RAQUEL CHACON RUIZ MARTINEZ
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
Instituto de Psiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
LIM/23 - Laboratório de Psicopatologia e Terapêutica Psiquiátrica, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
LIM/23 - Laboratório de Psicopatologia e Terapêutica Psiquiátrica, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
13 resultados
Resultados de Busca
Agora exibindo 1 - 10 de 13
- Long-Term Follow-Up on Bilateral Posterior Hypothalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Treating Refractory Aggressive Behavior in a Patient with Cri du Chat Syndrome: Analysis of Clinical Data, Intraoperative Microdialysis, and Imaging Connectomics(2023) RIOS, Adriana Lucia Lopez; GERMANN, Jurgen; HUTCHISON, William D.; POSADA, Luis Fernando Botero; VELASQUEZ, Luisa Fernanda Ahunca; JIMENEZ, Francisco Aureliano Garcia; ESCOBAR, Jose Miguel Gloria; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon Ruiz; HAMANI, Clement; LEBRUN, Ivo; AUADA, Aline V. V.; BRAVO, Carlos Anibal Restrepo; GOUVEIA, Flavia VenetucciPosterior hypothalamic-deep brain stimulation (pHyp-DBS) has been reported as a successful treatment for reducing refractory aggressive behaviors in patients with distinct primary diagnoses. Here, we report on a patient with cri du chat syndrome presenting severe self-injury and aggressive behaviors toward others, who was treated with pHyp-DBS. Positive results were observed at long-term follow-up in aggressive behavior and quality of life. Intraoperative microdialysis and imaging connectomics analysis were performed to investigate possible mechanisms of action. Our results suggest the involvement of limbic and motor areas and alterations in main neurotransmitter levels in the targeted area that are associated with positive results following treatment.
- Bilateral Amygdala Radio-Frequency Ablation for Refractory Aggressive Behavior Alters Local Cortical Thickness to a Pattern Found in Non-refractory Patients(2021) GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; GERMANN, Jurgen; DEVENYI, Gabriel A.; FONOFF, Erich T.; MORAIS, Rosa M. C. B.; BRENTANI, Helena; CHAKRAVARTY, M. Mallar; MARTINEZ, Raquel C. R.Aggressive behaviors comprise verbal and/or physical aggression directed toward oneself, others, or objects and are highly prevalent among psychiatric patients, especially patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and severe intellectual disabilities. Some of these patients are considered refractory to treatment, and functional neurosurgery targeting the amygdala can result in widespread plastic brain changes that might reflect ceasing of some abnormal brain function, offering symptom alleviation. This study investigated cortical thickness changes in refractory aggressive behavior patients that were treated with bilateral amygdala ablation and compared to control patients presenting non-refractory aggressive behavior [three refractory and seven non-refractory patients, all males diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities]. The Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) was used to quantify behavior and magnetic resonance imaging was performed to investigate cortical thickness. Before surgery, both groups presented similar total OAS score, however refractory patients presented higher physical aggression against others. After surgery the refractory group showed 88% average reduction of aggressive behavior. Imaging analysis showed that while refractory patients present an overall reduction in cortical thickness compared to non-refractory patients across both timepoints, the local pattern of thickness difference found in areas of the neurocircuitry of aggressive behavior present before surgery is diminished and no longer detected after surgery. These results corroborate the hypotheses on induction of widespread neuronal plasticity following functional neurosurgical procedures resulting in modifications in brain morphology and improvement in behavior. Further studies are necessary to determine the underlying cause of these morphological changes and to better understand and improve treatment options.
- Does TRODAT-1 SPECT Uptake Correlate with Cerebrospinal Fluid alpha-Synuclein Levels in Mid-Stage Parkinson's Disease?(2023) COUTINHO, Artur M.; GHILARDI, Maria Gabriela; CAMPOS, Ana Carolina P.; ETCHEBEHERE, Elba; FONOFF, Fernanda C.; CURY, Rubens G.; PAGANO, Rosana L.; MARTINEZ, Raquel C. R.; FONOFF, Erich T.Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons with impaired motor and non-motor symptoms. It has been suggested that motor asymmetry could be caused due to an imbalance in dopamine levels, as visualized by dopamine transporter single emission computed tomography test (DAT-SPECT), which might be related to indirect measures of neurodegeneration, evaluated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and alpha-synuclein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Therefore, this study aimed to understand the correlation between disease laterality, DAT-SPECT, cognition, and alpha-synuclein levels in PD. Methods: A total of 28 patients in the moderate-advanced stage of PD were subjected to neurological evaluation, TRODAT-1-SPECT/CT imaging, MOCA, and quantification of the levels of alpha-synuclein. Results: We found that alpha-synuclein in the CSF was correlated with global cognition (positive correlation, r(2) = 0.3, p = 0.05) and DAT-SPECT concentration in the putamen (positive correlation, r(2) = 0.4, p = 0.005), and striatum (positive correlation, r(2) = 0.2, p = 0.03), thus working as a neurodegenerative biomarker. No other correlations were found between DAT-SPECT, CSF alpha-synuclein, and cognition, thus suggesting that they may be lost with disease progression. Conclusions: Our data highlight the importance of understanding the dysfunction of the dopaminergic system in the basal ganglia and its complex interactions in modulating cognition.
