Acute and constitutive increases in central serotonin levels reduce social play behaviour in peri-adolescent rats

RATIONALE: Serotonin is an important modulator of social behaviour. Individual differences in serotonergic signalling are considered to be a marker of personality that is stable throughout lifetime. While a large body of evidence indicates that central serotonin levels are inversely related to aggre...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Homberg, Judith R., Schiepers, Olga J. G., Schoffelmeer, Anton N. M., Cuppen, Edwin, Vanderschuren, Louk J. M. J.
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer-Verlag 2007
Materias:
Original Investigation
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2048539/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17661017
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0895-8
Descripción
Sumario:RATIONALE: Serotonin is an important modulator of social behaviour. Individual differences in serotonergic signalling are considered to be a marker of personality that is stable throughout lifetime. While a large body of evidence indicates that central serotonin levels are inversely related to aggression and sexual behaviour in adult rats, the relationship between serotonin and social behaviour during peri-adolescence has hardly been explored. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of acute and constitutive increases in serotonin neurotransmission on social behaviour in peri-adolescent rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Social behaviour in peri-adolesent rats (28–35 days old) was studied after genetic ablation of the serotonin transporter, causing constitutively increased extra-neuronal serotonin levels, and after acute treatment with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine or the serotonin releasing agent 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). A distinction was made between social play behaviour that mainly occurs during peri-adolescence, and non-playful social interactions that are abundant during the entire lifespan of rats. RESULTS: In serotonin transporter knockout rats, social play behaviour was markedly reduced, while non-playful aspects of social interaction were unaffected. Acute treatment with fluoxetine or MDMA dose-dependently inhibited social play behaviour. MDMA also suppressed non-playful social interaction but at higher doses than those required to reduce social play. Fluoxetine did not affect non-playful social interaction. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that both acute and constitutive increases in serotonergic neurotransmission reduce social play behaviour in peri-adolescent rats. Together with our previous findings of reduced aggressive and sexual behaviour in adult serotonin transporter knockout rats, these data support the notion that serotonin modulates social behaviour in a trait-like manner.

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