44 documents found, page 1 of 5
Impairment of spatial working memory but preservation of recognition memory in ...
Neuparth-Sottomayor, Mariana; Morais, Tatiana P.; Good, Mark; Sebastião, Ana M; Di Giovanni, Giuseppe; Crunelli, Vincenzo; Vaz, Sandra H.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). Children with CAE often present neuropsychological comorbidities, including deficits...
The IP3R2 knockout mice in behavior: a blessing or a curse?
Gonçalves-Ribeiro, Joana; Vaz, Sandra H.The inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor type 2 (IP3R2) plays a critical role in intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling, particularly in astrocytes, where it mediates Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum. This mechanism is vital for astrocytic modulation of neuronal networks, impacting synaptic transmission and broader neural circuit functions. The IP3R2 knockout (IP3R2KO) mouse model has been instrument...
A small TAT-TrkB peptide prevents BDNF receptor cleavage and restores synaptic ...
Fonseca-Gomes, João; Costa-Coelho, Tiago; Ferreira-Manso, Mafalda; Inteiro-Oliveira, Sara; Vaz, Sandra H.; Alemãn-Serrano, NunoIn Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid β (Aβ)-triggered cleavage of TrkB-FL impairs brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling, thereby compromising neuronal survival, differentiation, and synaptic transmission and plasticity. Using cerebrospinal fluid and postmortem human brain samples, we show that TrkB-FL cleavage occurs from the early stages of the disease and increases as a function of pathology seve...
Neuroprotective effects of platinum nanoparticle-based microreactors in bicucul...
Oliveira, Roberto N.; Carvalhinho-Lopes, Patrícia S.; Carvalho, Carolina P. F.; Hirata, Rafael Y. S.; Vaz, Sandra H.; Sebastião, Ana MEpilepsy designates a group of chronic brain disorders, characterized by the recurrence of hypersynchronous, repetitive activity, of neuronal clusters. Epileptic seizures are the hallmark of epilepsy. The primary goal of epilepsy treatment is to eliminate seizures with minimal side effects. Nevertheless, approximately 30% of patients do not respond to the available drugs. An imbalance between excitatory/inhibit...
Adenosine receptors are the on‐and‐off switch of astrocytic cannabinoid type 1 ...
Gonçalves-Ribeiro, Joana; Savchak, Oksana K.; Pinto, Sara; Gomes, Joana I.; Rivas‐Santisteban, Rafael; Lillo, Alejandro; Sánchez Romero, JavierThe medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in cognitive functions such as working memory. Astrocytic cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) induces cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) concentration changes with an impact on neuronal function. mPFC astrocytes also express adenosine A1 and A2A receptors (A1R, A2AR), being unknown the crosstalk between CB1R and adenosine receptors in these cells. We show here that a further...
Cannabinoid type 2 receptor inhibition enhances the antidepressant and proneuro...
Rodrigues, Rui S.; Moreira, João B.; Mateus, Joana; Barateiro, Andreia; Paulo, Sara L; Vaz, Sandra H.; Lourenço, Diogo M.; Ribeiro, Filipa; Soares, RitaChronic stress is a major risk factor for neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) has emerged as a promising target to counteract stress-related disorders given the ability of newborn neurons to facilitate endogenous plasticity. Recent data sheds light on the interaction between cannabinoids and neurotrophic factors underlying the regulation of AHN, with important ef...
Selective modulation of epileptic tissue by an adenosine A3 receptor‐activating...
Ghosh, Anwesha; Ribeiro Rodrigues, Leonor; Ruffolo, Gabriele; Alfano, Veronica; Domingos, Cátia; Rei, Nádia; Tosh, Dilip K.; Rombo, Diogo M.Background and purpose: Adenosine, through the A1 receptor (A1R), is an endogenous anticonvulsant. The development of adenosine receptor agonists as antiseizure medications has been hampered by their cardiac side effects. A moderately A1R-selective agonist, MRS5474, has been reported to suppress seizures without considerable cardiac action. Hypothesizing that this drug could act through other than A1R and/or th...
SIGAA: signaling automated analysis: a new tool for Ca2+ signaling quantificati...
Lopes, Rafael Faria; Gonçalves-Ribeiro, Joana; Sebastião, Ana M.; Meneses, Carlos; Vaz, Sandra H.Astrocytes are non-neural cells, restricted to the brain and spinal cord, whose functions and morphology depend on their location. Astrocyte–astrocyte and astrocyte–neuron interactions occur through cytoplasmic Ca2+ level changes that are assessed to determine cell function and response (i.e., drug testing). The evaluation of alterations in intracellular Ca2+ levels primarily relies on fluorescence imaging tech...
Unravelling a novel role for cannabidivarin in the modulation of subventricular...
Lourenço, Diogo M.; Soares, Rita; Sá Santos, Sónia; Mateus, Joana; Rodrigues, Rui S.; Moreira, João B.; Vaz, Sandra H.; Sebastião, Ana M; Solá, SusanaPostnatal neurogenesis has been shown to rely on the endocannabinoid system. Here we aimed at unravelling the role of Cannabidivarin (CBDV), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, with high affinity for the non-classical cannabinoid receptor TRPV1, on subventricular zone (SVZ) postnatal neurogenesis. Using the neurosphere assay, SVZ-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) were incubated with CBDV and/or 5'-Iodore...
Astrocytes control hippocampal synaptic plasticity through the vesicular-depend...
Abreu, Daniela Sofia; Gomes, Joana I.; Ribeiro, Filipa; Diógenes, Maria José; Sebastião, Ana M; Vaz, Sandra H.Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS), sense synaptic activity and respond through the release of gliotransmitters, a process mediated by intracellular Ca2+ level changes and SNARE-dependent mechanisms. Ionotropic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are activated by glutamate along with D-serine or glycine, play a crucial role in learning, memory, and synaptic pl...