Departments and Laboratories: The City Hall Tower (Cracow) Photo: M. Lenczowski

Department of Brain Biochemistry | Scope of Research | Methods | Cooperation | Research Staff | Head: Prof. Irena Nalepa Phone: (+48 12) 66 23 316 E-mail: nfnalepa@cyf-kr.edu.pl Scope of Research: DEPRESSION the effect of antidepressants on the expression of various alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes; changes in the immune system induced by antidepressant treatments; G protein expression in animal models of depression. ADDICTION the molecular correlates of drug dependence; neurochemical and molecular mechanisms of action of potential addictive and antiaddictive drugs; G protein expression in animal models of addiction. Back to Top Methods Behavioural: a computerized locomotor activity test; animal models of drug tolerance and dependence (behavioral sensitization); atests for antidepressant activity (forced swim test); instrumental treatments - electroconvulsive shock. Biochemical: assay of generation of second messengers in brain slices (cyclic AMP and inositol phosphates); measurement of gene expression and transcription (a quantitative and qualitative assay of mRNA expression: isolation and separation of nucleic acid's, primer's design, the radioisotope labelling of cDNA probes, Northern blot, reverse transcription - real-time polymerase chain reaction [RT-qPCR], RT-competitive PCR [RT-cPCR], multiplex RT-PCR); electrophoresis of proteins and Western blot analyses; radioligand binding assay; receptor autoradiography; computer image analysis; thymocyte and splenocyte culturing and proliferation assay; estimation of the metabolic activity of macrophages. Back to Top International Cooperation The Department cooperates with: the CNR Institute of Neuroscience in Rome (Italy) - CNS physiology and dysfunction models: molecular, neurochemical and psychopharmacological investigations;; the Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville (USA) - studies on the molecular mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell I, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg (Germany) - studies on the molecular mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases. Back to Top Research Staff: Name E-mail Phone (+4812) Prof. Jerzy Vetulani nfvetula@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 232 Dr Grzegorz Kreiner kreiner@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 335 Dr Adam Roman roman@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 381 Dr Agnieszka Zelek-Molik zelek@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 335 Adam Bielawski, M.Sc. bielaw@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 245 Marta Kowalska, M.Sc. kowalska@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 245 PhD Students: Name E-mail Phone (+4812) Piotr Chmielarz, M.Sc. chmiel@if-pan.krakow.pl 66 23 245 Engineers, Technicians, and Other Employees: Name E-mail Phone (+4812) Marta Stypuła --- 66 23 208

Last updated: Cracow, October, 2009 by Wojciech Zajaczkowski