We investigated the effects of D-AP7 [D-(-)-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid], a specific, potent antagonist of NMDA receptor on certain forms of behavior in control groups of rats and in rats submitted to hypoxia. D-AP7 given intracerebroventrically (icv) at a dose of 5 nmol was tested in the open field test, passive avoidance test and in elevated plus maze test. D-AP7 did not significantly c...

The present work investigated whether the number of rats housed in a cage affects exploration of an elevated plus-maze. Male Wistar-derived rats were kept 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, or 24 to same size cages either for 1 or 14 days and tested in the elevated plus-maze. Rats kept 6 to a cage were arbitrarily considered controls because this is the housing condition adopted in many laboratories, ou...

BACKGROUND Preclinical evidence suggests that commonly used anesthetic agents induce long-lasting neurobehavioral changes when administered early in life, but there has been virtually no attention to the neurodevelopmental consequences for the fetus of maternal anesthesia. This study tested the hypothesis that fetal rats exposed to isoflurane during maternal anesthesia on gestational day 14, wh...

Daucus carota Linn. commonly known as “carrot" belongs to the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) and is cultivated almost all over the world as a useful vegetable. Carrot is widely consumed as an aphrodisiac and nervine tonic and its scraped root is used as a local stimulant for indolent ulcers. In light of the above, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of D. carota seeds on...

AIM: Prolonged exposure to stress mainly affects the cognitive functions of the brain by inducing neuronal damage mediated through oxidative stress. Acorus calamus (AC) has long been used in Indian folk medicine for various central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. Hence the present study investigates the effect AC on learning and memory in rats. MATErIAL and METHods: Adult Wistar male rats w...

The chronic unpredictable mild stress model of depression has been widely used as an experimental tool to investigate human psychopathology. Our objective was to provide an update on the validity and reliability of the chronic unpredictable mild stress model, by analyzing the interrelationships among the indexes using stepwise discriminant analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient to examine...

Stress results in alterations in behavior and physiology that can be either adaptive or maladaptive. To define the molecular pathways involved in the response to stress further, we generated mice deficient (KO) in the calcium-stimulated adenylyl cyclase type VIII (AC8) by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. AC8 KO mice demonstrate a compromise in calcium-stimulated AC activity in ...

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...