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Drexel M, Locker F, Kofler B, Sperk G. Effects of galanin receptor 2 and receptor 3 knockout in mouse models of acute seizures. Epilepsia 2018; 59:e166-e171. [PMID: 30298565 PMCID: PMC6282553 DOI: 10.1111/epi.14573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
There exists solid evidence that endogenous galanin and galanin agonists exert anticonvulsive actions mediated both by galanin 1 receptor (GAL1‐R) and galanin 2 receptor (GAL2‐R). We have now investigated whether depletion of the recently identified third galanin receptor, GAL3‐R, and that of GAL2‐R, alters the threshold to the systemically applied γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonist pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) or to intrahippocampally administered kainic acid (KA). In neither model, GAL3‐KO mice differed in their latency to the first seizure, mean seizure duration, total number of seizures, or time spent in seizures compared to wild‐type controls. In addition, consistent with previous data, the response to PTZ was not altered in GAL2‐KO mice. In contrast, intrahippocampal KA resulted in a significantly increased number of seizures and time spent in seizures in GAL2‐KO mice, although the latency to the first seizure and the duration of individual seizures was not altered. These results are consistent with the previous data showing that GAL2‐R knockdown does not affect the number of perforant path stimulations required for initiating status epilepticus but significantly increases the seizure severity during the ongoing status. In conclusion, our data support a specific role of GAL2‐R but not of GAL3‐R in mediating the anticonvulsive actions of endogenous galanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meinrad Drexel
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Felix Locker
- Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise-THERAPEP, Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Barbara Kofler
- Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise-THERAPEP, Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Günther Sperk
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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2
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Navidhamidi M, Ghasemi M, Mehranfard N. Epilepsy-associated alterations in hippocampal excitability. Rev Neurosci 2018; 28:307-334. [PMID: 28099137 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2016-0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus exhibits a wide range of epilepsy-related abnormalities and is situated in the mesial temporal lobe, where limbic seizures begin. These abnormalities could affect membrane excitability and lead to overstimulation of neurons. Multiple overlapping processes refer to neural homeostatic responses develop in neurons that work together to restore neuronal firing rates to control levels. Nevertheless, homeostatic mechanisms are unable to restore normal neuronal excitability, and the epileptic hippocampus becomes hyperexcitable or hypoexcitable. Studies show that there is hyperexcitability even before starting recurrent spontaneous seizures, suggesting although hippocampal hyperexcitability may contribute to epileptogenesis, it alone is insufficient to produce epileptic seizures. This supports the concept that the hippocampus is not the only substrate for limbic seizure onset, and a broader hyperexcitable limbic structure may contribute to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) seizures. Nevertheless, seizures also occur in conditions where the hippocampus shows a hypoexcitable phenotype. Since TLE seizures most often originate in the hippocampus, it could therefore be assumed that both hippocampal hypoexcitability and hyperexcitability are undesirable states that make the epileptic hippocampal network less stable and may, under certain conditions, trigger seizures.
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3
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Aldana BI, Waagepetersen HS, Schousboe A, White HS, Bulaj G, Walls AB. The novel anticonvulsant neuropeptide and galanin analogue, NAX-5055, does not alter energy and amino acid metabolism in cultured brain cells. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:2286-2296. [PMID: 28397993 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A large body of evidence suggests that the neuropeptide galanin plays an important role in seizure control. In line with this, it was demonstrated that the galanin analogue, NAX-5055, exerts a potent anticonvulsant activity in animal seizure models. We recently found that the NAX-5055-mediated anticonvulsant action involves modulation of both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Since homeostasis of neurotransmitters and cerebral energy metabolism are intimately linked, it was investigated whether the effects of NAX-5055 on neurotransmission involve changes in energy metabolism and in particular glucose- and amino acid metabolism. With this aim, cultured neurons from mouse brain were incubated with [U-13 C]glucose in absence or presence of NAX-5055. Since effects of NAX-5055 on neurotransmission were detected during repetitive stimulation, we tested potential metabolic effects while mimicking repetitive bursts of neurotransmitter release as occurring in the intact brain. The metabolic pathways were mapped using gas-chromatography coupled to mass-spectrometry. We found that NAX-5055 does not modify glucose metabolism in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Furthermore, the effect of NAX-5055 on astrocyte-neuron metabolic interactions was investigated by incubating co-cultures of astrocytes and either glutamatergic or GABAergic neurons with [U-13 C]glucose or the glial-selective substrate [1,2-13 C]acetate, with or without NAX-5055. In the presence of NAX-5055, no changes in the metabolic landscape were traced. The findings suggest that the anticonvulsant action of NAX-5055 and the accompanying changes in neurotransmission do not involve alterations in energy and amino acid metabolism. Hence, NAX-5055 appears to be an anti-seizure drug candidate displaying no unwanted side effects concerning brain energy and amino acid homeostasis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanca I Aldana
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Helle S Waagepetersen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Arne Schousboe
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - H Steve White
- Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.,Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Grzegorz Bulaj
- University of Utah, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Anne B Walls
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Local cholinergic-GABAergic circuitry within the basal forebrain is modulated by galanin. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 222:1385-1400. [PMID: 27496091 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1283-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/26/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The basal forebrain (BF) is an important regulator of hippocampal and cortical activity. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), there is a significant loss and dysfunction of cholinergic neurons within the BF, and also a hypertrophy of fibers containing the neuropeptide galanin. Understanding how galanin interacts with BF circuitry is critical in determining what role galanin overexpression plays in the progression of AD. Here, we examined the location and function of galanin in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DBB) region of the BF. We show that galanin fibers are located throughout the MS/DBB and intermingled with both cholinergic and GABAergic neurons. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from MS/DBB neurons in acute slices reveal that galanin decreases tetrodotoxin-sensitive spontaneous GABA release and dampens muscarinic receptor-mediated increases in GABA release in the MS/DBB. These effects are not blocked by pre-exposure to β-amyloid peptide (Aβ1-42). Optogenetic activation of cholinergic neurons in the MS/DBB increases GABA release back onto cholinergic neurons, forming a functional circuit within the MS/DBB. Galanin disrupts this cholinergic-GABAergic circuit by blocking the cholinergic-induced increase in GABA release. These data suggest that galanin works in the BF to reduce inhibitory input onto cholinergic neurons and to prevent cholinergic-induced increase in inhibitory tone. This disinhibition of cholinergic neurons could serve as a compensatory mechanism to counteract the loss of cholinergic signaling that occurs during the progression of AD.
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Abstract
Since the neuropeptide galanin’s discovery in 1983, information has accumulated that implicates it in a wide range of functions, including pain sensation, stress responses, appetite regulation, and learning and memory. This article reviews the evidence for specific functions of galanin in cognitive processes. Consistencies as well as gaps in the literature are organized around basic questions of methodology and theory. This review shows that although regularities are evident in the observed behavioral effects of galanin across several methods for measuring learning and memory, generalization from these findings is tempered with concerns about confounds and a restricted range of testing conditions. Furthermore, it is revealed that many noncognitive behavioral constructs that are relevant for assessing potential roles for galanin in cognition have not been thoroughly examined. The review concludes by laying out how future theory and experimental work can overcome these concerns and confidently define the nature of the association of galanin with particular cognitive constructs.
