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β‐Alanine Ingestion Improves Behavioral Responses to a Predator Scent Stress
Author(s) -
Hoffman Jay,
Cohen Hagit,
Stout Jeffrey,
Ostfeld Ishay
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.989.4
Subject(s) - elevated plus maze , corticosterone , ingestion , medicine , startle response , endocrinology , hippocampus , anxiety , hormone , psychiatry
β‐alanine (BA) has been proposed to reduce depression and anxiety‐like behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate 30‐days of BA ingestion (100g•kg ‐1 ) on the behavioral and neuroendocrine response of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a murine model. Following supplementation animals were exposed to a predator‐scent stress (PSS), which has been validated in an animal model stimulating PTSD‐like behavior. Behaviors were evaluated with the elevated plus maze and acoustic startle response (ASR)7 days following exposure. Immunohistochemical technique was used to detect expression of corticosterone (CS) and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Animals exposed to PSS and not provided BA spent significantly less time in the open arms and more time in the closed arms of the maze than animals exposed to PSS but provided BA, or to unexposed animals. Rodents exposed, but provided BA had comparable scores to rodents unexposed and consumed BA. Anxiety index was higher (p<0.05) in animals exposed to PSS and not provided BA compared to animals exposed and consumed BA or were unexposed. The ASR and freezing was greater (p<0.05) in animals exposed to PSS compared to animals unexposed. CS expression was higher (p<0.05) in animals exposed to PSS compared to unexposed animals. BDNF expression in the CA1 and DG subregions of the hippocampus was greater (p<0.05) in animals unexposed, or animals exposed and provided BA compared to animals exposed and were not provided with BA. Results suggest that BA provides a reduction in the symptoms of PTSD‐like behavior, which may be mediated in part by changes of BDNF expression in the brain.