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The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC) on exploratory behaviour and memory, independent of its locomotor suppressive effects. Dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) contents were determined in the areas of the brain directly related to such behaviours (hippocampus, striatum and amygdala). An acute dose of delta9-THC led to a decrease in exploratory parameters and motor activity during the holeboard test. The radial arm maze was used to evaluate the effects of this cannabinoid substance on memory. Animals treated with delta9-THC committed more errors in the maze test compared to control, particularly when the retention process was put to test. Furthermore, treatment with delta9-THC led to reduced NA contents in the hippocampus and increased DA contents in the amygdala, without changes in the striatum.

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communicated over a distance of 500 m (i.e. the length of the microgroove barrier). Finally, we showed the presence of intense cofilin staining in the human DS brain, similar to that previously reported in the AD brain. We speculate that A␤-mediated cofilinactin rod formation and disruption of neurotrophin retrograde transport may act to impact both the early developmental and later degenerative features of DS.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impaired social interaction, communication and stereotyped behaviour.Whether there are differences in the early developmental abilities of children with ASD and whether those differences in a specific period of time might predict verbal development, are questions of continued debate in research and that also emerged from our clinical experience.In this study, the goal is understand if there is any marker in the developmental/cognitive profile that can predict later verbal development.34 ASD subjects were assessed with Griffiths Scale of Mental Development at pre-school (PSA) and school age (SA). To find a marker in the developmental profile, Global Developmental Quotient (GDQ), Language Developmental Quotient (LDQ) and Performance Developmental Quotient (PDQ) were analysed at both periods. At SA we stratified the sample as nonverbal (NV) and verbal (V).At pre-school assessment (26 M/8F; median age 49 M) all children were NV and had a median GDQ = 60. The PDQ median value was higher than median LDQ (p < 0.001). At the school period assessment (median age 81 M) the median GDQ and median PDQ were similar to the first assessment, but the language development had increased significantly LDQ (p = 0.001), as expected, since 17 children had become verbal.We compared the developmental profile at PSA between NV/V SA children. At PSA both subgroups had low LDQ as expected, but they were very different in PDQ (p < 0.001). At SA the verbal subgroup had a marked improvement in the LDQ (p < 0.001), but the PDQ remained equal (p = 0.522). At the non verbal subgroup the results of LDQ and PDQ did not experience any change.These findings demonstrate that in non verbal preschool ASD children normal or near normal PDQ may be an index that verbal acquisition will appear. These preliminary findings should be replicated in a larger sample.Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is one of the major causes of mortality and chronic neurological diseases in newborns that can show permanent effects as mental retardation, learning difficulty, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. These prejudices may be related to a delay in neural development, astrogliosis and to death of neurons and oligodendrocytes. Some of the cognitive deficits may be related to impairments in hippocampal complex (HC). Nitric oxide (NO) is a diffusible gas produced by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), having a physiological role in synaptic plasticity and modulation of neural transmission but also may cause cell death in CNS under pathological conditions. In this study we evaluate the effects of HI in NO...