A5024325004- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Birth, Development, and Health
- stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
- Infant Health and Development
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Extracellular vesicles in disease
- Infant Development and Preterm Care
- Skin Protection and Aging
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
University of Minho
2016-2025
Clinical Academic Center of Braga
2023
Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
2004
Robert Bosch Stiftung
2004
BioZyme (United States)
2004
Boston University
2004
Utility Development (United States)
2004
Deficits in decoding rewarding (and aversive) signals are present several neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and addiction, emphasising the importance of studying underlying neural circuits detail. One key regions reward circuit is nucleus accumbens (NAc). The classical view on field postulates that NAc dopamine receptor D1-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) convey signals, while D2-expressing MSNs (D2-MSNs) encode aversion. Here, we show both MSN subpopulations can drive...
Since the first measurements of neuronal avalanches, critical brain hypothesis has gained traction. However, if is critical, what phase transition? For several decades, it been known that cerebral cortex operates in a diversity regimes, ranging from highly synchronous states (with higher spiking variability) to desynchronized lower variability). Here, using both new and publicly available data, we test independent signatures criticality show transition occurs an intermediate value...
Abstract Striatal dopamine receptor D1-expressing neurons have been classically associated with positive reinforcement and reward, whereas D2 are negative aversion. Here we demonstrate that the pattern of activation D1 in nucleus accumbens (NAc) predicts motivational drive, optogenetic either neuronal population enhances motivation mice. Using a different approach rats, further show activating NAc increases cue-induced drive control animals model presents anhedonia deficits; conversely,...
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we tracked NAc shell D1- D2-medium spiny neurons' (MSNs) activity during exposure to of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift individual coding, both D2-population was sufficient discriminate unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably, D2-MSNs...
Abstract Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that characterized by motor symptoms as result of dopaminergic degeneration, particularly in the mesostriatal pathway. However, recent years, greater number clinical studies have focused on emergence non-motor PD patients, consequence damage mesolimbic and mesocortical networks, their significant impact quality life patients. Herein, we performed thorough behavioral analysis including motor, emotional...
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a central role in reinforcement and motivation. Around 95% of the NAc neurons are medium spiny (MSNs), divided into those expressing dopamine receptor D1 (D1R) or D2 (D2R). Optogenetic activation D2-MSNs increased motivation, whereas inhibition these produced opposite effect. Yet, it is still unclear how affects other local neurons/interneurons input terminals this contributes for motivation enhancement. To answer question, work we combined optogenetic...
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key region in motivated behaviors. NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are divided into those expressing dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Classically, D1- and D2-MSNs have been described as having opposing roles reinforcement, but recent evidence suggests more complex role for D2-MSNs. Here, we show that optogenetic modulation of D2-MSN to ventral pallidum (VP) projections during different stages behavior has contrasting effects motivation. Activation D2-MSN-VP...
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including small EVs (sEVs) such as exosomes, exhibit great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, representing a valuable tool precision medicine. The latter demands high-quality human biospecimens, especially in complex disorders which pathological specimen heterogeneity, well diverse individual clinical profile, often complicate development therapeutic schemes patient-tailored treatments. Thus, collection characterization physiologically...
Abstract To survive, individuals must learn to associate cues in the environment with emotionally relevant outcomes. This association is partially mediated by nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region of reward circuit that mainly composed GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), express either dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Recent studies showed both populations can drive and aversion, however, activity these during appetitive aversive Pavlovian conditioning remains be determined. Here, we...
Stress or high levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) during developmental periods is known to induce persistent effects in the neuroendocrine circuits that control stress response, which may underlie individuals' increased risk for developing neuropsychiatric conditions later life, such as anxiety depression. We developed a rat model (Wistar han) mild exposure unpredictable prenatal (PS), consists 4-h stressor administered three times per week on random basis; stressors include strobe lights,...
