Publication Date
Spring 2014
Degree Level
B.A.
Program
Honors
First Advisor
Hensler, Julie
Second Advisor
Uhlig, Paul
Document Type
Thesis
Medium
Manuscript
Abstract
Depression is one of the most frequent comorbidities of temporal lobe epilepsy. Rats subjected to pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), develop depressive impairments that may stem from the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and/or a decrease in central serotonin neurotransmission. Based on performance in the forced swim test and increased activity of the HPA axis, Post-SE animals were classified as those with Moderate and severe depressive impairments. In both moderately and severely impaired rats, raphe-to-hippocampus serotonergic neurotransmission is decreased and the function of post-synaptic 5-HTrA receptors in the hippocampus is diminished. However, in post-SE rats with severe depressive like behavior, the function of pre-synaptic 5-HTIA receptors in the dorsal raphe is also increased compared to naive and moderately depressive rats- In these rats depressive impairments may be further exacerbated by the up-regulation of pre-synaptic inhibitory 5-HT1a autoreceptors. In addition to changes in serotonin neurotransmission, dysfunction in central noradrenergic pathways has been implicated in major depression. In this study we have examined the possible role of alpha1 and alpha2 adrenergic receptors in epilepsy-associated depression. In post-SB rats with moderate depressive impairments, we found no change in alpha2 adrenergic receptor function in hippocampus or dorsal raphe, and the functional capacity of presynaptic 5-HT1n receptors in the dorsal raphe remained unaltered. In Post-SE rats with moderate depressive impairments, the attenuation of hippocampal 5-HTIA receptor function may play a role in the behavioral phenotype. A deficiency in post-synaptic 5-HTla receptor function is implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression. Given the heterogeneous nature of major depression, understanding the underlaying pathophysiology may better guide therapeutic strategies with improved clinical outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Redwine, Hannah Marie, "Possible Role of adrenergic receptors in Epilepsy-Associated Depression" (2014). Honors Program Theses and Research Projects. 76.
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/honorstheses/76
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