Dr Michelle Roche BSc., MSc., PhD.
Contact Details
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Biography:
| Dr Roche graduated in 1999 with a B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Physiology at NUI Galway following which she undertook an M.Sc. in Neuropharmacology (1999-2001). Her interest in stress-related disorders began during her time as a research assistant in Prof Rita Valentino laboratory in Philadelphia (2001) where she examined the neural circuitry underlying stress-induced changes in the serotonergic system. She subsequently pursued a Ph.D. (2002-2005) characterizing behavioural and physiological responses in a model of depression at the Department of Pharmacology, NUI Galway. Following a year as a contract lecturer, Dr Roche undertook a post-doctoral research (2005-2008) position with Dr David Finn focused on the role of the endocannabinoid system on conditioned stress-induced changes in pain responding and inflammation. In September 2008, Dr Roche was appointed Lecturer in Physiology at NUI Galway. |
Research Interests
| Our day-to-day lives are packed with various stressful events such as inconveniences, deadlines and exams and for the most part this helps us become focused and motivated. However, long-term stress can leave us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed and if prolonged can cause marked effects on the physiological functioning of body and mind. The aim of Dr Roches research is to gain further understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms which underlie stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety, pain and inflammation. To this end, a range of in vivo and in vitro methodologies are used to examine the role of a number of neurotransmitter systems including monoamines, endocannabinoids, endovanilloids and neuropeptides in modulating behavioural, neurochemical, neuroendocrine and immune responses. |
Book Chapters
| Roche M (2011) 'The Olfactory Bulbectomised Mouse' In: Ed T Gould (eds). In Mood and Anxiety Related Phenotypes in Mice. USA: Humana Press. [Details] |
Peer Reviewed Journals
| Roche, M., Commons, K. G., Peoples, A. & Valentino, R. J. (2003) 'Circuitry underlying regulation of the serotonergic system by swim stress'. Journal of Neuroscience, 23 (3):990-997. [Details] |
| Zueger, M., Urani, A., Chourbaji, S., Zaher, C., Roche, M., Harkin, A. & Gass, P. (2005) 'Olfactory bulbectomy in mice induces alterations in exploratory behaviour and short-term memory'. Neuroscience Letters, 374 :142-146. [DOI] [Details] |
| Roche M, Diamond M, Kelly JP, Finn DP (2006) 'In vivo modulation of LPS-induced alterations in brain and peripheral cytokines and HPA axis activity by cannabinoids'. Journal of Neuroimmunology, 181 ((1-2):):57-67. [Details] |
| Roche, M., Harkin, A., Kelly, J. P. (2007) 'Chronic fluoxetine treatment attenuates stressor-induced changes in temperature, heart rate, and neuronal activation in the olfactory bulbectomised rat'. Neuropsychopharmacology, 32 (6):1312-1320. [Details] |
| Roche, M., O'Connor, E., Diskin, C. & Finn, D. P. (2007) 'The effect of CB1 receptor antagonism in the right basolateral amygdala on conditioned fear and associated analgesia in rats'. European Journal of Neuroscence, 26 (9):2643-2653. [Details] |
| Roche, M., Shanahan, E., Harkin, A. & Kelly, J. P. (2008) 'Trans-species assessment of antidepressant activity in a rodent model of depression'. Pharmacological Reports, 60 :404-408. [Details] |
| Roche M, Kelly JP, O'Driscoll M, Finn DP (2008) 'Augmentation of endogenous cannabinoid tone modulates lipopolysaccharide-induced alterations in circulating cytokine levels in rats'. Immunology, 125 (2):263-271. [Details] |
| Smith KL, Roche M, Jessop DS, Finn DP (2009) 'The effects of synthetic and endogenous imidazoline binding site ligands on neuronal activity in discrete brain regions of naive and restraint-stressed rats'. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 19 (5):371-380. [DOI] [Details] |
| ROCHE, M Johnston P, Ní Mhuircheartaigh O, Olango WM, Mackie K, Finn DP (2010) 'Effects of intra-basolateral amygdala administration of rimonabant on nociceptive behaviour and neuronal activity in the presence or absence of contextual fear'. European Journal Of Pain, 14 (5):487-495. [Details] |
| Burke NN, Hayes E, Calpin P, Kerr DM, Moriarty O, Finn DP, Roche M. (2010) 'Enhanced nociceptive responding in two animal models of depression is associated with alterations in monoamine levels in discrete brain regions'. Neuroscience, 171 :1300-1313. [Details] |
| Rea K, Roche M, Finn DP (2011) 'Modulation of conditioned fear, fear-conditioned analgesia and brain regional c-FOS expression following administration of muscimol into the rat basolateral amygdala'. Journal Of Pain, 12 (6):712-721. [Details] |
| Kerr DM, Burke NN, Ford GK, Connor TJ, Harhen B, Egan LP, Finn DP, Roche M (2012) 'Pharmacological inhibition of endocannabinoid degradation modulates the expression of inflammatory mediators in the rat hypothalamus following an immunological stressor'. Neuroscience, 204 :53-63. [Details] |
| Moriarty OM, Roche M, McGuire B, Finn DP (2012) 'Validation of an air-puff passive-avoidance paradigm for assessment of aversive learning and memory in rat models of chronic pain'. Journal Of Neuroscience Methods, 204 :1-8. [Details] |
