Recent evidence indicates that the mature neocortex retains a higher degree of plasticity than traditionally assumed. Up- and down-regulation of synaptic strength, long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), is thought to be the primary mechanism mediating experience-dependent plasticity of cortical networks. The present thesis investigate factors that regulate adult cortical plasticity, focusing on the role of neuromodulators, recent sensory experience, and different anatomical divisions of the cortex in influencing synaptic strength. First, I investigated the role of the neuromodulator histamine in gating plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1) of urethane anesthetized adult rats. Histamine applied locally in V1 produced an enhancement of LTP elicited by theta burst stimulation (TBS) of dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) and allowed a sub-threshold TBS to produce stable LTP. Second, the impact of visual deprivation on LTP in V1 was assessed. Animals that received 2 and 5 hr dark exposure showed greater potentiation of field potentials when stimulated though retinal light flashes or weak TBS of the dLGN, which failed to induce LTP in control animals kept in continuous light. Third, I performed a detailed characterization of LTP induced by different TBS protocols, recording in either the monocular or binocular segment of both V1 hemispheres (i.e., ipsi- and contralateral to the stimulated dLGN). Stronger, NMDA receptor-independent LTP was found in the contralateral V1. Interestingly, weak TBS induced LTD that was NMDA receptor-dependent in the ipsilateral V1. Furthermore, a lower LTP induction threshold was observed in the binocular than the monocular segment of ipsilateral V1. Lastly, I investigated cholinergic modulation of sensory-induced activity in the barrel cortex. Basal forebrain stimulation enhanced multi-unit activity elicited by whisker deflection, an effect that was more pronounced for weaker response driven by a secondary whisker than principal whisker deflection. This thesis demonstrates that neocortical plasticity consists of multiple forms of synaptic modification. Adult cortical plasticity is greatly influenced by preceding activity of the synapse by various neuromodulator systems, and by anatomical subdivisions within primary sensory cortex fields. Together, these mechanisms may facilitate the detection, amplification, and storage of inputs to primary sensory fields of the neocortex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-29 14:02:30.742

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2005. / Not embargoed. Vita. Bibliography: 229-249.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / It was postulated that each gene has three main sets of transcriptional elements: one which is gene-specific, one which is family-specific, and a third which is tissue-specific.The starting hypothesis for this project had been: “Each family of genes has a distinct set of transcriptional elements that is unique onto this family”. The primary aim of this project was therefore the identification of the family-specific set of transcriptional elements within the AMPA receptor gene family. The question then is how does one measure or identify this uniqueness within the promoters of this family of genes. The answer seemed to lie in making an assessment of the promoters of this family of genes against a background of a comprehensive set of promoter sequences and in the process,to try to find the transcriptional elements that were present in the AMPA receptor gene promoters but were not so common in the general population of gene promoters.To achieve the primary aim of this project, it was essential that a comprehensive dataset of promoter sequences was available. There are ample data freely available through the web. However, it is often not available in a form that we might want it in. Another problem that one constantly encounters is the lack of general consensus among the research community in agreeing on a standard annotation. For example, a gene can sometimes be given 2 or 3 different names by different laboratories which have successfully cloned the same gene. This, in turn, hinders the data collection process. At the start of this project, there was an existing curated database of experimentally-verified eukaryotic promoter sequences called the Eukaryotic Promoter Database (EPD) and a software called Promoter Extraction from GenBank (PEG) which, as its name implies, extracts promoter sequences available through GenBank (Cavin Périer et al., 1998;Zhang & Zhang, 2001; Praz et al., 2002; Schmid et al., 2004). However, limitations existed in both these resources. For EPD, the number of curated promoter sequences available was low and also, the length of these promoter sequences was short. For PEG,the main limitation was that the extraction from GenBank would result in extraction of sequences of variable lengths.Therefore, the 5’-end Information Extraction (FIE)system was developed for the expressed purpose of collecting promoter sequences without the limitations of PEG. This software relies on the alignment of multiple mRNA/cDNA sequences that are representative of a gene on the human genomic sequence to determine the transcription start site (TSS) of the gene and thus, with this information, extract the promoter sequence for the gene from the available human genomic sequence. This was the first promoter extraction software to work on this principle (Chong et al., 2002). This method was later supported by experimental work carried out by Coleman and colleagues (2002). Using the FIE2 software (Chong et al.,2003), some 10,000-odd human promoter sequences was extracted, starting at 1500bp uptream and ending at 1000bp downstream of the 5’-most TSS.Following the collection of the human promoter sequences, the approach developed by Bajic et al. (2004) was applied to study the promoters of the AMPA receptor genes. This approach relies on both the MATCH program to map putative transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) to the promoter sequences and a software developed by Bajic etal. (2004) that calculates to the density for each TFBS or composite element. Having calculated the densities for the TFBSs and composite elements for both the target promoters (in this case, the AMPA receptor gene promoters) and the background promoters (the 10,000-odd human promoters), the software then calculates the degree of over-representation of each TFBS and composite element in the target promoters(measured against the background promoters) and then ranks the “singles”, “pairs” and “triplets” in the order of their degree of over-representation. Using this method, I identified the top 3 ranked “single”, “pair” and “triplet” transcriptional elements found commonly within the AMPA receptor promoters. In addition, a conventional phylogenetic footprinting study was also carried out for the human, mouse and rat GRIA1 promoter to identify key transcriptional elements within this subunit’s promoter.While the approach developed by Bajic et al. (2004) identifies key family-specific transcriptional elements, the phylogenetic footprinting study helps identify key genespecific transcriptional elements. Thus, they complement one another.The approach developed by Bajic et al. (2004) yielded an interesting result. It was found that the combination of the top 3 ranked “single”, “pair” and “triplet” transcriptional elements found in the AMPA receptor promoters were also found in 47 other genes. It was postulated that these 47 genes might, in fact, be co-regulated / co-expressed with the GRIAs and thus, explaining the existence of a shared promoter profile with the GRIA promoters. In support of this hypothesis, supporting evidence was found in published literature that 7 of these 47 genes (VAMP4, Rab3B, FKBP8, 3-OST-3A, CLSTN3,SOCS1 and IκBβ) might indeed be involved in the expression and functioning of the AMPA receptors.

Katecholamine (Dopamin, Adrenalin, Noradrenalin) und Serotonin sind wichtige Monoamin-Neurotransmitter im menschlichen zentralen Nervensystem, deren quantitative Bestimmung von großem medizinischen Interesse ist, weil damit Aussagen zum Verlauf von Nervenkrankheiten und zur Tumorgefährdung des sympathoadrenalen bzw. neuroendokrinen Systems möglich sind. Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure finden sich in vielen Körperflüssigkeiten. Ihre Bestimmung ist klinisch ebenfalls bedeutend, da deren Konzentration als Indikatoren bekannter Krankheitsbilder dienen. Etablierte Standardmethoden, wie die Hochleistungsflüssigkeitschromatographie (HPLC) und immunologische Nachweisverfahren (ELISA) werden im klinischen Bereich zur Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter genutzt. Diese sind kostenintensiv und zeitaufwändig und daher für die Anwendung in den Arztpraxen, vor allem in Entwicklungsländern nicht geeignet. Elektrochemische Verfahren, insbesondere voltammetrische Messmethode haben den Vorteil, solche Bestimmungen in einfacher Weise zu ermöglichen. In der Literatur finden sich Angaben zu eingesetzten Elektroden auf Kohlenstoffbasis mit hoher Sensitivität für die Katecholamine. Allerdings wurden diese Elektroden meist einzeln hergestellt. Der kommerzielle Durchbruch ist deshalb bisher, hauptsächlich infolge der mangelnden Reproduzierbarkeit der Elektrodeneigenschaften und der Verfügbarkeit einfacher elektronischer Geräte ausgeblieben. Es war daher Ziel dieser Arbeit, durch industrienahe Herstellungsverfahren Graphitelektroden mit reproduzierbaren Eigenschaften zu entwickeln und diese auf ihre Eignung für den quantitativen Nachweis bioaktiver Stoffe zu erproben. Dazu waren Verfahrensschritte zu optimieren, die es erlauben, diese siebgedruckten Graphitelektroden reproduzierbar und kostengünstig zu fertigen und sie auf verschiedene Weise, z.B. durch halbleitende Polymere und nanoskalige Metalle zu modifizieren. Neben den Neurotransmittern enthalten Körperflüssigkeiten unter anderem Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure in hohen Konzentrationen. Daher waren zunächst Modellanalyten unter Verwendung dieser Stoffe herzustellen. Die voltammetrischen Methoden, wie die zyklische Voltammetrie (CV), die Differentielle Puls-Voltammetrie (DPV) und die Square-Wave-Voltammetrie (SWV) sollten auf ihre Eignung zum Nachweis der bioaktiven Substanzen erprobt werden. Schließlich waren die Elektroden in realen Analyten zu testen. Insgesamt konnte in der vorliegenden Arbeit gezeigt werden, dass ausgewählte Neurotransmitter, Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure sich mit differentiellen voltammetrischen Verfahren an industrienah hergestellten modifizierten Dickschichtelektroden bestimmen lassen. Es ist erstmalig gelungen, eine modifizierte Dickschichtelektrode zu entwickeln, mit der es möglich ist, Katecholamine unabhängig von Ascorbinsäure (3 mM) und Harnsäure (2 mM) quantitativ nachzuweisen. Damit eröffnen sich neue Wege für den Einsatz von elektrochemischen Sensoren für die einfache Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter vor Ort. Die beschriebenen modifizierten Dickschichtelektroden sind ohne Verlust an elektrochemischer Aktivität an der Luft oder im Grundelektrolyten monatelang lagerfähig. Die Elektroden lassen sich im Gegensatz zu den in der Literatur beschriebenen Elektroden mit Einzelfertigung kostengünstig in großer Stückzahl mit hoher Reproduzierbarkeit herstellen.:Inhaltsverzeichnis I Abkürzungen V 1 Einleitung und Zielsetzung der Arbeit 1 2 Theoretischer Teil 5 2.1 Elektrochemische Verfahren in der Analytik 5 Klassifizierung elektroanalytischer Methoden 5 2.1.1 Voltammetrie 5 Cyclovoltammetrie (CV) 6 Differential-Puls-Voltammetrie (DPV) 9 Square-Wave-Voltammetrie (SWV) 10 2.1.2 Chronocoulometrie (ChrC) 11 2.1.3 Impedanzmessung (EIS) 12 2.1.4 Elektrochemische Quarzmikrowaage (EQCM) 14 2.2 Poly-3,4-Ethylendioxythiophen, ein leitfähiges Polymer 19 2.2.1 Leitfähige Polymere 19 2.2.2 Das Poly-3,4-ethylendioxythiophen 20 Elektrochemische Synthese und Dotierung 20 2.3 Bioaktive Stoffe 24 2.3.1 Katecholamine 24 Dopamin 25 Noradrenalin und Adrenalin 25 Abnorme Konzentration der Katecholamine 25 2.3.2 Serotonin 26 2.3.3 Interaktion von Katecholaminen und Serotonin 26 2.3.4 Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 27 2.3.5 Elektrochemisches Verhalten der bioaktiven Stoffe 28 Katecholamine 28 Serotonin 30 Ascorbinsäure 30 Harnsäure 30 3 Experimenteller Teil 32 3.1 Chemikalien 32 3.2 Lösungen 33 3.2.1 Ausgangslösungen 33 Grundelektrolyte 33 Lösungen der bioaktiven Stoffe 33 3.2.2 Lösungen für Elektrodenmodifizierungen 33 EDOT-haltige Lösungen 33 Neurotransmitter-Lösungen 34 HAuCl4-Lösungen 34 Goldkolloide 34 Eisenhexacyanoferrat(II)-Goldsäurehaltige Lösung 35 3.3 Elektrochemische Messmethoden 35 3.3.1 Voltammetrie, Chronocoulometrie und Impedanz 35 3.3.2 Elektrochemische Quarzmikrowaage 38 3.4 Elektroden und Präparation der Elektroden 39 3.4.1 Untersuchte Elektroden, deren Aktivierung und Konditionierung 39 3.4.3 Modifizierungen der Elektroden 41 Poly-3,4-Ethylendioxythiophen (PEDOT) 41 Goldnanopartikel 41 Komposite aus Goldnanopartikeln und Preußisch Blau (Au/PB) 42 Polymerfilme aus Monoamin-Neurotransmittern 