Motor imagery of catching the ball, as compared with baseline, led to an increase in BOLD activity in cortical sensorimotor areas of the left

hemisphere and the right posterior cerebellum (Table 1). The cortical areas involved were the left supplementary motor area (SMA; Fig. 3A), the left IFG (Fig. 3B), the left posterior insula, the left postcentral gyrus, and the left IPL (Fig. 3B). In addition, the left anterior superior prefrontal cortex, the ventral ACC and the right inferior temporal cortex were activated (Table 1). To explore the BOLD changes found in the motor imagery condition in comparison with the action and observation conditions, regional analyses were performed across the following regions of interest: left ACC, left IFG, left SMA, and left IPL. We found a significantly higher degree of activation in the left SMA during NVP-AUY922 in vitro motor imagery than during active catching [T = −3.44, degrees of freedom (df) = 16, P = 0.003, Cohen's d = 0.8] and observation of catching [T = 3.57, df = 15, P = 0.003 (Fig. 4); pairwise t-tests with Bonferroni correction α = 0.003

and additional effect size Cohen's d]. The same pattern was observed for the left IFG (motor imagery vs. catching, T = −2.51, df = 16, P = 0.023, Cohen’s d = 0.6; motor imagery vs. observation, T = 2.26, df = 15, P = 0.039; Fig. 4) and left IPL PD-0332991 supplier (motor imagery vs. catching, T = −1.93, df = 16, P = 0.071, Cohen’s d = 0.5; motor imagery vs. observation, T = 1.84, df = 15, P = 0.086; Thymidine kinase Fig. 4), although the medium effect as indicated by Cohen’s d was not statistically significant. Note that, in the left IFG and left IPL, there was no change in BOLD activity in the catching trial. No differences in the degree of activation were found when active catching and the observation of catching were compared within all regions of interest defined. In the current

fMRI study, as a first step to explore the neural correlates of RGS, we investigated in healthy volunteers whether actual or imagined catching of moving balls modulated the activity in candidate areas of the human mirror neuron system in frontal and parietal cortical areas. In order to address this question, we adapted the RGS to the fMRI environment, and compared active, passive and imaginary task conditions within a VR world. Similarly to the clinically used RGS, the MRI-adapted version simulated natural activities while maintaining action control by pressing of buttons to steer the avatar. In agreement with the working hypothesis behind the RGS, we observed the activation of a number of brain areas in the imagination condition, including the left SMA, the left IFG, the left posterior insula, the left postcentral gyrus, the left IPL, and the right cerebellum. These areas constitute a widespread circuit of sensorimotor areas including key cortical areas of the human mirror neuron system (Gallese et al., 1996; Iacoboni & Mazziotta, 2007; Sale & Franceschini, 2012).

The lack of funding

available to undergraduate pharmacy courses to invest in procurement requires that experiences are adequately appraised prior to being embedded within course curricula. The research will endeavour to overcome and assess barriers to implementation of a community pharmacy experiential opportunity. Week-long non-compulsory community pharmacy placements, were piloted with third year MPharm students who were housed in seventeen individual pharmacies in various locations throughout Scotland. Students (n = 18) were asked to complete a series of mixed methods questionnaires in relation to PLX4032 their placement. Survey tools were based on the published literature and further developed to align with the aims and scope of the placements. Domains focused on experiences, views and attitudes, identification of facilitators and barriers, and demographics. The tool was pre-tested for face and content validity by an expert panel of academics, pharmacists, pre-registration pharmacists and students. In addition, all students in their third year of the MPharm course (n = 112) were invited to participate in an online survey which generated reasons for limited uptake of the placement. Each community pharmacy placement supervisor (n = 15) was contacted by email and asked to complete a 16-item mixed methods questionnaire. Questions were designed to identify any practical issues or barriers, to determine the

suitability of the placement for third year students and click here to assess the competencies of each student. Ethical approval was granted by the School Research Ethics Committee. Community pharmacy placement students (n = 8,

44.4%) expressed that they felt the experience enabled development, contextualisation and consolidation of their academic knowledge ‘I can now put into practice some of the skills I have learned in MIHI and CPT2’. Scheduling of the placement was perceived to be of significant importance, ‘Everyone has so much work to do and by working all day throughout the Easter holidays, we could not do all the work we needed to get done’ and although students were provided with a portfolio, it was suggested that the entire week was clearly structured, ‘Make sure the tutors know what the programme is for the Farnesyltransferase week, so they know exactly what I should be doing’. Further analysis from the three cohorts (n = 48, 42.9%), demonstrated that students had a limited geographical area in which they were willing to travel and individual preferences tended to be towards placements within the Scottish cities. Although stakeholders (n = 7, 46.7%) agreed with the relevance of the placement and the value of this experiential education to the student, ‘extremely beneficial for the student’, one stated that the experience ‘Needs to be a win-win placement to ensure continued support. Good quality students who are able to contribute to the pharmacy will encourage participation by pharmacies’.

