Reduced anxiety-like and depression-related behavior in neuropeptide Y Y4 receptor knockout mice

Sex-dependent control of murine emotional-affective behaviour in health and colitis by peptide YY and neuropeptide Y

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Peptide YY (PYY) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are involved in regulating gut and brain function. Because gastrointestinal inflammation is known to enhance anxiety, we explored whether experimental colitis interacts with genetic deletion (knockout) of PYY and NPY to alter emotional-affective behaviour.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Male and female wild-type, NPY (NPY(-/-) ), PYY (PYY(-/-) ) and NPY(-/-) ; PYY(-/-) double knockout mice were studied in the absence and presence of mild colitis induced by ingestion of dextran sulphate sodium (2%) in drinking water. Anxiety-like behaviour was tested on the elevated plus maze and open field, and depression-like behaviour assessed by the forced swim test.

KEY RESULTS

In the absence of colitis, anxiety-like behaviour was increased by deletion of NPY but not PYY in a test- and sex-dependent manner, while depression-like behaviour was enhanced in NPY(-/-) and PYY(-/-) mice of either sex. The severity of DSS-induced colitis, assessed by colonic myeloperoxidase content, was attenuated in NPY(-/-) but not PYY(-/-) mice. Colitis modified anxiety- and depression-related behaviour in a sex-, genotype- and test-related manner, and knockout experiments indicated that NPY and PYY were involved in some of these behavioural effects of colitis.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

These data demonstrate sex-dependent roles of NPY and PYY in regulation of anxiety- and depression-like behaviour in the absence and presence of colitis. Like NPY, the gut hormone PYY has the potential to attenuate depression-like behaviour but does not share the ability of NPY to reduce anxiety-like behaviour.

Infusions of neuropeptide Y into the lateral septum reduce anxiety-related behaviors in the rat

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most abundant peptides in mammalian brain and NPY-like-immunoreactivity is highly expressed in the lateral septum, an area extensively involved in anxiety regulation. NPY counteracts the neurochemical and behavioral responses to acute threat in animal models, and intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of NPY at low doses is anxiolytic. Less is known about the specific contributions of the lateral septum to NPY-mediated anxiety regulation. In Experiment 1, the effects of infusions of NPY (1.5 μg) into the lateral septum were investigated in three animal models of anxiety: the elevated plus-maze, novelty-induced suppression of feeding, and shock-probe burying tests. Experiment 2 examined the role of the NPY Y1 receptor in these models by co-infusing the Y1 antagonist BIBO 3304 (0.15 μg, 0.30 μg) with NPY into the lateral septum. In the elevated plus-maze, there were no changes in rats' open arm exploration, the index of anxiety reduction in this test. In the novelty-induced suppression of feeding test, rats infused with NPY showed decreases in the latency to consume a palatable snack in a novel (but not familiar) environment, suggesting a reduction in anxiety independent of increases in appetite. This anxiolysis was attenuated by co-infusion with BIBO 3304 (0.30 μg) in Experiment 2. Lastly, rats infused with NPY showed decreases in the duration of burying behavior in the shock-probe burying test, also indicative of anxiety reduction. However, unlike in the feeding test, BIBO 3304 did not attenuate the NPY-induced anxiolysis in the shock-probe test. It is concluded that NPY produces anxiolytic-like actions in the lateral septum in two animal models of anxiety: the novelty-induced suppression of feeding, and shock-probe burying tests, and that this anxiolysis is dependent on Y1 receptor activation in the feeding test.

