Hippocampal protein turnover alterations in response to antidepressant treatment

The molecular underpinnings of response to psychiatric drug treatment remain largely unknown. To investigate the molecular effects of the antidepressant paroxetine in mouse brain, we have analyzed protein turnover in the hippocampus of partially 15 N-labeled mice treated with paroxetine or vehicle by Multi-isotope Imaging Mass Spectrometry (MIMS). MIMS allows the simultaneous imaging and quantification of protein turnover with unprecedented accuracy at subcellular resolution [1,2]. Our analysis indicated protein turnover differences in brain areas and subcellular compartments within individual mice and also between paroxetine-treated and untreated mice. These data reveal for the first time the effects of acute antidepressant treatment at cellular and subcellular levels in the hippocampus and add to our understanding of antidepressant drug action in the brain.

This study was supported by DFG

References

[1] Steinhauser et al. Nature 2012; 481: 516–9. [2] Zhang et al. Nature 2012; 481:520–4