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Postweaning social isolation exacerbates neurotoxic effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 in rats

  • Psychiatry and Preclinical Psychiatric Studies - Short communication
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Abstract

The glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia postulates NMDA receptor hypofunction as important pathophysiological mechanism. In rodents, NMDA receptor antagonists induce together with psychosis-like effects cortical injury. Stress during adolescence can trigger schizophrenia by unknown mechanisms. Here we show in rats that juvenile chronic isolation significantly increases MK-801-triggered expression of heat shock protein 70, a marker of neuronal injury, in the retrosplenial cortex. These data suggest an additive effect of juvenile stress and NMDA receptor blockade, with possible relevance for schizophrenia.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GA427/11-1) to P.G. and D.I. and by a grant from the DAAD to D.F. J.M.L-O. was supported by a DAAD-CONACYT fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, RG Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J 5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany

    Dragos Inta, Peter Renz, Juan M. Lima-Ojeda, Christof Dormann & Peter Gass

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  1. Dragos Inta
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  2. Peter Renz
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  3. Juan M. Lima-Ojeda
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  4. Christof Dormann
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  5. Peter Gass
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Correspondence to Dragos Inta.

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Inta, D., Renz, P., Lima-Ojeda, J.M. et al. Postweaning social isolation exacerbates neurotoxic effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 in rats. J Neural Transm 120, 1605–1609 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-013-1049-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-013-1049-2

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