The Levels of Monoamines and Their Metabolites in the Brain Structures of Rats Subjected to Two- and Three-Month-Long Social Isolation.

The levels of monoamines and their metabolites in the brain structures of adult Wistar rats subjected to post-weaning social isolation for 2 and 3 months were analyzed by HPLC with electrochemical detection. We have previously shown that these rats consistently demonstrate increased aggressiveness and, as a rule, impairment of short-term habituation. Two-monthlong social isolation was accompanied by a reduction in serotonin content and its increased turnover judging from the 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio in the hippocampus; three-month-long isolation was associated with increased levels of serotonin and reduction in its turnover in the amygdala. At this term, the level of dopamine metabolite 3-methoxytyramine tended to increase in the amygdala. In the frontal cortex, a tendency to a decrease in 5-HT level was found. These findings suggest that more prolonged post-weaning social isolation is accompanied by reorganization of neural networks in the brain cortex, which can serve as the pathophysiological basis for psychoemotional disorders.