title: Amniotic fluid or its fatty acids produce actions similar to diazepam on lateral septal neurons firing rate.
abstract: Human amniotic fluid (AF) contains eight fatty acids (FATs), and both produce anxiolytic-like effects in adult rats and appetitive responses in human newborns. The medial amygdala and lateral septal nucleus function are related to social behavior, but the action of AF or its FATs in this circuit is known. We obtained 267 single-unit extracellular recordings in Wistar rats treated with vehicle (1 mL, s.c.; n = 12), human AF (1 mL, s.c.; n = 12), a FAT mixture (1 mL, s.c.; n = 13), diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.; n = 11), and fluoxetine (1 mg/kg, p.o.; n = 12). Compared with the vehicle group, the spontaneous septal firing rate in the AF, FAT mixture, and diazepam groups was the lowest and in the fluoxetine group the highest. Cumulative peristimulus histograms indicated that the significant change in septal firing occurred only in the AF and FAT mixture groups and exclusively in those neurons that increased their firing rate during amygdala stimulation. We conclude that human AF and its FATs produce actions comparable to anxiolytic drugs and are able to modify the responsivity of a circuit involved in social behavior, suggesting facilitation of social recognition processes by maternal-fetal fluids.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-García
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: Diana Idania
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Vásquez-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D005227:Fatty Acids; D003975:Diazepam