4.6 Article

Reduced emission of alarm 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations during fear conditioning in rats lacking the serotonin transporter

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PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110072

关键词

Alarm calls; Ultrasonic communication; Sex differences; SERT; 5-HTT

资金

  1. Research Training Group (Graduiertenkolleg) Breaking expectations -Expectation maintenance vs. change in the context of expectation violations: Connecting different approaches [GRK 2271]
  2. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [290878970-GRK 2271]

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The study found that SERT deficiency has an impact on fear-related behavior and alarm 22-kHz USV in rats, particularly more prominent in females. Rats lacking SERT may have social deficits that hinder them from effectively using 22-kHz USV as a socio-affective signal to warn conspecifics.
Rats display a rich social behavioral repertoire. An important component of this repertoire is the emission of whistle-like calls in the ultrasonic range, so-called ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Long low-frequency 22-kHz USV occur in aversive situations, including aggressive interactions, predator exposure, and electric shocks during fear conditioning. They are believed to reflect a negative affective state akin to anxiety and fear. A prominent theory suggests that 22-kHz USV function as alarm calls to warn conspecifics. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is strongly implicated in the regulation of affective states, particularly anxiety and fear. A key component of the system is the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT, also known as SERT), regulating 5-HT availability in the synaptic cleft. In the present experiment, we studied the effects of SERT deficiency on overt fear-related behavior and alarm 22-kHz USV during fear conditioning in male and female rats. While overt fear-related behavior was not affected by SERT deficiency and sex, the emission of alarm 22-kHz USV was clearly reduced in homozygous SERT-/- but not heterozygous SERT+/- mutants, as compared to their wildtype SERT+/+ littermate controls. Genotype effects were particularly prominent in females. Females in general emitted fewer alarm 22-kHz USV than males. This supports the view that 22-kHz USV are, at least partly, independently regulated from anxiety or fear and as socially mediated alarm calls do not simply express a negative affective state. Reduced 22-kHz USV emission in rats lacking SERT might be due to social deficits in the use of 22-kHz USV as a socio-affective signal to warn conspecifics about threats.

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