Pregnenolone sulphate improves memory processing in early-handled female rats

Early life experiences lead to sex-specific behavioural and neurochemical changes in adulthood. Indeed, early handling enhances learning and memory in male rats (Cannizzaro et al., 2005), whereas it impairs learning performance in female adult rats, a finding that has been correlated to decreased nitric oxide (NO) production in the hippocampus (Noschang et al., 2010). Pregnenolone sulfate (PREGS) is considered as one of the most potent memory-enhancing neurosteroids, since its activity as a potent positive modulator of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and a negative modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) (Vallée et al., 2001). Given these premises, this study a…

Chronic prenatal treatment with 5-methoxytryptamine reduced depressive-like behaviour induced by forced swim test in mature male rats

Exposure to ototoxic agents and hearing loss: A review of current knowledge

Several experimental and clinical studies have shown that a variety of ototoxic agents (such as drugs, industrial chemicals and noise) can cause sensorineural hearing loss. The most common ototoxic drugs used in clinical practice include: aminoglycoside and macrolide antibiotics, quinoline anti-malarials, platinum analog antineoplastics, loop diuretics, and acetylsalicylic acid. Among chemical agents with potential ototoxic properties are: organic solvents, heavy metals, organotins, nitriles, asphyxiants, and pesticides/herbicides. Acoustic exposure to high intensity and/or prolonged noise can also cause permanent threshold shifts in auditory perception. Ototoxic agents can influence audito…

Ethanol stimulates corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) release from rat hypothalamic explants; role of acetaldehyde

Ethanol is able to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and to modify its response to other stressors, releasing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and glucocorticoid release, (Lee et al 1999, 2000). In the brain ethanol is diverted by catalase activity into acetaldehyde, which is reported to mediate some of its behavioural and neurochemical effects. (Peana et al 2008, Melis et al 2007) Thus, to clarifìy the mechanisms underlying ethanol activity on the HPA axis we investigated :1) ethanol effect on CRH release from incubated hypothalamic explants; 2) the role of acetaldehyde (ACD), in mediating ethanol activity. To this aim, rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with…

Alcohol preference, behavioural reactivity and cognitive functioning in female rats exposed to a three-bottle choice paradigm.

Alcohol abuse is a substantial and growing health problem in Western societies. In the last years in vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that males and females display a different alcohol drinking behaviour, with swingeing differences not only in the propensity for alcohol use but also in the metabolic and behavioural consequences. In this study we investigated, in adult female rats, ethanol self-administration and preference pattern using a 3-bottle paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on explorative behaviour in the open field (OF), and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morri…

Evaluation of Correlation between Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders in a Population of Night Shift Workers: A Pilot Study

Background: Insomnia is the perception of inadequate, insufficient or non-restorative sleep. Of all sleep-related disorders, insomnia is the most common. It is important to remember that the sleep–wake cycle also plays a central role in the genesis of anxiety and depression. The aim of our study is to evaluate the association between sleep disturbances and anxiety and depression in a group of workers of both sexes who perform night shift work. Methods: Information on sleep disorders was collected by administering the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Chi-square test to assess whether there were any differences between sex for those who…

Effects of pre- and postnatal exposure to 5-methoxytryptamine and early handling on an object-place association learning task in adolescent rat offspring.

A reduction in 5-HT1A receptor response enhances learning and memory performance in rats. Pre- and postnatal treatment with 5-methoxytryptamine (5MT), a non-selective serotonergic agonist, and early handling, reduce the number of 5-HT1A receptors in neonatal and pre-pubertal rat progeny. The aim of this study was to investigate in adolescent male rats the consequences of pre- and postnatal treatment with 5MT and its interaction with early handling on an object-place association learning task, the "Can test", a motivated, non-aversive, spatial/object discrimination task. Results show that a single daily injection of 5MT from gestational days 12 to 21 (1 mg/kg s.c.) and from postnatal days 2 …

Manipulations of glucocorticoid induced stress response may differently affect the acquisition of a reward-facilitated spatial-visual learning task.

The neurosteroids sulfate PREGS and DHEAS exert a facilitative role in learning performance in male rats.

Musculoskeletal disorders and incongruous postures in workers on ropes: A pilot study

Background: Occupational hazards believed to cause musculoskeletal disorders in rope workers are traditionally associated with maintaining incongruous postures for prolonged periods of time. Design and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 132 technical operators in the wind energy and acrobatic construction sectors, who work on ropes, analysing the ergonomic characteristics of the environments, the way in which tasks are carried out, the strain perceived by individual workers, and assessing the presence of any musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) by means of an objective examination focused on the anatomical districts that were the object of our study. Results: Analysis of the dat…

Perinatal treatment with 5-methoxytryptamine reduces depressive – like behaviour induced by forced swim in mature male rats

Manipulations of glucocorticoids induced stress response may differently affect the acquisition of a reward-facilitated spatially/visual learning task.

Perinatal treatment with 5-methoxytriptamine affects cognition and behavioural reactivity in the juvenile male rat progeny: influence of maternal separation

Single intense prenatal stress reduce behavioural suppression in an operant conflict paradigm in the adult progeny. Influence of Metyrapone administration

Stressors presented during late prenatal period can have long-term effects on offspring behaviour (1). Indeed we showed that in the rat progeny a single immobilization procedure at gestational day 16 enhances spatial learning in a non-aversive, rewarded-facilitated learning task, the Can Test, and decreases anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze (2). In this study, we wanted to investigate: (i) the effects of a single prenatal immobilization-stress on the operant conflict task (OCT), an anxiety-related procedure, in which positively reinforced responses are suppressed by contingent punishment (3); (ii) the expression of mineralcorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors (MRs, GRs) in t…

Perinatal Treatment with 5-metoxytriptamine affects cognition and behavioural reactivity in the juvenile male rat progeny; influence of maternal separation

Gender-related effects on emotionality, learning and memory performance in adult rats

Acetaldehyde as a drug of abuse: insight into AM281 administration on operant-conflict paradigm in rats

Increasing evidence focuses on acetaldehyde (ACD) as the mediator of the rewarding and motivational properties of ethanol. Indeed, ACD stimulates dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens and it is self-administered under different conditions. Besides the dopaminergic transmission, the endocannabinoid system has been reported to play an important role in ethanol central effects, modulating primary alcohol rewarding effect, drug-seeking and relapse behaviour. Drug motivational properties are highlighted in operant paradigms which include response-contingent punishment, a behavioural equivalent of compulsive drug use despite adverse consequences. The aim of this study was thus to characterize…

Manipulation of the DA signal on the onset of relapse of ACD

It's widely known that all addictive drugs show analogous pathological behaviours consisting in compulsive drug seeking,loss of self –control and propensity to relapse. This evidence is suggestive of a common brain mechanism involving the Ventral Tegmental Area and Nucleus Accumbens whereby mesocorticolimbimc dopamine pathway. Dfferent and apparently anthitetic classes of drugs of abuse manage to increase DA release, in the aforementioned areas (Di Chiara, 1988; 1995). Reductions in activity of the mesolimbic dopamine system in the nucleus accumbes occur during drug withdrawal in animal studies (Weiss F et al. 1992; 1996). Experimental evidences have proven D2 receptor involvement in drug s…

Reward-related limbic memory and stimulation of the cannabinoid system: An upgrade in value attribution?