42 3.5 Präparation der UP für Untersuchungen in realen Medien 43 3.6 Spektroskopische Methoden 43 4 Ergebnisse und Diskussion 45 4.1 Unmodifizierte Elektrodenoberflächen 45 4.1.1 Einfluss der Aktivierung der Elektrodenoberflächen auf das Messverhalten 45 4.1.2 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe an unmodifizierten Elektroden 48 Ermittlung des Peakpotenzials 48 Messeffekte an Gold- und Graphitelektroden in Neurotransmitter-Lösungen hoher Konzentrationen 50 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe im Gemisch 52 4.2 Au- und Au/PB-modifizierte Elektroden 54 4.2.1 Abscheidung 54 4.2.2 Untersuchungen bioaktiver Stoffe an Au-modifizierten Elektroden 56 4.3 PEDOT-modifizierte Elektroden 58 4.3.1 Abscheidungen der PEDOT-Schichten 58 CV-Abscheidungen der PEDOT-Schichten 59 ChrC-Abscheidungen der PEDOT-Schichten 62 4.3.2 Voruntersuchungen an PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden 66 Ermittlung des optimalen Potenzialbereiches für voltammetrische Messungen an PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden 66 Ermittlung der optimale PEDOT-Schichten für die Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe 68 Peakpotenziale bioaktiver Stoffe 71 Einfluss des pH-Wertes des Elektrolyten und der Scangeschwindigkeit auf voltammetrische Messsignale bioaktiver Stoffe 72 Einfluss der Messmethoden auf die Messsignale bioaktiver Stoffe an PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden 74 4.3.3 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe an PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden 78 Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter (Dopamin, Adrenalin, Noradrenalin und Serotonin) 78 Bestimmung von Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 81 Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter mit Zusatz von Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 82 Stabiltität der PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden 83 Vergleich der Ergebnisse an PEDOT-Elektroden mit Literaturangaben 84 4.3.4 Spektroskopische Untersuchungen der PEDOT-Oberflächen 85 4.3.5 Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse an PEDOT-Elektroden 87 4.4 Au-PEDOT-modifizierte Elektroden 88 4.4.1 Abscheidungen der Goldnanopartikel auf PEDOT-Oberflächen 88 Abscheidung der Goldnanopartikel durch Adsorption aus Goldkolloiden 88 Abscheidung der Goldnanopartikel auf PEDOT-modifizierten Elektroden mittels Cyclovoltammetrie 92 4.4.2 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe an Au-PEDOT-Elektroden 94 Peakpotenziale bioaktiver Stoffe an Au-PEDOT-Elektroden 94 Bestimmung von Neurotransmittern in 0,1 M Phosphatpufferlösungen 96 Bestimmung von Neurotransmittern mit Zusatz von Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 98 Bestimmung von Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 99 Stabilität der Sensitivitäten und Reproduzierbarkeit der Elektrodenherstellung 102 Vergleich der Ergebnisse an Au-PEDOT-Elektroden mit Literaturangaben 102 4.4.3 Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse an Au-PEDOT-Elektroden 104 4.5 Polymonoamin-modifizierte Elektroden bzw. PEDOT-Elektroden 105 4.5.1 Abscheidungen der Polymerschichten aus Monoaminen an Graphitelektroden 106 4.5.2 Abscheidungen der Polymerschichten aus Monoaminen an PEDOT-Elektroden 106 CV-Abscheidung 106 SWV-Abscheidung 108 4.5.3 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe an Polyserotonin-modifizierte PEDOT-Elektroden 111 Peakpotenziale bioaktiver Stoffe 111 Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter 112 Bestimmung von Ascorbinsäure und Harnsäure 114 Bestimmung der Neurotransmitter mit Zusatz von AS und HS 114 Bestimmung von Harnsäure in Gegenwart von Dopamin 116 4.5.4 Möglicher Einsatz der 5-HT-PEDOT-Elektroden als pH-Elektroden 117 4.5.5 Zusammenfassung der Ergebnisse an Polyserotonin-PEDOT-Elektroden 118 4.6 Bestimmung bioaktiver Stoffe in UM 119 4.6.1 Bestimmung von Harnsäure 119 Bestimmung von Harnsäure im Modellanalyten 119 Bestimmung von Harnsäure in präparierten UP 119 4.6.2 Bestimmung von Dopamin 120 DA-Bestimmung im Modellanalyten 120 Bestimmung von Dopamin in präparierten UP 121 5 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick 123 Zusammenfassung 123 Ausblick 126 Tabellenverzeichnis 127 Abbildungsverzeichnis 130 Anhang 138 Literaturverzeichnis 152 VERSICHERUNG 157

Nicotinic acid-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a recently described potent intracellular Ca2+-mobilizing messenger active in a wide range of diverse cell types. In the present study, we have investigated the interaction of NAADP with other Ca2+-mobilizing messengers in the release of transmitter at the frog neuromuscular junction. We show, for the first time, that NAADP enhances neurosecretion in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), cADP-ribose (cADPR) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), but not sphingosylphosphorylcholine. Thapsigargin was without effect on transmitter release in response to NAADP, but blocked the responses to subsequent application of IP3, cADPR and S1P and their potentiation by NAADP. Asynchronous neurotransmitter release may therefore involve functional coupling of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores with distinct Ca2+ stores targeted by NAADP.

How does a nervous system orchestrate compound behaviors? Finding the neural basis of behavior requires knowing which neurons control the behavior and how they are connected. To accomplish this we measured and manipulated neural activity in a live, behaving animal with a completely defined connectome. The C. elegans escape response is a compound behavior consisting of a sequence of behavioral motifs. Gentle touch induces a reversal and suppression of head movements, followed by a deep turn allowing the animal to navigate away from the stimulus. The connectome provides a framework for the neural circuit that controls this behavior. We used optical physiology to determine the activity patterns of individual neurons during the behavior. Calcium imaging of locomotion interneurons and motor neurons reveal unique activity profiles during different motifs of the escape response. Furthermore, we used optogenetics and laser ablations to determine the contribution of individual neurons to each motif. We show these that the suppression of head movements and turning motifs are distinct motor programs and can be uncoupled from the reversal. The molecular mechanisms that regulate these motifs involve from signaling with the neurotransmitter tyramine. Tyramine signaling and gap junctions between locomotion interneurons and motor neurons regulate the temporal orchestration of the turning motif with the reversal. Additionally, tyramine signaling through a GPCR in GABAergic neurons facilitates the asymmetric turning during forward viii locomotion. The combination of optical tools and genetics allows us to dissect a how a neural circuit converts sensory information into a compound behavior.

A procedure was developed for dealing with two problems that have impeded the use of quantal parameters in studies of transmitter release. The first, involving temporal and spatial biasing in the estimates for the number of functional release sites (n̄) and probability of release (p̄), was addressed by reducing temporal variance experimentally and calculating the bias produced by spatial variance in p (var(s)p). The second, involving inaccuracies in the use of nerve-evoked endplate potentials (EPPs), was circumvented by using only miniature EPPs (MEPPs). Intracellular recordings were made from isolated frog cutaneous pectoris, after decapitation and pithing of the animals, and the concentration of K+ ([K+]) was raised to 10 mM to increase the level of transmitter release. The number of quanta released (m̄) by the EPP was replaced by the number of MEPPs in a fixed time interval (bin), and 500 sequential bins used for each quantal estimate. With the use of 50-ms bins, estimates for var(s)p were consistently negative. This was due to too large a bin (and introduction of undetected temporal variance) because the use of smaller bins (5 ms) produced positive estimates of var(s)p. Increases in m, n, and p but not var(s)p were found in response to increases in [K+] or [Ca2+]/[Co2+]. La3+ (20 μM) produced increases in m and n, which peaked after 20 min and declined toward zero. There were also large increases in p and var(s)p, which peaked and declined only to initial control values. The increase in var(s)p was presumed to reflect La3+-induced release of Ca2+ from intracellular organelles. The results suggest that this approach may be used to obtain unbiased estimates of n̄ and p̄ and that the estimates of var(s)p may be useful for studying Ca2+ release from intraterminal organelles.

This document only includes an excerpt of the corresponding thesis or dissertation. To request a digital scan of the full text, please contact the Ruth Lilly Medical Library's Interlibrary Loan Department (rlmlill@iu.edu).

Charles University in Prague Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Analytical Chemistry Candidate: Ivo Vrobel Supervisors: Prof. RNDr. Petr Solich, CSc; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University in Prague Prof. Seppo Auriola, MSc.(Chem.) Marko Lehtonen; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio Title of master's thesis: LC-MS/MS analysis of acetylcholine in brain microdialysis samples Novel fast and simple LC-MS/MS method of ACh quantification in brain microdialysis samples utilizing stable-isotope-labeled IS was developed. The chromatographic step is based on revered-phase mode of pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFPP) column. The satisfactory retention of ACh is achieved with highly aqueous mobile phase containing 0.05% of the ion-pairing agent TFA and 4% of ACN in 4 min analytical run. Ionization of ACh and IS with low background noise and tolerant towards use of TFA was performed with atmospheric pressure thermospray ionization (APTSI). The selectivity of ACh and IS detection was obtained by SRM modes of MS/MS in the linear ion trap mass analyzer. The performance of developed method was cross validated to the validated method used in the laboratory for ACh measurements. The set of microdialysis...

Malgré le rôle primordial des neurotransmetteurs (NTs) dans le système nerveux central, leur détection non-invasive in vivo reste un défi majeur. L’imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM), grâce à son excellente résolution spatiale et temporelle, est parmi les techniques de diagnostic les plus performantes. Elle est au centre des développements récents en imagerie moléculaire. En particulier, l’utilisation des agents d’imagerie intelligents qui sont capables de visualiser le statut physico-chimique des tissus commence à avoir une place importante en neuroscience.Cette étude a pour objectif de concevoir, synthétiser et caractériser in vitro des sondes intelligentes à base de cations lanthanide pour la détection in vivo des NTs. La conception de nos sondes est basée sur des interactions doubles avec des neurotransmetteurs zwitterioniques: d’une part entre le complexes de Ln3+ positivement chargé et le carboxylate du NT et d’autre part entre un ether couronne lié au complexe et la fonction amine du NT. Plusieurs des sondes synthétisées présentent des relaxivités élevées et ont une réponse relaxometrique remarquable aux NTs, bien que leur sélectivité vis-à-vis de l’ion bicarbonate ne soit pas suffisante. Afin de développer des sondes pour une approche bimodale IRM /optique, nous avons également intégré dans les complexes une benzophenone qui joue le rôle de chromophore pour sensibiliser la luminescence des ions Ln3+ émettant dans le proche infra-rouge. Le complexe d’Yb3+ correspondant a des propriétés de luminescence très intéressantes avec une forte réponse aux NTs. / In spite of the key role of neurotransmitters (NTs) in signal transduction, their non-invasive in vivo monitoring remains an important challenge. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been demonstrated as a promising technique to non-invasively visualize physiological events with excellent temporal and spatial resolution. In particular, smart MRI contrast agents that are able to report on the physico-chemical status of the tissues, start to have a strong impact in neuroscience. The objective of this work was the design, synthesis and in vitro characterization of a series of lanthanide-based probes responsive to NTs with the aim to track in vivo concentration changes of NTs using MR or optical imaging. The design of our imaging probes relies on a dual binding approach of zwitterionic NTs to the Ln3+ complexes, involving interactions (i) between a positively charged Ln3+ chelate and the carboxylate function of the NTs and (ii) between an azacrown ether appended on the chelate and the amine group of the neurotransmitters. Some of the novel contrast agents were found to exhibit high relaxivities and a remarkable relaxivity response towards NTs, though little selectivity against bicarbonate. In order to apply a bimodal MRI/optical imaging approach, we have also incorporated a benzophenone moiety into the chelate to sensitize the near-infrared emitting Ln3+ ions. The Yb3+ analogue proved to be highly sensitive to NTs.