Rationale: Serotonin is an important modulator of social behaviour. Individual differences in serotonergic signalling are considered to be a marker of personality that is stable throughout lifetime. While a large body of evidence indicates that central serotonin levels are inversely related to aggression and sexual behaviour in adult rats, the relationship between serotonin and social behaviour during peri-adolescence has hardly been explored.
Objective: To study the effect of acute and constitutive increases in serotonin neurotransmission on social behaviour in peri-adolescent rats.
Materials And Methods: Social behaviour in peri-adolesent rats (28-35 days old) was studied after genetic ablation of the serotonin transporter, causing constitutively increased extra-neuronal serotonin levels, and after acute treatment with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine or the serotonin releasing agent 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). A distinction was made between social play behaviour that mainly occurs during peri-adolescence, and non-playful social interactions that are abundant during the entire lifespan of rats.
Results: In serotonin transporter knockout rats, social play behaviour was markedly reduced, while non-playful aspects of social interaction were unaffected. Acute treatment with fluoxetine or MDMA dose-dependently inhibited social play behaviour. MDMA also suppressed non-playful social interaction but at higher doses than those required to reduce social play. Fluoxetine did not affect non-playful social interaction.
Conclusions: These data show that both acute and constitutive increases in serotonergic neurotransmission reduce social play behaviour in peri-adolescent rats. Together with our previous findings of reduced aggressive and sexual behaviour in adult serotonin transporter knockout rats, these data support the notion that serotonin modulates social behaviour in a trait-like manner.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2048539 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0895-8 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Adaptive Intervention for School-Age, Minimally Verbal Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Community: Primary Aim Results.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry
January 2025
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Objective: The goal of this study is to construct a 16-week, two-stage, adaptive intervention consisting of DTT ([discrete trials training], largely considered usual care for children with autism), JASP-EMT (a blended, naturalistic, developmental behavioral intervention involving JASPER [joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation] and EMT [enhanced milieu teaching]), and parent training (P) for improving spontaneous, communicative utterances in school-aged, minimally verbal autistic children. Intervention was delivered both at school (DTT, JASP-EMT) and home (P). This manuscript reports results for the study's primary aim and a closely related secondary aim.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Association of Psychological Factors With Willingness to Share Health-Related Data From Technological Devices: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.
JMIR Form Res
January 2025
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Center of Research on Psychological Disorders and Somatic Diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands, 31 134662142.
Background: Health-related data from technological devices are increasingly obtained through smartphone apps and wearable devices. These data could enable physicians and other care providers to monitor patients outside the clinic or assist individuals in improving lifestyle factors. However, the use of health technology data might be hampered by the reluctance of patients to share personal health technology data because of the privacy sensitivity of this information.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term human influence on the demography and genetic diversity of the hyperdominant Bertholletia excelsa in the Amazon Basin.
Curr Biol
January 2025
Department of Coevolution of Land Use and Urbanisation, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, 07745 Jena, Germany; School of Archaeology, University of the Philippines, Quezon City 1101, the Philippines. Electronic address:
The Amazon rainforest is characterized by a limited number of hyperdominant trees that play an oversized role in its ecosystems, nutrient cycle, and rainfall production. Some of these, such as the Brazil nut, appear to have been intensively exploited and dispersed by Indigenous populations since their earliest arrival in this part of South America around 13,000 years ago. However, the genetic diversity-and geographic structure-of these species remains poorly understood, as does their exact relationship with past human land use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly childhood educators' perspectives of the social functioning and strengths of children exposed to intimate partner violence.
Child Abuse Negl
January 2025
Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Psychological Sciences, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.
Background: Exposure to IPV can negatively impact children's social functioning. However, children exposed to IPV can also display significant strengths. The early educational environment can be a key factor promoting resilience outside of the family, with early educators in an ideal position to identify a broad range of social challenges, strengths and needs of children exposed to IPV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!