Summary
Mouse killing by rats represents a predatory behavior that can be modified by drugs from several different therapeutic classes and by environmental conditions. Buspirone and gepirone, non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics that stimulate serotonergic receptors (5HT1a) and inhibit isolation-induced intraspecies aggression, were tested for inhibition of muricidal behavior by isolated rats. Neither buspirone (3.0 mg/kg s.c.) nor gepirone (from 5.0 to 40 mg/kg) inhibited muricide. Additional rats were housed, either aggregated or isolated, and tested for muricidal behavior 9 times over 5 weeks to establish which animals were muricidal: thus, there were 4 groups of rats: muricidal or non-muricidal under either isolated or aggregated housing condition. [3H]-Spiperone was used to determine striatal D2 receptor Bmax and Kd and prefrontal cortex D2 and 5HT2 receptor binding. There were no changes across the four groups. Binding of [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) to 5HT1a receptors decreased in septum of both groups of isolated rats and binding to 5HT1b receptors decreased 50% in hippocampus of isolated and aggregated muricidal rats. Binding of [3H]-5HT to either receptor was unchanged in amygdaloid area and hypothalamus across all groups. Thus, stimulating pre- and postsynaptic 5HT1a receptors does not alter muricidal behavior and changes in 5HT1 receptor binding occurs in limited areas. Whether this limited change in hippocampal 5HT1b binding is important for establishing muricidal behavior is unclear; however the direction of the change is consistent with reports that decreased serotonergic activity increases predatory behavior.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrade R, Nicoll RA (1985) The novel anxiolytic buspirone elicits a small hyperpolarization and reduces serotonin responses at putative 5-HT1 receptors on hippocampal CAl pyramidal cells. Soc Neurosci Abst 11: 597
Applegate CD (1980) 5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine-induced mouse killing and behavioral reversal with ventricular administration of serotonin in rats. Behav Neural Biol 30: 179–190
Berkelmans B, Schipper J, Olivier B (1986) Comparison of brain serotonin turnover and mouse killing behaviour in S3 and Wistar rats. 7th biann meeting of the Int Soc Res Aggress, Evanston, IL
Broderick PA, Barr GA, Sharpless NS, Bridger WH (1985) Biogenic amine alterations in limbic brain regions of muricidal rats. Res Comm Chem Path Pharmacol 48: 3–15
DiChiara G, Camba R, Spano PF (1971): Evidence for inhibition by brain serotonin of mouse killing behaviour in rats. Nature 223: 272–273
Eison AS, Yocca FD (1985) Reduction in cortical 5HT2 receptor sensitivity after continuous gepirone treatment. Eur J Pharmacol 111: 389–392
Farber J, Miller JD, Crawford KA, McMillen BA (1983) Dopamine metabolism and receptor sensitivity in rat brain after REM sleep deprivation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 18: 509–513
Gehlbach G, Vander-Maelen CP (1985) The nonbenzodiazepine antidepressant-anxiolytic candidate, gepirone, inhibits serotonergic dorsal raphe neurons in the rat brain slice. Soc Neurosci Abst 11: 86
Gibbons JL, Barr GA, Bridger WH, Leibowitz SF (1979) Manipulations of dietary tryptophan: effects on mouse killing and brain serotonin in the rat. Brain Res 169: 139–153
Glaser T, Traber J (1983) Buspirone: action on serotonin receptors in calf hippocampus. Eur J Pharmacol 88: 137–138
Glowinski J, Iversen LL (1966) Regional studies of catecholamines in rat brain. J Neurochem 13: 655–669
Horovitz ZP, Piala JJ, High JP, Burke JC, Leaf RC (1966) Effect of drugs on the mouse-killing (muricide) test and its relationship to amygdaloid function. Int J Neuropharmacol 5: 405–411
McLain WC, Cole BT, Schrieber R, Powell DA (1974) Central catechol- and indolamine systems and aggression. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2: 123–126
McMillen BA, Matthews RT, Sanghera MK, Shepard PD, German DC (1983) Dopamine receptor antagonism by the novel anti-anxiety drug, buspirone. J Neurosci 3: 733–738
McMillen BA, Mattiace LA (1983) Comparative neuropharmacology of buspirone and MJ-13805, a potential anti-anxiety drug. J Neural Transm 57: 255–265
McMillen BA, Scott SM, Williams HL, Sanghera MK (1987) Effect of gepirone, an arylpiperazine anxiolytic drug, on aggressive behavior and brain monoaminergic neurotransmission. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 335: 454–464
Nelson DL, Herbert A, Bourgoni S, Glowinski J, Hamon M (1978) Characteristics of central 5-HT receptors and their adaptive changes following intracerebral 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine administration in the rat. Mol Pharmacol 14: 983–995
Olivier B, Van Aken M, Jaarsma I, Van Corschot R, Zethor T, Bradford D (1984) Behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs on agonistic behavior of male territorial rats (residentintruder model). Prog Clin Biol Res 167: 137–156
Onodera K, Ogura Y (1984) Effects of histaminergic drugs on muricide induced by thiamine deficiency. Jpn J Pharmacol 34: 15–21
Pazos A, Palacios JM (1985) Quantitative autoradiographic mapping of serotonin receptors in the rat brain. I. serotonin-1 receptors. Brain Res 346: 205–230
Peroutka SJ, Snyder SH (1979) Multiple serotonin receptors: differential binding of [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine, [3H]-lysergic acid diethylamide and [3H]-spiroperidol. Mol Pharmacol 16: 687–699
Pucilowski O, Plaznik A, Kostowski W (1985) Aggressive behavior inhibition by serotonin and quipazine injected into the amygdala in the rat. Behav Neural Biol 43: 58–68
Riblet LA, Taylor DP, Eison MS, Stanton, HC (1982) Pharmacology and neurochemistry of buspirone. J Clin Psychiatry 43 [Sect2]: 11–16
Richelson E (1982) Pharmacology of antidepressants in use in the United States. J Clin Psychiatry 43 [Sect2]: 4–11
Sofia RD (1969) Effects of centrally active drugs on four models of experimentally-induced aggression in rodents. Life Sci 8: 705–716
Strickland JA, DaVanzo JP (1986) Must antidepressants be anticholinergic to inhibit muricide? Pharmacol Biochem Behav 24: 135–137
Taylor DP, Becker JA, Crane M, Hyslop DK, Riblet LA, Temple DL (1983) Chronic treatment with buspirone reduces type two serotonin receptor binding. Soc Neurosci Abst 9: 435
VanderMaelen CP, Matheson GK, Wilderman RC, Patterson LA (1986) Inhibition of serotonergic dorsal raphe neurons by systemic and iontophoretic administration of buspirone, a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug. Eur J Pharmacol 129: 123–130
Vergnes M, Kempf E (1981) Tryptophan deprivation: effects on mouse-killing and reactivity in the rat. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 14 [Suppl 1]: 19–23
Yocca FD, Maayani S (1985) Actions of gepirone (BMY 13805) on functional 5-HT receptors. Pharmacologist 27: 78
Zar JH (1984) Biostatistical analysis, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McMillen, B.A., Chamberlain, J.K. & DaVanzo, J.P. Effects of housing and muricidal behavior on serotonergic receptors and interactions with novel anxiolytic drugs. J. Neural Transmission 71, 123–132 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245254
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245254