The theoretical part of this diploma thesis deals with the role of brain laterality of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in agonistic behaviour. Therefore, the largest part of the review of published scientific outcome is devoted to the agonistic behaviour, namely it focuses on the fights between males during the autumn rut. Battles are strictly ritualized and males adhere to strict rules. The role of laterality in animals is being recently studied and the outcomes so far indicates that, particularly in agonistic interactions the laterality may play a significant role. Brain lateralization is simply a preference for one or the other hemisphere in certain activities. The main topic of this thesis is how laterality affects combat of red deer. The research part took place in a deer-park Zátoň where the duels between stags in rut were recorded. We also used videos from farms Podlesko and Žalany and a deer-park Milešov. These records were processed in the program Noldus Observes, with emphasis placed on the facts which deer was the initiator of the fight and his position to opponent, or with which eye the opponent was perceived at the beginning, but also during the fight. Data were statistically evaluated in SAS software (version 9.4., SAS Institute Inc.). We observed a strong tendency that the winner also initiates the interaction. Chance, that the winner will be the initiator, was compared to recipient 15 times higher. Initiator estimates his option in the battle to win, so he does not let the duel quit before it comes to physical confrontation. Regardless of the character of the behaviour initiator approached his rival more likely on right eye. There was statistically significant demonstrated initiator access to the recipient from the right side in parallel walk as well as in direct physical engagement. As stags train fights during the whole year, so even in the rut are information processed by the left hemisphere, which controls the routine affairs. We can say, that the deer fights during the rut are so frequent, when applies the routine of using antlers as a weapons and therefore we observe right side preference.

6 III ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) In chordates, the central nervous system (CNS) is derived from the dorsal part of gastrula. Induced dorsal part of the embryo - the neural plate - gives rise to the neural tube or primordial brain. The developing dorsal part of the embryo is shaped by BMP/Smad signaling from the ventral part. Using the basal chordate amphioxus, we show here the conserved evolutionary role BMP/Smad signaling in axial cell fate determination. Pharmalogical inhibition of BMP/Smad signaling induces dorsalization of Branchiostoma floridae (amphioxus) and Oryzias latipes (medaka) embryos and expansion of neural plate markers. We provide evidence for the presence of the positive regulatory loop within the BMP/Smad signaling network of amphioxus. Thus, our data suggest that early emergence of a positive feedback loop within the BMP/Smad signaling network may represent a crucial molecular event in the evolutionary history of the chordate cell fate determination. The dorso-ventral body axis formation is mediated by genes of the vent family, which are the direct targets of BMP/Smad signaling. The function of vent gene family in early development is relatively well known, however, its role in developing CNS is not yet clear. Therefore, we decided to manipulate vox transcription factor, a vent family member....

Reversible adenosine methylation (N6-methylation; m6A) at the RNA level was described in connection to the regulation of RNA fate. The N6-methyladenosine pathway is important for cognitive function and mechanisms related to memory, including the regulation of adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a decreased activity of the RNA-demethylase FTO is associated with improved cognitive function in rats. The RNA-demethylase FTO is a key regulator of the m6A pathway. In this study, we administered MO-I-500, a pharmacological inhibitor of FTO in TgF344-AD transgenic rats, which resulted in an improvement of spatial cognition. We further investigated the cognitive enhancement induced by a caloric restriction as a possible compensatory mechanism of cognitive disorders and its effect on the proteins regulating the N6-methyladenosine pathway. Long-term caloric restriction ameliorated cognitive functions and led to changes in the expression of the major proteins controlling the m6A pathway (FTO, METTL3) which are consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis. Although we do not know the exact mechanism of action, these findings support the hypothesis that m6A pathway regulators, such as the FTO demethylase, may be a promising molecular target for...

Our stories are not taking place in the cinema, but in the mind of viewer - that's basic idea behind this thesis. Best tools for insight into the minds of people are coming from cognitive sciences, but their perspective is often ignored by screenwriters. How does the pattern-seeking brain works? Which psychological effects can influence the first act of screenplay? What is an anchoring? What screenwriter needs to know about selling home bakery? What is theory of mirror neurons and what it can teach us about an empathy? How much information is just too much? And how viewer's attention operates? These questions and examples from author's own work attempt to describe how to look at screenwriter's craft through the cognitive perspective.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most ubiquitous post-transcriptional RNA modification and has an important role in determining the fate of mRNA transcripts. Among the key proteins of the m6A pathway are methyltransferases (METTL family enzymes), demethylases (FTO, ALKBH family enzymes), and m6A binding proteins (e.g., YTHDF family) which recognize RNA sequences depending on the amount and localization of m6A in target transcripts and subsequently influence the fate of mRNA transcripts. The role of methyltransferases and demethylases is to provide a dynamic balance of m6A levels and possibly to convey mechanisms of specificity for these so-called epitranscriptomic marks, which are not yet fully understood. The main objective of this work was to determine the relative changes in the expression of key m6A pathway proteins during early postnatal development and adulthood in the rat brain. We found that the level of expression of key m6A pathway proteins decreases from birth to adulthood, with the exception of a transient increase between postnatal days 10 and 18. During this period, we also found significant changes in the expression of respiratory chain complexes. However, further research is needed to provide evidence of a mechanistic link between the m6A pathway and brain energy homeostasis during...

