Chronic administration of risperidone in a rat model of schizophrenia: a behavioural, morphological and molecular study

O Castellano; M Arji; C Sancho; J Carro; A S Riolobos; V Molina; R Gómez-Nieto; José de Anchieta de Castro E Horta Jr; M J Herrero-Turrión; D E López

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.036

Chronic administration of risperidone in a rat model of schizophrenia: a behavioural, morphological and molecular study

Behav Brain Res. 2013 Apr 1:242:178-90. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.036. Epub 2013 Jan 4.

Authors

O Castellano¹, M Arji, C Sancho, J Carro, A S Riolobos, V Molina, R Gómez-Nieto, José de Anchieta de Castro E Horta Jr, M J Herrero-Turrión, D E López

Affiliation

¹ Institute for Neuroscience of Castilla y León, Salamanca, Spain; Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain. [email protected]

PMID: 23291154
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.036

Abstract

In the present work we analyzed the effect of the chronic administration of risperidone (2mg/kg over 65 days) on behavioural, morphological and molecular aspects in an experimental model of schizophrenia obtained by bilateral injection of ibotenic acid into the ventral hippocampus of new-born rats. Our results show that during their adult lives the animals with hippocampal lesions exhibit different alterations, mainly at behavioural level and in the gene expression of dopamine D(2) and 5-HT(2A) receptors. However, at morphological level the study performed on the prefrontal cortex did not reveal any alterations in either the thickness or the number of cells immunoreactive for c-Fos, GFAP, CBP or PV. Overall, risperidone administration elicited a trend towards the recovery of the values previously altered by the hippocampal lesion, approaching the values seen in the animals without lesions. It may be concluded that the administration of risperidone in the schizophrenia model employed helps to improve the altered functions, with no significant negative effects.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Antipsychotic Agents / administration & dosage*
Avoidance Learning / drug effects
Avoidance Learning / physiology
Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
Brain / metabolism
Brain / pathology*
CREB-Binding Protein / metabolism
Cell Count
Disease Models, Animal
Drug Administration Schedule
Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / toxicity
Exploratory Behavior / drug effects
Exploratory Behavior / physiology
Female
Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects*
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / metabolism
Grooming / drug effects
Hippocampus / drug effects
Hippocampus / physiology
Ibotenic Acid / toxicity
Male
Parvalbumins / metabolism
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / metabolism
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / genetics
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / metabolism
Receptors, Dopamine D2 / genetics
Receptors, Dopamine D2 / metabolism
Risperidone / administration & dosage*
Schizophrenia / chemically induced
Schizophrenia / drug therapy*
Schizophrenia / physiopathology

Substances

Antipsychotic Agents
Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
Parvalbumins
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A
Receptors, Dopamine D2
Ibotenic Acid
CREB-Binding Protein
Risperidone