The physiology and pharmacology of hippocampal formation theta rhythms

The olfactory bulbectomised rat as a model of depression

The olfactory bulbectomized rat as a model of depression: An update

http://www.ocdtherapist.com/PDFs/postpartumOCDreview.pdf

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in pregnancy and the puerperium: a review of the literature.

Estradiol-17β increase serotonin transporter (SERT) mRNA levels and the density of SERT-binding sites in female rat brain

An 'animal model' of depression, based on bulbectomy, followed by chronic treatment with amitryptiline was used in rats. In the synaptosomal membranes of the cerebral cortex plus hippocampus, the number of binding sites for 3H-imipramine increased significantly when bulbectomy was associated with the antidepressant. In the bulbectomized rats the tendency was toward a decrease in binding. The treatment with 0.2% Triton X-100 of the membranes revealed a large increase in postsynaptic sites in the bulbectomized treated rats. The behavioral parameters analyzed by the swimming with a water wheel and the open field test revealed a series of differences in the various groups of rats, with respect to handling, bulbectomy and antidepressant treatment. Handling resulted in an increase in swimming time in controls, while bulbectomy reduced this parameter. In both the swimming and open fields tests, chronic bulbectomy reduces the motility of the rat. In control rats chronic amitryptiline increases locomotion and exploratory activity, a behavioral effect that is even more prominent in bulbectomized treated rats.

Effect of olfactory bulbectomy and chronic amitryptiline treatment in rats. 3H-imipramine binding and behavioral analysis by swimming and open field tests.

Effect of ovariectomy and estrogen on [3H]imipramine binding to different regions of rat brain

Localization of hippocampal muscarinic receptors after kainic acid lesion of CA3 and fimbria-fornix transection

The subcellular localization of 3H-imipramine binding sites in brain was investigated with the aim of learning about the possible mechanism of action of this antidepressant. The rat cerebral cortex was submitted to a systematic fractionation and both the nuclear and the synaptosomal fractions were purified by gradient centrifugation. Using a centrifugation assay for the binding, we found that the synaptosomal membranes had the highest specific activity and showed two binding sites, one of high affinity with a KD of 14 nM and a Bmax of 3.1 pmol per mg protein, and another of lower affinity with a KD of 99 nM and a Bmax of 14.2 pmol per mg protein. Purified nuclei have a lower specific activity than the synaptosomal membrane, specially when expressed per g tissue. On the other hand, myelin and capillaries have few binding sites. Synaptosomal membranes were treated with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5% Triton X-100 to dissolve the pre- and post-synaptic membrane and submitted to 3H-imipramine binding in the presence of the detergent or after washing of the residue. The results obtained suggest that although most 3H-imipramine binding sites are localized pre-synaptically, a certain proportion are post-synaptic. These findings are discussed in relation to previous studies from this laboratory on the localization of central receptors with reference to the synaptic region and to the antidepressant action of imipramine.

Marta Stockert

Papers

Effect of olfactory bulbectomy and chronic amitryptiline treatment in rats. 3H-imipramine binding and behavioral analysis by swimming and open field tests.

Effect of ovariectomy and estrogen on [3H]imipramine binding to different regions of rat brain

Localization of hippocampal muscarinic receptors after kainic acid lesion of CA3 and fimbria-fornix transection

Pre- and Postsynaptic Localization of 3H-Imipramine Binding Sites in Rat Cerebral Cortex

In vivo action of phosphatidylserine, amitryptiline and stress on the binding of [3H]imipramine to membranes of the rat cerebral cortex