In an effort to reduce the often extensive period of time needed to train rats to discriminate between a drugged and nondrugged state, a fast training regimen was employed with 1.5 mg/kg 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) used as the training…
Experiments were conducted to investigate the functional consequences of a neurotoxic regimen of MDMA administration upon two behaviors, conditioned place preference and drug discrimination. Rats were trained to discriminate 1.5 mg/kg MDMA from its…
A series of three experiments were conducted to investigate the possible serotonergic and dopaminergic mediation of the discriminative stimulus properties of the "designer" drug MDMA. In Experiment 1, rats trained to discriminate 1.5 mg/kg (+/-)-MDMA…
Specific behaviors comprising the serotonin syndrome (low body posture, forepaw treading, headweaving) and the autonomic signs of piloerection and salivation were determined and analyzed with locomotor activity in response to MDMA at three doses…
The effects of the recently classified Schedule I amphetamine analog, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [+/-)-MDMA) on caudate and nucleus accumbens dopamine release and metabolism were studied by in vivo voltammetry and HPLC with electrochemical…
The neurochemical heterogeneity of the rat striatum was assessed in vivo by measuring subregional changes in extracellular dopamine and DOPAC by in vivo electrochemistry and microdialysis in response to amphetamine and the D2 antagonist,…
BACKGROUND: Neuroinflammation is one of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Activation of glial cells, including microglia and astrocytes, is a characteristic of the inflammatory response. Glycoprotein…
We investigated the hypothesis that neural stem cells (NSCs) possess an intrinsic capacity to "rescue" dysfunctional neurons in the brains of aged mice. The study focused on a neuronal cell type with stereotypical projections that is commonly…
Eight male rats previously trained to discriminate 2.0 mg/kg N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDE) from its vehicle in a two-lever, food motivated task were utilized to characterize the stimulus properties of MDE. The 5-HT receptor agonists…
Studies with the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) animal model of Parkinson's disease have shown the ability of 17 beta-estradiol to protect the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. This paper reviews the signaling pathways mediating…
Mate mice were reported to display greater methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity than females. The present study evaluated the involvement of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) pathways in this…
Depletion of dopamine (DA) reduces D, receptor number, but D-3 receptor expression is also regulated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We took advantage of transgenic heterozygous BDNF mutant mice (+/-) to determine if reduced BDNF and…
KBG syndrome (OMIM 148050) is a very rare genetic disorder characterized by macrodontia, distinctive craniofacial abnormalities, short stature, intellectual disability, skeletal, and neurologic involvement. Approximately 60 patients have been…
