Immunization with DISC1 protein in an animal model of ADHD influences behavior and excitatory amino acids in prefrontal cortex and striatum.

The Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene is involved in vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders. Naples high-excitability (NHE) rat model neuropsychiatric problems characterized by an unbalanced mesocortical dopamine system. Here, we assessed behavioral and neurochemical effects of immunization against multimeric rat DISC1 protein in adult NHE rats, an animal model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and their Random-Bred (NRB) controls. Males of both lines received subcutaneous injections of vehicle (PB), adjuvant only (AD) or recombinant rat DISC1 protein purified from E. coli, suspended in AD (anti-DISC1) at age of 30, 45 and 60 postnatal days (pnd). At 75 pnd, the rats were exposed to a Làt maze and 2 days later to an Olton eight-arm radial maze, and horizontal (HA) and vertical activities (VA) were monitored. Non-selective (NSA) and selective spatial attention (SSA) were monitored in the Làt and in the Olton maze by duration of rearings and working memory, respectively. Post mortem neurochemistry in the prefrontal cortex (PFc), dorsal (DS) and ventral (VS) striatum of L-Glutamate, L-Aspartate and L-Leucine was performed. All immunized rats showed a clear humoral IgM (but not IgG) immune response against the immunogen, indicating that immunological self-tolerance to DISC1 can be overcome by immunization. NHE rats exhibited a higher unspecific IgM response to adjuvant, indicating an immunological abnormality. The sole anti-DISC1 immunization-specific behavioral in the NHE rats was an increased horizontal activity in the Làt maze. Adjuvant treatment increased vertical activity in both lines, but in the NRB controls it increased rearing and decreased horizontal activity. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry analysis of soluble or membrane-trapped neurotransmitters aspartate, glutamate and leucine revealed increased soluble aspartate levels in the ventral striatum of NRB controls after anti-DISC1 immunization. Immune activation by adjuvant independent of simultaneous DISC1 immunization led to other specific changes in NHE and control NRB rats. In DISC1-immunized NHE rats, horizontal activity in Lat maze correlated with membrane-trapped glutamate in PFc and in the NRB rats, duration of rearing in Olton maze correlated with membrane-trapped glutamate in PFc and aspartate in dorsal striatum. In addition to non-specific immune activation (by AD), the postnatal anti-DISC1 immune treatment led to behavioral changes related to mechanisms of activity and attention and had influenced amino acids and synaptic markers in striatum and neocortex in the adult NHE as well as control animals.

Prepuberal intranasal dopamine treatment in an animal model of ADHD ameliorates deficient spatial attention, working memory, amino acid transmitters and synaptic markers in prefrontal cortex, ventral and dorsal striatum.

Intranasal application of dopamine (IN-DA) has been shown to increase motor activity and to release DA in the ventral (VS) and dorsal striatum (DS) of rats. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of IN-DA treatment on parameters of DA and excitatory amino acid (EAA) function in prepuberal rats of the Naples high-excitability (NHE) line, an animal model for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and normal random bred (NRB) controls. NHE and NRB rats were daily administered IN-DA (0.075, 0.15, 0.30 mg/kg) or vehicle for 15 days from postnatal days 28-42 and subsequently tested in the Làt maze and in the Eight-arm radial Olton maze. Soluble and membrane-trapped L-glutamate (L-Glu) and L-aspartate (L-Asp) levels as well as NMDAR1 subunit protein levels were determined after sacrifice in IN-DA- and vehicle-treated NHE and NRB rats in prefrontal cortex (PFc), DS and VS. Moreover, DA transporter (DAT) protein and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels were assessed in PFc, DS, VS and mesencephalon (MES) and in ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra, respectively. In NHE rats, IN-DA (0.30 mg/kg) decreased horizontal activity and increased nonselective attention relative to vehicle, whereas the lower dose (0.15 mg/kg) increased selective spatial attention. In NHE rats, basal levels of soluble EAAs were reduced in PFc and DS relative to NRB controls, while membrane-trapped EAAs were elevated in VS. Moreover, basal NMDAR1 subunit protein levels were increased in PFc, DS and VS relative to NRB controls. In addition, DAT protein levels were elevated in PFc and VS relative to NRB controls. IN-DA led to a number of changes of EAA, NMDAR1 subunit protein, TH and DAT protein levels in PFc, DS, VS, MES and VTA, in both NHE and NRB rats with significant differences between lines. Our findings indicate that the NHE rat model of ADHD may be characterized by (1) prefrontal and striatal DAT hyperfunction, indicative of DA hyperactivty, and (2) prefrontal and striatal NMDA receptor hyperfunction indicative of net EAA hyperactivty. IN-DA had ameliorative effects on activity level, attention, and working memory, which are likely to be associated with DA action at inhibitory D2 autoreceptors, leading to a reduction in striatal DA hyperactivity and, possibly, DA action on striatal EAA levels, resulting in a decrease of striatal EAA hyperfunction (with persistence of prefrontal EAA hyperfunction). Previous studies on IN-DA treatment in rodents have indicated antidepressant, anxiolytic and anti-parkinsonian effects in relation to enhanced central DAergic activity. Our present results strengthen the prospects of potential therapeutic applications of intranasal  DA by indicating an enhancement of selective attention and working memory in a deficit model.

