Agnieszka MichalakMedical University of Lublin · Independent Laboratory of Behavioral Studies
Agnieszka Michalak
PhD
About
34
Publications
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553
Citations
Citations since 2017
Publications
Publications (34)
Repeated maternal separation (MS) is a useful experimental model in rodents for studying the long-term influence of early-life stress on brain neurophysiology. In our work, we assessed the effect of repeated MS (postnatal day (PND)1–21, 180 min/day) on the postnatal development of rat brain regions involved in memory using proton magnetic resonance...
This review aims to summarize the literature data regarding the effects of different toothpaste compounds in the zebrafish model. Danio rerio provides an insight into the mechanisms of the ecotoxicity of chemicals as well as an assessment of their fate in the environment to determine long-term environmental impact. The regular use of adequate tooth...
Chronic wounds, among others, are mainly characterized by prolonged inflammation associated with the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines by immune cells. As a consequence, this phenomenon hinders or even precludes the regeneration process. It is known that biomaterials composed of biopolymers can significantly p...
Mephedrone is a psychoactive drug that increases dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the central nervous system via interaction with transporters or monoamines. The aim of the presented study was to assess the role of the GABA-ergic system in the expression of mephedrone-induced reward. For this purpose, we conducted (a) a behavioral ev...
The aim of this study is to determine whether type I and type II positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) induce antidepressant-like activity in mice after acute, subchronic, and chronic treatments, and to assess whether α7-PAMs inhibit neurotransmitter transporters and activate mTOR (mammalian target o...
Rationale
Mephedrone is a frequently overused drug of abuse that belongs to the group of novel psychoactive substances. Although its mechanism of action, as well as toxic and psychoactive effects, has been widely studied, the role of different factors that could contribute to the increased vulnerability to mephedrone abuse is still poorly understoo...
Mephedrone is a widely used drug of abuse, exerting its effects by interacting with monoamine transporters. Although this mechanism has been widely studied heretofore, little is known about the involvement of glutamatergic transmission in mephedrone effects. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated glutamatergic involvement in rewarding effects...
Neuroinflammation is a key process in the pathogenesis of many neurological disorders, i.e. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. However, there are no anti-inflammatory medical interventions recommended so far in the treatment of neuroinflammation-related brain disorders. Therefore, the burden of searching for effective and safe antineuroin...
The ever-present trend for introducing new drugs of natural origin with anxiolytic properties meets healthcare needs of the population, whose almost 34 % struggles with anxiety-related disorders. At the same time, animal assays that could serve as fast and reliable models of anxiety-like behaviors are of great interest to scientists. Thus, the aim...
Intracellular signalling pathways have been extensively studied as therapeutic targets for the treatment of mental diseases. Our attention has been caught by two kinases potentially involved in anxiety, ERK1/2 and CaMKII. The study aimed to examine changes in the activation of ERK1/2 and CaMKII concerning anxiolytic-like behaviours in mice.
To eva...
Background
The aim of this study is to preliminary evaluate the antiparkinsonian activity of furanocoumarin—xanthotoxin, in two behavioral animal models, zebrafish larvae treated with 6-hydroxydopamine and mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in order to compare both models.Methods
Xanthotoxin was isolated from Pastinaca s...
There are several reports indicating that the roots of the Carlina acaulis L. used to be commonly applied as a treatment measure in skin diseases and as an antiparasitic agent, starting from antiquity to the 19th century; however, nowadays, it has lost its importance. Currently, numerous studies are being conducted assessing the possibility of rein...
Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component of tobacco, is the most widely used drug of abuse. Although the substance is well-known, there is still a lack of information concerning its long-term neurological and physiological effects and its mechanisms of action. In order to search for new, effective drugs in the therapy of nicotinism, as well as...
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects 1% of the population worldwide and is manifested as a broad spectrum of symptoms, from hallucinations to memory impairment. It is believed that genetic and/or environmental factors may contribute to the occurrence of this disease. Recently, the zebrafish has emerged as a valuable and attractive model...
Background:
Several lines of investigations support the idea that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors modulate neuronal pathways involved in anxiety and depression.
Aims:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide, a highly selective positive allosteric modulator of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, in...
Drugs of abuse trigger a very specific type of memory called state-dependent memory (SDM). Both memory process and drug addiction are underlain by neuroplasticity, which depends on calcium concentration and protein kinase activity. Within the scope of this study was to evaluate the impact of verapamil, an L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC)...
Mephedrone, like other psychoactive drugs, e.g. methamphetamine, enhances extracellular dopamine and serotonin level in the nucleus accumbens. Chronic use of this substance can lead to the development of addiction in animal models. Despite dopaminergic neurons, glutamate and GABA are other neurotransmitters essential for the addiction development....
