Centre of Biosciences SAS
Topic
Effect of prenatal stress on molecular mechanisms implicated in corticosteroid-monoamine interaction in the heart and brain
PhD. program
Biophysics
Year of admission
2024
Name of the supervisor
Mgr. Marta Gaburjáková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
Stress is defined as an organism’s response to external stressors. Living organisms are exposed to various stressors all through their life, when the first exposure happens even before the birth (e.g. prenatal stress). Stress is not necessarily harmful; controlled exposure to the certain stressors might be even beneficial (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy). On the contrary, chronic stress predominantly impacts cardiovascular and neuronal systems, resulting in the onset of numerous pathologies that stand as major global contributors to disability and mortality. Stress-induced cardiovascular and neuropathologies frequently co-occur, leading to a worsened prognosis for both. Current knowledge indicates that the interplay between corticosteroid (stress hormones) and monoamine (neurotransmitters) signaling pathways is a crucial determinant in whether a particular stressor, administered to an organism of a specific sex, will have detrimental, neutral, or potentially beneficial effects. The objective of the PhD thesis will involve a comprehensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the interaction between corticosteroids and monoamines in the heart and brain of adult rats of both sexes, following exposure to prenatal stress. The primary emphasis will be placed on exploring the correlation between this interaction and intracellular Ca2+ signaling, which translates diverse signals into specific cellular responses. The main experimental approach will involve electrophysiological methods in combination with several biochemical techniques.