Behavioral Activity and Some Markers of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Serotoninergic System Indicators and Glucocorticoid Metabolizing Enzymes in Rats with Different Duration of Hexenal Sleep.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was imitated in rats with long and short hexenal sleep by exposure to cat odor. Rats with long hexenal sleep demonstrated the highest sensitivity to posttraumatic stress disorders and developed anxiety and depressive disorders. The duration of hexenal sleep correlated with changes in markers of post-traumatic stress disorder, e.g. activity of 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 in the liver of non-stressed animals and serotonin and monoamine oxidase A activity in the brain of stressed animals.