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Aged mice receiving caffeine since adulthood show distinct patterns of anxiety-related behavior
- Source :
- Physiologybehavior. 170
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Caffeine is the psychostimulant most consumed worldwide. Anxiogenic effects of caffeine have been described in adult animals with controversial findings about its anxiogenic potential. Besides, the effects of caffeine on anxiety with aging are still poorly known. In this study, adult mice (6months old) started to receive caffeine (0.3 and 1.0mg/mL, drinking water) during 12-14months only in the light cycle and at weekdays. The open field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM) testing were used to determine the effects of caffeine on anxiety-related behavior in adult and aged mice (18-20months old). Because aging alters synaptic proteins, we also evaluated SNAP-25 (as a nerve terminals marker), GFAP (as an astrocyte marker) and adenosine A1 and A2A receptors levels in the cortex. According to the OF analysis, caffeine did not change both hypolocomotion and anxiety with aging. However, aged mice showed less anxiety behavior in the EPM, but after receiving caffeine (0.3mg/mL) during adulthood they were anxious as adult mice. While SNAP-25 and adenosine A2A receptors increased with aging, both GFAP and adenosine A1 receptors were not affected. Caffeine at moderate dose prevented the age-related increase of the SNAP-25, with no effect on adenosine A2A receptors. The absence of effect for the highest dose suggests that tolerance to caffeine may have developed over time. Aged mice showed high responsiveness to the OF, being difficult to achieve any effect of caffeine. On the other hand this substance sustained the adult anxious behavior over time in a less stressful paradigm, and this effect was coincident with changes in the SNAP-25, suggesting the involvement of this synaptic protein in the ability of caffeine to preserve changes related to emotionality with aging.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Elevated plus maze
Aging
Receptor, Adenosine A2A
Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25
Adenosine A2A receptor
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Anxiety
Motor Activity
Open field
03 medical and health sciences
Behavioral Neuroscience
chemistry.chemical_compound
Adenosine A1 receptor
Mice
0302 clinical medicine
Internal medicine
Caffeine
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
medicine
Animals
Cerebral Cortex
Psychotropic Drugs
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drinking Water
Adenosine
030104 developmental biology
Endocrinology
chemistry
Anxiogenic
Anesthesia
Central Nervous System Stimulants
medicine.symptom
Psychology
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
medicine.drug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1873507X
- Volume :
- 170
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Physiologybehavior
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c72485b3cb01e7b7c9e7232878a70f41