Genome-wide copy number variation analysis in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: association with neuropeptide Y gene dosage in an extended pedigree

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, highly heritable neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by hyperactivity, inattention and increased impulsivity. To detect micro-deletions and micro-duplications that may have a role in the pathogenesis of ADHD, we carried out a genome-wide screen for copy number variations (CNVs) in a cohort of 99 children and adolescents with severe ADHD. Using high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), a total of 17 potentially syndrome-associated CNVs were identified. The aberrations comprise 4 deletions and 13 duplications with approximate sizes ranging from 110 kb to 3 Mb. Two CNVs occurred de novo and nine were inherited from a parent with ADHD, whereas five are transmitted by an unaffected parent. Candidates include genes expressing acetylcholine-metabolizing butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), contained in a de novo chromosome 3q26.1 deletion, and a brain-specific pleckstrin homology domain-containing protein (PLEKHB1), with an established function in primary sensory neurons, in two siblings carrying a 11q13.4 duplication inherited from their affected mother. Other genes potentially influencing ADHD-related psychopathology and involved in aberrations inherited from affected parents are the genes for the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 1 α subcomplex assembly factor 2 (NDUFAF2), the brain-specific phosphodiesterase 4D isoform 6 (PDE4D6) and the neuronal glucose transporter 3 (SLC2A3). The gene encoding neuropeptide Y (NPY) was included in a ∼3 Mb duplication on chromosome 7p15.2-15.3, and investigation of additional family members showed a nominally significant association of this 7p15 duplication with increased NPY plasma concentrations (empirical family-based association test, P=0.023). Lower activation of the left ventral striatum and left posterior insula during anticipation of large rewards or losses elicited by functional magnetic resonance imaging links gene dose-dependent increases in NPY to reward and emotion processing in duplication carriers. These findings implicate CNVs of behaviour-related genes in the pathogenesis of ADHD and are consistent with the notion that both frequent and rare variants influence the development of this common multifactorial syndrome.

Regulation of the galanin system by repeated electroconvulsive seizures in mice

Even though induction of seizures by electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) is a treatment widely used for major depression in humans, the working mechanism of ECS remains uncertain. The antiepileptic effect of ECS has been suggested to be involved in mediating the therapeutic effect of ECS. The neuropeptide galanin exerts antiepileptic and antidepressant-like effects and has also been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. To explore a potential role of galanin in working mechanisms of ECS, the present study examined effects of repeated ECS on the galanin system using QRT-PCR, in situ hybridization, and [(125) I]galanin receptor binding. ECS was administered to adult mice daily for 14 days, and this paradigm was confirmed to exert antidepressant-like effect in the tail suspension test. Prominent increases in galanin gene expression were found in several brain regions involved in regulation of epileptic activity and depression, including the piriform cortex, hippocampal dentate gyrus, and amygdala. Likewise, GalR2 gene expression was up-regulated in both the central and the medial amygdala, whereas GalR1 gene expression showed a modest down-regulation in the medial amygdala. [(125) I]galanin receptor binding in the piriform cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala was found to be significantly down-regulated. These data show that the galanin system is regulated by repeated ECS in a number of brain regions implicated in seizure regulation and depression. These changes may play a role in the therapeutic effect of ECS.

Evidence from knockout mice that neuropeptide-Y Y2 and Y4 receptor signalling prevents long-term depression-like behaviour caused by immune challenge

Neuropeptide Y participates in the acute behavioural responses to immune challenge, since Y2 receptor knockout (Y2⁻/⁻) mice are particularly sensitive to the short-term anxiogenic-like effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide. The present exploratory study addressed the involvement of Y2 and Y4 receptors in the long-term behavioural responses to immune challenge. A single intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (0.83 mg/kg) to control mice did not affect open field behaviour 3 h post-treatment but enhanced anxiety-like behaviour in Y2⁻/⁻ as well as Y4⁻/⁻ mice. Four weeks post-treatment this behavioural effect of lipopolysaccharide persisted in Y4⁻/⁻ mice but had gone in Y2⁻/⁻ mice. Depression-related behaviour in the forced swim test was enhanced 1 day post-lipopolysaccharide in control and Y2⁻/⁻ mice, but not in Y4⁻/⁻ mice. Four weeks post-treatment, the depressogenic-like effect of lipopolysaccharide had waned in control mice, persisted in Y2⁻/⁻ mice and was first observed in Y4⁻/⁻ mice. In summary, knockout of Y2 and/or Y4 receptors unmasks the ability of a single lipopolysaccharide injection to cause a delayed and prolonged increase in anxiety- and/or depression-like behaviour. These findings suggest that neuropeptide Y acting via Y2 and Y4 receptors prevents the development of long-term anxiety- and depression-like behaviour caused by acute immune challenge.

