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[Forebrain NMDA receptor 2B subunit over-expression has no influence on anxiety behaviors of mice.] [Ariticle in Chinese]

LI Shi-Jia, XU Min-Hua, LI Chun-Xia, ZHOU Tian-Shu, Meng Bo, MEI Bing

Shanghai Institute of Brain Functional Genomics； Department of Environmental Science and Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China

Abstract

It has been known that the glutamate transmission system and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) were possibly related to anxiety processes. Although anxiety symptom can be relieved by NMDA-R antagonists and partial agonists treatment, the functions of NMDA-R and its subunits in anxiety behaviors remain unclear. We used forebrain specific NR2B over-expression mice to examine whether the increase of NR2B subunit level would induce anxiety behaviors. The results indicated that the juvenile (3-5 months old), middle-aged (8-10 months old) and old (19-22 months old ) NR2B transgenic mice showed no significant difference in open field test and elevated plus maze test as compared with the control mice. Capillary electrophoresis of monoamine neurotransmitter in subregions of forebrain revealed no significant difference between transgenic and control mice of 16-18 months age. These results suggest that the increase of NR2B expression and followed NR1 and NR2A expression augmentations in the forebrain have no significant effect on anxiety-related behaviors in mice.

Key words: NR2B; anxiety; elevated plus maze; open field; monoamine neurotransmitter

Received: 2009-02-19　　Accepted: 2009-04-22

Corresponding author: 梅兵　　E-mail: bmei@brain.ecnu.edu.cn

Citing This Article：

LI Shi-Jia, XU Min-Hua, LI Chun-Xia, ZHOU Tian-Shu, Meng Bo, MEI Bing. [Forebrain NMDA receptor 2B subunit over-expression has no influence on anxiety behaviors of mice.] [Ariticle in Chinese] . Acta Physiol Sin 2009; 61 (3): 272-278 (in Chinese with English abstract).