Hyposensitivity to serotonergic stimulation in protein malnourished rats.
R D Hall, J P Leahy, W M Robertson
Physiology & Behavior August 1983 DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(83)90117-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal experiment (behavioral pharmacology) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats malnourished with low-protein diets during preweaning, postweaning, or both periods, compared with well-nourished rats |
| Interventions | N N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) |
| Measures | serotonin syndrome, rotating rod, treadmill, acoustic startle amplitude |
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Key findings | Malnourished rats showed weaker behavioral responses to the serotonin agonist DMT than well-nourished rats across four tests: a weaker serotonin syndrome, less disruption of rotating rod and treadmill performance, and smaller reductions in acoustic startle amplitude. The authors propose that this hyposensitivity may reflect diminished serotonin receptor sensitivity caused by abnormally high brain serotonin levels. |
Abstract
Rats subjected to early protein malnutrition have higher levels of brain serotonin (5-HT) than well-nourished rats. In the present study we asked whether the elevated 5-HT levels of associated with any changes in sensitivity to serotonergic stimulation. In four different behavioral tets the effects of the 5-HT agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) were, with only a few exceptions, smaller in rats malnourished during both pre- and postweaning stages of development or during just one period or the other. In Experiment 1 the 5-HT syndrome induced by DMT was weaker in malnourished rats than in well-nourished ones. In Experiments 2 and 3, DMT was not a disruptive to malnourished rats in two motor tasks, rotating rod and treadmill, as it was to rats reared under high protein conditions. In Experiment 4 reductions in acoustic startle amplitudes induced by DMT were not as large in malnourished as in well-nourished rats. The hyposensitivity to DMt in protein malnourished rats may reflect a diminished sensitivity of 5-HT receptors resulting from the abnormally high levels of the neurotransmitter.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on serotonin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo Mice | 2021 | Observational cohort | |
| Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Rats (implied by typical neurochemical study context) | 1987 | Experimental study | |
| Psychedelics promote neuroplasticity through the activation of intracellular 5-HT2A receptors In vitro and in vivo (rodent) models | 2023 | Experimental study | |
| 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine destroy serotonin terminals in rat brain: quantification of neurodegeneration by measurement of [3H]paroxetine-labeled serotonin uptake sites. Rat brain | 1987 | Animal experiment | |
| Comparison of the monoamine transporters from human and mouse in their sensitivities to psychostimulant drugs Human and mouse dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters expressed in cells | 2006 | In vitro laboratory study |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- The effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and mescaline-derived hallucinogens on sensory-integrative function: tactile startle. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics December 1, 1978
- BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES INDUCED BY N,N‐DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE IN RODENTS British Journal of Pharmacology May 1, 1980