Background: Inducible (iNOS) or neuronal (nNOS) nitric oxide synthase gene deletion increases or decreases anxiety-like behavior in mice, respectively. Since NO and endocannabinoids (ECBs) interact to modulate defensive behavior, the... more
Background: Inducible (iNOS) or neuronal (nNOS) nitric oxide synthase gene deletion increases or decreases anxiety-like behavior in mice, respectively. Since NO and endocannabinoids (ECBs) interact to modulate defensive behavior, the former effect could involve a compensatory increase in basal brain NOS activity and/or changes in the ECB system. Thus, we investigated the expression and extinction of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) of iNOS knockout (KO) mice and possible involvement of ECBs in these responses. Methods: We evaluated the effects of a preferential nNOS inhibitor, 7-nitroindazol (7-NI), NOS activity and mRNA changes of nitrergic and ECB systems components in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and hippocampus (HIP) of wild-type (WT) and KO mice. The effects of URB597, an inhibitor of the FAAH enzyme, which metabolize the ECB anandamide, WIN55,212-2, a non-selective cannabinoid agonist, and AM281, a selective CB1 antagonist, on CFC were also evaluated. Results: CFC exp...
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Research Interests: Animal Behavior, Drug interactions, Cannabinoids, Mice, Animals, and 16 moreMale, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Drug Screening, Central Nervous System, Animal Model, Synaptic Transmission, Mbt, Endocannabinoids, Pyrazoles, Drug Targeting, Carbamates, CB 1 receptor, Benzamides, Piperidines, Calcium Channel Blockers, and Motor activity
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Research Interests: Locomotion, Anxiety, Animals, Male, Animal Model, and 5 moreRats, Periaqueductal Gray, Wistar Rats, ANXIETY, and Maze Learning
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Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa that has been shown to have an anxiolytic effect in human and animal models. Earlier studies suggest that these effects involve facilitation of serotonin, a... more
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major non-psychotomimetic component of Cannabis sativa that has been shown to have an anxiolytic effect in human and animal models. Earlier studies suggest that these effects involve facilitation of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has also been related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. On the basis of this evidence, this study investigated the effects of CBD in C57BL/6J mice submitted to the marble-burying test (MBT), an animal model proposed to reflect compulsive behaviour. CBD (15, 30 and 60 mg/kg) induced a significant decrease in the number of buried marbles compared with controls (34, 41 and 48%, respectively). A similar, although larger, decrease was also found after the serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor paroxetine (10 mg/kg, 77% decrease) and the benzodiazepine diazepam (2.5 mg/kg, 84% decrease). The effect of CBD (30 mg/kg) was still significant after 7 days of daily repeated administration, whereas the effect of diazepam disappeared. Pretreatment with WAY100635 (3 mg/kg), a 5HT1A receptor antagonist, prevented the effects of paroxetine but failed to alter those of CBD. These latter effects, however, were prevented by pretreatment with the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 mg/kg). These results indicated that CBD and paroxetine decrease the number of buried marbles in the MBT through distinct pharmacological mechanisms. They also suggest a potential role of drugs acting on the cannabinoid system in modulating compulsive behaviour.
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The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a limbic structure that has a direct influence on the autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to stress. It was recently reported that reversible inactivation of synaptic... more
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a limbic structure that has a direct influence on the autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to stress. It was recently reported that reversible inactivation of synaptic transmission within this structure causes antidepressant-like effects, indicating that activation of the BNST during stressful situations would facilitate the development of behavioral changes related to the neurobiology of depression. Moreover, noradrenergic neurotransmission is abundant in the BNST and has an important role in the regulation of emotional processes related to the stress response. Thus, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that activation of adrenoceptors within the BNST facilitates the development of behavioral consequences of stress. To investigate this hypothesis, male Wistar rats were stressed (forced swimming, 15 min) and 24 h later received intra-BNST injections of vehicle, WB4101, RX821002, CGP20712, or ICI118,551, which are selective α(1), α(2), β(1), and β(2) adrenoceptor antagonists, respectively, 10 min before a 5-min forced swimming test. It was observed that administration of WB4101 (10 and 15 nmol), CGP20712 (5 and 10 nmol), or ICI118,551 (5 nmol) into the BNST reduced the immobility time of rats subjected to forced swimming test, indicating an antidepressant-like effect. These findings suggest that activation of α(1), β(1), and β(2) adrenoceptors in the BNST could be involved in the development of the behavioral consequences of stress.