The histamine H1-receptor mediates the motivational effects of novelty.

Novelty-induced arousal has motivational effects and can reinforce behavior. The mechanisms by which novelty acts as a reinforcer are unknown. Novelty-induced arousal can be either rewarding or aversive dependent on its intensity and the preceding state of arousal. The brain's histamine system has been implicated in both arousal and reinforcement. Histamine and histamine-1-receptor (H1R) agonists induced arousal and wakefulness in humans and rodents, e.g. by stimulating cortical acetylcholine (ACh) release. The H1R has also been implicated in processes of brain reward via interactions with the nigrostriatal- and mesolimbic dopamine (DA) systems. We asked whether the motivational effects of novelty-induced arousal are compromised in H1R knockout (KO) mice. The H1R-KO mice failed to develop a conditioned place-preference induced by novel objects. Even though they still explore novel objects, their reinforcing value is diminished. Furthermore, they showed impaired novelty-induced alternation in the Y-maze. Rearing activity and emotional behavior in a novel environment was also altered in H1R-KO mice, whereas object-place recognition was unaffected. The H1R-KO mice had higher ACh concentrations in the frontal cortex and amygdala (AMY). In the latter, the H1R-KO mice had also increased levels of DA, but a lower dihydrophenylacetic acid/DA ratio. Furthermore, the H1R-KO mice had also increased tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the basolateral anterior, basolateral ventral and cortical AMY nuclei. We conclude that the motivational effects of novelty are diminished in H1R-KO mice, possibly due to reduced novelty-induced arousal and/or a dysfunctional brain reward system.

Galactosylated dopamine enters into the brain, blocks the mesocorticolimbic system and modulates activity and scanning time in Naples high excitability rats.

Pathological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, have been linked to alterations of specific dopamine (DA) pathways. However, since exogenous DA does not cross the blood-brain barrier, DA levels can be modulated e.g. by DA precursors or DA reuptake blockers. Hereby histochemical, analytical and behavioral evidence shows that a galactosylated form of DA (GAL-DA) carries DA into the brain, thus modulating activity and nonselective attention in rats. To this aim adult male rats of the Naples high-excitability (NHE) and random bred controls (NRB) lines were given a single i.p. injection of GAL-DA (10 or 100 mg/kg). Three hours later the behavior was videotaped and analyzed for horizontal activity, orienting frequency and scanning duration. The dose of 100 mglkg of GAL-DA reduced by 25% the horizontal activity in NHE rats, mainly in the first part of the testing period. No effect was observed on orienting frequency or on scanning duration. However, GAL-DA 100 mg/kg was associated with longer rearing episodes in the second part of the testing period in NHE rats. In parallel experiments histochemistry with a galactose-specific lectin showed 10% increase in galactose residues into the striatum between 0.5 and 3.0 h. To quantify the level of GAL-DA, its metabolite DA-succinate and DA in the prefrontal cortex, neostriatum, and cerebellum, rats were killed 2.0 h after the injection of prodrug. Mass high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for analysis of GAL-DA and DA succinate whereas electrochemical HPLC for DA. Both HPLC techniques demonstrate that GAL-DA carries and releases DA into the brain. Specifically 100 mg/kg of GAL-DA increased DA level in the striatum in the NHE rats only. Moreover, DA in the mesencephalon (MES) was correlated positively with striatal and prefrontal cortex DA in NHE rats. In contrast DA in the MES was negatively correlated with striatal DA in NRB. GAL-DA disrupted these correlations in both rat lines. Thus, this new DA prodrug may modify DA neurotransmission and might have a potential clinical application.