Streptomycin sulphate and tert-butyl hydroxyl peroxide (t-BHP) were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich Japan (Tokyo) and Kishida Chemical Company (Osaka), respectively. IK-1 (Satomi et al., 2003) and IK-1Δ8 (Nishida et al., 2007) were used in this study. IK-1Δ8 is a knockout mutant that had been introduced with

pKNOCK-Cm at the pfaD gene among the five pfaA, pfaB, pfaC, pfaD, and pfaE genes responsible for Selleck GSK2126458 the biosynthesis of EPA. IK-1 was precultured by agitation at 180 r.p.m. in Luria–Bertani (LB) medium containing 3.0% w/v NaCl at 20 °C, and IK-1Δ8 was precultured in the same medium that contained chloramphenicol at 50 μg mL−1. When both cells were cultivated in microtitre plates, the same LB medium containing no antibiotics was used. To perform growth inhibition tests, 96-well microtitre plates (0.35 mL per well; Iwaki, Tokyo) were used. IK-1 and IK-1Δ8 cells were grown for 24 h at 20 °C until the early stationary phase. The OD600 nm of cultures was adjusted to 1.0 with the same medium. One hundred microlitres of these cultures was diluted with 100 mL of medium. The calculated OD600 nm of the diluted cultures was about 0.01. One

hundred and eighty microlitres of diluted IK-1 and IK-1Δ8 Ibrutinib chemical structure cultures were mixed with 20 μL of aqueous solutions containing various concentrations of growth inhibitors: H2O2 and t-BHP as ROS, and ampicillin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline as Orotidine 5′-phosphate decarboxylase antibiotics. CCCP and DCCD were dissolved in absolute ethanol. Two-microlitre aliquots of CCCP and DCCD were mixed with 198 μL of diluted IK-1 or IK-1Δ8 cultures. After inoculation, the plates were incubated at 20 °C for 4 days. Cell growth was monitored visibly, and the growth was estimated by scanning the bottom face of the microtitre plates with a scanner (type GT-F500, Epson, Tokyo). Because IK-1Δ8 has a chloramphenicol-resistant cartridge on its chromosome, chloramphenicol

was added only during precultivation and not during cultivation in the microtitre plates to cultivate IK-1 and IK-1Δ8 under the same conditions. IK-1Δ8 cells grown in medium containing no chloramphenicol contained no EPA (Nishida et al., 2007). The hydrophobicity of the bacterial cells was estimated using the BATH method (Rosenberg et al., 1980). IK-1 and IK-1Δ8 cells were washed twice with 50 mM HEPES buffer (pH 8.0) containing 0.5 M NaCl. The OD600 nm of the cell suspensions was adjusted to 1.0 using the same buffer. Cell suspensions of 1.8 mL in volume were overlayered with 0.3 mL of n-hexadecane, incubated for 10 min at 37 °C, and then mixed with a vortex for 2 min. The cell solutions stood for 15 min at room temperature, and 100 μL of the lower (water) layer was withdrawn and its OD600 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer. The fatty acids of cells were analysed as methyl esters by gas–liquid chromatography, as described previously (Orikasa et al., 2006).

Among these, H. oryzae forms a well-supported distinct sister group in clade B, which also contained three other so

