Serotonin depletion in the adult rat causes loss of the dendritic marker MAP-2. A new animal model of schizophrenia?
Many trophic factors are now thought to also function in maintenance of the adult brain. We hypothesized that since serotonin plays a role in synaptogenesis, it may also function in maintenance of synapses in the adult. Adult rats were depleted of serotonin with the tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) for 10 days. Fourteen days after the final treatment, immunodensitometry showed a significant decrease in the synaptic marker, MAP-2. Our results are discussed in respect to the recent finding of decreased MAP-2 staining in postmortem schizophrenic brains.
Whitaker-Azmitia
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PM
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook 11794, USA.
Borella
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Raio
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D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D003712:Dendrites / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D010134:Fenclonine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012965:Sodium Chloride
D015415:Biomarkers; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D012701:Serotonin; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D010134:Fenclonine