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Barreda-Gómez G, Lombardero L, Giralt MT, Manuel I, Rodríguez-Puertas R. Effects of galanin subchronic treatment on memory and muscarinic receptors. Neuroscience 2015; 293:23-34. [PMID: 25732139 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.02.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The cholinergic pathways, which originate in the basal forebrain and are responsible for the control of different cognitive processes including learning and memory, are also regulated by some neuropeptides. One of these neuropeptides, galanin (GAL), is involved in both neurotrophic and neuroprotective actions. The present study has evaluated in rats the effects on cognition induced by a subchronic treatment with GAL by analyzing the passive avoidance response, and the modulation of muscarinic cholinergic receptor densities and activities. [(3)H]-N-methyl-scopolamine, [(3)H]-oxotremorine, and [(3)H]-pirenzepine were used to quantify the density of muscarinic receptors (MRs) and the stimulation of the binding of guanosine 5'-(γ-[(35)S]thio)triphosphate by the muscarinic agonist, carbachol, to determine their functionality. Some cognitive deficits that were induced by the administration of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) (i.c.v. aCSF 2 μl/min, once a day for 6 days) were not observed in the animals also treated with GAL (i.c.v. 1.5 mmol in aCSF, 2 μl/min, once a day for 6 days). GAL modulates the changes in M1 and M2 MR densities observed in the rats treated with aCSF, and also increased their activity mediated by G(i/o) proteins in specific areas of the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. The subchronic administration of the vehicle was also accompanied by an increased number of positive fibers and cells for GAL around the cortical tract of the cannula used, but that was not the case in GAL-treated rats. In addition, the increase of GAL receptor density in the ventral hippocampus and entorhinal cortex in the aCSF group was avoided when GAL was administered. The number of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-positive neurons was decreased in the nucleus basalis of Meynert of both GAL- and aCSF-treated animals. In summary, GAL improves memory-related abilities probably through the modulation of MR density and/or efficacy in hippocampal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Barreda-Gómez
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - L Lombardero
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - M T Giralt
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - I Manuel
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
| | - R Rodríguez-Puertas
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain.
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7
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Clynen E, Swijsen A, Raijmakers M, Hoogland G, Rigo JM. Neuropeptides as targets for the development of anticonvulsant drugs. Mol Neurobiol 2014; 50:626-46. [PMID: 24705860 PMCID: PMC4182642 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-014-8669-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. These seizures are due to abnormal excessive and synchronous neuronal activity in the brain caused by a disruption of the delicate balance between excitation and inhibition. Neuropeptides can contribute to such misbalance by modulating the effect of classical excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. In this review, we discuss 21 different neuropeptides that have been linked to seizure disorders. These neuropeptides show an aberrant expression and/or release in animal seizure models and/or epilepsy patients. Many of these endogenous peptides, like adrenocorticotropic hormone, angiotensin, cholecystokinin, cortistatin, dynorphin, galanin, ghrelin, neuropeptide Y, neurotensin, somatostatin, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone, are able to suppress seizures in the brain. Other neuropeptides, such as arginine-vasopressine peptide, corticotropin-releasing hormone, enkephalin, β-endorphin, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, and tachykinins have proconvulsive properties. For oxytocin and melanin-concentrating hormone both pro- and anticonvulsive effects have been reported, and this seems to be dose or time dependent. All these neuropeptides and their receptors are interesting targets for the development of new antiepileptic drugs. Other neuropeptides such as nesfatin-1 and vasoactive intestinal peptide have been less studied in this field; however, as nesfatin-1 levels change over the course of epilepsy, this can be considered as an interesting marker to diagnose patients who have suffered a recent epileptic seizure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Clynen
- Biomedical Research Institute BIOMED, Hasselt University, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium,
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Yoshitake S, Kuteeva E, Hökfelt T, Mennicken F, Theodorsson E, Yamaguchi M, Kehr J, Yoshitake T. Correlation between the effects of local and intracerebroventricular infusions of galanin on 5-HT release studied by microdialysis, and distribution of galanin and galanin receptors in prefrontal cortex, ventral hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and st. Synapse 2014; 68:179-93. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Revised: 11/26/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shimako Yoshitake
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; Karolinska Institutet; 171 77 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Eugenia Kuteeva
- Department of Neuroscience; Karolinska Institutet; 171 77 Stockholm Sweden
- Atlas Antibodies AB; AlbaNova University Center; SE-106 91 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience; Karolinska Institutet; 171 77 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Françoise Mennicken
- AstraZeneca R&D Montréal; 7171 Frederick-Banting-Ville St-Laurent Quebec H4S1Z9 Canada
| | - Elvar Theodorsson
- Divison of Clinical Chemistry; Linköping University, County Council of Östergötland; 581 85 Linköping Sweden
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, County Council of Östergötland; 581 85 Linköping Sweden
| | - Masatoshi Yamaguchi
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Fukuoka University; 8-19-1 Nanakuma, Johnan-ku Fukuoka 814-0180 Japan
| | - Jan Kehr
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; Karolinska Institutet; 171 77 Stockholm Sweden
- Pronexus Analytical AB; Grindstuvägen 44 167 33 Bromma Sweden
| | - Takashi Yoshitake
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; Karolinska Institutet; 171 77 Stockholm Sweden
- Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences; Kagoshima University; 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka Kagoshima 890-8544 Japan
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Nikitidou L, Torp M, Fjord-Larsen L, Kusk P, Wahlberg LU, Kokaia M. Encapsulated galanin-producing cells attenuate focal epileptic seizures in the hippocampus. Epilepsia 2013; 55:167-74. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.12470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Litsa Nikitidou
- Experimental Epilepsy Group; Wallenberg Neuroscience Center; BMC A-11; Lund University Hospital; Lund Sweden
| | | | | | | | | | - Mérab Kokaia
- Experimental Epilepsy Group; Wallenberg Neuroscience Center; BMC A-11; Lund University Hospital; Lund Sweden
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10
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Sabbagh JJ, Heaney CF, Bolton MM, Murtishaw AS, Ure JA, Kinney JW. Administration of Donepezil Does Not Rescue Galanin-Induced Spatial Learning Deficits. Int J Neurosci 2012; 122:742-7. [DOI: 10.3109/00207454.2012.721411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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11
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Galanin differentially regulates acetylcholine release in ventral and dorsal hippocampus: a microdialysis study in awake rat. Neuroscience 2011; 197:172-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2011] [Revised: 09/13/2011] [Accepted: 09/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Abstract
Neuroanatomical localization and physiological properties of galanin suggest that the peptide may be involved in the regulation of seizures. Indeed, administration of galanin receptor agonists into brain areas pertinent to the initiation and propagation of epileptic activity attenuated seizure responses under conditions of animal models of epilepsy; pharmacological blocking of galanin receptors exerted proconvulsant effects. Functional deletion of both galanin and galanin type 1 receptor genes produced transgenic mice with either spontaneous seizure phenotype, or with enhanced susceptibility to seizure stimuli. At the same time, overexpression of galanin in seizure pathways, using both transgenic and virus vector transfection techniques, hindered the epileptic process. Galanin exerts anticonvulsant effects through both type 1 and type 2 receptors, with distinct downstream signaling cascades. Several synthetic agonists of galanin receptors with optimized bioavailability have been synthesized and inhibited experimental seizures upon systemic administration, thus opening an opportunity for the development of galanin-based antiepileptic drugs.
