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Hegde S, Capell WR, Ibrahim BA, Klett J, Patel NS, Sougiannis AT, Kelly MP. Phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A), Enriched in Ventral Hippocampus Neurons, is Required for Consolidation of Social but not Nonsocial Memories in Mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:2920-2931. [PMID: 27339393 PMCID: PMC5061884 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The capacity to form long-lasting social memories is critical to our health and survival. cAMP signaling in the ventral hippocampal formation (VHIPP) appears to be required for social memory formation, but the phosphodiesterase (PDE) involved remains unknown. Previously, we showed that PDE11A, which degrades cAMP and cGMP, is preferentially expressed in CA1 and subiculum of the VHIPP. Here, we determine whether PDE11A is expressed in neurons where it could directly influence synaptic plasticity and whether expression is required for the consolidation and/or retrieval of social memories. In CA1, and possibly CA2, PDE11A4 is expressed throughout neuronal cell bodies, dendrites (stratum radiatum), and axons (fimbria), but not astrocytes. Unlike PDE2A, PDE9A, or PDE10A, PDE11A4 expression begins very low at postnatal day 7 (P7) and dramatically increases until P28, at which time it stabilizes to young adult levels. This expression pattern is consistent with the fact that PDE11A is required for social long-term memory (LTM) formation during adolescence and adulthood. Male and female PDE11 knockout (KO) mice show normal short-term memory (STM) for social odor recognition (SOR) and social transmission of food preference (STFP), but no LTM 24 h post training. Importantly, PDE11A KO mice show normal LTM for nonsocial odor recognition. Deletion of PDE11A may impair memory consolidation by impairing requisite protein translation in the VHIPP. Relative to WT littermates, PDE11A KO mice show reduced expression of RSK2 and lowered phosphorylation of S6 (pS6-235/236). Together, these data suggest PDE11A is selectively required for the proper consolidation of recognition and associative social memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Hegde
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Will R Capell
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Baher A Ibrahim
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jennifer Klett
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Neema S Patel
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | | | - Michy P Kelly
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA,University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, VA Building 1, 3rd Floor, D-12, Columbia, SC 29209, USA, Tel: +1 803 216 3546, Fax: +1 803 216 3351, E-mail:
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Hegde S, Ji H, Oliver D, Patel NS, Poupore N, Shtutman M, Kelly MP. PDE11A regulates social behaviors and is a key mechanism by which social experience sculpts the brain. Neuroscience 2016; 335:151-69. [PMID: 27544407 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite the fact that appropriate social behaviors are vital to thriving in one's environment, little is understood of the molecular mechanisms controlling social behaviors or how social experience sculpts these signaling pathways. Here, we determine if Phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A), an enzyme that is enriched in the ventral hippocampal formation (VHIPP) and that breaks down cAMP and cGMP, regulates social behaviors. PDE11 wild-type (WT), heterozygous (HT), and knockout (KO) mice were tested in various social approach assays and gene expression differences were measured by RNA sequencing. The effect of social isolation on PDE11A4 compartmentalization and subsequent social interactions and social memory was also assessed. Deletion of PDE11A triggered age- and sex-dependent deficits in social approach in specific social contexts but not others. Mice appear to detect altered social behaviors of PDE11A KO mice, because C57BL/6J mice prefer to spend time with a sex-matched PDE11A WT vs. its KO littermate; whereas, a PDE11A KO prefers to spend time with a novel PDE11A KO vs. its WT littermate. Not only is PDE11A required for intact social interactions, we found that 1month of social isolation vs. group housing decreased PDE11A4 protein expression specifically within the membrane fraction of VHIPP. This isolation-induced decrease in PDE11A4 expression appears functional because social isolation impairs subsequent social approach behavior and social memory in a PDE11A genotype-dependent manner. Pathway analyses following RNA sequencing suggests PDE11A is a key regulator of the oxytocin pathway and membrane signaling, consistent with its pivotal role in regulating social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Hegde
