Behavioral effects anxiety related behavior

There are undoubtedly many developmental insults, genetic and otherwise, that can alter the expression of anxiety-related behaviors. The dissection of a gene s role in anxiety must include the acute, adaptive, compensatory, and developmental effects. For further discussion of the genetic approaches to animal anxiety, the reader is referred to several recent reviews [92-94]. 

AC VIII, adenylyl cyclase type VIII BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor CamKII, calcium-calmodulin kinase II GIRK2, G protein-activated inward rectifying potassium 2 MAOA, monoamine oxidase A n.d., not determined NCAM, neural cell adhesion molecule nNOS, neuronal nitric oxide synthase Petl, ETS domain transcription factor tPA, serine protease tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA). t/ > Increase/decrease in anxiety-related behavior. No effect. 

Studies in mice with a targeted inactivation of other 5-HT receptor sub-types, such as the S-HTsa and 5-HT7, or a transgenic line that overexpresses 5-HT3, demonstrate that these receptors modulate the activity of neural circuits involved specifically in exploratory and reward-related behavior. When exposed to novel environments, KO mice lacking the S-HTsa exhibit increased exploratory activity and an attenuated stimulatory effect of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on exploratory activity but no change in anxiety-related behavior (Grailhe et al. 1999), whereas S-HTy KO mice do not express any overt behavioral phenotype at all (Hedlund et al. 2003). 

CRH probably does not act alone. According to clinical neuroendocrinology, vasopressin is a prime candidate for the synergy of CRH effects at pituitary CRHj receptors, and it also has behavioral effects that are compatible with a role in depression. Chronic psychosocial stress enhances vasopressin expression and increases the number of hypothalamic neurons coexpressing CRH and vasopressin. Infusion of an antisense oligodeoxy-nucleotide, which corresponds to the mRNA of vasopressin type 1 receptor, into the septum led to reduced anxiety-related behavior that parallels decreases in vasopressin receptor binding (Landgraf et al. 1995). 

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