1,721,070 research outputs found
Cannabinoid modulation of emotion, memory, and motivation
No full textThe endocannabinoid system consists of cannabinoid receptors, their endogenous lipid ligands (endocannabinoids) and the enzymatic machinery for their synthesis and degradation. In the brain, endocannabinoids regulate ion channel activity and neurotransmitter release and thereby contribute to various aspects of brain function, including memory, reward and emotions. Their ability to modulate synaptic efficacy has a wide range of functional consequences and provides unique therapeutic possibilities. Unprecedented advances have been made in the understanding of the role of endocannabinoids in the regulation of the emotional brain over the past few years. However, a comprehensive book encompassing all these aspects is still lacking. The book will provide an overview of the role played by the endocannabinoid system in the regulation of emotional processes with particular emphasis on the modulation of memory and reward for emotionally arousing events and for the regulation of motivational aspects in cannabis use
Perinatal exposure to omega-3 fatty acid imbalance leads to early behavioral alterations in rat pups
No full textGrowing evidence shows that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are crucially involved in brain development and function. Nowadays omega-3 fatty acids are extensively added in large amount to several food products and particularly in newborn and infant foods. Although behavioral deficits have been detected during adulthood in rat exposed to inadequate intakes of omega-3fattyacids1,2, early behavioral changes have not been well investigated.Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), essential communicative sounds used between rodent pups and their mothers, represent a valuable tool for investigating neurobehavioral development and represent anearly marker of developmental alterations3,4. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether perinatal omega-3 deprivation or supplementation could impact on ultrasonic emissions of neonatal rats.The offspring of Sprague Dawley rats,fed with a omega-3 enriched oromega-3 deficient diet throughout mating, pregnancy and lactation,were subjected to a isolation-induced USV emission test at postnatal days (PND)3,5,9, and 13 and their USV emissions were compared with those emitted bynormal-nourished pups(control groupfed with a diet with balanced omega-3 omega-6 ratio). At PND13, pups were also tested in thehoming test.A quantitative analysis shows that the number of USVsof the omega-3 deficient and enriched exposed offspringdiffered significantly from those of normal-nourished pups. In particular, at PND3, omega-3 enriched pups emitted significantly fewer USVscompared to those emitted by the control group; at PND5, both omega-3 deficient and enriched pups emitted significantly fewer USVscompared to those emitted by the control group.No significant differences between groups were found with respect to performance in the homing test. The present findings demonstrate that not only a deficiency but also a supplementationof omega-3 fatty acids could induce detrimental effects on brain development leading to behavioral impairments.
1.Chen and Su (2013) J NutrBiochem.24(1):70-80.
2. Carrié et al. (2000) Br J Nutr. 83(4): 439-47.
3. Cuomo et al. (1996). Environ Health Perspect. 104 Suppl 2:307-15.
4. Dichter et al. (1996). Physiology & Behavior.60(1): 299–304
Toward understanding the neurobiology of social attachment: role of estrogen receptors in the medial amygdala
No full text[No abstract available
Effects of myosin heavy chain (MHC) plasticity induced by HMGCoA-reductase inhibition on skeletal muscle functions
No full text""The rate-limiting step of cholesterol biosynthetic. pathway is catalyzed by 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl. coenzyme reductase (HGMR), whose inhibitors,. the statins, widely used in clinical practice to treat. hypercholesterolemia, often cause myopathy, and. rarely rhabdomyolysis. All studies to date are limited to. the definition of statin-induced myotoxicity omitting to. investigate whether and how HMGR inhibition influences. muscle functions. To this end, 3-mo-old male rats. (Rattus norvegicus) were treated for 3 wk with a daily. intraperitoneal injection of simvastatin (1.5 mg\\\/kg\\\/d),. and biochemical, morphological, mechanical, and functional. analysis were performed on extensor digitorum. longus (EDL) muscle. Our results show that EDL. muscles from simvastatin-treated rats exhibited reduced. HMGR activity; a 15% shift from the fastest. myosin heavy-chain (MHC) isoform IIb to the slower. IIa\\\/x; and reduced power output and unloaded shortening. velocity, by 41 and 23%, respectively, without any. change in isometric force and endurance. Moreover,. simvastatin-treated rats showed a decrease of maximum. speed reached and the latency to fall off the rotaroad. (30%). These results indicate that the molecular. mechanism of the impaired muscle function following. statin treatment could be related to the plasticity of fast. MHC isoform expression.—Trapani, L., Melli, L., Segatto,. M., Trezza, V., Campolongo, P., Jozwiak, A.,. Swiezewska, E., Pucillo, L.P., Moreno, S., Fanelli, F.,. Linari, M., Pallottini, V. Effects of myosin heavy chain. (MHC) plasticity induced by HMGCoA-reductase inhibition. on skeletal muscle functions."
Evaluating the rewarding nature of social interactions in laboratory animals
No full textPositive social interactions are essential for emotional well-being, healthy development,
establishment and maintenance of adequate social structures and reproductive success of
humans and animals. Here, we review the studies that have investigated whether forms
of social interaction that occur in different phases of the lifespan of animals, i.e., maternal
behavior, social play and sexual interaction are rewarding in rodents and non-human primates.
We show that these three forms of social interaction can be used as incentive for
place conditioning, lever pressing and maze learning, three setups that have been extensively
used to study the rewarding properties of food and drugs of abuse and their neural
underpinnings. The experience of positive social interactions during key developmental
ages has profound and long-lasting effects on brain function and behavior in emotional,
motivational and cognitive domains. For instance, pup interaction is more rewarding than
cocaine for early postpartum dams and rats deprived of the opportunity to play during
adolescence show social and cognitive impairments at adulthood. Furthermore, sexual
behavior is only overtly rewarding when animals can control the rate at which the sexual
interaction occurs. Last, we discuss how animal models contributed to our understanding
of social reward mechanisms and its psychological components throughout development
Effect on rat arterial blood pressure of chemically generated peroxyl radicals and protection by antioxidants
No full textThe endocannabinoid system as a possible target to treat both the cognitive and emotional features of post-traumatic stress disorder
No full textPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder of significant prevalence and morbidity, whose pathogenesis relies on paradoxical changes of emotional memory processing. An ideal treatment would be a drug able to block the pathological over-consolidation and continuous retrieval of the traumatic event, while enhancing its extinction and reducing the anxiety symptoms. While the latter benefit from antidepressant medications, no drug is available to control the cognitive symptomatology. Endocannabinoids regulate affective states and participate in memory consolidation, retrieval and extinction. Clinical findings showing a relationship between Cannabis use and PTSD, as well as changes in endocannabinoid activity in PTSD patients, further suggest the existence of a link between endocannabinoids and maladaptive brain changes after trauma exposure. Along these lines, we suggest that endocannabinoid degradation inhibitors may be an ideal therapeutic approach to simultaneously treat the emotional and cognitive features of PTSD, avoiding the unwanted psychotropic effects of compounds directly binding cannabinoid receptors
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