Galactosilated dopamine increases attention without reducing activity in C57BL/6 mice.

Different strategies can be used to carry dopamine into the brain such as L-Dopa precursors or galactosilated form of DA (GAL-DA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether GAL-DA would reduce hyperactivity and increase non-selective attention (NSA) in a mouse model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as, i.e. C57BL/6 as did in NHE rats. Here we report that GAL-DA increases NSA in a spatial novelty in C57BL/6 mice. They received a single i.p. injection of GAL-DA (10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) or equimolar galactose vehicle. Another mouse strain the Swiss albino was introduced as inbred control group. Three hours after last injection mice were tested in a Làt-maze for 30-min. Behaviour was analyzed for horizontal (traveled distance) and vertical activity (orienting frequency and scanning durations) which shares cognitive and non-cognitive nature, respectively. Ten milligram per kilograms of GAL-DA, increases scanning duration in C57BL/6 mice. Thus a low dose of GAL-DA increases NSA without reducing hyperactivity in this mouse model of ADHD.

Transcription factor expression, RNA synthesis and NADPH-diaphorase across the rat brain and exposure to spatial novelty.

The molecular hypothesis of learning and memory processes is based on changes in synaptic weights in neural networks. Aim of this study was to map neural traces of exposure to a spatial novelty were mapped by (i) the transcription factors (TFs) c-fos, c-jun and jun-B using Northern blot and immunocytochemistry (ICC), (ii) RNA synthesis by (3)H-uridine autoradiography and RNA level, (iii) NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) expression by histochemistry. Thus, adult male albino rats were exposed to a Làt-maze and sacrificed at different times. Non-exposed rats served as controls. The latter showed a low constitutive expression of TF, RNA synthesis and NADPH-d across the brain. Northern blots showed a three-fold increase in TFs in exposed versus non-exposed rats in the cerebral cortex. ICC showed in exposed rats several TFs positive cells in the granular and pyramidal layers of the hippocampus and later in all layers of the somatosensory cortex, in the granular layer of the cerebellar cortex. The TF-positivity was stronger in rats exposed for the first time, and was time and NMDA-dependent. Autoradiography for RNA synthesis showed positive cells in the ependyma, hippocampus and cerebellum 6h after testing, and in the somatosensory cortex 24h later. In addition, exposure to novelty induced NADPH-d in the dorsal hippocampus, the caudate-putamen, all the layers of the somatosensory cortex. and the cerebellum. The positivity was absent immediately after exposure, appeared within 2h and disappeared 24h later. A strong neuronal discharge by the convulsant pentylenetetrazol, strongly induced TFs but not din not affect NADPH-d 2h later. Thus, data suggest that the processing of spatial and emotional components of experience activates neural networks across different organization levels of the CNS.

Non-selective attention in a rat model of hyperactivity and attention deficit: subchronic methylphenydate and nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor treatment.

