Effects of Oxytocin on the Levels and Metabolism of Monoamines in the Brain of White Outbred Mice during Long-Term Social Isolation

Abstract

The effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin on the levels and metabolism of monoamines in symmetrical structures of the brain of white outbred mice kept under conditions of long-term social isolation were studied by HPLC. Disappearance of initial right-sided asymmetry in the content of dopamine metabolites in the striatum, increased 5-hydroxyacetic acid content in the right striatum, and disappearance of the initial left-sided asymmetry in serotonin level in the cortex were noted; we also found a decrease in norepinephrine content in the left hippocampus with appearance of asymmetry and higher content in the right olfactory tubercle. It can be hypothesized that minor changes in the serotoninergic and dopaminergic systems against the background of high reactivity of noradrenergic system represent specific response of the brain to oxytocin in aggressive animals.