While a lot is known about the mechanisms promoting aversive learning, the impact of rewarding factors on memory has received comparatively less attention. This research investigates reward-related explicit memory in male rats, by taking advantage of the emotional-object recognition test. This is based on the prior association, during conditioned learning, between a rewarding experience (the encounter with a receptive female rat) and an object; afterwards rat discrimination and recognition of the â emotional objectâ is recorded in the presence of a novel object, as a measure of positive limbic memory formation. Since endocannabinoids are critical for processing reward and motivation, the co…

Effects of prenatal acute stress on the behavioural reactivity in handled and non-handled rat progeny

The effects of prenatal stress are dependent on the intensity and duration of the stress treatment: chronic, uncontrollable stress causes an impairment in the normal adaptive responses to physical and physiological stimuli whereas acute and mild stress facilitates the morphological development of fetal brain neurons. The presents study was designed to investigate whether a single stress exposure during pregnancy may exert a facilitatory effect on the behaviour of the juvenile progeny. The effects of a postnatal handling procedure have been also investigated. One-month prenatally stressed rats (PSR) whose dams had been restrained for 120 minutes at the 16th day of gestation, showed an increa…

ChemInform Abstract: Synthesis of New 3-(3-Phenyl-isoxazol-5-yl) or 3-[(3-Phenyl-isoxazol-5-yl)amino] Substituted 4(3H)-Quinazolinone Derivatives with Antineoplastic Activity.

A novel series of 3-(3-phenyl-isoxazol-5-yl) or 3-[(3-phenyl-isoxazol-5-yl)amino] substituted 4(3H)-quinazolinone derivatives was synthesized. The compounds were tested for their antineoplastic activity in vitro against Raji (human Burkitt limphoma). K-562 (human chronic myelogeneous leukemia) and U937 (human histiocytic limphoma) cell lines. The most active quinazolinones showed IC50 values in the range 16-30 microM.

Acetaldehyde Oral Self-Administration: Evidence from the Operant-Conflict Paradigm

Background: Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, has been reported to interact with the dopaminergic reward system, and with the neural circuits involved in stress response. Rats self-administer ACD directly into cerebral ventricles, and multiple intracerebroventricular infusions of ACD produce conditioned place preference. Self-administration has been largely employed to assess the reinforcing and addictive properties of most drugs of abuse. In particular, operant conditioning is a valid model to investigate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior in rats. Methods: This study was aimed at the evaluation of (i) the motivational properties of oral ACD in the induction and maintenanc…

The role of pregnenolone sulphate in spatial orientation-acquisition and retention: An interplay between cognitive potentiation and mood regulation

Abstract Neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors, thus affecting several functions such as cognition and emotionality. In this study, we investigated, in adult male rats, the effects of the acute administration of pregnenolone-sulfate (PREGS) (10 mg/Kg, s. c.) on cognitive processes using the Can test, a non aversive spatial/visual task which allows the assessment of spatial information-acquisition during the baseline training, and of memory retention in the longitudinal study. Furthermore, on the basis of PREGS pharmacological profile, the modulation of depressive-like behaviour was also evaluated in the forced swim test (FST). Our…

Anti-inflammatory and cognitive effects of interferon-β1a (IFNβ1a) in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Aβ 1-42 peptide abnormal production is associated with the development and maintenance of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in brains from Alzheimer disease (AD) patients. Suppression of neuroinflammation may then represent a suitable therapeutic target in AD. We evaluated the efficacy of IFNβ1a in attenuating cognitive impairment and inflammation in an animal model of AD. Methods: A rat model of AD was obtained by intra-hippocampal injection of Aβ 1-42 peptide (23 μg/2 μl). After 6 days, 3.6 μg of IFNβ1a was given subcutaneously (s.c.) for 12 days. Using the novel object recognition (NOR) test, we evaluated changes in cognitive function. Measurement of pro-inflammatory or …

Repeated and single prenatal stress differently affect stress reactivity and learning performance in adolescent male rats

Prenatal Exposure to Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Affects Hippocampus-Related Cognitive Functions in the Adolescent Rat Offspring: Focus on Specific Markers of Neuroplasticity

Previous evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to THC (pTHC) derails the neurodevelopmental trajectories towards a vulnerable phenotype for impaired emotional regulation and limbic memory. Here we aimed to investigate pTHC effect on hippocampus-related cognitive functions and markers of neuroplasticity in adolescent male offspring. Wistar rats were exposed to THC (2 mg/kg) from gestational day 5 to 20 and tested for spatial memory, object recognition memory and reversal learning in the reinforce-motivated Can test and in the aversion-driven Barnes maze test; locomotor activity and exploration, anxiety-like behaviour, and response to natural reward were assessed in the open field, elevate…

Reversal of prenatal diazepam-induced deficit in spatial-object learning task by brief, periodic maternal separation in adult male rats

Sexually dimorphic effects of alcohol self-administration on cognitive processes

Chronic alcohol consumption is able to modify cognitive and emotional behaviour in humans. Many studies on gender diversity have identified swingeing differences between man and woman, not only in the propensity for alcohol abuse, but also in their behavioural effects. In this study we investigate in adult male and female rats: i) alcohol drinking behaviour and preference pattern using a 3-bottle choice paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution and white wine (10%v/v), along a four-week period; ii) Alcohol free access (AFA) effects on locomotion and behavioural reactivity in the Open Field; iii) The influence of AFA on spatial learning and reference memory, employing the Morris Water Maze. …

A new dopamine amino-acid conjugate: preclinical in vitro studies and evaluation of behavioural effects in rats

It is well established that alterations in the functionality of dopaminergic transmission are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of a new dopamine amino-acid conjugate: L-phenylalanine-β-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) etilamide(DA-Phe) in the central nervous system, by assessing its influence on different behavioural parameters in the rat. Preliminarily, we tested the in vitro stability in plasmatic environment following the disappearance of DA-Phen from human plasma and the concurrent appearance of dopamine. Using rat brain homogenate, we also evaluated the level of DA-Phen cleavage by cerebral enzymes an…

DA-Phen as a new potential DA-mimetic agent for treatment of alcohol addiction: preclinical in vivo studies

Rewarding and reinforcing properties of alcohol are mediated by activation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system1. This neurosystem is hypofunctional in the addicted brain, even beyond somatic and psychological signs of withdrawal. Boosting strategy on the dopaminergic tone could represent a valid approach to alcohol addiction treatment2. The effects of a new dopamine conjugate3 (2-amino-N-[2-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-ethyl]-3-phenyl-propionamide, DA-Phen) on operant behaviour and on withdrawal behaviour, following alcohol deprivation, were evaluated. The concentration of acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, as an indirect measure of the possible DA-Phen modulation in alcohol consum…

