State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 100871, China.
Neurosci Bull. 2019 Oct;35(5):841-852. doi: 10.1007/s12264-019-00373-w. Epub 2019 Apr 11.
Isolation rearing (IR) enhances aggressive behavior, and the central serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system has been linked to IR-induced aggression. However, whether the alteration of central serotonin is the cause or consequence of enhanced aggression is still unknown. In the present study, using mice deficient in central serotonin Tph2 and Lmx1b, we examined the association between central serotonin and aggression with or without social isolation. We demonstrated that central serotonergic neurons are critical for the enhanced aggression after IR. 5-HT depletion in wild-type mice increased aggression. On the other hand, application of 5-HT in Lmx1b mice inhibited the enhancement of aggression under social isolation conditions. Dopamine was downregulated in Lmx1b mice. Similar to 5-HT, L-DOPA decreased aggression in Lmx1b mice. Our results link the serotoninergic system directly to aggression and this may have clinical implications for aggression-related human conditions.
隔离饲养（IR）会增强攻击性，而中枢 5-羟色胺（5-羟色胺，5-HT）系统与 IR 诱导的攻击行为有关。然而，中枢 5-羟色胺的改变是增强攻击性的原因还是结果仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们使用缺乏中枢 5-羟色胺 Tph2 和 Lmx1b 的小鼠，检查了中枢 5-羟色胺与有无社会隔离的攻击性之间的关联。我们表明，中枢 5-羟色胺能神经元对 IR 后攻击性增强至关重要。野生型小鼠中 5-HT 的耗竭会增加攻击性。另一方面，在社会隔离条件下，5-HT 在 Lmx1b 小鼠中的应用抑制了攻击性的增强。Lmx1b 小鼠中的多巴胺水平下调。与 5-HT 类似，L-DOPA 也可降低 Lmx1b 小鼠的攻击性。我们的研究结果将 5-羟色胺能系统直接与攻击性联系起来，这可能对与攻击性相关的人类疾病具有临床意义。
