Using Viral-Mediated Gene Transfer to Study Depressive- Like Behavior - Viral Vector Approaches in Neurobiology and Brain Diseases - page 159

Chapter 9

Using Viral-Mediated Gene Transfer to Study
Depressive-Like Behavior

Amy R. Furay and John F. Neumaier

Abstract

The use of viral-mediated gene transfer in animal behavioral experiments has become very popular over the
last decade. Altering gene regulation and assessing subsequent behavior can be a useful tool in unraveling
a specifi c gene's contributions to complex behavioral processes such as depressive-like behavior. However,
these types of experiments require detailed planning and designs to avoid pitfalls associated with issues
such as surgical procedure or the peak of viral expression. This chapter is intended to be a primer on the
design of such experiments and aims to discuss factors that must be considered in the early phases of
experimental planning.

Key words Viral-mediated gene transfer, Depressive-like behavior, Stress, Serotonin, 5-HT 1B

1 Introduction

The use of viral-mediated gene transfer in animal behavioral exper-
iments has become very popular over the last decade. Compared to
other pharmacological strategies, using viral vectors to manipulate
receptor populations has a number of advantages that this chapter
will examine. Several design considerations impact the usefulness
of this approach in behavioral experiments, especially if the stress
(hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical) axis or stress-sensitive
behaviors are being investigated. Therefore, our objective is to
provide guidance for the use of viral vectors in behavioral experi-
ments in general, and stress models in particular. We will cover
three main issues (1) general considerations in the use of viral vec-
tors for behavioral experiments, (2) choosing the best vector from
available and characterized viral vectors and the procedures for
injecting the vectors and evaluating transgene expression, and (3)
planning and measuring the subsequent behavior. We will do the
latter with two vignettes designed to illustrate how our lab teases
apart complex behaviors using viral vectors.