Pyrazolobenzotriazinones Derivatives as COX Inhibitors: Synthesis Biological Activity and Molecular Modeling Studies

Pyrazolylbenzotriazinones are endowed with structural analogy with the COX-2 selective inhibitor celecoxib. Considering that our research group has long been interested in the 3-pyrazolyl-substituted benzotriazinones as anti-inflammatory agents, six new pyrazolylbenzotriazinone derivatives 16a-c and 18a-c have been prepared by reacting the opportune ethyl 5-(2-aminobenzamido)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate or 5-(2-aminobenzamido)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxyic acid with sodium nitrite in glacial acetic acid. The biological studies revealed a good pharmacological profile for some pyrazolylbenzotriazinones and, in the case of the ethyl 5-(4-oxo-1,2,3-benzotriazin-3(4H)-y…

Effects of prenatal treatment with 5-metoxytriptamine on learning performance of juvenile male rat progeny. Influence of maternal separation

Alcohol addiction: a role for acetaldehyde

Alcoholism is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by cycles of repeated high alcohol intake and negative emotional consequences of withdrawal thought to contribute to excessive drinking and susceptibility to relapse. In the past years, the pharmacological and behavioural effects of alcohol, such us sedation, memory and learning impairment, were assigned to the main component of alcoholic drinks, ethanol. Recently acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, seems to exert biological activity, besides its adverse effects. The aim of the present review is to elucidate the putative role of acetaldehyde in mediating the neuronal and behavioural features induced by ethanol intake.

Long-Term COVID: Case Report and Methodological Proposals for Return to Work

Almost two years after the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the knowledge of which in the infectious and therapeutic spheres is constantly evolving, attention paid to the medicolegal aspects linked to this emergency phenomenon has mainly focused on the liability implications falling on healthcare personnel. With regard to the medicolegal assessment of the outcomes of COVID-19 illness, although it is a procedure that is commonly used, and although references in the assessment tables in force have been adhered to, a specific assessment protocol has not been standardized that takes into account, from an objective point of view, the degree of severity of the long-term residual outcomes and…

Alcohol abuse and insomnia disorder: Focus on a group of night and day workers

The sleep-wake cycle plays a fundamental role in maintaining the physiological balance of our body. Its alteration favours the genesis of several organic alterations and diseases including sleep disorders and the consumption of several substances of abuse. It has been reported that the work activity, especially that carried out during the night, is able to influence the sleep-wake cycle, promoting the development of insomnia, which, in turn, would subject the worker to a stressful condition such as to encourage adverse behaviour such as the use/abuse of psychotropic substances. Based on the above premises, the aim of our research was to evaluate, in night workers: (i) the pattern of consump…

Risposte endocrine ed immunitarie in calciatori professionisti dopo allenamento e competizione ufficiale

Evaluation of neuropeptide Y expression during acetaldehyde withdrawal in rats. Focus on hippocampus and nucleus accumbens

Stress-related neuropeptides are involved in setting up alcohol addiction. Ethanol is able to acutely induce CRH and ACTH release, while cronically a dampered response of the hypothalamus -pituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis has been observed. Also neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been shown to modulate ethanol consumption, and its central expression seems inversely correlated to ethanol intake. Recent in vivo and in vitro evidence have highlighted the key role of acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol first metabolite, as a mediator of the central effects of ethanol, even as modulator of the neuropeptidergic transmission in the rat brain. The aim of this study was to investigate NPY immunoreactivity following a 4-…

Effects of 8-OH-DPAT on open field performance of young and aged rats prenatally exposed to diazepam: a tool to rveal 5-HT1a receptor function

Central GABAergic and serotoninergic systems interact with one another and are implicated in controlling different behaviours. A gentle early long-lasting handling can prevent the deficits in locomotion and exploration in open field (O.F.) in 3-month-old male rats prenatally exposed to diazepam (DZ). Purpose of this study was to extend the research to older handled rats prenatally exposed to DZ and to assess the activity of 5-HT1A receptors (Rs), evaluating the performance in O.F. at 3 and 18 months of age following 8-OH-DPAT administration. A single daily s.c. injection of DZ (1.5 mg/kg) from gestation day 14 to gestation day 20 induced in aged, but not in young rats, a decrease in total d…

The neurosteroids sulphate PREGS and DHEAS exert a facilitative role on learning performance in adult male rats

Pregnenolone sulphate faciltates object recognition and reduces depressive-like behaviour in male adult rats

Evaluation of chronic alcohol self-administration by a 3-bottle choice paradigm in adult male rats. Effects on behavioural reactivity, spatial learning and reference memory.

Chronic ethanol consumption is able to modify emotional behaviour and cognition in humans. In particular, the effects exerted by alcohol may depend on doses, time and modalities of administration. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, ethanol self-administration and preference patterns using a 3-bottle choice paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on novelty-induced explorative behaviour in the open field, and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze was also evaluated. Our results indicate that: (i) rats show a higher preference for alcohol, in the first two w…

Addictive-like behaviour for Acetaldehyde: involvement of D2 receptors

Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, is centrally active and shows rewarding and motivational properties. It is able to activate mesolimbic dopamine system, since it enhances neuronal firing of dopamine cells in ventral tegmental area and exerts dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (Foddai et al., 2004; Melis et al., 2007; Deehan et al., 2013). ACD motivational properties are demonstrated by self-administration studies in rodents (Rodd et al., 2005), particularly behavioural evidence suggests that ACD could produce positive reinforcing effects in operant-conflict paradigms (Cacace et al., 2012). In order to shed light on neurobiological substrate underpinning ACD-related beh…

Manipulatios of glucocortioid induced stress response may differently affect the acquisition of a reward-facilitated spatial/visual learning task

Single, intense prenatal stress decreases emotionality and enhances learning performance in the adolescent rat offspring: Interaction with a brief, daily maternal separation.

