Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (Sep 2013)

Neudesin is involved in anxiety behavior: structural and neurochemical correlates

  • Ashley eNovais,
  • Ashley eNovais,
  • Ana Catarina Ferreira,
  • Ana Catarina Ferreira,
  • Fernanda eMarques,
  • Fernanda eMarques,
  • José M Pêgo,
  • José M Pêgo,
  • João J Cerqueira,
  • João J Cerqueira,
  • Ana eDavid-Pereira,
  • Ana eDavid-Pereira,
  • Filipa L Campos,
  • Filipa L Campos,
  • Christina eDalla,
  • Nikolaos eKokras,
  • Nuno eSousa,
  • Nuno eSousa,
  • Joana A Palha,
  • Joana A Palha,
  • Joao C Sousa,
  • Joao C Sousa

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00119
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

Read online

Neudesin (also known as neuron derived neurotrophic factor, Nenf) is a scarcely studied putative non-canonical neurotrophic factor. In order to understand its function in the brain, we performed an extensive behavioral characterization (motor, emotional and cognitive dimensions) of neudesin-null mice. The absence of neudesin leads to an anxious-like behavior as assessed in the elevated plus maze, light/dark box and novelty suppressed feeding tests, but not in the acoustic startle test. This anxious phenotype is associated with reduced dopaminergic input and impoverished dendritic arborizations in the dentate gyrus granule neurons of the ventral hippocampus. Interestingly, shorter dendrites are also observed in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of neudesin-null mice. These findings lead us to suggest that neudesin is a novel relevant player in the maintenance of the anxiety circuitry.

Keywords