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Kinney JW, Sanchez-Alavez M, Barr AM, Criado JR, Crawley JN, Behrens MM, Henriksen SJ, Bartfai T. Impairment of memory consolidation by galanin correlates with in vivo inhibition of both LTP and CREB phosphorylation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2009; 92:429-38. [PMID: 19531380 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2009.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2009] [Revised: 05/19/2009] [Accepted: 06/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Changes in the state of CREB phosphorylation and in LTP in the hippocampus have been associated with learning and memory. Here we show that galanin, the neuropeptide released in the hippocampal formation from cholinergic and noradrenergic fibers, that has been shown to produce impairments in memory consolidation in the Morris water maze task inhibits both LTP and CREB phosphorylation in the rat hippocampus in vivo. While there are many transmitters regulating CREB phosphorylation none has been shown to suppress behaviorally-induced hippocampal CREB phosphorylation as potently as galanin. The in vivo inhibition of dentate gyrus-LTP and of CREB phosphorylation by the agonist occupancy of GalR1 and GalR2-type galanin receptors provides strong in vivo cellular and molecular correlates to galanin-induced learning deficits and designates galanin as a major regulator of the memory consolidation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jefferson W Kinney
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5030, USA.
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Endoh T, Sato D, Wada Y, Shibukawa Y, Ishihara K, Hashimoto S, Yoshinari M, Matsuzaka K, Tazaki M, Inoue T. Galanin inhibits calcium channels via Gαi-protein mediated by GalR1 in rat nucleus tractus solitarius. Brain Res 2008; 1229:37-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2008] [Revised: 06/10/2008] [Accepted: 06/13/2008] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Abstract
Galanin (GAL) and GAL receptors (GALRs) are overexpressed in degenerating brain regions associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The functional consequences of GAL plasticity in AD are unclear. GAL inhibits cholinergic transmission in the hippocampus and impairs spatial memory in rodent models, suggesting GAL overexpression exacerbates cognitive impairment in AD. By contrast, gene expression profiling of individual cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) neurons aspirated from AD tissue revealed that GAL hyperinnervation positively regulates mRNAs that promote CBF neuronal function and survival. GAL also exerts neuroprotective effects in rodent models of neurotoxicity. These data support the growing concept that GAL overexpression preserves CBF neuron function which in turn may slow the onset of AD symptoms. Further elucidation of GAL activity in selectively vulnerable brain regions will help gauge the therapeutic potential of GALR ligands for the treatment of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. E. Counts
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 West Harrison Street Suite 300, Chicago, Ilinois 60612 USA
| | - S. E. Perez
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 West Harrison Street Suite 300, Chicago, Ilinois 60612 USA
| | - E. J. Mufson
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 West Harrison Street Suite 300, Chicago, Ilinois 60612 USA
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Kanter-Schlifke I, Toft Sørensen A, Ledri M, Kuteeva E, Hökfelt T, Kokaia M. Galanin gene transfer curtails generalized seizures in kindled rats without altering hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Neuroscience 2007; 150:984-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.09.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2007] [Revised: 09/10/2007] [Accepted: 09/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Schlifke I, Kuteeva E, Hokfelt T, Kokaia M. Galanin expressed in the excitatory fibers attenuates synaptic strength and generalized seizures in the piriform cortex of mice. Exp Neurol 2006; 200:398-406. [PMID: 16630615 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2006.02.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2005] [Revised: 02/17/2006] [Accepted: 02/24/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin is considered to be an endogenous antiepileptic agent, presumably acting via inhibition of glutamate release. Previously, we have demonstrated that in mice ectopically overexpressing galanin in cortical and hippocampal neurons, particularly in granule cells and their axons, the mossy fibers, hippocampal kindling epileptogenesis is suppressed and is associated with attenuated frequency facilitation in mossy fiber-CA3 cell synapses. We hypothesized that changes in synaptic transmission might occur also in other excitatory synapses of the galanin overexpressing (GalOE) mouse, contributing to seizure suppression. Lateral olfactory tract (LOT) synapses, formed by axons of olfactory bulb (OB) mitral cells and targeting piriform cortex (PC) pyramidal cells, ectopically express galanin in GalOE mice. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we found that excitatory synaptic responses recorded in PC pyramidal cells during high frequency stimulation of the LOT were attenuated in GalOE mice as compared to wild-type controls. This effect was mimicked by bath application of galanin or its agonist galnon to wild-type slices, supporting the notion of ectopic galanin action. Since the high frequency activation induced in vitro resembles epileptic seizures in vivo, we asked whether the observed synaptic inhibition would result in altered epileptogenesis when animals were kindled via the same synapses. In male GalOE mice, we found that the latency to convulsions was prolonged, and once animals had experienced the first stage 5 seizure, generalized seizures were less sustainable. These data indicate that the PC is a possible target for epilepsy treatment by ectopically overexpressing galanin to modulate seizure activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Schlifke
- Experimental Epilepsy Group, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, BMC A-11, Lund University Hospital, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
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Wrenn CC, Turchi JN, Schlosser S, Dreiling JL, Stephenson DA, Crawley JN. Performance of galanin transgenic mice in the 5-choice serial reaction time attentional task. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2006; 83:428-40. [PMID: 16626795 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2006.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2005] [Revised: 02/22/2006] [Accepted: 03/05/2006] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin impairs learning and memory in rodents. The mechanism underlying the cognitive effects of galanin may be related to inhibitory effects of galanin on cholinergic transmission. As cholinergic function is thought to modulate sustained attention, the present study examined whether galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice have impairments in sustained attention. Galanin transgenic (GAL-tg) mice and wild-type (WT) littermate controls were trained in a 5-choice serial reaction time task, modified to assess sustained attention. GAL-tg and WT mice performed similarly during acquisition with respect to accuracy, total omissions, and response speed. Attentional mechanisms were challenged by parametric changes including increased event rate, event asynchrony, or decreased stimulus duration. Singly, these challenges did not differentially affect performance between genotypes. Concurrent administration of these challenges, which represents an optimal test of sustained attention, also had similar effects on GAL-tg and WT mice. When stimulus discriminability was reduced by constant illumination of the house light, GAL-tg mice omitted more trials than WT mice, but other measures of performance did not differ by genotype. Moreover, intraventricular injection of galanin in WT mice did not affect sustained attention. These data indicate that previously reported learning and memory effects of galanin are not secondary to attentional dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craige C Wrenn
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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19
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Zheng K, Kuteeva E, Xia S, Bartfai T, Hökfelt T, Xu ZQD. Age-related impairments of synaptic plasticity in the lateral perforant path input to the dentate gyrus of galanin overexpressing mice. Neuropeptides 2005; 39:259-67. [PMID: 15944020 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2005.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2005] [Accepted: 02/15/2005] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, electrophysiological recordings were made from hippocampal slices obtained from mice overexpressing galanin under the promoter for the platelet-derived growth factor-B (GalOE mice). In these mice, a particularly strong galanin expression is seen in the granule cell layer/mossy fibers. Paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) of excitatory postsynaptic field potentials (fEPSPs) at the lateral perforant path (LPP)-dentate gyrus synapses was elicited in the dentate gyrus after stimulation with different interpulse intervals. Slices from young adult wild-type (WT) animals showed significant PPF of the 2nd EPSP evoked with paired-pulse stimuli, while PPF was reduced in slices from young adult GalOE mice, as well as aged WT mice, but were not observed at all in slices from aged GalOE animals. Application of the putative galanin antagonist M35 increased PPF in slices from aged WT mice as well as from adult and aged GalOE mice, but had no effect in slices taken from young adult WT mice. These data indicate that galanin is involved in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, in particular in age-related reduction of synaptic plasticity in the LPP input to the dentate gyrus. Galaninergic mechanisms may therefore represent therapeutic targets for treatment of age-related memory deficits and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Zheng
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 71, Stockholm, Sweden
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20