Perinatal manipulations can lead to neurobehavioural changes in the progeny. In this study we investigated, in adolescent male rat offspring, the consequences of a single, intense prenatal stress induced by a 120 min-maternal immobilization at gestational day 16, and of a daily, brief maternal separation from postnatal day 2 until 21, on: unconditioned fear/anxiety-like behaviour in open field and in elevated plus-maze; learning performance in the "Can test", a non-aversive spatial and tactile/visual task; corticosterone plasma levels under basal and stress-induced conditions. Our results indicate that both prenatal stress and maternal separation procedures decrease emotionality and enhance…

Drinking pattern matters: effects on maternal care and offspring vulnerability to alcohol in rats

Alcohol drinking during pregnancy and post-partum period is a major concern because of the persistent neurobehavioral deficits in the offspring, which include increased vulnerability to substance abuse (1). The intermittent pattern of alcohol consumption induces higher drinking levels and deeper neurobiological changes in addiction-related brain regions, with respect to traditional free-access paradigms in male rats (2, 3). Nevertheless, no studies investigated on the effects of the drinking pattern on female subjects during pregnancy and perinatal time. To this aim, this study explored the consequences of continuous vs. intermittent drinking pattern on maternal behaviour and on offspring v…

Alcohol and Nicotine Use among Adolescents: An Observational Study in a Sicilian Cohort of High School Students

In recent years, the mode of alcoholic intake known as binge drinking (BD) has become a common practice, especially among adolescents who, due to socio-environmental motives, tend to reach a rapid state of drunkenness. This drunkeness leads to alterations in brain areas responsible for executive functions and cognitive processes, as well as to the genesis of factors that predispose to lasting addiction. Likewise, nicotine leads to a comparable degree of addiction. On this basis, the aim of this research was to evaluate, on a cohort of 349 high school students (15–17 years old) in the province of Palermo, the following: (I) the drinking model of alcoholic beverages; (II) the use of nic…

COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevention and protection measures to be adopted at the workplace

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2, identified in Wuhan, China, for the first time in December 2019, is a new viral strain, which has not been previously identified in humans; it can be transmitted both by air and via direct and indirect contact; however, the most frequent way it spreads is via droplets. Like the other viruses belonging to the same family of coronaviruses, it can cause from mild flu-like symptoms, such as cold, sore throat, cough and fever, to more severe ones such as pneumonia and breathing difficulties, and it can even lead to death. Since no effective specific drug therapy has been found yet, nor any vaccine capable of limiting the spread of this pathogen, it is important for way…

Effects of DA-Phen, a dopamine-aminoacidic conjugate, on alcohol intake and forced abstinence

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system plays a key role in drug reinforcement and is involved in the development of alcohol addiction. Manipulation of the DAergic system represents a promising strategy to control drug-seeking behavior. Previous studies on 2-amino-N-[2-(3,4-dihydroxy-phenyl)-ethyl]-3-phenyl-propionamide (DA-Phen) showed in vivo effects as a DA-ergic modulator. This study was aimed at investigate DA-Phen effects on operant behavior for alcohol seeking behavior, during reinstatement following subsequent periods of alcohol deprivation. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were tested in an operant paradigm of self-administration; behavioral reactivity and anxiety like-behavior durin…

The role of (E)-6-chloro-3-(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-2-styrylquinazolin-4(3H)-one in the modulation of cannabinoidergic system. A pilot study

Abstract Background Compounds acting on endocannabinoid system regulate different neuronal processes through the cannabinoid receptors activation. The main aim of this study was determining whether the 2-styrylquinazolin-4(3H)-one 5, a structural analogue of rimonabant, was able to counteract the behavioural signs of the activation of the endocannabinoidergic system induced by CP 55.940. Methods Behavioural assessment was carried out using the tetrad task and the novel object recognition test. The endocannabinoidergic system activation was possible by the administration of CP 55.940 and 30 min after rats were tested in the tetrad task for the evaluation of the antinociceptive-, cataleptic-,…

Ethanol Modulates Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Release From the Rat Hypothalamus: Does Acetaldehyde Play a Role?

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Ethanol (EtOH) activates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in adrenocorticotropin hormone, glucocorticoid release, and in modifications of the response of the axis to other stressors. The initial site of EtOH action within the HPA system seems to be the hypothalamus. Thus, to determine the mechanisms responsible for these effects, we investigated: (i) whether EtOH was able to release corticotrophic releasing hormone (CRH) from incubated hypothalamic explants; (ii) whether acetaldehyde (ACD), its first metabolite formed in the brain by catalase activity, might play a role in EtOH activity. To this aim, rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with: (…

Reversal of prenatal diazepam-induced deficit in a spatial-object learning task by brief, periodic maternal separation in adult rats.

In the rat, prenatal exposure to diazepam (DZ) induces a permanent reduction in GABA/BZ receptor (R) function and behavioural abnormalities. Environmental modifications during early stages of life can influence brain development and induce neurobiological and behavioural changes throughout adulthood. Indeed, a subtle, periodic, postnatal manipulation increases GABA/BZ R activity and produces facilitatory effects on neuroendocrine and behavioural responses. We here investigated the impact of prenatal treatment with DZ on learning performance in adult 3- and 8-month-old male rats and the influence of a brief, periodic maternal separation on the effects exerted by prenatal DZ exposure. Learnin…

The neurosteroids DHEAS and PREGS may affect learning performance by altering affective state

Single, intense prenatal stress can differently affect emotional behaviour according to the nature of the task. Influence of Metyrapone.

The role of neurosteoids sulphate in a spatial and object recognition learning task

The term “neuroactive steroid” refers to steroids that have rapid modulatory effects on ligand-gated ion channels via non-genomic mechanism. Specifically, neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability via the cell surface interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors. The neurosteroid pregnenolone sulphate (PREGS) has been described as negative modulator of GABAA receptor and positive modulator of NMDA receptor, affecting cognition as well as emotionality. The present study was aimed to assess the effects of the acute administration of PREGS (10 mg/Kg, s. c.) on rats cognitive functions using a novel task, the Can test. This task explores, under reinforcement, the spatial/visual cues…

Gender-related affects of pregs on emotional, learning and memory performance in adult rats

The neurosteroids sulfate pregs and DHEAS selectively improve memory retention in adult female rats

Intermittent- vs continuous alcohol access in female rats: Effects on deprivation phenotype and maternal behavior as a consequence of the drinking pattern

In male rats, the intermittent alcohol access paradigm produces relevant and specific consequences on neuronal activity and behavior, with respect to traditional free-access paradigms (Carnicella et al., 2014). In order to explore gender-related effects, this study aimed at assessing the consequences of two different patterns of alcohol self-administration on peculiar feminine behavioral repertoire, such as deprivation phenotype and maternal care. Animals underwent long-term, home cage, two-bottle “alcohol (20% v/v) or water” choice regimen, with continuous (7 days a week) or intermittent (3 days a week) access, and were tested for alcohol intake and preference. During acute deprivation, th…

Acetaldehyde, motivation and stress: Behavioral evidence of an addictive ménage à trois

Acetaldehyde contributes to alcohol’s psychoactive effects through its own rewarding properties. Recent studies shed light on the behavioral correlates of acetaldehyde administration and the possible interactions with key neurotransmitters for motivation, reward and stress-related response, such as dopamine and endocannabinoids. This mini review critically examines acetaldehyde psychoactive properties, focusing on behavioral investigations able to unveil acetaldehyde motivational effects and their pharmacological modulation in vivo. Similarly to alcohol, rats spontaneously drink acetaldehyde, whose presence is detected in the brain following chronic self-administration paradigm. Acetaldehyd…

Neurosteroid PREGS differently affects learning and memory performance by altering emotionality in a gender-related manner

Clinical observations and risk factors for tinnitus in a Sicilian cohort.

