Impaired hippocampal-dependent learning and functional abnormalities in the hippocampus in mice lacking serotonin1A receptors

AUTOR(ES)

Sarnyai, Zoltán

FONTE

The National Academy of Sciences

RESUMO

The hippocampus is a major limbic target of the brainstem serotonergic neurons that modulate fear, anxiety, and learning through postsynaptic serotonin1A receptors (5-HT1A receptors). Because chronic stress selectively down-regulates the 5-HT1A receptors in the hippocampus, we hypothesized that mice lacking these receptors may exhibit abnormalities reminiscent of symptoms of stress-related psychiatric disorders. In particular, a hippocampal deficit in the 5-HT1A receptor could contribute to the cognitive abnormalities often seen in these disorders. To test whether a deficit in 5-HT1A receptors impairs hippocampus-related functions, we studied hippocampal-dependent learning and memory, synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, and limbic neuronal excitability in 5-HT1A-knockout (KO) mice. 5-HT1A-KO animals showed a deficit in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory tests, such as the hidden platform (spatial) version of the Morris water maze and the delayed version of the Y maze. The performance of KO mice was not impaired in nonhippocampal memory tasks such as the visible platform (nonspatial) version of the Morris water maze, the immediate version of the Y maze, and the spontaneous-alternation test of working memory. Furthermore, paired-pulse facilitation in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus was impaired in 5-HT1A-KO mice. Finally, 5-HT1A-KO mice, as compared with wild-type animals, displayed higher limbic excitability manifested as lower seizure threshold and higher lethality in response to kainic acid administration. These results demonstrate that 5-HT1A receptors are required for maintaining normal hippocampal functions and implicate a role for the 5-HT1A receptor in hippocampal-related symptoms, such as cognitive disturbances, in stress-related disorders.

Documentos Relacionados

• 13-cis-retinoic acid suppresses hippocampal cell division and hippocampal-dependent learning in mice
• Improvements in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning and Decremental Attention in 5-HT3 Receptor Overexpressing Mice
• Increased anxiety of mice lacking the serotonin1A receptor
• Amygdala modulation of hippocampal-dependent and caudate nucleus-dependent memory processes.
• α7 Nicotinic Receptor Subunits Are Not Necessary for Hippocampal-Dependent Learning or Sensorimotor Gating: A Behavioral Characterization of Acra7-Deficient Mice