Electrophysiological effects of guanosine and MK-801 in a quinolinic acid-induced seizure model

TORRES, F ; FILHO, M.S. ; ANTUNES, C. ; KALININE, E. ; ANTONIOLLI, E. ; PORTELA, Luis Valmor ; SOUZA, Diogo Onofre ; TORT, A. B. L. . Electrophysiological effects of guanosine and MK-801 in a quinolinic acid-induced seizure model. Experimental Neurology , v. 221, p. 296-306, 2010

Avaliação de efeitos toxicológicos e comportamentais de ginseng panax em ratos

Panax ginseng CA Meyer (Araliaceae) is a herbaceous plant widely used in China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries for the treatment of various diseases micro circulatory, cerebrovascular, among others, representing one of the drugs used by older man. It has over 30 biologically active ginsenosides with different pharmacological and behavioral effects and inhibitory effect on the NMDA receptor. The amino acid glycine is a co-agonist of the NMDA receptor, activating this receptor. At the cellular level, ketamine is widely known to be NMDA receptor antagonist. The aim of this study was to evaluate the general activity in the open field, and anxiety in elevated plus maze, mice treated with P. ginseng compared with the action of ketamine and glycine, to better understand the action of this herbal medicine at the NMDA receptor. We used 66 adult male rats were divided into six groups: a positive control, treated for 30 days with water by gavage, who received glycine (500mg/kg; po) on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 of treatment, one hour before of behavioral assessment, a negative control was treated for 30 days with water by gavage received ketamine (5mg/kg, ip) on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 of treatment, one hour prior to behavioral evaluation, three experimental groups, receiving 100, 200 or 300 mg / kg P. ginseng by gavage for 30 days and one group treated solely with white water, and is also administered 1 ml of water by gavage one hour prior to behavioral evaluation. Animal behavior in these three groups was also examined on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 of treatment. On day 30 of treatment, the animals were anesthetized with thiopental (70mg/kg) for blood collection and after euthanasia, withdrawal of various organs. There were no changes in weight and body weight gain and weight reasons in organ / body weight. However the consumption of water and food values showed a significant increase. Serum levels of AST was increased in a dose-dependently in the animals treated with doses of P. ginseng, glycine and ketamine as compared to the blank group. Unlike creatinine levels proved to be decreased in all treated groups when compared with white. However, the level of urea in these groups was reduced and no changes were observed in the ALT parameter. Histopathological examination revealed no changes in cell morphology in different tissues. There were no behavioral changes in the elevated plus maze and few changes were observed in the open field, animals treated with P. ginseng, glycine and ketamine when compared to white. These data suggest that the doses of P. ginseng employed were unable to induce general toxicity in rats treated for 30 days and also shows that the general behavior of mice treated with P. ginseng was slightly different from that observed in animals treated with ketamine and glycine. Finally, the study on the elevated plus maze showed that the extract of P. ginseng showed no anxiolytic or anxiogenic action

Efeito de três tecnicas de alongamento muscular sobre o torque e atividade eletromiográfica

PURPOSE: To examine the acute effects caused by three techniques for stretching the hamstrings muscle on the active concentric peak torque (PT), passive PT and electromyographic activity (EMG). METHODS: Sixty volunteers (mean ± SD age, 22.6 ± 3 years), height 1.64 ± 0.07m and body weight of 58 ± 8.6kg, were randomly allocated into 4 groups of 15 subjects: Control Group (CG) - 5 minutes at rest, Static Stretching Group (SG) - 2 x 30s; Hold-Relax Group (HRG) - 3 x 6s of isometric contraction of hamstrings interspersed by 10s of hamstrings stretching and agonist Hold-Relax Group (AHRG) - 3 x 6s of isometric contraction of the quadriceps interspersed by 10s of hamstrings stretching. Evaluation has been conducted preand post-intervention, which verified the active concentric PT, passive PT EMG activity of IT. The statistical inference was performed by testing intra and inter, significance level at 5%. RESULTS: After intervention, there was a reduction in passive PT on CG, accompanied by a reduction of EMG activity, and an increase in passive PT on SG and AHRG. There was no change in the active concentric PT, or change in EMG activity. CG showed an increase in angle of the PT active, while the other groups showed no change. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the shortterm stretching: 1) causes acute increase in passive torque, since the muscle does not perform sub-maximal contraction, 2) does not change in electromyographic activity and active torque, ind ependent of the technique

