PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Chen, Xi
AU  - Sun, Weiwen
AU  - Pan, Ying
AU  - Yang, Quan
AU  - Cao, Kaiyi
AU  - Zhang, Jin
AU  - Zhang, Yizhi
AU  - Chen, Mincong
AU  - Chen, Feidi
AU  - Huang, Yueling
AU  - Dai, Lijun
AU  - Chen, Shengqiang
TI  - Lithium ameliorates open-field and elevated plus maze behaviors, and brain phospho-glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta expression in fragile X syndrome model mice
DP  - 2013 Oct 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 356--362
VI  - 18
IP  - 4
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/18/4/356.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/18/4/356.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2013 Oct 01; 18
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether lithium modifies open-field and elevated plus maze behavior, and brain phospho-glycogen synthase kinase 3 (P-GSK3beta) expression in Fmr1 knockout mice.METHODS: One hundred and eighty FVB mice, including knockout and wild type, with an age of 30 days were used. An open-field and elevated plus maze was utilized to test behavior, while western blot was used to measure the P-GSK3beta expression. Six groups were formed: control (saline), lithium chloride 30, 60, 90, 120, and 200 mg/kg. The experiments were carried out in the Institute of Neuroscience, Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China between January and June 2012.RESULTS: Lithium significantly decreased total distance, crossing, central area time, and center entry in the open-field test (p<0.05), and significantly reduced open-arm tracking, open-arm entry, and open-arm time in the elevated plus maze (p<0.05) in knockout mice. In wild type mice, significant changes were observed in both behavior tests in some treatment groups. Lithium ameliorated P-GSK3beta expression in the hippocampus of all the treatment groups in knockout mice (p<0.05). However, lithium did not modify either GSK3beta expression in tissues of knockout mice, or P-GSK3beta or GSK3beta expression in tissues of wild type mice.CONCLUSION: Lithium ameliorated open-field and elevated plus maze behaviors of Fmr1 knockout mice. This effect may be related to its enhancement of P-GSK3beta expression. Our findings suggest that lithium might have a therapeutic effect in fragile X syndrome.