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Chronic Stress Increases Serotonin and Noradrenaline in Rat Brain and Sensitizes Their Responses to a Further Acute Stress
Author(s) -
Adell Albert,
GarciaMarquez Cristina,
Armario Antonio,
Gelpi Emilio
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1988.tb02462.x
Subject(s) - serotonin , monoaminergic , endocrinology , medicine , chronic stress , pons , medulla oblongata , hypothalamus , locus coeruleus , chemistry , dopamine , central nervous system , receptor
The effects of 1 h/day restraint in plastic tubes for 24 days on the levels of serotonin (5‐HT), 5‐hydroxyindole‐acetic acid (5‐HIAA), tryptophan (TP), and noradrenaline (NA) in six regions of rat brain 20 h after the last restraint period were investigated. The levels of 5‐HT, 5‐HIAA, and NA but not TP increased in several regions. The effects of 1 h of immobilization on both control and chronically restrained rats were also studied. Immobilization per se did not alter brain 5‐HT, 5‐HIAA, and TP levels, but decreased NA in the pons plus medulla oblongata and hypothalamus. However, immobilization after chronic restraint decreased 5‐HT, increased 5‐HIAA, and decreased NA in most brain regions in comparison with values for the chronically restrained rats. We suggest that chronic restraint leads to compensatory increases of brain 5‐HT and NA synthesis and sensitizes both monoaminergic systems to an additional acute stress. These changes may affect coping with stress demands.