Knocking out the dopamine reuptake transporter (DAT) does not change the baseline brain arachidonic acid signal in the mouse

Brain Arachidonic Acid Incorporation and Turnover are not Altered in the Flinders Sensitive Line Rat Model of Human Depression

Brain serotonergic signaling is coupled to arachidonic acid (AA)-releasing calcium-dependent phospholipase A2. Increased brain serotonin concentrations and disturbed serotonergic neurotransmission have been reported in the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat model of depression, suggesting that brain AA metabolism may be elevated. To test this hypothesis, (14)C-AA was intravenously infused to steady-state levels into control and FSL rats derived from the same Sprague-Dawley background strain, and labeled and unlabeled brain phospholipid and plasma fatty acid concentrations were measured to determine the rate of brain AA incorporation and turnover. Brain AA incorporation and turnover did not differ significantly between controls and FSL rats. Compared to controls, plasma unesterified docosahexaenoic acid was increased, and brain phosphatidylinositol AA and total lipid linoleic acid and n-3 and n-6 docosapentaenoic acid were significantly decreased in FSL rats. Several plasma esterified fatty acids differed significantly from controls. In summary, brain AA metabolism did not change in FSL rats despite reported increased levels of serotonin concentrations, suggesting possible post-synaptic dampening of serotonergic neurotransmission involving AA.

Repeated exposure of adult rats to transient oxidative stress induces various long-lasting alterations in cognitive and behavioral functions

Exposure of neonates to oxidative stress may increase the risk of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia in adulthood. However, the effects of moderate oxidative stress on the adult brain are not completely understood. To address this issue, we systemically administrated 2-cyclohexen-1-one (CHX) to adult rats to transiently reduce glutathione levels. Repeated administration of CHX did not affect the acquisition or motivation of an appetitive instrumental behavior (lever pressing) rewarded by a food outcome under a progressive ratio schedule. In addition, response discrimination and reversal learning were not affected. However, acute CHX administration blunted the sensitivity of the instrumental performance to outcome devaluation, and this effect was prolonged in rats with a history of repeated CHX exposure, representing pro-depression-like phenotypes. On the other hand, repeated CHX administration reduced immobility in forced swimming tests and blunted acute cocaine-induced behaviors, implicating antidepressant-like effects. Multivariate analyses segregated a characteristic group of behavioral variables influenced by repeated CHX administration. Taken together, these findings suggest that repeated administration of CHX to adult rats did not cause a specific mental disorder, but it induced long-term alterations in behavioral and cognitive functions, possibly related to specific neural correlates.

An evaluation of the serotonin system and perseverative, compulsive, stereotypical, and hyperactive behaviors in dopamine transporter (DAT) knockout mice

RATIONALE

Mice lacking the dopamine transporter (DAT) display major behavioral alterations that include hyperactivity, perseverative locomotor patterns, and reduced prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to investigate perseverative, compulsive, stereotypical, and hyperactive behaviors, as well as serotonin and its involvement with these behaviors, in DAT gene-altered mice.

RESULTS

In the open field, mean turn angle and meandering were decreased in DAT knockout (DAT-KO) mice. DAT-KO mice displayed increased hyperactivity, increased velocity, less time immobile, and a failure to habituate over time in the open field unlike their DAT wildtype (DAT-WT) and heterozygous (DAT-HET) littermates. DAT-KO mice buried fewer marbles than DAT-WT and -HET mice in an assessment of compulsive-like behaviors, likely due to extreme hyperactivity and related inattention. Stereotypical head weaving was increased in untreated DAT-KO mice. Following administration of the 5-HT1A/7 agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), stereotypical head weaving and forepaw treading were increased more in DAT-KO mice than in DAT-WT or -HET mice. By contrast, head twitches induced by treatment with the 5-HT2A/2C agonist (±)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl-2-aminopropane (DOI) were similar in mice of all three DAT genotypes. 5-HT1A autoreceptor function was intact in DAT-KO mice. Compared to DAT-WT mice, serotonin levels were increased in DAT-HET and -KO mice in frontal cortex and hippocampus, respectively, and serotonin turnover rates were increased ∼30 % in the striatum of DAT-KO mice.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings extend and confirm prior behavioral and biochemical characterization of DAT-KO mice. Hyperactivity, stereotypy, and perseverative behaviors are increased in these mice, with brain-area specific increases in serotonin levels and serotonin turnover, and marked increases in postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor-mediated stereotypic responses.

n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids in animal models with neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation is present in the majority of acute and chronic neurological disorders. Excess or prolonged inflammation in the brain is thought to exacerbate neuronal damage and loss. Identifying modulators of neuroinflammation is an active area of study since it may lead to novel therapies. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are anti-inflammatory in many non-neural tissues; their role in neuroinflammation is less studied. This review summarizes the relationship between n-3 PUFA and brain inflammation in animal models of brain injury and aging. Evidence by and large shows protective effects of n-3 PUFA in models of sickness behavior, stroke, aging, depression, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and cytokine- and irradiation-induced cognitive impairments. However, rigorous studies that test the direct effects of n-3 PUFA in neuroinflammation in vivo are lacking. Future research in this area is necessary to determine if, and if so which, n-3 PUFA directly target brain inflammatory pathways. n-3 PUFA bioactive metabolites may provide novel therapeutic targets for neurological disorders with a neuroinflammatory component.