Navegando por Autor "Blunder, Martina"
Agora exibindo 1 - 2 de 2
- Resultados por página
- Opções de Ordenação
Artigo Diazepam causes sedative rather than anxiolytic effects in C57BL/6J mice(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021-04-29) Reis, Marina Pádua; Ferreira, Diana Aline Nôga Morais; Tort, Adriano Bretanha Lopes; Blunder, MartinaDiazepam has been broadly accepted as an anxiolytic drug and is often used as a positive control in behavioral experiments with mice. However, as opposed to this general assumption, the effect of diazepam on mouse behavior can be considered rather controversial from an evidence point of view. Here we revisit this issue by studying the effect of diazepam on a benchmark task in the preclinical anxiety literature: the elevated plus maze. We evaluated the minute-by-minute time-course of the diazepam effect along the 10 min of the task at three different doses (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg i.p. 30 min before the task) in female and male C57BL/6J mice. Furthermore, we contrasted the effects of diazepam with those of a selective serotoninergic reuptake inhibitor (paroxetine, 10 mg/kg i.p. 1 h before the task). Diazepam had no anxiolytic effect at any of the tested doses, and, at the highest dose, it impaired locomotor activity, likely due to sedation. Noteworthy, our results held true when examining male and female mice separately, when only examining the first 5 min of the task, and when animals were subjected to one hour of restrain-induced stress prior to diazepam treatment. In contrast, paroxetine significantly reduced anxiety-like behavior without inducing sedative effects. Our results therefore suggest that preclinical studies for screening new anxiolytic drugs should be cautious with diazepam use as a potential positive controlArtigo Hippocampal Cb2 receptors: an untold story(2021-10-29) Visvanathar, Robin; Papanikolaou, Maria; Nôga, Diana Aline; Reis, Marina Pádua; Tort, Adriano Bretanha Lopes; Blunder, MartinaThe field of cannabinoid research has been receiving ever-growing interest. Ongoing debates worldwide about the legislation of medical cannabis further motivates research into cannabinoid function within the central nervous system (CNS). To date, two wellcharacterized cannabinoid receptors exist. While most research has investigated Cb1 receptors (Cb1Rs), Cb2 receptors (Cb2Rs) in the brain have started to attract considerable interest in recent years. With indisputable evidence showing the wide-distribution of Cb2Rs in the brain of different species, they are no longer considered just peripheral receptors. However, in contrast to Cb1Rs, the functionality of central Cb2Rs remains largely unexplored. Here we review recent studies on hippocampal Cb2Rs. While conflicting results about their function have been reported, we have made significant progress in understanding the involvement of Cb2Rs in modulating cellular properties and network excitability. Moreover, Cb2Rs have been shown to be expressed in different subregions of the hippocampus, challenging our prior understanding of the endocannabinoid system. Although more insight into their functional roles is necessary, we propose that targeting hippocampal Cb2Rs may offer novel therapies for diseases related to memory and adult neurogenesis deficits