Análise da função dos músculos do quadril em portadores de síndrome da dor patelofemural

The Patellofemoral pain syndrome is defined as a fore or retro patellar pain and it has multifactorial etiology, where the bad patellar alignment is the most acceptable hypothesis. However proximal factors to the knee, as the debility of the muscles of the hip, have been demonstrated as a contributing factor to the appearing of that syndrome. Purpose: To evaluate if exists a relation between the hip muscles performance and the development of the SDPF. Methods: Thirty women took part in this study. They were divided in two groups; a control group (fifteen asymptomatic subjects) and an experimental group (fifteen subjects with the diagnosis of SDPF). The muscle performance was evaluated in an isokinetic dynamometer, where it was verified the peak torque (PT), PT to body weight, PT time and the agonist/antagonist relation. It was also analyzed the electromyographic activity of the middle gluteus. The data was analyzed by the not paired t test at a significance level of 5%. Results:. Didn t have significant difference to the PT of the abductor muscles (p = 0,46) and lateral rotators of the hip (p = 0,17) between groups. Also didn t have significant difference to the PT values by the body weight, to these muscle groups either (p = 0,10 e p = 0,11, respectively). Didn t have significant difference between the amplitude of the signal (p = 0,05) and the onset of medium gluteus (p = 0,25) between the groups. Conclusion: In the experimental conditions realized, the study didn t demonstrate a relation between performance the hip muscles behavior and the development of the SDPF

Treinamento muscular inspiratório para asma: revisão sistemática com metanálise

In asthmatic, the lung hyperinflation leaves the inspiratory muscle at a suboptimal position in length-tension relationship, reducing the capacity of to generate tension. The increase in transversal section area of the inspiratory muscles could reverse or delay the deterioration of inspiratory muscle function. Objective: To evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) with an external resistive device in patients with asthma. Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis was carried out. The sources researched were the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of trials, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library Issue 11 of 12, 2012), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AMED, ClinicalTrials.gov and reference lists of articles. All databases were searched from their inception up to November 2012 and there was no restriction on the language of publication. Randomised controlled trials that involved the use of an external inspiratory muscle training device versus a control (sham or no inspiratory training device) were considered for inclusion. Two reviewers independently selected articles for inclusion, evaluated risk of bias in studies and extracted data. Results: A total of five studies involving 113 asthmatic patients were included. Three clinical trials were produced by the same group. The included studies showed a significant increase in maximal inspiratory pressure (MD 13.34 cmH2O, 95% CI 4.70 to 21.98), although the confidence intervals were wide. There was no statistically significant difference between the IMT group and the control group for maximal expiratory pressure, peak expiratory flow rate, forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, sensation of dyspnea and use of beta2-agonist. There were no studies describing exacerbation events that required a course of oral and inhaled corticosteroids or emergency department visits, inspiratory muscle endurance, hospital admissions and days of work or school. Conclusions: There is no conclusive evidence in this review to support or refute inspiratory muscle training for asthma, once the evidence was limited by the small number of studies included, number of participants in them together with the risk of bias. More well conducted randomized controlled trials are needed, such trials should investigate respiratory muscle strength, exacerbation rate, lung function, symptoms, hospital admissions, use of medications and days off work or school. IMT should also be assessed in the context of more severe asthma

Diferenças funcionais das regiões hipocampais na formação da memória do tipo o quê", "quando" e "onde" em ratos

Episodic memory refers to the recollection of what, where and when a specific event occurred. Hippocampus is a key structure in this type of memory. Computational models suggest that the dentate gyrus (DG) and the CA3 hippocampal subregions are involved in pattern separation and the rapid acquisition of episodic memories, while CA1 is involved in memory consolidation. However there are few studies with animal models that access simultaneously the aspects ‗what-where-when . Recently, an object recognition episodic-like memory task in rodents was proposed. This task consists of two sample trials and a test phase. In sample trial one, the rat is exposed to four copies of an object. In sample trial two, one hour later, the rat is exposed to four copies of a different object. In the test phase, 1 h later, two copies of each of the objects previously used are presented. One copy of the object used in sample trial one is located in a different place, and therefore it is expected to be the most explored object.However, the short retention delay of the task narrows its applications. This study verifies if this task can be evoked after 24h and whether the pharmacological inactivation of the DG/CA3 and CA1 subregions could differentially impair the acquisition of the task described. Validation of the task with a longer interval (24h) was accomplished (animals showed spatiotemporal object discrimination and scopolamine (1 mg/kg, ip) injected pos-training impaired performance). Afterwards, the GABA agonist muscimol, (0,250 μg/μl; volume = 0,5 μl) or saline were injected in the hippocampal subregions fifteen minutes before training. Pre-training inactivation of the DG/CA3 subregions impaired the spatial discrimination of the objects (‗where ), while the temporal discrimination (‗when ) was preserved. Rats treated with muscimol in the CA1 subregion explored all the objects equally well, irrespective of place or presentation time. Our results corroborate the computational models that postulate a role for DG/CA3 in spatial pattern separation, and a role for CA1 in the consolidation process of different mnemonic episodes

