Expression of the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in hippocampus produces an antidepressant effect
by
Chen AC, Shirayama Y, Shin K, Neve RL, Duman RS.
Department of Psychiatry,
Division of Molecular Psychiatry,
Yale University School of Medicine,
Connecticut Mental Health Center,
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Biol Psychiatry 2001 May 1; 49(9):753-762

ABSTRACT

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that chronic antidepressant treatment increases the expression of the cyclic amp (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB) in rat hippocampus. The study presented here was conducted to determine if CREB is a relevant target that produces an antidepressant-like effect. Methods: We employed the herpes simplex virus (HSV)-mediated gene transfer technique to overexpress CREB and determined its effect on the learned helplessness and forced swim tests, two established models used for pharmacological screening of antidepressant drugs.Results: In the learned helplessness model, rats that received bilateral microinjection of HSV-CREB into the dentate gyrus showed significantly fewer escape failures in the subsequent conditioned avoidance test than those injected with control vector (HSV-LacZ). In contrast, microinjection of HSV-CREB in either the CA1 pyramidal cell layer of hippocampus or the prefrontal cortex did not produce an antidepressant response. In the forced swim test, CREB expression in the dentate gyrus resulted in a significantly shorter immobility time than those injected with HSV-LacZ. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that over-expression of CREB in hippocampus results in an antidepressant effect and suggest that CREB may serve as a potential molecular target for novel therapeutic agents.

CREB
CREB1
21st Century
CREB and BDNF
Antidepressants
Atypical depression
Retarded depression
CREB1 and depression
An individualised approach
Antidepressants: how fast?
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Antidepressants and new brain cells
Antidepressants and the regulation of gene expression

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family