Topic: apomorphine

In an uncertain world, we balance two goals: exploiting rewarding options when they are available, and exploring potentially better alternatives. One neuromodulatory system that has been implicated in mediating the transition between exploration and exploitation is the catecholamine system, in particular, norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA). Although both molecules have been implicated in decision making, their contributions have not been directly compared. When each neuromodulatory system is examined in isolation, they have been assigned similar roles in the latent cognitive processes that

The prolonged use of dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with the onset of non-motor complications, including iatrogenic psychiatric-like disturbances. However, the preclinical investigation of the latter is limited, due to the lack of reliable animal models. In this regard, we developed a new model consisting in the evaluation of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), a behavioral marker of positive affect, in rats unilaterally lesioned with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the medial forebrain bundle and treated with either apomorphine or L-DOPA, two dr

The freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is resistant to dopamine replacement and deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies, thus it is a clinical and scientific challenge. Modern DBS devices can record brain activity from chronically implanted electrodes, and animal models can be used to investigate motor network impairments at different biological scales. The combination of these tools posits a plethora of opportunities to identify gait-related biomarkers to improve gait therapy using closed-loop DBS in patients. Towards this goal, my PhD project a