Aging and depression vulnerability interaction results in decreased serotonin innervation associated with reduced BDNF levels in hippocampus of rats bred for learned helplessness

Aznar, S., Klein, A. B., Santini, M. A., Knudsen, G. M., Henn, F., Gass, P., Vollmayr, B. (July 2010) Aging and depression vulnerability interaction results in decreased serotonin innervation associated with reduced BDNF levels in hippocampus of rats bred for learned helplessness. Synapse, 64 (7). pp. 561-5. ISSN 0887-4476

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20222154
DOI: 10.1002/syn.20773

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have revealed a strong genetic contribution to the risk for depression. Both reduced hippocampal serotonin neurotransmission and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been associated with increased depression vulnerability and are also regulated during aging. Brains from young (5 months old) and old (13 months old) congenital Learned Helplessness rats (cLH), and congenital Non Learned Helplessness rats (cNLH) were immunohistochemically stained for the serotonin transporter and subsequently stereologically quantified for estimating hippocampal serotonin fiber density. Hippocampal BDNF protein levels were measured by ELISA. An exacerbated age-related loss of serotonin fiber density specific for the CA1 area was observed in the cLH animals, whereas reduced hippocampal BDNF levels were seen in young and old cLH when compared with age-matched cNLH controls. These observations indicate that aging should be taken into account when studying the neurobiological factors behind the vulnerability for depression and that understanding the effect of aging on genetically predisposed individuals may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology behind depression, particularly in the elderly.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Aging/*metabolism Animals Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*metabolism CA1 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism CA3 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism Cell Count Depression/*metabolism Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Helplessness, Learned Hippocampus/*metabolism Immunohistochemistry Neurons/metabolism Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Serotonin/*metabolism Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/*metabolism Species Specificity
Subjects: diseases & disorders > mental disorders
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > brain derived neurotrophic factor
diseases & disorders > mental disorders > mood disorders > depression
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > hippocampus
organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat
organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Henn lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: July 2010
Date Deposited: 06 Jun 2014 16:24
Last Modified: 06 Jun 2014 16:24
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/30274

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