title: Running Opposes the Effects of Social Isolation on Synaptic Plasticity and Transmission in a Rat Model of Depression.
abstract: Stress, such as social isolation, is a well-known risk factor for depression, most probably in combination with predisposing genetic factors. Physical exercise on the other hand, is depicted as a wonder-treatment that makes you healthier, happier and live longer. However, the published results on the effects of exercise are ambiguous, especially when it comes to neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we combine a paradigm of social isolation with a genetic rat model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL), already known to have glutamatergic synaptic alterations. Compared to group-housed FSL rats, we found that social isolation further affects synaptic plasticity and increases basal synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. These functional synaptic alterations co-exist with changes in hippocampal protein expression levels: social isolation in FSL rats reduce expression of the glial glutamate transporter GLT-1, and increase expression of the GluA2 AMPA-receptor subunit. We further show that physical exercise in form of voluntary running prevents the stress-induced synaptic effects but do not restore the endogenous mechanisms of depression already present in the FSL rat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Galán
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Femenía
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Åberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Graae
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Analysis, Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit, Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Eeckhaut
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Analysis, Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit, Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smolders
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brené
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindskog
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003863:Depression / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D051381:Rats; D012420:Running; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D027342:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2; C493395:Slc1a2 protein, rat