Individual differences in the effects of midazolam on anxiety-like behavior, learning, reward, and choice behavior in male mice.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the behavioral effects of the benzodiazepine midazolam in male mice, in models of anxiolysis, learning, and abuse-related effects.

Methods: In a first set of experiments, male Swiss mice were submitted to the training session of a discriminative avoidance (DA) task on the elevated plus maze to evaluate anxiety-like behavior and learning after vehicle or midazolam (1, 2 or 5 mg/kg, i.g.

The gut microbiota alone and in combination with a social stimulus regulates cocaine reward in the mouse.

The gut microbiota is a key factor in the maintenance of physiological homeostasis and immunity. Correlational studies have demonstrated that alterations in microbiota composition have been associated with addiction. Moreover, animal studies have confirmed a link between reward and social processes, which may be shaped by the gut microbiota thus influencing neurodevelopment and the programming of social behaviors across diverse animal species.

Role of 5-HT receptors in the effects of ayahuasca on ethanol self-administration using a two-bottle choice paradigm in male mice.

Rationale: Ayahuasca has been proposed as a potential treatment of alcohol (ethanol) use disorder (AUD). The serotonin 5-HT receptor agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the main psychoactive component of ayahuasca, suggesting that its therapeutic effects may be mediated by 5-HT receptors.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ayahuasca on the expression of ethanol self-administration using a two-bottle choice procedure and the role of 5-HT receptors in those effects.

Sex differences in the development of conditioned place preference induced by intragastric alcohol administration in mice.

Background: The present study aimed to identify for the first time sex differences in the development of CPP induced by intragastric alcohol administration in mice.

Methods: Male and female adult Swiss mice were submitted to 16 days of conditioning with alcohol (0.5-3.

Ibogaine Blocks Cue- and Drug-Induced Reinstatement of Conditioned Place Preference to Ethanol in Male Mice.

Ibogaine is a psychedelic extracted from the plant , natural from Africa, and has been proposed as a potential treatment for substance use disorders. In animal models, ibogaine reduces ethanol self-administration. However, no study to date has investigated the effects of ibogaine on ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP).

The influence of early exposure to methylphenidate on addiction-related behaviors in mice.

Methylphenidate (MET) has a putative cognitive enhancer effect that has led adolescents and young adults to increase and indiscriminate its use aiming to ameliorate their productivity. However, the impacts of MET on addiction-related behaviors, emotional levels, and cognition are still not fully understood. To investigate the influence of chronic treatment with MET during adolescence on addiction-like behaviors, memory, and anxiety in adult mice.

Aripiprazole and topiramate, alone or in combination, block the expression of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice.

Background: Ethanol is the most largely consumed drug in the world. Because of its complex mechanisms of action, studies suggest that the combination of drugs with distinct pharmacological effects may be a promising alternative for treating ethanol use disorder. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of topiramate, alone and in combination with aripiprazole, on ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP).

Ayahuasca blocks the reinstatement of methylphenidate-induced conditioned place preference in mice: behavioral and brain Fos expression evaluations.

Rationale: Accumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage used in traditional Amazonian communities for ritualistic and curative purposes, has been associated with reduced rates of substance use disorders. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca have not yet been fully elucidated.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of treatment with ayahuasca on the rewarding properties of the psychostimulant methylphenidate.

Effects of chronic treatment with new strains of Lactobacillus plantarum on cognitive, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in male mice.

Psychobiotics correspond to a class of probiotics, mainly of the genus Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, capable of producing neuroactive substances, such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin, which exert effects on the brain-gut axis. Evidence suggests that psychobiotics can have a beneficial effect on mood, anxiety and cognition. The present study evaluated the effects of chronic administration of two new strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, L.

Role of the treatment environment in the effects of aripiprazole on ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference in female mice.

Background: Evidence suggests that aripiprazole, a partial dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist and 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, show significant efficacy in reducing alcohol use. We have previously demonstrated that treatment with aripiprazole blocked the reinstatement of cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization in a context-dependent manner, suggesting that the treatment environment may modulate the therapeutic effects of aripiprazole. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of treatment with aripiprazole on ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization and conditioned place preference in female mice, and the role of the treatment environment in those effects.

Ayahuasca and Its DMT- and β-carbolines - Containing Ingredients Block the Expression of Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice: Role of the Treatment Environment.

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage produced from the decoction of (Bc) and (Pv), β-carboline- and -dimethyltryptamine(DMT)-containing plants, respectively. Accumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects on ethanol abuse. It is not known, however, whether its effects are dependent on the presence of DMT or if non-DMT-containing components would have therapeutic effects.