Topic: Rheumatoid arthritis

The K/BxN serum-induced arthritis mouse model is used as a human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) model. Previous results demonstrated that after the arthritogenic K/BxN serum injections joint edema and inflammation are pronounced for 9 days, then decrease, while hyperalgesia persists. We applied manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) after arthritogenic K/BxN or non-arthritogenic BxN serum administration on days 9 and 21, to detect pain-related brain activity reflecting the inflammatory and non-inflammatory phases of this model. MRI scans were conducted before and 24 hours after the M

Continuous treatment with drugs is an inevitable prerequisite for many disease conditions. However, the amount of adverse side effects induced by the respective drugs during therapy urges the need for developing alternative or supportive treatment strategies. Even though rarely analyzed under the perspective of associative learning, reframing continuous drug intake as a learning process may open a new path for treatment optimization. In this context, behaviorally conditioned pharmacological effects, obtained by means of associative learning, have been successfully implemented as strategies to