Neurobiology Research Group
| The Neurobiology Research Group is a relatively new subdivision of Almazov Centre, with a research focus on the study of mental and neurological diseases. On 5 May 2022, the results of the competition of scientific units for the title 'The Best Research Unit of Almazov Centre' were summed up at the meeting of the competition committee. In the 'Best Research Unit of Almazov Centre’ category, the Neurobiology Research Group was awarded first place. |
 Alan Kaluev, DSc in BiologyHead of the Group, Leading Researcher |
Research focus
- Modelling of brain diseases using experimental models
- Development and testing of new drugs for the treatment of CNS disorders
- Search for new biomarkers of psychiatric and neurological disorders
- Development and application of new methods to assess behavioral abnormalities in animals
Despite its small size, the team at the research group is actively engaged in publication work, and since its establishment in 2017, has published more than 60 papers in international journals indexed by WoS/Scopus. The research group involves students of the Centre in scientific work within the Neurobiology Student Scientific Club, the work of which is entirely focused directly on research (without lectures) with subsequent publication of the joint results in leading international journals included in Q1 SJR. The results are also actively presented at international conferences and used in invited lectures at other research organizations. A key feature is the use of a new, highly effective model organism for neurobiological research, Danio rerio (zebrafish).
State Assignment
- In 2021, the research team conducted research under the state contract of the Russian Ministry of Health: Development of new molecular biological markers of central nervous system pathogenesis and their correction based on zebrafish experimental models (registration number in the Registration System of Research, Development and Engineering 121031100292-2), supervised by A.V. Kaluev, implementation period 2021–2023.
It was determined that RO5166017, RO5203648, and RO5073012 may represent promising drugs for the treatment of anxiety and depressive behavior disorders. The mechanism of action of these drugs may be related to changes in the expression of inflammatory genes, as well as the activation of dopaminergic and norepinephrine systems. The efficacy of NSAIDs (COX inhibitors) as anxiolytics and sedatives was confirmed. The absence of differences in the tail suspension test may indicate that these drugs have no effect on depressive-like behavior.
The general specificity of the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury in zebrafish in terms of behavioral and neurochemical parameters was determined, which will facilitate the development of new drugs and accelerate the process of identifying neuroprotective drugs.
The study concluded that the proposed chronic stress model is highly valid. The findings indicate that fluoxetine exhibited a high degree of efficacy in ameliorating the observed phenotypes, while the other drugs did not improve the behavior of stressed fish and had numerous adverse, non-specific effects on both behavior and monoaminergic systems.
The results of the study were published in Russian and international peer-reviewed journals.
- In 2018–2020, the specialists of the Neurobiology Research Group conducted research on the project entitled 'Development and optimization of the protocol for testing the toxicity of substances with a molecular mass greater than 3 kDa on fish (zebrafish)' (registration number in the Registration System of Research, Development and Engineering AAAA-A18-118042390121-0, supervised by M.M. Galagudza)
The primary findings obtained in 2020 within the scope of the aforementioned project are as follows: firstly, the most effective method for dechorionating Danio rerio embryos was identified as incomplete mechanical removal of the chorion; secondly, the limitations and optimal conditions for conducting the modified fish embryotoxicity test for high molecular weight compounds were determined. The impact of dechorionation on the outcomes of the fish embryotoxicity test was exemplified using the toxicity study of the high molecular weight cation Luviquat FC 550. The study encompassed three types of uncoated metal-containing nanoparticles: copper-based (Cu50), zinc oxide-based (ZnO50), and titanium dioxide-based (TiO270) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were examined under the conditions of a modified fish embryotoxicity protocol. The findings indicated that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the toxic effects of copper and zinc oxide nanoparticles with the stimulation of the zebrafish antioxidant system when N-acetylcysteine was incorporated into the medium. Furthermore, two types of non-metal-containing nanoparticles, namely fullerene C60 and silicon dioxide (SiO2 nanoparticles), along with a biodegradable, high molecular weight compound, i.e. low molecular weight chitosan, were examined under the conditions of a modified fish embryotoxicity protocol. The study determined the dependence of the embryotoxicity test results on the timing of chorion removal for nanoparticles of fullerene C60, SiO2 and low molecular weight chitosan.
