To explore the correlation between altered levels of neurotransmitters in the frontal lobe and hippocampus and behavioral abnormalities in a Clock^delta19 variant mice modeling bipolar disorder manic disorder.

Open field test and Elevated plus-maze test were carried out on the Clock^delta19 mutant and wild-type control groups. The frontal lobe and hippocampus of Clock^delta19 mutant mice and controls were dissected, and neurotransmitters in tissue extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The concentration of neurotransmitters and behavioral indicators were assessed by t test and Pearson correlation analysis using SPSS 22.0.

The Clock^delta19 mutant mice showed a significant increase in activity, albeit with no difference in the level of anxiety from the wild-type controls, which suggested that the Clock^delta19 mutant mice can be used as a model for manic attack of bipolar disorder. Altered neurotransmitter levels were detected in the frontal and hippocampal regions, including elevated histamine in the left hippocampus, reduced histamine in the right hippocampus, reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in bilateral hippocampus, elevated dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) in the left frontal lobe and reduced DOPA in the right hippocampus, and decreased glutamine in bilateral frontal lobes. The reduced glutamine in the left frontal lobe and GABA in the right hippocampus correlated with the increased activity of Clock^delta19 mutant mice.

Clock^delta19 mutant mice showed abnormal behavior with increased activity. Reduced glutamine in the left frontal lobe and GABA in the right hippocampus were correlated with increased activity.

Clock^delta19 variant mice; Bipolar disorder; Mania; Neurotransmitter; Behavior