Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure
Research profile
The research interests of the Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure are centered on neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Specifically, our investigations are aimed at identifying the neural substrates underlying behavioral deficits typical for schizophrenia and the discovery of novel potential targets for antipsychotic substances. Another important aspect of our research involves environmental factors (early life stress, enriched environment) that influence brain development and its susceptibility to mental disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, cognitive deficits and depression.
Research methods
Behavioral: neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia, experimental models of stress – maternal separation in the postnatal period, fear conditioning paradigm – the acquisition, retention and extinction of memory traces, sensory motor gating paradigm, novel object recognition test, delayed alternation test, social interaction test, food-preference test, latent inhibition test.
Immunohistochemistry and neuroanatomy: brain tissue staining for identification of specific proteins and their colocalization - microscopic techniques based on light microscopy, fluorescence and laser confocal microscopy, stereological techniques. Stereotactic and iontophoretic techniques of retrograde marker delivery. Methods to assess adult brain neurogenesis.
Biochemistry and molecular biology: protein expression: Western blot, ELISA, protein macroarrays; Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription, chromatin precipitation.
Electrophysiology: in vitro measurements of long-term synaptic potentiation and depression.
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Early-life stress affects peripheral, blood-brain barrier, and brain responses to immune challenge in juvenile and adult rats.
Anna Solarz, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Joanna Kryst, Agnieszka Chocyk
Brain, behavior, and immunity, 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.11.005 S0889-1591(22)00434-2
PMID:36400335 -
Effects of chronic fluoxetine treatment on anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in adolescent rodents - systematic review and meta-analysis.
Joanna Kryst, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Agnieszka Chocyk
Pharmacological reports : PR, 10.1007/s43440-022-00420-w
PMID:36151445 -
Effect of Psilocybin and Ketamine on Brain Neurotransmitters, Glutamate Receptors, DNA and Rat Behavior.
Adam Wojtas, Agnieszka Bysiek, Agnieszka Wawrzczak-Bargiela, Zuzanna Szych, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Monika Herian, Marzena Maćkowiak, Krystyna Gołembiowska
International journal of molecular sciences, 6713 10.3390/ijms23126713
PMID:35743159 -
Neurotoxicological profile of the hallucinogenic compound 25I-NBOMe.
Monika Herian, Adam Wojtas, Marzena Maćkowiak, Agnieszka Wawrzczak-Bargiela, Anna Solarz, Agnieszka Bysiek, Katarzyna Madej, Krystyna Gołembiowska
Scientific reports, 10.1038/s41598-022-07069-8
PMID:35190675 -
Prenatal Exposure to Triclocarban Impairs ESR1 Signaling and Disrupts Epigenetic Status in Sex-Specific Ways as Well as Dysregulates the Expression of Neurogenesis- and Neurotransmitter-Related Genes in the Postnatal Mouse Brain.
Agnieszka Wnuk, Joanna Rzemieniec, Karolina Przepiórska, Bernadeta Angelika Pietrzak, Marzena Maćkowiak, Małgorzata Kajta
International journal of molecular sciences, 13121 10.3390/ijms222313121
PMID:34884933 -
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Magdalena Kusek, Marcin Siwiec, Joanna Ewa Sowa, Bartosz Bobula, Wiktor Bilecki, Izabela Ciurej, Maria Kaczmarczyk, Tomasz Kowalczyk, Marzena Maćkowiak, Grzegorz Hess, Krzysztof Tokarski
Neuropharmacology, S0028-3908(21)00334-8 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108779
PMID:34481835 -
Effects of early-life stress and sex on blood-brain barrier permeability and integrity in juvenile and adult rats.
Anna Solarz, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Agnieszka Chocyk
Developmental neurobiology, 10.1002/dneu.22846
PMID:34320279 -
Inhibition of BET Proteins during Adolescence Affects Prefrontal Cortical Development: Relevance to Schizophrenia.
Wiktor Bilecki, Agnieszka Wawrzczak-Bargieła, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Magdalena Chmelova, Marzena Maćkowiak
International journal of molecular sciences, 8710 10.3390/ijms22168710
PMID:34445411 -
Prenatal MAM treatment altered fear conditioning following social isolation: Relevance to schizophrenia.