The aims of this study were to determine the distribution of risk factors associated with tinnitus analysing their role in the development of tinnitus and the effects of their interaction; to evidence the importance of a suitable and adequate clinical and audiologic assessment to avoid those modifiable risk factors responsible for cochlear dysfunction and tinnitus onset. 46 subjects with tinnitus and 74 controls were studied according to: age, sex, Body Mass Index (BMI), neck circumference, tobacco smoking, feeling fatigue or headache, self reporting snoring, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and/or hyperlipidemia, and laboratory finding as lipid profile and levels of reactive…

DYSPHORIC-LIKE BEHAVIOUR DURING ETHANOL WITHDRAWAL IN FEMALE RATS. EFFECT OF CONTINUOUS VS INTERMITTENT ACCESS PARADIGM.

Women show higher vulnerability for neuroadaptation to alcohol, which may contribute to negative emotional state during withdrawal (Sharrett-Field et al., 2013; Koob and Le Moal, 1997). This study aimed at exploring the effects of different patterns of voluntary ethanol consumption on female rat"s affective behaviour during withdrawal. Female rats underwent 12-week-, 2-bottle choice- continuous or intermittent (3 days/week ) access to 20% ethanol and were respectively named CARs and IARs. They were tested for alcohol preference; dysphoric-like state during withdrawal (24-48h); depressive- and anhedonic-like behaviours explored by forced swim- and saccharin preference tests; anxiety-like beh…

Bioactive effects of citrus flavonoids and role in the prevention of atherosclerosis and cancer

Citrus fruits are the main fruits of the Mediterranean diet and have been long recognized for their beneficial effects on human health. Observational studies have shown a significant association between dietary flavonoid intake and reduced risk of cardiovascular and malignant diseases. The beneficial effects of citrus fruits on human health appear to be due to their high content in vitamins, minerals and fibers. In particular, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities have been indicated as some of the mechanisms through which citrus fruits may thwart the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer. This review would critically examine the results …

The endocannabinoid-alcohol crosstalk: Recent advances on a bi-faceted target

Increasing evidence has focusesed on the endocannabinoid system as a relevant player in the induction of aberrant synaptic plasticity and related addictive phenotype following chronic excessive alcohol drinking. In addition, the endocannabinoid system is implicated in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. Interestingly, whereas the involvement of CB1 receptors in alcohol rewarding properties is established, the central and peripheral action of CB2 signalling is still to be elucidated. This review aims at giving the input to deepen knowledge on the role of the endocannabinoid system, highlighting the advancing evidence that suggests that CB1 and CB2 receptors may play opposite roles i…

Gender-related effects of PREGS on emotionality, learning and memory performance in adult rats.

Effects of Prenatal Treatment with 5-Metoxytryptamine on Learning Performance of Juvenile Male Rat Progeny. Influence of Maternal Separation

Activity of orally self-administered acetaldehyde in an operant/conflict paradigm in rats; involvement of cannabinoid cb1 receptors

Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol first metabolite, interacts with the dopaminergic reward system, and with the neuropeptidergic transmission in the hypothalamus. Self-administration within operant conditioning is a valid model to investigate drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviour in rats. Cannabinoid CB1 receptors are involved in reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour and of many other drugs of abuse (3). Accordingly, this study was aimed at the evaluation of: 1) the motivational properties of oral ACD in the induction and maintenance of an operant-drinking behaviour; 2) the onset of a relapse drinking behaviour, following ACD deprivation; 3) ACD effect in a conflict situation employing the …

Effects with prenatal treatment with 5-metoxytriptamine on learning performance of juvenile male rat progeny. Influence of maternal separation

The use of the Emotional-Object Recognition as an assay to assess learning and memory associated to an aversive stimulus in rodents

Abstract Background Emotionally salient experiences induce the formation of explicit memory traces, besides eliciting automatic or implicit emotional memory in rodents. This study aims at investigating the implementation of a novel task for studying the formation of limbic memory engrams as a result of the acquisition- and retrieval- of fear-conditioning – biased declarative memory traces, measured by animal discrimination of an “emotional-object”. Moreover, by using this new method we investigated the potential interactions between stimulation of cannabinoid transmission and integration of emotional information and cognitive functioning. New method The Emotional-Object Recognition task is …

Effects of a single intense prenatal stress on emotionality and learning performance in adolescent male rat progeny.Influence of a daily short-term maternal separation.

Chronic perinatal treatment with 5-methoxytryptamine reduces depressive-like behaviour induced by forced swim in mature male rats

ETHANOL PREFERENCE DURING PREGNANCY AFTER LONG-TERM ETHANOL CONSUMPTION: EFFECT OF DRINKING PATTERN AND MATERNAL BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS

Several studies suggest that pregnancy can reduce ethanol preference and consumption in rats and mice when self-administration starts early during pregnancy (Randall et al., 1980; Means and Goy, 1982). Our first aim was to explore the effect of pregnancy on long-term habit to ethanol, in female rats subjected to 12-week continuous or intermittent (3 days/week) access to 20% ethanol; they were named CARs and IARs respectively. The second aim was to observe their maternal behaviour. Rats were deprived from ethanol during mating and the first gestational week, and then re-exposed to respective ethanol self-administration schedule, starting from the second week of pregnancy. Maternal behaviour …

Gender-related effects on emotionality, learning and memory performance in adult rats. 33° Congresso Società Italiana Farmacologia.

PHARMACOLOGICAL MODULATION OF OPERANT BEHAVIOUR FOR ACETALDEHYDE. INVOLVEMENT OF D2 AND CB1 RECEPTORS.

Acetaldehyde (ACD), the first metabolite of ethanol, has rewarding and motivational properties, as shown by behavioural studies specifically tailored for studying addictive-like behaviour (1, 2). The rewarding and incentive effects of alcohol and others addictive substances, result from their capability to enhance mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission, as well as to affect the cannabinoid system, which is able to fine-tune the activity of DA neurons (3). ACD directly increases DA neurotransmission (4), but the neural underpinning the operant behaviour for oral-self administered ACD still remains poorly understood. Since D2 and CB1 receptors are involved in alcohol addiction (3), as well as …

Acetaldehyde operant self-administration in rats: focus on D2-receptor activation.

Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol first metabolite, is rewarding in rodents and humans; it induces “place preference”, is self-administer directly in the VTA, orally in an operant/conflict paradigm and increases DA neurons’ firing. This research aims at investigating DA2-receptor role in the reinstatement of acetaldehyde operant-drinking behaviour, following induction, maintenance and abstinence in the rat. Male Wistar rats are trained to orally self-administer ACD solution (3.2% v/v) or water, in an operant chamber under a FR1. Afterwards animals undergo cyclic periods of deprivation and relapse to ACD. The effect ofD2-receptor activation by quinpirole (0.03mg/kg,i.p.) on operant ACD self-admini…

The neurosteroids PREGS and DHEAS selectively improve memory retention in adult female rats.

