Research article summary (published 23 Jan 2005):

Chronic administration of the SSRI fluvoxamine markedly and selectively reduces the sensitivity of cortical serotonergic neurons to footshock stress.

Full Abstract

We have evaluated, with the use of vertical microdialysis, the effects of fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on the increase in serotonin and norepinephrine output elicited in rats prefrontal cortex by exposure to footshock stress. Exposure to footshock stress induced a marked increase in the cortical extracellular concentration of both serotonin and norepinephrine (+70% and +100%, respectively) in control rats. Long term, but not acute administration of fluvoxamine (10 mg/kg, i.p. once a days for 21 days) completely antagonized the stress induced increase in cortical serotonin extracellular concentration, while failed to modify the sensitivity of cortical noradrenergic neurons to the same stressful stimulus. Our results have shown that it is possible to independently modulate the sensitivity of cortical serotonergic neurons to stressful stimuli without altering the responsiveness of noradrenergic neurons to the same stress. Given the different role played by serotonin and norepinephrine in the modulation of the stress response, the availability of drugs able to selectively modulate the plastic response of serotonergic neurons to stress in specific brain areas might be important for the pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders.

Author information

Author/s: Dazzi, Laura (L); Seu, Emanuele (E); Cherchi, Giulia (G); Biggio, Giovanni (G);

Affiliation: Department of Experimental Biology B. Loddo, Chair of Pharmacology, Center of Excellence for Neurobiology of Drug Dependence, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. dazzi(-atsign-)unica.it

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Eur Neuropsychopharmacol), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-May; vol 15 (issue 3) : pp 283-90

Dates: Created 2005/04/11; Completed 2005/06/08; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 15820417, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic - pharmacology Cerebral Cortex - cytology; drug effects; metabolism Cyclohexanols - pharmacology Electroshock Extracellular Space - metabolism Fluvoxamine - administration & dosage; pharmacology Foot Male Mianserin - analogs & derivatives; pharmacology

Mianserin - analogs & derivatives; pharmacology Microdialysis Neurons - drug effects; metabolism Norepinephrine - metabolism Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects; metabolism Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Serotonin - metabolism; physiology Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - administration & dosage; pharmacology Stress, Psychological - physiopathology

Associated Chemicals: Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic (0) ; Cyclohexanols (0) ; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors (0) ; Mianserin (24219-97-4) ; Serotonin (50-67-9) ; Norepinephrine (51-41-2) ; Fluvoxamine (54739-18-3) ; mirtazapine (61337-67-5) ; venlafaxine (93413-69-5)

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