1. Metabolic signature in nucleus accumbens for anti-depressant-like effects of acetyl-L-carnitine.
- Author
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Cherix A, Larrieu T, Grosse J, Rodrigues J, McEwen B, Nasca C, Gruetter R, and Sandi C
- Subjects
- Animals, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Nucleus Accumbens metabolism, Social Behavior, Acetylcarnitine pharmacology, Antidepressive Agents pharmacology, Nucleus Accumbens drug effects, Stress, Psychological drug therapy
- Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that hierarchical status provides vulnerability to develop stress-induced depression. Energy metabolic changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) were recently related to hierarchical status and vulnerability to develop depression-like behavior. Acetyl-L-carnitine (LAC), a mitochondria-boosting supplement, has shown promising antidepressant-like effects opening therapeutic opportunities for restoring energy balance in depressed patients. We investigated the metabolic impact in the NAc of antidepressant LAC treatment in chronically-stressed mice using
1 H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS). High rank, but not low rank, mice, as assessed with the tube test, showed behavioral vulnerability to stress, supporting a higher susceptibility of high social rank mice to develop depressive-like behaviors. High rank mice also showed reduced levels of several energy-related metabolites in the NAc that were counteracted by LAC treatment. Therefore, we reveal a metabolic signature in the NAc for antidepressant-like effects of LAC in vulnerable mice characterized by restoration of stress-induced neuroenergetics alterations and lipid function., Competing Interests: AC, TL, JG, JR, BM, CN, RG, CS No competing interests declared, (© 2020, Cherix et al.)- Published
- 2020
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