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States
| | - Hao Ji
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, United States
| | - David Oliver
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, United States
| | - Neema S Patel
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States
| | - Nicolas Poupore
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States
| | - Michael Shtutman
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, United States
| | - Michy P Kelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States
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Bath KG, Scharfman HE. Impact of early life exposure to antiepileptic drugs on neurobehavioral outcomes based on laboratory animal and clinical research. Epilepsy Behav 2013; 26:427-39. [PMID: 23305780 PMCID: PMC3925312 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2012.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2012] [Accepted: 10/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of children under the age of 15, making it a very common neurological disorder in the pediatric population (Russ et al., 2012). In addition, ~0.4-0.8% of all pregnant women have some form of epilepsy (Hauser et al., 1996a,b; Borthen et al., 2009; Krishnamurthy, 2012). Despite the potential deleterious effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on the developing brain, their use is still required for seizure control in pregnant women (Krishnamurthy, 2012), and they represent the standard approach for treating children with epilepsy (Chu-Shore and Thiele, 2010; Quach et al., 2010; Verrotti et al., 2011). Even when AEDs are effective, there are potential side effects, including cognitive and affective changes or altered sleep and appetite. The consequences of AED exposure in development have been studied extensively (Canger et al., 1999; Modi et al., 2011a,b; Oguni, 2011). Despite intensive study, there is still debate about the long-term consequences of early life AED exposure. Here, we consider the evidence to date that AED exposure, either prenatally or in early postnatal life, has significant adverse effects on the developing brain and incorporate studies of laboratory animals as well as those of patients. We also note the areas of research where greater clarity seems critical in order to make significant advances. A greater understanding of the impact of AEDs on somatic, cognitive and behavioral development has substantial value because it has the potential to inform clinical practice and guide studies aimed at understanding the genetic and molecular bases of comorbid pathologies associated with common treatment regimens. Understanding these effects has the potential to lead to AEDs with fewer side effects. Such advances would expand treatment options, diminish the risk associated with AED exposure in susceptible populations, and improve the quality of life and health outcomes of children with epilepsy and children born to women who took AEDs during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin G. Bath
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Box GL-N, 185 Meeting St., Providence, RI 02912, USA,Corresponding author. (K.G. Bath)
| | - Helen E. Scharfman
- The Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Rd., Bldg. 35, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA,New York University Langone Medical Center, 550 First Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
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Terranova ML, Laviola G. Scoring of social interactions and play in mice during adolescence. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; Chapter 13:Unit13.10. [PMID: 23045110 DOI: 10.1002/0471140856.tx1310s26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
This unit provides a description of methods that have proven useful in characterizing amicable and playful interactions of developing mice. Such a procedure can be used to evaluate the effects of perinatal and/or ongoing treatments on the social performance of periadolescent subjects of either or both sexes. It can also be complemented by the use of specific acute drug challenges, which can throw light on possible alterations of the subserving neurochemical systems. Basically, it consists of video recording brief sessions of spontaneous pair interactions and their subsequent observation and scoring according to a detailed mouse ethogram. The protocol is quite sensitive to subtle behavioral effects, which could be undetectable by other means, and it is most useful when repeated over several days to draw an ontogenetic profile. Critical parameters that must be considered when planning, e.g., sample size and timing of observations, are discussed in detail, along with the key issue of controlling for litter effects.
