Neuroscience
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Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and prostaglandin (PG) D2 are endogenous sleep-promoting substances. Since it was reported that a highly selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, NS398, completely inhibited IL-1β-induced sleep in rats, IL-1β-induced sleep had been believed to be mediated by prostanoids, most probably PGD2. ⋯ Meanwhile, IL-1β at doses of 1.7 and 5μg/kg also significantly increased NREM sleep for 6h after intraperitoneal injection at 20:00 (light-off time) by 76.8% and 121.1%, respectively, in wild-type (WT) mice, by 67.7% and 147.3%, respectively, in WT mice pretreated with NS398 (5mg/kg) and by 108.9% and 121.6%, respectively, in PGD2 receptor (DP1R) knockout mice. These results indicate that IL-1β-induced NREM sleep is independent of the PGD2/DP1R system and other COX-2-derived prostaglandins in rats and mice.
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Gambling Disorder (GD) is characterized by excessive gambling despite adverse consequences on individual functioning. In spite of some positive findings, it is difficult to draw any conclusion on the genetics of GD. Indeed, beyond DNA sequence variation, other regulatory mechanisms (like those that engage epigenetics) may explain gene alterations in this addictive disease. ⋯ The exposure to such operant task (compared to home-cage alone) modulated ventrostriatal but not prefrontal genes. A consistent increase of DNA methylation, in one specific CpG site at serotonin transporter gene, was evident in prefrontal cortex of "gambler" rats. Elucidation of epigenetic changes occurring during GD progression may pave the way to the development of new therapeutic strategies through specific modulation of epigenetic factors.