Stress increases vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, partly by affecting brain monoamine systems, such as the locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine system. During stress, LC activity is coregulated by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and endogenous opioids. This study identified neural circuitry that regulates LC activity of intruder rats during the resident-intruder model of social stres...

Introduction: 17&beta-Estradiol modulates nociception by binding to the estrogenic receptors and also by allosteric interaction with other membrane-bound receptors like glutamate and GABAA receptors. In addition to its autonomic functions, paragigantocellularis lateralis (LPGi) is involved in the pain modulation, too. The aim of the current study was to investigate the involvement of the membra...

While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used to treat anxiety and depression, they also produce profound disruptions of sexual function including delayed orgasm/ejaculation. The nucleus paragigantocellularis (nPGi), a primary source of inhibition of ejaculation in male rats, contains receptors for serotonin (5-HT). The ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) provides ...

introduction: the aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in camp and some other cellular ingredients following adenyl cyclase activation in paragigantocellularis (pgi) neurons of morphine dependent and withdrawn rats. material and methods: the 3.5 mm thick brainstem slice prepared from pgi area (-10.04 to -13.24 from bregma) of control and morphine dependent rats (n=5 in each group). wer...

Previous studies have shown that paragigantocellularis nucleus (PGI) neurons contain some neurotransmitters such as GABA, neuropeptides, monoamines, substance P, enkephalin and serotonin. It has been suggested that PGI is a main cholinergic source in the rat’s brain stem. There are few evidences on the presence and importance of cholinergic receptors on PGI neurons with regard to nociception. I...

Previous studies have shown that paragigantocellularis nucleus (PGI) neurons contain some neurotransmitters such as GABA, neuropeptides, monoamines, substance P, enkephalin and serotonin. It has been suggested that PGI is a main cholinergic source in the rat’s brain stem. There are few evidences on the presence and importance of cholinergic receptors on PGI neurons with regard to nociception. I...

  The paragigantocellularis (PGi) nucleus constitutes a large portion of the ventral pontomedullary reticular formation. Neurons within the PGi have been implicated in a variety of functions including cardiovascular regulation, respiratory control, pain and analgesia. Investigators have demonstrated that electrical stimulation and microinjection of L-glutamate into the PGi produce antinocicepti...

introduction: gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (gnih) is believed to be an inhibitor of gonadotropin releasing hormone (gnrh) secretion. the role of gnih in lactational inhibition of gonadotropin secretion is not well known therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of lactation on expression of gnih in these nuclei of lactating and non-lactating rats. methods: ten postpa...