Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) has been widely used in traditional medicine for treatment of variousdiseases including pediatric colic. This study was designed to assess the antinociceptive effects of aqueousextract of F. vulgare on visceral pain and possible involvement of opioidergic, serotonergic, adrenergic andhistaminergic systems. The results of this study showed that aqueous extract of F. v...

Objective: Valeriana (V) wallichii DC is found among the ground flora of Himalayan regions and used as herbal medicine for CNS disorders in Indian systems medicine. In study, aimed to investigation involvement neuro-chemical-systems V. induced antidepressant effects mice.
 Methods: The activity aqueous alcoholic extracts was measured by using Forced Swim Test Tail Suspension mice, whereas ...

Serotonin (5-HT), a mono-aminergic neurotransmitter is biochemically derived from tryptophan and is mainly found in gastrointestinal tract, platelets and central nervous system of animals. Serotonin (5-HT) in coordination with hypothalamus plays an important role in the CNS control of appetite, eating behavior, and energy balance and body weight. It has a special role in control of carbohydrate...

The serotonergic pathways originating in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei (DR and MnR, respectively) are critically involved in cortical function. Serotonin (5-HT), acting on postsynaptic and presynaptic receptors, is involved in cognition, mood, impulse control and motor functions by (1) modulating the activity of different neuronal types, and (2) varying the release of other neurotransmitte...

BACKGROUND Tramadol is an analgesic drug, and its mechanism of action is believed to be mediated by the mu-opioid receptor. A further action of tramadol has been identified as blocking the reuptake of serotonin (5-HT). One of the most recently identified subtypes of 5-HT receptor is the 5-HT7 receptor. Thus, the authors aimed to examine the potential role of serotonergic descending bulbospinal ...

There is growing evidence linking alterations in serotonergic signaling in the prefrontal cortex to the etiology of schizophrenia. Prefrontal pyramidal neurons are richly innervated by serotonergic fibers and express high levels of serotonergic 5-HT(2)-class receptors. It is unclear, however, how activation of these receptors modulates cellular activity. To help fill this gap, whole cell voltag...

Repeated stress releases dynorphins and causes subsequent activation of κ-opioid receptors (KORs) in limbic brain regions. The serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) has previously been found to be an important site of action for the dysphoric effects of dynorphin-κ-opioid receptor system activation during stress-evoked behaviors, and KOR-induced activation of p38α mitogen-activated protein ki...

BACKGROUND Serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening syndrome that is precipitated by the use of serotonergic drugs and overactivation of both the peripheral and central postsynaptic 5HT-1A and, most notably, 5HT-2A receptors. This syndrome consists of a combination of mental status changes, neuromuscular hyperactivity, and autonomic hyperactivity. Serotonin syndrome can occur via th...

Pain is fundamentally unpleasant and induces a negative affective state. The affective component of pain is mediated by circuits that are distinct from those mediating the sensory-discriminative component. Here, we have investigated the role of prostaglandins in the affective dimension of pain using a rodent pain assay based on conditioned place aversion to formalin injection, an inflammatory n...