Addiction is a chronic psychiatric disease which represents a global problem, and stress can increase drug addiction and relapse. Taking into account frequent concomitance of nicotine dependence and stress, the purpose of the present study was to assess behavioral and biochemical effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) exposure on nicot...
Taking into account the rather frequent concomitance of nicotine abuse and stress, we aimed to research memory- and depression-related effects of nicotine administration in combination with chronic mild unpredictable stress (CMUS) in mice and an involvement of the endocannabinoid system through CB1 and CB2 receptors. Mice were submitted to the CMUS...
Background: Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) is a semisynthetic derivative of cathinone used as a drug of abuse [1]. There is also a great tendency for drug users to engage in simultaneous poly-substance use. Thus, mephedrone is often used in combination other substances, including nicotine, ethanol, marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and caffeine...
Nicotine, the main component of tobacco smoke, exerts influence on mood, and contributes to physical and psychological dependence. Taking into account frequent concomitance of nicotine abuse and stress, we aimed to research behavioral and biochemical effects associated with nicotine administration in combination with chronic unpredictable mild stre...
Background:
Abuse of more than one psychoactive drug is becoming a global problem. Our experiments were designed to examine the effects of a concomitant administration of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and mephedrone on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive processes in Swiss mice.
Methods:
In order to investigate the d...
Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) depend on specific postsynaptic
Ca2+/calmodulin concentration. LTP results from Ca2+ influx through the activated NMDA receptors
or voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and is linked with activation of protein kinases including
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Weaker synaptic sti...
The consequences of alcohol dependence concern serious health care, social and economic problems. The scope of many studies is to better understand mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction in order to work out new, more effective treatment strategies. Alcohol affects many neurotransmission systems within the brain. In general, acute alcohol enhances...
The purpose of the experiments was to explore the role of the endocannabinoid system, through cannabinoid (CB) receptor ligands, nicotine and scopolamine, in the depression-related responses using the forced swimming test (FST) in mice. Our results revealed that acute injection of oleamide (10 and 20mg/kg), a CB1 receptor agonist, caused antidepres...
Rationale:
Imperatorin, a naturally occurring furanocoumarin, inactivates gamma-aminobutyric acid transaminase and inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity.
Objectives:
The purpose of our experiment was to examine the influence of imperatorin on cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in the brain induced by scopolamine in male Swiss mice.
Meth...
Background:
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of the cholinergic receptors ligands in the memory-related responses in mice, using the novel object recognition (NOR) test.
Methods:
The NOR test is based on natural, exploratory abilities of animals exposed to a new environment. In the first session, two copies of the sam...
Background:
Nonsomatic signs of psychostimulant withdrawal, difficult to demonstrate in animal paradigms, may appear to promote drug seeking and drug relapse in humans; thus, it is important to understand the mechanisms that mediate this kind of behaviors. The present study was undertaken to examine the calcium-dependent mechanism of negative nons...
Memory is a consequence of plastic abilities of brain. It is a dynamic, multi-phase process, which allows adaptation to recent living conditions. The ability to learn resulting from memorisation is an essential human skill that is needed throughout the whole life span. Memory formation consists of the three following phases: encoding, consolidation...
Questions
Questions (6)
I need simple and intuitive software (PC, Windows). Mostly cutting videos and removing sound. Nothing special. Any suggestions?
Does anyone have experience in detecting NPY in mouse brain samples, e.g. in the hippocampus, with ELISA method? Is ELISA suitable for such detection? Any troubleshooting tips? Thanks!
Hi,
I would like to track simultaneously many animals, each in separated ROIs (two overlapping regions for one animal) using AnimalTracker. When it comes to blobs selection I can choose only one. Is it then possible to track many animals in different ROIs in AnimalTracker? Thanks!
What is the max conc. (mg/mL or mM) of Carlina oxide that could be obtained using DMSO?
Dear Frinds,
I'm going to work with 3,4-dichloroaniline as a positive control in fish embryo acute toxicity test. I'm aware that this compound is highly toxic, probably also mutagenic. My question is what kind of personal protective equipment I should use considering gloves, goggles and face mask. Are the recommendations more restrictive than e.g. medical face mask? If you have any experience in working with aniline derivatves and you are willing to share it with me, I would be very grateful.
Best,
Agnieszka
My compounds need to be dissolved in DMSO (my final DMSO concentration is 0.5%). Can I use system water to make dilutions then used for behavioural analysis in 5 dpf larval zebrafish? When I use E3 I can't get higher concentrations because the compounds precipitate. The second thing is that when I mix DMSO with E3, the solution is getting warmer (clearly perceptible in hand). So there must be some chemical reaction. My results for the control group (0.5% DMSO in E3) are just random as .... :(
Thanks in advance!