The results of the study were published in Russian and international peer-reviewed journals.
2022
Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) models to understand the critical role of social interactions in mental health and wellbeing. de Abreu M.S., Fontana B.D., Cleal M., Parker M.O., Norton W.H.J., Müller T.E., Rosemberg D.B., Demin K.A., Petersen E.V., Kalueff A.V., Amstislavskaya T.G. Progress in Neurobiology. 2022. Т. 208. С. 101993. IF 9,371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.101993
Understanding early-life pain and its effects on adult human and animal emotionality: Translational lessons from rodent and zebrafish models. de Abreu M.S., Giacomini A.C.V.V., Genario R., Demin K.A., Amstislavskaya T.G., Costa F., Rosemberg D.B., Sneddon L.U., Strekalova T., Soares M.C., Kalueff A.V. Neuroscience Letters. 2022. Т. 768. С. 136382. IF 3,046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136382
Understanding sex differences in zebrafish pain- and fear-related behaviors. Marcon L., C.V.V. Giacomini A., dos Santos B.E., de Abreu M.S., Costa F., Rosemberg D.B., Demin K.A., Kalueff A.V.Neuroscience Letters. 2022. Т. 772. С. 136412. IF 3,046 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136412
Artificial intelligence-driven phenotyping of zebrafish psychoactive drug responses. Bozhko D.V., Myrov V.O., Kolchanova S.M., Polovian A.I., Galumov G.K., Demin K.A., Zabegalov K.N., de Abreu M.S., Kalueff A.V., Petersen E.V., Strekalova T. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2022. Т. 112. С. 110405. IF5,067 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110405
Murilo S de Abreu, Fabiano Costa, Ana C V V Giacomini, Konstantin A Demin, Konstantin N Zabegalov, Gleb O Maslov, Yuriy M Kositsyn, Elena V Petersen, Tatiana Strekalova, Denis B Rosemberg, Allan V Kalueff, Towards Modeling Anhedonia and Its Treatment in Zebrafish, International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, Volume 25, Issue 4, April 2022, Pages 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyab092
Costa V. Fabiano *, Rosa V. Luiz , Quadros A. Vanessa, de Abreu S. Murilo , Santos R. S. Adai, Sneddon U. Lynne , Kalueff V. Allan and Rosemberg B. Denis *, The Use of Zebrafish as a Non-traditional Model Organism in Translational Pain Research: The Knowns and the Unknowns, Current Neuropharmacology 2022; 20 (3), Pages 476-493. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X19666210311104408
de Abreu S. Murilo , Costa Fabiano , Giacomini C.V.V. Ana , Demin A. Konstantin, Petersen V. Elena , Rosemberg B. Denis and Kalueff V. Allan*, Exploring CNS Effects of American Traditional Medicines using Zebrafish Models, Current Neuropharmacology 2022; 20 (3), Pages 550-559. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X19666210712153329
Exploring cns effects of american traditional medicines using zebrafish models. de Abreu M.S., Giacomini A.C.V.V., Petersen E.V., Rosemberg D.B., Costa F., Demin K.A., Kalueff A.V. Current Neuropharmacology. 2022; 20 (3), Pages 550-559. IF 7,363. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1570159X19666210712153329
Bozhko, D. V., Myrov, V. O., Kolchanova, S. M., Polovian, A. I., Galumov, G. K., Demin, K. A., Zabegalov, K. N., Strekalova, T., de Abreu, M. S., Petersen, E. V., & Kalueff, A. V. (2022). Artificial intelligence-driven phenotyping of zebrafish psychoactive drug responses. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 112, [110405]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110405
On the value of zebrafish outbred strains in neurobehavioral research. de Abreu M.S., Kalueff A.V., Petersen E.V., Giacomini A.C.V.V., Demin K.A. Journal of Neuroinflammation. 2022, Т. 19.№ 1. IF 5,056. DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00891-z. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34853478/
2021
