Loss of system xc- induces antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects in mice

Thomas Demuyser, Eduard-Mihai Bentea, Lauren Deneyer, Giulia Albertini, Joeri Van Liefferinge, Ellen Merckx, Ann Massie, Ilse Julia Smolders

Onderzoeksoutput: Meeting abstract (Book)

Samenvatting

LOSS OF SYSTEM XC- INDUCES ANTIDEPRESSANT- AND ANXIOLYTIC- LIKE EFFECTS IN MICE
Thomas Demuyser, Eduard Bentea, Lauren Deneyer, Giulia Albertini, Joeri Van Liefferinge, Ellen Merckx, Ann Massie, Ilse Smolders
Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

Today, stress is a major causative factor for a variety of psychiatric disorders. Depression is a multimodal disease with chronic stress considered as a 'trigger' for depressive episodes. Depression and comorbid anxiety are usually related to a malfunctioning monoaminergic system, however compelling evidence points at an important role of glutamate in the etiology of the 'depressed/anxious brain'. Being the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, glutamate can potentially have important excitotoxic effects. System xc- is the cystine/glutamate antiporter and the major source of extrasynaptic glutamate in important depression-related brain areas.

In this study we investigated the effect of loss of system xc- (e.g. deletion of the specific light chain subunit xCT; xCT-/-), on chronic stress induced depression and anxiety. Therefore we subjected xCT-/- and xCT+/+ mice, treated with chronic corticosterone injections (excessive chronic stress), to a battery of acute stress-based tests for depressive- and anxiety- like behavior and compared their behavior to vehicle treated and naïve animals.
Interestingly we found decreased depressive- and anxiety- like behavior in the naïve and vehicle treated xCT-/- mice in most of the tests conducted. Unexpectedly however the decrease in depressive- and anxiety- like behavior was lost in the corticosterone treated xCT-/- mice, in comparison to their xCT+/+ littermates. These findings support further research for system xc- in the stress response, since the involvement of the antiporter in regulating the response to acute versus chronic stress seems to differ.
Originele taal-2English
TitelDonders Discussions, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2014
StatusPublished - 2014
EvenementDonders Discussions - Nijmegen, Netherlands
Duur: 30 okt 201431 dec 2014

Conference

ConferenceDonders Discussions
Land/RegioNetherlands
StadNijmegen
Periode30/10/1431/12/14

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