0000000000277136
AUTHOR
Carmen Carrasco
Adolescent and adult mice display differential sensitivity to the effects of bupropion on the acquisition of a water maze task.
Abstract Background Adolescence is characterized by major neurobiological changes, and the effects of some psychoactive drugs seem to differ between adolescents and adults. Bupropion, an antidepressant that is also used to treat nicotine addiction, induces behavioral actions in both adolescent and adult rodents. However, the effects of this drug on spatial ability have not been compared in animals at different stages of their development. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of bupropion on spatial learning and memory in adolescent and adult mice. Methods Adolescent (post-natal day: PND35-36) and adult (PND >65) NMRI mice received bupropion (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) or saline d…
A computerized system for measuring time perception in human subjects.
We describe an integrated computerized approach to the design, execution and recording of time perception experiments in human subjects. The program is menu driven and runs on an IBM-compatible microcomputer. The method is easy to use, non-obtrusive to the subjects, and flexible enough to allow the investigator to design studies with a wide range of experimental protocols and study parameters. The fact that the results do not depend on proctor bias or subject-proctor interactions are additional advantages. The technique was applied to study the effects of prompt positive feedback on the time perception of normal human subjects who undergo training. The results of this study are reported.
Bupropion induces social anxiety in adolescent mice: Influence of housing conditions
Abstract Background The antidepressant bupropion has received increasing attention as a pharmacological tool to treat addiction although little is known about its effects on social behaviour in adolescents. The present study aimed to evaluate if environmental housing conditions influence bupropion’s actions on social behaviour of adolescent mice. Methods Mice were either group- or individually housed for 2-weeks and then randomly divided into 2 cohorts: half of the mice remained in the initial housing condition and the other half were changed to isolated conditions for further 2-weeks. The following groups were compared: isolated/isolated (ISO/ISO), isolated/group-housed (ISO/GR), group-hou…
Effects of bupropion, alone or coadministered with nicotine, on social behavior in mice
Bupropion, administered alone or combined with nicotine, is presently used to treat nicotine dependence. Despite experimental evidence of the complex behavioral actions of this drug, there have been little data reported about its effects on social behavior. Our main aim was to investigate the effects of acute administration of bupropion, alone or plus nicotine, on social interaction in mice. OF1 group-housed male mice were confronted in a neutral cage with an anosmic opponent during a 10 minutes encounter. Time allocated to body care and digging was reduced by administration of bupropion (40 mg/kg) both when administered alone and with nicotine (1 and 0.5 mg/kg). The lowest dose of bupropio…
Effects of Alcohol, Coffee, and Tobacco, Alone or in Combination, on Physiological Parameters and Anxiety in a Young Population
The objective was to evaluate the effects of a single dose of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, alone or in combination, on physiological parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure [SBP and DBP] and heart rate [HR]) and state-trait anxiety in healthy young volunteers.The procedure reproduces the conditions under which the subjects (Intake of alcohol or alcohol-nicotine reduced DBP. Comparisons between control and combined treatment (coffee-alcohol-nicotine) groups revealed a decrease in HR in the former group but not in the latter. The coffee consumers alone exhibited a tendency toward an increase in SA, while the control group showed a tendency toward a decrease in this measure. When…
Neuroprotective effects of behavioural training and nicotine on age-related deficits in spatial learning.
Studies in humans and animals show a clear decline in spatial memory with age and several approaches have been adopted to alleviate this impairment. The purpose of our review is to assess the studies that have suggested the possible neuroprotective actions of behavioural training and nicotine-applied both independently and in conjunction-on age-related deficits in spatial learning. Both spatial pretraining and nonspatial experiences influence an animal's performance in spatial tasks. In aged rats, the experience of training in the water maze task increases the number of newly generated neurons in the hippocampus. The neuroprotective effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in both in-vitr…