title: Vasopressinergic control of stress-related behavior: studies in Brattleboro rats.
abstract: Vasopressin, a nonapeptide, signaling both as hormone in the blood and neuromodulator/neurotransmitter in the brain is considered to be causally involved in the pathological changes underlying anxiety and depression. In the present review we summarize experimental data obtained with Brattleboro rats as a model of congenital vasopressin-deficiency to test the hypothesis that central vasopressin signaling contributes to anxiety- and depression-like behavior. Male, female and lactating rats were studied. We focused on the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the septum, two brain areas in which vasopressin is proposed to control the endocrine and behavioral stress response, respectively. The presented data support the hypothesis that the behavioral changes seen in these rats are brought about by an altered vasopressin signaling at the brain level. Whereas vasopressin synthesized and released within the hypothalamus is primarily involved in endocrine regulation, vasopressin signaling in other brain areas may contribute to anxiety- and depression-like behavioral parameters. Further studies in this context might focus particularly on the interplay between extra-hypothalamic brain areas such as the septum and the medial amygdala.
authors.affiliation: a Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary ;
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Csikota
authors.affiliation: a Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary ;|b János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences , Semmelweis University , Budapest , Hungary ;
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.affiliation: a Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary ;|b János Szentágothai School of Neurosciences , Semmelweis University , Budapest , Hungary ;
authors.forename: Diána
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balázsfi
authors.affiliation: a Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary ;
authors.forename: Ottó
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pintér
authors.affiliation: c Center for Molecular Medicine , Jichi Medical University , Yakushiji , Japan ;
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizukami
authors.affiliation: d Institut für Virologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin , Berlin , Germany ;
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weger
authors.affiliation: d Institut für Virologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin , Berlin , Germany ;
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heilbronn
authors.affiliation: e Institut für Biochemie & Zellbiol, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität , Magdeburg , Germany ;|f Center for Behavioural Brain Sciences , Magdeburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engelmann
authors.affiliation: a Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine , Budapest , Hungary ;
authors.forename: Dóra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zelena
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011910:Rats, Brattleboro; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins
keywords: Adeno-associated viral vector; anxiety- and depression-like behavior; defensive withdrawal; elevated plus maze; forced swim; retrodialysis