Search results for "nucleus"
showing 10 items of 1803 documents
24-hour-variation of pineal gland volume, pinealocyte nuclear volume and mitotic activity in male Sprague-Dawley rats
1983
In two experiments carried out on two alternate days, the 24-h-rhythmicity of pineal gland volume, pinealocyte nuclear size in cortex and medulla and mitotic activity were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats, to assess to what extent morphological parameters reflect the pronounced day/night differences in pineal melatonin formation. Pineal volume exhibited statistically significant changes in the second experiment only, with a distinct trough at 6 p.m. Karyometry revealed highly variable patterns. In the first experiment, pinealocyte nuclear changes lacked parallelism in cortex and medulla. The cortex exhibited a bimodal curve with peaks at noon of the first day and at 6 a.m. of the second …
The photoperiod entrains the molecular clock of the rat pineal.
2005
The suprachiasmatic nucleus-pineal system acts as a neuroendocrine transducer of seasonal changes in the photoperiod by regulating melatonin formation. In the present study, we have investigated the extent to which the photoperiod entrains the nonself-cycling oscillator in the Sprague-Dawley rat pineal. For this purpose, the 24-h expression of nine clock genes (bmal1, clock, per1, per2, per3, cry1, cry2, dec1 and dec2) and the aa-nat gene was monitored under light-dark 8 : 16 and light-dark 16 : 8 in the rat pineal by using real-time RT-PCR. The 24-h pattern of the expression of only per1, dec2 and aa-nat genes was affected by photoperiod. In comparison with the short photoperiod, the durat…
The rewarding effects of ethanol are modulated by binge eating of a high-fat diet during adolescence
2017
Abstract Binge-eating is considered a specific form of overeating characterized by intermittent and high caloric food intake in a short period of time. Epidemiologic studies support a positive relation between the ingestion of fat and ethanol (EtOH), specifically among adolescent subjects. The aim of this work was to clarify the role of the compulsive, limited and intermittent intake of a high-fat food during adolescence on the rewarding effects of EtOH. After binge-eating for 2 h, three days a week from postnatal day (PND) 29, the reinforcing effects of EtOH were tested with EtOH self-administration (SA), conditioned place preference (CPP) and ethanol locomotor sensitization procedures in …
The role of the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei for the regulation of pineal melatonin synthesis: New aspects derived from the vasopressin-defici…
1990
Abstract There is evidence for an involvement of the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (PVN) in the regulation of pineal melatonin synthesis in rats. Since electrical stimulation of the PVN or the systemic administration of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) result in a depression of the nocturnal melatonin surge, this neuropeptide appears to be pivotal for the transduction of PVN-efferent, pinealopetal signals. We therefore used an AVP-deficient animal model, the Brattleboro rat, to further investigate the mechanisms responsible for pineal regulation. Anesthetized adult male animals received 2 min of bilateral electrical stimulation of the PVN either during the day or at night. Thirty min later,…
The role of arginine-vasopressin for pineal melatonin synthesis in the rat: involvement of vasopressinergic receptors.
1991
Abstract The endogenously synthesized nonapeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) is thought to be involved in transduction of photic information to the pineal gland. The enhancement of circulating AVP leads to a suppression of the nocturnal melatonin surge the mechanisms of which are unknown so far. We therefore studied the effect of dDAVP, an AVP analog with antidiuretic but without vasopressor activity, on pineal melatonin synthesis in Sprague-Dawley and AVP-deficient Brattleboro rats. The nocturnal intra-arterial application of dDAVP mimicked the inhibitory effect of AVP on the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme for pineal melatonin synthesis, N-acetyltransferase (NAT), in both rat strains…
Internuclear ophthalmoplegia of abduction: clinical and electrophysiological data on the existence of an abduction paresis of prenuclear origin.
1992
Three patients showed unilateral and five bilateral abduction paresis. Five had associated adduction nystagmus of the contralateral eye. Electrophysiological testing of masseter and blink reflexes indicated an ipsilateral rostral pontine or mesencephalic lesion, and excluded a lesion of the infranuclear portion of the abducens nerve. Abduction paresis was attributed to impaired inhibition of the tonic resting activity of the antagonistic medial rectus muscle. The prenuclear origin of the disorder is based on morphological and neurophysiological evidence of an ipsilateral inhibitory connection between the paramedian pontine reticular formation and the oculomotor nucleus running close to but …
A nitrergic projection from the superior olivary complex to the inferior colliculus of the rat
2003
The present study was conducted to test whether the ascending auditory projection from the superior olivary complex (SOC) of the brainstem to the inferior colliculus (IC) may use nitric oxide (NO) as a neuroactive compound. We identified olivo-collicular projection neurons in subnuclei of the SOC by retrograde neuronal tracing with Fluoro-Gold (FG) injected into the central nucleus of the IC. Sections containing retrograde labelled neurons were subjected to immunohistochemical incubation in an antiserum directed against the enzyme responsible for NO production in nerve cells, neuronal NO synthase (nNOS). The analysis showed that FG-containing neurons as well as nNOS-immunoreactive neurons w…
Phosphodiesterase 10A in the Rat Pineal Gland: Localization, Daily and Seasonal Regulation of Expression and Influence on Signal Transduction
2010
The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is highly expressed in striatal spiny projection neurons and represents a therapeutic target for the treatment of psychotic symptoms. As reported previously [J Biol Chem 2009; 284:7606–7622], in this study PDE10A was seen to be additionally expressed in the pineal gland where the levels of PDE10A transcript display daily changes. As with the transcript, the amount of PDE10A protein was found to be under daily and seasonal regulation. The observed cyclicity in the amount of PDE10A mRNA persists under constant darkness, is blocked by constant light and is modulated by the lighting regime. It therefore appears to be driven by the master cloc…
Impaired alcohol-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in an inflammatory pain model: behavioral implications in male rats
2020
ABSTRACT Recent studies have drawn the attention to the link between alcohol use disorder and the presence of pain. Indeed, the correct management of pain in patients with a previous history of alcohol use disorder has been reported to decrease the risk of relapse in alcohol drinking, suggesting that in this prone population, pain may increase the vulnerability to relapse. Previous data in male rats revealed that inflammatory pain desensitizes mu-opioid receptors in the ventral tegmental area and increases intake of high doses of heroin. Owing to the relevant role of mu-opioid receptors in alcohol effects, we hypothesize that pain may also alter alcohol reinforcing properties and therefore …
Gene Transcription Alterations Associated with Decrease of Ethanol Intake Induced by Naltrexone in the Brain of Wistar Rats
2006
Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the administration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone decreases the intake of ethanol. However, the neuroplastic adaptations in the brain associated to reduction of ethanol consumption remains to be elucidated. The aim of the study was to identify gene transcription alterations underlying the attenuation of voluntary ethanol intake by administration of naltrexone in rats. Increasing doses of naltrexone (0.7 mg/kg, 4 days and 1.4 mg/kg/day, 4 days) to rats with acquired high preferring ethanol consumption (>3.5 g of ethanol/kg/day) decreased voluntary ethanol intake (50%). Voluntary ethanol consumption altered mu-opioid receptor function in the …