RGD Reference Report - Profound changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex in response to flattening of the diurnal glucocorticoid rhythm: implications for bipolar disorder. - Rat Genome Database

Send us a Message
Submit Data |  Help |  Video Tutorials |  News |  Publications |  Download |  REST API |  Citing RGD |  Contact   
Search RGD Grant Resources Citing RGD About Us Contact Us
Genes Variants Community Projects QTLs Strains Markers Genome Information Ontologies Cell Lines References Download Submit Data
OntoMate (Literature Search) JBrowse (Genome Browser) Synteny Browser (VCMap) Variant Visualizer Multi-Ontology Enrichment (MOET) Gene-Ortholog Location Finder (GOLF) InterViewer (Protein-Protein Interactions) PhenoMiner (Quatitative Phenotypes) Gene Annotator OLGA (Gene List Generator) AllianceMine GViewer (Genome Viewer)
Aging & Age-Related Disease Cancer & Neoplastic Disease Cardiovascular Disease Coronavirus Disease Developmental Disease Diabetes Hematologic Disease Immune & Inflammatory Disease Infectious Disease Liver Disease Neurological Disease Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome Renal Disease Respiratory Disease Sensory Organ Disease
Find Models   new Genetic Models Autism Models Rat PhenoMiner (Quantitative Phenotypes) Chinchilla PhenoMiner Expected Ranges (Quantitative Phenotype) PhenoMiner Term Comparison Hybrid Rat Diversity Panel Phenotypes Phenotypes in Other Animal Models Animal Husbandry Strain Medical Records Phylogenetics Strain Availability Calendar Rats 101 Submissions Photo Archive
Pathways
Rat Community Forum Directory of Rat Laboratories Video Tutorials News RGD Publications RGD Presentations Archive Nomenclature Guidelines Resource Links Laboratory Resources Employment Resources

Profound changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex in response to flattening of the diurnal glucocorticoid rhythm: implications for bipolar disorder.

Authors: Minton, GO  Young, AH  McQuade, R  Fairchild, G  Ingram, CD  Gartside, SE 
Citation: Minton GO, etal., Neuropsychopharmacology. 2009 Sep;34(10):2265-74. Epub 2009 Jun 3.
RGD ID: 5130973
Pubmed: PMID:19494803   (View Abstract at PubMed)
DOI: DOI:10.1038/npp.2009.53   (Journal Full-text)

Patients with bipolar disorder have abnormalities in glucocorticoid secretion, dopaminergic neurotransmission, and prefrontal cortical function. We hypothesized that the flattening of the diurnal glucocorticoid rhythm, commonly seen in bipolar disorder, modulates dopaminergic neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) leading to abnormalities in prefrontally mediated neurocognitive functions. To address this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of a flattened glucocorticoid rhythm on (i) the release of dopamine in the PFC and (ii) the transcription of genes in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) coding for proteins involved in presynaptic aspects of dopaminergic neurotransmission. Male rats were treated for 13-15 days with corticosterone (50 microg/ml in the drinking water) or vehicle (0.5% ethanol). Corticosterone treatment resulted in marked adrenal atrophy and flattening of the glucocorticoid rhythm as measured by repeated blood sampling. Animals treated with corticosterone showed markedly enhanced basal dopamine release in the PFC as measured by microdialysis in the presence of a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. Depolarization-evoked release was also enhanced, suggesting that the corticosterone effect on basal release did not result from an increase in the neuronal firing rate. Local blockade of terminal D(2) autoreceptors failed to normalize release to control values, suggesting that the enhanced release was not because of reduced autoreceptor sensitivity. In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that mRNAs coding tyrosine hydroxylase and the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 were elevated in the VTA of corticosterone-treated rats. Our data show that flattening of the glucocorticoid rhythm increases dopamine release in the PFC possibly as a result of increased synthesis and vesicular storage. This provides a mechanistic explanation for prefrontal dysfunction in bipolar and other affective disorders associated with glucocorticoid dysrhythmia.

Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
response to corticosterone  IEP 5130973; 5130973 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Slc18a2  (solute carrier family 18 member A2)
Th  (tyrosine hydroxylase)


Additional Information