Impairment of Spatial Working Memory but Preservation of Recognition Memory in Female Rats with Spontaneous Absence Seizures.

Epidemiological studies reveal gender-specific differences in epilepsy. Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), which is more prevalent in females, is characterized by typical absence seizures (ASs) consisting of brief periods of unconsciousness, associated with 2.5-4 Hz spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in the electroencephalogram (EEG).

5-HT receptors shape whole-brain monoaminergic coherence in male mice.

The mechanism of action of serotonergic psychedelics is increasingly explored worldwide due to their clinical benefits in various psychiatric conditions. Beyond the stimulation of serotonin 2A (5-HT) receptors, psychedelics may desynchronize activity between brain regions, however the involvement of the corresponding neurotransmission systems has been largely overlooked. Given that monoaminergic systems target virtually all brain regions and play a role in exploratory behavior, we hypothesized that psychedelics disrupt the coherence of monoamine systems across brain regions during forced exploratory behavior in mice.

Cross-sectional imaging of congenital and acquired hepatic vascular abnormalities.

Cross-sectional imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and management of both congenital and acquired hepatic vascular abnormalities. Congenital vascular anomalies, such as arteriovenous malformations, portal vein and hepatic vein anomalies, often present with nonspecific symptoms and require precise imaging for accurate assessment. Acquired hepatic vascular conditions, including cirrhosis-related vascular changes, portal hypertension, and vascular lesions, can lead to clinical complications and may necessitate timely intervention.

Dysregulation of the Cannabinoid System in Childhood Epilepsy: From Mechanisms to Therapy.

Epilepsy affects over 12 million children worldwide, with approximately 30% classified as having drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), often accompanied by neuropsychiatric comorbidities that severely impact quality of life. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) functions as a multifaceted neuromodulatory network regulating neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and immune homeostasis from early life through adolescence and into aging. In pediatric epilepsies, alterations in ECS components, particularly CB1 receptor expression and endocannabinoid levels, reveal disorder-specific vulnerabilities and therapeutic opportunities.

Different behavioral expression of adolescent male and female rats in Hole-Board evaluated through quantitative and T-pattern analysis.

Studying the behavioral differences between male and female adolescent rats is of paramount importance for gaining a deeper understanding of how sex influences critical biological processes such as stress responses or susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. The present study aimed at comparing the behavior of adolescent male and female rats (post-natal day P30) tested in the Hole-Board paradigm, with a particular emphasis on the temporal organization and anxiety-related behaviors. Our analysis revealed a peculiar lack of significant findings in quantitative measures (e.

Impact of evolocumab on plaque phenotypic changes in patients with acute coronary syndrome and elevated lipoprotein(a) levels: a HUYGENS secondary analysis.

Aims: The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin Type 9 inhibitor, evolocumab, promoted plaque stabilization on serial imaging in patients following an acute coronary syndrome. The impact of evolocumab in patients with varying lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels is unknown.

Methods And Results: Serial optical coherence tomography imaging was performed to evaluate changes in plaque composition in response to treatment with evolocumab 420 mg or placebo for 50 weeks.

Achieved levels of apolipoprotein B and plaque composition after acute coronary syndromes: Insights from HUYGENS.

Background And Aims: Addition of the PCSK9 inhibitor, evolocumab, to statin therapy promoted coronary plaque stabilization after an acute coronary syndrome. While apolipoprotein B (ApoB) has been proposed as a goal for lipid-lowering therapy in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, its association with plaque stability has not been studied.

Methods: The High-Resolution Assessment of Coronary Plaques in a Global Evolocumab Randomized Study (HUYGENS) used serial optical coherence tomography to assess coronary plaque phenotypes in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction treated with evolocumab plus statin or placebo plus statin for 52 weeks.

Optical coherence tomography assessment of the impact of colchicine on non-culprit coronary plaque composition after myocardial infarction.

Aims: Low-dose colchicine reduces the risk of cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction (MI). The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of colchicine post-MI on coronary plaque morphology in non-culprit segments by optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods And Results: COCOMO-ACS was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that randomized 64 patients (median age 61.

Sex-dependent behavioral effects of chronic nicotine during adolescence evaluated in young adult rats tested in Hole-Board.

As one of the leading causes of death and serious illnesses, tobacco smoking remains a significant issue in modern societies. Many individuals smoke during adolescence, a trend that has been exacerbated by the prevalence of vaping among young people. In this context, studying the behavioral effects induced by nicotine administration in male and female rats, during the adolescent period, assumes great importance because it can help to better understand the dynamics underlying tobacco use in the two sexes.

