Putative activity of hydroalcoholic and aqueous infusion extracts of Echium amoenum L. was investigated in mice using the rotarod model of motor coordination and the elevated plus maze model of anxiety. The extracts were administered intraperitonealy (i.p.) once, one hour before performing the tests. Preliminary phytochemical study of the plant, with standard procedures, showed that it contains...

BACKGROUND Leptin, an adipose-derived hormone, has been implicated in emotional regulation. We have previously shown that systemic administration of leptin produces anxiolytic-like effects and deletion of the leptin receptor, LepRb, in midbrain dopamine neurons leads to an anxiogenic phenotype. This study investigated whether activation or deletion of LepRb in the ventral tegmental area of adul...

Perinatal asphyxia in mammals leads to iron accumulation in the brain, which results in delayed neurobehavioural disturbances, including impaired learning and abnormal alertness over their entire life span. The aim of this investigation was to verify our hypothesis that newborn rats, showing reduced normal body temperature, are protected against neurotoxicity of the asphyxia up to senescence. A...

Anxiety and mood disorders have become very significant affections in the last decades. According to WHO at least one mental disease occurred per year in 27% of EU inhabitants (more than 82 mil. people). It is estimated that by 2020, depression will be the main cause of morbidity in the developed countries. These circumstances call for research for new prospective drugs with anxiolytic and anti...

Muscimol, a selective agonist of GABA-A receptors, causes changes in behavioral activity. Hypoxia interferes with the GABAergic system and with the functions of GABA-A receptors. We used muscimol in Wistar rats to estimate its influence on locomotor activity in the open field test as well as on the processes of consolidation and retrieval, evaluated in the test of passive conditioned reflexes. ...

Diabetes is often associated with psychological complications such as anxiety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate on anxiety of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse using the open field and the elevated plus maze tests. Confirmed diabetic mice (>16.7 mM/l of blood glucose) were treated with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate or 0.9% saline for 10 w. After...

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common causes of neuropathy. Although antioxidant and antidiabetic effects of the aqueous extract of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) (AEOP) have been demonstrated before by other researchers, we did not find any study that assessed the psychobiological effects of AEOP in diabetes induced animals. Thirty ovariectomized (OVX) female Wistar rats were randomly div...

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is suggested to play an important role in mediating fear, anxiety, and depression. The results of the studies of the actions of CRF in the mPFC regarding anxiety-related behavior, however, seem contradictory. In one study, microinjection of CRF into the mPFC produced an increase in anxiety-related behavior on the elevat...