Gene expression profiling of high (HAB) vs. low (LAB) anxiety-related behavior mice in seven brain regions.

Investigating the molecular basis and correlates of anxiety-related and depression-like behaviors, we generated a mouse model consisting of high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behavior mice. We utilized the elevated plus-maze for testing the genetic predisposition to anxiety-related behavior and, consequently, used this as selection criterion for the inbreeding of our animals. In depression-related tests, HAB mice display a more passive, depression-like coping strategy than LAB mice, resembling clinical comorbidity of anxiety and depression as observed in psychiatric patients. Using a microarray approach, the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the basolateral/lateral (BLA), the medial (MeA) and central amygdala (CeA), the nucleus accumbens (NAc), the cingulate cortex (Cg) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON) – centers of the central nervous anxiety and fear circuitries – were investigated and screened for differences between HAB and LAB mice. Analysis was performed from six animals per line (HAB and LAB, respectively) pooled per brain region in ten technical replicates, thereof five with a dye-swapped design giving a total of 70 array slides analyzed. The LAB mouse line is referred to as reference.