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

Maternal separation affects the number, proliferation and apoptosis of glia cells in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area of juvenile rats

Chocyk, A., Dudys, D., Przyborowska, A., Majcher, I., Maćkowiak, M., Weogonekdzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.11.037

The impact of maternal separation on the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-expressing midbrain neurons during different stages of ontogenesis

Chocyk, A., Przyborowska, A., Dudys, D., Majcher, I., Maćkowiak, M., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.008

Impact of maternal separation on neural cell adhesion molecules expression in dopaminergic brain regions of juvenile, adolescent and adult rats

Chocyk, A., Dudys, D., Przyborowska, A., Maćkowiak, M., Wȩdzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/S1734-1140(10)70385-6

Cannabinoid CB1 receptors in rat medial prefrontal cortex are colocalized with calbindin- but not parvalbumin- and calretinin-positive GABA-ergic neurons

Wȩdzony, K., Chocyk, A.

DOI: 10.1016/S1734-1140(09)70161-6

Repeated risperidone treatment increases the expression of NCAM and PSA-NCAM protein in the rat medial prefrontal cortex

Maćkowiak, M., Dudys, D., Chocyk, A., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2008.10.001

Peripheral antinociceptive effects of MC4 receptor antagonists in a rat model of neuropathic pain - A biochemical and behavioral study

Starowicz, K., Mousa, S.A., Obara, I., Chocyk, A., Przewłocki, R., Wȩdzony, K., Machelska, H., Przewłocka, B.

DOI: 10.1016/S1734-1140(09)70171-9

Activation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors impairs memory consolidation and hippocampal polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule expression in contextual fear conditioning

Maćkowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Dudys, D., Wedzony, K.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.11.037

Detrimental effect of postnatal blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors on sensorimotor gating is reversed by neuroleptic drugs

Wedzony, K., Fijał, K., Maćkowiak, M., Chocyk, A.

DOI:

A search for colocalization of serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT1A receptors in the rat medial prefrontal and entorhinal cortices - Immunohistochemical studies

Wȩdzony, K., Chocyk, A., Maćkowiak, M.

DOI:

Dopamine D1-like receptors agonist SKF 38393 increases cFos expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus - Impact of acute and chronic cocaine

Chocyk, A., Czyrak, A., Wȩdzony, K.

DOI:

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Scientific profile

Research profile