Topic: Open Field test

Introduction: The rational polytherapy of epilepsy during pregnancy is challenging. VPA represents an old antiepileptic with broad spectrum indications and LEV is relatively new antiepileptic used for the treatment of generalized tonic-clonic and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and adjunctive therapy for focal seizures. Combination of these two antiepileptics during pregnancy, according to the cohort study (Gašparović at al., 2020), was the most common. Aim: The aim of the present study was to assesse the behavioral performance of the mice whose mothers were treated with combination of VPA and LEV

Aims: Survivors of cerebral malaria (CM) might develop lifelong sequelae such as cognitive deficits, altered behaviour or epilepsy. Animal models are needed to understand the underlying pathophysiology and to develop preventive or ameliorating therapies. Therefore, in this study we aimed to establish a mouse model reflecting consequences of CM. Methods: To ensure survival, C57BL/6 mice infected with P. berghei ANKA (PbANKA) were closely monitored for parasitaemia and clinical signs of CM, and rescued by artesunate treatment. Following electrode implantation, repetitive EEG-video monitoring was

The open field test (OFT) is widely used to score anxiety and depression levels in rodents. In the OFT, fruit flies show wall-following behavior (WAFO) similar to rodents. However, it is questionable to which extent insects can perceive emotions such as fear or depression. To characterise the influence of emotion-like states on the OFT behavior in flies, we measured both WAFO and total walking (TOWA) in the OFT in wild-type flies paired with negative or positive stimuli, altered internal states, or pharmaceutical treatment.CantonS wildtype flies treated with negatively valenced biological stre

Trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neurodegeneration leads to molecular and behavioral changes similar to those of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) has shown promise in psychiatric and neurological disorders but remains largely unexplored in AD models. For this reason, a well-characterized animal model of TMT-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration was used to investigate, for the first time, the effects of cTBS on learning/memory and behavioral disturbances.Adult male Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups: intact control, TMT (8mg/kg, ip) and TMT trea

Environmental enrichment (EE) is a husbandry procedure known to provide enhanced somatosensory, locomotor and cognitive stimulation. It has been shown to exert significant beneficial effects on cognitive function improving rodent behavior, altering neuronal plasticity, and promoting stress resilience. Concurrently, emerging research highlights the intricate bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and central nervous system, known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Therefore, the aim of this work is to investigate, whether the beneficial effects of EE are linked to alterations in

The prenatal microbiome influences offspring health, by potentially altering postpartum maternal behavior. Identified as microbiome disruptors, prenatal stress and gestational antibiotic administration pose risks to maternal and offspring health.We conducted two studies exploring the impact of 1.Antibiotic administration and 2.Stress during gestation on postpartum maternal behavior using Wistar rats. Additionally, we examined the potential benefits of a multi-strain probiotic intervention.In the first study, a subgroup of pregnant rats received an antibiotic cocktail (ampicillin+vancomycin+neo

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a specialized protocol of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), is a non-invasive method used to study brain function in health and disease in both animal models and humans. Despite increasing interest, fundamental questions regarding the cellular and molecular effects of iTBS/rTMS on brain activity remain unanswered. It is generally recognized that c-Fos can be used as a molecular marker of neuronal activity following different types of stimuli. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of seven-day iTBS application on c

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) regulates emotional behavior and reactions and its hyperexcitability is closely related to anxiety and fear. Given that selective degeneration of local GABAergic interneurons could lead to increased anxiety-like behavior, our aim was to test the efficacy of commercially available saporin-anti-vesicular GABA transporter conjugates (SAVA) and their ability to alter the parameters of anxiety-like behavior. For this purpose, adult male Wistar rats were divided into three experimental groups treated with different SAVA doses (20, 40 and 80 ng per injection site, 6 ani

Sexual dimorphism of the developing brain raises the question that early seizures could have distinct effects in immature males and females. This study focuses on the short- and long-term effects of repeated neonatal flurothyl-induced seizures on behavioral responses in male and female rats. A total of 33 Wistar albino rats were used: 17 males (8 controls, 9 treated) and 16 females (7 controls, 9 treated). Animals were repeatedly tested at juvenile and adult ages. At postnatal day 6, the pups were separated from mothers for ~10 minutes (treated: 5 min flurothyl exposure until generalized tonic