Autonomic function in mice with altered anxiety/depression related behavior
Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Autonomic dysregulation has been described in patients suffering from anxiety and depression disorders. The vast majority of animal studies investigating autonomic function in anxiety and depression involve “non pathological” models. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate parameters of autonomic regulation (e.g. body temperature, heart rate and heart rate variability) in a mouse model selectively bred for high innate anxiety (HAB) versus normal anxiety like behaving mice (NAB). Basal (home cage) and mild unconditioned stressor conditions (e.g. novel cage, open field) did not reveal any difference in heart rate or body temperature between HAB and NAB mice. Surprisingly, when we investigated heart rate variability during conditioned stressors (e.g. fear conditioning), we revealed reduced heart rate variability (HRV) associated with impaired fear extinction in HAB versus NAB mice. This finding of reduced HRV suggests a strong resemblance to what is observed in patients suffering from anxiety and depressive disorders. Moreover, the enhanced anxiety- and depression-related behavior was attenuated after successful chronic NK1 receptor antagonist treatment in HAB mice. The behavioral effect of the NK1 receptor antagonist was associated with normalization of the reduced HRV. These findings demonstrate that heart rate variability is a useful additional diagnostic marker, sensitive to successful drug treatment, characterizing high anxiety and depression trait. Thus, futures studies will elucidate if on the basis of HRV it will be possible to predict successful drug treatment in high anxiety and depression patients.
Author: Stefano Gaburro
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W60842017