Department of Experimental Neuroendocrinology

TECHNIQUES USED

Behavioural research:

Animal models: models of schizophrenia-like behaviours based on maternal immune activation using the administration of lipopolysaccharide or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid to pregnant female rats, model of depressive-like behaviours based on the prenatal stress procedure, genetic depression model - Wistar Kyoto rats, model of co-occurrence of hypothyroidism and depression, model of Alzheimer’s disease-related characteristics, employing APPNL-F/NL-F knock-in mice, rat diabetes type I model (streptozotocin)

Behavioural tests: forced swim test (FST), prepulse inhibition test (PPI), water maze test, light-dark box test, social interactions test, exploratory and locomotor activities tests, novel object recognition test (NOR), Y-maze test, open field test (OFT), sucrose preference test

Methods of cellular biology:

Biochemical assays: cell viability/toxicity, enzymes activities, immunocytochemistry, live-cell imaging, flow cytometry, gene silencing and overexpression

Cell cultures in vitro and ex-vivo: primary neuronal, neuronal-glia, astrocyte and microglia cell cultures, cell lines (SH-SY5Y, U87-MG, C6, HT-22, HaCat, JAWSII), organotypic hippocampal and cortical cell cultures, immune cells tissue cultures

Cellular models: ischemia (OGD), excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, Parkinson’s disease, apoptosis, neuroiflammation, contact allergy

Molecular techniques:

Molecular methods to evaluate the levels of proteins or RNA in basic conditions or after exposure to drugs or other stimulants: qRT-PCR, ELISA, Western blot, Luminex

THE MOST IMPORTANT RECENT DISCOVERIES

1.     It has been shown that disturbances in the levels of neuronal and microglial proteins CD200-CD200R and CX3CL1-CX3CR1,as well as the accompamying changes in microglial reactivity, caused by the maternal immune activation during pregnancy, constitute an important element of the complex basis of the development of schizophrenia-like disorders in adulthood.

2.     In hippocampal organotypic cultures, in the ex vivo model of ischemia, dysfunction in the network of chemokines and their receptors, inflammatory activation and disturbed mechanotransduction mechanism, and consequently changes in the rigidity of organotypic cultures have been demonstrated.

FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT:

Professor Bogusława Budziszewska, PhD

Lucylla Jaworska-Feil, PhD

Katarzyna Kotarska, PhD

Magdalena Szuster-Głuszczak, PhD

Magdalena Procner, PhD

Rugmani Meenambal, PhD

Danuta Jantas,PhD