Effects of hypoglycaemia on neurotransmitter and hormone receptor gene expression in laser-dissected arcuate neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide neurones

Arcuate neuropeptide Y (NPY)/agouti-related pepide (AgRP) neurones regulate energy homeostasis, and express the putative glucosensor, glucokinase (GCK). The present study performed multi-transcriptional profiling of these neurones to characterise NPY, AgRP and GCK gene expression during intermediate insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, and to determine whether these transcriptional responses acclimate to repeated insulin dosing. We also examined whether these neurones express insulin, glucocorticoid and oestrogen receptor gene transcripts, and whether the levels of these receptor mRNAs are modified by insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Individual NPY-immunoreactive neurones were laser-microdissected from the caudal arcuate nucleus after single or serial dosing with neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin (NPH), and evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for the assessment of neurotransmitter and receptor gene expression. Mean NPY and AgRP mRNA in harvested NPY neurones was unchanged or augmented, respectively, by one NPH dose, although repeated NPH administration up-regulated NPY, whereas AgRP gene transcripts were down-regulated. NPH elicited divergent modifications in the ERalpha and ERbeta mRNA content of sampled neurones. ERalpha transcripts were amplified by both acute and chronic NPH-induced hypoglycaemia, whereas ERbeta gene expression was unaltered during a single bout, but suppressed during recurring hypoglycaemia. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA levels were increased by a single insulin dose, but unaffected by serial NPH dosing. Insulin receptor-beta chain (InsRb) gene transcripts were insensitive to acute NPH-induced hypoglycaemia, but repeated NPH inhibited this gene transcript. Neither acute nor recurring hypoglycaemia modified GCK mRNA levels in caudal hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARH) NPY/AgRP neurones, but baseline GCK transcription was suppressed by the latter. This evidence for the habituation of hypoglycaemic patterns of InsRb, GR and ERbeta gene transcription to serial NPH dosing implies that such treatment may alter reactivity of caudal ARH NPY/AgRP neurones to receptor ligands, and supports the need to determine whether adaptive changes in neuronal sensitivity to insulin, corticosterone and/or oestrogen cause up- versus down-regulation of NPY and AgRP neurotransmission, respectively, by this caudal ARH subpopulation during chronic hypoglycaemia.

CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels modulate depression-like behaviour in mice independent of deaf phenotype

Mounting evidence suggests that voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels can modulate affective behaviour. We therefore explored the role of CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels in depression- and anxiety-like behaviours using CaV1.3-deficient mice (CaV1.3-/-). We showed that CaV1.3-/- mice displayed less immobility in the forced swim test as well as in the tail suspension test, indicating an antidepressant-like phenotype. Locomotor activity in the home cage or a novel open-field test was not influenced. In the elevated plus maze (EPM), CaV1.3-/- mice entered the open arms more frequently and spent more time there indicating an anxiolytic-like phenotype which was, however, not supported in the stress-induced hyperthermia test. By performing parallel experiments in Claudin 14 knockout mice (Cldn14-/-), which like CaV1.3-/- mice are congenitally deaf, an influence of deafness on the antidepressant-like phenotype could be ruled out. On the other hand, a similar EPM behaviour indicative of an anxiolytic phenotype was also found in the Cldn14-/- animals. Using electroretinography and visual behavioural tasks we demonstrated that at least in mice, CaV1.3 channels do not significantly contribute to visual function. However, marked morphological changes were revealed in synaptic ribbons in the outer plexiform layer of CaV1.3-/- retinas by immunohistochemistry suggesting a possible role of this channel type in structural plasticity at the ribbon synapse. Taken together, our findings indicate that CaV1.3 L-type Ca2+ channels modulate depression-like behaviour but are not essential for visual function. The findings raise the possibility that selective modulation of CaV1.3 channels could be a promising new therapeutic concept for the treatment of mood disorders.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of JNJ-31020028 (N-(4-{4-[2-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-1-phenylethyl]piperazin-1-yl}-3-fluorophenyl)-2-pyridin-3-ylbenzamide), a selective brain penetrant small molecule antagonist of the neuropeptide Y Y(2) receptor