- Habenula activation patterns in a preclinical model of neuropathic pain accompanied by depressive-like behaviour(2022) ANTUNES, Geiza Fernanda; CAMPOS, Ana Carolina Pinheiro; ASSIS, Danielle Varin de; GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; SENO, Midia Dias de Jesus; PAGANO, Rosana Lima; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon RuizPain and depression are complex disorders that frequently co-occur, resulting in diminished quality of life. The habenula is an epithalamic structure considered to play a pivotal role in the neurocircuitry of both pain and depression. The habenula can be divided into two major areas, the lateral and medial habenula, that can be further subdivided, resulting in 6 main subregions. Here, we investigated habenula activation patterns in a rat model of neuropathic pain with accompanying depressive-like behaviour. Wistar rats received active surgery for the development of neuropathic pain (chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve; CCI), sham surgery (surgical control), or no surgery (behavioural control). All animals were evaluated for mechanical nociceptive threshold using the paw pressure test and depressive-like behaviour using the forced swimming test, followed by evaluation of the immunoreactivity to cFos-a marker of neuronal activity-in the habenula and subregions. The Open Field Test was used to evaluate locomotor activity. Animals with peripheral neuropathy (CCI) showed decreased mechanical nociceptive threshold and increased depressive-like behaviour compared to control groups. The CCI group presented decreased cFos immunoreactivity in the total habenula, total lateral habenula and lateral habenula subregions, compared to controls. No difference was found in cFos immunoreactivity in the total medial habenula, however when evaluating the subregions of the medial habenula, we observed distinct activation patterns, with increase cFos immunoreactivity in the superior subregion and decrease in the central subregion. Taken together, our data suggest an involvement of the habenula in neuropathic pain and accompanying depressive-like behaviour.
- Increased Anxiety-Like Behavior in the Acute Phase of a Preclinical Model of Periodontal Disease(2020) VAROTTO, Bruna Luiza Roim; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon Ruiz; GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; ANTUNES, Geiza Fernanda; FABRI, Gisele Maria de Campos; BALLESTER, Gerson; ANTEQUERA, Reynaldo; SIQUEIRA, Silvia Regina Dowgan Tesseroli de; FONOFF, Erich Talamoni; TEIXEIRA, Manoel Jacobsen; SIQUEIRA, Jose Tadeu Tesseroli dePeriodontal disease (PD) is an infectious-inflammatory oral disease that is highly prevalent among adolescence and adulthood and can lead to chronic orofacial pain and be associated with anxiety, stress and depression. This study aimed to identify anxiety-like behaviors in the ligature-induced murine preclinical model of PD in different phases of the disease (i.e., acute vs. chronic). Also, we investigated orofacial mechanical allodynia thresholds and superficial cortical plasticity along the orofacial motor cortex in both disease phases. To this aim, 25 male Wistar rats were randomly allocated in acute (14 days) or chronic (28 days) ligature-induced-PD groups and further divided into active-PD or sham-PD. Anxiety-like behavior was evaluated using the elevated plus maze, mechanical allodynia assessed using the von Frey filaments test and superficial motor cortex mapping was performed with electrical transdural stimulation. We observed increased anxiety-like behavior in active-PD animals in the acute phase, characterized by decreased number of entries into the open arm extremities [t((1,7)) = 2.42, p = 0.04], and reduced time spent in the open arms [t((1,7)) = 3.56, p = 0.01] and in the open arm extremities [t((1,7)) = 2.75, p = 0.03]. There was also a reduction in the mechanical allodynia threshold in all active-PD animals [Acute: t((1,7)) = 8.81, p < 0.001; Chronic: t((1,6)) = 60.0, p < 0.001], that was positively correlated with anxiety-like behaviors in the acute group. No differences were observed in motor cortex mapping. Thus, our findings show the presence of anxiety-like behaviors in the acute phase of PD making this a suitable model to study the impact of anxiety in treatment response and treatment efficacy.
