0000000000010533
AUTHOR
Pere Berbel
CB1 cannabinoid receptor-mediated aggressive behavior
This study examined the role of cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1r) in aggressive behavior. Social encounters took place in grouped and isolated mice lacking CB1r (CB1KO) and in wild-type (WT) littermates. Cognitive impulsivity was evaluated in the delayed reinforcement task (DRT). Gene expression analyses of monoaminooxidase-A (MAO-A), catechol-o-methyl-transferase (COMT), 5-hydroxytriptamine transporter (5-HTT) and 5-HT1B serotonergic receptor (5HT1Br) in the median and dorsal raphe nuclei (MnR and DR, respectively) and in the amygdala (AMY) were performed by real time-PCR. Double immunohistochemistry studies evaluated COMT and CB1r co-localization in the raphe nuclei and in the cortical (AC…
Transient hypothyroidism during lactation alters the development of the corpus callosum in rats. An in vivo magnetic resonance image and electron microscopy study
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of children with late diagnosed congenital hypothyroidism and cognitive alterations such as abnormal verbal memory processing suggest altered telencephalic commissural connections. The corpus callosum (CC) is the major inter-hemispheric commissure that contra-laterally connects neocortical areas. However, in late diagnosed neonates with congenital hypothyroidism, the possible effect of early transient and chronic postnatal hypothyroidism still remains unknown. We have studied the development of the anterior, middle and posterior CC, using in vivo MRI and electron microscopy in hypothyroid and control male rats. Four groups of methimazole (MMI) treated r…
Apical dendritic spines and axonic terminals in the bipyramidal neurons of the dorsomedial cortex of lizards (Lacerta).
Gold-toned bipyramidal neurons of the dorsomedial cortex of Lacerta have been studied using light and electron microscopy. The spines have been classified as stubby, mushroom-shaped or thin. Thin and mushroom-shaped spines are only found on proximal and intermediate dendritic segments, whereas stubby spines are found on distal dendritic segments. A Timm's method modification for electron microscopy (sulphide-osmium procedure) has been used. Timm-positive axonal endings usually synapse on thin and mushroom-shaped spines, whereas Timm-negative axonal endings usually synapse on stubby spines. Timm-positive afferents and their post-synaptic spines on bipyramidal neurons of Lacerta's dorsomedial…
Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer Syndrome in Spain: Clinical and Genetic Characterization
Simple Summary Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) syndrome is a very rare hereditary disorder characterized by cutaneous leiomyomas (CLMs), uterine leiomyomas (ULMs), renal cysts (RCys) and renal cell cancer (RCC), with no data on its prevalence worldwide. No genotype-phenotype associations have been described. The aim of our study was to describe the genotypic and phenotypic features of the largest series of patients with HLRCC from Spain reported to date. Of 27 FH germline pathogenic variants, 12 were not previously reported in databases. Patients with missense pathogenic variants showed higher frequencies of CLMs, ULMs and RCys, than those with loss-of-function varia…
Long-spined polymorphic neurons of the medial cortex of lizards: a Golgi, Timm, and electron-microscopic study.
The morphology, ultrastructure, and principal synaptic input of longspined neurons located in the inner plexiform layer of the medial cortex in three related species of lizards is described. Golgi impregnations have been used to define the external morphology of these neurons and their axonal trajectories. Their most striking characteristic is the presence of very long spines or “microdendrites” especially abundant on the distal dendritic segments. Axons have ascendent trajectories, pass through the cell layer, and ramify in the outer plexiform layer. Combined Golgi-electron microscopy as well as standard electron microscopy permitted the definition of the ultrastructure of these neurons. T…
Transient hypothyroidism during lactation arrests myelination in the anterior commissure of rats. A magnetic resonance image and electron microscope study
Thyroid hormone deficiency at early postnatal ages affects the cytoarchitecture and function of neocortical and telencephalic limbic areas, leading to impaired associative memory and in a wide spectrum of neurological and mental diseases. Neocortical areas project interhemispheric axons mostly through the corpus callosum and to a lesser extent through the anterior commissure (AC), while limbic areas mostly project through the AC and hippocampal commissures. Functional magnetic resonance data from children with late diagnosed congenital hypothyroidism and abnormal verbal memory processing, suggest altered ipsilateral and contralateral telencephalic connections. Gestational hypothyroidism aff…
Role of CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the rewarding, reinforcing, and physical effects of nicotine.
This study was aimed to evaluate the involvement of CB2 cannabinoid receptors (CB2r) in the rewarding, reinforcing and motivational effects of nicotine. Conditioned place preference (CPP) and intravenous self-administration experiments were carried out in knockout mice lacking CB2r (CB2KO) and wild-type (WT) littermates treated with the CB2r antagonist AM630 (1 and 3 mg/kg). Gene expression analyses of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and α3- and α4-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits (nAChRs) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and immunohistochemical studies to elucidate whether CB2r colocalized with α3- and α4-nAChRs in the nucleus accumbens and VTA were performed. Mecamylamine-precipitat…
Intrinsic organization of the medial cerebral cortex of the lizardLacerta pityusensis: A golgi study
The morphology of cells and the organization of axons were studied in Golgi-Colonnier and toluidine blue stained preparations from the medial cerebral cortex of the lizard Lacerta pityusensis. In the medial cortex, six strata were distinguished between the superficial glial membrane and the ependyma. Strata I and II formed the outer plexiform layer, stratum III formed the cellular layer, and strata IV go VI the inner plexiform layer. The outer plexiform layer contained smooth bipolar neurons; their dendrites were oriented anteroposteriorly and their axons were directed towards the posterior zone of the brain. Five neuronal types were observed in the cellular layer. The spinous pyramidal neu…