Publications by authors named "Zuner Assis Bortolotto"
The ERK phosphorylation levels in the amygdala predict anxiety symptoms in humans and MEK/ERK inhibition dissociates innate and learned defensive behaviors in rats.
Cristiane Ribeiro de Carvalho Mark William Lopes Leandra C Constantino Alexandre Ademar Hoeller Hiago Murilo de Melo Zuner Assis Bortolotto
Mol Psychiatry
December 2021
Article Synopsis
- The study found a negative association between the phosphorylation of ERK1,2 in the amygdala and anxiety symptoms in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
- In rats, lower levels of P-ERK1,2 in the amygdala correlated with increased anxiety-related behavior but showed a positive correlation with freezing during fear conditioning.
- The results indicate that ERK1/2 in the basolateral amygdala is necessary for learned defensive behaviors but does not affect innate anxiety responses, highlighting different mechanisms for these two types of behaviors.
Amygdala levels of the GluA1 subunit of glutamate receptors and its phosphorylation state at serine 845 in the anterior hippocampus are biomarkers of ictal fear but not anxiety.
Rodrigo Bainy Leal Mark William Lopes Douglas Affonso Formolo Cristiane Ribeiro de Carvalho Alexandre Ademar Hoeller Zuner Assis Bortolotto
Mol Psychiatry
March 2020
Article Synopsis
- Fear is a conscious response to threats that triggers stress reactions, and in some patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE-HS), this can result in seizures accompanied by fear, known as ictal fear (IF).
- The study investigated the levels of the GluA1 subunit in the amygdala and specific phosphorylation states in the anterior hippocampus of MTLE-HS patients and found significant differences between those with and without IF.
- Lower levels of GluA1 in the amygdala and phosphorylated GluA1 in the anterior hippocampus were identified as potential biomarkers for predicting the presence of ictal fear, achieving an overall accuracy of 89.3%.