Neurosteroid PREGS differently affects learning and memory performance by altering emotionality in a gender-related manner. 4th International Meeting Steroids and Nervous System, Torino, Italy. Febbrary 17-21 (2007)

Acetaldehyde as the first hit of addictive behaviour

Unhealthy alcohol use is common in the Western society, which puts risk of health consequences, causing multiple behavioural injuries. Increasing evidence focuses on acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, as the mediator of the several behavioural actions of alcohol, including its rewarding and motivational effects. In particular, acetaldehyde induces dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens modulating primary alcohol rewarding effect, drug seeking, and relapse behaviour. Recent behavioural studies point at acetaldehyde as a drug of abuse since its oral self-administration is induced and maintained in an operant/conflict paradigm. These findings provide further evidence on the role…

Effects of prenatal treatment with 5-methoxytryptamine on learning performance of juvenile male rat progeny. Influence of maternal separation

Pregnenolone sulphate (PREGS) affects spatial learning and memory in two different cognitive tasks in adult rats. Influence of the emotional state.

Pregnenolone sulphate (PREGS) is one of the most potent memory-enhancing neurosteroids in rodent learning studies, also involved in the modulation of the emotional state (Valleè et al 2001). Neurosteroids exert an important role as modulators of the neuronal activity by interacting with different receptors or ion channels (Urani et al 1998). Indeed PREGS acts as negative modulator of GABAA- and as positive modulator of NMDA -receptors. Altered levels of PREGS have also been reported during aging and in human neurodegenerative pathologies like Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of this study was to investigate, in adult male rats, the effects of a single injection of PREGS (10 mg/kg s.c.) on: i) o…

COVID-19 Pandemic: New Prevention and Protection Measures

As of the end of February 2021, more than 420,000,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, with 5,856,224 deaths. Transmission of the different genetically engineered variants of SARS-CoV-2, which have been isolated since the beginning of the pandemic, occurs from one infected person to another by the same means: the airborne route, indirect contact, and occasionally the fecal–oral route. Infection is asymptomatic or may present with flulike symptoms such as fever, cough, and mild to moderate and severe respiratory distress, requiring hospitalization and assisted ventilation support. To control the spread of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for …

Ethanol releases corticotropic releasing hormone (CRH) from rat hypothalamic explants; role of acetaldehyde

Ethanol activates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) glucocorticoid release, and a modification of the response of this axis to other stressors (Lee et al 1999, 2000). To determine the mechanisms responsible for these effects we investigated : 1) whether ethanol was able to release CRH from incubated hypothalamic explants; 2) whether acetaldehyde (ACD), its first metabolite formed in the brain by catalase activity, might play a role in ethanol effects. To this aim, rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with: 1) medium containing ethanol at 150 mg %; 2) different concentrations of ACD (4.4, 13.2, 44, 132 x 10-3 mg%); 3) ethanol plus …

Evaluation of chronic alcohol self-administration in male and female rats using a 3-bottle choice paradigm. Sexually dimorphic effects on spatial learning and reference memory

Single intense prenatal stress can differently affect emotional behavior according to the nature of the task. Influence of metyrapone

Alcohol binge drinking in adolescence and psychological profile: Can the preclinical model crack the chicken-or-egg question?

During adolescence, internal and external factors contribute to engaging with alcohol binge drinking (ABD), putting at risk the neurodevelopment of brain regions crucial for emotional control and stress coping. This research assessed the prevalence of ABD in late adolescent students of Southern Italy and characterized their psychological profile and drinking motives. Translational effects of alcohol binge drinking in the animal model were also studied. Seven hundred and fifty-nine high school students of both sexes (aged 18–20) were recruited. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C), Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised Short Form, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Invento…

Risk Factors for Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Auditory Maturation in Children Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Who Recovered?

Background: Newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are at higher risk of developing sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), which may improve over time. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of the main risk factors for SNHL in a NICU cohort, focusing on children who underwent auditory maturation. Methods: An observational study of 378 children admitted to NICUs, who were followed for at least 18 months, with periodic audiologic assessments. Results: Out of 378 patients, 338 had normal hearing and 40 were hearing-impaired; we found a higher percentage of extremely preterm (EPT) and extremely low-birthweight (ELBW) infants in SNHL children (p < 0.05). Sevente…

The neurosteroids sulfate PREGS and DHEAS exert a facilitative role in learning performance in adult male rats

Disturbi emozionali nel trattamento chirurgico della cataratta

Aim.The aim of this study was to appraise the degree of phychic uneasiness and anxiety in subjects who undergo surgical intervention of the cataract and the degree of satisfaction for the result of the interventetion.Methods.A sample of 50 subjects(22 males and 28 females)has been evaluated before the intervention on the cataract: the level of anxiety was measured by means of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales T(HARS) and the degree of psychic uneasiness and psychopathological (phobia,somatization,depression) demonstrations by means of the test of psychic uneasiness-questionnaire IGD.The evalution of the degree of satisfaction for the results of the intervention has been obtained by means o…

The role of temporomandibular disorders in the genesis of tinnitus

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are musculoskeletal pain conditions characterized by pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and/or mastication muscles. Patients with TMD are frequently affected by otolaryngological symptoms like tinnitus, with a prevalence ranging from 2% to 59% of cases. There is still a debate in the scientific community about the relationship between tinnitus and TMD and actually the causal connection between them is not well understood. A possible explanation could be found in the ontogenetic development and in the mechanical and neuronal connections of the masticatory system and the middle ear. Additionally a potential role of TMD in tinnitus onset is suggested by…

EFFECT OF ACETALDEHYDE INTOXICATION AND WITHDRAWAL ON NEUROPEPTIDE Y EXPRESSION. FOCUS ON CB1 RECEPTOR ROLE.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) acts as an endogenous anxiolytic, and, like endocannabinoids, plays an important role in the regulation of neuronal excitability during ethanol withdrawal (Rubio et al., 2011). Since acetaldehyde is considered a mediator of ethanol central effects, this research aims at investigating, following intoxication and during withdrawal, the effects of acetaldehyde on NPY expression in brain areas particularly vulnerable to alcohol, and the influence of cannabinoid system on it. Rats underwent acetaldehyde intoxication (450mg/kg, i.g., 4 times daily for 4 days); AM281, a CB1 selective antagonist (2,5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered during abstinence. Immunohistochemical analysis …

Effect of Acetaldehyde on CRF release form incubated hypothalamic explants

In the past, Acetaldehyde (ACD), the main metabolite of ethanol (ETOH), was mainly studied for its toxic and adverse effects (1). However, recently, ACD was reported to determine behavioural and neurochemical effects, following ETOH assumption in rodents (2, 3). Indeed, ACD enhances dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens, stimulates beta-endorphin release from hypothalamic cells, mediating alcohol reinforcing effects (4). Since little is known about the effects of ACD on other central neuropeptides, in this research we aimed to investigate ACD influence on hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) release. In order to ascertain this hypothesis, different doses of ACD (1, 10, 3x10 micr…

