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Dopamine and serotonin signaling during two sensitive developmental periods differentially impact adult aggressive and affective behaviors in mice

Molecular Psychiatry volume 19, pages 688–698 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Pharmacologic blockade of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) or serotonin transporter (5-HTT) has antidepressant and anxiolytic efficacy in adulthood. Yet, genetically conferred MAOA or 5-HTT hypoactivity is associated with altered aggression and increased anxiety/depression. Here we test the hypothesis that increased monoamine signaling during development causes these paradoxical aggressive and affective phenotypes. We find that pharmacologic MAOA blockade during early postnatal development (P2–P21) but not during peri-adolescence (P22−41) increases anxiety- and depression-like behavior in adult (>P90) mice, mimicking the effect of P2–21 5-HTT inhibition. Moreover, MAOA blockade during peri-adolescence, but not P2–21 or P182-201, increases adult aggressive behavior, and 5-HTT blockade from P22–P41 reduced adult aggression. Blockade of the dopamine transporter, but not the norepinephrine transporter, during P22–41 also increases adult aggressive behavior. Thus, P2–21 is a sensitive period during which 5-HT modulates adult anxiety/depression-like behavior, and P22–41 is a sensitive period during which DA and 5-HT bi-directionally modulate adult aggression. Permanently altered DAergic function as a consequence of increased P22–P41 monoamine signaling might underlie altered aggression. In support of this hypothesis, we find altered aggression correlating positively with locomotor response to amphetamine challenge in adulthood. Proving that altered DA function and aggression are causally linked, we demonstrate that optogenetic activation of VTA DAergic neurons increases aggression. It therefore appears that genetic and pharmacologic factors impacting dopamine and serotonin signaling during sensitive developmental periods can modulate adult monoaminergic function and thereby alter risk for aggressive and emotional dysfunction.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D Lin, A Teissier, and C Kellendonk for their critical review of the manuscript. This work was supported by the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology and the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH080116; R00 MH083044; MH062185).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divisions of Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,

    Q Yu, C M Teixeira, D Mahadevia, D Balsam, J A Gingrich & M S Ansorge

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,

    Q Yu

  3. Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Columbia University and The New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA,

    C M Teixeira, D Mahadevia, D Balsam, J A Gingrich & M S Ansorge

  4. Department of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA,

    Y Huang & J J Mann

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Yu, Q., Teixeira, C., Mahadevia, D. et al. Dopamine and serotonin signaling during two sensitive developmental periods differentially impact adult aggressive and affective behaviors in mice. Mol Psychiatry 19, 688–698 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2014.10

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