RATIONALE

The lack of potent, selective, brain penetrant Y(2) receptor antagonists has hampered in vivo functional studies of this receptor.

OBJECTIVE

Here, we report the in vitro and in vivo characterization of JNJ-31020028 (N-(4-{4-[2-(diethylamino)-2-oxo-1-phenylethyl]piperazin-1-yl}-3-fluorophenyl)-2-pyridin-3-ylbenzamide), a novel Y(2) receptor antagonist.

METHODS

The affinity of JNJ-31020028 was determined by inhibition of the PYY binding to human Y(2) receptors in KAN-Ts cells and rat Y(2) receptors in rat hippocampus. The functional activity was determined by inhibition of PYY-stimulated calcium responses in KAN-Ts cells expressing a chimeric G protein Gqi5 and in the rat vas deferens (a prototypical Y(2) bioassay). Ex vivo receptor occupancy was revealed by receptor autoradiography. JNJ-31020028 was tested in vivo with microdialysis, in anxiety models, and on corticosterone release.

RESULTS

JNJ-31020028 bound with high affinity (pIC(50) = 8.07 +/- 0.05, human, and pIC(50) = 8.22 +/- 0.06, rat) and was >100-fold selective versus human Y(1), Y(4), and Y(5) receptors. JNJ-31020028 was demonstrated to be an antagonist (pK(B) = 8.04 +/- 0.13) in functional assays. JNJ-31020028 occupied Y(2) receptor binding sites (approximately 90% at 10 mg/kg) after subcutaneous administration in rats. JNJ-31020028 increased norepinephrine release in the hypothalamus, consistent with the colocalization of norepinephrine and neuropeptide Y. In a variety of anxiety models, JNJ-31020028 was found to be ineffective, although it did block stress-induced elevations in plasma corticosterone, without altering basal levels, and normalized food intake in stressed animals without affecting basal food intake.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that Y(2) receptors may not be critical for acute behaviors in rodents but may serve modulatory roles that can only be elucidated under specific situational conditions.

Evidence from knockout mice for distinct implications of neuropeptide-Y Y2 and Y4 receptors in the circadian control of locomotion, exploration, water and food intake

Members of the neuropeptide-Y (NPY) family acting via Y2 and/or Y4 receptors have been proposed to participate in the control of ingestive behaviour and energy homeostasis. Since these processes vary between day and night, we explored the circadian patterns of locomotor, exploratory and ingestive behaviour in mice with disrupted genes for Y2 (Y2-/-) or Y4 (Y4-/-) receptors. To this end, the LabMaster system was used and its utility for the analysis of changes in circadian activity and ingestion caused by gene knockout evaluated. Female animals, aged 27weeks on average, were housed singly in cages fitted with sensors for water and food intake and two infrared frames for recording ambulation and rearing under a 12h light/dark cycle for 4days. Relative to WT animals, diurnal locomotion, exploration, drinking and feeding were reduced, whereas nocturnal locomotion was enhanced in Y2-/- mice. In contrast, Y4-/- mice moved more but ate and drank less during the photophase, while they ate more and explored less during the scotophase. Both Y2-/- and Y4-/- mice weighed more than WT mice. These findings attest to a differential role of Y2 and Y4 receptor signalling in the circadian control of behaviours that balance energy intake and energy expenditure. These phenotypic traits can be sensitively and continuously recorded by the LabMaster system.

