PURPOSE: The present study aimed at studying the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) microinjected unilaterally into the hippocampal CA1 area on the locomotor activity of rats with olfactory bulbectomy. Hippocampus has been chosen as it is a region with high VIP receptor density as well as a brain structure implicated in many types of disorders, including depression.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) rat is among the well-validated animal models of depression. The changes in locomotor activity of OBX rats were registered in an Opto Varimex apparatus.
RESULTS: VIP injected into the left CA1 area at doses of 10 ng and 100 ng aggravated OBX rat hyperactivity by increasing the locomotor activity. VIP (in a dose of 100 ng) microinjected into the right CA1 area produced an opposite effect by decreasing the number of both horizontal and vertical movements in OBX rats as compared to saline-treated OBX controls.
CONCLUSION: Our data reveal a pronounced lateralized VIP effect on the locomotor activity of OBX rats and point to a possible VIP involvement in the mechanisms of the olfactory bulbectomy syndrome in rats.
Scripta Scientifica Medica 2013; 45(4): 31-35.
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