Putative anxiolytic-like behavioral effects of acute paracetamol in adult zebrafish. Giacomini A.C.V.V., Scolari N., Marcon L., Bueno B.W., dos Santos B.E., de Abreu M.S., Demin K.A., Kalueff A.V. Behavioural Brain Research. 2021, 409. С. 113293. IF 3,332. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113293 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113293
The role of auditory and vibration stimuli in zebrafish neurobehavioral models. Wang J., Wang D., Hu G., Yang L., Liu Z., Yan D., Serikuly N., Alpyshov E., Kalueff A.V., Demin K.A., Strekalova T., Gil Barcellos L.J., Barcellos H.H.A., Amstislavskaya T.G., de Abreu M.S. Behavioural Processes. 2021, Volume 193. С. 104505. IF 1,777. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104505
Decoding the role of zebrafish neuroglia in cns disease modeling. Zabegalov K.N., Wang D., Yang L.E., Wang J., Hu G., Serikuly N., Alpyshov E.T., Kalueff A.V., Khatsko S.L., Zhdanov A., Demin K.A., Galstyan D.S., de Abreu M.S., Strekalova T., Song C., Volgin A.D., Amstislavskaya T.G., Sysoev Y., Musienko P.E. Brain Research Bulletin. 2021. Volume 166, рр. 44-53. IF 4,077. DOI: 1016/j.brainresbull.2020.09.020. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923020306420
Psychopharmacological characterization of an emerging drug of abuse, a synthetic opioid u-47700, in adult zebrafish. Kolesnikova T.O., Shevyrin V.A., Eltsov O.S., Khatsko S.L., Demin K.A., Galstyan D.S., de Abreu M.S., Kalueff A.V. Brain Research Bulletin. 2021, Volume 167, рр. 48-55. IF 4,077. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.11.017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.11.017
Studying cns effects of traditional chinese medicine using zebrafish models. Wang D., Hu G., Wang J., Yan D., Wang M., Yang L.E., Serikuly N., Alpyshov E., Kalueff A.V., Demin K.A., Galstyan D.S., Amstislavskaya T.G., de Abreu M.S. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2021, Volume 267. рр. 113383. IF 5,195. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113383
Marchetto L, Barcellos LJG, Koakoski G, Soares SM, Pompermaier A, Maffi VC, Costa R, da Silva CG, Zorzi NR, Demin KA, Kalueff AV, de Alcantara Barcellos HH. Auditory environmental enrichment prevents anxiety-like behavior, but not cortisol responses, evoked by 24-h social isolation in zebrafish. Behav Brain Res. 2021 Apr 23; Volume 404:113169. IF 3,332 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113169Doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113169. Epub 2021 Feb 9. PMID: 33577884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113169
Konstantin A. Demin, Alexander S. Taranov, Nikita P. Ilyin, Anton M. Lakstygal, Andrey D. Volgin, Murilo S. de Abreu, Tatyana Strekalova & Allan V. Kalueff (2021) Understanding neurobehavioral effects of acute and chronic stress in zebrafish, Stress, 24:1, 1-18, DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1724948. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2020.1724948
Zabegalov, K. N., Wang, D., Yang, L. E., Wang, J., Hu, G., Serikuly, N., Alpyshov, E. T., Khatsko, S. L., Zhdanov, A., Demin, K. A., Galstyan, D. S., Volgin, A. D., de Abreu, M. S., Strekalova, T., Song, C., Amstislavskaya, T. G., Sysoev, Y., Musienko, P. E., & Kalueff, A. V. (2021). Decoding the role of zebrafish neuroglia in CNS disease modeling. Brain Research Bulletin, 166, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.09.020
Demin, K. A., Kolesnikova, T. O., Galstyan, D. S., Krotova, N. A., Ilyin, N. P., Derzhavina, K. A., Levchenko, N. A., Strekalova, T., de Abreu, M. S., Petersen, E. V., Seredinskaya, M., Cherneyko, Y. V., Kositsyn, Y. M., Sorokin, D. V., Zabegalov, K. N., Mor, M. S., Efimova, E. V., & Kalueff, A. V. (2021). Modulation of behavioral and neurochemical responses of adult zebrafish by fluoxetine, eicosapentaenoic acid and lipopolysaccharide in the prolonged chronic unpredictable stress model. Scientific Reports, 11 (1), [14289]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92422-6
