Monoamine oxidase, brain, behavior, behaviour

A growing body of evidence has pointed to the β-carboline harmine as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of major depression. The present study was aimed to evaluate behavioural and molecular effects of the chronic treatment with harmine and imipramine in rats. To this aim, rats were treated for 14 days once a day with harmine (5, 10 and 15 mg/kg) and imipramine (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg) and then subjected to the forced swimming and open-field tests. Harmine and imipramine, at all doses tested, reduced immobility time of rats compared with the saline group...

The ability of aluminium to affect the oxidant status of specific areas of the brain (cerebellum, ventral midbrain, cortex, hippocampus, striatum) was investigated in rats intraperitoneally treated with aluminium chloride (10 mg Al3+/kg/day) for 10 days. The potential of aluminium to act as an etiological factor in Parkinson's disease (PD) was assessed by studying its ability to increase oxidative stress in ventral midbrain and striatum and the striatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in an experimental model of PD...

Many genes in the monoamine neurotransmitter pathways possess functional variants which have been associated with human behavioural disorders and traits, making them of important clinical relevance. In this chapter, we summarize the most recent literature concerning functional studies on these variants and their possible behavioural consequences. Such studies have adopted a variety of strategies. Key investigations have determined effects on gene expression at the level of transcription in mammalian cell cultures, human lymphoblasts and/or human post-mortem brain tissue employing a range of strategies including allele-specific expression...

Berberine, an alkaloid isolated from Berberis aristata Linn. has been used in the Indian system of medicines as a stomachic, bitter tonic, antiamoebic and also in the treatment of oriental sores. Evidences have demonstrated that berberine possesses central nervous system activities, particularly the ability to inhibit monoamine oxidase-A, an enzyme involved in the degradation of norepinephrine and serotonin (5-HT). With this background, the present study was carried out to elucidate the antidepressant-like effect of berberine chloride in different behavioural paradigms of despair...

Rasagiline is a novel selective irreversible monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor recently introduced for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson disease. Like other propargylamines rasagiline has also shown neuroprotective effects independent of MAO-B-inhibition in various in vitro and in vivo models. The present study was performed to test the potential of rasagiline as a disease-modifying agent in multiple system atrophy (MSA) using a transgenic mouse model previously described by our group. (PLP)-alpha-synuclein transgenic mice featuring glial cytoplasmic inclusion pathology underwent 3-nitropropionic acid intoxication to model full-blown MSA-like neurodegeneration...

This paper concentrates on involvement of protein elements in the brain neurotransmitter serotonin system (key enzymes in serotonin metabolism and 5-HT(1A) receptors) in the genetic control of behaviour. The data were obtained using Norway rats selected for more that 50 generations for lack of aggressive response and for aggressive behaviour towards humans (fear-induced aggression), inbred mouse strains, and MAO A knockout mice. The review provides converging line of evidence that: 1) brain serotonin contributes to critical mechanism underlying genetically defined individual differences in aggressiveness, and 2) genes encoding pivotal enzymes in serotonin metabolism (tryptophan hydroxylase, MAO A) and 5-HT(1A) receptors belong to a group of genes that modulate aggressive behaviour...

The importance of an interaction between environment and biological factors for the expression for a particular behaviour is illustrated by results from a series of adolescents in which effects of platelet MAO activity and psychosocial environment on criminality was investigated. In a favourable environment platelet MAO-B activity was not associated with criminality, while a very strong association was found in adolescents from a bad psychosocial environment. Essentially similar findings were obtained when a MAO-A promoter polymorphism was analysed instead of platelet MAO-B activity...

This review evaluates the presumed contribution of acetaldehyde to tobacco smoke addiction. In rodents, acetaldehyde induces reinforcing effects, and acts in concert with nicotine. Harman and salsolinol, condensation products of acetaldehyde and biogenic amines, may be responsible for the observed reinforcing effect of acetaldehyde. Harman and salsolinol inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO), and some MAO-inhibitors are known to increase nicotine self-administration and maintain behavioural sensitization to nicotine...

Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) catalyses the oxidative deamination of biogenic amines including neurotransmitters, mainly norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain and peripheral tissues. A nonsense mutation in the gene was shown to be involved in a rare X-linked behavioural syndrome, which includes impaired impulse control, aggression and borderline mental retardation (Brunner syndrome). Several recent studies have shown the association of genetic variation of a VNTR in the gene promoter with various pathological behavioural traits...

