Neuroendocrine Interactions

Vergina Chavushyan-Papyan

Head of Laboratory

DBSc, Professor

Neural plasticity is a fundamental mechanism of central nervous system adaptation in the face of short- and long-term changes in internal and external stimuli. Experimental and theoretical studies of the forms and functions of neural plasticity—the basis of the body's adaptive behavior—in the context of neuroendocrine relationships are the laboratory's primary focus. Assessing plasticity patterns in interconnected neural networks is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative, psychiatric, endocrine, and traumatic disorders. The Laboratory of Neuroendocrine Relationships has the technical facilities to study macro- and microelectrophysiological indices of synaptic plasticity in the neural networks of the brain and spinal cord using the In-vivo Single Unit Extracell Recording method, using the following animal models of neurodegeneration of metabolic and traumatic origin:

Insulin-induced hypoglycemia;
Metabolic syndrome induced by a high-fructose, high-fat diet;
Neurodegeneration caused by hormonal deficiency (adrenalectomy, ovaryectomy, and parathyroidectomy);
Spinal cord injury (lateral hemisection, compression) in diabetes;
Sciatic nerve injury (compression/crush, transection) in diabetes;
Type 1 diabetes mellitus induced by streptozotocin;
Alzheimer's disease-like pathology induced by beta-amyloid;
Vestibular nerve injury (labyrinthectomy);
In-vivo neuronal recording in real-time, under the conditions of injecting a bioactive neurotrop substance of animal, plant, or synthetic origin, aims to identify specific electrophysiological characteristics of the action dynamics of substances.

Publications

· Electrophysiological effects of glibenclamide on hippocampal and basolateral amygdala neuronsin rats with fructose-induced metabolic dysfunction. Georgian Med News. 2025 Nov;(368):55-60. PMID: 41511123. Isoyan A, Danielyan M, Nebogova K, Simonyan K, Gevorgyan L, Antonyan I, Badalyan B, Avetisyan Z, Chavushyan V.

· Teucrium Polium ameliorates amyloid β-induced brain network disorders in rats: electrophysiological and behavioral studies. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 Mar 27;25(1):116. doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04715-8. Simonyan K, Darbinyan L, Hambardzumyan L, Manukyan L, Chavushyan V

· Experimental modeling of Alzheimer's disease: Translational lessons from cross-taxon analyses. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 May;21(5):e70273. doi: 10.1002/alz.70273. Yenkoyan KB, Kotova MM, Apukhtin KV, Galstyan DS, Amstislavskaya TG, Strekalova T, de Abreu MS, Chavushyan VA, Lim LW, Yang L, Rosemberg DD, Kalueff AV

· Efficacy and Selenium Enrichment of Lycium barbarum in Hydroponic and Soil Conditions in the Ararat Valley. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2024; 14(7): 517-527. doi: 10.31989/ffhd.v14i7.1349 Babakhanyan M, Ghalachyan L, Chavushyan V, Simonyan K, Darbinyan L, Gulnazaryan S, Hovhannisyan L

· Pathology and prevention of brain microvascular and neuronal dysfunction caused by a high-fructose diet in rats. Metabolic Brain Disease. 2023, 38(1), pp. 269-286 doi: 10.1007/s11011-022-01098-y. PMID: 36271967 Chavushyan V.A., Simonyan K.V., Danielyan M.H., Avetisyan L.G., Darbinyan L.V., Isoyan A.S., Lorikyan A.G., Hovhannisyan L.E., Babakhanyan M.A., Sukiasyan L.M.

· High -Fructose Diet-Induced Neuronal Plasticity in Rats: Implications for Acetylcholinergic Pathology and Therapeutic Approaches. ISSN 1819-7124, Neurochemical Journal, v.17, N4, 2023, pp. 654–661 Avetisyan L., Simonyan K., Danielyan M., Sukiasyan L., Chavushyan V., Isoyan A.

· Productivity and selenium enrichment of stevia in hydroponic and soil cultivation systems in the ararat valley. Georgian Med News,v. 339, N6, 2023, pp.71-76. Babakhanyan M., Chavushyan V., Simonyan K., Ghalachyan L., Darbinyan L., Ghukasyan A., Zaqaryan S., Hovhannisyan L.