- Dopamine modulates individual differences in avoidance behavior: A pharmacological, immunohistochemical, neurochemical and volumetric investigation(2020) ANTUNES, Geiza Fernanda; GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; REZENDE, Fabiana Strambio; SENO, Midia Dias de Jesus; CARVALHO, Milene Cristina de; OLIVEIRA, Caroline Cruz de; SANTOS, Lennon Cardoso Tosati dos; CASTRO, Marina Correia de; KUROKI, Mayra Akemi; TEIXEIRA, Manoel Jacobsen; OTOCH, Jose Pinhata; BRANDAO, Marcus Lira; FONOFF, Erich Talamoni; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon RuizAvoidance behavior is a hallmark in pathological anxiety disorders and results in impairment of daily activities. Individual differences in avoidance responses are critical in determining vulnerability or resistance to anxiety disorders. Dopaminergic activation is implicated in the processing of avoidance responses; however, the mechanisms underlying these responses are unknown. In this sense, we used a preclinical model of avoidance behavior to investigate the possibility of an intrinsic differential dopaminergic pattern between good and poor performers. The specific goal was to assess the participation of dopamine (DA) through pharmacological manipulation, and we further evaluated the effects of systemic injections of the dopaminergic receptor type 1 (D1 antagonist - SCH23390) and dopaminergic receptor type 2 (D2 antagonist - sulpiride) antagonists in the good performers. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of intra-amygdala microinjection of a D1 antagonist (SCH23390) and a D2 antagonist (sulpiride) in good performers as well as intra-amygdala microinjection of a D1 agonist (SKF38393) and D2 agonist (quinpirole) in poor performers. Furthermore, we quantified the contents of dopamine and metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA)) in the amygdala, evaluated the basal levels of tyrosine hydroxylase expression (catecholamine synthesis enzyme) and measured the volume of the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area and locus coeruleus. Our results showed that it could be possible to convert animals from good to poor performers, and vice versa, by intra-amygdala (basolateral and central nucleus) injections of D1 receptor antagonists in good performers or D2 receptor agonists in poor performers. Additionally, the good performers had lower levels of DOPAC and HVA in the amygdala, an increase in the total volume of the amygdala (AMG), substantia nigra (SN), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and locus coeruleus (LC), and an increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in SN, VTA and LC, which positively correlates with the avoidance behavior. Taken together, our data show evidence for a dopaminergic signature of avoidance performers, emphasizing the role of distinct dopaminergic receptors in individual differences in avoidance behavior based on pharmacological, immunohistochemical, neurochemical and volumetric analyses. Our findings provide a better understanding of the role of the dopaminergic system in the execution of avoidance behavior.
- One year follow-up on a randomized study investigating serratus anterior muscle and pectoral nerves type I block to reduced neuropathic pain descriptors after mastectomy(2023) FLORES, Eva M. M.; GOUVEIA, Flavia V. V.; MATSUMOTO, Marcio; BONACIF, Tomas H. F. S.; KUROKI, Mayra A. A.; ANTUNES, Geiza Fernanda; CAMPOS, Ana Carolina P.; KIMACHI, Pedro P. P.; CAMPOS, Diego O. O.; SIMOES, Claudia M. M.; SAMPAIO, Marcelo M. C.; ANDRADE, Felipe E. M.; VALVERDE, Joao; BARROS, Alfredo C. S. D.; PAGANO, Rosana L. L.; MARTINEZ, Raquel C. R.Breast cancer is the second most common diagnosed type of cancer in women. Chronic neuropathic pain after mastectomy occurs frequently and is a serious health problem. In our previous single-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical study, we demonstrated that the combination of serratus anterior plane block (SAM) and pectoral nerve block type I (PECS I) with general anesthesia reduced acute postoperative pain. The present report describes a prospective follow-up study of this published study to investigate the development of chronic neuropathic pain 12 months after mastectomy by comparing the use of general anesthesia alone and general anesthesia with SAM + PECS I. Additionally, the use of analgesic medication, quality of life, depressive symptoms, and possible correlations between plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-10 collected before and 24 h after surgery as predictors of pain and depression were evaluated. The results showed that the use of SAM + PECS I with general anesthesia reduced numbness, hypoesthesia to touch, the incidence of patients with chronic pain in other body regions and depressive symptoms, however, did not significantly reduce the incidence of chronic neuropathic pain after mastectomy. Additionally, there was no difference in the consumption of analgesic medication and quality of life. Furthermore, no correlation was observed between IL-1 beta, IL-6, and IL-10 levels and pain and depression. The combination of general anesthesia with SAM + PECS I reduced the occurrence of specific neuropathic pain descriptors and depressive symptoms. These results could promote the use of SAM + PECS I blocks for the prevention of specific neuropathic pain symptoms after mastectomy.
