Apocynin Prevents Anxiety-Like Behavior and Histone Deacetylases Overexpression Induced by Sub-Chronic Stress in Mice.

Anxiety disorders are common mental health diseases affecting up to 7% of people around the world. Stress is considered one of the major environmental risk factors to promote anxiety disorders through mechanisms involving epigenetic changes. Moreover, alteration in redox balance and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production have been detected in anxiety patients and in stressed-animal models of anxiety. Here we tested if the administration of apocynin, a natural origin antioxidant, may prevent the anxiety-like phenotype and reduction of histone acetylation induced by a subchronic forced swimming stress (FSS) paradigm. We found that apocynin prevented the enhanced latency time in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, and the production of malondialdehyde induced by FSS. Moreover, apocynin was able to block the upregulation of p47phox, a key subunit of the NADPH oxidase complex. Finally, apocynin prevented the rise of hippocampal Hdac1, Hdac4 and Hdac5, and the reduction of histone-3 acetylation levels promoted by FSS exposure. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that apocynin reduces the deleterious effect of stress and suggests that oxidative stress may regulate epigenetic mechanisms.

CYP3A subfamily activity affects the equilibrium concentration of Phenazepam® in patients with anxiety disorders and comorbid alcohol use disorder.

Phenazepam® is prescribed to relieve anxiety and sleep disorders during alcohol withdrawal, although it is associated with undesirable side effects. Aim: To demonstrate changes in the safety and efficacy profiles of Phenazepam in patients with anxiety disorders and comorbid alcohol use disorder. Materials & methods: A total of 94 Russian patients with alcohol use disorder received 4.0 mg of Phenazepam per day in tablets. We used a urinary 6-beta-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio to evaluate CYP3A activity. Results: A statistically significant inverse correlation between Phenazepam plasma concentration and CYP3A activity was found (r = -0.340 and p = 0.017). Correlation between the concentration/dose ratio and phenotyping results was also statistically significant (r = 0.301 and p = 0.026). Conclusion: The safety and efficacy of Phenazepam depend on CYP3A genetic polymorphisms.

Autonomic dysfunction in patients with irritable bowel syndrome evidenced by alterations of salivary alpha-amylase secretion.

BACKGROUND: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently present with alterations of autonomic activity, especially higher sympathetic activity. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been implicated as a non-invasive biomarker to reflect the sympathetic activity. Thus, the current study aimed to determine if alterations of sAA secretion could be addressed in IBS patients. METHODS: We recruited twenty-five IBS patients as well as twenty-four age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Basal and stimulated (by gustatory stimulation with citric acid) saliva samples were collected from each participant, with respective salivary flow rate (SFR) calculated accordingly. Western blotting (WB) was applied to determine the sAA amount by introducing human sAA protein of known quantity. Then the sAA amount ratio was calculated, as expressed by the stimulated sAA amount to basal sAA amount. RESULTS: We observed high variability of the basal and stimulated sAA amount in both groups. An apparently higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders was detected in the IBS group, which was consistent with previous studies. Interestingly, we found elevated basal sAA amount in the IBS patients relative to HCs, which implicated higher sympathetic activities in IBS population. Moreover, we observed blunted sAA response to the gustatory stimulation in the IBS patients, which might be of pathophysiological importance for IBS. CONCLUSION: This is the first attempt to associate sAA secretion with the pathophysiology of IBS. Our results suggest an autonomic dysfunction in IBS patients.

Activation of AMPK by metformin improves withdrawal signs precipitated by nicotine withdrawal.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, with more persons dying from nicotine addiction than any other preventable cause of death. Even though smoking cessation incurs multiple health benefits, the abstinence rate remains low with current medications. Here we show that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway in the hippocampus is activated following chronic nicotine use, an effect that is rapidly reversed by nicotine withdrawal. Increasing pAMPK levels and, consequently, downstream AMPK signaling pharmacologically attenuate anxiety-like behavior following nicotine withdrawal. We show that metformin, a known AMPK activator in the periphery, reduces withdrawal symptoms through a mechanism dependent on the presence of the AMPKα subunits within the hippocampus. This study provides evidence of a direct effect of AMPK modulation on nicotine withdrawal symptoms and suggests central AMPK activation as a therapeutic target for smoking cessation.

Inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase in the central amygdala alleviates co-morbid expression of innate anxiety and excessive alcohol intake.

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is an enzyme that prominently degrades the major endocannabinoid N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide). Inhibition of this enzyme leads to increased anandamide levels in brain regions that modulate stress and anxiety. Recently, we found that genetically selected Marchigian Sardinian alcohol-preferring (msP) rats display hyperactive FAAH in amygdalar regions that was associated with increased stress sensitivity and a hyper-anxious phenotype. Our previous work has also demonstrated that msPs display an innate preference for and excessive consumption of alcohol, potentially reflecting a form of self-medication to gain relief from hyper-anxious states. Here, we expand on our previous work by microinjecting the selective FAAH inhibitor URB597 (vehicle, 0.03, 0.1 and 1.0 µg per rat) into the central amygdala (CeA) and basolateral amygdala in msP versus non-selected Wistar rats to evaluate the effects of localized FAAH inhibition on operant alcohol self-administration and restraint-induced anxiety using the elevated plus maze. Intra-CeA URB597 significantly reduced alcohol self-administration in msP but not in Wistar rats. Intra-basolateral amygdala URB597 also attenuated alcohol drinking in msPs, although the effect was less pronounced relative to CeA treatment. In contrast, control experiments administering URB597 into the ventral tegmental area produced no genotypic differences in drinking. We also found that URB597 treatment in the CeA significantly reduced the anxiogenic effects of restraint stress in msPs, although no effects were detected in Wistars. Dysregulation of FAAH regulated systems in the major output region of the amygdala may drive the propensity for co-morbid expression of anxiety and excessive alcohol use.

Oxidative status and prolidase activities in generalized anxiety disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Prolidase (Pro), an intracellular enzyme necessary for collagen turnover, matrix remodelling and cell growth has been shown to be related to Oxidative Stress (OS). To our knowledge, serum Pro activity in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has not been documented yet. In this study, we aimed to evaluate OS and its relation with Pro activity in patients diagnosed with GAD. METHOD: Thirty untreated GAD patients and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Blood samples were collected from all subjects to quantify total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and Pro activity. Oxidative stress index (OSI), the ratio of TOS to TAS, is calculated to evaluate the balance between antioxidants and oxidants. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) was used to determine the anxiety levels of all subjects. RESULTS: GAD group demonstrated statistically significantly higher TOS, OSI and Pro levels, when compared with the control group (t=2.947, p=0.005; t=2.874, p=0.006; and t=9.396, p<0.001 respectively). HARS scores were found to be positively correlated with TOS, OSI and Pro levels (p=0.008, r=0.338; p=0.008, r=0.339; and p<0.001, r=0.751 respectively). CONCLUSION: The degree of severity of OS is correlated with the levels of Pro. Thus, Pro might be the target enzyme, promising to be a marker for the follow-up of GAD patients. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report a significant relation between Pro activity and GAD.

[Caspase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with depression and anxiety of different severity]. / Izmenenie aktivnosti kaspaz v limfotsitakh patsientov s depressiei i trevogoi raznoi stepeni tiazhesti.

Though borderline psychiatric disorders (BPD) are quite common diseases, their pathogenesis remains obscure. Data from several groups and our previous results suggest that the pathological changes are typical not only for brain cells, but also for cells of the immune system. One of the evident illustrations of immune and nervous systems relationship in pathogenesis of mental diseases is the death of PBMC occurring in patients with depression. We have shown previously that activities of the caspases increase in some types of BPD. In this study, we have investigated caspase activities in PBMC of patients with BPD of different severity. It has been found that in severe depressive disorder activities of caspases were reduced either as compared to healthy controls or to patients with depression lesser severity. In contrast, in patients with severe anxiety activities of caspases were higher than in both control and patients with less severe forms of anxiety disorders. Thus, the study of caspase activity in PBMC makes it possible to differentiate between severe and mild forms of BPD.

Reward memory relieves anxiety-related behavior through synaptic strengthening and protein kinase C in dentate gyrus.

Anxiety disorders are presumably associated with negative memory. Psychological therapies are widely used to treat this mental deficit in human beings based on the view that positive memory competes with negative memory and relieves anxiety status. Cellular and molecular processes underlying psychological therapies remain elusive. Therefore, we have investigated its mechanisms based on a mouse model in which food reward at one open-arm of the elevated plus-maze was used for training mice to form reward memory and challenge the open arms. Mice with the reward training showed increased entries and stay time in reward open-arm versus neutral open-arm as well as in open-arms versus closed-arms. Accompanying with reward memory formation and anxiety relief, glutamatergic synaptic transmission in dentate gyrus in vivo and dendritic spines in granule cells became upregulated. This synaptic up-regulation was accompanied by the expression of more protein kinase C (PKC) in the dendritic spines. The inhibition of PKC by chelerythrine impaired the formation of reward memory, the relief of anxiety-related behavior and the up-regulation of glutamate synapses. Our results suggest that reward-induced positive memory relieves mouse anxiety-related behavior by strengthening synaptic efficacy and PKC in the hippocampus, which imply the underlying cellular and molecular processes involved in the beneficial effects of psychological therapies treating anxiety disorders.

Salivary alpha amylase levels in youths with anxiety disorders.

It is suggested that salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) may be a marker of sympathoadrenal medullary system activity. Thus, it can be a possible relationship sAA and anxiety disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate sAA in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and healthy controls. Thirty drug-free youths, aged 8-16 years, who were diagnosed as any anxiety disorders and 36 healthy controls with similar socio-demographic characteristics were included in this study. The sAA was found to be significantly increased in anxiety group compared to control group. However, there was no correlation between sAA and any anxiety scores of the scales. Present study suggested that anxiety disorders in youths may be associated with increased autonomic activity.

Fetal brain 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 selectively determines programming of adult depressive-like behaviors and cognitive function, but not anxiety behaviors in male mice.

Stress or elevated glucocorticoids during sensitive windows of fetal development increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders in adult rodents and humans, a phenomenon known as glucocorticoid programming. 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11ß-HSD2), which catalyses rapid inactivation of glucocorticoids in the placenta, controls access of maternal glucocorticoids to the fetal compartment, placing it in a key position to modulate glucocorticoid programming of behavior. However, the importance of the high expression of 11ß-HSD2 within the midgestational fetal brain is unknown. To examine this, a brain-specific knockout of 11ß-HSD2 (HSD2BKO) was generated and compared to wild-type littermates. HSD2BKO have markedly diminished fetal brain 11ß-HSD2, but intact fetal body and placental 11ß-HSD2 and normal fetal and placental growth. Despite normal fetal plasma corticosterone, HSD2BKO exhibit elevated fetal brain corticosterone levels at midgestation. As adults, HSD2BKO show depressive-like behavior and have cognitive impairments. However, unlike complete feto-placental deficiency, HSD2BKO show no anxiety-like behavioral deficits. The clear mechanistic separation of the programmed components of depression and cognition from anxiety implies distinct mechanisms of pathogenesis, affording potential opportunities for stratified interventions.

Identification of Anxiety Symptom Clusters in Patients with COPD: Implications for Assessment and Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is palliative, and quality of life is important. Increased understanding of correlates of quality of life and its domains could help clinicians and researchers better tailor COPD treatments and better support patients engaging in those treatments or other important self-management behaviors. PURPOSE: Anxiety is common in those with COPD; however, overlap of physical and emotional symptoms complicates its assessment. The current study aimed to identify anxiety symptom clusters and to assess the association of these symptom clusters with COPD-related quality of life. METHODS: Participants (N = 162) with COPD completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Medical Research Council dyspnea scale. Anxiety clusters were identified, using principal component analysis (PCA) on the BAI's 21 items. Anxiety clusters, along with factors previously associated with quality of life, were entered into a multiple regression designed to predict COPD-related quality of life. RESULTS: PCA identified four symptom clusters related to (1) general somatic distress, (2) fear, (3) nervousness, and (4) respiration-related distress. Multiple regression analyses indicated that greater fear was associated with less perceived mastery over COPD (ß = -0.19, t(149) = -2.69, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Anxiety symptoms associated with fear appear to be an important indicator of anxiety in patients with COPD. In particular, fear was associated with perceptions of mastery, an important psychological construct linked to disease self-management. Assessing the BAI symptom cluster associated with fear (five items) may be a valuable rapid assessment tool to improve COPD treatment and physical health outcomes.

Genetic polymorphisms in glutathione-S-transferases are associated with anxiety and mood disorders in nicotine dependence.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine dependence is associated with an increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders and suicide. The primary hypothesis of this study was to identify whether the polymorphisms of two glutathione-S-transferase enzymes (GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes) predict an increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders in smokers with nicotine dependence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Smokers were recruited at the Centre of Treatment for Smokers. The instruments were a sociodemographic questionnaire, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, diagnoses of mood disorder and nicotine dependence according to DSM-IV (SCID-IV), and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test. Anxiety disorder was assessed based on the treatment report. Laboratory assessment included glutathione-S-transferases M1 (GSTM1) and T1 (GSTT1), which were detected by a multiplex-PCR protocol. RESULTS: Compared with individuals who had both GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes, a higher frequency of at least one deletion of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes was identified in anxious smokers [odds ratio (OR)=2.21, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.05-4.65, P=0.034], but there was no association with bipolar and unipolar depression (P=0.943). Compared with nonanxious smokers, anxious smokers had a greater risk for mood disorders (OR=4.67; 95% CI=2.24-9.92, P<0.001), lung disease (OR=6.78, 95% CI=1.95-23.58, P<0.003), and suicide attempts (OR=17.01, 95% CI=2.23-129.91, P<0.006). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that at least one deletion of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes represents a risk factor for anxious smokers. These two genes may modify the capacity for the detoxification potential against oxidative stress.

Proteasome modulator 9 gene SNPs, responsible for anti-depressant response, are in linkage with generalized anxiety disorder.

Proteasome modulator 9 (PSMD9) gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1043307/rs2514259 (E197G) is associated with significant clinical response to the anti-depressant desipramine. PSMD9 SNP rs74421874 [intervening sequence (IVS) 3 + nt460 G>A], rs3825172 (IVS3 + nt437 C>T) and rs1043307/rs2514259 (E197G A>G) are all linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D), maturity-onset-diabetes-of the young 3 (MODY3), obesity and waist circumference, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, T2D-macrovascular and T2D-microvascular disease, T2D-neuropathy, T2D-carpal tunnel syndrome, T2D-nephropathy, T2D-retinopathy, non-diabetic retinopathy and depression. PSMD9 rs149556654 rare SNP (N166S A>G) and the variant S143G A>G also contribute to T2D. PSMD9 is located in the chromosome 12q24 locus, which per se is in linkage with depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. In the present study, we wanted to determine whether PSMD9 is linked to general anxiety disorder in Italian T2D families. Two-hundred Italian T2D families were phenotyped for generalized anxiety disorder, using the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV. When the diagnosis was unavailable or unclear, the trait was reported as unknown. The 200 Italians families were tested for the PSMD9 T2D risk SNPs rs74421874 (IVS3 + nt460 G>A), rs3825172 (IVS3 +nt437 T>C) and for the T2D risk and anti-depressant response SNP rs1043307/rs2514259 (E197G A>G) for evidence of linkage with generalized anxiety disorder. Non-parametric linkage analysis was executed via Merlin software. One-thousand simulation tests were performed to exclude results due to random chance. In our study, the PSMD9 gene SNPs rs74421874, rs3825172, and rs1043307/rs2514259 result in linkage to generalized anxiety disorder. This is the first report describing PSMD9 gene SNPs in linkage to generalized anxiety disorder in T2D families.

Amygdala FAAH and anandamide: mediating protection and recovery from stress.

