6 documents found, page 1 of 1
Remodeling of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamatergic pathways in experim...
Pereira, Ana Carla DavidThe understanding of pain mechanisms and the development of novel therapies relies mostly on our knowledge of neurotransmitter pharmacology in nociceptive processing. These neurotransmitter pathways have been extensively characterized at the peripheral nervous system, spinal cord and brainstem levels; however, our knowledge is less comprehensive regarding frontal brain regions. The beginning of the XXI century ...
The medullary dorsal reticular nucleus as a relay for descending pronociception...
Pereira, Ana Carla David; Sagalajev, Boriss; Wei, Hong; Almeida, Armando; Pertovaara, Antti; Pinto-Ribeiro, FilipaMetabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) activation in the infralimbic cortex (IL) induces pronociceptive behavior in healthy and monoarthritic rats. Here we studied whether the medullary dorsal reticular nucleus (DRt) and the spinal TRPV1 are mediating the IL/mGluR5-induced spinal pronociception and whether the facilitation of pain behavior is correlated with changes in spinal dorsal horn neuron activity. Fo...
Metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor in the infralimbic cortex contributes to desc...
Pereira, Ana Carla David; Puga, Sónia Andreia Silva; Gonçalves, S.; Amorim, Diana Alexandra Silva; Silva, Carmen L. O.; Pertovaara, A.; Almeida, ArmandoThe involvement of the prefrontal cortex in pain processing has been recently addressed. We studied the role of the infralimbic cortex (IL) and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in descending modulation of nociception in control and monoarthritic (ARTH) conditions. Nociception was assessed using heat-induced paw withdrawal while drugs were microinjected in the IL of rats. Local anesthesia of the...
Pronociception from the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus is mediated by ...
Ribeiro, Filipa Pinto; Amorim, Diana; Pereira, Ana Carla David; Monteiro, Ana Maria; Costa, Patrício Soares; Pertovaara, Antti; Almeida, ArmandoThe dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) has been proposed to participate in stress-induced hyperalgesia through facilitation of pronociceptive cells in the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM). We hypothesized that the DMH participates in hyperalgesia induced by arthritis. The DMH was pharmacologically manipulated while assessing heat-evoked nociceptive behavior or the discharge rates of pronociceptive RV...
Neudesin is involved in anxiety behavior: structural and neurochemical correlates
Novais, Ashley Cruz; Ferreira, Ana C.; Marques, Fernanda; Pêgo, José M.; Cerqueira, João; Pereira, Ana Carla David; Campos, Filipa L.; Dalla, ChristinaNeudesin (also known as neuron derived neurotrophic factor, Nenf) is a scarcely studied putative non-canonical neurotrophic factor. In order to understand its function in the brain, we performed an extensive behavioral characterization (motor, emotional, and cognitive dimensions) of neudesin-null mice. The absence of neudesin leads to an anxious-like behavior as assessed in the elevated plus maze (EPM), light/d...
The role of the medial Prefrontal Cortex in nociception : functional characteri...
Pereira, Ana Carla DavidPain is a vital defense mechanism that triggers evasive, damage controlling reactions. However, when it becomes persistent, it loses its biological value and becomes a disease. Nociceptive modulation has been extensively studied in an attempt to increase the efficacy of pain management therapies and reduce the suffering of chronic pain patients. Multiple brain areas and circuits have been studied, but in the la...