The hole-board apparatus in the study of anxiety.

Anxiety disorders pose a significant challenge in contemporary society, and their impact in terms of social and economic burden is overwhelming. Behavioral research conducted on animal subjects is crucial for comprehending these disorders and, from a translational standpoint, for introducing innovative therapeutic approaches. In this context, the Hole-Board apparatus has emerged as a widely utilized test for studying anxiety-related behaviors in rodents.

A quantitative and T-pattern analysis of anxiety-like behavior in male GAERS, NEC, and Wistar rats bred under the same conditions, against a commercially available Wistar control group in the hole board and elevated plus maze tests.

Aim: The Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are an inbred polygenic model of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), which, as their non-epileptic control (NEC) rats, are derived from Wistar rats. While the validity of GAERS in reproducing absence seizures is well established, its use as a model for CAE psychiatric comorbidities has been subject to conflicting findings. Differences in colonies, experimental procedures, and the use of diverse controls from different breeders may account for these disparities.

Cognitive comorbidities of experimental absence seizures are independent of anxiety.

Typical absence seizures (ASs) are brief periods of lack of consciousness, associated with 2.5-4 Hz spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in the EEG, which are highly prevalent in children and teenagers. The majority of probands in these young epileptic cohorts show neuropsychological comorbidities, including cognitive, memory and mood impairments, even after the seizures are pharmacologically controlled.

Coronaridine congeners induce sedative and anxiolytic-like activity in naïve and stressed/anxious mice by allosteric mechanisms involving increased GABA receptor affinity for GABA.

The sedative and anxiolytic-like activity of two coronaridine congeners, (+)-catharanthine and (-)-18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), was studied in male and female mice. The underlying molecular mechanism was subsequently determined by fluorescence imaging and radioligand binding experiments. The loss of righting reflex and locomotor activity results showed that both (+)-catharanthine and (-)-18-MC induce sedative effects at doses of 63 and 72 mg/kg in a sex-independent manner.

Alcohol and cannabinoid binges and daily exposure to nicotine in adolescent/young adult rats induce sex-dependent long-term appetitive instrumental learning impairment.

Adolescence is a critical developmental period, concerning anatomical, neurochemical and behavioral changes. Moreover, adolescents are more sensitive to the long-term deleterious effects of drug abuse. Binge-like consumption of alcohol and marijuana, along with tobacco smoking, is a dangerous pattern often observed in adolescents during weekends.

Impact of lipid lowering on coronary atherosclerosis moving from the lumen to the artery wall.

Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that increasingly intensive lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduces the rate of cardiovascular events in the primary and secondary prevention setting. Integration of serial coronary imaging within clinical trials has enabled evaluation of medical therapies on the natural history of coronary disease. These studies have extended from early investigation of coronary obstruction with angiography to more contemporary evaluation of plaque burden and composition with imaging modalities that directly visualize the artery wall.

(+)-Catharanthine and (-)-18-methoxycoronaridine induce antidepressant-like activity in mice by differently recruiting serotonergic and norepinephrinergic neurotransmission.

The antidepressant-like activity of (+)-catharanthine and (-)-18-methoxycoronaridine [(-)-18-MC] was studied in male and female mice using forced swim (FST) and tail suspension tests (TST). The underlying molecular mechanism was assessed by electrophysiological, radioligand, and functional experiments. The FST results showed that acute administration (40 mg/kg) of (+)-catharanthine or (-)-18-MC induces similar antidepressant-like activity in male and female mice at 1 h and 24 h, whereas the TST results showed a lower effect for (-)-18-MC at 24 h.

Structural analyses in the study of behavior: From rodents to non-human primates.

The term "" indicates a set of components that, in relation to each other, shape an organic complex. Such a complex takes on essential connotations of functionally unitary entity resulting from the mutual relationships of its constituent elements. In a broader sense, we can use the word "" to define the set of relationships among the elements of an emergent system that is not determined by the mere algebraic sum of these elements, but by the interdependence relationships of these components from which the function of the entire structure itself derives.

In Vivo Study of Monoamine Oxidases Using Multisite Intracerebral Microdialysis.

The activity of monoamine oxidases (MAOs) in the brain is often associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The study of MAOs in vivo or ex vivo is generally performed using MAO inhibitors and rarely using substrates. We present a pharmacological approach using intracerebral microdialysis to study the activity of MAO in the striatum and the prefrontal cortex of rats.