大鼠眶额叶GABA及其B型受体在应激性抑郁行为发生中的作用及其影响机制

为了探讨眶额叶(orbital frontal cortex,OFC)GABA及其B型受体在应激性抑郁行为发生中的作用及其影响机制,实验采用强迫游泳方法建立急性应激抑郁模型。在OFC区微量注射γ-氨基丁酸(γ-aminobutyric acid,GABA)及其B型受体阻断剂,通过开场实验、强迫游泳方式检测动物行为学表现,用免疫组织化学染色和Western blotting方法检测OFC区Kalirin表达,用高尔基染色法观察锥体细胞树突和树突棘。结果显示:强迫游泳应激引起动物抑郁样行为表现,同时,OFC区Kalirin阳性颗粒数及表达量显著减少,且锥体细胞树突棘密度下降;OFC区微量注射GABA具有抗抑郁效应,使OFC区Kalirin表达显著升高,锥体细胞树突棘密度增加;GABA-B型受体阻断剂CGP35348可以抑制GABA的这种效应。由此可见,通过强迫游泳应激诱发的抑郁样的行为变化与OFC区Kalirin表达减少和神经元树突棘密度降低有关,GABA可能通过GABA-B型受体增加OFC区Kalirin表达,以防止神经元退行性变化而产生抗抑郁作用。

Rat orbital frontal (orbital frontal cortex, OFC) GABA B receptor mechanisms in stress and depression

Stress-induced depression is a kind of functional and structural disability of the brain and involves many neurotransmitters and regions of the brain. A number of studies suggest involvement of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) in the mechanism of stress-associated depression-like behavior in rodents. However, little work has been done on the relationship between GABA and neural plasticity of the OFC under stress. Here we examine the effect of the GABA in the OFC during acute forced swim stress (FSS). We found remarkable depression-like behavior in FSS and an open field test (OFT), and we observed a marked decrease in Kalirin-7 expression and the basal dendritic spine density of layer V pyramidal neurons in OFC after FSS. GABA administration reversed these changes, which were inhibited by CGP35348, an antagonist of GABA-B receptors. These results suggest an anti-depression effect of GABA in the OFC, which may be mediated by GABA-B receptor. The anti-depression effect of GABA is related to the plasticity of the dendritic spine density. This discovery may be helpful in the development of new therapies to treat depression.