Depressive-like phenotype evoked by lifelong nutritional omega-3 deficiency in female rats: crosstalk among kynurenine, Toll-like receptors and amyloid beta oligomers

Publication date: Available online 24 January 2020Source: Brain, Behavior, and ImmunityAuthor(s): Maria Grazia Morgese, Stefania Schiavone, Angela Bruna Maffione, Paolo Tucci, Luigia TrabaceAbstractDepression is one of the most common psychiatric diseases and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in women is almost twice compared to men, although the reasons of this gender difference are not fully understood yet. Recently, soluble amyloid beta (Aβ)1-42 peptide has been receiving great importance in the development of depression, also considering that depression is highly comorbid with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative illnesses. The central role played by Aβ in the development of depressive-like symptoms in rodents has been evidenced in environmental rodent model of depression. Indeed, we have previously found that lifelong exposure to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) deficient diet in female rats at 8 weeks of life leads to depressive like- symptoms and higher susceptibility to stress associated with increased Aβ levels. In order to understand if such effects were maintained over time, rats were exposed to the same diet regimen until 6 or 21 weeks of life. We found that both timepoints of exposure to n-3 PUFA deficient diet lead to depressive-like phenotype. Furthermore, a significant alteration in brain neurochemistry was retrieved. In particular, in hippocampal area a significant reduction in serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline (NA) content was evid...
Source: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Category: Neurology Source Type: research