Electroencephalographic and early communicative abnormalities in Brattleboro rats

Physiological Reports

Robert E. Lin¹  Lauren Ambler¹  Eddie N. Billingslea¹  Jimmy Suh¹  Shweta Batheja¹  Valerie Tatard-Leitman¹  Robert E. Featherstone¹ 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience Program, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

关键词: Brattleboro;    ERP;    schizophrenia;    USV;    vasopressin;   

DOI  :  10.1002/phy2.100

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Reductions in the levels of the neuropeptide vasopressin (VP) and its receptors have been associated with schizophrenia. VP is also critical for appropriate social behaviors in humans as well as rodents. One of the prominent symptoms of schizophrenia is asociality and these symptoms may develop prodromally. A reduction in event-related potential (ERP) peak amplitudes is an endophenotype of schizophrenia. In this study, we use the Brattleboro (BRAT) rat to assess the role of VP deficiency in vocal communication during early development and on auditory ERPs during adulthood. BRAT rats had similar vocal communication to wild-type littermate controls during postnatal days 2 and 5 but the time between vocalizations was increased and the power of the vocalizations was reduced beginning at postnatal day 9. During adulthood, BRAT rats had deficits in auditory ERPs including reduced N40 amplitude and reduced low and high gamma intertrial coherence. These results suggest that the role of VP on vocal communication is an age-dependent process. Additionally, the deficits in ERPs indicate an impairment of auditory information processing related to the reduction in VP. Therefore, manipulation of the VP system could provide a novel mechanism for treatment for negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.