Search results for "Ventral"
showing 10 items of 180 documents
Sex Differences in the Neuroadaptations of Reward-related Circuits in Response to Subchronic Variable Stress
2018
Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder. However, fewer studies in rodent models of depression have used female animals, leading to a relative lack of understanding of the female brain’s response to stress, especially at a neural circuit level. In this study, we utilized a 6-day subchronic variable stress (SCVS) mouse model and measured novelty suppressed feeding as behavioral criteria to evaluate susceptibility to SCVS in male and female mice. First, we showed that SCVS induced a decrease in latency to eat (susceptible phenotype) in female mice, but not in males (resilient phenotype). After determining behavioral phenotypes, we investigated the firing activ…
Regional differences in mu-opioid receptor-dependent modulation of basal dopamine transmission in rat striatum
2016
Abstract The nigrostriatal dopamine system is implicated in the regulation of reward and motor activity. Dopamine (DA) release in dorsal striatum (DS) is controlled by the firing rate of DA neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta. However, influences at terminal level, such as those involving activation of mu opioid receptors (MORs), can play a key role in determining DA levels in striatum. Nonetheless, published data also suggest that the effect of opioid drugs on DA levels may differ depending on the DS subregion analyzed. In this study, in vivo microdialysis in rats was used to explore this regional dependence. Changes in basal DA levels induced by local retrodialysis application of DA…
The LepR-mediated leptin transport across brain barriers controls food reward
2018
Objective Leptin is a key hormone in the control of appetite and body weight. Predominantly produced by white adipose tissue, it acts on the brain to inhibit homeostatic feeding and food reward. Leptin has free access to circumventricular organs, such as the median eminence, but entry into other brain centers is restricted by the blood–brain and blood–CSF barriers. So far, it is unknown for which of its central effects leptin has to penetrate brain barriers. In addition, the mechanisms mediating the transport across barriers are unclear although high expression in brain barriers suggests an important role of the leptin receptor (LepR). Methods We selectively deleted LepR in brain endothelia…
Chemoarchitecture and afferent connections of the "olfactostriatum": a specialized vomeronasal structure within the basal ganglia of snakes.
2004
The olfactostriatum, a portion of the striatal complex of snakes, is the major tertiary vomeronasal structure in the ophidian brain, receiving substantial afferents from the nucleus sphericus, the primary target of accessory olfactory bulb efferents. In the present study, we have characterized the olfactostriatum of garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) on the basis of chemoarchitecture (distribution of serotonin, neuropeptide Y and tyrosine hydroxylase) and hodology (afferent connections). The olfactostriatum is densely immunoreactive for serotonin and neuropeptide Y and shows moderate-to-weak immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase. In addition to afferents from the nucleus sphericus, the…
Fixation-free incisional hernia repair in the elderly: our experience with a tentacle-shaped implant.
2016
Background: Incisional hernia in aged patients represents a challenge even for experienced surgeons. Besides increased risk of complications due to comorbidities, mesh fixation and assuring a sufficient mesh overlap of the defect are the main issues in carrying out the repair. Aims: In order to assure broader coverage of the abdominal wall and a tension- and fixation-free repair, a specifically designed prosthesis was developed for the surgical treatment of incisional hernias. The results of a fixation-free incisional hernia repair carried out in elderly patients using a tentacle-shaped implant are reported herewith. Methods: A tentacle-shaped flat mesh with a large central body and integra…
Distribution and differential induction of CYP2E1 by ethanol and acetone in the mesocorticolimbic system of rat
2008
Aims: The expression of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) in the brain has been demonstrated in several regions, nevertheless there is a lack of specific studies on the constitutive expression and induction at the mesocorticolimbic system, the most relevant brain pathway in the context of drug addiction and alcoholism. Hence, we have performed a detailed study of the CYP2E1 expression and induction in three key areas of the mesocorticolimbic system of the rat brain: prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Methods: Expression levels of CYP2E1 were analyzed by Western blot. The induction of the enzyme in the selected brain areas by chronic acetone (1% v/v…
Protective activation of the endocannabinoid system during ischemia in dopamine neurons
2006
Endocannabinoids act as neuroprotective molecules promptly released in response to pathological stimuli. Hence, they may represent one component of protection and/or repair mechanisms mobilized by dopamine (DA) neurons under ischemia. Here, we show that the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) plays a key role in protecting DA neurons from ischemia-induced altered spontaneous activity both in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, neuroprotection can be elicited through moderate cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) activation. Conversely, blockade of endocannabinoid actions through CB1 receptor antagonism worsens the outcome of transient ischemia on DA neuronal activity. These findings indi…
Attraction to sexual pheromones and associated odorants in female mice involves activation of the reward system and basolateral amygdala
2005
Adult female mice are innately attracted to non-volatile pheromones contained in male-soiled bedding. In contrast, male-derived volatiles become attractive if associated with non-volatile attractive pheromones, which act as unconditioned stimulus in a case of Pavlovian associative learning. In this work, we study the chemoinvestigatory behaviour of female mice towards volatile and non-volatile chemicals contained in male-soiled bedding, in combination with the analysis of c-fos expression induced by such a behaviour to clarify: (i) which chemosensory systems are involved in the detection of the primary attractive non-volatile pheromone and of the secondarily attractive volatiles; (ii) where…
Histologic considerations about a rare case of recurrent incisional hernia on McBurney incision.
2014
Incisional hernias are often related to longitudinal or transverse laparotomy with an incidence that rises from to 2 to 23 %. The oblique incision often used to surgically treat acute appendicitis has little probability to develop incisional hernia with an estimated incidence less than 2%. Some series report 0.1 - 0.9% of it. Anatomic, physiologic and histologic factors have been implicated in herniation development, such as intra-abdominal pressure or alteration on tissue components; many different risk factors can be taken into account to justify this rare condition such as female gender, diabetes, peritonitis, abscess or appendiceal phlegmon as the cause of the first operation, wound inf…
Cannabidiol prevents priming- and stress-induced reinstatement of the conditioned place preference induced by cocaine in mice
2021
[Background]: Cocaine dependence is an important problem without any effective pharmacological treatment. Some preclinical studies have suggested that cannabidiol (CBD), a component of the Cannabis sativa plant, could be useful for the treatment of cocaine use disorders.