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The present experiments examined the effects of injecting glucose into the dorsal hippocampus or dorsolateral striatum on learning rates and on strategy selection in rats trained on a T-maze that can be solved by using either a hippocampus-sensitive place or striatum-sensitive response strategy. Percentage strategy selection on a probe trial (P[subscript crit]) administered after rats achieved criterion (nine of 10 correct choices) varied by group. All groups predominately exhibited a response strategy on a probe trial administered after overtraining, i.e., after 90 trials. In experiment 1, rats that received intrahippocampal glucose injections showed enhanced acquisition of the T-maze and showed increased use of response solutions at P[subscript crit] compared with that of unimplanted and artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF)-treated groups. These findings suggest that glucose enhanced hippocampal functions to accelerate the rate of learning and the early adoption of a response strategy. In experiment 2, rats that received intrastriatal glucose injections exhibited place solutions early in training and reached criterion more slowly than did aCSF controls, with learning rates comparable to those of unoperated and operated-uninjected controls. Relative to unoperated, operated-uninjected and glucose-injected rats, rats that received intrastriatal aCSF injections showed enhanced acquisition of the T-maze and increased use of response solutions at P[subscript crit]. The unexpected enhanced acquisition seen after striatal aCSF injections suggests at least two possible interpretations: (1) aCSF impaired striatal function, thereby releasing competition with the hippocampus and ceding control over learning to the hippocampus during early training trials; and (2) aCSF enhanced striatal functioning to facilitate striatal-sensitive learning. With either interpretation, the results indicate that intrastriatal glucose injections compensated for the aCSF-induced effect. Finally, enhanced acquisition regardless of treatment was accompanied by rapid adoption of a response solution for the T-maze. (Contains 9 figures.)

Background: Cerebral malaria is one of the most severe complications of Plasmodium falciparum infection and occurs mostly in young African children. This syndrome results from a combination of high levels of parasitaemia and inflammation. Although parasite sequestration in the brain is a feature of the human syndrome, sequestering strains do not uniformly cause severe malaria, suggesting interplay with other factors. Host genetic factors such as mutations in the promoters of the cytokines IL-10 and TNF are also clearly linked to severe disease. Plasmodium chabaudi, a rodent malaria parasite, leads to mild illness in wildtype animals. However, IL-10-/- mice respond to parasite with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF, leading to lethal disease in the absence of sequestration in the brain. These mice also exhibit cerebral symptoms including gross cerebral oedema and haemorrhage, allowing study of these critical features of disease without the influence of sequestration. Methods: The neurological consequences of P. chabaudi infection were investigated by performing a general behavioural screen (SHIRPA). The immune cell populations found in the brain during infection were also analysed using flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Results: IL-10-/- mice suffer significant declines in behavioural and physical capacities during infection compared to wildtype. In addition, grip strength and pain sensitivity were affected, suggestive of neurological involvement. Several immune cell populations were identified in the perfused brain on day 7 post-infection, suggesting that they are tightly adherent to the vascular endothelium, or potentially located within the brain parenchyma. There was an increase in both inflammatory monocyte and resident macrophage (CD11bhi, CD45+, MHCII+, Ly6C+/−) numbers in IL-10-/- compared to wildtype animals. In addition, the activation state of all monocytes and microglia (CD11bint, CD45−, MHC-II+) were increased. T cells making IFN-γ were also identified in the brain, but were localized within the vasculature, and not the parenchyma. Conclusions: These studies demonstrate exacerbated neuroinflammation concurrent with development of behavioural symptoms in P. chabaudi infection of IL-10-/- animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relapse vulnerability in cocaine dependence is rooted in genetic and environmental determinants, and propelled by both impulsivity and the responsivity to cocaine-linked cues ('cue reactivity'). The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR) within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is uniquely poised to serve as a strategic nexus to mechanistically control these behaviors. The 5-HT2CR functional capacity is regulated by a number of factors including availability of active membrane receptor pools, the composition of the 5-HT2CR macromolecular protein complex, and editing of the 5-HT2CR pre-mRNA. The one-choice serial reaction time (1-CSRT) task was used to identify impulsive action phenotypes in an outbred rat population before cocaine self-administration and assessment of cue reactivity in the form of lever presses reinforced by the cocaine-associated discrete cue complex during forced abstinence. The 1-CSRT task reliably and reproducibly identified high impulsive (HI) and low impulsive (LI) action phenotypes; HI action predicted high cue reactivity. Lower cortical 5-HT2CR membrane protein levels concomitant with higher levels of 5-HT2CR:postsynaptic density 95 complex distinguished HI rats from LI rats. The frequency of edited 5-HT2CR mRNA variants was elevated with the prediction that the protein population in HI rats favors those isoforms linked to reduced signaling capacity. Genetic loss of the mPFC 5-HT2CR induced aggregate impulsive action/cue reactivity, suggesting that depressed cortical 5-HT2CR tone confers vulnerability to these interlocked behaviors. Thus, impulsive action and cue reactivity appear to neuromechanistically overlap in rodents, with the 5-HT2CR functional status acting as a neural rheostat to regulate, in part, the intersection between these vulnerability behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prototypic second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) is essential for controlling cellular metabolism, including glucose and lipid homeostasis. In mammals, the majority of cAMP functions are mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epacs). To explore the physiological functions of Epac1, we generated Epac1 knockout mice. Here we report that Epac1 null mutants have reduced white adipose tissue and reduced plasma leptin levels but display heightened leptin sensitivity. Epac1-deficient mice are more resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperleptinemia, and glucose intolerance. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of Epac by use of an Epac-specific inhibitor reduces plasma leptin levels in vivo and enhances leptin signaling in organotypic hypothalamic slices. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Epac1 plays an important role in regulating adiposity and energy balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]