PMID- 25562843
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20150909
LR  - 20181113
IS  - 2158-3188 (Electronic)
IS  - 2158-3188 (Linking)
VI  - 5
IP  - 1
DP  - 2015 Jan 6
TI  - Plant-derived flavanol (-)epicatechin mitigates anxiety in association with 
      elevated hippocampal monoamine and BDNF levels, but does not influence pattern 
      separation in mice.
PG  - e493
LID - 10.1038/tp.2014.135 [doi]
AB  - Flavanols found in natural products such as cocoa and green tea elicit structural 
      and biochemical changes in the hippocampus, a brain area important for mood and 
      cognition. Here, we evaluated the outcome of daily consumption of the flavanol 
      (-)epicatechin (4 mg per day in water) by adult male C57BL/6 mice on measures of 
      anxiety in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field (OF). Furthermore, pattern 
      separation, the ability to distinguish between closely spaced identical stimuli, 
      considered to be mediated by the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), was tested using 
      the touchscreen. To investigate mechanisms through which (-)epicatechin may exert 
      its effects, mice were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (50 mg kg(-1)) to evaluate 
      adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, monoaminergic and neurotrophin 
      signaling pathway proteins were measured in tissue derived from subject cortices 
      and hippocampi. Flavanol consumption reduced anxiety in the OF and EPM. Elevated 
      hippocampal and cortical tyrosine hydroxylase, downregulated cortical monoamine 
      oxidase-A levels, as well as increased hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic 
      factor (BDNF) and pro-BDNF support the flavanol's anxiolytic effects. In 
      addition, elevated pAkt in hippocampus and cortex was observed. (-)Epicatechin 
      ingestion did not facilitate touchscreen performance or DG neurogenesis, 
      suggesting a non-neurogenic mechanism. The concurrent modulation of complementary 
      neurotrophic and monoaminergic signaling pathways may contribute to beneficial 
      mood-modulating effects of this flavanol.
FAU - Stringer, T P
AU  - Stringer TP
AD  - Neuroplasticity and Behavior Unit, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural 
      Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 
      Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
FAU - Guerrieri, D
AU  - Guerrieri D
AD  - Neuroplasticity and Behavior Unit, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural 
      Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 
      Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
FAU - Vivar, C
AU  - Vivar C
AD  - Neuroplasticity and Behavior Unit, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural 
      Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 
      Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
FAU - van Praag, H
AU  - van Praag H
AUID- ORCID: 000000025727434X
AD  - Neuroplasticity and Behavior Unit, Laboratory of Neurosciences, Intramural 
      Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 
      Biomedical Research Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
LA  - eng
GR  - Intramural NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
DEP - 20150106
PL  - United States
TA  - Transl Psychiatry
JT  - Translational psychiatry
JID - 101562664
RN  - 0 (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
RN  - 333DO1RDJY (Serotonin)
RN  - 8R1V1STN48 (Catechin)
RN  - EC 1.14.16.2 (Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase)
RN  - EC 1.4.3.4 (Monoamine Oxidase)
RN  - VTD58H1Z2X (Dopamine)
RN  - X4W3ENH1CV (Norepinephrine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - *Anxiety
MH  - Behavior, Animal/*drug effects
MH  - Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/*drug effects/metabolism
MH  - Catechin/*pharmacology
MH  - Cerebral Cortex/drug effects/metabolism
MH  - Dentate Gyrus/*drug effects/metabolism
MH  - Dopamine/metabolism
MH  - Down-Regulation
MH  - Hippocampus/drug effects/metabolism
MH  - Male
MH  - Mice
MH  - Mice, Inbred C57BL
MH  - Monoamine Oxidase
MH  - Neurogenesis/*drug effects
MH  - Norepinephrine/metabolism
MH  - Serotonin/metabolism
MH  - Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/drug effects/metabolism
PMC - PMC4312829
EDAT- 2015/01/07 06:00
MHDA- 2015/09/10 06:00
PMCR- 2015/01/01
CRDT- 2015/01/07 06:00
PHST- 2014/09/07 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2014/10/19 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2014/11/17 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2015/01/07 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2015/01/07 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2015/09/10 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2015/01/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - tp2014135 [pii]
AID - 10.1038/tp.2014.135 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Transl Psychiatry. 2015 Jan 6;5(1):e493. doi: 10.1038/tp.2014.135.