Transgenic Carrying a Human Full-Length DISC1 Construct (UAS-) Showing Effects on Social Interaction Networks.

Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a scaffold protein implicated in major mental illnesses including schizophrenia, with a significant negative impact on social life. To investigate if DISC1 affects social interactions in , we created transgenic flies with second or third chromosome insertions of the human full-length ( gene fused to a UAS promotor (UAS-). Initial characterization of the insertion lines showed unexpected endogenous expression of the DISC1 protein that led to various behavioral and neurochemical phenotypes.

Systemic Effects of Photoactivated 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(-methylpyridinium-3-yl) Porphyrin on Healthy .

Porphyrins are frequently employed in photodynamic therapy (PDT), a non-invasive technique primarily utilized to treat subcutaneous cancers, as photosensitizing agents (PAs). The development of a new PA with improved tissue selectivity and efficacy is crucial for expanding the application of PDT for the management of diverse cancers. We investigated the systemic effects of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(-methylpyridinium-3-yl)-porphyrin (TMPyP3) using adult males.

Distinct and Dynamic Changes in the Temporal Profiles of Neurotransmitters in Brain following Volatilized Cocaine or Methamphetamine Administrations.

Due to similarities in genetics, cellular response, and behavior, is used as a model organism in addiction research. A well-described behavioral response examined in flies is the induced increase in locomotor activity after a single dose of volatilized cocaine (vCOC) and volatilized methamphetamine (vMETH), the sensitivity, and the escalation of the locomotor response after the repeated dose, the locomotor sensitization. However, knowledge about how vCOC and vMETH affect different neurotransmitter systems over time is scarce.

Influence of Redox and Dopamine Regulation in Cocaine-Induced Phenotypes Using .

Reactive Oxidative Species (ROS) are produced during cellular metabolism and their amount is finely regulated because of negative consequences that ROS accumulation has on cellular functioning and survival. However, ROS play an important role in maintaining a healthy brain by participating in cellular signaling and regulating neuronal plasticity, which led to a shift in our understanding of ROS from being solely detrimental to having a more complex role in the brain. Here we use to investigate the influence of ROS on behavioral phenotypes induced by single or double exposure to volatilized cocaine (vCOC), sensitivity and locomotor sensitization (LS).

A network-based analysis detects cocaine-induced changes in social interactions in Drosophila melanogaster.

Addiction is a multifactorial biological and behavioral disorder that is studied using animal models, based on simple behavioral responses in isolated individuals. A couple of decades ago it was shown that Drosophila melanogaster can serve as a model organism for behaviors related to alcohol, nicotine and cocaine (COC) addiction. Scoring of COC-induced behaviors in a large group of flies has been technologically challenging, so we have applied a local, middle and global level of network-based analyses to study social interaction networks (SINs) among a group of 30 untreated males compared to those that have been orally administered with 0.

Influence of Dopamine on Fluorescent Advanced Glycation End Products Formation Using .

Non-enzymatic glycation and covalent modification of proteins leads to Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). AGEs are biomarkers of aging and neurodegenerative disease, and can be induced by impaired neuronal signaling. The objective of this study was to investigate if manipulation of dopamine (DA) in vitro using the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and in vivo using the model organism influences fluorescent AGEs (fAGEs) formation as an indicator of dopamine-induced oxidation events.

Locomotor sensitization modulates voluntary self-administration of methamphetamine in Drosophila melanogaster.

As complexities of addictive behaviors cannot be fully captured in laboratory studies, scientists use simple addiction-associated phenotypes and measure them in laboratory animals. Locomotor sensitization, characterized by an increased behavioral response to the same dose of the drug, has been extensively used to elucidate the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of neuronal plasticity. However, to what extent it contributes to the development of addiction is not completely clear.

High Throughput Measurement of Locomotor Sensitization to Volatilized Cocaine in .

can be used to identify genes with novel functional roles in neuronal plasticity induced by repeated consumption of addictive drugs. Behavioral sensitization is a relatively simple behavioral output of plastic changes that occur in the brain after repeated exposures to drugs of abuse. The development of screening procedures for genes that control behavioral sensitization has stalled due to a lack of high-throughput behavioral tests that can be used in genetically tractable organism, such as .