INTRODUCTION Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) which is highly expressed in the hippocampus is known to play a pivotal role in reward-related memories and morphine dependence. METHODS In the present study, repeated morphine injections once daily for 7 days was done to induce morphine tolerance in male Wistar rats, after which gene expression profile of α-isoform of CaMKI...

Brain stimulation is an alternative treatment for epilepsy. However, the neuronal circuits underlying its mechanisms remain obscure. We found that optogenetic activation (1Hz) of entorhinal calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II α (CaMKIIα)-positive neurons, but not GABAergic neurons, retarded hippocampal epileptogenesis and reduced hippocampal seizure severity, similar to that of entor...

Dysbindin is a schizophrenia susceptibility gene required for the development of dendritic spines. The expression of dysbindin proteins is decreased in the brains of schizophrenia patients, and neurons in mice carrying a deletion in the dysbindin gene have fewer dendritic spines. Hence, dysbindin might contribute to the spine pathology of schizophrenia, which manifests as a decrease in the numb...

BACKGROUND Our previous research indicated that apoptosis induced atrophy in the hippocampus of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rats. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis has been implicated in the development of several disorder diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether endoplasmic reticulum-related pathway is involved in single-prolonged stress (SPS) indu...

Stimulation of 5-HT3 receptors (5-HT3Rs) by 2-methylserotonin (2-Me-5-HT), a selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist, can induce vomiting. However, downstream signaling pathways for the induced emesis remain unknown. The 5-HT3R channel has high permeability to extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) and upon stimulation allows increased Ca(2+) influx. We examined the contribution of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent...

The metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) is a Gα(q)-protein-coupled receptor and is distributed in broad regions of the mammalian brain. As a key element in excitatory synaptic transmission, the receptor regulates a wide range of cellular and synaptic activities. In addition to regulating its targets, the receptor itself is believed to be actively regulated by intracellular signals, altho...

Introduction: Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is highly expressed in the hippocampus, which has a pivotal role in reward-related memories and morphine dependence. Methods: In the present study, morphine tolerance was induced in male Wistar rats by 7 days repeated morphine injections once daily, and then gene expression profile of α-isoform of CaMKII (CaMKIIα) in the hipp...

introduction: calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase ii (camkii) is highly expressed in the hippocampus, which has a pivotal role in reward-related memories and morphine dependence. methods: in the present study, morphine tolerance was induced in male wistar rats by 7 days repeated morphine injections once daily, and then gene expression profile of α-isoform of camkii (camkiiα) in the hipp...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of immunity, including the lymphocyte development and differentiation, and inflammatory cytokine production. Dendritic cells (DCs) play important roles in linking innate and adaptive immune responses. However, few miRNAs have been found to regulate the innate response and APC function of DCs to date. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I...

Reelin, an extracellular matrix protein, is secreted by Cajal-Retzius cells and plays crucial roles in the development of brain structures neuronal functions. Reductions Reelin cause dysfunctions associated with mental disorders, such as schizophrenia. A recent genome-wide copy number variation analysis Japanese schizophrenia patients identified a novel deletion RELN encoding Reelin. To clarify...