Fatores que influenciam a ocorrência de otite media entre crianças sicilianas com infecções de vias aéreas superiores

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: Upper respiratory tract infection is a nonspecific term used to describe an acute infection involving the nose, paranasal sinuses, pharynx and larynx. Upper respiratory tract infections in children are often associated with Eustachian tube dysfunction and complicated by otitis media, an inflammatory process within the middle ear. Environmental, epidemiologic and familial risk factors for otitis media (such as sex, socioeconomic and educational factors, smoke exposure, allergy or duration of breastfeeding) have been previously reported, but actually no data about their diffusion among Sicilian children with upper respiratory tract infections are available. OBJECTIVE: T…

Work-Related Stress, Physio-Pathological Mechanisms, and the Influence of Environmental Genetic Factors

Work-related stress is a growing health problem in modern society. The stress response is characterized by numerous neurochemicals, neuroendocrine and immune modifications that involve various neurological systems and circuits, and regulation of the gene expression of the different receptors. In this regard, a lot of research has focused the attention on the role played by the environment in influencing gene expression, which in turn can control the stress response. In particular, genetic factors can moderate the sensitivities of specific types of neural cells or circuits mediating the imprinting of the environment on different biological systems. In this current review, we wish to analyze …

Vulnerability to alcohol operant-drinking behaviour: implications of environmental stim

Environmental stimuli, occurring early in life, shape the drinking trajectories and the psychopathological outcome of alcohol consumption in adult life. In particular, early perinatal procedures can permanently alter various patterns of drug use and behaviour in rat adulthood (Pryce CR, 2001). Early handling (EH) apparently is responsible for neurochemical and behavioural changes in adulthood, due to boosts in maternal care after daily reunion. It has been suggested that fostered maternal care, in the form of licking and grooming, is a key feature in determining neural changes and offspring fear responses and alter the reward/reinforcement pathway through epigenetic mechanisms that likely u…

Pregnenolone sulphate enhances spatial orientation and object discrimination in adult male rats: Evidence from a behavioural and electrophysiological study

Abstract Neurosteroids can alter neuronal excitability interacting with specific neurotransmitter receptors, thus affecting several functions such as cognition and emotionality. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, the effects of the acute administration of pregnenolone-sulfate (PREGS) (10 mg/kg, s.c.) on cognitive processes using the Can test, a non aversive spatial/visual task which allows the assessment of both spatial orientation–acquisition and object discrimination in a simple and in a complex version of the visual task. Electrophysiological recordings were also performed in vivo , after acute PREGS systemic administration in order to investigate on the neuronal activati…

The Influence of the COVID‑19 Pandemic Emergency on Alcohol Use: A Focus on a Cohort of Sicilian Workers

The period between the beginning and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency generated a general state of stress, affecting both the mental state and physical well-being of the general population. Stress is the body’s reaction to events or stimuli perceived as potentially harmful or distressing. Particularly when prolonged over time, it can promote the consumption of different psychotropic substances such as alcohol, and thus the genesis of various pathologies. Therefore, our research aimed to evaluate the differences in alcohol consumption in a cohort of 640 video workers who carried out activities in smart working, subjects particularly exposed to stressful situations due to the string…

Seeding nerve sutures with minced nerve-graft (MINE-G): a simple method to improve nerve regeneration in rats

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of seeding the distal nerve suture with nerve fragments in rats. Methods: On 20 rats, a 15 mm sciatic nerve defect was reconstructed with a nerve autograft. In the Study Group (10 rats), a minced 1 mm nerve segment was seeded around the nerve suture. In the Control Group (10 rats), a nerve graft alone was used. At 4 and 12 weeks, a walking track analysis with open field test (WTA), hystomorphometry (number of myelinated fibers (n), fiber density (FD) and fiber area (FA) and soleus and gastrocnemius muscle weight ratios (MWR) were evaluated. The Student t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: At 4 and 12 weeks the Study Gr…

Targeting the Stress System During Gestation: Is Early Handling a Protective Strategy for the Offspring?

The perinatal window is a critical developmental time when abnormal gestational stimuli may alter the development of the stress system that, in turn, influences behavioral and physiological responses in the newborns. Individual differences in stress reactivity are also determined by variations in maternal care, resulting from environmental manipulations. Despite glucocorticoids are the primary programming factor for the offspring's stress response, therapeutic corticosteroids are commonly used during late gestation to prevent preterm negative outcomes, exposing the offspring to potentially aberrant stress reactivity later in life. Thus, in this study, we investigated the consequences of one…

Guanosine-Mediated Anxiolytic-Like Effect: Interplay with Adenosine A1 and A2A Receptors

Acute or chronic administration of guanosine (GUO) induces anxiolytic-like effects, for which the adenosine (ADO) system involvement has been postulated yet without a direct experimental evidence. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether adenosine receptors (ARs) are involved in the GUO-mediated anxiolytic-like effect, evaluated by three anxiety-related paradigms in rats. First, we confirmed that acute treatment with GUO exerts an anxiolytic-like effect. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of pretreatment with ADO or A1R (CPA, CCPA) or A2AR (CGS21680) agonists 10 min prior to GUO on a GUO-induced anxiolytic-like effect. All the combined treatments blocked the GUO anxiolytic-like effect, …

Perinatal exposure to 5-methoxytryptamine, behavioural-stress reactivity and functional response of 5-HT1A receptors in the adolescent rat.

Abstract Serotonin is involved in a wide range of physiological and patho-physiological mechanisms. In particular, 5-HT1A receptors are proposed to mediate stress-adaptation. The aim of this research was to investigate in adolescent rats: first, the consequences of perinatal exposure to 5-metoxytryptamine (5MT), a 5-HT1/5-HT2 serotonergic agonist, on behavioural-stress reactivity in elevated plus maze, open field and forced swim tests; secondly, whether the behavioural effects induced by perinatal exposure to 5MT on open field and forced swim tests were affected by the selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist LY 228729, a compound able to elicit a characteristic set of motor behaviours on these ex…

Pre-conceptional and Peri-Gestational Maternal Binge Alcohol Drinking Produces Inheritance of Mood Disturbances and Alcohol Vulnerability in the Adolescent Offspring

Although binge drinking is on the rise in women of reproductive age and during pregnancy, the consequences in the offspring, in particular the inheritance of alcohol-related mood disturbances and alcohol abuse vulnerability, are still poorly investigated. In this study, we modeled both Habitual- and Binge Alcohol Drinking (HAD and BAD) in female rats by employing a two-bottle choice paradigm, with 20% alcohol and water. The exposure started 12 weeks before pregnancy and continued during gestation and lactation. The consequences induced by the two alcohol drinking patterns in female rats were assessed before conception in terms of behavioral reactivity, anxiety- and depressive-like behavior.…

