3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) impairs cognitive function during withdrawal via activation of the arachidonic acid cascade in the hippocampus.

Background: The recreational drug ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; also known as "ecstasy") has unusual subjective prosocial and empathogenic effects, and has exhibited potential as an adjunct to psychotherapy in recent years. However, there has been some concern regarding possible neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as cognitive impairment and dependence, emerging after abstinence. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the mechanism underlying cognitive impairment during MDMA withdrawal.

Impaired monoamine neural system in the mPFC of SHRSP/Ezo as an animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset psychiatric disorder. We investigated the effects of systemic administration of monoamine reuptake inhibitors on long-term potentiation (LTP) formation and monoamine release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP)/Ezo, an animal model of ADHD, and its genetic control, Wistar Kyoto (WKY)/Ezo, to elucidate the functional changes in the mPFC monoamine neural system. Methylphenidate (dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) reuptake inhibitor) and desipramine (NA reuptake inhibitor) improved LTP formation defects in the mPFC of SHRSP/Ezo, suggesting that NA or both DA and NA are required for improvement of impaired LTP.

Nalmefene attenuates reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behavior in rats through group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3).

Nalmefene, an analog to naltrexone, is an antagonist at the μ opioid receptor and a partial agonist at the κ opioid receptor. Both agents are approved for the treatment of alcohol use disorder and opioid addiction. Here, we evaluated the potential of nalmefene for treating psychostimulant dependence using a methamphetamine (METH) self-administration rat model.

Non-target Impact of Dinotefuran and Azoxystrobin on Soil Bacterial Community and Nitrification.

Pesticides to protect crops from pests are subject to rigorous risk assessment before registration in Japan. However, further information needs to be collected regarding the assessment of impacts on the natural environment. In particular, nitrifying bacteria play a role in converting ammonium salts to nitrates in soil.

Elevation of endocannabinoids in the brain by synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018: mechanism and effect on learning and memory.

The impairment of learning and memory is a well-documented effect of both natural and synthetic cannabinoids. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of acute administration of JWH-018, a synthetic cannabinoid, on the hippocampal metabolome to assess biochemical changes in vivo. JWH-018 elevated levels of the endocannabinoids, anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG).

Inhibition of Monoacylglycerol Lipase Reduces the Reinstatement of Methamphetamine-Seeking and Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Methamphetamine Self-Administered Rats.

Background: Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant with reinforcing properties. Our laboratory previously found that Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, an exogenous cannabinoid, suppressed the reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the elevation of endocannabinoids modulates the reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behavior and emotional changes in methamphetamine self-administered rats.

Repeated fluvoxamine treatment recovers early postnatal stress-induced hypersociability-like behavior in adult rats.

Childhood maltreatment is associated with impaired adult brain function, particularly in the hippocampus, and is not only a major risk factor for some psychiatric diseases but also affects early social development and social adaptation in later life. The aims of this study were to determine whether early postnatal stress affects social behavior and whether repeated fluvoxamine treatment reverses these changes. Rat pups were exposed to footshock stress during postnatal days 21-25 (at 3 weeks old: 3wFS).

[A case of small intestinal intussusception caused by anisakiasis diagnosed and treated by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy].

A 35-year-old man attended our hospital with complaining of epigastric pain and vomiting. He was diagnosed with bowel intussusception based on the target sign revealed in the upper jejunum by abdominal computed tomography. However, the cause of the intussusception was not clear.

[A case of liver abscess caused by appendicitis which was considered to be drained from hepatobronchial fistula].

A 52-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of right lower abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with appendicitis complicated with a liver abscess and underwent an appendectomy. After antibiotic treatment following surgery, the liver abscess penetrated the right lung, which was considered to be drained from a hepatobronchial fistula.

Behavioural effects of monoamine reuptake inhibitors on symptomatic domains in an animal model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous neurobehavioural disorder. Several lines of evidence have implicated monoamine signalling systems, including transporters and receptors, in the pathogenesis of ADHD. We explored the heterogeneity of neural mechanisms that may possibly underlie symptomatic abnormalities in ADHD, by investigating the effects of monoamine reuptake inhibitors with differential spectrums for each monoamine transporter on ADHD-like behaviours in an animal model of ADHD, i.

