当前位置： SCI文献检索 > EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY期刊下所有文献 > Substance P neurotransmission and violent aggression: the role of tachykinin NK(1) receptors in the hypothalamic attack area.

Substance P neurotransmission and violent aggression: the role of tachykinin NK(1) receptors in the hypothalamic attack area.

Abstract：

:Substance P and its tachykinin NK(1) receptors are highly expressed in brain regions involved in emotional control. We recently showed that NK(1)-mediated substance P neurotransmission is deeply involved in the control of aggressiveness. To get further insights into the NK(1) receptor/aggression relationship, we studied the role of NK(1) receptor-expressing neurons of the hypothalamic attack area, the only brain region in rats from which biting attacks can reliably be elicited by both electrical and neurochemical stimulation. We show here that the hypothalamic attack area preferentially expresses the NK(1) type of tachykinin receptors. When such neurons were lesioned by substance P-conjugated saporin (SP-sap) infused into the hypothalamic attack area, violent attacks were dramatically reduced, whereas milder forms of aggression (soft bites and offensive threats) remained unaltered. The lesions were neuron type-specific as SP-sap lesions markedly reduced NK(1) staining without significantly affecting total cell counts. NK(1) staining in the neighboring lateral hypothalamus was not affected, which confirms the spatial specificity of the lesion. Surprisingly, the lesions also reduced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze. This effect is likely explained by the extensive connections of the hypothalamic attack area with brain regions involved in the control of anxiety. The present findings suggest that violent and milder forms of attack are differentially controlled. NK(1) receptor-expressing neurons of the hypothalamic attack area are tightly and specifically involved in the former but not in the latter. Our data also raise the possibility of a coordinated control of violent attacks and anxiety by the same NK(1)-expressing neurons.

journal_name

Eur J Pharmacol

journal_title

European journal of pharmacology

authors

Halasz J,Zelena D,Toth M,Tulogdi A,Mikics E,Haller J

doi

10.1016/j.ejphar.2009.03.050

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2009-06-02 00:00:00

pages

35-43

issue

1-3

eissn

0014-2999

issn

1879-0712

pii

S0014-2999(09)00281-7

journal_volume

611

pub_type

杂志文章

在线工具

Substance P neurotransmission and violent aggression: the role of tachykinin NK(1) receptors in the hypothalamic attack area.