Functional develpment of 5-HT/GABA neurons in the raphe nuclei - postnatal stress and epigenetics

众所周知，虐待儿童是抑郁症的一个危险因素。阐明其机制和开发治疗方法是必要的。大鼠在出生后第3周进行足电击（FS）（3 wFS组）。3 wFS组成年后表现出抑郁样行为，并显示中缝背核（5-羟色胺能神经元的起源）中色氨酸羟化酶2蛋白水平升高。这些不良反应可部分逆转，反复给予选择性5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂（SSRI）。因此，SSRI管理可能会部分减轻虐待儿童的不良影响。

It is known that child abuse is a risk factor for depression. To elucidate the mechanisms and to develop the treatments are required. Rats were subjected to aversive foot shock (FS) during the third week of the postnatal period (3wFSgroup). 3wFS group displayed depressive-like behavior in adulthood and showed the increased protein levels of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in the dorsal raphe nucleus which is a origin of serotonergic neurons. These adverse effects were partly reversed by repeated administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Thus, it is possible that SSRI administration could partly attenuate the adverse effects of child abuse.