depression diseases and modulating neuronal responses to stress. The present study investigated the effect of chronic treatment of harmane alone or during treadmill running on spatial memory deficit in restraint-stressed mice.

Bidirectional influence of amygdala β-adrenoceptors blockade on cannabinoid signaling in contextual and auditory fear memory.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a major target and modulator of stress and has a critical role in the neural circuitry presenting learned fear behaviors. On the other hand, both the endocannabinoid and noradrenergic systems may be involved in regulating the stress responses, fear, and anxiety. Considering the aforementioned, we have investigated the involvement of the BLA β-adrenoceptors in conditioned fear responses induced by ACPA, a CB1 receptor (CB1R) agonist.

Role of CA1 GABA and GABA receptors on learning deficit induced by D-AP5 in passive avoidance step-through task.

To investigate the interaction between hippocampal γ-aminobutyric acid GABA receptor (GABAR) or GABA receptor (GABAR) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in the acquisition of passive avoidance memory in rats, we used GABA or GABA agents, D-AP5 (as a NMDAR antagonist), and a combination of the mentioned drugs in a step-through task. All agents were microinjected into the intra-CA1 regions at a volume of 1 µl/rat, prior to training. GABAR agonist muscimol (0.

Interference effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the right frontal cortex and adrenergic system on conditioned fear.

Rationale: The effects of pharmacological interventions on fear memory have widely been studied, but there are very few studies about the effects of brain electrical stimulation on fear memory function.

Objective: Therefore, our aim was to determine whether anodal/cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right frontal cortex would modify propranolol-induced contextual and auditory fear memory deficits, before or after training.

Methods: The adult NMRI male mice were randomly assigned into three groups: the sham group, the anodal tDCS group, and the cathodal tDCS group.