1,153 research outputs found

    Neurobiology of Memory and Anxiety: From Genes to Behavior

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    Interaction of anxiety and memory represents an essential feature of CNS functioning. This paper reviews experimental data coming from neurogenetics, neurochemistry, and behavioral pharmacology (as well as parallel clinical findings) reflecting different mechanisms of memory-anxiety interplay, including brain neurochemistry, circuitry, pharmacology, neuroplasticity, genes, and gene-environment interactions. It emphasizes the complexity and nonlinearity of such interplay, illustrated by a survey of anxiety and learning/memory phenotypes in various genetically modified mouse models that exhibit either synergistic or reciprocal effects of the mutation on anxiety levels and memory performance. The paper also assesses the putative role of different neurotransmitter systems and neuropeptides in the regulation of memory processes and anxiety, and discusses the role of neural plasticity in these mechanisms

    10th Jubilee Multidisciplinary International Conference of Neuroscience and Biological Psychiatry “Stress and Behavior”

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    St. Petersburg (Russia) hosted the 10th Jubilee Multidisciplinary Conference “Stress and Behavior” during May 16–20, 2007. The conference featured many foremost researchers speaking on recent developments on topics such as the role of neural plasticity, memory, learning, genetics, neuromediators, transporters, and steroids in stress research, spanning disciplines from fields ranging from neurogenetics to clinical psychiatry. The conference was attended by 700 delegates from over 40 nations

    The Importance of Cognitive Phenotypes in Experimental Modeling of Animal Anxiety and Depression

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    Cognitive dysfunctions are commonly seen in many stress-related disorders, including anxiety and depression—the world's most common neuropsychiatric illnesses. Various genetic, pharmacological, and behavioral animal models have long been used to establish animal anxiety-like and depression-like phenotypes, as well as to assess their memory, learning, and other cognitive functions. Mounting clinical and animal evidences strongly supports the notion that disturbed cognitions represent an important pathogenetic factor in anxiety and depression, and may also play a role in integrating the two disorders within a common stress-precipitated developmental pathway. This paper evaluates why and how the assessment of cognitive and emotional domains may improve our understanding of animal behaviors via different high-throughput tests and enable a better translation of animal phenotypes into human brain disorders

    Time to (finally) acknowledge that fish have emotionality and pain

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    The increasing work using fish as a model organism calls for a better understanding of their sentience. While growing evidence suggests that pain and emotionality exist in zebrafish, many deniers continue to ignore the evidence. Here we revisit the main conceptual breakthroughs in the field that argue clearly for pain and emotionality. We call for an end to denial and a focus on studying the mechanisms of fish pain and emotionality, and their translational relevance to human conditions

    Zebrafish models for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

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    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder associated with inattentiveness, pathological hyperactivity and impulsivity. Despite the mounting human and animal evidence, the neurological pathways underlying ADHD remain poorly understood. Novel translational model organisms, such as the zebrafish (Danio rerio), are becoming important tools to investigate genetic and pathophysiological mechanisms of various neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we discuss ADHD etiology, existing animal models and their limitations, and emphasize the advantages of using zebrafish to model ADHD. Overall, the growing utility of zebrafish models may improve our understanding of ADHD and facilitate drug discovery to prevent or treat this disorder. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

    Developing translational biological psychiatry: Learning from history to build the future

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    Psychiatric disorders are among the most complex human disorders that, albeit often difficult to diagnose and treat, are widespread in modern society. Biological psychiatry studies biological functions of the central nervous system as mental disorders develop. Today’s biological psychiatry is facing multiple conceptual problems that prevent our deeper understanding of disease pathogenesis and delay the invention of new treatments. Thus, providing a historical context to this rapidly developing field may help scientists better understand the existing challenges and their potential solutions. Here, we discuss the main conceptual problems and paradigms of biological psychiatry, including the lack of reproducibility and/or valid theories, through an historical overview of its role in addressing theoretical and clinical questions. We propose a wider use of the translational approach in psychiatry to expand our analyses of psychiatric disorders to other species, and as a tool to create and further develop theories and concepts in this field.This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) Grant 16-04-00851

    Aberrant Ganglioside Functions to Underpin Dysregulated Myelination, Insulin Signalling, and Cytokine Expression: Is There a Link and a Room for Therapy?

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    Gangliosides are molecules widely present in the plasma membranes of mammalian cells, participating in a variety of processes, including protein organization, transmembrane signalling and cell adhesion. Gangliosides are abundant in the grey matter of the brain, where they are critically involved in postnatal neural development and function. The common precursor of the majority of brain gangliosides, GM3, is formed by the sialylation of lactosylceramide, and four derivatives of its a- and b-series, GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1b, constitute 95% of all the brain gangliosides. Impairments in ganglioside metabolism due to genetic abnormalities of GM-synthases are associated with severe neurological disorders. Apart from that, the latest genome-wide association and translational studies suggest a role of genes involved in brain ganglioside synthesis in less pervasive psychiatric disorders. Remarkably, the most recent animal studies showed that abnormal ganglioside functions result in dysregulated neuroinflammation, aberrant myelination and altered insulin receptor signalling. At the same time, these molecular features are well established as accompanying developmental psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This led us to hypothesize a role of deficient ganglioside function in developmental neuropsychiatric disorders and warrants further gene association clinical studies addressing this question. Here, we critically review the literature to discuss this hypothesis and focus on the recent studies on ST3GAL5-deficient mice. In addition, we elaborate on the therapeutic potential of various anti-inflammatory remedies for treatment of developmental neuropsychiatric conditions related to aberrant ganglioside functions. Keywords: insulin receptor signalling; major brain gangliosides; mice; myelination; neurodevelopmental disorders; neuroinflammatio

    Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

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    Self-grooming is a complex innate behaviour with an evolutionarily conserved sequencing pattern and is one of the most frequently performed behavioural activities in rodents. In this Review, we discuss the neurobiology of rodent self-grooming, and we highlight studies of rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders-including models of autism spectrum disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder-that have assessed self-grooming phenotypes. We suggest that rodent self-grooming may be a useful measure of repetitive behaviour in such models, and therefore of value to translational psychiatry. Assessment of rodent self-grooming may also be useful for understanding the neural circuits that are involved in complex sequential patterns of action.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant NS025529)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant HD028341)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant MH060379
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