Charles University in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology Performed at: University of defence in Brno, Faculty of Military Health Sciences in Hradec Králové, Department of Toxicology and Military Pharmacology Student: Michaela Mackurová Leader of diploma thesis: PharmDr. Marie Vopršalová, CSc. Supervisor: kpt. PharmDr. Vendula Hepnarová, Ph.D. Title of diploma thesis: Evaluation of the efficacy of quarternary acetylcholinesterase reactivators in vivo NPL belongs to compounds of organic phosphorus and they are very common cause of poisoning as organophosphorus nerve agent. They can be absorbed by various routes - inhalated, ingest or by transdermal penetration. The problem is ineffective therapy and there is still no broad-spectrum reactivator able to efficiently restore AChE activity after intoxication by various organophosphates that will penetrates into CNS. The main aim of this experiment was to determine and compare the reactivating efficacy of two newly developed oximes K869 and K870 with commonly used oximes K160 and HI-6 against intoxication of sarin. The activity of reactivation was determined by standard spectrophotometric Ellman's method with using male Wistar laboraty rats. The results were evaluated as percentage of reactivation...

Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis Candidate: Kristýna Ludínova Supervisor: PharmDr. Jan Zitko, Ph.D. External supervisors: Dr. Manfred Oswald, Prof. Dr. Rohini Kuner Title of diploma thesis: Delineating Pain and Fear Engrams in the Prefrontal Cortex Pain is a complex process associated with activation of various brain centres. According to evidence of imaging studies in humans and rodents the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ranks amongst the brain area consistently activated during painful perception. The mPFC circuits underlies functionally-distinct processes, such as pain, emotional response, decision-making, attention amongst others. However, the precise contribution of mPFC in pain related function remains to be unknown. The aim of the study was to delineate how pain and fear are manifested at the cellular level within the regions of PFC. By employing activity dependent neuronal labelling we tested if cellular ensembles activated in pain and fear behaviours within the mPFC are distinct. We investigated a potential use of activity-dependent DREADDs (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) expression in order to test for the functional role of PFC ensembles in pain and fear behaviour. Our...

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) effectively hydrolyzes acetylcholine (ACh). The inhibition of AChE is generally lethal and mice without AChE in all tissues (AChE KO) have severe impairments. In the brain, AChE is anchored in the plasma membrane by proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA), while in the muscles, AChE is anchored by collagen Q (ColQ) in the basal lamina. We report here that the PRiMA KO mice, in which AChE is essentially eliminated in the brain, show very little changes in behavior despite an excess of ACh in the brain and adaptation of ACh receptors comparable to those seen in AChE KO mice. Moreover, when AChE cannot interact with ColQ and PRiMA, the phenotype resembles that of AChE KO mice, but the biochemical changes in the brain are similar to those in PRiMA KO mice. PRiMA KO mice also differ from other AChE-deficit mice strains in their responses to AChE inhibitor. Our results suggest that AChE in the peripheral tissues is the major target of AChE inhibitors and AChE absence in the peripheral tissues is the leading cause of the phenotype of AChE KO mice.

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Neuroscience is a new scientific discipline studying people's nervous system and brain, and among other things discovering how they decide and what motivates them. One of the branches of this study is neuromarketing which becomes to be increasingly used as a marketing research methodology which claims to reveal what people really think not only what they declare. There are still many question marks concerning this method, and, particularly in the Czech market where there is generally little notion about it, neither clients nor advertising agencies are sure whether and how to use it throughout their marketing and communication process. This thesis sets its goal in trying to shed a light on the problematic and provide a deeper analysis of the methodology and its presence on the Czech market. Via primary and secondary research, and description of several case studies and conducted interviews, it intends to conceptualize the application of neuromarketing in marketing and thus help with a decision about when and how it may be worth to think of using it in practice.