Stress occupazionale: correlazione tra livelli di cortisolo, strategie di coping, ansia e depressione in turnisti notturni

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…

PMA e sistema familiare

Mourning within families, the usage of Rorschach regarding the assessment on the consequences of the trauma

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…

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. …

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-…

La perturbante immagine del diverso

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…

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: (…

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…

Psicodiagnosi e psicoterapia: un processo circolare

La valutazione diagnostica, in - Nuove Dipendenze- eziologia, clinica e trattamento delle dipendenze "senza droga"

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 …

Riflessioni su tèchne e nous nella nuova informazione telematica

Indici psicodiagnostici e organizzazione di personalità nel Disturbo Pst-traumatico da Stress

LA PMA COME BIOPSICOTECNOLOGIA: L'APPROCCIO ALL'INFERTILITA' TRA TECNICA ED IMMAGINARIO

The use of the Rorschach test in the assessment of the traumatic loss of a family member

Is Acetaldehyde a substance of abuse? Evidence from a free-access, three-bottle choice paradigm

At present, neuroscience literature dealing with Acetaldehyde (ACD), ethanol first metabolite, as a drug of abuse, reported conditioned taste aversion paradigm and conditioned place preference, following ICV or i.p. administration. No reports exist on ACD oral self-administration probably because of its high volatility. For this reason, this pilot study was aimed at the evaluation of ACD concentration in aqueous solutions, and consequently to the rat drinking behaviour when acetaldehyde was presented in a free-access paradigm together with water and a sweet solution. Preliminarly we investigated the loss of ACD content in aqueous standard solutions. For the investigation of ACD concentratio…

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…

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

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…

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…

Il danno psichico da Disturbo Post-Traumatico da Stress (DPTS): aspetti clinici e testologici