title: Stereospecific reversal of stress-induced anhedonia by mianserin and its (+)-enantiomer.
abstract: Chronic sequential exposure to a variety of mild unpredictable stressors has previously been found to depress the consumption of a dilute (1%) sucrose solution and to inhibit food-induced place preference conditioning. In the present study, using a simplified version of the mild stress procedure, the decreased sucrose intake was reversed by chronic (4 weeks) treatment with the atypical antidepressant mianserin. The racemic compound (+/-)-mianserin (5 mg/kg per day) and one of its enantiomers, (+)-mianserin (2.5 mg/kg) were effective in this model; a lower dose of (+/-)-mianserin (2.5 mg/kg), and the other enantiomer. (-)-mianserin (2.5 mg/kg), were ineffective. Vehicle-treated stressed animals were also subsensitive to food reward in the place conditioning procedure: normal place preference conditioning was reinstated by chronic treatment with (+/-)-mianserin (5 mg/kg) or (+)-mianserin, but not by the lower dose of (+/-)-mianserin (2.5 mg/kg) or by (-)-mianserin. Raclopride (100 micrograms/kg) reinstated the decrease in sucrose intake in stressed animals successfully treated with (+/-)- or (+)-mianserin. The results suggest that (+)-mianserin is the active enantiomer in reversing chronic mild stress-induced anhedonia, and further support the hypothesis of a dopaminergic mechanism of antidepressant action in this paradigm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wales, Swansea, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheeta
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broekkamp
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Willner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008803:Mianserin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020891:Raclopride; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D012457:Salicylamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013395:Sucrose; D014868:Water Deprivation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D012457:Salicylamides; D008803:Mianserin; D020891:Raclopride; D013395:Sucrose