STUDYING THE ACTION OF PSYCHO-DRUGS IN ANIMAL MODELS OF DEPRESSION AND PAIN IN KNOCKOUT MICE FOR THE MU-OPIOID RECEPTOR AND IN KNOCKOUT MICE FOR THE NFAT TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR .; STUDY THE COOPERATION OF SYNERGIC MECHANISMS BETWEEN OPIOIDS.
1) Animal models of disease: These include pharmacologic-, neurodevelopmental and genetically-induced alterations in rodents developing phenotypes resembling either individual or multiple symptoms associated with particular neurologic or psychiatric disorders (pain, depresssion, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism..)
2) Animal Behavior and Other In Vivo Assays: Behavioral tests in rodents, electrophysiology, modulation of gene expression in rodent brain (DREADD (Designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs))
3)Molecular and Cellular Biology: Quantitative RT-PCR system, Protein analysis (ELISA, Western blotting), Histopathology, Immunohistochemistry, Neuronal cultures derived from human olfactory neuroepithelium