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Barreda-Gómez G, Giralt MT, Rodríguez-Puertas R. Effects of central galanin administration on muscarinic cholinergic and galanin receptor G protein coupling. Neuropeptides 2005; 39:157-60. [PMID: 15944005 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2004.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2004] [Accepted: 12/02/2004] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin is expressed in the mammalian central nervous system and has been implicated in neurotrophic actions. Central galanin administration induces cognitive deficits in rodents and inhibits the release of acetylcholine in the hippocampus. In addition, a galanin hyperinnervation of the basal forebrain cholinergic cells in Alzheimer's disease patients has been reported. To evaluate the effect of galanin treatment on galanin and muscarinic cholinergic receptor G protein coupling, galanin was administered into the lateral ventricle of rats via an implanted cannula. Galanin or muscarinic receptor functional coupling to G proteins was quantified by galanin or carbachol stimulation of guanosine 5'-(gamma-[35S]thio)triphosphate binding in rat brain slices. Guanosine 5'-(gamma-[35S]thio)triphosphate basal binding in nucleus basalis of Meynert and thalamic nuclei was increased in the vehicle treated group. This effect was reverted by galanin treatment and indicates that the surgery increased receptor functional coupling to G proteins, which is restored by a possible neurotrophic action mediated by galanin. In addition, in galanin administered animals, galanin-stimulated binding was increased in the amygdala but decreased in the diagonal band, whilst binding stimulation mediated by carbachol was found to be increased in the amygdala, thalamic nuclei and diagonal band. These findings indicate that galanin treatment modulates the coupling of galanin and muscarinic cholinergic receptors to G proteins in specific regions of the rat central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Barreda-Gómez
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of the Basque Country, E-48940 Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain
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McMillan PJ, Peskind E, Raskind MA, Leverenz JB. Increased galanin receptor occupancy in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging 2004; 25:1309-14. [PMID: 15465628 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2004.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2003] [Revised: 12/18/2003] [Accepted: 01/07/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Increased galanin (GAL) may be associated with the cognitive deficits characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, both increased and decreased GAL receptor density has been reported in AD brain. Previous studies indicate pre-treatment with guanine nucleotides displaces endogenous GAL from GAL receptors (GALR), providing an indirect measurement of GALR occupancy. In addition, pre-treatment with guanine nucleotides may provide a more accurate measurement of GALR density since it would avoid the masking of GALRs by residual binding of endogenous GAL. Thus, in the present study, we examined the influence of pre-treatment with guanine nucleotides on 125I-GAL binding in multiple regions of normal and AD brain. Our results indicate that GTP pre-treatment enhances GAL binding in specific regions in normal and AD brain. In addition, our results suggest an increase in the number of GALRs occupied by endogenous GAL in the deep layers of the frontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus of AD subjects compared to normal subjects. The regional differences in GALR density and receptor occupancy between normal and AD subjects may play a role in the cognitive disturbances associated with the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela J McMillan
- Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers, Veteran Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
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22
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Abstract
The shift in the balance between the inhibition and the excitation in favor of the latter is a major mechanism of the evolvement of epileptic seizures. On the neurotransmitter level two major players contribute to such misbalance: an inhibitory transmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, and an excitatory amino acid glutamate. Neuropeptides are powerful modulators of classical neurotransmitters, and thus represent an intriguing tool for restoring the balance between the inhibition and the excitation, through either blocking or activating peptide receptors depending on whether a peptide is pro- or anticonvulsant. Galanin, a 29-amino acid residues neuropeptide which inhibits glutamate release in the hippocampus, is a likely member of the anticonvulsant peptide family. During the past decade growing evidence has been suggesting that galanin is in fact a powerful inhibitor of seizure activity. This review summarizes the state of research of galanin in epilepsy, beginning with the first simple experiments which showed that central injection of galanin agonists inhibited seizures, and that seizures themselves affected galanin signaling in the hippocampus; exploring the impact of active manipulation with the expression of galanin and galanin receptors on seizures, using transgenic animals, antisense and peptide-expressing vector approaches; and concluding with the recent advances in pharmacology, which led to the synthesis of non-peptide galanin receptor agonists with anticonvulsant properties. We also address recently established functions of galanin in seizure-associated neuronal degeneration and neuronal plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey M Mazarati
- West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Research 151, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA.
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Pepicelli O, Raiteri M, Fedele E. The NOS/sGC pathway in the rat central nervous system: a microdialysis overview. Neurochem Int 2004; 45:787-97. [PMID: 15312973 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2004.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
It is now well established that nitric oxide is involved in a variety of physiopathological processes in the central nervous system, which mainly result from the interaction of this gaseous molecule with the heme group of soluble guanylyl cyclase and the elevation of intracellular cGMP in target neurons. During the last decade, several studies have monitored extracellular cGMP, by means of intracerebral microdialysis, to investigate in vivo the functioning and modulation of this neurochemical pathway under different experimental conditions and in various brain regions. In this review, we summarise some of the most relevant results obtained in this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olimpia Pepicelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sezione di Farmacologia e Tossicologia, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy
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24
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Abstract
Galanin plays an important role in the regulation of food intake, energy balance, and body weight. Many galanin-positive fibers as well as galanin-positive neurons were seen in the dorsal vagal complex, suggesting that galanin produces its effects by actions involving vagal neurons. In the present experiment, we used tract-tracing and neurophysiological techniques to evaluate the origin of the galaninergic fibers and the effect of galanin on neurons in the dorsal vagal complex. Our results reveal that the nucleus of the solitary tract is the major source of the galanin terminals in the dorsal vagal complex. In vivo experiments demonstrated that galanin inhibited the majority of gut-related neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. In vitro experiments demonstrated that galanin inhibited the majority of stomach-projecting neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus by suppressing spontaneous activity and/or producing a fully reversible dose-dependent membrane hyperpolarization and outward current. The galanin-induced hyperpolarization and outward current persisted after synaptic input was blocked, suggesting that galanin acts directly on receptors of neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. The reversal potential induced by galanin was close to the potassium ion potentials of the Nernst equation and was prevented by the potassium channel blocker tetraethylammonium, indicating that the inhibitory effect of galanin was mediated by a potassium channel. These results indicate that the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus is inhibited by galanin derived predominantly from neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract projecting to the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. Galanin is one of the neurotransmitters involved in the vago-vagal reflex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenjun Tan
- Laboratory of Neurogastroenterology Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
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25
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Kinney JW, Starosta G, Crawley JN. Central galanin administration blocks consolidation of spatial learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2003; 80:42-54. [PMID: 12737933 DOI: 10.1016/s1074-7427(03)00023-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Galanin is a neuropeptide that inhibits the evoked release of several neurotransmitters, inhibits the activation of intracellular second messengers, and produces deficits in a variety of rodent learning and memory tasks. To evaluate the actions of galanin on encoding, consolidation, and storage/retrieval, galanin was acutely administered to Sprague-Dawley rats at time points before and after training trials in the Morris water maze. Intraventricular administration of galanin up to 3h after subjects had completed daily training trials in the Morris water task impaired performance on the probe trial, indicating that galanin-blocked consolidation. Pretreatment with an adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, prevented the deficits in distal cue learning produced by galanin. Di-deoxyforskolin, an inactive analog of forskolin, had no effect. These results provide the first evidence that galanin interferes with long-term memory consolidation processes. A potential mechanism by which galanin produces this impairment may involve the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity, leading to inhibition of downstream molecular events that are necessary for consolidation of long-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jefferson W Kinney
- Section on Behavioral Genomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Galanin Inhibits Consolidation, Building 10 Room 4011, Bethesda, MD 20892-1375, USA.
