Semi-automated Model to Accurately Counting Sympathetic Nervous Fibers
[Abstract] In recent years, the role of sympathetic nervous fibers in chronic inflammation has become increasingly evident. At the onset of inflammation, sympathetic activity is increased in the affected tissue. However, sympathetic fibers are largely absent from chronically inflamed tissues. Apparently, there is a very dynamic relationship between ...
Optogenetic Food Odor Avoidance Assay
[Abstract] Appetite is tightly linked to the sensory experience of feeding, including the smell, taste, and sight of food. Sensory perception can affect the palatability of food, modulating appetite beyond homeostatic requirements. Hypothalamic neurons that govern feeding are responsive to sensory cues associated with food, including food odors. However, the ...
Sciatic Nerve Cut and Repair Using Fibrin Glue in Adult Mice
[Abstract] Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is an excellent model for studying neural responses to injury and elucidating the mechanisms that can facilitate axon regeneration. As such, several animal models have been employed to study regenerative mechanisms after PNI, including Aplysia, zebrafish, rabbits, cats and rodents. This protocol describes how to ...
Cylinder Test to Assess Sensory-motor Function in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease
[Abstract] Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder that happens due to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The deficiency of dopamine in the basal nuclei drives cardinal motor symptoms such as bradykinesia and hypokinesia. The current protocol describes the cylinder test, which is a relatively simple ...
Whisker Nuisance Test: A Valuable Tool to Assess Tactile Hypersensitivity in Mice
[Abstract] Abnormal response to tactile stimulation, described as both hyper- and hypo-reactivity, is a common sensory impairment in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. The neural bases of tactile sensitivity remain so far unknown. In the last years, animal studies have proven to be useful for shedding light on the cellular and molecular mechanism ...
Isoelectric Focusing to Quantify Rhodopsin Phosphorylation in Mouse Retina
[Abstract] Rhodopsin is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that mediates vision under dim light. Upon light exposure, rhodopsin is phosphorylated at multiple serine and threonine sites at its carboxyl-terminus by rhodopsin kinase (GRK1). This, in turn, reduces its ability to activate the visual G-protein transducin. Binding of light-activated, ...