SEROTONIN DEPLETION IN THE ADULT-RAT CAUSES LOSS OF THE DENDRITIC MARKER MAP-2 - A NEW ANIMAL-MODEL OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Many trophic factors are now thought to also function in maintenance o f the adult brain. We hypothesized that since serotonin plays a role i n synaptogenesis, it may also function in maintenance of synapses in t he adult. Adult rats were depleted of serotonin with the tryptophan hy droxylase inhibitor p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) for 10 days. Fourteen days after the final treatment, immunodensitometry showed a significa nt decrease in the synaptic marker, MAP-2. Our results are discussed i n respect to the recent finding of decreased MAP-2 staining in postmor tem schizophrenic brains.