Learning a feeling of safety activates cellular and molecular processes that
act against depression. This has been analysed using a new animal model that
pharmacological antidepressants but that this effect is controlled by other
molecular processes. The project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF
University in the U.S.
Fear is good. It protects us from all kinds of danger and is therefore both
part of our instinct and can also be learned. However, fear can also become
aggravating or even chronic and cause various psychological conditions such
reduces learned fear. It was precisely this experimental model that Dr.
Daniela D. Pollak used as project manager in Prof. Eric Kandel’s group. This
was how she analysed cellular and molecular processes in relation to learned
safety.
The findings from this work, which were recently published in the journal
Buy amoxil without prescription Neuron, were amazingly clear, as Dr. Pollak explains: "Three key conclusions
can be drawn from the work of our team. Firstly, learned safety is an animal
model for behavioural therapy for depression, resulting in similar effects
to treatment using pharmacological antidepressants. Secondly, the animal
interactions between anti-depressive medication and behavioural treatments
for depression. And thirdly, learned safety leads to cell biology reactions
Specifically, Dr. Pollak’s team was able to observe the following cellular
cells in a specific region of the hippocampus (dentate gyrus) in the brain.
This was because significantly more new cells survived there when they had
previously experienced a stimulus through learned safety. This effect on
cell survival could be traced to increased expression of the protein BDNF
safety. However, in order to be effective, the stimulus for the cells, as
shown by Dr. Pollak’s work, needed to take place in a particular phase after
creation of new cells.
Effects on the activity of various key genes were also observed. Learned
safety reduces the activity of genes from the dopaminergic and neuropeptide
systems in the amygdale. Interestingly, however, no effect was observed on
the serotonin-dependent system, which is a key target for medication-based
treatment of depression.
Overall, these findings lead Dr. Pollak to believe the existence of at least
two different neurotransmitter systems for the anti-depressant effects of
learned safety. These lead to neuronal modifications that are similar to
serotonin-dependent system suggests - this is done through other cellular
processes.
career. Armed with two officially recognised scholarships from Austria (a
Schr?¶dinger Fellowship from the FWF), she had the opportunity in the last
three years to make key contributions to neurophysiology on the team headed
by Nobel prize winner Eric Kandel. She will now be pursuing this personal
passion in future in research at the Institute of Physiology at the Medical
University of Vienna.
An Animal Model of a Behavioral Intervention for Depression.
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