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26
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Social transmission of food preference in mice: Methodology and application to galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice. Behav Neurosci 2003. [DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.117.1.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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27
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Coumis U, Davies CH. The effects of galanin on long-term synaptic plasticity in the CA1 area of rodent hippocampus. Neuroscience 2002; 112:173-82. [PMID: 12044482 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00007-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Learning and memory involve complex changes in neuronal excitability including long-lasting synaptic plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. The observation that the neuropeptide galanin affects performance in a number of behavioural models predicts that galanin should affect synaptic processes underlying learning. The present study in rat and mouse hippocampal slices now demonstrates that galanin inhibits long-term potentiation induced by both tetanic and theta-burst stimulation in both apical and basal dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurones but does not affect long-term depression. This selective effect on long-term potentiation does not appear to be mediated through inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate or metabotropic glutamate receptor function, but likely resides downstream of receptor activation, possibly at the level of the kinase cascade that converts short-term into long-term potentiation. Our results indicate possible mechanisms by which the neuropeptide galanin may act at the molecular level to influence learning and memory in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Coumis
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Edinburgh, UK.
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28
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Kinney JW, Starosta G, Holmes A, Wrenn CC, Yang RJ, Harris AP, Long KC, Crawley JN. Deficits in trace cued fear conditioning in galanin-treated rats and galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice. Learn Mem 2002; 9:178-90. [PMID: 12177231 PMCID: PMC182584 DOI: 10.1101/m.49502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Galanin inhibits the release of several neurotransmitters and produces performance deficits in a variety of spatial and aversive learning and memory tasks. The experiments in this study investigated the role galanin has in emotional learning and memory using a standard delay cued and contextual fear conditioning task. Rats were administered galanin into the lateral ventricles before training, and scored for freezing behavior in the same context and in a novel context with and without an auditory cue (CS) that had been paired previously with an aversive stimulus (US). Galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice were tested in an identical behavioral protocol. The galanin-administered rats and the transgenic mice were not significantly different from their respective controls on this task. A more challenging trace cued and contextual fear conditioning procedure was administered to separate groups of galanin-treated rats and galanin-overexpressing transgenic mice. Subjects were trained with the same CS and US, however, a 2.5-sec delay was inserted between CS offset and US onset. Following the trace conditioning, rats administered galanin and mice overexpressing galanin both exhibited significantly less freezing to the CS in the novel context as compared with their control groups. These results indicate that the observed disruption of cued fear conditioning was specific to the more difficult trace conditioning task. These findings are the first demonstration that galanin impairs performance on an emotional memory task and support the hypothesis that galanin-induced deficits are specific to more difficult cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jefferson W Kinney
- Section on Behavioral Genomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
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29
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La Porta C, Bianchi R, Sozzani S, Bartfai T, Consolo S. Galanin reduces PDBu-induced protein phosphorylation in rat ventral hippocampus. FEBS Lett 2002; 300:46-8. [PMID: 1372270 DOI: 10.1016/0014-5793(92)80161-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The effect of galanin (GAL) on basal and phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) induced protein phosphorylation in rat ventral hippocampal miniprisms was investigated. GAL (0.5, 1 and 2 microM) inhibited PDBu stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner without altering basal protein phosphorylation. This inhibitory effect was prevented by the GAL antagonist galantide. GAL did not affect either the activity of protein kinase C (PKC) from rat brain or basal phosphorylation in ventral hippocampal hippogenates, suggesting that it did not directly modulate PKC activity. Depolarization of miniprisms from ventral hippocampi by 18 mM K+ prevented the effect of GAL on PDBu-induced phosphorylation. The results indicate that GAL indirectly regulates neuronal protein phosphorylation by a GAL receptor-mediated action.
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Affiliation(s)
- C La Porta
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milano, Italy
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30
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Abstract
Galanin is a neuroendocrine peptide involved in the regulation of feeding, pain, sexual behavior, learning, and memory. The recent discovery, that galanin antagonized excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus, provided a rationale for its possible antiepileptic effects. Here we summarize the data on the effects of galanin on seizure activity in several animal models of epilepsy. Pharmacological and molecular biological evidence suggest potent anticonvulsant effects of galanin. Exogenous administration of galanin receptor agonists attenuated seizures, whereas application of galanin receptor antagonists potentiated seizure expression. Genetically engineered mice, with either deletion or overexpression of galanin gene, showed altered resistance to seizures, which was in direct correlation with galanin gene expression. Possible mechanisms of the anticonvulsant action of galanin include its effects on synaptic potentiation in hippocampal circuits and inhibition of the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from principal hippocampal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mazarati
- Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine and West LA VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90073, USA.
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31
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Counts SE, Perez SE, Kahl U, Bartfai T, Bowser RP, Deecher DC, Mash DC, Crawley JN, Mufson EJ. Galanin: neurobiologic mechanisms and therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease. CNS DRUG REVIEWS 2001; 7:445-70. [PMID: 11830760 PMCID: PMC6741671 DOI: 10.1111/j.1527-3458.2001.tb00210.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin (GAL) is widely distributed in the mammalian CNS. Several lines of evidence suggest that GAL may play a critical role in cognitive processes such as memory and attention through an inhibitory modulation of cholinergic basal forebrain activity. Furthermore, GAL fibers hyperinnervate remaining cholinergic basal forebrain neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This suggests that GAL activity impacts cholinergic dysfunction in advanced AD. Pharmacological and in vitro autoradiographic studies indicate the presence of heterogeneous populations of GAL receptor (GALR) sites in the basal forebrain which bind GAL with both high and low affinity. Interestingly, we have recently observed that GALR binding sites increase in the anterior basal forebrain in late-stage AD. Three G protein-coupled GALRs have been identified to date that signal through a diverse array of effector pathways in vitro, including adenylyl cyclase inhibition and phospholipase C activation. The repertoire and distribution of GALR expression in the basal forebrain remains unknown, as does the nature of GAL and GALR plasticity in the AD basal forebrain. Recently, GAL knockout and overexpressing transgenic mice have been generated to facilitate our understanding of GAL activity in basal forebrain function. GAL knockout mice result in fewer cholinergic basal forebrain neurons and memory deficits. On the other hand, mice overexpressing GAL display hyperinnervation of basal forebrain and memory deficits. These data highlight the need to explore further the putative mechanisms by which GAL signaling might be beneficial or deleterious for cholinergic cell survival and activity within basal forebrain. This information will be critical to understanding whether pharmacological manipulation of GALRs would be effective for the amelioration of cognitive deficits in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott E. Counts
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush‐Presbyterian‐St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sylvia E. Perez
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush‐Presbyterian‐St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ulrika Kahl
- Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tamas Bartfai
- Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Robert P. Bowser
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Deborah C. Mash
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Jacqueline N. Crawley
- Section on Behavioral Neuropharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Elliott J. Mufson
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush‐Presbyterian‐St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
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32
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Lang R, Berger A, Hermann A, Kofler B. Biphasic response to human galanin of extracellular acidification in human Bowes melanoma cells. Eur J Pharmacol 2001; 423:135-41. [PMID: 11448477 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(01)01135-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic response of galanin GAL1 receptor subtype, endogenously expressed in human Bowes melanoma (HBM) cells, was investigated. Cytosensor microphysiometry was used to determine the extracellular acidification rate. A biphasic response, consisting of a rapid increase in the extracellular acidification rate followed by a decrease below the basal level, was observed after perfusion with human galanin. The magnitude and the rate of onset of both phases were dependent on the galanin concentration. The increase in the extracellular acidification rate (maximum of 25% of basal level; -log(EC(50))=7.23+/-0.14) was transient, whereas the following decrease (maximum of 40% of basal level; -log(EC(50))=7.77+/-0.23) was sustained. The EC(50) values for the increase and decrease were in a similar range. After consecutive galanin administration, the magnitude of the response was the same as for the unexposed cells, indicating the absence of galanin receptor desensitization or internalization in HBM cells. Responses were blocked by pretreatment with pertussis toxin and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), indicating a G-protein/protein kinase C signalling pathway. Our microphysiometry results show a biphasic response of the extracellular acidification rate mediated by the galanin receptor expressed in HBM cells which has not been described previously for any other endogenously expressed neuropeptide receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Lang
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria
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33
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Wrenn CC, Crawley JN. Pharmacological evidence supporting a role for galanin in cognition and affect. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2001; 25:283-99. [PMID: 11263757 DOI: 10.1016/s0278-5846(00)00156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
1. Galanin is localized in brain pathways involved in both cognition and affect. 2. Galanin has inhibitory actions on a variety of memory tasks including the Morris water maze, delayed nonmatching to position, T-maze delayed alternation, starburst maze, passive avoidance, active avoidance, and spontaneous alternation. 3. Galanin may inhibit learning and memory by inhibiting neurotransmitter release and neuronal firing rate. 4. Two signal transduction mechanisms through which galanin exerts its inhibitory actions are the inhibition of phosphatidyl inositol hydrolysis and the inhibition of adenylate cyclase. 5. Galanin released during periods of burst firing from noradrenergic locus coeruleus terminals in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) may lead to symptoms of depression through inhibition of dopaminergic VTA neurons. 6. Intraventricular galanin has anxiolytic effects in a punished drinking test. Intra-amygdala galanin has anxiogenic effects in a punished drinking test.
