Changes in Monoamine Levels in BALB/c and 57Bl/6N Mice in Response to Acute Stress with Different Controllability

We examined the effect of controllability factor on behavioral and neurochemical parameters of acute stress in the elevated plus maze test. The situations of controllable and uncontrollable stress were modeled by allowing or restricting mice in their choice for closed arms during testing in the maze. The anxiety level of inbred BALB/c and C57Bl/6N mice was assessed and the levels and monoamine turnover in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus were measured. It was found that the decrease in stress controllability suppresses explorative activity in mice; the behavioral and neurochemical differences between the two strains are not constant feature and depend on stress controllability; serotoninergic and dopaminerigic neurotransmission in the hypothalamus can be a signal to discriminate stress controllability in the brain.
Source: Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine - Category: Biology Source Type: research