Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2008 Sep;32(7):1287-92.
doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.005. Epub 2008 May 13.

Vulnerability to lasting anxiogenic effects of brief exposure to predator stimuli: sex, serotonin and other factors-relevance to PTSD

Robert Adamec  1 , Andrew Holmes, Jacqueline Blundell
Affiliations
Review

Vulnerability to lasting anxiogenic effects of brief exposure to predator stimuli: sex, serotonin and other factors-relevance to PTSD

Robert Adamec et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Lasting anxiogenic effects of predator stress in rodents may model aspects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is a link between genetic variation in the serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT) and anxiety in humans, prompting the generation of SERT knockout mice. This review brings together studies of SERT knockout male mice, normal female mice, and different 5-HT receptors in predator stress effects on anxiety. These studies provide for a link between vulnerability to the anxiogenic effects of predator stress and abnormalities of 5-HT transmission induced by a life long reduction in 5-HT reuptake in male mice, which creates a vulnerability like that seen in normal female mice. Data reviewed suggest abnormalities in 5-HT transmission contribute to vulnerability to lasting anxiogenic effects of species relevant stressors. To the extent to which predator stress effects model aspects of PTSD, and in the light of relevant human literature, these considerations implicate abnormalities of 5-HT transmission in vulnerability to PTSD per se, and as a potential contributor to enhanced female vulnerability to PTSD.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adamec R. Transmitter systems involved in neural plasticity undelying increased anxiety and defense-- Implications for understanding anxiety following traumatic stress. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 1997;21(6):755–765. - PubMed
    1. Adamec R. Does Long Term Potentiation in Periacqueductal Gray (PAG) Mediate Lasting Changes in Rodent ALB Produced by Predator Stress? -Effects of Low Frequency Stimulation (LFS) of PAG on Place Preference and Changes in ALB Produced by Predator Stress. Behavioural Brain Research. 2001;120:111–135. - PubMed
    1. Adamec R, Blundell J, Burton P. Role of NMDA receptors in the lateralized potentiation of amygdala afferent and efferent neural transmission produced by predator stress. Physiology and Behavior. 2005a;86(1–2):75–91. - PubMed
    1. Adamec R, Blundell J, Strasser K, Burton P. Mechanisms of lasting change in anxiety induced by severe stress. In: Sato N, Pitman R, editors. PTSD: Brain Mechanisms and Clinical Implications. Tokyo: Springer-Verlag; 2006a. pp. 61–81.
    1. Adamec R, Kent P, Anisman H, Shallow T, Merali Z. Neural plasticity, neuropeptides and anxiety in animals -- implications for understanding and treating affective disorder following traumatic stress in humans. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 1998;23(2):301–318. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances