Effects of 5HT1A Activation on Depression Profile Following 5-HT Depletion in Rats Lacking Social Attachment Since Weanling

• Published in: Psychiatry investigation Vol. 15; no. 10; pp. 1000 - 1006
• Main Authors: Chang, Kuo-Jung, Chen, Yu-Jung, Chung, Jing-Yi, Lin, Chen-Cheng, Liu, Yia-Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 01.10.2018; 대한신경정신의학회
• Subjects: Original; 정신과학; Depression; Isolation-rearing; Serotonin; 5-HT1A receptors
• ISSN: 1738-3684; 1976-3026
• DOI: 10.30773/pi.2018.08.21.2

Post weanling isolation-reared (IR) rats are featured with depressive phenotype, yet its mechanism is not clearly defined particularly in terms of the involvement of central 5-HT1A receptors. The present study aims to examine the effects of 5HT1A activation on forced swim test (FST) in IR rats following 5-HT depletion. Social control (SOC) and IR rats received an intracerebraoventricular (ICV) injection of 5-HT depletion agent, 5,7-DHT. 14 days after the surgery, rats were assessed their performance in FST with or without the challenge with a 5-HT1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT. Rats were then sacrificed for analyzing their 5-HT tissue levels and the expressions of their 5-HA1A receptors in prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HPX), and amygdala (AMY). 5,7-DHT decreased the tissue concentration of 5-HT in both IR and SOC rats. IR rats were more immobile and less sensitive to the lesion-induced immobility, however this effect was reversed by acute challenge of 8-OH-DPAT. 5,7-DHT lesion increased the expression of PFC 5-HT1A receptors. The integrity of central 5-HT system is developmentally crucial for the 5-HT1A-relevant depression profile in rats of social isolation.