Search results for "PAM"
showing 10 items of 1768 documents
Long-lasting handling affects behavioural reactivity in adult rats of both sexes prenatally exposed to diazepam
2001
Environmental stressors can substantially affect the adaptive response of rats to novelty in a sexually dimorphic manner. Gender-related differences are also observed in neurochemical and behavioural patterns of adult rats following prenatal exposure to diazepam (DZ). In the present study the behavioural reactivity to novelty is investigated in open field (OF) and in acoustic startle reflex (ASR) tests, in non handled (NH), short-lasting handled (SLH) and long-lasting handled (LLH) adult male and female rats prenatally exposed to DZ. A single daily s.c. injection of DZ (1.5 mg/kg) over gestation days 14-20 decreases GABA/BDZ receptor function in both sexes, as shown by the decreased electro…
Lateral differences in the GABAergic system of the rat striatum.
1985
Asymmetric differences have been found in the pre- and postsynaptic activity of the GABAergic system of the left and right striata of the rat. 3H-GABA binding shows a higher dissociation constant (KD) and a higher number of sites (Bmax) in the left striatum than in the right. Moreover, 3H-diazepam binding seems to be more extensively activated by GABA in the right striatum suggesting a more sensitive postsynaptic GABAergic activity than on the left side. However, when the presynaptic marker (GAD activity) was measured, the asymmetry was in the opposite direction. The results provide further neurochemical evidence of the functional asymmetry of the rat brain.
The cost of a school based mass treatment of schistosomiasis in Ugu District, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa in 2012.
2020
Introduction The Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap of the WHO set targets for potential elimination as a "public health problem" for the period 2012-2020 in multiple countries in Africa, with the aim of global elimination of schistosomiasis as a "public health problem" by 2025. Aim The purpose of the study was to estimate the cost from a provider's perspective of the Department of Health's Schistosomiasis Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in Ugu District, KwaZulu-Natal in 2012, with a view to project the costs for the entire KwaZulu Natal Province. Methods A total of 491 public schools and 16 independent schools in Ugu District, a predominantly rural district in KwaZulu-Natal with a total of…
Transgenic expression and activation of PGC-1α protect dopaminergic neurons in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson’s disease
2011
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress occur in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling these events. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a transcriptional coactivator that is a master regulator of oxidative stress and mitochondrial metabolism. We show here that transgenic mice overexpressing PGC-1α in dopaminergic neurons are resistant against cell degeneration induced by the neurotoxin MPTP. The increase in neuronal viability was accompanied by elevated levels of mitochondrial antioxidants SOD2 and Trx2 in the substantia nigra of transgenic mice. PGC-1α overexpression also protected against MP…
THE EFFECTS OF AGING ON DOPAMINERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION A microPET STUDY OF [11C]-raclopride BINDING IN THE AGED RODENT BRAIN
2010
Rodent models are frequently used in aging re search to investigate biochemical age effects and aid in the development of therapies for pathological and non pathological age related degenerative processes In order to validate the use of animal models in aging research and pave the way for longitudinal intervention based animal studies, the consistency of cerebral aging processes across species needs to be evaluated The dopaminergic system seems particularly susceptible to the aging process, and one of the most consistent findings in human brain aging research is a decline in striatal D2-like receptor (D2R) availability, quantifiable by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging In this stud…
Acute behavioural and neurotoxic effects of MDMA plus cocaine in adolescent mice.
2008
The poly-drug pattern is the most common among those observed in MDMA users, with cocaine being a frequently associated drug. This study evaluates the acute effects of MDMA (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg), alone or in combination with cocaine (25 mg/kg), on motor activity, anxiety (elevated plus maze and social interaction test), memory and brain monoamines in adolescent mice, Both drugs, administered alone or concurrently, produced hyperactivity and a decrease in social contacts. However, an anxiolytic effect, studied by means of the elevated plus maze and expressed as an increase in the time spent on the open arms, was observed only in those animals treated with cocaine and MDMA. The passive avoidan…
Behavioural and neurotoxic long-lasting effects of MDMA plus cocaine in adolescent mice
2008
The poly-drug pattern is the most common among MDMA users, with cocaine being a frequently associated drug. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the behavioural and neurotoxic long-term effects of exposure during adolescence to MDMA alone or plus cocaine. Mice of 28 to 30 days of age received a treatment of two daily injections of an identical dose of MDMA (5, 10 or 20 mg/kg), alone or plus cocaine (25 mg/kg), for 3 days (6 administrations). Three weeks after receiving MDMA, an increase in the time dedicated by the animals to social contacts with their conspecifics was observed, whilst their behaviour in the elevated plus maze showed no differences from that of non-treated mice. Afte…
Neurochemical Substrates of MDMA Reward: Effects of the Inhibition of Serotonin Reuptake on the Acquisition and Reinstatement of MDMA-induced CPP
2013
Different neurotransmitter brain systems have been implicated in the rewarding effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA), including dopamine or serotonin. Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are a commonly prescribed therapy for psychiatric disorders, and the SSRI fluoxetine is recommended for MDMA users due to its neuroprotective effect against MDMAinduced neurotoxicity. In the present work, we employed the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to study how the inhibition of serotonin reuptake with fluoxetine affected the rewarding and reinstating effects of MDMA in adolescent male mice. Firstly, we evaluated the motivational effects of fluoxetine (1 and 10 mg/kg)…
Central serotonin depletion modulates the behavioural, endocrine and physiological responses to repeated social stress and subsequent c-fos expressio…
1999
Abstract Intraspecific confrontation has been used to study effect of depleting central serotonin on the adaptation of male rats to repeated social stress (social defeat). Four groups of adult male rats were used (serotonin depletion/sham: stressed; serotonin depletion/sham: non-stressed). Central serotonin was reduced (by 59–97%) by a single infusion of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxtryptamine (150 μg) into the cerebral ventricles; levels of dopamine and noradrenaline were unaltered (rats received appropriate uptake blockers prior to neurotoxic infusions). Sham-operated animals received solute only. Rats were then either exposed daily for 10 days to a second larger aggressive male in the latt…
Neurotransmitter receptor density changes in Pitx3ak mice – A model relevant to Parkinson’s disease
2014
Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by alterations of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotransmission. Compared to the wealth of data on the impairment of the dopamine system, relatively limited evidence is available concerning the role of major non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems in PD. Therefore, we comprehensively investigated the density and distribution of neurotransmitter receptors for glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine and adenosine in brains of homozygous aphakia mice being characterized by mutations affecting the Pitx3 gene. This genetic model exhibits crucial hallmarks of PD on the ne…