Maternal prenatal stress associates with infant developmental outcomes, but the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. Alterations in composition and function of intestinal microbiota may mediate some observed health effects, a viewpoint that is supported by animal studies along small human study showing exposure to modifies offspring's microbiota. In current study, we aim investigate associations between maternal psychological distress (PPD) hair cortisol...
Maternal prenatal cortisol levels have been inconsistently associated with self-reports of psychological distress (PD). Previous research has linked hair concentration (HCC) evaluating cumulatively the previous months cross-sectional PD measures that usually cover past week(s), which may lead to misleading conclusions on their relations. We aimed investigate how maternal HCC relates cumulative across pregnancy.Subjects (N = 595) were drawn from FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. was measured...
The laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is associated with reward considering that it modulates VTA neuronal activity, but recent anatomical evidence shows the LDT also directly projects to nucleus accumbens (NAc). We show majority of LDT-NAc inputs are cholinergic, there GABAergic and glutamatergic innervation; activation induces a predominantly excitatory response in NAc. Non-selective optogenetic projections rats enhances motivational drive shifts preference an otherwise equal reward; whereas...
Prenatal exposure to stress or glucocorticoids (GC) is associated with the appearance of psychiatric diseases later in life. Microglia, immune cells brain, are altered stress-related disorders. Synthetic GC such as dexamethasone (DEX) commonly prescribed case preterm risk labour order promote fetal lung maturation. Recently, we reported long-lasting differences microglia morphology a model utero DEX (iuDEX), that presents an anxious phenotype. However, it still unclear if differentially...
The mesopontine tegmentum, comprising the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPN) and laterodorsal (LDT), is intricately connected to various regions of basal ganglia, motor systems, limbic systems. PPN LDT can regulate activity different brain these target in this way are a privileged position modulate motivated behaviours. Despite recent findings, have been largely overlooked discussions about neural circuits associated with reward aversion. This review aims provide timely comprehensive resource...
Stress exposure has been shown to induce a variety of molecular and functional alterations associated with anxiety depression. Some studies suggest that microglia, the immune cells brain, play significant role in determining neuronal behavioral responses chronic stress also contribute development stress-related psychopathologies. However, little is known about impact duration upon microglia neurons morphology, particularly considering sex differences. This issue deserves particular...
<h3>Background:</h3> The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is a crucial brain region for emotionally relevant behaviours. NAcc mainly composed of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing either dopamine receptor D1 (D1-MSNs) or D2 (D2-MSNs). D1-MSNs project to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and pallidum (VP), whereas D2-MSNs only VP. D1- have been associated with depression-like behaviours, but their contribution anxiety remains be determined. <h3>Methods:</h3> We used optogenetic tools selectively...
Maternal prenatal distress can participate in the programming of offspring development, which exposure to altered maternal long-term cortisol levels as measured by hair concentrations (HCC) may contribute. Yet, studies investigating whether and how HCC associates with problems child socioemotional development are scarce. Furthermore, questions remain regarding timing potential sex-specificity fetal there interactions distress, such depressive symptoms. The subjects were drawn from those...
Abstract The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging, we tracked NAc shell D1- D2-medium spiny neurons’ (MSNs) activity during exposure to of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift in individual coding, both D2-population was sufficient discriminate unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably,...
Stress perception, response, adaptation and coping strategies are individually distinct, the sequel of stress and/or glucocorticoids is also distinct between subjects. In last years, it has become clear that early life a powerful modulator neuroendocrine stress-responsive circuits, programming intrinsic susceptibility to stress, potentiating appearance stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety addiction. Herein we were interested in understanding how experiences reset normal...
Exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) during neurodevelopment has been identified as a triggering factor for the development reward-associated disorders in adulthood. Disturbances neural networks responsible complex processes that assign value rewards and associated stimuli are critical such depression, obsessive–compulsive disorders, obesity addiction. Essential understanding on how cues influence behavior is Pavlovian–instrumental transfer (PIT), phenomenon refers capacity...