Abstract
The brain serotonin (5-HT) system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of anxiety, depression, drug addiction, and schizophrenia. 5-HT2A receptors are involved in the mechanisms of stressinduced psychopathology and impulsive behavior. In this work, we investigated the role of 5-HT2A receptors in the autoregulation of the brain 5-HT system. Chronic treatment with DOI, a 5-HT2A receptor agonist (1.0 mg/kg, i.p./14 days), produced a considerable decrease in the number of 5-HT2A receptor-mediated head twitches in AKR/J mice, indicating the desensitization of 5-HT2A receptors. Chronic DOI treatment did not affect the expression of the 5-HT2A receptor gene in the midbrain, hippocampus and frontal cortex. At the same time, an increase in the expression of the gene encoding a key enzyme of 5-HT synthesis, tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH-2), accompanied with an increase in TPH-2 activity and 5-HT levels, and decreased expression of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene were observed in the midbrain of DOI-treated mice. These results provide new evidence of receptor-gene cross-talk in the brain 5-HT system and implication 5-HT2A receptors in the autoregulation of the brain 5-HT system.
Published Version
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