| Abstract No.: | C-C3087 |
| Country: | Canada |
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| Title: | BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR IS DECREASED IN THE VENTRAL MEDIAL NUCLEUS OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS IN A RAT MODEL OF ATYPICAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC-INDUCED WEIGHT GAIN |
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| Authors/Affiliations: | 1 Jessica Davie*; 1 Kem A. Rogers; 1 Nagalingam Rajakumar;
1 Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada |
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| Content: | Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic drug (AAPD) has been beneficial over typical antipsychotics due to improved negative symptoms and fewer extrapyramidal symptoms. However, this improvement is accompanied by metabolic side effects including weight gain. Chronic administration of AAPDs has been known to decrease levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of the rat brain and therefore may also affect levels in other brain areas. Low levels of BDNF in the ventral medial nucleus (VMN) of the hypothalamus have recently been associated with obese phenotypes. OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the affects of chronic administration of the AAPD, Olanzapine, in rats on BDNF expression in the hypothalamus. MATERIALS and METHODS: An animal model of atypical antipsychotic induced obesity was developed using a putative neurodevelopmental rat model of schizophrenia as well as normal rats. Each group either received daily, chronic administration of Olanzapine, via cookie dough or cookie dough alone. Differences in BDNF levels between treated and non-treated rats were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Levels of BDNF are decreased in the VMN in chronically Olanzapine treated rats compared with control rats. In addition, low levels of phosphorylated cAMP-regulated element binding protein (pCREB), a known transcription regulator of BDNF, have also been detected in the VMN of Olanzapine treated rats compared with control rats. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that a decrease in pCREB and BDNF in the VMN may be linked to an increase in weight gain during atypical antipsychotic treatment. |
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