PreproNPY Pro7 protects against depression despite exposure to environmental risk factors

BACKGROUND

There is extensive evidence, from both clinical cases and rodent models, for reduced levels of the widely expressed neuropeptide Y (NPY) in anxiety and depressive disorders. The rare allele of the Leu7Pro polymorphism in the signal peptide of preproNPY has been associated with higher processing into mature NPY, and higher NPY levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. The Pro7 allele was proposed to protect against depression in a small Swedish clinical sample (Heilig M., Zachrisson O., Thorsell A., Ehnvall A., Mottagui-Tabar S., Sjögren M., Asberg M., Ekman R., Wahlestedt C., Agren H., 2004. Decreased cerebrospinal fluid neuropeptide Y (NPY) in patients with treatment refractory unipolar major depression: preliminary evidence for association with preproNPY gene polymorphism. J. Psychiatr. Res. 38, 113-121).

METHOD

Leu7Pro was analyzed in a large well-characterized longitudinal population-based sample of adult Swedes with data on life situation and life history, including 461 with depression diagnosis, 157 with anxiety diagnosis and 1514 healthy individuals with no symptom of psychopathology.

RESULTS

Pro7 was rarer in depression cases than in healthy individuals (OR=2.7; P=0.0004). The protective effect of Pro7 was similar despite exposure to known environmental vulnerability factors. Pro7 appeared with similar effect size in those with an anxiety diagnosis, but this was not statistically significant (OR=2.3; P=0.06).

LIMITATION

The size of the anxiety sample and possibly some recall bias of childhood conditions.

CONCLUSION

Pro7 allele of preproNPY protected against depression among Swedes. Pro7 is not common, but was found to exert its protective effect also in an environment-induced vulnerable state. This supports a protective effect of NPY in line with previous reports suggesting anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects of NPY.

A possible role of neuropeptide Y in depression and stress

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) mediates its physiological effects through at least four receptors known as Y(1), Y(2), Y(4), and Y(5). This peptide is one of the most abundant peptides in the central nervous system and is highly conserved throughout evolution. The most abundant receptors of the NPY family, the Y(1) and Y(2) receptors, are densely expressed in the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. These brain regions are particularly associated with mood disorders, stress responses, and memory processing. With this in mind, researchers suggested the involvement of NPY as well as the Y(1) and Y(2) receptors in affective disorders. Earlier studies showed that NPY and the Y(1) and Y(2) receptors mediate some aspects of depression-like disorders and stress responses in rodents. Recent research also suggests the involvement of the Y(4) and Y(5) receptors in emotion-related processes in rodents. In addition, human studies have consistently suggested a role for NPY in stress responses, whereas conflicting data have been obtained in relation to the role of NPY in depression-related illnesses. However, novel evidence from polymorphisms in the prepro-NPY gene has shed new light on the potential clinical relevance of NPY in depression. In this article, we review the literature from both animal and human studies regarding the contribution of NPY and its receptors in depression and stress.

Neuropeptide and sigma receptors as novel therapeutic targets for the pharmacotherapy of depression

