Posted by Larry Hoover on December 28, 2005, at 10:33:28
In reply to Re: what is Fos-Immunoreactivity?, posted by linkadge on December 27, 2005, at 16:29:55
> This study suggests that lithium works by reducing certain patterns of c-fos activity.
>
> http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v16/n6/abs/1380561a.html
>
> It doesn't mention however, the effect of lithium on c-fos in the amygdala.
>
> Interestingly, the study mentions how stress itself, can activate c-fos in certain brain regions.
>
>
> LinkadgeI'd like to focus on the difference between the studies you and zeugma have referenced.
In the two studies z referred to, the stimulus was the drug itself. Acute exposure to the drug was "noticed" by certain specific brain structures. The stimulus was beyond a certain intensity threshold, and c-fos proteins/RNA were produced.
The lithium study was of chronic lithium exposed brains, where the stimulus was some contrived stressor. The comparison (not lithium exposed) brains differed in how they "noticed" the stressor, when compared to lithium-exposed brains. The reduced responsivity in some regions could be interpreted as a protective effect (or something else....<shrug>) of the lithium. It's certainly a modulatory effect. The significance of these differences is not clear, but we may make certain inferences about the pattern of changes.
I'm sure that c-fos reactivity also differs under chronic antidepressant exposure, and so on.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:590496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051221/msgs/592732.html