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CRF2 null mutation increases sensitivity to isolation rearing effects on locomotor activity in mice
Jodi Gresack1, Susan Powell, Mark Geyer
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA.
Neuropeptides
|May 15, 2010
Summary
Mice lacking corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 2 (CRF(2)) showed increased sensitivity to social isolation effects on behavior. CRF(2) activation appears to mitigate long-term behavioral impacts of developmental stress.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Developmental stressors increase risk for neuropsychiatric disorders.
- The
- double-hit
- hypothesis suggests genetic vulnerability interacts with developmental challenges.
- Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) signaling via CRF(1) and CRF(2) receptors may modulate stress responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if CRF(2) function mitigates behavioral effects of isolation rearing.
- To determine if loss of CRF(2) function increases sensitivity to developmental stress.
Main Methods:
- Examined exploratory behavior and locomotor patterns in CRF(2) wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice.
- Mice were reared in social conditions or isolation.
- Behavioral pattern monitor (BPM) was used to assess activity.
Main Results:
- Isolation housing increased locomotor activity and holepoking in CRF(2) KO mice, but not WT mice.
- Isolation altered the temporal distribution of activity in CRF(2) KO mice.
- Rearing behavior and spatial locomotor patterns were altered by isolation regardless of genotype.
Conclusions:
- Loss of CRF(2) function heightened sensitivity to social isolation's behavioral effects.
- CRF(2) activation appears to mitigate the impact of isolation rearing on exploratory behavior.
- Further research on CRF(2) function and developmental challenges is recommended.
