Clinical evidence suggests that nicotine reduces anxiety in stressful situations. In the present study, we investigated the effect of nicotine on restraint-enhanced anxiety-like behavior, c-Fos expression, an index of neuronal activation in the brain, and plasma corticosterone. Two-hour restraint stress-enhanced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and nicotine hydrogen tartrat...

The distribution of vasopressin (AVP)-containing or oxytocin (OXT)-containing neurons in the rat hypothalamus which project to the posterior pituitary was revealed by the combination of retrograde tracing of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and immunohistochemistry. The majority of magnocellular neurons labeled with HRP were located in some of the hypothalamic nuclei, including the supraoptic nucle...

Galanin-like peptide (GALP) is a novel galanin-like peptide isolated from the porcine hypothalamus. To determine the distribution of GALP in the rat brain, we performed immunohistochemical studies using a monoclonal antibody toward the N-terminal sequence of GALP. GALP-immunoreactive neuronal cell bodies were observed only in the arcuate nucleus (Arc), which was further confirmed by in situ hyb...

Sensory inputs stimulated by Zusanli (ST36) acupuncture in the abdomen are known to converge in the upper cervical cord. However, it is unclear whether these inputs are subsequently conveyed to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and what kind of afferent fibers are involved. We focused on the upper cervical cord, where afferent inputs converge, and detected c-fos expression in oxytocinerg...

Neurohumoral activation, a hallmark in heart failure (HF), is linked to the progression and mortality of HF patients. Thus, elucidating its precise underlying mechanisms is of critical importance. Other than its classic peripheral vasodilatory actions, the gas NO is a pivotal neurotransmitter in the central nervous system control of the circulation. While accumulating evidence supports a contri...

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus is the predominant circadian clock in mammals. To function as a pacemaker, the intrinsic timing signal from the SCN must be transmitted to different brain regions. Prokineticin 2 (PK2) is one of the candidate output molecules from the SCN. In this study, we investigated the efferent projections of PK2-expressing neurons in the SCN through a ...

Leptin has profound effects on feeding, metabolism, and neuroendocrine status. Evidence indicates that the hypothalamus coordinates these responses, though the specific brain pathways engaged by leptin remain obscure. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) regulates pituitary gland function and feeding, and innervates autonomic preganglionic neurons, making it a candidate to regu...

Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) which express a member from the OR37 subfamily of odorant receptor (OR) genes are wired to the main olfactory bulb (MOB) in a unique monoglomerular fashion; from these glomeruli an untypical connectivity into higher brain centers exists. In the present study we have investigated by DiI and transsynaptic tracing approaches how the connection pattern from these gl...