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Estradiol Modulation Of The Renin-Angiotensin System And The Regulation Of Fear Extinction, Jenna N Parrish, Megan L Bertholomey, Hong W Pang, Robert Charles Speth, Mary M Torregrossa

Faculty Articles

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more prevalent in women than men, yet much remains to be determined regarding the mechanism underlying this sex difference. Clinical and preclinical studies have shown that low estradiol levels during extinction of fear conditioning in rodents (i.e., cue exposure therapy in humans) leads to poor extinction consolidation and increased fear during extinction recall. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is also associated with stress-related pathologies, and RAS antagonists can enhance extinction consolidation in males. However, less is known about how estradiol and the RAS converge to alter fear extinction consolidation in females. Since estradiol downregulates the RAS, …

Renin-Angiotensin System Gene Expression And Neurodegenerative Diseases., Benjamin Goldstein, Robert Charles Speth, Malav Suchin Trivedi

Faculty Articles

HYPOTHESIS: Single nucleotide polymorphisms and altered gene expression of components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Drugs that interact with the RAS have been shown to affect the course of neurodegenerative disease, suggesting that abnormalities in the RAS may contribute to neurodegenerative disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies and gene expression data for 14 RAS-related proteins was carried out for five neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, narcolepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.

RESULTS: No single nucleotide polymorphisms in any of the 14 RAS-related protein genes were significantly associated with …

Acute Repeated Intracerebroventricular Injections Of Angiotensin Ii Reduce Agonist And Antagonist Radioligand Binding In The Paraventricular Nucleus Of The Hypothalamus And Median Preoptic Nucleus In The Rat Brain, Robert C. Speth, Peter J. Vento, Eduardo J. Carrera, Luz Gonzalez-Reily, Andrea Linares, Kira Santos, Jamala D. Swindle, Derek Daniels

HPD Articles

Angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulates water and saline intakes when injected into the brain of rats. This arises from activation of the AT1 Ang II receptor subtype. Acute repeated injections, however, decrease the water intake response to Ang II without affecting saline intake. Previous studies provide evidence that Ang II-induced water intake is mediated via the classical G protein coupling pathway, whereas the saline intake caused by Ang II is mediated by an ERK 1/2 MAP kinase signaling pathway. Accordingly, the different behavioral response to repeated injections of Ang II may reflect a selective effect on G protein coupling. To …

Role Of Erk1, 2, And 5 In Dopamine Neuron Survival During Aging, Mayur S. Parmar, Juliann D. Jaumotte, Stephanie L. Wyrostek, Michael J. Zigmond, Jane E. Cavanaugh

HPD Articles

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) 1, 2, and 5 have been shown to play distinct roles in proliferation, differentiation, and neuronal viability. In this study, we examined ERK1, 2, and 5 expression and activation in the substantia nigra (SN), striatum (STR), and ventral tegmental area (VTA) during aging. An age-related decrease in phosphorylated ERK5 was observed in the SN and STR, whereas an increase in total ERK1 was observed in all 3 regions. In primary cultures of the SN and VTA, inhibition of ERK5 but not ERK1 and 2 decreased dopamine neuronal viability significantly. These data suggest that ERK5 is essential …