Antidepressant-like effects of mild hypoxia preconditioning in the learned helplessness model in rats.
The effects of preconditioning using mild repetitive hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr for 2 h each of 3 days) have been studied in the learned helplessness model of depression in rats. Male Wistar rats displayed persistent depressive symptoms (depressive-like behaviour in open field, increased anxiety levels in elevated plus maze, ahedonia, elevated plasma glucocorticoids and impaired dexamethasone test) following the exposure to unpredictable and inescapable footshock in the learned helplessness paradigm. Antidepressant treatment (ludiomil, 5 mg/kg i.p.) augmented the development of the depressive state. The hypoxic preconditioning had a clear antidepressive action returning the behavioural and hormonal parameters to the control values and was equally effective in terms of our study as the antidepressant. The findings suggest hypoxic preconditioning as an effective tool for the prophylaxis of post-stress affective pathologies in humans.
Rybnikova
Elena
E
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Makarova 6, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. mos@kolt.infran.ru
Mironova
Vera
V
Pivina
Svetlana
S
Tulkova
Ekaterina
E
Ordyan
Natalia
N
Vataeva
Ludmila
L
Vershinina
Elena
E
Abritalin
Eugeny
E
Kolchev
Alexandr
A
Nalivaeva
Natalia
N
Turner
Anthony J
AJ
Samoilov
Michail
M
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000097:blood; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D002534:Hypoxia, Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005938:Glucocorticoids