Among the most prevalent of mental illnesses, depression is increasing in incidence in the Western world. It presents with a wide variety of symptoms that involve both the CNS and the periphery. Multiple pharmacological observations led to the development of the monoamine theory as a biological basis for depression, according to which diminished neurotransmission within the CNS, including that of the dopamine, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and serotonin systems, is the leading cause of the disorder. Current conventional pharmacological antidepressant therapies, using selective monoamine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, aim to enhance monoaminergic neurotransmission. However, the use of these agents presents severe disadvantages, including a delay in the alleviation of depressive symptoms, significant adverse effects and high frequencies of non-responding patients. Neuroendocrinological data of recent decades reveal that depression and anxiety disorders may occur simultaneously due to hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity. As a result, the stress-diathesis model was developed, which attempts to associate genetic and environmental influences in the aetiology of depression. The amygdala and the hippocampus control the activity of the HPA axis in a counter-balancing way, and a plethora of regulatory neuropeptide signalling pathways are involved. Intervention at these molecular targets may lead to alternative antidepressant therapeutic solutions that are expected to overcome the limitations of existing antidepressants. This prospect is based on preclinical evidence from pharmacological and genetic modifications of the action of neuropeptides such as corticotropin-releasing factor, substance P, galanin, vasopressin and neuropeptide Y. The recent synthesis of orally potent non-peptide micromolecules that can selectively bind to various neuropeptide receptors permits the onset of clinical trials to evaluate their efficacy against depression.

Effect of neuropeptide Y Y2 receptor deletion on emotional stress-induced neuronal activation in mice

In different behavioral paradigms including the elevated plus maze (EPM), it was observed previously that deletion of the neuropeptide Y Y2 receptor subtype results in potent suppression of anxiety-related and stress-related behaviors. To identify neurobiological correlates underlying this behavioral reactivtiy, expression of c-Fos, an established early marker of neuronal activation, was examined in Y2 receptor knockout (Y2(-/-)) vs. wildtype (WT) mice. Mice were placed on the open arm (OA) or closed arm (CA) of the EPM for 10 min and the effect on regional c-Fos expression in the brain was investigated. The number of c-Fos positive neurons was significantly increased in both WT and Y2(-/-) lines after OA and CA exposure in 51 of 54 regions quantified. These regions included various cortical, limbic, thalamic, hypothalamic, and hindbrain regions. Genotype influenced c-Fos responses to arm exposures in 6 of the 51 activated regions: the cingulate cortex, barrel field of the primary somatosensory cortex, nucleus accumbens, dorsal lateral septum, amygdala and lateral periaqueductal gray. These differences in neuronal activity responses to the novel environments were more pronounced after OA than after CA exposure. Mice lacking Y2 receptors exhibited reduced neuronal activation when compared to WT animals in response to the emotional stressors. Reduced neuronal excitability in the identified brain areas relevant to the processing of motivated, explorative as well as anxiety-related behaviors is suggested to contribute to the reduced anxiety-related behavior observed in Y2(-/-) mice.

The novel neuropeptide Y Y5 receptor antagonist Lu AA33810 [N-[[trans-4-[(4,5-dihydro[1]benzothiepino[5,4-d]thiazol-2-yl)amino]cyclohexyl]methyl]-methanesulfonamide] exerts anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in rat models of stress sensitivity

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) regulates physiological processes via receptor subtypes (Y(1), Y(2), Y(4), Y(5), and y(6)). The Y(5) receptor is well known for its role in appetite. Based on expression in the limbic system, we hypothesized that the Y(5) receptor might also modulate stress sensitivity. We identified a novel Y(5) receptor-selective antagonist, Lu AA33810 [N-[[trans-4-[(4,5-dihydro[1]-benzothiepino[5,4-d]thiazol-2-yl)amino]cyclohexyl]methyl]-methanesulfonamide], that bound to cloned rat Y(5) receptors (K(i) = 1.5 nM) and antagonized NPY-evoked cAMP and calcium mobilization in vitro. Lu AA33810 (3-30 mg/kg p.o.) blocked feeding elicited by intracerebroventricular injection of the Y(5) receptor-selective agonist [cPP(1-7),NPY(19-23),Ala(31),Aib(32),Gln(34)]-hPancreatic Polypeptide in Sprague-Dawley rats. In vivo effects of Lu AA33810 were correlated with brain exposure > or = 50 ng/g and ex vivo Y(5) receptor occupancy of 22 to 95%. Lu AA33810 was subsequently evaluated in models of stress sensitivity. In Fischer 344 rats, Lu AA33810 (30 mg/kg p.o.) attenuated increases in plasma ACTH and corticosterone elicited by intracerebroventricular injection of [cPP(1-7),NPY(19-23),Ala(31),Aib(32),Gln(34)]-hPancreatic Polypeptide. In Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to the social interaction test, Lu AA33810 (3-30 mg/kg p.o.) produced anxiolytic-like effects after acute or chronic treatment. In Flinders sensitive line rats, chronic dosing of Lu AA33810 (10 mg/kg/day i.p.) produced anxiolytic-like effects in the social interaction test, plus antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test. In Wistar rats exposed to chronic mild stress, chronic dosing of Lu AA33810 (3 and 10 mg/kg/day i.p.) produced antidepressant-like activity, i.e., normalization of stress-induced decrease in sucrose consumption. We propose that Y(5) receptors may function as part of an endogenous stress-sensing system to mediate social anxiety and reward or motivational deficits in selected rodent models.

