中国科学院心理健康重点实验室知识库

Objection: To investigate the potential link between aberrant mitochondrial energy metabolism mediated by the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway and the etiology of anxiety disorders.Methods: The anxiety rat model was established by uncertain empty water bottle(UEWB)stress. Rats were submitted behavioral tests on the seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-first days and had the prefrontal cortex and amygdala removed for biochemical tests. The morphological alterations of the mitochondria in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala were examined by using a transmission electron microscope. Expression levels of AMPK, SIRT1, PGC-1, NRF-1 and NRF-2 were tested by western-blot analysis. ATP, respiratory chain complex and caspase enzyme expressions were tested by neurochemical and biochemical assays. Results: Rats showed anxiety-like behavior after being exposed to the uncertain empty water bottle (UEWB) stress model. In model rats, mitochondrial structure is damaged, mitochondrial energy metabolism is decreased, and the expression of proteins associated with AMPK/SIRT1 pathway is significantly reduced in the brain. Conclusion: The level of mitochondrial energy metabolism correlates with anxiety-like behavior. The main mechanism of anxiety disorder is a disturbance of mitochondrial energy metabolism, which might be related to AMPK/SIRT1 pathway.