Stress-induced activation of CRF and c-fos mRNAs in the paraventricular nucleus are not affected by serotonin depletion

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(93)90870-S

Brain Research

Volume 609, Issues 1–2, 23 April 1993, Pages 167-173

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(93)90870-S Get rights and content

Abstract

The role of serotonin in regulating the stress response is controversial. We have investigated the effects of serotonin depletion byp-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) on corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA and c-fos mRNA responses in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) together with circulating levels of ACTH and corticosterone to both physical and psychological stressors in the rat. PCPA pretreatment, which resulted in a 95% depletion in hypothalamic serotonin, had no effect on basal levels of ACTH or the increase in response to the physical stress of hypertonic saline. Plasma ACTH concentrations were also not affected by serotonin depletion in response to the predominantly psychological stress of restraint. Both basal and restraint stress-induced circulating corticosterone levels were however further stimulated in the PCPA-pretreated rats suggesting a possible inhibitory serotoninergic tone at the adrenal level. C-fos mRNA was undetectable in control animals. Activation of c-fos mRNA in response to stress was unaffected by serotonin depletion and the activation of magnocellular PVN and supraoptic nucleus cells was demonstrated to be stressor dependent. Basal and stress-induced levels of CRF mRNA were unaffected by PCPA pretreatment. It appears therefore that under these experimental conditions there is little if any involvement of serotonin in either basal levels or the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in vivo.

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Stress-induced activation of CRF and c-fos mRNAs in the paraventricular nucleus are not affected by serotonin depletion

Abstract

Life Sci.

Peptides

Neuroscience

Life Sci.

Brain Res. Bull.

Brain Res.

Eur. J. Pharmacol.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Mol. Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Trends Neurosci.

Eur. J. Pharmacol.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Hypothalamic receptors influencing the secretion of corticotrophin-releasing hormone in the rat

J. Physiol.

Mechanisms of serotonin receptor agonist-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the rat

Endocrinology

Isolation and characterization of the c-fos (rat) cDNA and analysis of post-translational modification in vitro

Oncogene

Effects of 5-HT depletion and of 5-HT and catecholamine receptor antagonists on 8-OH-DPAT-induced feeding in the rat

Soc. Neurosci. Abstr.

Differential recovery of adrenocortical responses to neural stimuli following administration of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine into the hypothalamus

Exp. Brain Res.

The involvement of serotonin in regulation of pituitary-adrenocortical function

Front. Neuroendocrinol.