0000000000415155
AUTHOR
Ana María Sánchez-pérez
Electrolytic lesion of the nucleus incertus retards extinction of auditory conditioned fear
Fear memory circuits in the brain function to allow animals and humans to recognize putative sources of danger and adopt an appropriate behavioral response; and research on animal models of fear have helped reveal the anatomical and neurochemical nature of these circuits. The nucleus (n.) incertus in the dorsal pontine tegmentum provides a strong GABAergic projection to forebrain ‘fear centers’ and is strongly activated by neurogenic stressors. In this study in adult male rats, we examined the effect of electrolytic lesions of n. incertus on different stages of the fear conditioning-extinction process and correlated the outcomes with anatomical data on the distribution of n. incertus-derive…
Acute oral administration of low doses of methylphenidate targets calretinin neurons in the rat septal area.
Methylphenidate (MPD) is a commonly administered drug to treat children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Alterations in septal driven hippocampal theta rhythm may underlie attention deficits observed in these patients. Amongst others, the septo-hippocampal connections have long been acknowledged to be important in preserving hippocampal function. Thus, we wanted to ascertain if methylphenidate administration, which improves attention in patients, could affect septal areas connecting with hippocampus. We used low and orally administered methylphenidate doses (1.3; 2.7 and 5mg/Kg) to rats what mimics the dosage range in humans. In our model, we observed no effec…
Bioactive potential of silica coatings and its effect on the adhesion of proteins to titanium implants
There is an ever-increasing need to develop dental implants with ideal characteristics to achieve specific and desired biological response in the scope of improve the healing process post-implantation. Following that premise, enhancing and optimizing titanium implants through superficial treatments, like silica sol-gel hybrid coatings, are regarded as a route of future research in this area. These coatings change the physicochemical properties of the implant, ultimately affecting its biological characteristics. Sandblasted acid-etched titanium (SAE-Ti) and a silica hybrid sol-gel coating (35M35G30T) applied onto the Ti substrate were examined. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests and t…
Chronic exposure to ammonia induces isoform-selective alterations in the intracellular distribution and NMDA receptor-mediated translocation of protein kinase C in cerebellar neurons in culture.
Hyperammonemia is responsible for most neurological alterations in patients with hepatic encephalopathy by mechanisms that remain unclear. Hyperammonemia alters phosphorylation of neuronal protein kinase C (PKC) substrates and impairs NMDA receptor-associated signal transduction. The aim of this work was to analyse the effects of hyperammonemia on the amount and intracellular distribution of PKC isoforms and on translocation of each isoform induced by NMDA receptor activation in cerebellar neurons. Chronic hyperammonemia alters differentially the intracellular distribution of PKC isoforms. The amount of all isoforms (except PKC zeta) was reduced (17-50%) in the particulate fraction. The con…
Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Fluorescent Analogues of Abscisic Acid
A fluorescent analogue of abscisic acid has been prepared by combining (S)‐abscisic acid (ABA) with nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) fluorophore using ethanol amine as a linker. Isomerization of the double bond at the side chain of abscisic acid happened during the synthesis. The resulting fluorophore analogues derived from both isomeric compounds entered cells suggesting a wide applicability of the ABA‐NBD conjugates as fluorescent probes to study ABA mechanism of action. The functional properties of the isomeric ABA‐NBD conjugates were tested in vitro, by measuring TNFα expression and nitrite concentration in LPS‐stimulated macrophages and compared with their non‐fluorescent ABA isomers. Rationa…
IRS-2 deficiency impairs NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.-- et al.
Distribution and targets of the relaxin-3 innervation of the septal area in the rat.
Neural tracing studies have revealed that the rat medial and lateral septum are targeted by ascending projections from the nucleus incertus, a population of tegmental GABA neurons. These neurons express the relaxin-family peptide, relaxin-3, and pharmacological modulation of relaxin-3 receptors in medial septum alters hippocampal theta rhythm and spatial memory. In an effort to better understand the basis of these interactions, we have characterized the distribution of relaxin-3 fibers/terminals in relation to different septal neuron populations identified using established protein markers. Dense relaxin-3 fiber plexuses were observed in regions of medial septum containing hippocampal-proje…
Modulation of NMDA receptor function by cyclic AMP in cerebellar neurones in culture
The signal transduction pathways involved in NMDA receptor modulation by other receptors remain unclear. cAMP could be involved in this modulation. The aim of this work was to analyse the contribution of cAMP to NMDA receptor modulation in cerebellar neurones in culture. Forskolin increases cAMP and results in increased intracellular calcium and cGMP that are prevented by blocking NMDA receptors. Similar effects were induced by two cAMP analogues, indicating that cAMP leads to NMDA receptor activation. It has been reported that phosphorylation of Ser897 of the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activates the receptors. Forskolin increases Ser897 phosphoryla…
Silica-gelatin hybrid sol-gel coatings: A proteomic study with biocompatibility implications.
Osseointegration, including the foreign body reaction to biomaterials, is an immune‐modulated, multifactorial, and complex healing process in which various cells and mediators are involved. The buildup of the osseointegration process is immunological and inflammation‐driven, often triggered by the adsorption of proteins on the surfaces of the biomaterials and complement activation. New strategies for improving osseointegration use coatings as vehicles for osteogenic biomolecules delivery from implants. Natural polymers, such as gelatin, can mimic Collagen I and enhance the biocompatibility of a material. In this experimental study, two different base sol–gel formulations and their combinati…
Septal projections to nucleus incertus in the rat: Bidirectional pathways for modulation of hippocampal function
Projections from the nucleus incertus (NI) to the septum have been implicated in the modulation of hippocampal theta rhythm. In this study we describe a previously uncharacterized projection from the septum to the NI, which may provide feedback modulation of the ascending circuitry. Fluorogold injections into the NI resulted in retrograde labeling in the septum that was concentrated in the horizontal diagonal band and areas of the posterior septum including the septofimbrial and triangular septal nuclei. Double-immunofluorescent staining indicated that the majority of NI-projecting septal neurons were calretinin-positive and some were parvalbumin-, calbindin-, or glutamic acid decarboxylase…
Adolescent binge‐ethanol accelerates cognitive impairment and β‐amyloid production and dysregulates endocannabinoid signaling in the hippocampus of APP/PSE mice
Previous research in rodents suggests that the long‐term neurobehavioral disturbances induced by chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure could be due to endocannabinoid system (ECS) alterations. Moreover, ECS failure has been proposed to mediate the cognitive impairment and β‐amyloid production in Alzheimer disease (AD). Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of adolescent EtOH binge drinking on the cognitive disturbances, hippocampal β‐amyloid levels, and in the ECS expression on a transgenic mouse model (APP/PSEN, AZ) of AD. We exposed AZ and wild‐type mice to a binge‐drinking treatment during adolescence. At 6 and 12 months of age, we evaluated hippocampal‐dependent learning and me…