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. 2016 Jun;53(2):136-143.
doi: 10.5152/npa.2015.9952. Epub 2016 Jun 1.

Interaction of Cocaine- and Amphetamine-regulated Transcript and Neuropeptide Y on Behavior in the Central Nervous System

Aynur Müdüroğlu Kirmizibekmez  1 , Murat Mengi  2 , Ertan Yurdakoş  2
Affiliations

Interaction of Cocaine- and Amphetamine-regulated Transcript and Neuropeptide Y on Behavior in the Central Nervous System

Aynur Müdüroğlu Kirmizibekmez et al. Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Introduction: In the central nervous system, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) 55-102 peptide is localized in areas, such as the ventral tegmental area, amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus, where emotional activity is regulated. Studies on the effects of the intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of CART peptide on behavior remain limited. The findings from these studies suggest that this neuropeptide has anxiogenic-like effects. In the central nervous system, neuropeptide Y (NPY) has similar localization as CART. Previous behavioral studies have demonstrated that the ICV administration of NPY has anxiolytic-like effects.

Methods: In our study, we established five experimental groups of male Wistar rats to study the competitive effects of NPY and CART peptide. These groups were sham (n=10), CART (n=10), NPY (n=10), CART-NPY (n=10), and NPY-CART (n=10). The open field test, elevated plus maze test, and Porsolt swim test were performed for behavioral analyses. Moreover, the rats were decapitated after the behavioral tests, and the amount of these two peptide in their brains was quantified.

Results: Our study revealed that the ICV administration of CART peptide is anxiogenic and inhibits animals undergoing learned helplessness in the Porsolt swim test. When we evaluated the results of our study with respect to NPY, we observed its anxiolytic-like effects; in the Porsolt swim test, although it reduced the duration of immobilization, it did not affect the period of struggle.

Conclusion: Our results revealed that during the competitive interaction of these two peptides, anxiogenic CART peptide suppressed the anxiolytic effects of NPY.

Keywords: Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; anxiety; behavior; neuropeptide Y; rat.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in the immobilization time among the experimental groups CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in the ambulation scores among the experimental groups. Significance compared with the NPY group*: *p<0.05, **p<0.01. CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 3
Figure 3
Differences in the rearing scores among the experimental groups. Significance compared with the NPY group* and significance compared with the sham group#: *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ##p<0.01, #p<0.05 CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 4
Figure 4
Differences in the number of entries into the open arms and time spent in the open arms among the groups. Significance compared with the NPY group*: ***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05 CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 5
Figure 5
Differences among the experimental groups in terms of immobility time in the first 5 min of the PST II. Significance compared with the sham group#: (##p<0.01, ###p<0.001) CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 6
Figure 6
Differences among the experimental groups in terms of struggle time in the first 5 min of the PST II. Significance compared with the CART group$: ($$p<0.01, $p<0.05) CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 7
Figure 7
Differences in the amount of CART peptide among the experimental groups CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
Figure 8
Figure 8
Differences in the amount of NPY among the experimental groups. Significance compared with the CART-NPY group§: (§§§p<0.001) CART: cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; NPY: neuropeptide Y; SEM: standard error of the mean; M: mean; SHAM: cannula insertion with only phosphate buffered saline added
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