Hypobaric hypoxia induces depression-like behavior in female sprague-dawley rats, but not in males
High Altitude Medicine & Biology. 2015-03-01; 16(1): 52-60
DOI: 10.1089/ham.2014.1070
Lire sur PubMed
Rates of depression and suicide are higher in people living at altitude, and in
those with chronic hypoxic disorders like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disorder (COPD), and smoking. Living at altitude exposes people to hypobaric
hypoxia, which can lower rat brain serotonin levels, and impair brain
bioenergetics in both humans and rats. We therefore examined the effect of
hypobaric hypoxia on depression-like behavior in rats. After a week of housing at
simulated altitudes of 20,000 ft, 10,000 ft, or sea level, or at local conditions
of 4500 ft (Salt Lake City, UT), Sprague Dawley rats were tested for
depression-like behavior in the forced swim test (FST). Time spent swimming,
climbing, or immobile, and latency to immobility were measured. Female rats
housed at altitude display more depression-like behavior in the FST, with
significantly more immobility, less swimming, and lower latency to immobility
than those at sea level. In contrast, males in all four altitude groups were
similar in their FST behavior. Locomotor behavior in the open field test did not
change with altitude, thus validating immobility in the FST as depression-like
behavior. Hypobaric hypoxia exposure therefore induces depression-like behavior
in female rats, but not in males.