Estudo dos efeitos comportamentais do neuropeptídeos em camundongos submetidos a modelos animais de Parkinson

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is the endogenous ligand of a G-protein coupled receptor. Preclinical studies have shown that NPSR receptor activation can promote arousal, anxiolytic-like behavioral, decrease in food intake, besides hyperlocomotion, which is a robust but not well understood phenomenon. Previous findings suggest that dopamine transmission plays a crucial role in NPS hyperactivity. Considering the close relationship between dopamine and Parkinson Disease (PD), and also that NPSR receptors are expressed on dopaminergic nuclei in the brain, the current study attempted to investigate the effects of NPS in motor deficits induced by intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of 6-OHDA and systemic administration of haloperidol. Motor deficits induced by 6-OHDA and haloperidol were evaluated on Swiss mice in the rota-rod and catalepsy test. Time on the rotating rod and time spent immobile in the elevated bar were measured respectively in each test. L-Dopa, a classic antiparkinsonian drug, and NPS were administrated in mice submitted to one of the animal models of PD related above. 6-OHDA injection evoked severe motor impairments in rota-rod test, while the cataleptic behavior of 6-OHDA injected mice was largely variable. The administration of L-Dopa (25 mg/kg) and NPS (0,1 and 1 nmol) reversed motor impairments induced by 6-OHDA in the rota-rod. Haloperidolinduced motor deficits on rota-rod and catalepsy tests which were reversed by L-Dopa (100 e 400 mg/kg), but not by NPS (0,1 and 1 nmol) administration. The association of L-Dopa 10 mg/kg and NPS 1 nmol was also unable to counteract haloperidol-induced motor deficits. To summarize, 6-OHDA-, but not haloperidol-, induced motor deficits were reversed by the central administration of NPS. These data suggest that NPS possibly facilitates dopamine release in basal ganglia, what would explain the overcome of motor performance promoted by NPS administration in animals pretreated with 6-OHDA, but not haloperidol. Finally, the presented findings point, for the first time, to the potential of NPSR agonist as an innovative treatment for PD.

Alterações na evocação de uma memória aversiva ao liongo do ciclo estral de ratas: influências da transmissão gabaérgica na amígdala

GABAergic neurotransmission has been implicated in many aspects of learning and memory, as well as mood and anxiety disorders. The amygdala has been one of the major focuses in this area, given its essential role in modulating emotionally relevant memories. However, studies with male subjects are still predominant in the field. Here we investigated the consequences for an aversive memory of enhancing or decreasing GABAergic transmission in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). Wistar female rats were trained in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task, in which they had to learn to avoid one of the enclosed arms where an aversive stimulus consisting of a bright light and a loud noise was given (day 1). Fifteen minutes before the test session (day 2) animals received 0,2 μL infusions of either saline solution, the GABAergic agonist muscimol (0,05 mg/ml), or the GABAergic antagonist bicuculine (0,025 mg/ml) bilaterally intra-BLA. On the test day, females in proestrous or estrous presented adequate retrieval and did not extinguish the task, while females in metestrous or diestrous presented impaired retrieval. In the first group, muscimol infusion impaired retrieval and bicuculline had no effect, suggesting naturally low levels of GABAergic transmission in the BLA of proestrous and estrous females. In the second group, muscimol infusion had no effect and bicuculline reversed retrieval impairment, suggesting naturally high levels of GABAergic transmission in the BLA of metestrous and diestous females. Additionally, proestrous and estrous females presented higher anxiety levels compared to metestrous and diestrous females, which could explain better performance of this group. On the other hand, BLA GABAergic system did not interfere with the innate fear response because drug infusions had no effect in anxiety. Thus, retrieval alterations caused by the GABAergic drugs were probably related specifically to memory processes