Targeting GABA Receptors Improves Post-Stroke Motor Recovery.

Ischemic stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, with limited treatment options available. This study investigates GABA receptors as novel pharmacological targets for stroke recovery. The expression of 1 and 2 mRNA in mice were determined in peri-infarct tissue following photothrombotic motor cortex stroke.

The flavonoid, 2'-methoxy-6-methylflavone, affords neuroprotection following focal cerebral ischaemia.

Tonic inhibitory currents, mediated by extrasynaptic GABA receptors, are elevated at a delay following stroke. Flavonoids minimise the extent of cellular damage following stroke, but little is known about their mode of action. We demonstrate that the flavonoid, 2'-methoxy-6-methylflavone (0.

Antidepressant treatment differentially affects the phenotype of high and low stress reactive mice.

Modelling key endophenotypes can be a powerful approach to gain insight into mechanisms underlying the aetiology and pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on evidence of stress hormone system dysregulations in depression, the Stress Reactivity (SR) mouse model has been generated by a selective breeding approach for extremes in HPA axis reactivity, resulting in high (HR), intermediate (IR) and low (LR) reactive mice. The characterisation of their phenotypic alterations has highlighted many similarities of HR and LR mice with the melancholic and atypical depression, respectively.

Zolpidem is a potent stoichiometry-selective modulator of α1β3 GABAA receptors: evidence of a novel benzodiazepine site in the α1-α1 interface.

Zolpidem is not a typical GABAA receptor hypnotic. Unlike benzodiazepines, zolpidem modulates tonic GABA currents in the rat dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, exhibits residual effects in mice lacking the benzodiazepine binding site, and improves speech, cognitive and motor function in human patients with severe brain injury. The receptor by which zolpidem mediates these effects is not known.

Residual social, memory and oxytocin-related changes in rats following repeated exposure to γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or their combination.

Rationale: There has been little investigation of the possible lasting adverse effects of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

Objectives: This study aims to study whether GHB produces residual adverse effects on memory and social behaviour in rats and lasting changes in brain monoamines and oxytocin-related gene expression.

Methods: Rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of GHB (500 mg/kg), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 5 mg/kg) or their combination (GHB/MDMA) over ten consecutive days.

A long hangover from party drugs: residual proteomic changes in the hippocampus of rats 8 weeks after γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or their combination.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) are popular party drugs that are used for their euphoric and prosocial effects, and sometimes in combination. Both drugs increase markers of oxidative stress in the hippocampus and can cause lasting impairments in hippocampal-dependent forms of memory. To gain further information on the biochemical mechanisms underlying these effects, the current study examined residual changes in hippocampal protein expression measured 8 weeks after chronic administration of GHB (500mg/kg), MDMA (5mg/kg) or their combination (GHB/MDMA).

Sedative and hypothermic effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in rats alone and in combination with other drugs: assessment using biotelemetry.

The recreational drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has euphoric effects and can induce sedation and body temperature changes. GHB is frequently combined with other recreational drugs although these interactions are not well characterised. The present study used biotelemetry to provide a fine-grained analysis of the effects of GHB on body temperature and locomotor activity in freely moving rats, and investigated interactions between GHB and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine (METH) and various antagonist drugs.

'When an old rat smells a cat': A decline in defense-related, but not accessory olfactory, Fos expression in aged rats.

Comparisons were made between young (3-6 months) and aged (20-30 months) Wistar rats on locomotor activity, emergence, social interaction and cat odor avoidance. Aged rats were less active and spent less time in the open field during the emergence test than younger rats. Older rats also showed fewer contacts with a novel conspecific in the social interaction test, although total duration of interaction did not differ.

Rats discriminate individual cats by their odor: possible involvement of the accessory olfactory system.

Social behavior in mammals often relies upon the discrimination of same-species individuals via olfactory processing of unique chemosensory signatures. The ability to identify individuals from a different species by their odor (heterospecific discrimination) is less well documented. Here we used a habituation-dishabituation paradigm to demonstrate that rats can discriminate individual cats by their odor.