Environmental enrichment reverts the effects of continuous or intermittent perinatal alcohol exposure. Focus on alcohol vulnerability and affectivity in the offspring

Alcohol consumption during perinatal periods is common, despite the warning of adverse effects on the foetal development. In female rats, the intermittent pattern of alcohol consumption is responsible for higher drinking levels and more profound disruption of maternal care than traditional continuous free-access paradigm, which can have persistent effects on the offspring. The environmental enrichment, a powerful form of experience-dependent plasticity that allows high cognitive, motor and sensory stimulations, is helpful for recovering from different neurological pathologies. Thus, this study aimed at exploring the effects of environmental enrichment on alcohol vulnerability and affective …

Effect of Acetaldehyde Intoxication and Withdrawal on NPY Expression: Focus on Endocannabinoidergic System Involvement

Acetaldehyde (ACD), the first alcohol metabolite, plays a pivotal role in the rewarding, motivational and addictive properties of the parental compound. Many studies have investigated the role of ACD in mediating neurochemical and behavioral effects induced by alcohol administration, but very little is known about the modulation of neuropeptide systems following ACD intoxication and withdrawal. Indeed the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system is altered during alcohol withdrawal in key regions for cerebrocortical excitability and neuroplasticity. The primary goal of this research was to investigate the effects of ACD intoxication and withdrawal by recording rat behavior and by measuring neuropeptide …

Involvement of Dopamine D2 Receptors in Addictive-Like Behaviour for Acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, is active in the central nervous system, where it exerts motivational properties. Acetaldehyde is able to induce drinking behaviour in operant-conflict paradigms that resemble the core features of the addictive phenotype: drug-intake acquisition and maintenance, drug-seeking, relapse and drug use despite negative consequences. Since acetaldehyde directly stimulates dopamine neuronal firing in the mesolimbic system, the aim of this study was the investigation of dopamine D2-receptors' role in the onset of the operant drinking behaviour for acetaldehyde in different functional stages, by the administration of two different D2-receptor agonists, q…

Acetaldehyde self-administration by a two-bottle choice paradigm: Consequences on emotional reactivity, spatial learning, and memory

Abstract Acetaldehyde, the first alcohol metabolite, is responsible for many pharmacological effects that are not clearly distinguishable from those exerted by its parent compound. It alters motor performance, induces reinforced learning and motivated behavior, and produces different reactions according to the route of administration and the relative accumulation in the brain or in the periphery. The effective activity of oral acetaldehyde represents an unresolved field of inquiry that deserves further investigation. Thus, this study explores the acquisition and maintenance of acetaldehyde drinking behavior in adult male rats, employing a two-bottle choice paradigm for water and acetaldehyd…

Early handling effect on female rat spatial and non-spatial learning and memory

This study aims at providing an insight into early handling procedures on learning and memory performance in adult female rats. Early handling procedures were started on post-natal day 2 until 21, and consisted in 15 min, daily separations of the dams from their litters. Assessment of declarative memory was carried out in the novel-object recognition task; spatial learning, reference- and working memory were evaluated in the Morris water maze (MWM). Our results indicate that early handling induced an enhancement in: (1) declarative memory, in the object recognition task, both at 1h and 24h intervals; (2) reference memory in the probe test and working memory and behavioral flexibility in the…

Dopamine involvement in Acetaldehyde drinking behaviour: role of Ropinirole on.

Rats self-administer acetaldehyde(ACD), ethanol's first metabolite, directly into cerebral ventricles (1), and multiple ICV infusions of ACD produce conditioned place preference (2). ACD, such as alcohol and other substances of abuse, interacts with dopaminergic reward system (3) and its reinforcing and addictive properties have been assessed through an operant-conflict conditioning procedure (4). Since dopamine D2receptor over-expression in the Nacc attenuates alcohol intake (5), this study aims at exploring the effects of ropinirole administration during abstinence, on ACD relapse. The protocol has been scheduled into 3 different periods: training ( animals have been trained to self-admin…

Anxiolytic effects of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors agonist oxotremorine in chronically stressed rats and related changes in BDNF and FGF2 levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

Rationale: In depressive disorders, one of the mechanisms proposed for antidepressant drugs is the enhancement of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Previously, we showed that the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonist oxotremorine (Oxo) increases neuronal plasticity in hippocampal neurons via FGFR1 transactivation. Objectives: Here, we aimed to explore (a) whether Oxo exerts anxiolytic effect in the rat model of anxiety-depression-like behavior induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS), and (b) if the anxiolytic effect of Oxo is associated with the modulation of neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and fibroblast growth factor-2…

Efficacy and pharmacological appropriateness of cinnarizine and dimenhydrinate in the treatment of vertigo and related symptoms

Vertigo is not itself a disease, but rather a symptom of various syndromes and disorders that jeopardize balance function, which is essential for daily activities. It is an abnormal sensation of motion that usually occurs in the absence of motion, or when a motion is sensed inaccurately. Due to the complexity of the etiopathogenesis of vertigo, many pharmacological treatments have been tested for efficacy on vertigo. Among these drugs, cinnarizine, usually given together with dimenhydrinate, appears to be the first-line pharmacotherapy for the management of vertigo and inner ear disorders. Based on these considerations, the present non-interventional study aimed to investigate the clinical …

Single intense prenatal stress can diffrently affect emotional behavior according to the nature of the task.Influence of metyrapone.

Psychological assessment in pathological gamblers treated with escitalopram

Pathological Gambling (PG) is classified as a "Disorder of Impulse Control", but due to similarities with drug addiction is frequently described as a drug-free addiction (Potenza et al., 2012). PG is conceptualized as a behavioural addiction because of its neurobiologic, neurophysiologic and psychological features. Current therapeutical approaches seem unsatisfactory as they do not achieve definitive positive outcomes. Considering the well known psycopathological comorbidities, PG represents both a social (impact on relatives money/life) and a sanitary cost, in terms of pharmacological and psychological support. The compulsive behaviour detectable in PG, is a disease with neurophysiopatholo…

Night-Time Shift Work and Related Stress Responses: A Study on Security Guards

Work-related stress can induce a break in homeostasis by placing demands on the body that are met by the activation of two different systems, the hypothalamic&ndash

Nutrition, obesity and hormones

Obesity is a chronic pathological condition with a multifactorial aetiology, characterised by an excessive body fat accumulation with multiple organ-specific consequences. Emerging evidence highlights that obesity appears to be associated with multiple alterations in the endocrine system. However, the mechanisms underlying the interactions between obesity and this system remain still controversial. This review discusses the impact of obesity on various endocrine systems and, in particular, would provide a general overview on the biochemical changes that may occur in each of these axes in association with obesity.

Effects of a single intense prenatal stress on emotionality and learning performance in adolescent male rat progeny. influence of a daily early short-term maternal separation