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Affiliation(s)
- C C Wrenn
- Section on Behavioral Neuropharmacology, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1375, USA
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34
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Waters SM, Krause JE. Distribution of galanin-1, -2 and -3 receptor messenger RNAs in central and peripheral rat tissues. Neuroscience 2000; 95:265-71. [PMID: 10619483 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(99)00407-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Galanin is a neuropeptide widely expressed in the central nervous system and periphery. In rat, three galanin-binding receptors have been cloned and characterized. We report the qualitative and quantitative distribution of galanin-1, galanin-2, and galanin-3 messenger RNAs in central and peripheral rat tissues by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and solution hybridization/RNase protection assays, respectively. Galanin-1 messenger RNA was detected exclusively in the central and peripheral nervous system with highest expression in hypothalamus, amygdala, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Galanin-2 messenger RNA was highly expressed in hypothalamus, dorsal root ganglia, and kidney with moderate expression in several other tissues. Galanin-3 messenger RNA was widely distributed at low to moderate levels in many central and peripheral tissues. The observed expression of multiple galanin receptors in several tissues including hypothalamus, anterior pituitary and spinal cord supports earlier pharmacological studies suggesting the presence of more than one receptor subtype in these regions. The presence of multiple galanin receptors in these tissues in conjunction with the detection of a single subtype, galanin-2, in tissues such as heart and intestine, illustrates the potential complexity of galanin-associated actions in rat central nervous system and periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Waters
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Neurogen Corporation, Branford, CT 06405, USA
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35
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Abstract
A number of studies indicate that galanin (GAL) is a potent modulator of basal acetylcholine release in the rat forebrain e.g. in the cholinergic neurons of the septo-hippocampal projections. Thus, GAL perfused through the microdialysis probe decreased basal acetylcholine release in the ventral hippocampus, while it enhanced acetylcholine release in the dorsal hippocampus. This finding indicates that GAL may act via different mechanisms within the subsystems of the hippocampus. This hypothesis has received support from studies using the Morris swim maze, a learning task dependent on hippocampal mechanisms. GAL (3 nmol/rat) infused into the ventral hippocampus impaired spatial learning acquisition, while it tended to facilitate when injected into the dorsal hippocampus. However, the effects of GAL on acetylcholine release and on spatial learning, which are due to activation of GAL-receptors, appear to be indirectly mediated possibly via noradrenaline transmission. GAL is also a potent inhibitor of mesencephalic 5-HT neurotransmission in vivo. These findings are discussed in relation to the role of acetylcholine and serotonin in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- S O Ogren
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Neurochemistry, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
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36
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Abstract
Galanin was first isolated 15 years ago. Diversity of galanin receptors has been suspected from the study of native tissues and functional responses to galanin and galanin-like peptides in vitro and in vivo. The recent application of molecular biologic techniques to clone galanin receptors has extended this diversity. So far, three galanin receptor subtypes, GALR1, GALR2, and GALR3, have been cloned from both human and rat. Their molecular structure, pharmacologic profiles, tissue distribution, and signal transduction properties have been partially elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Branchek
- Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation, Paramus, New Jersey 07652, USA.
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37
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Ogren SO, Schött PA, Kehr J, Yoshitake T, Misane I, Mannström P, Sandin J. Modulation of acetylcholine and serotonin transmission by galanin. Relationship to spatial and aversive learning. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998; 863:342-63. [PMID: 9928182 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10706.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents evidence that galanin is a potent in vivo modulator of basal acetylcholine release in the rat brain with qualitatively and quantitatively differential effects in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Galanin perfused through the microdialysis probe decreased basal acetylcholine release in the ventral hippocampus, while it enhanced acetylcholine release in the dorsal hippocampus. Galanin (3 nmol/rat) infused into the ventral hippocampus impaired spatial learning acquisition, while it tended to facilitate acquisition when injected into the dorsal hippocampus. These effects appear to be related to activation of GAL-R1 (ventral hippocampus) and GAL-R2 (dorsal hippocampus) receptors, respectively. However, the effects of galanin on acetylcholine release and on spatial learning appear not to be directly related to cholinergic mechanisms, but they may also involve interactions with noradrenaline and/or glutamate transmission. Galanin administered into the lateral ventricle failed to affect acetylcholine release, while this route of administration produced a long-lasting reduction in 5-HT release in the ventral hippocampus, indicating that galanin is a potent inhibitor of mesencephalic 5-HT neurotransmission in vivo. Subsequent studies supported this hypothesis, showing that the effects on 5-HT release in vivo are most likely mediated by a galanin receptor in the dorsal raphe. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the role of acetylcholine in cognitive functions in the forebrain and the role of the raphe 5-HT neurons in affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- S O Ogren
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Pieribone VA, Xu ZQ, Zhang X, Hökfelt T. Electrophysiologic effects of galanin on neurons of the central nervous system. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998; 863:264-73. [PMID: 9928177 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10701.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin is found in a large number of neurons and nerve terminals throughout the nervous system. In nerve terminals, galanin is contained in large dense-core vesicles and is released upon electrical stimulation. A variety of electrophysiologic studies have examined the effects of galanin application onto neurons of the central nervous system. Overall, galanin appears to have inhibitory effects in the central nervous system, causing in most cases a potassium-mediated hyperpolarization accompanied by a decrease in input resistance. Other actions include a reduction in presynaptic excitatory inputs and an interaction with other applied neurotransmitters. These effects are robust and long lasting in most cases. Differences in the responses mediated by the various receptor subtypes have not been explored electrophysiologically. More complete analysis awaits the availability of more potent and specific receptor anatagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Pieribone
- John B. Pierce Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519, USA
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39
