The Increase in the Proportion of Nervous Animals Bred for Catatonia: The Participation of Central Adrenoreceptors in Catatonic Reactions

摘要

Using a large amount of breeding material, the idea of D.K. Belyaev on the role of selection in the appearance of new behavioral and neuronal forms was confirmed. Experiments were performed using rats of the GC (genetics + catatonia) strain, which are prone to passive defensive reactions of cataleptic freezing. At the current breeding stage, elevation of the proportion of so-called "nervous" animals was demonstrated, both with respect to the expression of such reactions and their frequency. At this breeding stage, in the brains of GC rats, the mRNA levels of α1A- and α2A-adrenoreceptor genes were determined. A decrease of α1A-adrenoreceptor gene expression in the midbrain and medulla oblongata, along with elevation of α2A-adreno-receptor gene expression in the frontal cortex was observed. It was suggested that changes in the expression of α-adrenoreceptor genes could be caused by an increas e in the proportion of nervous animals and could con-tribute to the akinetic behavioral component in GC rats.