| Butler RK, Ford GK, Hogan M, Roche M, Doyle KM, Kelly JP, Kendall DA, Chapman V, Finn DP (2012) 'Fear-induced suppression of nociceptive behaviour and activation of signal transduction molecules in the rat periaqueductal grey: role of fatty acid amide hydrolase'. Journal Of Psychopharmacology, 26 (1):83-91. [Details] |
| Olango WM, Roche M, Ford GK, Harhen B, Finn DP (2012) 'The endocannabinoid system in the rat dorsolateral periaqueductal grey mediates fear-conditioned analgesia and controls fear expression in the presence of nocicpetive tone'. British J Pharmacology, In press . [Details] |
| Roche, M., Kerr, D.M., Hunt, S.P. and Kelly, J.P. (2012) 'Neurokinin-1 receptor deletion modulates behavioural and neurochemical alterations in an animal model of depression'. Behavioural Brain Research, 228 :91-98. [Details] |
Abstract
| Roche, M,Shanahan, E,Harkin, A,Kelly, JP (2004) Chronic imipramine treatment reverses olfactory buibectomized-induced hyperactivity in three rodent species. Abstract [Details] |
| ROCHE, M et al. (2005) Altered physiological responses to stress in the olfactory bulbectomised rat: normalisation by chronic fluoxetine treatment. EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. Abstract [Details] |
| ROCHE, M et al. (2005) The effects of acute lipopolysaccharide injection on levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in discrete rat brain regions. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. Abstract [Details] |
| Roche, M,Harkin, A,Kelly, JP (2005) Chronic fluoxetine treatment attenuates stressor-induced changes in physiology and neuronal activation in the olfactory bulbectornized (OB) rat. Abstract [Details] |
| ROCHE, M et al. (2007) Role of CB1 receptors in the basolateral amygdala in conditioned aversion, associated analgesia and neuronal activation. EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. Abstract [Details] |
| ROCHE, M et al. (2008) Augmentation of endogenous cannabinoid tone modulates lipopolysaccharide-induced alterations in circulating cytokine levels in rats. JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY. Abstract [Details] |
| ROCHE, M et al. (2008) Pain and conditioned fear are differentially modulated by the endocannabinoid system in the rat dorsal eriaquaductal grey. BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY. Abstract [Details] |
Other Item
| ROCHE, M et al. (2005) The effects of acute lipopolysaccharide injection on levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory regions (vol 19, pg A37, 2005). JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. Other Item [Details] |
Reviews
| Rea K, Roche M, Finn DP. (2007) Supraspinal sites and mechanisms mediating the effects of cannabinoids on pain: the role of GABA and glutamate. British Journal of Pharmacology. Reviews [Details] |
Roche M, Finn DP (2009) 6-iodonordihydrocapsaicin. Reviews  [DOI] [Details] |
| Roche M, Finn DP (2010) Brain CB2 receptors: Implication for Neuropsychiatric disorders. Special Edition on Cannabinoids in Pharmaceuticals. Reviews [Details] |
Workshops
| Finn DP, Roche M, Ford GK, Rea K, Olango WM, Butler RK, Harhen B, Géranton SM, Hunt SP (2009) Neurobiology of fear-induced analgesia. European Neuropsychopharmacology. Workshops [Details] |
| Kerr DM, Ryan KM, Connor TJ, Harhen B, Finn DP, Roche M (2010) The effect of the anandamide re-uptake inhibitor AM404 on LPS-induced increases in cytokine gene expression and endocannabinoid content in the rat prefrontal cortex. Irish Journal of Medical Science. Workshops [Details] |
| Moriarty O, Roche M, McGuire BE, Finn DP (2010) Validation of an air-puff passive avoidance paradigm to investigate aversive learning in rat models of chronic pain. Journal of Psychopharmacology. Workshops [Details] |
| Roche M , Kerr DM, Burke N, Olango WM, Harhen B, Ford GK, Finn DP (2010) Inhibiition of monoacylglycerol lipase and fatty acid amide hydrolyase in vivo modulates LPS-induce increases in cytokine expression in the rat prefrontal cortex. 20th Annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids (ICRS) Lund. Sweden: Workshops [Details] |
| Burke NN, Geoghegan E, Finn DP, Roche M (2010) Enhanced nociceptive responding in an animal model of depression is associated with altered cytokine expression and monoamine levels in the prefrontal cortex. Irish Journal of Medical Science. Workshops [Details] |
| Kerr DM, Burke N, Olango WM, Harhen B, Ford GK, Finn DP, Roche M (2010) A differential role for monoacylglycerol lipase and fatty acid amide hydrolase in the modulation of LPS-induced increases in cytokine expression in the rat prefrontal cortex. Irish Journal of Medical Science. Workshops [Details] |
| Moriarty O, Gorman CL, Ford GK, Roche M, McGuire BE, Finn DP (2010) Assessment of cognitive performance following spinal nerve ligation in mid-aged rats. Irish Journal of Medical Science. Workshops [Details] |
| Olango WM, Roche M, Finn DP (2010) Modulation of nociception and fear-conditioned analgesia by the endocanabinoid system in the rat dorsolateral periaquaductal grey. 20th Annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids (ICRS) Lund. Sweden: Workshops [Details] |