Rossato, Janine InezSantos, Elis Brisa dos2023-12-212023-12-212024-12-14SANTOS, Elis Brisa dos. Papel do sistema Nociceptina/Orfanina FQ – receptor NOP no processamento da memória de reconhecimento de objetos. Orientadora: Janine Inez Rossato. 2023. 45 f. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação em Ciências Biológicas) – Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2023.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/56672Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) is an endogenous peptide, made of 17 amino acids, related to the opioid peptides, but having its own receptor, NOP. In its canonical pathway, the activity of the NOP receptor mediates the opening and closing of ion channels that induce the inhibition of neural activity and, because it is widely distributed in the CNS, being particularly abundant in cortical and limbic areas (hippocampus, dentate gyrus, septal areas and amygdala), it is suggested that this receptor is directly associated with complex cognitive processing. Indeed, the N/OFQ - NOP system can modulate nociceptive processing, learning, emotional states, neuroendocrine control, food intake, motor control, and reward and pleasure pathways. Previous studies have demonstrated the involvement of the NOP receptor in the formation of various memories, including aversive and spatial memories, but little is known about its role in recognition memory. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the role of the hippocampal N/OFQ - NOP system in different phases of object recognition memory processing, using rats as experimental models. As primary findings, we observed that the activation of hippocampal NOP receptors before the training session, using different doses of the endogenous ligand N/OFQ, impairs the formation of recognition memory. However, when administered immediately after training, this amnestic effect is not observed, indicating that this receptor plays a role in the formation of the mnemonic engram but not in its long-term stabilization. To ensure that this effect did not occur due to nonspecific factors, we confirmed that the different doses used in this study did not alter the exploratory and ambulatory behavior of the animals, nor did they induce anxiety-related states in the experimental animals. These findings contribute to advancing the understanding of the NOP receptor's action in the hippocampal region and pave the way for further studies involving its role in other cognitive processes.Attribution 3.0 Brazilhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/Receptor NOPN/OFQHipocampoCodificação da memóriaConsolidaçãoNOP receptorN/OFQHippocampusMemory encodingConsolidationbachelorThesisCNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::FISIOLOGIA::FISIOLOGIA GERAL::NEUROFISIOLOGIA