Mice lacking melatonin MT2 receptors exhibit attentional deficits, anxiety and enhanced social interaction.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aside from regulating circadian rhythms, melatonin also affects cognitive processes, such as alertness, and modulates the brain circuitry underlying psychiatric diseases, such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, via mechanisms that are not fully clear. In particular, while melatonin MT1 receptors are thought primarily to mediate the circadian effects of the hormone, the contribution of the MT2 receptor to melatonin actions remains enigmatic.

Aims

To characterise the contribution of MT2 receptors to melatonin's effects on cognition and anxiety/sociability.

Methods

Mice with a genetic deletion of the MT2 receptor, encoded by the Mtnr1b gene, were compared with wild-type littermates for performance in a translational touchscreen version o

SUBMITTER: Thomson DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8521347 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature