Journal
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
Volume 30, Issue 9, Pages 1589-1597Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300705
Keywords
neuropeptide Y; anxiety; viral vectors; amygdala; elevated plus maze; BIBP 3226
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Funding
- NIAAA NIH HHS [F32AA014310, F32 AA014310] Funding Source: Medline
- NIDDK NIH HHS [DK 32089] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [MH59865, MH63344] Funding Source: Medline
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Neuropeptide Y (NPY) decreases anxiety-related behaviors in various animal models of anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of the amygdalar NPY system in anxiety-related responses in the elevated plus maze. The first experiment determined if herpes virus-mediated alterations in amygdalar NPY levels would alter anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze. Viral vectors encoding NPY, NPY antisense, or LacZ (control virus) were bilaterally injected into the amygdala, and 4 days postinjection, rats were tested in the elevated plus maze test. NPY-like immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) was measured in the amygdala of these rats. In rats injected with the viral vector encoding NPY, reduced anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze accompanied by moderate increases in NPY-ir were detected compared to NPY-antisense viral vector-treated subjects. Elevated plus maze behavior did not differ compared to LacZ-treated controls. NPY overexpression at this time point was also suggested by enhanced NPY mRNA expression seen in the amygdala 4 days postinjection using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Experiment 2 was conducted to provide further evidence for a role of amygdalar NPY in regulating anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze test. The nonpeptide NPY Y1 receptor antagonist, BIBP 3226 (1.5 mu g/ml), was bilaterally injected into the amygdala and rats were tested in the elevated plus maze test. Rats receiving BIBP 3226 exhibited increased anxiety-related behaviors in this test. The results of these experiments provide further support for the role of amygdalar NPY in anxiety-related behaviors.
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