far unnamed Harpophora spp. (anamorphs of Gaeumannomyces) and two isolates of Buergenerula spartinae. Harpophora zeicola, H. radicicola and Gaeumannomyces graminis and its anamorph are clustered in clade A; species of Gaeumannomyces amomi and Pyricularia zingiberis were also clustered into this clade. Gaeumannomyces cylindrosporus and its assumed anamorph H. graminicola formed clade C; and H. maydis constituted clade D. Harpophora oryzae Z.L. Yuan, C.L. Zhang & F.C. Lin, sp. nov. Fungus endophyticus in radicibus Oryzae granulata. Coloniae in agaro PDA olivaceo-brunneae, velutinae. Hyphae aeriae 2.0–3.5 μm latae, hyalinae vel brunneae. Conidiophora solitaria, Alpelisib manufacturer interdum pauca fasciculata, simplicia, laxe ramosa, brunnea. Phialides solitares in hyphis et saepe terminales in conidiophoris, 2–4 fasciculatae, lageniformes, brunneae, 5.5–14 × 2.5–3 μm. Conidia in capitulis mucosis aggregata, hyalina, continua, falcata, conspicue curvata, laeves, 7.5–9 × 0.8–1.2 μm. Colony diameter approximately 4.5 cm on MEA or PDA in the dark after 7 days at 25 °C. Aerial mycelium denser on MEA than on PDA. Rope-like strands formed by wavy hyphae. Colony color gray-olivaceous first, then becoming fuscous in old cultures and forming dense

and gray selleck products felt of aerial mycelium on PDA, conidia produced abundantly (Fig. 2a–c). Colony reverses, turning gray-olivaceous. Aerial hyphae septate, 2.0–3.5 μm wide, hyaline to brown. Conidiophores unbranched or branched 1–2 times with a slightly thickened wall, mostly arising singly, sometimes fasciculate, bi- to terverticillate, varying in dimensions, with a range of 15–110 × 2.8–5 μm. Metulae one to three per branch, two to four phialides per metula. Phialides occurring singly along hyphae or laterally and terminally on branched, hyaline to brown conidiophores, usually

forming whorls on selleck compound the metulae, flask or bottle shaped, 5.5–14 μm long (n=15), 2.5–3 μm wide at the widest point, 1.5–2.0 μm wide at the base, collarette 0.5–1.2 μm wide (n=10), pale brown to brown. Conidia accumulated in slimy heads on the tips of phialides, hyaline, unicellular, falcate, strongly curved, 7.5–9 μm long (along the curvature of the conidia), 0.8–1.2 μm wide at the widest point (n=20) (Figs 3a, b, 4 and 5). Intercalary chlamydospores, obovoid to ellipsoid, occasionally in chains. Habitat and distribution: Endophytic in healthy roots of O. granulata. Known from South-West China. Holotype: China, Xishuangbanna, National Nabanhe river reserve, isolated from root tissues of wild rice seedlings, 27/09/2007, Z.L. Yuan; lyophilized culture no. R5-6-1 was deposited at Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS 125863) and China General Microbiological Culture Collection Center (CGMCC 2737).

I.S. countries and a single report from PROMED, a body of international infectious disease experts which sends daily reports on infectious diseases in humans, plants, and animals. Imported deaths was

defined as persons who contracted rabies while traveling and who subsequently died in the country where the report was made. Reports of travelers who contracted rabies and died in the country where the infection originated are selleck compound not included in the current analysis. As the population was not predefined and all literature cases of people who died after contracting rabies abroad were reviewed and reported, our study included different types of travelers, including those visiting friends and relatives and guest workers, as well as ordinary travelers. For each reported imported human rabies death, information on the country where the disease was contracted, age of the patient, animal source and any information on medical intervention or treatment was collected. Between 1990 and 2010, a total of 42 human deaths from rabies were reported in Europe, the United States, and Japan; all of these victims were assumed to have contracted the rabies infection abroad (Table 1).13–39 Of these imported human rabies

cases, 36 (86%) were reported in the clinical literature, 5 (12%) via personal communication, and 1 case (2%) via PROMED. Twenty-seven deaths (64%) occurred after 2000. During the observation period, the greatest number of deaths were reported in European Union countries (n = 22), followed by the United States (n = 13), the former USSR selleck kinase inhibitor (n = 5), and Japan (n = 2). One death, reported in Finland, was of a person http://www.selleck.co.jp/products/forskolin.html from the country of rabies origin. No cases from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were reported. Among the 39 reports for whom the animal cause of rabies was known, 37 patients (95%) had had contact with a dog or puppy. One patient reported contact with a fox and one with a member of an unknown insectivorous bat species. The most common continent of rabies origin was Asia (n = 19), followed by Africa (n = 14); in contrast, only eight cases were contracted in the Americas,

and of those, seven were from the United States. At the country level, the most cases were contracted in India (n = 6) and the Philippines (n = 6), followed by Mexico (n = 5). The Philippines was the only source of disease common to the United States, Europe, and Japan. Age was available for 41 of 42 cases. Twenty-eight deaths were in adults 19 to 64 y of age, nine were in children under 5 y of age, four were in children 11 to 18 y of age, and six were in persons 65 y of age or older. Among cases for whom information about treatment and prophylaxis was available (n = 29), only a few received post-exposure prophylaxis. Twelve did not seek medical attention and six sought medical attention that was ineffective or denied because healthcare workers lacked supplies or knowledge about the disease.

maltophilia R551-1 and Sirolimus cost k279a is also low, that is below the ‘cut-off ’ for species delineation (Richter & Rossello-Mora, 2009). While many strains have been isolated and characterized as S. maltophilia, the other species in this genus have been more sparsely represented. In fact, all novel species of Stenotrophomonas described since 2006 have included descriptions only of single strains, which makes it impossible to assess comprehensive intraspecific variations. In this study, additional strains with identical or nearly identical 16S rRNA gene sequences to the respective type strains of four species have been included. The two S. nitritireducens strains included

in this study exhibited genomic DNA similarities of 78% to 85% and have identical 16S rRNA gene sequences (Finkmann et al., 2000). The gyrB Region 1 of these two strains was 99.0% similar. S. acidaminiphila strain CCUG 54933 had the identical 16S rRNA gene sequence as S. acidaminiphila CCUG 46877T. Their gyrB Region 1 sequences were observed to differ by 4.0%. The second strain of S. rhizophila, CCUG 47044, had the DNA Damage inhibitor identical 16S rRNA gene sequence to that of the type strain of the species, CCUG 54934T (Wolf et al., 2002). The gyrB Region 1 sequences

of these two strains were observed to be 98.6% similar. A clinical isolate, CCUG 56889, exhibited 99.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to that of the S. chelatiphaga type strain, CCUG 57178T. The gyrB Region 1 of these two strains were 95.4% similar (Fig. 2 and Table S2). In summary, the nucleotide sequences of IKBKE gyrB provide much greater resolution between the species in the Stenotrophomonas genus than the sequences of the more conserved 16S rRNA gene. This observation was expected for a protein-coding ‘housekeeping’ gene and is what has been observed for the gyrB gene sequences of other taxa. The sequences of Region 2 of gyrB exhibited greater variation than Region 1, although for the more

closely related species, as well as strains of a given species, the two different gyrB gene regions provided similar levels of separation. Several of the Stenotrophomonas spp. have been previously compared by MLSA including seven partial genes (not gyrB). In that study, interspecies similarities of the concatenated partial gene sequence were approximately 90–95% for the type strains of the validly described species included (Vasileuskaya-Schulz et al., 2011). The resulting clustering was similar to what is shown in this study. The levels of gyrB sequence similarity also correlated well with the genomic DNA similarity levels. All validly published and currently recognized species, except S. maltophilia/S. pavanii, were < 93% similar (for both sequenced regions). Strains of a given species were more than 95% similar. However, several strains within the ‘S. maltophilia complex’ were approaching and even exceeding this border (i.e. S. pavanii and the strain S. maltophilia R551-3).

maltophilia R551-1 and HSP signaling pathway k279a is also low, that is below the ‘cut-off ’ for species delineation (Richter & Rossello-Mora, 2009). While many strains have been isolated and characterized as S. maltophilia, the other species in this genus have been more sparsely represented. In fact, all novel species of Stenotrophomonas described since 2006 have included descriptions only of single strains, which makes it impossible to assess comprehensive intraspecific variations. In this study, additional strains with identical or nearly identical 16S rRNA gene sequences to the respective type strains of four species have been included. The two S. nitritireducens strains included

in this study exhibited genomic DNA similarities of 78% to 85% and have identical 16S rRNA gene sequences (Finkmann et al., 2000). The gyrB Region 1 of these two strains was 99.0% similar. S. acidaminiphila strain CCUG 54933 had the identical 16S rRNA gene sequence as S. acidaminiphila CCUG 46877T. Their gyrB Region 1 sequences were observed to differ by 4.0%. The second strain of S. rhizophila, CCUG 47044, had the Selleck Mitomycin C identical 16S rRNA gene sequence to that of the type strain of the species, CCUG 54934T (Wolf et al., 2002). The gyrB Region 1 sequences

