Department of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure

Scientific profile

About department
Employees
Laboratories

Research profile

The research interests of the Department of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure are centered on neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Specifically, our investigations are aimed at identifying the neural substrates underlying behavioral deficits typical for schizophrenia and the discovery of novel potential targets for antipsychotic substances. Another important aspect of our research involves environmental factors (early life stress, enriched environment) that influence brain development and its susceptibility to mental disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, cognitive deficits and depression.

Research methods

Behavioral: neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia, experimental models of stress – maternal separation in the postnatal period, fear conditioning paradigm – the acquisition, retention and extinction of memory traces, sensory motor gating paradigm, novel object recognition test, delayed alternation test, social interaction test, food-preference test, latent inhibition test.

Immunohistochemistry and neuroanatomy: brain tissue staining for identification of specific proteins and their colocalization – microscopic techniques based on light microscopy, fluorescence and laser confocal microscopy, stereological techniques. Stereotactic and iontophoretic techniques of retrograde marker delivery. Methods to assess adult brain neurogenesis.

Biochemistry and molecular biology: protein expression: Western blot, ELISA, protein macroarrays; Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription, chromatin precipitation.
Electrophysiology: in vitro measurements of long-term synaptic potentiation and depression.

Professor Marzena Maćkowiak, dr hab.

Head

+48 12 6623262

mackow@if-pan.krakow.pl

room 237

Pracownicy zakładu

Pracownicy pracowni

Zofia Rogóż, dr hab.

+48 12 6623279

rogoz@if-pan.krakow.pl

room 103

Professor Krystyna Gołembiowska, dr hab.

+48 12 6623211

nfgolemb@cyf-kr.edu.pl

room Ojcowska

Izabela Szpręgiel, dr

szpreg@if-pan.krakow.pl

Agnieszka Bysiek, mgr

+48 12 6623211

bysiek@if-pan.krakow.pl

room Ojcowska

Beata Zemła

+48 12 6623211

zemla@if-pan.krakow.pl

room 232

Achievements

Publications
Grants

Grant

The role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathomechanisms of early-life stressinduced dysfunction of the prefronatal cortex and in the mechanisms of action of fluoxetine in children and adolescents

Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD

Grant

Impact of early-life stress on maturation, permeability of blood brain-barrier and neuroinflammatory processes activation during ontogenetic development

Anna Solarz-Andrzejewska, PhD

Grant

Wpływ wczesnego stresu postnatalnego (separacja od matki) i fluktuacji poziomu kortykosteronu w okresie adolescencji na procesy plastyczności i funkcje kory przedczołowej. Preludium 9, 2015/17/N/NZ4/02800, 2016-2018 – opiekun naukowy

Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD

Grant

"Depresja - mechanizmy - terapia" - zadanie 2.1: „Zmiany plastyczne kory mózgu jako czynnik ryzyka zapadalności na choroby schizoafektywne”. POIG.01.01.02-12-004/09-00, 2010-2014 - kierownik zadania 2.1

Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD

Grant

Wpływ wczesnego stresu (izolacja od matki) na dojrzewanie układu dopaminowego i jego funkcjonowanie w wieku młodzieńczym i dorosłym. Nr N401 154 31/3361, 2006-2009, MNiSW – kierownik

Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD

Grant

Wpływ stresu separacji od matki na formowanie śladów pamięciowych w korze przedczołowej oraz poszukiwanie ich neurochemicznych korelatów. Nr N401 144538, 2010-2013, MNiSW – główny wykonawca

Agnieszka Chocyk, PhD

The Trace Kynurenine, Cinnabarinic Acid, Displays Potent Antipsychotic-Like Activity in Mice and Its Levels Are Reduced in the Prefrontal Cortex of Individuals Affected by Schizophrenia.

DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbaa074

Simultaneous activation of mGlu<inf>2</inf> and muscarinic receptors reverses MK-801-induced cognitive decline in rodents

Cieślik, P., Domin, H., Chocyk, A., Gruca, P., Litwa, E., Płoska, A., Radulska, A., Pelikant-Małecka, I., Brański, P., Kalinowski, L., Wierońska, J.M.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107866

The impact of early-life stress on corticosteroid carrier protein levels and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 expression in adolescent rats

Majcher-Maślanka, I., Solarz, A., Chocyk, A.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2018.11.003

Maternal separation disturbs postnatal development of the medial prefrontal cortex and affects the number of neurons and glial cells in adolescent rats

Majcher-Maślanka, I., Solarz, A., Chocyk, A.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.10.033

Previous Early-life Stress Modifies Acute Corticosterone-induced Synaptic Plasticity in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex of Adolescent Rats

Majcher-Maślanka, I., Solarz, A., Wędzony, K., Chocyk, A.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.038

Early-life stress increases the survival of midbrain neurons during postnatal development and enhances reward-related and anxiolytic-like behaviors in a sex-dependent fashion

Chocyk, A., Majcher-Maślanka, I., Przyborowska, A., Maćkowiak, M., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2015.05.002

The effects of early-life adversity on fear memories in adolescent rats and their persistence into adulthood

Chocyk, A., Przyborowska, A., Makuch, W., Majcher-Maślanka, I., Dudys, D., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.01.040

Early-life stress affects the structural and functional plasticity of the medial prefrontal cortex in adolescent rats

Chocyk, A., Bobula, B., Dudys, D., Przyborowska, A., Majcher-Maślanka, I., Hess, G., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12208

Potential roles of NCAM/PSA-NCAM proteins in depression and the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs

Wêdzony, K., Chocyk, A., Maækowiak, M.

DOI: 10.1016/S1734-1140(13)71507-X

Impact of early-life stress on the medial prefrontal cortex functions-a search for the pathomechanisms of anxiety and mood disorders

Chocyk, A., Majcher-Maoelanka, I., Dudys, D., Przyborowska, A., Wêdzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/S1734-1140(13)71506-8

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Scientific profile

Research profile