Increased novelty-induced motor activity and reduced depression-like behavior in neuropeptide Y (NPY)-Y4 receptor knockout mice

There is growing evidence that neuropeptide Y (NPY) acting through Y1 and Y2 receptors has a prominent role in modulating anxiety- and depression-like behavior in rodents. However, a role of other Y-receptors like that of Y4 receptors in this process is poorly understood. We now investigated male Y2, Y4 single and Y2/Y4 double knockout mice in behavioral paradigms for changes in motor activity, anxiety and depression-like behavior. Motor activity was increased in Y2, Y4 and Y2/Y4 knockout mice under changing and stressful conditions, but not altered in a familiar environment. Y4 and Y2 knockout mice revealed an anxiolytic phenotype in the light/dark test, marble burying test and in stress-induced hyperthermia, and reduced depression-like behavior in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. In Y2/Y4 double knockout mice, the response in the light/dark test and in the forced swim test was further enhanced compared with Y4 and Y2 knockout mice, respectively. High levels of Y4 binding sites were observed in brain stem nuclei including nucleus of solitary tract and area postrema. Lower levels were found in the medial amygdala and hypothalamus. Peripheral administration of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) induced Y4 receptor-dependent c-Fos expression in brain stem, hypothalamus and amygdala. PP released peripherally from the pancreas in response to food intake, may act not only as a satiety signal but also modulate anxiety-related locomotion.

Implication of neuropeptide-Y Y2 receptors in the effects of immune stress on emotional, locomotor and social behavior of mice

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in the regulation of emotional behavior, and there is indirect evidence for a role of NPY in the cerebral responses to peripheral immune challenge. Since the NPY receptors involved in these reactions are not known, we investigated the effect of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on emotional, locomotor and social behavior, body temperature and circulating corticosterone in female Y2 (Y2-/-) and Y4 (Y4-/-) receptor knockout mice. LPS (0.1mg/kg injected IP 2.5h before testing) increased rectal temperature in control and Y4-/- mice to a larger degree than in Y2-/- animals. Both Y2-/- and Y4-/- mice exhibited reduced anxiety-related and depression-like behavior in the open field, elevated plus-maze and tail suspension test, respectively. While depression-like behavior was not changed by LPS, anxiety-related behavior was enhanced by LPS in Y2-/-, but not control and Y4-/- animals. Y2-/- mice were also particularly susceptible to the effect of LPS to attenuate locomotor behavior and social interaction with another mouse. The corticosterone response to LPS was blunted in Y2-/- mice which presented elevated levels of circulating corticosterone following vehicle treatment. These data show that Y2-/- mice are particularly sensitive to the effects of LPS-evoked immune stress to attenuate locomotion and social interaction and to increase anxiety-like behavior, while the LPS-induced rise of temperature and circulating corticosterone is suppressed by Y2 receptor knockout. Our observations attest to an important role of endogenous NPY acting via Y2 receptors in the cerebral response to peripheral immune challenge.