Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Physical Function Among Older Community Dwelling Men And Women., Yichen Jin, Toshiko Tanaka, Yan Ma, Stefania Bandinelli, Luigi Ferrucci, Sameera A Talegawkar

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Age related decline in physical function is a significant concern affecting the quality of life of older individuals.

Methods

We examined the associations between baseline overall cardiovascular health (CVH), its components, and physical function in 906 men and women from the InCHIANTI cohort. Physical function was assessed using the Short Performance Physical Battery and poor physical function was defined as an Short Performance Physical Battery score less than 10. Overall CVH score, ranging from 0 to 12 in the cohort, was operationalized using adherence to ideal levels for health behaviors including smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, and …

Constitutive Activation Of Kappa Opioid Receptors At Ventral Tegmental Area Inhibitory Synapses Following Acute Stress., Abigail M Polter, Kelsey Barcomb, Rudy W Chen, Paige M Dingess, Nicholas M Graziane, Travis E Brown, Julie A Kauer

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

Stressful experiences potently activate kappa opioid receptors (κORs). κORs in the ventral tegmental area regulate multiple aspects of dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic cell function. Here we show that at GABAergic synapses on rat VTA dopamine neurons, a single exposure to a brief cold-water swim stress induces prolonged activation of κORs. This is mediated by activation of the receptor during the stressor followed by a persistent, ligand-independent constitutive activation of the κOR itself. This lasting change in function is not seen at κORs at neighboring excitatory synapses, suggesting distinct time courses and mechanisms of regulation of different subsets of κORs. We also …