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Fairless AH, Dow HC, Kreibich AS, Torre M, Kuruvilla M, Gordon E, Morton EA, Tan J, Berrettini WH, Li H, Abel T, Brodkin ES. Sociability and brain development in BALB/cJ and C57BL/6J mice. Behav Brain Res 2011; 228:299-310. [PMID: 22178318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2011] [Revised: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sociability--the tendency to seek social interaction--propels the development of social cognition and social skills, but is disrupted in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). BALB/cJ and C57BL/6J inbred mouse strains are useful models of low and high levels of juvenile sociability, respectively, but the neurobiological and developmental factors that account for the strains' contrasting sociability levels are largely unknown. We hypothesized that BALB/cJ mice would show increasing sociability with age but that C57BL/6J mice would show high sociability throughout development. We also hypothesized that littermates would resemble one another in sociability more than non-littermates. Finally, we hypothesized that low sociability would be associated with low corpus callosum size and increased brain size in BALB/cJ mice. Separate cohorts of C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice were tested for sociability at 19-, 23-, 31-, 42-, or 70-days-of-age, and brain weights and mid-sagittal corpus callosum area were measured. BALB/cJ sociability increased with age, and a strain by age interaction in sociability between 31 and 42 days of age suggested strong effects of puberty on sociability development. Sociability scores clustered according to litter membership in both strains, and perinatal litter size and sex ratio were identified as factors that contributed to this clustering in C57BL/6J, but not BALB/cJ, litters. There was no association between corpus callosum size and sociability, but smaller brains were associated with lower sociability in BALB/cJ mice. The associations reported here will provide directions for future mechanistic studies of sociability development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Fairless
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory, 125 South 31st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3403, USA
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Page DT, Kuti OJ, Sur M. Computerized assessment of social approach behavior in mouse. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:48. [PMID: 20198104 PMCID: PMC2802322 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.048.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2009] [Accepted: 10/29/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered sociability is a core feature of a variety of human neurological disorders, including autism. Social behaviors may be tested in animal models, such as mice, to study the biological basis of sociability and how this is altered in neurodevelopmental disorders. A quantifiable social behavior frequently used to assess sociability in the mouse is the tendency to approach and interact with an unfamiliar mouse. Here we present a novel computer-assisted method for scoring social approach behavior in mice using a three-chambered apparatus and freely available software. We find consistent results between data scored using the computer-assisted method and a human observer, making computerized assessment a reliable, low cost, high-throughput method for testing sociability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damon T. Page
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
| | - Orsolya J. Kuti
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mriganka Sur
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
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Pratte M, Jamon M. Detection of social approach in inbred mice. Behav Brain Res 2009; 203:54-64. [PMID: 19379777 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2009] [Revised: 04/08/2009] [Accepted: 04/13/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
An experiment was designed to automatically assess the relative level of social interaction during encounters involving trios of inbred mice consisting of two familiar cage mate males plus an unfamiliar third male. The automation of the spatial positioning was obtained by using a video-tracking program. In addition social behaviours were manually scored. To evaluate the influence of basic motor properties on the evaluation of the level of social interaction, we analysed two strains (C57BL/6J and 129S2/Sv) that are frequently employed in transgenic research, and show very different levels of motor activity. Correlations between manual and automated parameters showed that spatial parameters correctly fitted the level of social interaction between mice. In both strains C57BL/6J and 129S2/Sv, a proximity parameter (duration of bouts during which two individuals were close to each other) defined the social approach and correctly assessed the discrimination of social novelty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Pratte
- Inserm S910 (Functional Genomics, Pathology and Behavior), Faculté de Médecine de la Timone, Marseille, France.
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Yang M, Weber MD, Crawley JN. Light phase testing of social behaviors: not a problem. Front Neurosci 2008; 2:186-91. [PMID: 19225591 PMCID: PMC2622744 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.01.029.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2008] [Accepted: 11/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The rich repertoire of mouse social behaviors makes it possible to use mouse models to study neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social deficits. The fact that mice are naturally nocturnal animals raises a critical question of whether behavioral experiments should be strictly conducted in the dark phase and whether light phase testing is a major methodologically mistake. Although mouse social tasks have been performed in both phases in different laboratories, there seems to be no general consensus on whether testing phase is a critical factor or not. A recent study from our group showed remarkably similar social scores obtained from inbred mice tested in the light and the dark phase, providing evidence that light phase testing could yield reliable results as robust as dark phase testing for the sociability test. Here we offer a comprehensive review on mouse social behaviors measured in light and dark phases and explain why it is reasonable to test laboratory mice in experimental social tasks in the light phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu Yang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health Bethesda, MD, USA
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Yang M, Scattoni ML, Zhodzishsky V, Chen T, Caldwell H, Young WS, McFarlane HG, Crawley JN. Social approach behaviors are similar on conventional versus reverse lighting cycles, and in replications across cohorts, in BTBR T+ tf/J, C57BL/6J, and vasopressin receptor 1B mutant mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2008; 1:1. [PMID: 18958184 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.001.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2007] [Accepted: 09/25/2007] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice are a nocturnal species, whose social behaviors occur primarily during the dark phase of the circadian cycle. However, laboratory rodents are frequently tested during their light phase, for practical reasons. We investigated the question of whether light phase testing presents a methodological pitfall for investigating mouse social approach behaviors. Three lines of mice were systematically compared. One cohort of each line was raised in a conventional lighting schedule and tested during the light phase, under white light illumination; another cohort was raised in a reverse lighting schedule and tested during their dark phase, under dim red light. Male C57BL/6J (B6) displayed high levels of sociability in our three-chambered automated social approach task when tested in either phase. BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) displayed low levels of sociability in either phase. Five cohorts of vasopressin receptor subtype 1b (Avpr1b) null mutants, heterozygotes, and wildtype littermate controls were tested in the same social approach paradigm: three in the dark phase and two in the light phase. All three genotypes displayed normal sociability in four out of the five replications. In the juvenile play test, testing phase had no effect on play soliciting behaviors in Avpr1b mice, but had modest effects on nose sniff and huddling. Taken together, these findings indicate that testing phase is not a crucial factor for studying some forms of social approach in juvenile and adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu Yang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, USA.
