The psychopharmacology of tachykinin NK-3 receptors in laboratory animals

The present article reviews the studies so far published on the psychopharm acological effects mediated by tachykinin NK-3 receptors in laboratory anim als. Central administration of NK-3 receptor agonists has been reported to attenuate alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring rats and to evoke conditione d place preference. These findings suggest that NK-3 receptors may affect r eward processes to drugs of abuse. Anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like effects have been previously reported for NK-1 receptor antagonists, and an xiolytic-like effects for NK-2 receptor antagonists. More recently, it has been shown that NK-3 receptor agonists have anxiolytic-like and antidepress ant-like effects in mice and rats, while an NK-3 receptor antagonist was re ported to be anxiogenic in mice. These findings indicate that different TK receptor subtypes may be involved in anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-lik e effects in laboratory animals and raise interest for the possible role of NK-3 receptors in the control of anxiety and depression in man. (C) 2000 E lsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.