Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and habituation of acoustic startle reflex have been extensively used to assess deficits in the sensorimotor functions human patients animal models schizophrenia. These assays require expensive sophisticated experimental setup for fine control stimuli sound attenuation. In this study, we investigate whether assay based on mechanical (tap) can induce similar impairment ...

In the developing mammalian brain, inhibition of NMDA receptor can induce widespread neuroapoptosis, inhibit neurogenesis and cause impairment of learning and memory. Although some mechanistic insights into adverse neurological actions of these NMDA receptor antagonists exist, our understanding of the full spectrum of developmental events affected by early exposure to these chemical agents in t...

Progressive tactile hypersensitivity (PTH) manifesting after sciatic nerve crush and spared nerve injury (SNI) are two distinct rodent experimental models of neuropathic pain. PTH develops months after recovery from the nerve crush in response to repeated intermittent low-threshold mechanical stimulation of the reinnervated sciatic nerve skin territory and represents a model of stimulus-induced...

Although the epileptogenic properties of estrogens have been widely demonstrated in several models and species, the mechanism(s) by which estrogens can acutely change seizure parameters including after discharge and seizure durationremains to be determined. In the present study, we examined the role of NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate), non-NMDA andestrogen receptors in estradiol benzoate(EB) effects...

The exposure to aversive experiences during early life influences brain development and leads to altered behavior. Moreover, the combination of these experiences with subtle alterations in neurodevelopment may contribute to the emergence of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Recent hypotheses suggest that imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) neurotransmission, especiall...

Many neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, have been associated with olfactory dysfunction and abnormalities in the prepulse inhibition (PPI) response to a startle reflex. However, whether these two abnormalities could be related is unclear. The present investigations were designed to determine whether theblockage of olfactory sensory input by zinc sulfate infusion in the olfactory...

Although accumulating evidence indicates that cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation mediates not only synaptic plasticity but also survival of certain neurons, it remains uncertain whether CREB phosphorylation induced after metabolic insult leads to CRE-mediated gene transcription and is involved in cell survival or not. In the present study, we clarified that (1) CREB ph...

the protective effect of a l-type calcium channel blocker, nimodipine, on cell injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (ogd) in pc12 cells was investigated. pc12 cells were exposed to in-vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation (30 minutes and 60 minutes respectively) in the presence or absence of nimodipine (10mm/l) in three different time schedules (pre-24h, pre-3h and concurrently). cellular vi...