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In JoVE (1)
Other Publications (1)
Articles by Raquel V. Fornari in JoVE
JoVE Neuroscience
Rodent Stereotaxic Surgery and Animal Welfare Outcome Improvements for Behavioral Neuroscience
1Department of Neuroscience, Section Anatomy, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 2Animal Welfare Office, University of Groningen
Stereotaxic surgery on rodents allows for targeted administration of drugs or electrical stimulation and recordings in awake, behaving animals. In this video presentation we will demonstrate recent procedural refinements to this long-standing procedure that successfully improved survival rate and reduced post-surgical weight loss.
Other articles by Raquel V. Fornari on PubMed
Effects of Nociceptin/orphanin FQ in the Acquisition of Contextual and Tone Fear Conditioning in Rats
Nociceptin, or orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), the endogenous ligand of NOP receptors, is known to regulate learning and memory processes. To verify the role of N/OFQ in the acquisition of contextual (CFC) and tone fear conditioning (TFC), Wistar male rats received intracerebroventricular injections of N/OFQ (0.1-5.0 nmol) before training, and were tested 24 and 48 hr later to access the freezing response to context and tone, respectively. The intermediate doses (1.0 and 2.5 nmol) impaired the CFC test, sparing TFC. The highest dose (5.0 nmol) reduced freezing during both tests, a result that may be due to nonspecific effects. The posttraining injection of N/OFQ (1 or 5 nmol) did not interfere with CFC and TFC, suggesting a specific effect of the peptide in acquisition processes. Moreover, the impairment observed with N/OFQ (1 nmol) in CFC cannot be attributed to a state-dependent learning because it was not reversed by its pretest administration. The data support the negative role of N/OFQ in the acquisition of aversively motivated tasks, which encompass a spatial component and depend on the hippocampus.
