Neonatal olfactory bulbectomy induces anxiety‐related behavior and modifies dopaminergic receptor expression in post‐pubertal rats

Abstract

Olfaction is a complex physiological process producing effects in the central nervous system (CNS) and implicated in emotional processes. Indeed, the olfactory bulbs (OB) send projections to various CNS regions including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and caudate-putamen (CPu). Both the NAcc and CPu receive important dopaminergic input. Emerging evidence suggests that dopamine (DA) is related to anxiety-related behaviors. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the consequences of neonatal olfactory bulbectomy (nOBX) to anxiety-related behavior as assayed in the elevated plus maze (EPM) as well as the expression of dopaminergic receptors (D1-like, D2-like, and D3) in the NAcc and CPu at pre-and post-pubertal ages in the rat. The results show that nOBX increased the number of entries in the open arm of the EPM post-pubertally, suggesting an anxiolytic-related effect. nOBX increased the D2-like binding in the NAcc shell and D3 binding in the NAcc core pre-pubertally. At post-pubertal ages, the D3 binding was reduced at the olfactory tubercle and islands of Calleja in nOBX rats. Alterations in the DA receptor expression may be one mechanism responsible for the observed behavioral modifications in nOBX rats.

Combination of UPLC–Q‐TOF/MS and network pharmacology to reveal the mechanism of Chaihu‐jia‐Longgu‐Muli decoction for treating vertigo with anxiety disorder

“…Furthermore, serotonin receptors, dopamine receptors, GABA receptors and others are potential pharmacological targets for anxiety and dizziness disorders. The 5-HT and DA receptors are key neurotransmitters in the regulation of anxiety (Flores et al, 2023;Gottlieb et al, 2023;Parajulee & Kim, 2023). Serotonin is mainly located in the presynaptic vesicles of neurons and is stimulated by nerve impulses to release 5-HT and bind to 5-HT 2A and other receptors.…”