A5061203019- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Cholinesterase and Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Prion Diseases and Protein Misfolding
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Biochemical effects in animals
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
University of Milan
2013-2023
Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation
1988-2015
In many species, the Sox2 transcription factor is a marker of nervous system from beginning its development, and we have previously shown that expressed in embryonic neural stem cells. It also in, essential for, totipotent inner cell mass cells other multipotent lineages, ablation causes early lethality. To investigate role system, generated different mouse mutant alleles: null allele(Sox2β-geo `knock-in'), regulatory allele (Sox2ΔENH), which cell-specific enhancer deleted. precursors...
Abstract Marijuana and hashish are the illicit drugs most frequently used by human adolescents. Given continued neurodevelopment throughout adolescence, adolescents may be more vulnerable than adults to certain neural consequences of heavy marijuana use. This study aimed assess whether an experimental model adolescent chronic exposure Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), induce lasting effects on learning memory. Adolescent rats have been treated with THC or its vehicle from 35 45 postnatal days...
Drugs targeting brain kappa-opioid receptors produce profound alterations in mood. In the present study we investigated possible anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of receptor agonist salvinorin A, main active ingredient Salvia divinorum, rats mice.Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley or Albino Swiss mice. The anxiolytic-like tested by using elevated plus maze, rats. effect was estimated through forced swim (rats) tail suspension (mice) test. kappa-Opioid involvement...
We characterised the behavioural phenotype of mice heterozygous (Oxtr(+/-)) for oxytocin receptor gene (Oxtr) and compared it with that Oxtr null (Oxtr(-/-)), which display autistic-like behaviours, including impaired sociability preference social novelty, cognitive flexibility, increased aggression. Similar to Oxtr(-/-) mice, Oxtr(+/-) showed novelty but, unlike genotype, their flexibility aggression were normal. By autoradiography, found have approximately 50% fewer receptors (OXTRs) in...
Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is a that participates in the regulation synaptic vesicle exocytosis through formation soluble NSF attachment receptor complex and modulates voltage-gated calcium channels activity. The Snap25 gene has been associated with schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar lower levels SNAP-25 have described patients schizophrenia. We used heterozygous (SNAP-25+/−) mice to investigate at which extent reduction affects neuronal...
Significance In mammals, different forms of stress, including psychosocial can affect several aspects health, fostering mood and anxiety disorders in humans. However, a lack knowledge about the mechanisms underlying brain physiology stress response hinders development new therapeutic strategies. We describe role epigenetic enzyme Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1) transduction pathway that translates social into an altered transcriptional plasticity genes hippocampus. particular, we show...
Myosin IXa (Myo9a) is a motor protein that highly expressed in the brain. However, role of Myo9a neurons remains unknown. Here, we investigated function hippocampal synapses. In rat neurons, localizes to postsynaptic density (PSD) and binds alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) GluA2 subunit. Myo9a+/- mice displayed thicker PSD increased levels PSD95 surface AMPAR expression. Furthermore, synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation (LTP) cognitive...
Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is involved in different neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Consistently, SNAP-25 polymorphisms humans are associated with hyperactivity and/or low cognitive scores. We analysed five gene (rs363050, rs363039, rs363043, rs3746544 rs1051312) 46 autistic children trying to correlate them Childhood Autism Rating Scale electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities. The functional effects...
Alterations in the balance of inhibitory and excitatory synaptic transmission have been implicated pathogenesis neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) is a highly regulated, ubiquitous involved control protein translation. Here, we show that eEF2K activity negatively regulates GABAergic transmission. Indeed, loss increases by upregulating presynaptic Synapsin 2b α5-containing GABAA receptors thus interferes with excitation/inhibition balance....
Abstract Long-term memory formation (LTM) is a process accompanied by energy-demanding structural changes at synapses and increased spine density. Concomitant increases in both volume postsynaptic density (PSD) surface area have been suggested but never quantified vivo clear-cut experimental evidence. Using novel object recognition mice as learning task followed 3D electron microscopy analysis, we demonstrate that LTM induced all aforementioned synaptic changes, together with an increase the...