Cerebral metabolic responses to 5-HT2A/C receptor activation in mice with genetically modified serotonin transporter (SERT) expression

Neil Dawson, Linda Ferrington, Klaus-Peter Lesch, Paul A. T. Kelly

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Variation in the human serotonin transporter gene (hSERT; 5-HTT) resulting in a life-long alteration in SERT function influences anxiety and the risk of developing affective disorders. The mechanisms underlying the influence of the hSERT gene on these phenotypes remain unclear but may involve altered 5-HT receptor function. Here we characterise the cerebral metabolic response to 5-HT2A/C receptor activation in two transgenic mouse models of altered SERT function, SERT knock-out (SERT KO) and hSERT over-expressing (hSERT OE) mice, to test the hypothesis that genetically mediated variability in SERT expression alters 5-HT2A/C function. We found that a constitutive increase in SERT expression (hSERT OE) enhanced, whereas a constitutive decrease in SERT expression (SERT KO) attenuated, 5-HT2A/C function. Therefore, altered 5-HT2A/C receptor functioning in response to hSERT gene variation may contribute to its influence on affective phenotypes. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)117-128
Number of pages12
JournalEuropean Neuropsychopharmacology
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2011

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