N Canalia

Publications (3)4.2 Total impact

• Article: Immuno-electromicroscopic approach for the study of neural stem cell niches.

  L Bonfanti, P Aimar, G Ponti, N Canalia
  Veterinary Research Communications 09/2008; 32 Suppl 1:S107-9. · 0.82 Impact Factor
• Article: Maternal deprivation and early handling affect density of calcium binding protein-containing neurons in selected brain regions and emotional behavior in periadolescent rats.

  C Giachino, N Canalia, F Capone, A Fasolo, E Alleva, M A Riva, F Cirulli, P Peretto
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  ABSTRACT: Adverse early life experiences can induce neurochemical changes that may underlie modifications in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsiveness, emotionality and cognition. Here, we investigated the expression of the calcium binding proteins (CBPs) calretinin, calbindin and parvalbumin, which identify subpopulations of GABAergic neurons and serve important functional roles by buffering intracellular calcium levels, following brief (early handling) and long (maternal deprivation) periods of maternal separation, as compared with non-handled controls. CBP-expressing neurons were analyzed in brain regions related to stress and anxiety. Emotionality was assessed in parallel using the social interaction test. Analyses were carried out at periadolescence, an important phase for the development of brain areas involved in stress responses. Our results indicate that density of CBP-immunoreactive neurons decreases in the paraventricular region of deprived rats but increases in the hippocampus and lateral amygdala of both early-handled and deprived rats when compared with controls. Emotionality is reduced in both early-handled and deprived animals. In conclusion, early handling and deprivation led to neurochemical and behavioral changes linked to stress-sensitive brain regions. These data suggest that the effects of early experiences on CBP containing neurons might contribute to the functional changes of neuronal circuits involved in emotional response.
  Neuroscience 04/2007; 145(2):568-78. · 3.38 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Giovanna Ponti

  Article: In vivo and in vitro Approaches for the Study of Adult Neurogenesis in Light, Confocal, and Electron Microscopy

  N Canalia, M Armentano, G Ponti, L Bonfanti
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  ABSTRACT: Since their beginning, morphological and functional studies of the mammalian central nervous system must deal with the complexity of the nervous tissue. Recent studies, by revealing the existence of neurogenesis throughout life, introduced a new aspect of complexity. Adult neurogenic sites are heterogeneous systems involving stem cell niches which contain actively dividing cells, migration routes, and processes of cell differentiation/integration within the target regions. Since the location of neurogenic sites is restricted to specific brain regions, their study in vivo requires detailed morphological analyses. Although this complexity can be reduced in many in vitro approaches, stem cells and their progeny strongly depend on the tissue environment. Thus, ex vivo approaches such as tissue explants and organotypic cultures can be employed as an alternative way to investigate stem cell niches.