title: Influence of stress on regional brain serotonin metabolism after progesterone treatment and upon plasma progesterone in the rat.
abstract: The effect of progesterone upon stress altered serotonin (5-HT) metabolism in various regions of the rat brain was investigated with regard to a possible connection with premenstrual and post-partum depression. When electric footshock was administered to ovariectomized rats pretreated with progesterone or its vehicle, there were generally higher 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations after progesterone. 5-HT levels were significantly higher in thalamus, hippocampus, raphe, and frontal cortex, 5-HIAA rose significantly in hippocampus, raphe, and frontal cortex. Whereas after electric footshock alone the septum showed highest increases of 5-HT and 5-HIAA and hippocampus ranged last, after pretreatment with progesterone increases of 5-HT and 5-HIAA were least pronounced in septum but rather high in hippocampus. Electric footshock administered to ovariectomized rats also resulted in an increase of plasma progesterone concentration.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002369:Castration; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000378:metabolism; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000378:metabolism; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012701:Serotonin; D011374:Progesterone; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D003345:Corticosterone