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McDonald MP, Gleason TC, Robinson JK, Crawley JN. Galanin inhibits performance on rodent memory tasks. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998; 863:305-22. [PMID: 9928180 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10704.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Central administration of galanin produces performance deficits on a variety of rodent learning and memory tasks. Galanin impairs acquisition and/or retention of the Morris water task, delayed nonmatching to position, T-maze delayed alternation, starburst radial maze, and passive avoidance in normal rats. A primary site of action is the ventral hippocampus, with an additional modulatory site in the medial septum-diagonal band. The behavioral actions of galanin at rat septohippocampal sites mediating cognitive processes are consistent with previous reports of inhibitory actions of galanin on acetylcholine release and cholinergically activated transduction at the M1 muscarinic receptor in rat hippocampus. The peptidergic galanin receptor antagonist M40 blocks the inhibitory actions of galanin on memory tasks. Treatment combinations of M40 with an M1 agonist, TZTP, improves performance on delayed nonmatching to position, in rats with 192IgG-saporin-induced cholinergic lesions of basal forebrain neurons. Nonpeptide, bioavailable, subtype-selective galanin receptor antagonists may provide tools to test the hypothesis that antagonism of endogenous galanin, which is overexpressed in the basal forebrain in Alzheimer's patients, can contribute to the alleviation of the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P McDonald
- Section on Behavioral Neuropharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1375, USA
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40
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Stefani MR, Gold PE. Intra-septal injections of glucose and glibenclamide attenuate galanin-induced spontaneous alternation performance deficits in the rat. Brain Res 1998; 813:50-6. [PMID: 9824666 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(98)00876-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Injection of the neuroactive peptide galanin into the rat hippocampus and medial septal area impairs spatial memory and cholinergic system activity. Conversely, injection of glucose into these same brain regions enhances spatial memory and cholinergic system activity. Glucose and galanin may both modulate neuronal activity via opposing actions at ATP-sensitive K+ (K-ATP) channels. The experiments described in this report tested the ability of glucose and the direct K-ATP channel blocker glibenclamide to attenuate galanin-induced impairments in spontaneous alternation performance in the rat. Intra-septal injection of galanin (2.5 microgram), 30 min prior to plus-maze spontaneous alternation performance, significantly decreased alternation scores compared to those of rats receiving injections of vehicle solution. Co-injection of glucose (20 nmol) or the K-ATP channel blocker glibenclamide (5 nmol) attenuated the galanin-induced performance deficits. Glibenclamide produced an inverted-U dose-response curve in its interaction with galanin, with doses of 0.5 and 10 nmol having no effect on galanin-induced spontaneous alternation deficits. Drug treatments did not alter motor activity, as measured by overall number of arm entries during spontaneous alternation testing, relative to vehicle injected controls. These findings support the hypothesis that, in the septal region, galanin and glucose act via K-ATP channels to modulate neural function and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Stefani
- Neuroscience Graduate Program and Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
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Consolo S, Uboldi MC, Caltavuturo C, Bartfai T. Galanin stimulates the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor/nitric oxide/cyclic GMP pathway in vivo in the rat ventral hippocampus. Neuroscience 1998; 85:819-26. [PMID: 9639275 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(97)00586-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigated whether the neuropeptide galanin affects the nitric oxide synthase/cyclic GMP pathway in rat hippocampus by measuring in vivo the extracellular cyclic GMP levels during microdialysis. Galanin (2.5 and 3.5 nmol; i.c.v.) dose-dependently raised the extracellular levels of cyclic GMP in the ventral but not the dorsal hippocampus. The effect of 3.5 nmol galanin was blocked by local application of tetrodotoxin and inhibited by the high-affinity galanin antagonist M40 (galanin-[1-12]-Pro3-[Ala-Leu]2-Ala amide). The non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist dizocilpine maleate (30 microM infused into the ventral hippocampus or 0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) and the competitive one, 3-([R]-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-phosphonic acid (50 microM infused), but not local perfusion of the AMPA antagonist 6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo(f)quinoxaline-2,3-dione (15 microM) abolished the galanin-evoked cyclic GMP response in the hippocampus. Inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, L-Arg(NO2)-OMe.HCl and 7-nitroindazole monosodium salt, applied locally, blocked the galanin-induced increase in hippocampal extracellular cyclic GMP. This increase was also prevented by local application of 1H-(1,2,4)oxadiazolo(4,3a) quinoxalin-1-one, a selective inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. The galanin receptors mediating the rise in cyclic GMP reside outside the hippocampus, as galanin (0.35-3 nmol) locally applied had no effect. The results provide in vivo evidence that galanin stimulates the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor/nitric oxide synthase/cyclic GMP pathway in the ventral hippocampus, which may be of importance in memory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Consolo
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy
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43
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Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Galanin, a 29-amino acid neuropeptide found in the gastric mucosa, inhibits basal and pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion. Its cellular target is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether galanin inhibits Ca2+ signaling and histamine release in enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells. METHODS Isolated rat ECL cells were purified to 85% homogeneity by a combination of elutriation, density gradient centrifugation, and 48-hour culture. Intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was determined using video imaging with Fura-2 in a 37 degreesC superfusion chamber. Histamine was measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS Reverse-transciption polymerase chain reaction of the ECL cell RNA showed a galanin type I receptor subtype. Galanin inhibited gastrin, Bay K8644, and K+ depolarization-induced calcium mobilization and entry as well as reduced basal calcium levels. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin decreased the effect of galanin. Galanin inhibited basal and gastrin-stimulated histamine release by approximately 60% with a median effective concentration of 1.10(-10) mol/L. The inhibitory actions of galanin on histamine release and Ca2+ influx could be reduced by a galanin antagonist, galantide. CONCLUSIONS Galanin's inhibition of acid secretion can be explained in part by inhibition of calcium signaling and histamine release from the ECL cells due to activation of a Gi,o protein-coupled receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Zeng
- Department of Physiology and Medicine, UCLA, and Wadsworth VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Coadministration of galanin antagonist M40 with a muscarinic M1 agonist improves delayed nonmatching to position choice accuracy in rats with cholinergic lesions. J Neurosci 1998. [PMID: 9634573 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.18-13-05078.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin is overexpressed in the basal forebrain in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In rats, galanin inhibits evoked hippocampal acetylcholine release and impairs performance on several memory tasks, including delayed nonmatching to position (DNMTP). Galanin(1-13)-Pro2-(Ala-Leu)2-Ala-NH2 (M40), a peptidergic galanin receptor ligand, has been shown to block galanin-induced impairment on DNMTP in rats. M40 injected alone, however, does not improve DNMTP choice accuracy deficits in rats with selective cholinergic immunotoxic lesions of the basal forebrain. The present experiments used a strategy of combining M40 with an M1 cholinergic agonist in rats lesioned with the cholinergic immunotoxin 192IgG-saporin. Coadministration of intraventricular M40 with intraperitoneal 3-(3-S-n-pentyl-1,2,5-thiadiazol-4-yl)-1,2,5, 6-tetrahydro-1-methylpyridine (TZTP), an M1 agonist, improved choice accuracy significantly more than a threshold dose of TZTP alone. These results suggest that a galanin antagonist may enhance the efficacy of cholinergic treatments for the cognitive deficits of AD.