Wiktor Bilecki, Joachim Latusz, Kinga Gawlińska, Magdalena Chmelova, Marzena Maćkowiak
Behavioural brain research, S0166-4328(21)00119-4 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113231
PMID:33737089 -
A Search for Biomarkers of Early-life Stress-related Psychopathology: Focus on 70-kDa Heat Shock Proteins.
Anna Solarz, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Joanna Kryst, Agnieszka Chocyk
Neuroscience, S0306-4522(21)00106-8 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.02.026
PMID:33662529 -
Chronic Lorcaserin Treatment Reverses the Nicotine Withdrawal-Induced Disruptions to Behavior and Maturation in Developing Neurons in the Hippocampus of Rats.
Magdalena Zaniewska, Agnieszka Nikiforuk, Urszula Głowacka, Sabina Brygider, Julita Wesołowska, Ewa Litwa, Marzena Maćkowiak
International journal of molecular sciences, E868 10.3390/ijms22020868
PMID:33467149 -
1MeTIQ and olanzapine, despite their neurochemical impact, did not ameliorate performance in fear conditioning and social interaction tests in an MK-801 rat model of schizophrenia.
Magdalena Białoń, Agnieszka Chocyk, Iwona Majcher-Maślanka, Marcelina Żarnowska, Krzysztof Michalski, Lucyna Antkiewicz-Michaluk, Agnieszka Wąsik
Pharmacological reports : PR, 10.1007/s43440-020-00209-9
PMID:33403530 -
Knockdown of the astrocytic glucocorticoid receptor in the central nucleus of the amygdala diminishes conditioned fear expression and anxiety.
Lucja Wiktorowska, Wiktor Bilecki, Magdalena Tertil, Lucja Kudla, Lukasz Szumiec, Marzena Mackowiak, Ryszard Przewlocki
Behavioural brain research, S0166-4328(20)30794-4 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113095
PMID:33359366 -
The Trace Kynurenine, Cinnabarinic Acid, Displays Potent Antipsychotic-Like Activity in Mice and Its Levels Are Reduced in the Prefrontal Cortex of Individuals Affected by Schizophrenia.
Martina Ulivieri, Joanna Monika Wierońska, Luana Lionetto, Katiuscia Martinello, Paulina Cieslik, Agnieszka Chocyk, Martina Curto, Luisa Di Menna, Luisa Iacovelli, Anna Traficante, Francesca Liberatore, Giada Mascio, Nico Antenucci, Giuseppe Giannino, Matteo Vergassola, Anna Pittaluga, Valeria Bruno, Giuseppe Battaglia, Sergio Fucile, Maurizio Simmaco, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Andrzej Pilc, Francesco Fazio
Schizophrenia bulletin, 10.1093/schbul/sbaa074
PMID:32506121 -
The neuroprotective action of 3,3'-diindolylmethane against ischemia involves an inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy that depends on HDAC and AhR/CYP1A1 but not ERα/CYP19A1 signaling.
J Rzemieniec, A Wnuk, W Lasoń, W Bilecki, M Kajta
Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death, 10.1007/s10495-019-01522-2
PMID:30778709
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The role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathomechanisms of early-life stressinduced dysfunction of the prefronatal cortex and in the mechanisms of action of fluoxetine in children and adolescents, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
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Impact of early-life stress on maturation, permeability of blood brain-barrier and neuroinflammatory processes activation during ontogenetic development , Anna Solarz-Andrzejewska, PhD
Preludium 12 2016/23/N/NZ4/01148 - kierownik
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, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
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, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
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, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
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, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
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, Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD
interests
techniques
keywords
- animal models
- antipsychotics
- behavioural analysis
- drug addiction
- epigenetics
- fluorescent microscopy
- gene expression
- gene expression profiling
- hippocampus
- learning
- memory
- molecular biology
- NMDA receptor
- prefrontal cortex
- psychopharmacology
- psychosocial stress
- schizophrenia
- signaling proteins
- stress
- valproic acid
