Urocortin 3 administration impairs fear motivated learning in mice is mediated by transmitters

• Published in: Behavioural brain research 2014-08, Vol.270, p.326-329
• Main Authors: Telegdy, G., Foris, L., Jászberényi, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists - pharmacology; Animals; Arginine - pharmacology; Atropine - pharmacology; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Behavioral psychophysiology; Bicuculline - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - administration & dosage; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - antagonists & inhibitors; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - pharmacology; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Fear - drug effects; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists - pharmacology; Haloperidol - pharmacology; Male; Memory - drug effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Motivation - drug effects; Muscarinic Antagonists - pharmacology; Passive avoidance learning; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Phenoxybenzamine - pharmacology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pyrimidines - pharmacology; Pyrroles - pharmacology; Transmitter; Urocortin 3; Urocortins - administration & dosage; Urocortins - pharmacology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0166-4328; 1872-7549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.05.001

•Urocortin 3 impairs passive avoidance learning.•This action is mediated by dopaminergic, alpha-adrenergic, GABAergic, cholinergic, nitric oxide transmitters.•CRFR 2 receptor antagonist inhibits this action.•CRFR 1 receptor antagonist did not prevent the Ucn 3 action. Urocortin 3 (Ucn 3) was found to impair passive avoidance learning in male and female mice. The possible involvement of transmitters in the action, the animals were pretreated with the following receptor antagonists in doses which alone could not influence the measurement. Haloperidol (a D2, dopamine receptor antagonist), phenoxybenzamine (a nonselective α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist), atropine (a nonselective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist), bicuculline (a γ-aminobutyric acid subunit A receptor antagonist), nitro-l-arginine (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), antalarmin (a CRF1 receptor antagonist) and astressin 2B (a CRF2 receptor antagonist). Haloperidol, phenoxybenzamine, bicuculline, atropine, nitro-l-arginine and astressin 2B prevented the action of Ucn 3, in both sexes, whereas antalarmin exerted no action in either male or female animals.