The use of carbamazepine has been reported to be an effective treatment for severe depression. We have already shown that the antidepressant-like effects of tricyclic antidepressants in the rat forced swim test (FST) are blocked by chronic treatment with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). In the present study, we examined the effect of the chronic administration of carbamazepine on the FST and the wet-dog shakes induced by

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Abstract. We examined the influence of imipramine, a traditional tricyclic antidepressant, on the binding to serotonin (5-HT) 2 receptors and levels of 5-HT 2A -receptor mRNA in the frontal cortex of rats treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Chronic treatment with ACTH significantly increased the binding of [3 H]-ketanserin to 5-HT 2 receptors and the expression of 5-HT 2A -receptor mRNA in the frontal cortex. However, it did not alter the concentration of 5-HT or 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid. The effect of chronic ACTH treatment on 5-HT 2 receptor and 5-HT 2A -receptor mRNA levels was not altered by the chronic administration of imipramine. Also, imipramine did not affect the hyperfunction of 5-HT 2A receptors caused by chronic ACTH treatment. These findings suggest that chronic treatment with ACTH acts to increase 5-HT 2A -receptor synthesis through increased gene transcription, without modulating presynaptic serotonergic neurotransmission.