- Neuroinflammation, Pain and Depression: An Overview of the Main Findings(2020) CAMPOS, Ana Carolina Pinheiro; ANTUNES, Geiza Fernanda; MATSUMOTO, Marcio; PAGANO, Rosana Lima; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon RuizChronic pain is a serious public health problem with a strong affective-motivational component that makes it difficult to treat. Most patients with chronic pain suffer from severe depression; hence, both conditions coexist and exacerbate one another. Brain inflammatory mediators are critical for maintaining depression-pain syndrome and could be substrates for it. The goal of our paper was to review clinical and preclinical findings to identify the neuroinflammatory profile associated with the cooccurrence of pain and depression. In addition, we aimed to explore the regulatory effect of neuronal reorganization on the inflammatory response in pain and depression. We conducted a quantitative review supplemented by manual screening. Our results revealed inflammatory signatures in different preclinical models and clinical articles regarding depression-pain syndrome. We also identified that improvements in depressive symptoms and amelioration of pain can be modulated through direct targeting of inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines and molecular inhibitors of the inflammatory cascade. Additionally, therapeutic targets that improve and regulate the synaptic environment and its neurotransmitters may act as anti-inflammatory compounds, reducing local damage-associated molecular patterns and inhibiting the activation of immune and glial cells. Taken together, our data will help to better elucidate the neuroinflammatory profile in pain and depression and may help to identify pharmacological targets for effective management of depression-pain syndrome.
- Multi-centre analysis of networks and genes modulated by hypothalamic stimulation in patients with aggressive behaviours(2023) GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; GERMANN, Jurgen; ELIAS, Gavin J. B.; BOUTET, Alexandre; LOH, Aaron; RIOS, Adriana Lucia Lopez; DIAZ, Cristina Torres; LOPEZ, William Omar Contreras; MARTINEZ, Raquel Chacon Ruiz; FONOFF, Erich Talamoni; BENEDETTI-ISAAC, Juan Carlos; GIACOBBE, Peter; PAVA, Pablo M. Arango; YAN, Han; IBRAHIM, George M.; LIPSMAN, Nir; LOZANO, Andres; HAMANI, ClementDeep brain stimulation targeting the posterior hypothalamus (pHyp-DBS) is being investigated as a treatment for refractory aggressive behavior, but its mechanisms of action remain elusive. We conducted an integrated imaging analysis of a large multi-centre dataset, incorporating volume of activated tissue modeling, probabilistic mapping, normative connectomics, and atlas-derived transcriptomics. Ninety-one percent of the patients responded positively to treatment, with a more striking improvement recorded in the pediatric population. Probabilistic mapping revealed an optimized surgical target within the posterior-inferior-lateral region of the posterior hypothalamic area. Normative connectomic analyses identified fiber tracts and functionally connected with brain areas associated with sensorimotor function, emotional regulation, and monoamine production. Functional connectivity between the target, periaqueductal gray and key limbic areas - together with patient age - were highly predictive of treatment outcome. Transcriptomic analysis showed that genes involved in mechanisms of aggressive behavior, neuronal communication, plasticity and neuroinflammation might underlie this functional network.
- Reduction of aggressive behaviour following hypothalamic deep brain stimulation: Involvement of 5-HT1A and testosterone(2023) GOUVEIA, Flavia Venetucci; DIWAN, Mustansir; MARTINEZ, Raquel C. R.; GIACOBBE, Peter; LIPSMAN, Nir; HAMANI, ClementBackground: Aggressive behaviour (AB) may occur in patients with different neuropsychiatric disorders. Although most patients respond to conventional treatments, a small percentage continue to experience AB despite optimized pharmacological management and are considered to be treatment-refractory. For these pa-tients, hypothalamic deep brain stimulation (pHyp-DBS) has been investigated. The hypothalamus is a key structure in the neurocircuitry of AB. An imbalance between serotonin (5-HT) and steroid hormones seems to exacerbate AB.Objectives: To test whether pHyp-DBS reduces aggressive behaviour in mice through mechanisms involving testosterone and 5-HT.Methods: Male mice were housed with females for two weeks. These resident animals become territorial and aggressive towards intruder mice placed in their cages. Residents had electrodes implanted in the pHyp. DBS was administered for 5 h/day for 8 consecutive encounters prior to the interaction with the intruder. After testing, blood and brains were recovered for measuring testosterone and 5-HT receptor density, respectively. In a second experiment, residents received WAY-100635 (5-HT1A antagonist) or saline injections prior to pHyp-DBS. After the first 4 encounters, the injection allocation was crossed, and animals received the alternative treatment during the next 4 encounters.Results: DBS-treated mice showed reduced AB that was correlated with testosterone levels and an increase in 5-HT1A receptor density in the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala. Pre-treatment with WAY-100635 blocked the anti-aggressive effect of pHyp-DBS.Conclusions: This study shows that pHyp-DBS reduces AB in mice via changes in testosterone and 5-HT1A mechanisms.