Enduring deficits in brain reward function after chronic social defeat in rats: susceptibility, resilience, and antidepressant response.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Anhedonia, or diminished interest or pleasure in rewarding activities, characterizes depression and reflects deficits in brain reward circuitries. Social stress induces anhedonia and increases risk of depression, although the effect of social stress on brain reward function is incompletely understood.

Methods

This study assessed the following: 1) brain reward function in rats (using the intracranial self-stimulation procedure) and protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and related signaling molecules in response to chronic social defeat, 2) brain reward function during social defeat and long-term treatment with the antidepressants fluoxetine (5 mg/kg/day) and desipramine (10 mg/kg/day), and 3) forced swim test behavior after social defeat and fluoxeti

SUBMITTER: Der-Avakian A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4117827 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature