Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Beta 2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Anxiety-Like Behavior, Shawn Anderson
Beta 2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Anxiety-Like Behavior, Shawn Anderson
Theses and Dissertations
Nicotine is a major psychoactive ingredient in tobacco that is thought to promote smoking behavior via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain. Given reports that people smoke to relieve anxiety and that anxiety precipitates relapse, the overarching goal of this dissertation research is to assess beta 2 subunit containing nAChR (beta2*nAChR) contributions to anxiety-like behavior. Nicotine’s activity at beta2*nAChRs is concentration-dependent, with high concentrations facilitating activation followed by rapid desensitization and low concentrations preferentially desensitizing beta2*nAChRs; hence, activation or inhibition of beta2*nAChRs may support smoking behavior. Rodent studies reveal that nicotine affects anxiety-like behavior dose-dependently: low doses promote anxiolysis- …
Identification And Characterization Of Ethanol Responsive Genes In Acute Ethanol Behaviors In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Joseph Alaimo
Identification And Characterization Of Ethanol Responsive Genes In Acute Ethanol Behaviors In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Joseph Alaimo
Theses and Dissertations
Alcohol abuse and dependence are complex disorders that are influenced by many genetic and environmental factors. Acute behavioral responses to ethanol have predictive value for determining an individual’s long-term susceptibility to alcohol abuse and dependence. These behavioral responses are strongly influenced by genetics. Here, we have explored the role of genetic influences on acute behavioral responses to ethanol using the nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. First, we explored the role of ethanol metabolism in acute behavior responses to ethanol. Natural variation in human ethanol metabolism machinery is one of the most reported and reproducible associations found to alter drinking behavior. Ethanol …
Effect Of Cannabinoids On Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behavior In Rats, Andrew Kwilasz
Effect Of Cannabinoids On Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behavior In Rats, Andrew Kwilasz
Theses and Dissertations
Cannabinoids produce antinociception in many preclinical models of acute and chronic pain. In contrast, cannabinoids produce inconsistent analgesia in humans, showing little or no efficacy in treating acute pain, with modest efficacy in treating chronic inflammatory pain. This discrepancy may reflect an overreliance on preclinical assays of pain-stimulated behaviors, defined as behaviors that increase in rate or intensity following delivery of a noxious stimulus. In these assays, antinociception is indicated by a reduction in pain-stimulated behaviors, and antinociception is produced either by a reduction in sensory sensitivity to the noxious stimulus (i.e. true analgesia) or by false positive motor impairment. …
Striatal Dopamine Dynamics Upon Manganese Accumulation, Madiha Khalid
Striatal Dopamine Dynamics Upon Manganese Accumulation, Madiha Khalid
Wayne State University Dissertations
STRIATAL DOPAMINE DYNAMICS UPON MANGANESE ACCUMULATION
by MADIHA KHALID
August 2013
Advisor: Dr. Tiffany Mathews
Major: Chemistry (Analytical)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Although manganese (Mn) is fundamental for many biological processes, exposure to excess amounts leads to a neurological disorder termed manganism. Due to its symptomatic similarity to Parkinson's disease, as well its preferential accumulation in dopamine rich brain regions, alterations in the dopamine system are implicated in the onset of manganism. In my research, Mn overexposure is mimicked via subcutaneous administration of manganese chloride to C57BL/6 mice over the course of seven days using a protocol that has been …