Department of Physiology and Biophysics of the School of Medicine-University of Puerto Rico

 

 
 
Annabell C. Segarra, Associate Professor
Ph.D., 1988, New York University
Phone: (787) 758-2525 ext. 1965
a_segarra@rcmaca.upr.clu.edu
 


Research Interests

 

Our area of research is developmental neuroendocrinology. Many reproductive, behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions observed during adulthood can be attributed to environmental influences to which the fetus or child was exposed during embryonic and/or early neonatal development. The main goal of our laboratory is to study the mechanisms involved in mediating the detrimental effects that stress and drugs administered during gestation exert over limbic brain areas. To achieve this aim we study behaviors (open field behavior, Morris water maze, sexual behavior), brain receptor systems (serotonin, dopamine, opioid) by autoradiography and in situ hybridization, and hormonal systems (sex and adrenal steroids) by radioimmunoassay to obtain a broad view of the processes involved. Each sex is studied separately to determine if they are equally affected by perinatal influences. In addition, we have recently started to investigate the role the opioid system may play in the etiology of temporal lobe epilepsy in humans and in the rat model.

Selected Publications

 

  1. A. C. Segarra and F. L. Strand. 1989. Perinatal administration of nicotine alters subsequent sexual behavior and testosterone levels of male rats. Brain Res., 480: 151-159. PubMed Entry

  2. A. C. Segarra and B. S. McEwen. 1991. Estrogen increases spine density in ventromedial hypothalamic neurons of peripubertal rats. Neuroendocrinol., 54: 365-372. PubMed Entry

  3. A. C. Segarra and B. S. McEwen. 1992. Drug Effects on Sexual Differentiation of the Brain: Role of Stress and Hormones in Drug Actions. In: Maternal Substance Abuse and the Developing Nervous System (Eds: I. S. Zagan and T. A. Slotkin); Ch. 13 pp 323-367; Academic Press, Inc. New York.

  4. A. C. Segarra and M. Rios (submitted). Increased fluctuating asymmetry in neonates of mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Biology of the Neonate.

  5. A. C. Segarra, A. Acosta, J. A. Angulo and B. S. McEwen. (submitted). Sex differences in estrogenic regulation of preproenkephalin mRNA levels in the preoptic area of peripubertal rats. Developmental Brain Research.

  6. Segarra, AC, A Acosta, JL González, JA Angulo and BS McEwen 1998. Sex differences in estrogenic regulation of preproenkephalin mRNA levels in the POA of peripubertal rats. Mol Brain Res, 60(1): 133-139.

  7. Torres,G, V García, E Sánchez, A Segarra, BK Patterson and LM Meléndez-Guerrero 2001. Expression of the HIV-1 Co-receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 on placental macrophages and the effect of IL-10 on their expression. Placenta Vol. 22 Supp A: Trophoblast Res. Vol. 5: S29-S33.

  8. Febo, M. CA Jiménez and AC Segarra 2002. Estrogen and opioids interact to modulate the locomotor response to cocaine. Brain Res. 943(1):151-161.

  9. Mejías, CA, CA Jiménez and AC Segarra 2002. Sex differences in models of temporal lobe epilepsy: Role of testosterone. Brain Res. 944 (1-2):210-218.

  10. Febo, M, LA González-Rodriguez, DE Capó Ramos, NY González-Segarra and AC Segarra 2003. Estrogen dependent alterations in D2/D3 induced G protein activation in cocaine-sensitized female rats. J Neurochem. 86 405-412.

  11. Segarra, AC and SJ Lee. Neuroprotective effects of estrogen 2004. In:
    Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine. Ed: M Legato, Ch. 11, pp 96-103; Elsevier Science, San Diego, CA.

  12. Febo, M. and AC Segarra. 2004. Cocaine alters GABA B -mediated G-protein activation in the ventral tegmental area of female rats: Modulation by estrogen. Synapse 54:30-36.

  13. Febo, M, AC Segarra, JR Tenney, MA Brevard, TQ Duong and CF Ferris. Imaging cocaine-induced changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of conscious rats (in press). J.of Neuroscience Methods.

  14. Febo, M, AC Segarra G Nair, K Schmidt, TQ Duong and CF Ferris (in press) The Neural Consequences of Repeated Cocaine Exposure Revealed By Functional MRI in Awake Rats (Neuropsychopharmacology)

  15. Febo, M, CF Ferris, and AC Segarra. Female cocaine addiction: Imaging
    estrogen sensitive circuits. (In revision: J Neuroscience)

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