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Chronic unpredictable stress promotes neuronal apoptosis in the cerebral cortex

2008; Elsevier BV; Volume: 442; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.neulet.2008.06.081

1872-7972

Alessia Bachis, M. Idalia Cruz, Rachel L. Nosheny, Italo Mocchetti,

Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Stress-mediated loss of synaptogenesis in the hippocampus appears to play a role in depressive and mood disorders. However, little is known about the effect of stress/depression on the plasticity and survival of cortical neurons. In this report, we have examined whether chronic stress increases the vulnerability of neurons in the rat cortex. We have used a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CMS) as a rat model of depression. CMS (5 weeks treatment) produced anedonia and increased corticosterone levels. These effects were accompanied by a detectable increase in caspase-3 positive neurons in the cerebral cortex, suggesting apoptosis. Desipramine (DMI), a well known antidepressant, reversed the pro-apoptotic effect of CMS. These results suggest that antidepressants may reduce the pathological changes seen in stress-induced depressive disorders.