Brain cholecystokinin tetrapeptide levels are increased in a rat model of anxiety.
Rats exposed to the smell of a predator adopted the freezing posture indicative of anxiety. Correlatively, the concentration of cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK-4) was increased in the olfactory bulb, frontal and central cortex, dorsal and ventral striatum, central amygdala and the nucleus of the solitary tract. The concentration of CCK-8 was increased only in the ventral striatum. Glutamate was increased in the cortex and the striatum and dopamine was increased in the cortex. Intraperitoneal injection of CCK-4 increased brain levels of CCK-4 and replicated, in part, the behavioural effect of the smell of the predator. Injection of a CCK-B-receptor antagonist had the opposite behavioural effect. The results support a role for CCK-4 in anxiety.
Pavlasevic
S
S
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden.
Bednar
I
I
Qureshi
G A
GA
Södersten
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013758:Tetragastrin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
D005971:Glutamates; D013758:Tetragastrin; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D004298:Dopamine