The functional activity of serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors and the expression of the genes encoding them were studied in Norway rats bred for 60 generations for the presence and absence of high levels of stress-evoked aggression to humans. There were no significant differences in the levels of 5-HT2A receptor mRNA in the midbrain, frontal cortex, and hippocampus and the extents of head twitching evoked by the 5-HT2A agonist DOI in rats with and without genetically determined high levels of aggression. Administration of the selective 5-HT2C agonist MK-212 weakened reflex startle in response to an acoustic signal (the acoustic startle response) in non-aggressive animals but had no significant effects on the response in aggressive animals. Increases in the level of 5-HT2C receptor mRNA were seen in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in non-aggressive rats as compared with aggressive animals. Increases in the expression of the 5-HT2C receptor gene and the functional state of 5-HT2C receptors were seen in the brains of non-aggressive rats, without any changes in the 5-HT2A receptor mRNA level or receptor sensitivity; this is evidence for the involvement of 5-HT2C receptors in the mechanisms inhibiting fear-evoked aggressive behavior.
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Translated from Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal imeni I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 95, No. 2, pp. 99–105, February, 2009.
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Popova, N.K., Naumenko, V.S., Kozhemyakina, R.V. et al. Functional Characteristics of Serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C Receptors in the Brain and the Expression of the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C Receptor Genes in Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Rats. Neurosci Behav Physi 40, 357–361 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-010-9264-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-010-9264-x