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45
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Abstract
Galanin is a hyperpolarizing, inhibitory neurotransmitter; its recognition by seven transmembrane spanning G-protein-coupled receptors leads to a change in accumulation of cAMP (3'5'-cyclic AMP). Different subtypes of galanin receptor and G-proteins could be manifested in the mode of inhibitory action of galanin receptor on the production of cAMP by adenylate cyclase. Galanin analogues, acting at the adenylate cyclase level as subtype-specific galanin antagonists, can selectively block the inhibitory effect of endogenous galanin and thereby have potential as therapeutic agents for several endocrine, neuroendocrine and neuronal disorders. In this review, the latest results in the field of interplay between galanin-initiated signal transduction and the cAMP pathway are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Karelson
- Department of Biochemistry, Tartu University, Estonia
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Barbelivien A, MacKenzie ET, Dauphin F. Autoradiographic mapping of cerebral blood flow responses to cholinergic stimulation of the rat substantia innominata: modulatory effect of galanin. Brain Res 1998; 789:92-100. [PMID: 9602077 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(98)00022-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In order to analyze the precise cerebrovascular effects of a specific cholinergic stimulation of the rat substantia innominata and their modulation by galanin, cerebral blood flow was measured by the [14C]-iodoantipyrine autoradiographic method in anesthetized (urethane and alpha-chloralose), artificially ventilated male Sprague-Dawley rats that received a microinjection into the substantia innominata of saline (n = 7), or 63 pmol of galanin (n = 8), or 50 nmoles of carbachol (n = 6) or a coinjection of carbachol and galanin (n = 8). Significant carbachol-induced cerebral blood flow increases were noted in ipsilateral cortices (+36%, p < 0.01 in the cingulate to +82%, p < 0.01 in the parietal somatosensory cortices), but also in ipsilateral hippocampus and ipsilateral thalamus. These cerebral blood flow increases were abolished by the coinjection of carbachol and galanin, while infusions of galanin alone failed to affect cerebral blood flow. Cholinergic stimulation of the substantia innominata represents thus a good model for the analysis of the detailed pharmacological properties of the cholinergic vasodilatatory basalocortical system. The existence of an inhibitory galaninergic modulation of this system could be of particular interest, in terms of cerebrovascular reactivity, in various neurodegenerative states.
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Tseng JY, Kolb PE, Raskind MA, Miller MA. Estrogen regulates galanin but not tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in the rat locus ceruleus. BRAIN RESEARCH. MOLECULAR BRAIN RESEARCH 1997; 50:100-6. [PMID: 9406923 DOI: 10.1016/s0169-328x(97)00164-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide galanin (GAL) is coexpressed by the majority of noradrenergic neurons in the rat locus ceruleus (LC) and may function as an inhibitory modulator of noradrenergic transmission. Because estrogen has been shown to induce GAL expression in other brain regions and modulate noradrenergic transmission, we used in situ hybridization histochemistry to assess the effects of chronic estrogen treatment on GAL and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene expression in the LC of ovariectomized female rats. We found that GAL mRNA levels were significantly elevated in rats implanted with a Silastic capsule containing estradiol compared to sham-implanted controls. Both the average optical density (P < or = 0.05) and the labelling area (P < or = 0.007) differed significantly between the groups. In contrast, TH gene expression measured in alternate brain sections did not differ between the groups. If GAL functions as an inhibitory modulator of noradrenergic transmission as postulated, these findings suggest that chronic estrogen treatment could reduce the noradrenergic tone of the brain in the absence of significant alterations in TH expression by enhancing the level of cosecreted GAL.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Y Tseng
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA
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Berthold M, Kahl U, Juréus A, Kask K, Nordvall G, Langel U, Bartfai T. Mutagenesis and ligand modification studies on galanin binding to its GTP-binding-protein-coupled receptor GalR1. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1997; 249:601-6. [PMID: 9370372 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1997.00601.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a large number of receptor mutants were generated and several N-terminally modified galanin analogues synthesized to refine the previously proposed binding site model for galanin to its GTP-binding-protein-coupled receptor GalR1. In addition to ligand-binding studies, the functionality of mutant receptors was evaluated by assessing their ability to mediate galaninergic inhibition of isoproterenol-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. The His264Ala and Phe282Ala receptor mutants, although deficient in binding in the concentration range of galanin used, remain functional albeit 20-fold less efficient than the wild-type receptor in mediating inhibition of stimulated cAMP production by galanin. The His267Ala mutant is, apart from being deficient in galanin binding, also severely impaired in functional coupling. While His264 and Phe282 seem to be important in forming the binding pocket for galanin, His267 might play a role in forming or stabilizing the active conformation of the GalR1 receptor rather than directly participating in the formation of the binding pocket for galanin. N-terminal carboxylic acid analogues of galanin have low affinity to wild-type GalR1, but substantially increased affinity to the Glu271Lys receptor mutant. This, together with the finding that an alanine substitution of Phe115 in TM III results in a tenfold decrease in affinity for galanin, suggests that the N-terminus of galanin interacts with Phe115. In contrast to the Phe282Ala mutation in TM VII, a conservative mutation of Phe282 to tyrosine did not alter the affinity for galanin. Thus, the interaction between Tyr9 of galanin and Phe282 is likely to be of an aromatic-aromatic nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Berthold
- Department of Neurochemistry and Neurotoxicology, Stockholm University, Sweden
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Dutriez I, Lagny-Pourmir I, Epelbaum J, Beauvillain JC. Ultrastructural localization of galanin and galanin receptors in the guinea pig median eminence. Brain Res 1997; 753:36-46. [PMID: 9125429 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(96)01487-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to compare the localization of galanin and galanin receptors in the guinea pig median eminence at the light and electron microscopic level. Concerning galanin the highest labeling was shown in the external part of the median eminence. At the ultrastructural level, galanin immunoreactivity was observed only in nerve terminals containing granular vesicles of approximately 120 nm in diameter. Light microscopic autoradiographs of semithin sections exhibited a moderate labeling in the external part of the median eminence. Galanin receptors were labeled in vitro on semithin sections (2 microm) using the highly specific radioligand [125I]galanin. Ultrastructural data showed that most of galanin binding sites overlaid membrane appositions between nerve terminals and also between nerve terminal and tanycyte. By considering the percentages in the distribution of the binding it appeared that galanin receptors were located on some nerve ending membranes. Our observations were not really in favor of a presence of receptors in tanycytes. The presence of galanin nerve endings in the external part suggests that like in the rat the peptide may have a direct hypophysiotrophic role. In contrast, the occurrence of numerous binding sites gives additional arguments in favor of a local action (paracrine and/or autocrine) of galanin occurring via galanin receptors located essentially on the pericapillary nerve terminals in the guinea pig median eminence.
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Yang N, Chan S, Chan J. Participation of Galaninergic Neurotransmission at the Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus in the Suppression of Baroreceptor Reflex Response by Locus ceruleus in the Rat. J Biomed Sci 1997; 4:91-97. [PMID: 11725139 DOI: 10.1007/bf02255599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the potential participation of galanin (GAL) at the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN) in the suppression of baroreceptor reflex (BRR) response by locus ceruleus (LC), using adult male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. Microinjection of GAL (100 pmol) bilaterally into the PVN significantly depressed the BRR response. This suppressive effect was appreciably antagonized when GAL (100 pmol) and GAL antiserum (1:20) were coadministered into the bilateral PVN. Whereas bilateral microinjection of GAL antiserum into the PVN by itself elicited minimal effect, it nevertheless significantly attenuated the suppressive effect of either electrical or chemical activation of LC on the BRR response. Pretreatment with the same amount of normal rabbit serum (1:20), on the other hand, was ineffective. These results suggest that a galaninergic projection from the LC to PVN may participate in the suppression of BRR response by this dorsal pontine nucleus. Copyright 1997 S. Karger AG, Basel
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Affiliation(s)
- N.C. Yang
- Department of Medical Research, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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