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Non-pharmacological methods for influencing memory consolidation during sleep
Němcová, Monika ; Kopřivová, Jana (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Sleep plays vital role in many physiological processes of the human body, including the consolidation of memory. The beneficial effects of sleep on memory consolidation have long been known, but only in the last two decades the knowledge of the relationship between sleep and memory has been used to develop interventions to improve memory consolidation during sleep. Two of these approaches are the focus of this work: closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS) and targeted memory reactivation (TMR). They are of particular clinical interest, as they are non- pharmacological, which minimizes the risk of dependence and abuse. In addition, they do not impose exogenous force fields on the brain and are, therefore, considered safer than other similar interventions. The aim of this work is to describe CLAS and TMR in detail, to investigate which factors influence their efficacy, and to discuss their clinical potential in the treatment of memory- related disorders.
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The potential of psychedelics in the treatment of drug addiction in animal models.
Mallarino, Barbara ; Šíchová, Klára (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Psychedelics are mind-altering and perception-changing psychoactive compounds that can produce some significant changes in the ordinary wiring of the brain. Substantial attention is paid to some of the most promising compounds for addiction and mental health research: LSD, tryptamines (psilocybin, DMT) and ibogaine. The underlying neurobiological basis of the development of addiction and relevant animal models and methods are described in the first part. Following, changes in brain regions connectivity induced by psychedelics and molecular mechanisms of action are discussed, emphasising the potential anti-addictive properties. The last part of the thesis focuses on data acquired from preclinical animal studies, which helps to further understand some of the mechanisms underlying their effectiveness in the clinical treatment of drug addiction.
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Cannabinoids and Time Perception
Popova, Anastasia ; Nekovářová, Tereza (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Interval timing (i.e.the perception of time in the seconds-to-minutes range) allows various animal species including humans to estimate duration of elapsed time. This process can be disrupted by cannabinoids and most often it is subjectively perceived as time deceleration. This work will describe the main models of interval timing, neuroanatomical structures involved in this process, and the main neurotransmitters. The results of studies examining the effect of cannabinoid on the interval timing, possible explanations according to the particular models, and the interaction between the cannabinoid and dopaminergic systems will be described as well. Keywords: interval timing, time perception, cannabinoids, dopamine
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Opioids and neuroprotection: the role of glial cells
Honc, Ondřej ; Novotný, Jiří (advisor) ; Kováčová, Ľubica (referee)
High energy deamand and insulation via the blood-bain barrier are the main reasons for neuronal sensitivity to oxygen or energy deficiency. Even short or mild periods of hypoxia/ischemia (H/I) could fataly impact the CNS enviroment. The area on the edge of the tissue affected by H/I and adjacent unaffected tissue is called the penumbra. Here, we can observe additional H/I related processes - gliosis allied with sterile inflammation and censecutive apoptosis. Opioid receptors attenuate H/I impact on CNS in both acute and consecutive phases. In acute phases, opioid receptors regulate ion homeostasis and attenuate glutamate toxicity; in consecutive phases, lower gliosis manifestation. Both these actions have significant neuroprotective effects. Ability of opioid receptor to lower sterile inflammation in CNS could be used in a series of neurodegenerative diseases, eg. Alzheimer disease or amyotrophic lateral screlosis. Glial cells participate on ion homeostasis, glutamate uptake, and production of antiinflammatory substances; one can, therefore, assume that a significant part of neuroprotective effects of OR is related to glial cells. The opioid system and its signaling pathways has not been fully elucidated yet. I present global overview of this phenomenon and describe some recent findings regarding...
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Post-traumatic and stress disorder and its biomarkers
Shalkin, Ilia ; Telenský, Petr (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) originally referred to conditions observed among military people. It was first widely accepted as a diagnosis during the First World War. As a result, PTSD was no longer attributed exclusively to the military environment and, at the moment, there are a large number of studies that relate to civilians who developed trauma as a result of a terrorist attack, rape, the death of a loved one, natural and man-made disasters. Severe trauma can affect everyone, and most people manage to cope with stress and continue to live their everyday lives. However, some people may develop PTSD. A person diagnosed with PTSD may have sleep disorders and nightmares, increased irritability, feel guilty and look for the cause of problems in themselves, and may not experience positive emotions. Symptoms of PTSD have a destructive effect on the patient himself and affect loved ones, leading to a break in social ties and loss of work. PTSD is a complex disease affecting various regulatory systems of the body, but despite many studies, the aetiology of PTSD development is not clear today. This fact limits scientists in developing a treatment for PTSD. One of the ways to develop research on the treatment of PTSD uses preclinical and clinical methods to track biomarkers associated with...
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Circadian system in astrocytes
Ľalíková, Kristýna ; Bendová, Zdeňka (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
The circadian system affects almost all cells in the mammalian body. These cells include astrocytes, which together with microglia and oligodendrocytes represent the main types of glial cells found in the brain. The first chapter of this thesis presents a summary of circadian system characteristics and focuses mainly on the molecular mechanism underlying its functioning. The second chapter is devoted to astrocytes, astrocyte calcium signaling, and the process of gliotransmission. The third and last chapter connects both topics and discusses the circadian system in astrocytes. It presents evidence of astrocytic circadian oscillations existence and physiological consequences of its action. Great attention is paid to circadian rhythms in gliotransmission, with a focus on gliotransmitters ATP and glutamate. As the most impressive output of the circadian system of astrocytes is presented the participation in maintaining the rhythmic activity of the main circadian oscillator located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Key words: circadian system, clock genes, astrocytes, gliotransmission, calcium signaling, glutamate, ATP
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Cannabinoids and Time Perception
Popova, Anastasia ; Nekovářová, Tereza (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Interval timing (i.e.the perception of time in the seconds-to-minutes range) allows various animal species including humans to estimate duration of elapsed time. This process can be disrupted by cannabinoids and most often it is subjectively perceived as time deceleration. This work will describe the main models of interval timing, neuroanatomical structures involved in this process, and the main neurotransmitters. The results of studies examining the effect of cannabinoid on the interval timing, possible explanations according to the particular models, and the interaction between the cannabinoid and dopaminergic systems will be described as well. Keywords: interval timing, time perception, cannabinoids, dopamine
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Ongoing pain in animal models of neuropathic pain
Priessnerová, Denisa ; Vaculín, Šimon (advisor) ; Honc, Ondřej (referee)
Although spontaneous pain is a global problem, there is still no effective treatment. Constructive research started only 40 years ago. Research based on pain mechanisms and potential treatment has been done on animal models of neuropathic pain. This thesis is focused on animal models, which could be either induced by chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve (CCI) or spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Both models should induce spontaneous, ongoing pain along with evoked pain (allodynia and hyperalgesia). Tests, made on these models, are based on detection and measurement of spontaneous pain, while not using an external stimulus. The outcome of the tests is not always effective. Most of the time, they do not evince signs of spontaneous pain. These tests are also less effective and fewer in numbers compared to those using external stimulus. The goal of this thesis was to analyze all the research including spontaneous and ongoing pain in CCI and SNL models. It was important to focus on certain methods that do not use external stimulus during testing. PubMed database was used for searching articles. The most common words searched were "spontaneous" and "ongoing". Found articles were evaluated and searched for methods indicating and measuring spontaneous pain without an external stimulus. Most of the methods...
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