Topic: open field

Several drugs of abuse have recently been shown clinically to have long-lasting antidepressant effects. Psilocybin and ketamine induce antidepressant effects which last for days or weeks after a single dose, yet their pharmacology is distinct. Psilocybin is a classical psychedelic which acts via 5-HT2A receptor agonism, and ketamine is a NMDA receptor antagonist with dissociative hallucinatory properties. Our goal was to increase our understanding of acute drug effects in mice. We treated wildtype mice with psilocybin (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or ketamine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and analyzed their behavior in

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterised by the gradual deterioration of executive functions and memory. Its primary pathophysiological hallmarks are amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Promising humanised knock-in AD mouse models have been developed that exhibit Aβ pathology, neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and behavioural impairment. A rigorous battery of behavioural tests and analyses was utilised to further our knowledge of Alzheimer's disease.Our study comprised young (6-months), middle-aged (12-months), and old (22-months) AppNL-G-F

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to severe traumatic event. PTSD is associated with changes in behavior and reduced neurogenesis. Available data suggests that antipsychotics or enriched environment may positively affect behavioral outcomes and increase neurogenesis in PTSD patients. Our aim was to determine whether aripiprazole, enriched environment or their combination in the PTSD animal model will positively affect behavioral outcomes and hippocampal neurogenesis. We used the single prolonged stress paradigm to induce PTSD related symptoms in animals. Animals

As high as 50% of Alzheimer’s disease patients experience “sundowning”, defined as an increase in severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including agitation, confusion, and anxiety selectively in the evening. While such symptoms influence the decision to institutionalize patients, few preclinical models for sundowning exist and its underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Here, we establish a preclinical model of sundowning by phenotyping the sleep-wake activity cycle in control (Ctrl) and APP/PS1de9 (AD) mice across different ages in male and female mice. Next, we characterized their anxiety

The ability of organism to detect and respond to novelty is critical to adaptation in a changing environment. Here we studied how brain activity changes as environmental novelty decreases. To this end, we placed mice in an open field (OF) to explore it in four daily sessions and showed a significant decrease in exploration from days 1 to 4. We then analyzed the brain activity by imaging c-Fos expression after mice explored the OF once (high novelty) or four times (low novelty) and found that the decrease in novelty was accompanied by a decrease in cortical (prefrontal, retrosplenial, and somat

As one of the main characteristics of adolescence is the increased desire for social interaction and formation of meaningful relationships, it represents a particularly vulnerable period for social stressors. Moreover, social isolation during adolescence can significantly alter brain function and increase the likelihood of anxiety disorders in early adulthood. The aim of this retrospective meta-analysis and prospective behavioural experiment was to investigate whether chronic isolation stress during adolescence causes generalised and social anxiety-like behaviour in rodents. The meta-analysis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron death, leading to motor paralysis and cognitive and behavioural disorders. In clinical trials, ALS patients are stratified by disease stage, whereas in preclinical studies, animals are recruited based solely on age, neglecting individual disease progression. Additionally, both ALS onset and progression are influenced by sex, a factor often mirrored in animal models. This mismatch might contribute to the frequent failures of translating preclinical data to clinical success, suggesting the impo