Project Summary

Mark D. Alter, M.D. Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2005) of Columbia University, proposes studying in animal models how maternal care influences anxious and depressive behaviors of offspring. Research suggests that genetic predisposition and environment both contribute to the development of anxiety and depression. Animal studies demonstrate that a vulnerability exists during early development resulting in lifelong changes in depression and anxiety-related behavior. Both genetic predisposition and environment, such as rearing practices, contribute to these behaviors. Dr. Alter’s laboratory, for example, has bred mice, lacking the 5HT1A receptor, that show increased depression and anxiety related behavior. The laboratory also has shown that normal behavior can be restored in the mice if the 5HT1A receptor is expressed in the early postnatal period. These “knockout” mice serve as a model to examine how maternal behavior can influence a behavioral change associated with a genetic modification. Moreover, these mice represent a model to examine how changes in maternal behavior associated with a genetic modification may be passed to offspring that do not possess the genetic modification. Dr. Alter plans to study how rearing by mothers of differing genotypes (Wild-type and 5-HT1A Knockout) and behavioral phenotypes will affect the depression and anxiety-related behavior of their offspring. These results should help guide future research into the causes and treatment of anxiety and depression.

Program Area: MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS\Anxiety Disorders/Unipolar Depression

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