mefway and Disease-Models--Animal

Depression frequently accompanies in Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous research suggested that dopamine (DA) and serotonin systems are closely linked with depression in PD. However, comprehensive studies about the relationship between these two neurotransmitter systems are limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of dopaminergic destruction on the serotonin system. The interconnection between motor and depression was also examined. Two PET scans were performed in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned and sham operated rats: [(18) F]FP-CIT for DA transporters and [(18) F]Mefway for serotonin 1A (5-HT(1A)) receptors. Here, 6-OHDA is a neurotoxin for dopaminergic neurons. Behavioral tests were used to evaluate the severity of symptoms: rotational number for motor impairment and immobility time, acquired from the forced swim test for depression. Region-of-interests were drawn in the striatum and cerebellum for the DA system and hippocampus and cerebellum for the 5-HT system. The cerebellum was chosen as a reference region. Nondisplaceable binding potential in the striatum and hippocampus were compared between 6-OHDA and sham groups. As a result, the degree of DA depletion was negatively correlated with rotational behavior (R(2)  = 0.79, P = 0.003). In 6-OHDA lesioned rats, binding values for 5-HT(1A) receptors was 22% lower than the sham operated group. This decrement of 5-HT(1A) receptor binding was also correlated with the severity of depression (R(2)  = 0.81, P = 0.006). Taken together, this research demonstrated that the destruction of dopaminergic system causes the reduction of the serotonergic system resulting in the expression of depressive behavior. The degree of dopaminergic dysfunction was positively correlated with the impairment of the serotonin system. Severity of motor symptoms was also closely related to depressive behavior.

Topics: Animals; Brain; Depressive Disorder; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; Dopaminergic Neurons; Movement Disorders; Oxidopamine; Piperazines; Positron-Emission Tomography; Pyridines; Radiopharmaceuticals; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; Serotonin; Tropanes

Stress affects the serotonergic system, which is associated with depression. Previous research has showed that chronic stress causes the deactivation of the limbic system. However, the influence of the acute physical stress on the serotonergic system in vivo was primarily unclear. The purpose of this research is to elucidate the effects of the acute physical stress in vivo using PET. For quantification of the 5-HT1A receptors in the brain, we measured [(18)F]Mefway uptake in the two experiment groups (control and despair rats). The despair group was subjected to the external stressful situation (i.e., forced swimming) and total duration time of immobility, refers to the despair severity, and was analyzed. In the intercomparison experiment, the resulting PET images of [(18)F]Mefway in the despair rat displayed a significant reduction of radioactivity in the hippocampus (HP) compared with the control. The nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND ) refers to the ratio of the concentration of radioligand in the receptor-rich region (i.e., HP) to the concentration of that in the receptor-free region (i.e., cerebellum). The hippocampal uptake and the BPND in the despair group were respectively about 25 and 18% lower than those of the control group. The ratio of specific binding to nonspecific binding in the despair group was 18% lower than that of the control. In the intracomparison experiments, the BPND and immobility in the despair group showed a strong negative correlation. Taken together, the data illustrates that an acute physical stress induces the change in the serotonergic system that correlates with the behavioral despair.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Cerebellum; Depression; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Fluorine Radioisotopes; Hippocampus; Motor Activity; Neuropsychological Tests; Piperazines; Positron-Emission Tomography; Pyridines; Radiopharmaceuticals; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; Stress, Physiological; Swimming; Time Factors