A diferença da percepção álgica entre homens e mulheres é, há muito, conhecida e documentada na literatura. Sabe-se também que a sensibilidade feminina varia durante o ciclo menstrual, o que levou à hipótese de que os hormônios ovarianos poderiam estar envolvidosnesse processo. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo investigar os limiares de sensibilidade somestésica (térmica, dolorosa, tátil, vibratória e elétrica), gustativa e olfativa durante o ciclo menstrual de mulheres saudáveis e a sua relação com as concentrações dos hormônios estrógeno e progesterona na saliva. Foram avaliadas 39 mulheres com idade entre 19 e 47 anos, com ciclos menstruais regulares e sem morbidades associadas à dor. Todas as mulheres foram orientadas quanto aos propósitos desta pesquisa, e somente participaram do estudo aquelas que preencheram os critérios de inclusão e assinaram o termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido. A avaliação foi realizada em três momentos do ciclo menstrual: fase menstrual, fase folicular e fase lútea. Em cada uma dessas fases foram utilizados os seguintes métodos: coleta da saliva no início de cada sessão, para avaliação dos níveis hormonais; avaliação de fluxo salivar; avaliação sensitiva superficial (dor, tato - IITC Woodland Hills, EUA; frio, calor - MSA II e vibratórios - Somedic, Suécia) aplicada na região do ramo maxilar do nervo trigêmeo e na região do antebraço, ambas no lado direito da paciente; e avaliação das sensibilidades gustativa (doce - glicose, salgado - cloreto de sódio, azedo - ácido cítrico e amargo - ureia) e olfativa (isopropanol em diferentes concentrações). Foram observadas oscilações sensitivas em todas as modalidades de acordo com o momento do ciclo menstrual das mulheres avaliadas, sendo que níveis baixos de estrógeno se associaram a altos limiares de dor de profundidade no braço (p=0,008) e na face (p=0,041), altos limiares táteis (p=0,001) e álgicos superficiais (p=0,006) na face. Em contrapartida, altos níveis de progesterona se associaram a altos limiares de dor de profundidade na face (p=0,033) e altos limiares do sabor salgado (p < 0,001). Concluímos que o estrógeno e a progesterona estão envolvidos na neuromodulação da sensibilidade somestésica, gustativa e olfativa de mulheres, durante o ciclo menstrual / There is a sexual difference on pain perception that is supported by the scientific literature. Moreover, sexual hormones seem to be involved in the modulation of sensory detection and there is evidence of sensory variation during the menstrual cycle. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the somatosensory (thermal, painful, tactile, vibratory and electric), gustatory (salty, bitter, sweet, sour) and olfactory thresholds during the menstrual cycle in healthy women and verify association with saliva concentration of estradiol and progesterone. We evaluated 39 women aged between 19 and 47 years, with regular menstrual cycles and with no comorbidities related to pain.All women were instructed about the purposes of the study and only those that signed the informed consent were included. The evaluation wasperformed in three moments of the cycle: menstrual phase, follicular phase and luteal phase. In each of these stages, the following methods were used: saliva collection at the beginning of each session, to assess hormone levels; salivary flow measurement; somatosensory evaluation with quantitative sensory testing (pain, tactile - IITC Woodland Hills, USA; cold and warm - MSA II; and vibration - Somedic, Sweden) applied to the right maxillary branch region of the trigeminal nerve and right forearm region; and gustative (sweet - glucose, salt - sodium chloride, sour - citric acid and bitter - urea) and olfactory (isopropanol at different concentrations) thresholds. All sensory thresholds showed fluctuation during the menstrual cycle. Lower estrogen levels were correlated tohigher deep pain thresholds at the forearm (p=0.008) and face (p=0.041); they were also associated with higher tactile thresholds (p=0.001) and higher superficial pain (p=0.006) thresholds at face.High levels of progesterone were associated with high deep pain threshold at the face and high salty threshold (p < 0.001). In conclusion, estrogen and progesterone seems to be involved in sensory neuromodulation in women, during the menstrual cycle

