Effects of mild early life stress on abnormal emotion-related behaviors in 5-HTT knockout mice.
A low-expressing polymorphic variant of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene has been associated with emotional disorders in humans and non-human primates following exposure to early life trauma. 5-HTT gene knockout (KO) mice exhibit increased anxiety- and depression-related behaviors, and provide a model to study interactions between 5-HTT gene variation and early life stress. The present study assessed the effects of postnatal footshock stress on the development of emotion-related behaviors in 5-HTT KO mice. Results showed that 5-HTT KO mice displayed a profile of suppressed exploratory behavior and increased anxiety-like behavior in the light/dark, elevated plus-maze and open field tests, as well as increased depression-related behavior in the forced swim test following repeated exposure to the test. Postnatal exposure to footshock stress did not affect emotion-related behaviors in non-mutant C57BL/6J mice or modify phenotypic abnormalities in 5-HTT KO. Data provide further evidence of emotional abnormalities following genetic disruption of the 5-HTT.
Carroll
Jenna C
JC
Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Boyce-Rustay
Janel M
JM
Millstein
Rachel
R
Yang
Rebecca
R
Wiedholz
Lisa M
LM
Murphy
Dennis L
DL
Holmes
Andrew
A
D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins