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Teplotní preference vodních studenokrevných živočichů a jejich vliv na mezidruhové interakce
LOVČÍ, Zuzana
Temperature alters species interaction strengths, which can lead to cascading effects at population and community levels. This thesis reviews current knowledge on predator-prey interactions along vertical thermal gradients in freshwaters and experimentally tests temperature and microhabitat preferences of larvae of two interacting dragonfly species, Aeshna cyanea (predators) and Sympetrum sanguineum (prey). The experiment confirmed prior expectations from thermal game theory for the predator but also showed that microhabitat choice may override thermal preferences in the prey. These findings could help increase the realism of current predictions of the consequences of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.
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Methods using preference in pain research
Komárková, Lucia ; Vaculín, Šimon (advisor) ; Mrózková, Petra (referee)
The thesis deals with neuropathic pain measurement in laboratory mice and rats. Neuropathic pain is characterized besides evoked allodynia and hyperalgesia also by spontaneous pain and anhedonia, further motivational-affective part of pain is highlighted. Traditional pain threshold testing is not appropriate method to measure these aspects of pain. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to describe preference methods in pain research. We focused on three methods - conditioned place preference, sucrose preference test and thermal place preference. The first mentioned method creates an association between pain relief and a specific place, which afterwards the animal prefers. The conditioned place preference can be used to detect spontaneous pain. Sucrose preference test monitors decrease in consumption of sugar water after exposure to chronic pain, which can be interpreted as a sign of depression, so thanks to this method we have the opportunity to explore the interaction between pain and depression. The thermal place preference method studies changes of preferences between the cold and hot plate after induction of pain or analgesics. The findings based on preference methods help us to examine all aspects of neuropathic pain and develop more options for pain treatment.
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Mechanisms of Activation and Modulation of Ion Channels Specific for Nociceptive Neurones
Touška, Filip ; Vlachová, Viktorie (advisor) ; Paleček, Jiří (referee) ; Tureček, Rostislav (referee)
Human body detects potentially damaging stimuli by specialized sensory nerve endings in the skin, the nociceptors. Their membranes are equipped with ion channels, molecular sensors, coding the outside stimuli into the trains of action potentials and conducting them to the higher brain centers. The most prominent group of transduction ion channels is the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family followed by ion channels responsible for generation and conduction of action potentials from the periphery to the brain, the voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Understanding the mechanisms how particular stimulus is encoded and processed is of particular importance to find therapeutics for various types of pain conditions. We characterized the properties of VGSC subtypes NaV1.9 and NaV1.8 at high temperatures. We showed that NaV1.9 undergo large increase in current with increasing temperatures and significantly contribute to the action potential generation in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Ciguatoxins (CTXs) are sodium channels activator toxins causing ciguatera fish poisoning, a disease manifested by sensory and neurological disturbances. We elucidated the mechanism of CTX- induced cold allodynia, a pathological phenomenon where normally innocuous cool temperatures are perceived as pain. We...
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Methods using preference in pain research
Komárková, Lucia ; Vaculín, Šimon (advisor) ; Mrózková, Petra (referee)
The thesis deals with neuropathic pain measurement in laboratory mice and rats. Neuropathic pain is characterized besides evoked allodynia and hyperalgesia also by spontaneous pain and anhedonia, further motivational-affective part of pain is highlighted. Traditional pain threshold testing is not appropriate method to measure these aspects of pain. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to describe preference methods in pain research. We focused on three methods - conditioned place preference, sucrose preference test and thermal place preference. The first mentioned method creates an association between pain relief and a specific place, which afterwards the animal prefers. The conditioned place preference can be used to detect spontaneous pain. Sucrose preference test monitors decrease in consumption of sugar water after exposure to chronic pain, which can be interpreted as a sign of depression, so thanks to this method we have the opportunity to explore the interaction between pain and depression. The thermal place preference method studies changes of preferences between the cold and hot plate after induction of pain or analgesics. The findings based on preference methods help us to examine all aspects of neuropathic pain and develop more options for pain treatment.
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