The involvement of dopamine (DA) and nitric oxide (NO) in the process of non-selective attention (NSA) to environmental stimuli has been investigated in the juvenile Spontaneously Hypertensive rat (SHR). To this aim the frequency and duration of rearing episodes in a novelty situation, which is thought to monitor NSA, have been measured in male SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control rats following subchronic treatment with methylphenidate (MP; 3 mg/kg) or the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-Nitro-arginine-methylester (L-NAME; 1 mg/kg) or vehicle daily for two weeks. Different groups were tested at 0.5 h or 24 h after the last injection in a Làt-maze. Tests were repeated twice at a 24 h interval and lasted 10 min each. Upon first exposure, there was a differential drug effect only in the SHR. In fact, MP and L-NAME yielded a shift to the left and to the right, i.e. towards episodes of lower or higher duration, respectively. This shift was more pronounced in the group tested 0.5 h after the last injection. In contrast, both drugs produced a significant lengthening of the rearing episodes in the SHR only in comparison with the vehicle-treated rats over days of testing. Therefore both MP and L-NAME appear to shear a similar effect on non-selective attention, although the effect of L-NAME is somewhat paradoxical. The latter is likely to be due to increased arginine selective uptake due to negative feedback with the NO production. The consequent increased arginine availability displaces the NOS inhibitor, thus leading to increased NO production. In conclusion, dopamine and nitric oxide play a role in non-selective attention by synaptic and extrasynaptic mechanisms, respectively, in a rat model of hyperactivity and attention-deficits.

Post-trial NMDA receptor allosteric blockade differentially influences habituation of behavioral responses to novelty in the rat.

The involvement of glutamatergic receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type in long-term behavioral habituation (LTH) to a novel environment was investigated. To this aim, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were first exposed to a Làt-maze. Horizontal (corner-crossings) and vertical activity (rearings) were measured per 1-min block. Immediately after a 10-min test trial in the maze, rats were systemically injected with either 6 or 20 mg/kg of the allosteric NMDA receptor blocker ketamine-HCl (KET) or vehicle. Retention was tested one week later. LTH was expressed as the decline in horizontal and vertical activity from test trial 1 to test trial 2. The results showed a facilitation of the two components of LTH at 6 mg/kg and a disruption at 20 mg/kg. This biphasic effect pertained to vertical activity only. For both activity components, the facilitation of LTH at 6 mg/kg pertained to the first part, whereas the inhibition at 20 mg/kg pertained to the second part of the testing period. Since horizontal and vertical activity are thought to have a prevailing cognitive (spatial) and non-cognitive (emotional) meaning, subanesthetic doses of KET differentially affect the long-lasting retention of these behavioral responses to novelty. Thus, NMDA receptors seem to be involved in the coupling of spatial and emotional components of information.

Non-selective attention and nitric oxide in putative animal models of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Non-selective attention (NSA) to environmental stimuli has been measured in putative animal models of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), such as the Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) and the Naples High-Excitability (NHE) rat lines. A series of experiments has been carried out on male juvenile SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) controls (experiment 1) and on the NHE and two controls, i.e. the Naples Low-Excitability (NLE) and a random-bred (NRB) line (experiment 2). It was done under basal conditions or following a single injection of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-nitro-arginine-methylester (L-NAME: 0.1-10 mg/kg, i.p.), or vehicle, 30 min before testing on day 1 and vehicle alone before testing on days 2 and 3 in SHR/WKY (experiment 3) and the Naples lines (experiment 4). The behavior in a Lát maze during three consecutive 10-min exposures at 24-h intervals was monitored by a CCD video camera and analyzed off-line for frequency and duration of rearings on hindlimbs per 1-min blocks. The results demonstrated that both SHR and NHE rats showed a higher frequency of rearings of shorter duration than controls. With time of testing, the duration of rearings tended to increase in the WKY but not the SHR. In the Naples lines the duration tended to increase in all but mostly in the NHE rats. The acute inhibition of NOS by L-NAME significantly increased the duration of rearing episodes both in SHR and NHE rats only at 10 mg/kg in the second part of the testing period. Therefore, NSA, as indexed by the duration of rearings, is defective in both hyperactivity models against different genetic backgrounds. In addition, this impairment is dependent upon nitric oxide (NO), which appears to play a significant role in these processes.

A rostro-caudal dissociation in the dorsal and ventral striatum of the juvenile SHR suggests an anterior hypo- and a posterior hyperfunctioning mesocorticolimbic system.