The concept that genetic factors contribute to the complex trait of suicidal behaviour has stimulated much work aimed at identifying susceptibility genes. So far molecular genetic studies focused on the serotonergic pathway as the intent to die and the lethality of suicide acts were related to the serotonergic system. Two genes have so far emerged as being involved in the vulnerability for suicidality: first, the intronic polymorphisms (A218C or A779C) of the tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) gene, which was suggested as a quantitative risk factor for suicidal behaviour; second, the insertion/deletion polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), which does not seem to be involved in general suicidal behaviour, but in violent and repeated suicide attempts...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of ladostigil, a cholinesterase and brain-selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, on anxiogenic and depressive-like behaviour and the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to stress in prenatally stressed (PS) male and female rats. METHODS: Ladostigil (17 mg/kg/day) was administered daily for 6 weeks to control and PS rats aged 6 weeks. Behaviour was assessed in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and forced swim tests (FST)...

Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb), a potent antioxidant and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor, was evaluated for its anti-parkinsonian effects in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of the disease. Rats were treated with 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg EGb for 3 weeks. On day 21, 2 microL 6-OHDA (10 microg in 0.1% ascorbic acid saline) was injected into the right striatum, while the sham-operated group received 2 microL of vehicle. Three weeks after 6-OHDA injection, rats were tested for rotational behaviour, locomotor activity, and muscular coordination...

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Mutations of the parkin gene are the most frequent cause of early onset autosomal recessive parkinsonism (EO-AR). Here we show that inactivation of the parkin gene in mice results in motor and cognitive deficits, inhibition of amphetamine-induced dopamine release and inhibition of glutamate neurotransmission. The levels of dopamine are increased in the limbic brain areas of parkin mutant mice and there is a shift towards increased metabolism of dopamine by MAO. Although there was no evidence for a reduction of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in the parkin mutant mice, the level of dopamine transporter protein was reduced in these animals, suggesting a decreased density of dopamine terminals, or adaptative changes in the nigrostriatal dopamine system...

Kainic acid induces seizures and neurotoxicity in rats, produces changes in brain serotonin (5-HT), dopamine and noradrenaline metabolites among other changes in neurotransmitters. In this work, we investigated the changes in 5-HT turnover in brain regions from 84 rats intraperitoneally injected with kainic acid and a specific behavioural change, the body and head shakes, exerted by this neurotoxin in the presence of 5-HT receptor antagonists. Kainic acid produced an increase in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels in frontal cortex (212%; 180%), striatum (177%; 116%), amygdala (202%; 337%) and hippocampus (43%; 70 %) at 2 and 24 hr as compared with controls, respectively...

RATIONALE: The prefrontal cortex is implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, and hypoactivity of this brain area has been found in depressed patients. Reduced function of the serotonergic and noradrenergic systems is another feature of depression. OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed at characterizing neurochemically and behaviorally the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), milnacipran, in the prefrontal cortex in comparison with tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors...

Rats were injected intraperitoneally with varying doses of l-deprenyl (selegiline) followed 2h later by 30 mg kg(-1) 2-phenylethylamine (PEA), administered in the same way, and the stereotypic behavioural response elicited was assessed. l-Deprenyl alone at doses of up to 5 mg kg(-1) caused no significant behavioural response. Administration of PEA without prior l-deprenyl treatment resulted in only a modest increase in stereotypic behaviour and this was not significantly enhanced by the prior administration 1 mg kg(-1) l-deprenyl...

Alcohol-dependent populations have a high lifetime suicide rate (between 7 and 15%, relative risk = 7), and alcoholism is one of the two psychiatric disorders most frequently found in suicidal cases (between 15 and 25%). Biological factors that would detect patients at risk could thus be of value. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, monoamine oxidase B, soluble interleukin-2 receptor and cholesterol have been proposed as markers of suicidal risk in alcohol-dependent patients, although nonspecific and with low predictive value...

The roots of Withania somnifera (WS) are used extensively in Ayurveda, the classical Indian system of medicine, and WS is categorized as a rasayana, which are used to promote physical and mental health, to provide defence against disease and adverse environmental factors and to arrest the aging process. WS has been used to stabilize mood in patients with behavioural disturbances. The present study investigated the anxiolytic and antidepressant actions of the bioactive glycowithanolides (WSG), isolated from WS roots, in rats...