Dopamine facilitates associative memory encoding in the entorhinal cortex.

Mounting evidence shows that dopamine in the striatum is critically involved in reward-based reinforcement learning. However, it remains unclear how dopamine reward signals influence the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, another brain network that is crucial for learning and memory. Here, using cell-type-specific electrophysiological recording, we show that dopamine signals from the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra control the encoding of cue-reward association rules in layer 2a fan cells of the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC).

Responsiveness of lumbosacral superficial dorsal horn neurons during the voiding reflex and functional loss of spinal urethral-responsive neurons in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Aims: Sensory information from the lower urinary tract (LUT) is conveyed to the spinal cord to trigger and co-ordinate micturition. However, it is not fully understood how spinal dorsal horn neurons are excited during the voiding reflex. In this study, we developed an in vivo technique allowing recording of superficial dorsal horn (SDH) neurons concurrent with intravesical pressure (IVP) during the micturition cycle in both normal and diabetic rats.

Stimulating muscarinic M receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex reduces mechanical hypersensitivity via GABAergic transmission in nerve injury rats.

Cholinergic systems modulate synaptic transmission across the neuraxis and play an important role in higher brain function including cognition, arousal and nociception. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a fundamental brain region for nociception and chronic pain, and receives cholinergic projections mainly from basal forebrain. Recently, we found that the activation of muscarinic M receptors in the ACC produced antinociceptive behavior in response to mechanical stimulation.

CCR2 upregulation in DRG neurons plays a crucial role in gastric hyperalgesia associated with diabetic gastropathy.

Background Diabetic gastropathy is a complex neuromuscular dysfunction of the stomach that commonly occurs in diabetes mellitus. Diabetic patients often present with upper gastrointestinal symptoms, such as epigastric discomfort or pain. The aim of this study was to assess gastric sensation in streptozocin-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) rats and to determine the contribution of C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) signaling to gastric hyperalgesia.

Fluorescence Properties of Diphenylthiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazines Tuned by Donor-Acceptor Substituent Effects.

Fluorescence properties of 2,6- and 2,5-diphenylthiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine (TPy) derivatives having an electron-donating substituent (methoxy and dimethylamino) on the 6- and 5-phenyl groups were studied. It was found that 2,6-diphenyl derivatives fluoresce more efficiently than 2,5-diphenyl derivatives. Furthermore, a 2,6-diphenyl derivative having an additional cyano group on the 2-phenyl ring was an excellent fluorophore showing a wide solvatochromism with great fluorescence yields.

Substituent effects on fluorescence properties of thiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine derivatives.

Based on spectroscopic measurements and DFT calculations, fluorescence properties of thiazolo[4,5-b]pyrazine (TPy) derivatives with the phenyl group at the C2 position were studied. TPys were readily prepared from the corresponding amidopyrazines, which have a similar fluorescent core to a bioluminescence light emitter, Cypridina oxyluciferin. It was found that the introduction of electron-donating (methoxy and dimethylamino) groups onto the 2-phenyl moiety of the TPy derivatives, as well as the phenyl and 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl groups at C2 and C6, respectively, increases the fluorescence yield and appearance of solvatochromic character.