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

Cocaine decreases the expression of PSA-NCAM protein and attenuates long-term potentiation via glucocorticoid receptors in the rat dentate gyrus

Maćkowiak, M., Grzegorzewska, M., Budziszewska, B., Chocyk, A., Hess, G., Wȩdzony, K.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06255.x

Impact of postnatal blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors on rat behavior: A search for a new developmental model of schizophrenia

Wedzony, K., Fijal, K., Mackowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Zajaczkowski, W.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.03.016

Glutamatergic neurons of rat medial prefrontal cortex innervating the ventral tegmental area are positive for serotonin 5-HT1A receptor protein

Wedzony, K., Chocyk, A., Kolasiewicz, W., Maćkowiak, M.

DOI:

The effect of 'binge' cocaine administration on the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 and its activator p35 in various regions of rat brain

Wȩdzony, K., Markowicz-Kula, K., Chocyk, A., Fijał, K., Maćkowiak, M.

DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2005.09.034

Blockade of NMDA receptors in postnatal period decreased density of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive axonal arbors in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult rats

Wȩdzony, K., Fijał, K., Chocyk, A.

DOI:

Regulation of α-synuclein expression in limbic and motor brain regions of morphine-treated mice

Ziolkowska, B., Gieryk, A., Bilecki, W., Wawrzczak-Bargiela, A., Wedzony, K., Chocyk, A., Danielson, P.E., Thomas, E.A., Hilbush, B.S., Sutcliffe, J.G., Przewlocki, R.

DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4376-04.2005

Serotonin 5-HT1A receptors might control the output of cortical glutamatergic neurons in rat cingulate cortex

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

DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(03)03352-3

Role of glucocorticoids in the regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission

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

DOI:

Different pattern of brain c-Fos expression following re-exposure to ethanol or sucrose self-administration environment

Wedzony, K., Koros, E., Czyrak, A., Chocyk, A., Czepiel, K., Fijal, K., Mackowiak, M., Rogowski, A., Kostowski, W., Bienkowski, P.

DOI: 10.1007/s00210-003-0811-7

Endomorphin-2, deltorphin II and their analogs suppress formalin-induced nociception and c-Fos expression in the rat spinal cord

Labuz, D., Chocyk, A., Wedzony, K., Toth, G., Przewlocka, B.

DOI: 10.1016/S0024-3205(03)00309-6

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Scientific profile

Research profile