title: Age-dependent effect of high cholesterol diets on anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze test in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cholesterol is an essential component of brain and nerve cells and is essential for maintaining the function of the nervous system. Epidemiological studies showed that patients suffering from anxiety disorders have higher serum cholesterol levels. In this study, we investigated the influence of high cholesterol diet on anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze in animal model and explored the relationship between cholesterol and anxiety-like behavior from the aspect of central neurochemical changes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Young (3 weeks old) and adult (20 weeks old) rats were given a high cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. The anxiety-like behavior in elevated plus maze test and changes of central neurochemical implicated in anxiety were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In young rats, high cholesterol diet induced anxiolytic-like behavior, decreased serum corticosterone (CORT), increased hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), increased hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and decreased glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In adult rats, high cholesterol diet induced anxiety-like behavior and increase of serum CORT and decrease of hippocampal BDNF comparing with their respective control group that fed the regular diet.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High cholesterol diet induced age-dependent effects on anxiety-like behavior and central neurochemical changes. High cholesterol diet might affect the central nervous system (CNS) function differently, and resulting in different behavior performance of anxiety in different age period.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. jinfeng@psych.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004032:Diet; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D006854:Hydrocortisone