Serikuly, N., Alpyshov, E.T., Wang, D., Wang, J., Yang, L., Hu, G., Yan, D., Demin, K.A., Kolesnikova, T.O., Galstyan, D. and Amstislavskaya, T.G., 2021. Effects of acute and chronic arecoline in adult zebrafish: Anxiolytic-like activity, elevated brain monoamines and the potential role of microglia. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Volume 104, p.109977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109977
2020
Demin, K. A., Lakstygal, A. M., Krotova, N. A., Masharsky, A., Tagawa, N., Chernysh, M. V., Ilyin, N. P., Taranov, A. S., Galstyan, D. S., Derzhavina, K. A., Levchenko, N. A., Kolesnikova, T. O., Mor, M. S., Vasyutina, M. L., Efimova, E. V., Katolikova, N., Prjibelski, A. D., Gainetdinov, R. R., de Abreu, M. S., … Kalueff, A. V. (2020). Understanding complex dynamics of behavioral, neurochemical and transcriptomic changes induced by prolonged chronic unpredictable stress in zebrafish. Scientific Reports, 10 (1), [19981]. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75855-3
Yang, L., Wang, J., Wang, D., Hu, G., Liu, Z., Yan, D., Serikuly, N., Alpyshov, E. T., Demin, K. A., Strekalova, T., de Abreu, M. S., Song, C., & Kalueff, A. V. (2020). Delayed behavioral and genomic responses to acute combined stress in zebrafish, potentially relevant to PTSD and other stress-related disorders: Focus on neuroglia, neuroinflammation, apoptosis and epigenetic modulation. Behavioural Brain Research, 389, Article 112644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112644
Demin, K. A., Lakstygal, A. M., Chernysh, M. V., Krotova, N. A., Taranov, A. S., Ilyin, N. P., Seredinskaya, M. V., Tagawa, N., Savva, A. K., Mor, M. S., Vasyutina, M. L., Efimova, E. V., Kolesnikova, T. O., Gainetdinov, R. R., Strekalova, T., Amstislavskaya, T. G., de Abreu, M. S., & Kalueff, A. V. (2020). The zebrafish tail immobilization (ZTI) test as a new tool to assess stress-related behavior and a potential screen for drugs affecting despair-like states. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 337, [108637]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108637
Wang, J., Wang, D., Hu, G., Yang, L. E., Yan, D., Wang, M., Serikuly, N., Alpyshov, E., Amstislavskaya, T. G., Demin, K. A., de Abreu, M. S., Zabegalov, K. N., & Kalueff, A. V. (2020). A new method for vibration-based neurophenotyping of zebrafish. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 333, [108563]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108563
Wang, J., Li, Y., Lai, K., Zhong, Q., Demin, K.A., Kalueff, A.V. and Song, C., 2020. High-glucose/high-cholesterol diet in zebrafish evokes diabetic and affective pathogenesis: The role of peripheral and central inflammation, microglia and apoptosis. Progress in Neuro-Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. Volume 96, 10 January 2020, р.109752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109752
De Abreu, M.S., Genario, R., Giacomini, A.C., Demin, K.A., Lakstygal, A.M., Amstislavskaya, T.G., Fontana, B.D., Parker, M.O. and Kalueff, A.V., 2020. Zebrafish as a model of neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuroscience, 445, pp.3-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.08.034
Cheresiz, S.V., Volgin, A.D., Kokorina Evsyukova, A., Bashirzade, A.A., Demin, K.A., de Abreu, M.S., Amstislavskaya, T.G. and Kalueff, A.V., 2020. Understanding neurobehavioral genetics of zebrafish. Journal of neurogenetics, 34 (2), pp.203-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/01677063.2019.1698565
Chapter 23 — Zebrafish Models for Stress Research. de Abreu M. S., Demin K. A., Amstislavskaya T. G., Strekalova T., Kalueff A. V. Stress: Genetics, Epigenetics and Genomics. 2021, Academic Press, 263-268. ISBN 978-0-12-813156-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813156-5.00024-8
Alan Kaluev, Head of the Group
Email: Kaluev_AV@almazovcentre.ru