Peritoneal fibrosis and high transport are induced in mildly pre-injured peritoneum by 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene in mice.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution contains high concentrations of glucose and glucose degradation products (GDPs). One of several GDPs--3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene (3,4-DGE)--was recently identified as the most reactive and toxic GDP in PD fluids. In vitro, 3,4-DGE has been shown to induce mesothelial cell damage; however, its role in peritoneal fibrosis in vivo remains unclear.

Milnacipran enhances the control of impulsive action by activating D₁-like receptors in the infralimbic cortex.

Rationale: Elevated impulsivity is often observed in patients with depression. We recently found that milnacipran, an antidepressant and a serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, could enhance impulse control in rats. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of milnacipran on impulsive action remain unclear.

Anxiolytic effects of yokukansan, a traditional Japanese medicine, via serotonin 5-HT1A receptors on anxiety-related behaviors in rats experienced aversive stress.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Yokukansan, a traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo), has been reported in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) such as aggression, anxiety and depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of senile dementia.

Aims Of The Study: In the present study, we investigated the anxiolytic effects of yokukansan on anxiety-related behaviors in rats that have experienced aversive stress.

Materials And Methods: We used male Wistar/ST rats which received an electrical footshock as aversive stress.

Regulation of cerebral blood flow in the hippocampus by neuronal activation through the perforant path: relationship between hippocampal blood flow and neuronal plasticity.

Although changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) have been used as an index of neuronal activity, the effects of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus, widely assumed to be an electrophysiological basis of learning and memory, on the changes in rCBF by neuronal activity remain unclear. Hence, to elucidate whether the effects of LTP in the hippocampus reflect in the correlation between neuronal activity and co-occurring changes in rCBF, we investigated the effects of LTP on the responses of hippocampal blood flow (HBF) to the electrical stimulation of the perforant path in vivo. We continuously measured HBF using Laser-Doppler flowmetry, and systemic blood pressure and heart rate were measured from the femoral artery during electrical stimulations in halothane-anesthetized rats.

Inhibition of noradrenaline release by clonidine in the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis attenuates pain-induced aversion in rats.

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. The neural systems underlying the sensory component of pain have been studied extensively, but we are only beginning to understand those underlying the affective component of pain. Previously, we showed the pivotal role of noradrenergic transmission in the ventral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST) in the negative affective component of pain using a conditioned place paradigm.

Retrieval of conditioned fear activates the basolateral and intercalated nucleus of amygdala.

The amygdala is one of the crucial brain structures for conditioned fear, in which conditioned stimuli are received by the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), inducing a fear reaction via the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). Whereas BLA sends glutamatergic projections into CeA, the intercalated nucleus of the amygdala (ITC) sends GABAergic projections into CeA, which is doubly regulated by BLA and ITC. In the present study, we investigated the characteristics of the neural cells activated by retrieval of conditioned fear in BLA and ITC using immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and Western blot analysis of transcription factors and neural cell markers.

Diazepam-induced increases of synaptic efficacy in the hippocampal-medial prefrontal cortex pathway are associated with its anxiolytic-like effect in rats.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has recently been shown to be an important brain region for emotional function as well as cognitive ability. In previous experiments, we studied the population spike amplitude (PSA) in the mPFC induced by stimulation of the CA1/subicular region as an index of synaptic efficacy in the hippocampal-mPFC pathway. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the anxiolytic effect of diazepam and the changes of synaptic efficacy in this pathway.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin ameliorates impairment of fear memory and hippocampal dysfunction after cerebral ischemia in rats.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) has been developed as a blood substitute. In spite of its size (1/30 - 1/40 of erythrocytes), LEH has an oxygen-carrying capacity comparable to erythrocytes. Thus, LEH is expected to carry oxygen into vital organs via collateral routes during ischemia induced by vascular embolism.