A long-standing literature linking endocannabinoids (ECBs) to stress, fear, and anxiety has led to growing interest in developing novel anxiolytics targeting the ECB system. Following rapid on-demand biosynthesis and degradation upon neuronal activation, the ECB N-arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) is actively degraded by the serine hydrolase enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Exposure to stress rapidly mobilizes FAAH to deplete the signaling pool of AEA and increase neuronal excitability in a key anxiety-mediating region--the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Gene deletion or pharmacological inhibition of FAAH prevents stress-induced reductions in AEA and associated increases in BLA dendritic hypertrophy and anxiety-like behavior. Additionally, inhibition of FAAH facilitates long-term fear extinction and rescues deficient fear extinction in rodent models by enhancing AEA-CB1 (cannabinoid type 1) receptor signaling and synaptic plasticity in the BLA. These preclinical findings propose restoring deficient BLA AEA levels by pharmacologically inhibiting FAAH as a mechanism to therapeutically mitigate the effects of traumatic stress.

Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness following electrical stimulation stress in patients with the generalized type of social anxiety disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Social anxiety disorder is believed to be a stress-induced disease. Although it can be inferred from the symptoms during attacks that there exists some abnormality of autonomic nervous system in any of the stress systems in social anxiety disorder, little evidence has been reported. This study focused on comparing the reactivity of 2 stress systems, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with social anxiety disorder. METHODS: 32 patients with the generalized type of social anxiety disorder were compared with 80 age- and gender-matched controls. We collected saliva samples from patients and controls before and after electrical stimulation to measure the concentrations of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol. Profile of Mood State (POMS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were also determined following stimulation. RESULTS: SAA in patients displayed a significantly higher level at baseline and a significantly larger response to electrical stimulation as compared to controls, whereas no group differences were seen in any HRV. Neither within-subject nor group differences were seen in salivary cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SAD patients displayed enhanced ANS (but not HPA axis) activity vs. healthy controls.

Association of plasma ω-3 and ω-6 lipids with burden of disease measures in bipolar subjects.

Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids have been implicated in mood disorders, yet clinical trials supplementing n-3 fats have shown mixed results. However, the predominant focus of this research has been on the n-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). We used an unbiased approach to assay plasma n-3 and omega-6 (n-6) species that interact at the level of biosynthesis and down-stream processing, to affect brain function and, potentially, mood. We used lipomic technology to assay plasma levels of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids from 40 bipolar and 18 control subjects to investigate differences in plasma levels and associations with the burden of disease markers, neuroticism and global assessment of function (GAF) and mood state (Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D)). Most significantly, we found the levels of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) to positively correlate with neuroticism and HAM-D scores and negatively correlate with GAF scores; and HAM-D to negatively correlate with linoleic acid (LA) and positively correlate with fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) activity, an enzyme responsible for converting LA to gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). These associations remained significant following Bonferroni multiple testing correction. These data suggest that specific n-6 fatty acids and the enzymes that control their biosynthesis may be useful biomarkers in measurements of depressive disorders and burden of disease, and that they should be considered when investigating the roles of n-3s.

Sex differences in social interaction behaviors in rats are mediated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 expression in the medial prefrontal cortex.

Considerable sex differences occur in the incidence and prevalence of anxiety disorders where women are more anxious than men, particularly in situations where social interaction is required. In preclinical studies, the social interaction test represents a valid animal model to study sex differences in social anxiety. Indeed, female rats engage less in conspecific interactions than their male counterparts, which are behaviors indicative of higher social anxiety in female rats. In this work, we implicated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in mediating social interaction. Indeed, female rats' had lower ERK2 expression compared to male rats, and overexpression of ERK2 in the mPFC increases their social interaction to the level seen in their male counterparts. These data indicate that the sexually dimorphic expression of ERK2 mediates social anxiety-like behaviors.