Functional molecular neuroimaging techniques have been applied to the study of the neural substrates of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in an animal model, the juvenile SHR rat. They include quantitative receptor autoradiography and immunocytochemistry for neuronal markers such as Ca2+/Calmodulin Dependent Kinase II (CaMKII) and transcription factors. Multiple evidence emerges for a rostro caudal dissociation within the dorsal (DS) and ventral striatum (VS) (n. accumbens) and olfactory tubercle (OT). It consists in (i) a higher density of dopamine (DA) D-1/D-5 receptor binding sites in a discrete segment of the anterior forebrain that comprises the DS, VS and OT, (ii) a lower density of DA D-2/D-3 autoreceptors in the caudal portion of the n. accumbens shell subterritory, (iii) a reduced number of CaMKII and c-FOS positive elements only in the anterior portion of DS and VS (iv) reversal by repeated injections of methylphenidate (MP) (3 mg/kg, 14 days) with 'downregulation' in SHR and 'up-regulation' in the WKY control rats of DS and VS of DA D-1/D-5 receptors. Thus, under basal conditions the mesocorticolimbic (MCL) DA system appears to be hyperfunctioning rather than hypofunctioning, as demonstrated (i) by subsensitivity of presynaptic D-3 autoreceptors and (ii) by phasic inhibition of MCL activity induced by acute blockade of endocannabinoid reuptake using AM404. Following MP treatment, the hyperfunctioning MCL DA system turns into a hypofunctioning one, as earlier suggested by Solanto. Since the target neurons of MCL fibers seem to be uncoupled to D-1 receptors, the medium spiny GABA neurons projecting to the ventral pallidum and ventral tegmental area (VTA) exert a weak feedback inhibition on the neurons of origin of MCL system. Therefore, MCL neurons maintain a high basal activity with consequences on the cortico-striato-pallido-thalamo-cortical system and amygdala complex through the 'extended amygdala system'. While the former explains the attention, motivation and activity alterations of this rat model of ADHD, the latter explains the emotional symptoms of the syndrome. It remains to be ascertained the starting point in the network leading eventually to the segmental defect as well as its significance in humans.

Differential distribution, affinity and plasticity of dopamine D-1 and D-2 receptors in the target sites of the mesolimbic system in an animal model of ADHD.

The distribution of dopamine (DA) D-1 and D-2 receptors has been studied by autoradiography in the anterior forebrain of the pre-hypertensive spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) as an animal model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Juvenile male SHR and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) controls were given either vehicle or the DA re-uptake blocker methylphenidate (MP; 3 mg/kg, i.p.), daily during a 2-week period. A saturation analysis for the D-1 receptor subfamily was carried out with 0.1-5.0 nM of [3H]SCH23390 and two competition studies for the D-2 receptor subfamily with 4 nM of [3H]raclopride or 5 nM of [3H]quinpirole were carried out with unlabelled spiperone and 7-OH-DPAT as unlabelled displacers on cryostat coronal sections of the anterior forebrain. Quantitative receptor autoradiography and computer-assisted image analysis with reference to co-exposed 3H-microscale standards showed in vehicle-treated SHR higher density of DA D-1/D-5 receptor subtypes in the caudate-putamen (CPU), the nucleus accumbens (ACB) core and shell and the olfactory tubercle (OT), which was associated to a lower affinity. MP treatment normalised the DA D-1/D-5 receptors by decreasing the number of binding sites and increasing the affinity to control level. In addition, MP treatment 'down-regulated' DA D-2/D-4 subtypes in the CPU, ACB and OT, and 'up-regulated' mostly D-3 subtype in CPU, ACB, OT in both rat lines and in the globus pallidus, ventral pallidum and lateral septum in WKY rats only. In contrast, D-3 receptors were 'down-regulated' in the islands of Calleja in both rat lines. Moreover, regional cross-correlative analyses revealed a modulatory influence of DA receptors in the cross-talk within the anterior forebrain, which was altered in the SHR. Thus, the differential distribution and regulation of DA receptor subtypes following DA re-uptake blocker as well as the different regional cross-talk in the target sites of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic DA systems lend support to the DA hypothesis of ADHD in children.

The sequential hypothesis of sleep function. III. The structure of postacquisition sleep in learning and nonlearning rats.

EEG methods were used to examine the structure of postacquisition sleep in learning (L) and nonlearning (NL) rats previously exposed to a session of two-way active avoidance training, and in control rats (C) left in their home cages. In agreement with literature data, the number and total amount of paradoxical sleep (PS) episodes were higher in L rats than in NL rats. In addition, significant differences between L and NL rats concerned the episodes of synchronized sleep followed by wakefulness or by PS (SS-W and SS-PS, respectively). The average duration and related parameters of SS-W episodes, and the average duration, number, amount and related parameters of SS-PS episodes increased in NL and L rats in comparison with C rats. Longer SS-W episodes occurred early in NL and L rats, but the effect lasted longer in NL rats. On the other hand, the increments concerning SS-PS episodes occurred earlier, were more pronounced and laster longer in L rats. The results support a role of SS in brain information processing, as envisaged by the sequential hypothesis on the role of sleep. They suggest, furthermore, that memory traces lacking adaptive value may be destabilized and cleared away during SS-W and SS-PS episodes, while the remaining memory traces may be retained and eventually stored again in more integrated form during SS-PS and PS episodes, respectively.

The sequential hypothesis on sleep function. I. Evidence that the structure of sleep depends on the nature of the previous waking experience.

The sequential hypothesis on sleep function assumes that the information gathered by brain during the waking period is processed during sleep in two main steps occurring during synchronized sleep (SS) and, eventually, during paradoxical sleep (PS). To verify the main consequences of the hypothesis, i.e., (1) that SS is involved in brain information processing; and (2) that the structure of sleep is dependent on the nature of the previous waking experience, an experiment was designed involving rats exposed to a training session (two-way active avoidance) but failing to learn (NL), and rats left in their home cages in the same training room (C). The structure of sleep, determined by EEG techniques in the postacquisition period (3 hr), was different in NL rats in comparison to C rats, chiefly because SS episodes were markedly longer in the former group. A more detailed analysis indicated that, in NL rats, SS episodes not followed by PS increased their duration first, while those followed by PS became longer in the second half of the sleep period. Comparable results were obtained in the comparison of NL and C subgroups deprived of PS at the end of the acquisition period by chlomipramine treatment. The data support the sequential hypothesis and provide evidence for a primary role of SS in brain information processing.

The sequential hypothesis on sleep function. II. A correlative study between sleep variables and newly synthesized brain DNA.

The information acquired by brain during wakefulness (W) may be processed in two sequential steps occurring during synchronized sleep (SS) and paradoxical sleep (PS), respectively. On the assumption that brain molecules synthesized during the acquisition step undergo a comparable sleep processing, we have designed an experiment aimed at the verification of the sequential hypothesis. Groups of adult female Wistar rats received [3H-methyl] thymidine by intraventricular injection 30 min before being exposed to a 4 hr session of a two-way active avoidance training. Animals failing to achieve the learning criterion were further allowed a period of 3 hr during which they were left free to sleep, or were deprived of PS or of total sleep. Control rats were similarly treated, but were left in their home cages in the same training room during the period of acquisition. The results of correlative study among behavioral, sleep and biochemical variables demonstrate that the specific radioactivity of DNA in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and brainstem is correlated with several variables of postacquisition sleep, mostly SS parameters. The correlations depend on the previous waking experience of the rats. The data substantiate the two main consequences of the hypothesis, i.e., (1) the involvement of SS in brain information processing; and (2) the dependence of the operations performed by the sleeping brain on the nature of the previous waking experience. The results also provide some insight into the kind of processing which occurs in the sleeping brain.

Estrogen receptor polymorphism, estrogen content and idiopathic scoliosis in human: a possible genetic linkage.

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is a largely diffused disease in human population but its pathogenesis is still unknown. There is a relationship between scoliotic phenotype and the patient age, since in the early stage the pathology shows a ratio of 50% between male and female teenagers. During puberty the sex ratio is 8.4/1 (female/male), suggesting a sex-conditioned manifestation of the disease. Genetic inheritance of idiopathic scoliosis is still unclear although some authors claim for its X-linked dominant inheritance. There is large agreement in considering the IS as a sex-conditioned disease, in terms of steroid content and their receptor activity, although no evidence has been found yet. The blood content of 17beta-estradiol in teenagers with IS shows lower levels than teenagers of the same age without IS. Also testosterone and progesterone content are lower in IS girls with respect to the control girls. Furthermore, we extracted DNA from white blood cells of IS patients and their relatives until the third generation in order to examine estrogen receptor alpha polymorphisms, considering this tool a plausible molecular marker for IS prognosis. In this respect, we identified four polymorphisms in the exons encoding for the steroid binding domain and two other in the trans-activation domain. Our results show a clear relationship with clinical manifestation of IS.

Differential prepuberal handling modifies behaviour and excitatory amino acids in the forebrain of the Naples High-Excitability rats.

Naples High-Excitability (NHE) rats model the mesocortical variant of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Recently, a high level of excitatory amino acids (EAA) has been found in the forebrain of NHE rats. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of postnatal stimulation in prepuberal rats on forebrain EAA. Thus, prepuberal NHE and Naples Random Bred (NRB) control rats were daily handled (PS) or they were left undisturbed throughout (NO-PS). One hour after the last stimulation, PS and NO-PS rats were exposed to a spatial novelty in a Làt-maze and one day later to a non-reinforced Olton maze. In both tests the horizontal (HA) and vertical (frequency - VA and duration of rearing - RD) components of behaviour indexed activity and non-selective attention (NSA). Moreover, in the Olton maze the position of the number of arms visited before first repetition (FE) and to criterion (NVTC), indexed selective spatial attention (SSA). Amino acids were detected by HPLC in prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (STR), hippocampus (HPC) and hypothalamus (HYP). Results indicate that (i) in the Làt-maze, only for HA, NO-PS NHE rats were more active than PS, (ii) in the Olton maze NO-PS rats of both lines showed shorter rearing durations than PS, (iii) EAA level was higher in NHE than in NRB rats and (iv) NO-PS vs. PS treatment increased level of EAA across the forebrain in both rat lines. In contrast in NHE NO-PS rats L-glutamate (L-Glu) decreased in HYP and L-aspartate (L-Asp) decreased in HPC. In conclusion, postnatal stimulation in prepuberal rats significantly affects forebrain excitatory amino acids and behaviour in NHE line. Thus EAA are modulated by genetic determinants and environmental (epigenetic) factors.

Elevated forebrain excitatory L-glutamate, L-aspartate and D-aspartate in the Naples high-excitability rats.

The Naples high-excitability (NHE) rats are thought to model the mesocortical variant of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to investigate forebrain level of L-glutamate, L-aspartate and D-aspartate, in NHE vs. Naples random bred (NRB) control rats. Thus, prepuberal NHE and NRB rats were daily handled in the 5th and 6th week of postnatal life. Then rats were exposed to two spatial novelties i.e. a Làt and a Olton maze for 10 min. Amino acids were detected by HPLC in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (STR), hippocampus (HPC) and hypothalamus (HYP). Results indicate that all amino acids were higher in NHE than in NRB rats. This, in turn, may explain the behavioural hyperactivity and attention deficit of this animal model of ADHD.

Connexin31.1 deficiency in the mouse impairs object memory and modulates open-field exploration, acetylcholine esterase levels in the striatum, and cAMP response element-binding protein levels in the striatum and piriform cortex.

Neuronal gap junctions in the brain, providing intercellular electrotonic signal transfer, have been implicated in physiological and behavioral correlates of learning and memory. In connexin31.1 (Cx31.1) knockout (KO) mice the coding region of the Cx31.1 gene was replaced by a LacZ reporter gene. We investigated the impact of Cx31.1 deficiency on open-field exploration, the behavioral response to an odor, non-selective attention, learning and memory performance, and the levels of memory-related proteins in the hippocampus, striatum and the piriform cortex. In terms of behavior, the deletion of the Cx31.1 coding DNA in the mouse led to increased exploratory behaviors in a novel environment, and impaired one-trial object recognition at all delays tested. Despite strong Cx31.1 expression in the peripheral and central olfactory system, Cx31.1 KO mice exhibited normal behavioral responses to an odor. We found increased levels of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the striatum of Cx31.1 KO mice. In the piriform cortex the Cx31.1 KO mice had an increased heterogeneity of CREB expression among neurons. In conclusion, gap-junctions featuring the Cx31.1 protein might be involved in open-field exploration as well as object memory and modulate levels of AChE and CREB in the striatum and piriform cortex.