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Melatonin, Neuroprotective Agents and Antidepressant Therapy pp 667–685Cite as

The Role of Vasopressin in Anxiety and Depression

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Abstract

The nonapeptide vasopressin (Avp) is an important player in an animal’s response to stress. As an integral part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, Avp has been identified as a potential contributor to stress-related disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as they are characterized by impairments of the HPA axis. Avp mediates its effects through three receptor subtypes: the Avp 1a receptor (Avpr1a), the Avp 1b receptor (Avpr1b), and the Avp 2 receptor (Avpr2). While the Avpr1a and Avpr1b are expressed in the central nervous system, the Avpr2 appears to be restricted to the periphery. In rodents, the Avpr1b has consistently been implicated in the modulation of anxiety- and depression-related behaviors, and these findings are supported by the human literature. In depressed humans, serum concentrations of Avp are abnormally high and polymorphisms of the Avpr1b are associated with resilience to the development of mood disorders. Moreover, recent data suggests that administration of an Avpr1b antagonist can alleviate symptoms of depression and has shed light on the potential clinical relevance of the Avpergic system to anxiety and depression. In this chapter, we review the recent scientific literature from both animal and human studies regarding the contributions of Avp and its receptors to stress, anxiety, and depression.

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Acknowledgments

JCMM acknowledges the CONACyT-Mexico for membership. This work was supported, in part, by NIH R03 MH099456 and NSF IOS353859 awarded to HKC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Animal Reproduction, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma, Tlaxcala, 90000, México

    Julio Cesar Morales-Medina PhD

  2. Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology and Behavior, Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    Shannah K. Witchey & Heather K. Caldwell PhD

  3. School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    Heather K. Caldwell PhD

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  1. Julio Cesar Morales-Medina PhD
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  3. Heather K. Caldwell PhD
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Correspondence to Julio Cesar Morales-Medina PhD .

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  1. Vice-Rectorate for Research and Sci, Camilo José Cela University Vice-Rectorate for Research and Sci, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco López-Muñoz

  2. International Medical Sciences Research Study Center, Sri Sathya Sai Medical Educational & Research Foundation, Coimbatore, India

    Venkataramanujam Srinivasan

  3. Department of Neurosciences and Ima, University of Chieti Department of Neurosciences and Ima, Italy, Italy

    Domenico de Berardis

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology Area), University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain

    Cecilio Álamo

  5. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Takahiro A. Kato

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Morales-Medina, J.C., Witchey, S.K., Caldwell, H.K. (2016). The Role of Vasopressin in Anxiety and Depression. In: López-Muñoz, F., Srinivasan, V., de Berardis, D., Álamo, C., Kato, T. (eds) Melatonin, Neuroprotective Agents and Antidepressant Therapy. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2803-5_40

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