Neuroendocrine homeostasis after vagus nerve stimulation in rats.

Background: The vagus nerve is important in maintaining HPA axis and sympatho-adrenal system (SAS) homeostasis, however little is known about the effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), as used therapeutically, on these functions. Accordingly, the effect of VNS on plasma indices of HPA axis (ACTH, corticosterone), and SAS (norepinephrine, epinephrine) function were evaluated in rats.

Methods: Male rats, on day-0 (D0), underwent surgeries for implantation of catheters into the right jugular vein and programmable (VNP) or non-programmable (VND) neurocybernetic devices encircling the left cervical vagus.

Linkage analysis of plasma dopamine β-hydroxylase activity in families of patients with schizophrenia.

Dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH) catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. DβH enters the plasma after vesicular release from sympathetic neurons and the adrenal medulla. Plasma DβH activity (pDβH) varies widely among individuals, and genetic inheritance regulates that variation.

Neurohormonal and inflammatory hyper-responsiveness to acute mental stress in depression.

Depression is associated with dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, overactivity of the sympathoadrenal system, and increased levels of inflammation markers. It is not known whether these biological processes are disproportionately elevated in response to acute negative emotional arousal by mental stress (MS). The present study investigates responses of neurohormones and inflammatory markers to MS in 14 clinically depressed (age: 42+/-10 years; 50% female) and 14 non-depressed control (age: 39+/-6 years; 50% female) participants.

Effects of acute mental stress and exercise on inflammatory markers in patients with coronary artery disease and healthy controls.

Physical and mental stressors result in increased inflammation markers in populations free of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, inflammatory responses to mental and exercise challenges have not been established in patients with CAD. This study investigated the responses of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, in patients with CAD after successful elective percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 36, 59 +/- 8 years of age, 33% women) and healthy controls without a history of CAD (n = 28, 54 +/- 10 years of age, 36% women).

Effects of dopamine beta-hydroxylase genotype and disulfiram inhibition on catecholamine homeostasis in mice.

Rationale: Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) converts dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE), thus playing a critical role in catecholamine metabolism.

Objectives/methods: We examined the effects of Dbh gene dosage and the DBH inhibitor disulfiram in mice with zero, one, or two null Dbh alleles (+/+, +/-, and-/- mice).

Results: DBH protein levels in adrenal and prefrontal cortex (PFC) and adrenal DBH activity were proportional to number of wild-type alleles.

Some contrasting effects of surgical and "chemical" castration on the behavior of male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

In nonhuman primates, surgical castration reduces plasma testosterone levels and male sexual behavior, and testosterone replacement restores them. Chemical castration with compounds that lower plasma testosterone levels is used clinically in the treatment of certain forms of cancer and to reduce aberrant sexual behavior in male sex offenders. In the United States, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is the drug most used to help reduce serious sexual behavioral problems in men.

A computerized system for scoring primate behavior using standard keyboards.

A scoring system has been developed for primate behavior which uses standard keyboards and minicomputers or microcomputers. The mnemonic, alphanumeric code used is easily learned, highly flexible, and can be recorded in longhand for later entry into a computer if a keyboard is not immediately available. The software consists of two programs, both of which can be written in BASIC.