Indices of brain beta-adrenergic receptor signal transduction in the learned helplessness animal model of depression.

Both stress response and antidepressant drug action may be mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors (beta AR). Since learned helplessness is a stress-induced animal model of depression, beta AR are relevant to investigate in this model. To date, studies have measured changes in total receptor density (RT), but have not examined more detailed aspects of signal transduction mechanisms such as coupling of the receptor to GS protein. We have investigated brain beta AR coupling in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus of rats exposed to inescapable shock and then tested for learned helplessness, and in both tested and naive controls using [125I]-iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) as the ligand. Both antagonist-saturation and agonist-displacement experiments were conducted, and the specificity for the beta AR was optimized by excluding ICYP binding to 5HT1B receptors. The percentage receptor density in the high-conformational state (%RH) and the ratio of agonist (isoproterenol) dissociation constant from the receptor in the low-/high-conformational states (KL/KH) were used as indices of coupling to GS protein. No significant differences were found between rats developing learned helplessness and non-helpless rats after inescapable stress in any parameter measured in any brain region. In the frontal cortex, exposure to inescapable shock induced beta AR uncoupling from GS protein as suggested by a low KL/KH ratio both in helpless and non-helpless rats but not in either control group. In the hypothalamus, there were trends for higher RL, RT and KL/KH ratio in helpless rats and stressed controls compared to naive controls. These findings suggest that beta AR binding parameters in frontal cortex, hippocampus or hypothalamus did not differentiate between helpless and non-helpless rats. Changes in beta AR coupling observed in these brain regions may reflect effects of stress, which appeared to be region-specific, rather than stress-induced behavioral depression.