of these two strains were observed to be 98.6% similar. A clinical isolate, CCUG 56889, exhibited 99.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to that of the S. chelatiphaga type strain, CCUG 57178T. The gyrB Region 1 of these two strains were 95.4% similar (Fig. 2 and Table S2). In summary, the nucleotide sequences of these gyrB provide much greater resolution between the species in the Stenotrophomonas genus than the sequences of the more conserved 16S rRNA gene. This observation was expected for a protein-coding ‘housekeeping’ gene and is what has been observed for the gyrB gene sequences of other taxa. The sequences of Region 2 of gyrB exhibited greater variation than Region 1, although for the more

closely related species, as well as strains of a given species, the two different gyrB gene regions provided similar levels of separation. Several of the Stenotrophomonas spp. have been previously compared by MLSA including seven partial genes (not gyrB). In that study, interspecies similarities of the concatenated partial gene sequence were approximately 90–95% for the type strains of the validly described species included (Vasileuskaya-Schulz et al., 2011). The resulting clustering was similar to what is shown in this study. The levels of gyrB sequence similarity also correlated well with the genomic DNA similarity levels. All validly published and currently recognized species, except S. maltophilia/S. pavanii, were < 93% similar (for both sequenced regions). Strains of a given species were more than 95% similar. However, several strains within the ‘S. maltophilia complex’ were approaching and even exceeding this border (i.e. S. pavanii and the strain S. maltophilia R551-3).

These three genes were bordered by methyltransferase gene (mt1) at the upstream and putative orfC gene at downstream (Fig. 1a). A blast search indicates that OrfC contains a PAP2 domain

(type 2 phosphatidic acid phosphatase) and may be a PAP2-like superfamily member. In order to localize the promoter(s) for these three genes, RACE analyses were performed to determine the transcription start site(s). As shown in Fig. 1b, we were able to obtain a RACE fragment only from RACE-PCR reactions initiated within fimQ (lane 1), not from the reactions initiated within either high throughput screening assay fimP (lane 2) or srtC1 (lane 3). The size of the RACE fragment is consistent with the sequence-derived size of 590 bp. The results suggest that the transcription of either fimP or srtC1 was not initiated immediately upstream of these two respective genes. It is likely that both fimP and srtC1 were transcribed together with fimQ as a single mRNA unit. To confirm this, we amplified the junctional regions of fimQ-fimP and fimP-srtC1. As shown in Fig. 1c, lanes 1 and 3, when the same cDNA generated by the

use of primers 3 or 5 were used as the templates, both junctional regions were amplified. The two PCR products have the expected sizes of 540 and 712 bp. These results indicated that fimQ-fimP and fimP-srtC1 are together at the mRNA level. Therefore, these data confirmed that fimQ, fimP and srtC1 were transcribed as a single polycistronic mRNA. In addition, no amplification was observed when total RNA was used as the template find more (Fig. 1c, lanes 2 and 4). The results suggest that there is no DNA contamination in the RNA preparation and the amplicons produced were derived from the cDNA generated in the RACE reactions. When similar reverse transcriptase-PCR reactions were performed on the junctional regions of mt1-fimQ and srtC1-orfC, no amplicon was obtained (data not shown). These results reveal that fimQ

is the first gene and srtC1 is the last gene in a tricistronic operon. This assignment is consistent with our previous findings Methamphetamine that orfC is not required for the type 1 fimbriae biosynthesis (Chen et al., 2007). To locate the transcription start site, the amplified RACE PCR product (Fig. 1b, lane 1) was cloned into Zero Blunt TOPO vector and sequenced. Based on the DNA sequence obtained, the fimQ (and the fimP and srtC1) transcription start site was located at the adenine residue that is 58 bp upstream of the proposed ATG start codon (Fig. 1d). The identified transcription start point was subsequently used to deduce the putative promoter sequence of the type 1 fimbria gene cluster based on the consensus sequences observed in promoters from prokaryotic organisms. The deduced −35 (TTGGGG) and −10 (TACATT) boxes for the promoter of the gene cluster are separated by a spacer of 16 nucleotides (Fig. 1d).

