Acute stress-mediated increases in extracellular glutamate levels in the rat amygdala: differential effects of antidepressant treatment
by
Reznikov LR, Grillo CA, Piroli GG, Pasumarthi RK, Reagan LP, Fadel J.
Department of Pharmacology,
Physiology and Neuroscience,
School of Medicine,
University of South Carolina,
6439 Garners Ferry Rd,
D40 Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Eur J Neurosci. 2007 May;25(10):3109-14.


ABSTRACT

Depressive illness is associated with changes in amygdalar volume, and stressful life events are known to precipitate depressive episodes in this patient population. Stress affects amygdalar synaptic plasticity and several neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in stress-mediated changes in the brain, including the glutamatergic system. However, the role of the glutamatergic system in stress-mediated plasticity in the amygdala remains to be determined. Accordingly the current study examined the stress modulation of extracellular glutamate levels in the basolateral nucleus (BLA) and the central nucleus (CeA) of the amygdala by in vivo microdialysis. Acute stress increased extracellular glutamate levels in the BLA and CeA, although the dynamics of these stress-mediated changes were dramatically different in these amygdalar nuclei. Tetrodotoxin administration reduced basal, and completely eliminated stress-mediated increases in glutamate efflux in the amygdala, demonstrating that stress effects are dependent on local axonal depolarization. Moreover, stress-mediated increases in glutamate efflux in the BLA were inhibited by the antidepressant tianeptine but not by the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. Collectively, these data demonstrate that stress-induced modulation of glutamate neurochemistry reflects a fundamental pathological change that may contribute to the aetiology and progression of depressive illness, and suggest that some antidepressants such as tianeptine may elicit their clinical effects by modulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission.

Gluttamate
Long-term use
Neuroplasticity
Pharmacodynamics
Serotonin/forebrain
Tianeptine (Stablon)
Tianeptine: structure
Melancholic depression
Stress, memory and depression
Tianeptine for anxious depressives
Electrophysiological effects of tianeptine
Treatment-resistant depression: therapies
Tianeptine (Stablon) versus fluoxetine (Prozac)
Antidepressant comparisons: SSRIs v tianeptine
Tianeptine (Stablon) v paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)
Tianeptine (Stablon) to treat depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease


Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Good Drug Guide

The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family