Sex differences in serotonergic control of rat social behaviour.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0367050 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-5177 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00913057 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Pharmacol Biochem Behav Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Tarrytown, NY : Elsevier
      Original Publication: Phoenix, N. Y. Ankho International, ltd.
    • Subject Terms:
      Vocalization, Animal* ; Escitalopram*; Rats ; Female ; Male ; Animals ; Sex Characteristics ; Social Behavior ; Ultrasonics
    • Abstract:
      Rationale: There is increasing evidence that enhancement of the salience of social stimuli can have a beneficial effect in managing many psychiatric conditions. There are, however, clear sex-related differences in social behaviour, including the neural mechanisms responsible for different aspects of social functions.
      Objectives: We explored the role of the serotonergic system on rat social behaviour under baseline and under stressful conditions in female and male rats.
      Methods: Rats were treated with the selective serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibitor escitalopram postnatally; a procedure known to cause a long-lasting reduction of serotonergic activity. In adulthood, social behaviour was tested in a social interaction test and in ultrasonic vocalisation (USVs) recording sessions before and after yohimbine-induced stress-like state.
      Results: Our data demonstrated that both female and, to a lesser extent, male escitalopram treated rats, exposed to a novel social situation, had fewer social exploration events and emitted fewer frequency-modulated calls with trills, trills and step calls, suggesting that an impaired function of the serotonergic system reduced the positive valence of social interaction. In a stress-like state, 50 kHz flat calls were increased only in female rats, indicating an increased seeking of social contact. However, the number of flat calls in escitalopram treated female rats was significantly lower compared with control rats.
      Conclusions: These data suggest that females may respond differently to serotonergic pharmacotherapy with respect to enhancement of beneficial effects of social support, especially in stress-related situations.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
      (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Rat; Serotonergic system; Social behaviour; Stress-response; Ultrasonic vocalisations
    • Accession Number:
      4O4S742ANY (Escitalopram)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20230301 Date Completed: 20230314 Latest Revision: 20230423
    • Publication Date:
      20231215
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173533
    • Accession Number:
      36858181