title: Increased levels of cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript in two animal models of depression and anxiety.
abstract: The neurobiological bases of mood disorders remain elusive but both monoamines and neuropeptides may play important roles. The neuropeptide cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) was shown to induce anxiety-like behavior in rodents, and mutations in the human CART gene are associated with depression and anxiety. We measured CART-like immunoreactivity (-LI) in genetic rat models of depression and anxiety, i.e. the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and rats selected for High Anxiety-related Behavior (HAB) using a radioimmunoassay. CART-LI was significantly increased in the periaqueductal grey in FSL rats, whereas in the HAB strain it was increased in the hypothalamus, both compared with their respective controls. No line-dependent changes were found in the hippocampus, striatum or frontal cortex. Our results confirm human genetic studies indicating CART as a neurobiological correlate of depression and anxiety, and suggest that its differential regulation in specific brain regions may play a role for the behavioral phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiehager
authors.forename: Daniela I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Beiderbeck
authors.forename: Susanne H M
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Aram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Khoury
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wamsteeker
authors.forename: Inga D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Asa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petersén
authors.forename: Aleksander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mathé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein