212 research outputs found
Using Knockout and Transgenic Mice to Study Neurophysiology and Behavior
No full textPicciotto, Marina R., and Kevin Wickman. Using Knockout and Transgenic Mice to Study Neurophysiology and Behavior. Physiol. Rev. 78: 1131–1163, 1998. — Reverse genetics, in which detailed knowledge of a gene of interest permits in vivo modification of its expression or function, provides a powerful method for examining the physiological relevance of any protein. Transgenic and knockout mouse models are particularly useful for studies of complex neurobiological problems. The primary aims of this review are to familiarize the nonspecialist with the techniques and limitations of mouse mutagenesis, to describe new technologies that may overcome these limitations, and to illustrate, using representative examples from the literature, some of the ways in which genetically altered mice have been used to analyze central nervous system function. The goal is to provide the information necessary to evaluate critically studies in which mutant mice have been used to study neurobiological problems.</jats:p
Use of knock-out mice to determine the molecular basis for the actions of nicotine
No full textRecombinant DNA techniques have been used to identify the family of molecules that mediate nicotine's effects on the brain. Nicotine binds and activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) which are made up of combinations of individual nicotinic subunits. It is important to determine which of the many possible subunit combinations are responsible for the physiological and behavioral effects of nicotine that lead to addiction. Molecular genetic tools such as antisense strategies have been useful in elucidating the electrophysiological properties of nAChRs in different tissues. Use of knock-out mice lacking individual nAChR subunits has also begun to elucidate how nicotine exerts its actions from the molecular level to the behavioral level. Experiments using mice lacking the β2 subunit of the nAChR have shown that binding of nicotine to receptors containing this subunit is the first step in a pathway leading to increased dopamine levels in the mesolimbic dopamine system, and ultimately to the behavioral effects of nicotine in a test of nicotine reinforcement. Mice deficient in various α subunits of the nAChR will identify the partners of β2 mediating the addictive properties of nicotine. In addition, more data needs to be gathered on the electrophysiological properties of different subunit combinations, the effects of nicotine on different neurotransmitter systems and the links between the molecular biology of nicotine receptors, their physiology and the ultimate role of individual receptor subtypes in complex behaviors. Multidisciplinary approaches to nAChR function will be essential to answering these questions. © 1999 Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
Nicotine decreases food intake through activation of POMC neurons
No full textSmoking decreases appetite, and smokers often report that they smoke to control their weight. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the anorexic effects of smoking would facilitate the development of novel treatments to help with smoking cessation and to prevent or treat obesity. By using a combination of pharmacological, molecular genetic, electrophysiological, and feeding studies, we found that activation of hypothalamic α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors leads to activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. POMC neurons and subsequent activation of melanocortin 4 receptors were critical for nicotinic-induced decreases in food intake in mice. This study demonstrates that nicotine decreases food intake and body weight by influencing the hypothalamic melanocortin system and identifies critical molecular and synaptic mechanisms involved in nicotine-induced decreases in appetite
Corrigendum: Plasma polymers as targets for laser-driven proton-boron fusion
No full textA Corrigendum on Plasma polymers as targets for laser-driven proton-boron fusion by Tosca M, Molloy D, McNamee A, Pleskunov P, Protsak M, Biliak K, Nikitin D, Kousal J, Krtouš Z, Hanyková L, Hanuš J, Biederman H, Foster T, Nersisyan G, Martin P, Ho C, Macková A, Mikšová R, Borghesi M, Kar S, Istokskaia V, Levy Y, Picciotto A, Giuffrida L, Margarone D and Choukourov A (2023). Front. Phys. 11:1227140. doi: 10.3389/fphy.2023.1227140In the published article, there was an error in Affiliations 6, 7, and 8.Author Valeriia Istokskaia should be affiliated with “2, 7” instead of “2, 6”.Author Yoann Levy should be affiliated with “8” instead of “7”.The authors apologize for these errors and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated
Science is a Marathon not a Sprint:Creating a Positive for Culture for Early Career Researchers
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