Università degli Studi di Teramo, Teramo, Italy.
Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), Cordoba, Argentina.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2021 Jan;238(1):215-225. doi: 10.1007/s00213-020-05670-1. Epub 2020 Oct 4.
Serotonin (5-HT) plays an important role in the organization of the central nervous system and in the development of social interaction deficits and psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and addiction disorders. Notably, disruption of the 5-HT system during sensitive periods of development exerts long-term consequences, including altered anxiety response and problematic use of alcohol.
we analyzed, in mice, the effects of transient 5-HT depletion at infancy or adolescence on subsequent anxiety-like behavior and alcohol intake during adolescence.
C57/BL6 male and female mice were administered a 5-HT synthesis inhibitor (PCPA; 4-chloro-DL-phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride) at infancy (postnatal days 14-16 [PD14-16]) or adolescence (PD40-42). Eleven (± 1) days after treatment, mice were assessed for ethanol intake in daily two-bottle choice tests and for anxiety response via the elevated plus maze.
Female, but not male, mice transiently depleted of 5-HT at adolescence (but not those depleted at the perinatal stage) exhibited a significant reduction in anxiety response, which was accompanied by a significant reduction on alcohol intake.
Transient 5-HT inhibition at adolescence may act, in females, as a protective factor for the emergence of anxiety disorders and problematic use of alcohol during adolescence.
血清素（5-HT）在中枢神经系统的组织和社交互动缺陷以及包括焦虑、抑郁和成瘾障碍在内的精神障碍的发展中起着重要作用。值得注意的是，5-HT 系统在发育敏感时期的中断会产生长期后果，包括焦虑反应改变和酒精使用问题。
我们在小鼠中分析了婴儿期或青春期短暂的 5-HT 耗竭对随后青春期焦虑样行为和酒精摄入的影响。
C57/BL6 雄性和雌性小鼠在婴儿期（出生后第 14-16 天 [PD14-16]）或青春期（PD40-42）给予 5-HT 合成抑制剂（PCPA；4-氯-DL-苯丙氨酸甲酯盐酸盐）。治疗后 11（±1）天，通过每日双瓶选择试验评估小鼠的乙醇摄入量和通过高架十字迷宫评估焦虑反应。
短暂性 5-HT 耗竭在青春期（而非围产期）的雌性小鼠而非雄性小鼠中表现出明显的焦虑反应降低，这伴随着酒精摄入量的显著减少。
青春期短暂的 5-HT 抑制可能在女性中作为青春期焦虑障碍和酒精使用问题出现的保护因素。