Murphy Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University www.selleckchem.com/products/ch5424802.html of Bath, Bath, UK What benefits of an on-campus pharmacy do university staff and students perceive? Is an on-campus pharmacy

feasible? The main benefits of on-campus pharmacies reported by staff and students at both Universities included: convenient and timely access to pharmacy services, integration of universities into the local community and healthcare tailored to university populations. Whilst beneficial, the feasibility of University X’s on-campus pharmacy was low as it did not have an NHS contract. In the United Kingdom (UK), there are several universities with on-campus pharmacies. Universities are considered to have an important opportunity to influence the health of their students through the advice and services they provide at their institutions.1 However, little is known about student and staff’s perceptions of the benefits and feasibility of these services. The aim of this study

was to investigate staff and students’ views on the benefits and feasibility of an on-campus pharmacy at two UK universities, one which currently has an on-campus pharmacy (University X) and one which does not (University Y). A qualitative study was carried out with students and staff at two UK institutions, this formed part of a larger mixed methods study. Ethical approval was granted by the pharmacy department research ethics committee at University Y and the health and human sciences research ethics committee GDC 0449 at University X. Semi-structured focus groups with staff and students (n = 25) Dapagliflozin at University Y were carried out to acquire in-depth views on the benefits and feasibility of an on-campus pharmacy.

Semi-structured interviews with staff at University X (n = 4) who set-up the on-campus pharmacy were carried out. The qualitative data from the focus groups and interviews were transcribed verbatim, anonymised and subjected to a thematic analysis. Focus group participants thought the benefits of an on-campus pharmacy would include: convenience and improved access to pharmacy services, particularly for international students: “I don’t know if it is the same here but from where I come from the pharmacist is just sort of always your first point of contact whenever you feel unwell” (Participant 8). Participants also felt it would improve University Y’s integration with the local community and the opportunity for more tailored pharmacy services. At University X, interview participants reported that the minor ailments advice service, and several enhanced services provided by the on-campus pharmacy were widely used by staff and students. However, interview participants also described several challenges for the on-campus pharmacy. These were: securing an NHS contract, increased costs of setting up a pharmacy at a university, tailoring services to the staff and student populations and ensuring sufficient footfall over the summer months.

In 19 rats, one of the two probes failed (five right and 14 left) during dialysate collection. In these

cases, data from a single probe, i.e. PLX4032 ic50 a single left or right NAcc collection, was used in the final analysis for that rat. In those remaining rats whose dialysate was successfully collected from both sides, an analysis on left versus right NAcc DA levels was conducted (data not shown). No differences were observed and thus data were averaged from the two sides of the NAcc for each rat. Thus, a final N of 53 rats (HE/SEN, 6; HE/NON, 8; He/SEN, 6; He/NON, 6; SE/SEN, 6; SE/NON, 7; Se/SEN, 7; Se/NON, 7) were included in the analysis of NAcc DA levels. Analysis of the DA metabolites HVA and DOPAC revealed that these metabolite selleck chemicals levels changed in the same manner as previously reported in response to AMPH (data not shown). HVA and DOPAC levels decreased in tandem with DA increases, as is typically observed in response to AMPH (Samaha et al., 2007). Because the dialysis probes used in this experiment were not commercially made, there is generally

a great deal of variability between probes in absolute DA recovery. Thus, DA analysis was calculated using percentages of baseline values. Nonetheless, absolute DA values are shown here in Table 1. As can be seen in Fig. 6A, in the absence of HAL, DA levels of high E2 rats were significantly (F1,11 = 18.40, P = 0.001) greater in response to AMPH in SEN rats. However, following chronic HAL treatment this effect disappeared (Fig. 6B). This suggests that chronic HAL Dichloromethane dehalogenase reduces DA availability in the NAcc in response to a challenge dose of AMPH in SEN high E2 rats. In contrast to the high E2 group, when low E2 rats were administered chronic HAL, the SEN group had significantly (F1,10 = 7.32, P = 0.022) greater dopamine levels than the NON group (Fig. 6D).

There were no differences in NAcc DA levels between SEN and NON rats in the groups receiving SAL paired with low E2 replacement (Fig. 6C). Probe placements for all animals were confined to the NAcc, as shown in Fig. 7A and B. Probe placements were located 2.16–1.20 mm from bregma (Paxinos & Watson, 1998). All probes were located both within the core and shell of the NAcc. ELISA results (Fig. 8) indicate an approximate two-fold increase in E2 levels (13.31 ± 3.55 pg/mL) in high E2 rats compared to low E2 rats (6.59 ± 0.85 pg/mL) 1 day following the last high E2 injection (t13 = 2.12, P = 0.026). Previous studies suggest that E2 may have antipsychotic-like properties, possibly through its interaction with the dopaminergic system (Kulkarni et al., 2001). The aim of this study was to investigate this interaction in chronic low-dose HAL-treated, AMPH-sensitized and non-sensitized female rats using behavioural and neurochemical analyses.