Elevated tph2 mRNA expression in a rat model of chronic anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Allelic variations in TPH2, the gene encoding tryptophan hydroxylase 2, the rate-limiting enzyme for brain serotonin (5-HT) biosynthesis, may be genetic predictors of panic disorder and panic responses to panicogenic challenges in healthy volunteers. To test the hypothesis that tph2 mRNA is altered in chronic anxiety states, we measured tph2 expression in an established rat model of panic disorder. METHODS: We implanted 16 adult, male rats with bilateral guide cannulae and then primed them with daily injections of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor agonist, urocortin 1 (UCN1, 6 fmoles/100 nl per side, n = 8) or vehicle (n = 8) into the basolateral amygdaloid complex (BL) for 5 consecutive days. Anxiety-like behavior was assessed, 24 hr prior to and 48 hr following priming, in the social interaction (SI) test. A third group (n = 7) served as undisturbed home cage controls. All rats were killed 3 days after the last intra-BL injection to analyze tph2 and slc6a4 (gene encoding the serotonin transporter, SERT) mRNA expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), the main source of serotonergic projections to anxiety-related brain regions, using in situ hybridization histochemistry. RESULTS: UCN1 priming increased anxiety-related behavior in the SI test compared to vehicle-injected controls and elevated tph2, but not slc6a4, mRNA expression in DR subregions, including the ventrolateral DR/ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (DRVL/VLPAG), a subregion previously implicated in control of panic-related physiologic responses. Tph2 mRNA expression in the DRVL/VLPAG was correlated with increased anxiety-related behavior. CONCLUSION: Our data support the hypothesis that chronic anxiety states are associated with dysregulated tph2 expression.

Chronic treatment with the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors sildenafil and tadalafil display anxiolytic effects in Flinders Sensitive Line rats.

There are conflicting results from behavioural studies regarding whether the activation or inhibition of the cGMP-nitric oxide (NO) pathway induces anxiolytic-like behaviour. Sildenafil, an inhibitor of cGMP-selective phosphodiesterase-5, increases anxiety acutely, but previous evidence suggests that its chronic administration may be anxiolytic, and could involve a cholinergic interaction. We used the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat, a genetic model of depression that presents with increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviour, to investigate the action of chronic treatment with the PDE5 inhibitors sildenafil or tadalafil, with/without atropine on social interaction behaviour, a correlate for anxiety. Fluoxetine was used as positive control, with validation performed using Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rats. In order to relate behavioural changes to brain penetration, we determined the concentration of sildenafil in cortex and hippocampus of rats following the schedule above using LC-MS/MS. FSL rats displayed significantly reduced social interactive behaviour than FRL rats, while sildenafil, tadalafil, and fluoxetine significantly reversed these deficits. Atropine did not exert effects on social interactive behaviour, nor did it modulate the effects of sildenafil or tadalafil. Sildenafil was present in cortex and hippocampus regions in lower nanomolar concentrations after chronic treatment, in agreement with the binding to PDE5 required for pharmacological effects. This study emphasizes the complicated regulation of anxiety by the cGMP-NO system, and provides supporting evidence for an anxiolytic action after the chronic activation of this pathway. As far as we know this is also the first report to formally demonstrate that sildenafil effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier to elicit central effects.

Reversible gating of endocannabinoid plasticity in the amygdala by chronic stress: a potential role for monoacylglycerol lipase inhibition in the prevention of stress-induced behavioral adaptation.

Chronic stress is the primary environmental risk factor for the development and exacerbation of affective disorders, thus understanding the neuroadaptations that occur in response to stress is a critical step in the development of novel therapeutics for depressive and anxiety disorders. Brain endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling is known to modulate emotional behavior and stress responses, and levels of the eCB 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are elevated in response to chronic homotypic stress exposure. However, the role of 2-AG in the synaptic and behavioral adaptations to chronic stress is poorly understood. Here, we show that stress-induced development of anxiety-like behavior is paralleled by a transient appearance of low-frequency stimulation-induced, 2-AG-mediated long-term depression at GABAergic synapses in the basolateral amygdala, a key region involved in motivation, affective regulation, and emotional learning. This enhancement of 2-AG signaling is mediated, in part, via downregulation of the primary 2-AG-degrading enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). Acute in vivo inhibition of MAGL had little effect on anxiety-related behaviors. However, chronic stress-induced anxiety-like behavior and emergence of long-term depression of GABAergic transmission was prevented by chronic MAGL inhibition, likely via an occlusive mechanism. These data indicate that chronic stress reversibly gates eCB synaptic plasticity at inhibitory synapses in the amygdala, and in vivo augmentation of 2-AG levels prevents both behavioral and synaptic adaptations to chronic stress.