A diferença da percepção álgica entre homens e mulheres é, há muito, conhecida e documentada na literatura. Sabe-se também que a sensibilidade feminina varia durante o ciclo menstrual, o que levou à hipótese de que os hormônios ovarianos poderiam estar envolvidosnesse processo. Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo investigar os limiares de sensibilidade somestésica (térmica, dolorosa, tátil, vibratória e elétrica), gustativa e olfativa durante o ciclo menstrual de mulheres saudáveis e a sua relação com as concentrações dos hormônios estrógeno e progesterona na saliva. Foram avaliadas 39 mulheres com idade entre 19 e 47 anos, com ciclos menstruais regulares e sem morbidades associadas à dor. Todas as mulheres foram orientadas quanto aos propósitos desta pesquisa, e somente participaram do estudo aquelas que preencheram os critérios de inclusão e assinaram o termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido. A avaliação foi realizada em três momentos do ciclo menstrual: fase menstrual, fase folicular e fase lútea. Em cada uma dessas fases foram utilizados os seguintes métodos: coleta da saliva no início de cada sessão, para avaliação dos níveis hormonais; avaliação de fluxo salivar; avaliação sensitiva superficial (dor, tato - IITC Woodland Hills, EUA; frio, calor - MSA II e vibratórios - Somedic, Suécia) aplicada na região do ramo maxilar do nervo trigêmeo e na região do antebraço, ambas no lado direito da paciente; e avaliação das sensibilidades gustativa (doce - glicose, salgado - cloreto de sódio, azedo - ácido cítrico e amargo - ureia) e olfativa (isopropanol em diferentes concentrações). Foram observadas oscilações sensitivas em todas as modalidades de acordo com o momento do ciclo menstrual das mulheres avaliadas, sendo que níveis baixos de estrógeno se associaram a altos limiares de dor de profundidade no braço (p=0,008) e na face (p=0,041), altos limiares táteis (p=0,001) e álgicos superficiais (p=0,006) na face. Em contrapartida, altos níveis de progesterona se associaram a altos limiares de dor de profundidade na face (p=0,033) e altos limiares do sabor salgado (p < 0,001). Concluímos que o estrógeno e a progesterona estão envolvidos na neuromodulação da sensibilidade somestésica, gustativa e olfativa de mulheres, durante o ciclo menstrual / There is a sexual difference on pain perception that is supported by the scientific literature. Moreover, sexual hormones seem to be involved in the modulation of sensory detection and there is evidence of sensory variation during the menstrual cycle. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the somatosensory (thermal, painful, tactile, vibratory and electric), gustatory (salty, bitter, sweet, sour) and olfactory thresholds during the menstrual cycle in healthy women and verify association with saliva concentration of estradiol and progesterone. We evaluated 39 women aged between 19 and 47 years, with regular menstrual cycles and with no comorbidities related to pain.All women were instructed about the purposes of the study and only those that signed the informed consent were included. The evaluation wasperformed in three moments of the cycle: menstrual phase, follicular phase and luteal phase. In each of these stages, the following methods were used: saliva collection at the beginning of each session, to assess hormone levels; salivary flow measurement; somatosensory evaluation with quantitative sensory testing (pain, tactile - IITC Woodland Hills, USA; cold and warm - MSA II; and vibration - Somedic, Sweden) applied to the right maxillary branch region of the trigeminal nerve and right forearm region; and gustative (sweet - glucose, salt - sodium chloride, sour - citric acid and bitter - urea) and olfactory (isopropanol at different concentrations) thresholds. All sensory thresholds showed fluctuation during the menstrual cycle. Lower estrogen levels were correlated tohigher deep pain thresholds at the forearm (p=0.008) and face (p=0.041); they were also associated with higher tactile thresholds (p=0.001) and higher superficial pain (p=0.006) thresholds at face.High levels of progesterone were associated with high deep pain threshold at the face and high salty threshold (p < 0.001). In conclusion, estrogen and progesterone seems to be involved in sensory neuromodulation in women, during the menstrual cycle

Research suggests that olfactory perception of patients with schizophrenia differs from healthy people. In the context of previously conducted research, the present thesis addresses the differences in the abilities of identification and discrimination of odours and assessment of perceived odour qualities (pleasantness, familiarity, intensity, edibility) between patients with schizophrenia or acute and transient psychotic disorders and healthy volunteers, taking into account gender differences; in addition, the differences in the relationship between identification of odours and evaluation of the perceived qualities of odours between patients and healthy persons were explored as well as relationship between the severity of negative symptoms and olfactory perception. In line with other studies, deficits were found in patients in identification and discrimination of odours and in the assessment of odour familiarity compared to healthy subjects, with no gender differences. There were no differences in the relationship between the identification of odours and assessment of the perceived qualities of odours between patients and volunteers, and association of olfactory abilities and the assessment of perceived qualities of odours with the severity of negative symptoms was found only for identification of...

This thesis focuses on several aspects of olfactory processing in Drosophila. In chapter I and II, I will discuss how odorants are encoded in the brain. In both insects and mammals, olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) expressing the same odorant receptor gene converge onto the same glomerulus. This topographical organization segregates incoming odor information into combinatorial maps. One prominent theory suggests that insects and mammals discriminate odors based on these distinct combinatorial spatial codes. I tested the combinatorial coding hypothesis by engineering flies that have only one class of functional ORNs and therefore cannot support combinatorial maps. These files can be taught to discriminate between two odorants that activate the single functional class of ORN and identify an odorant across a range of concentrations, demonstrating that a combinatorial code is not required to support learned odor discrimination. In addition, these data suggest that odorant identity can be encoded as temporal patterns of ORN activity. Behaviors are influenced by motivational states of the animal. Chapter III of this thesis focuses on understanding how motivational states control behavior. Appetitive memory in Drosophilaprovides an excellent system for such studies because the motivational state of hunger promotes reliance on learned appetitive cues whereas satiety suppresses it. We found that activation of neuropeptide F (dNPF) neurons in fed flies releases appetitive memory performance from satiety-mediated suppression. Through a GAL4 screen, we identified six dopaminergic neurons that are a substrate for dNPF regulation. In satiated flies, these neurons inhibit mushroom body output, thereby suppressing appetitive memory performance. Hunger promotes dNPF release, which blocks the inhibitory dopaminergic neurons. The motivational drive of hunger thus affects behavior through a hierarchical inhibitory control mechanism: satiety inhibits memory performance through a subset of dopaminergic neurons, and hunger promotes appetitive memory retrieval via dNPF-mediated disinhibition of these neurons. The aforementioned studies utilize sophisticated genetic tools for Drosophila. In chapter IV, I will talk about two new genetic tools. We developed a new technique to restrict gene expression to different subsets of mushroom body neurons with unprecedented precision. We also adapted the light-activated adenylyl cyclase (PAC) from Euglena gracilis as a light-inducable cAMP system for Drosophila. This system can be used to induce cAMP synthesis in targeted neurons in live, behaving preparations.