· Effects of β-amyloid (1-42) Administration on the Main Neurogenic Niches of the Adult Brain: Amyloid-Induced Neurodegeneration Influences Neurogenesis. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 6;23(23):15444. doi: 10.3390/ijms232315444. Yenkoyan K, Margaryan T, Matinyan S, Chavushyan V, Danielyan M, Davtyan T, Aghajanov M.

· Plasticity in Motoneurons Following Spinal Cord Injury in Fructose-induced Diabetic Rats. J Mol Neurosci. 2022 Apr; 72(4):888-899. doi: 10.1007/s12031-021-01958-9. Simonyan K, Avetisyan L, Isoyan A, Chavushyan V.

· The effects of vibration on the neuronal activity of lateral vestibular nuclei in unilaterally labyrinthectomized rats. Brain Struct Funct. 2022 Oct 27. doi: 10.1007/s00429-022-02588-6. S

Sarkisyan SH, Danielyan MH, Darbinyan LV, Simonyan KV, Chavushyan VA.

· Stevia rebaudiana has the potential to improve functional recovery of injured peripheral nerves in diabetic rats. 10th World Convention on Stevia – Stevia Tasteful 2022: The Subtle Balance. Lisbon, Portugal & Online, June 2-3, 2022. P.12 https://www.wso-site.com/news-stevia/498-stevia-rebaudiana-enhances-functional-recovery-of-injured-sciatic-nerves-in-high-fructose-diet-rats

A.S. Isoyan, L.G. Avetisyan, K.V. Simonyan, L.E. Hovhannisyan, M.A. Babakhanyan, V.A. Chavushyan

· The Involvement of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 and Nerve Growth Factor in Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathology and Survival Role of the Mix of Embryonic Proteoglycans: Electrophysiological Fingerprint, Structural Changes and Regulatory Effects on Neurotrophins. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021, v. 22(3), 7084, 14p. doi 10.3390/ijms22137084

M. Aghajanov, S. Matinyan, V. Chavushyan, M. Danielyan, G. Karapetyan, M. Mirumyan , K. Fereshetyan, H. Harutyunyan, K. Yenkoyan

· NADPH Oxidase and Superoxide-Producing Associates in Cells of the Spinal Cord and Bone Marrow in Diabetic Rats with Spinal Cord Injury. Neurophysiology, 2021, 52 (6), 423-429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-021-09900-w. Simonyan, K.V., Chavushyan, V.A., Lorikyan, A.G., Simonyan, R.M., Avetisyan, L.G., Isoyan, A.S., Simonyan, G.M., Simonyan M.A.

· Regulatory Effects of Stevia Rebaudiana on NADPH Oxidase-Related Manifestations of Oxidative Stress in Diabetic Rats with Spinal Cord Injury. Neurophysiology, 2021, 53 (1), 13-21 K. V. Simonyan, V. A. Chavushyan, L. G. Avetisyan, R. M. Simonyan, A. S. Isoyan, G. M. Simonyan, L. E. Hovhannisyan, M. A. Simonyan

· Diabefit as a Modifier of Fructose-induced Impairment of Cardio-vascular System. Current Problems in Cardiology, 2021, Jul 24, 100943 A Avagimyan, L Sukiasyan, L Kakturskiy, L Mkrtchyan, V Chavushyan, K Chelidze, A Ionov, I Pavluchenko

· Assessment of behavioral, morphological and electrophysiological changes in prenatal and postnatal valproate induced rat models of autism spectrum disorder. Scientific Reports, 2021, 11 (1), 23471 Katarine Fereshetyan, Vergine Chavushyan, Margarita Danielyan, Konstantin Yenkoyan

· Disruption of Cholinergic Circuits as an Area for Targeted Drug Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: In Vivo Assessment of Short-Term Plasticity in Rat Brain. Pharmaceuticals 13 (10), 297, 2020, p.1-12. doi:10.3390/ph13100297 Chavushyan V., Soghomonyan A., Karapetyan G., Simonyan K., Yenkoyan K.

· Embryonic proteoglycans regulate monoamines in the rat frontal cortex and hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease-like pathology. Neurochemistry International , Volume 140, November 2020

V Chavushyan, S Matinyan, M Danielyan, M Aghajanov, K Yenkoyan