BACKGROUND Modafinil is a wake-promoting agent that provides wide ranges of neurological effects. There is evidence that it can produce antidepressant effects. This study investigated the antidepressant effect of modafinil in the tail suspension (TST) in mice. METHODS Different doses of modafinil was intraperitoneally (ip) administrated and then animals were subjected to TST and/or open field...

Background: Ghrelin is the most common orexigenic hormone which acts as starvation signal by acting on hypothalamic neurons. It acts as adipogenic agent. Increased food intake caused by high levels of ghrelin causes increase fat mass. We investigated the possible beneficial role of ghrelin antagonist on food and water intake in obese and type 2 diabetic mice. Methods: This study was carried out...

Unitary extracellular recordings were made in in vitro rat brain slices to explore the effects of serotoninergic analogues on the spontaneous activity of substantia nigra reticulata (SNr) neurons. Most SNr neurons exhibited regular spontaneous firing (23.4 +/- 8.9 Hz, mean +/- S.E.M., n = 30) similar to that found in vivo. The most reproducible effect of serotonin (5-HT) was an increase in firi...

The synthetic retinoid 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA), prescribed for the treatment of severe nodular acne, has been linked to an increased incidence of depression. Chronic treatment studies in rodents have shown that 13-cis-RA induces an increase in depression-related behaviours and a functional uncoupling of the hippocampus and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Changes in the number of serotonine...

RATIONALE Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs) have been implicated in the generation of arrhythmias and cardiac muscle nuclear signaling. However, in the mammalian sinoatrial node (SAN), where the heart beat originates, the expression and functional activity of IP(3)Rs have not been investigated. OBJECTIVES To determine whether SAN express IP(3)Rs and which isoforms are present. ...

The inhibition of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis is at the center of current anti-inflammatory therapies. Because cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit the formation of multiple PGs, there is currently a strong focus on characterizing the role of the different PGs in the inflammation process and development of arthritis. Evidence to date sug...

Subcutaneous administration of l-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), the precursor of serotonin, to female rats induces copious drinking accompanied by activation of the renin-angiotensin system. Neither a reduction in blood pressure nor body temperature accompanied administration of 5-HTP. The objective of the present study was to determine whether serotonin-induced dipsogenesis, like that of 5-HTP, ...

the present study was designed to explore the anti-inflammatory effect of fluvoxamine, as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (ssri) anti-depressant, on carrageenan-induced paw edema in more details. at first, fluvoxamine was administered intra-peritoneally (2.5, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg kg-1) 30 min before the subplantar injection of carrageenan. fluvoxamine was also injected intra-peritoneally...