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McFarlane HG, Kusek GK, Yang M, Phoenix JL, Bolivar VJ, Crawley JN. Autism-like behavioral phenotypes in BTBR T+tf/J mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2008; 7:152-63. [PMID: 17559418 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2007.00330.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 577] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Autism is a behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology. Mouse models with face validity to the core symptoms offer an experimental approach to test hypotheses about the causes of autism and translational tools to evaluate potential treatments. We discovered that the inbred mouse strain BTBR T+tf/J (BTBR) incorporates multiple behavioral phenotypes relevant to all three diagnostic symptoms of autism. BTBR displayed selectively reduced social approach, low reciprocal social interactions and impaired juvenile play, as compared with C57BL/6J (B6) controls. Impaired social transmission of food preference in BTBR suggests communication deficits. Repetitive behaviors appeared as high levels of self-grooming by juvenile and adult BTBR mice. Comprehensive analyses of procedural abilities confirmed that social recognition and olfactory abilities were normal in BTBR, with no evidence for high anxiety-like traits or motor impairments, supporting an interpretation of highly specific social deficits. Database comparisons between BTBR and B6 on 124 putative autism candidate genes showed several interesting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BTBR genetic background, including a nonsynonymous coding region polymorphism in Kmo. The Kmo gene encodes kynurenine 3-hydroxylase, an enzyme-regulating metabolism of kynurenic acid, a glutamate antagonist with neuroprotective actions. Sequencing confirmed this coding SNP in Kmo, supporting further investigation into the contribution of this polymorphism to autism-like behavioral phenotypes. Robust and selective social deficits, repetitive self-grooming, genetic stability and commercial availability of the BTBR inbred strain encourage its use as a research tool to search for background genes relevant to the etiology of autism, and to explore therapeutics to treat the core symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- H G McFarlane
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-3730, USA
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Branchi I, Capone F, Alleva E, Costa LG. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers: neurobehavioral effects following developmental exposure. Neurotoxicology 2003; 24:449-62. [PMID: 12782110 DOI: 10.1016/s0161-813x(03)00020-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a class of widely used flame retardants, are becoming widespread environmental pollutants, as indicated by studies on sentinel animal species, as well as humans. Of particular concern are the reported increasingly high levels of PBDEs in human milk, as should be given that almost no information is available on their potential effects on developing organisms. In order to address this issue, studies have been conducted in mice and rats to assess the potential neurotoxic effects of perinatal exposure to PBDEs (congeners 47, 99, 153 and the penta-BDE mixture DE-71). Characteristic endpoints of PBDE neurotoxicity are, among others, endocrine disruption (e.g. decreased thyroid hormone levels), alteration in cholinergic system activity (behavioral hyporesponsivity to nicotine challenge), as well as alterations of several behavioral parameters. In particular, the main hallmark of PBDE neurotoxicity is a marked hyperactivity at adulthood. Furthermore, a deficit in learning and memory processes has been found at adulthood in neonatally exposed animals. Some of neurotoxic effects of PBDEs are comparable to those of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), though the latter class of compounds seems to exert a stronger toxic effect. Available information on PBDE neurotoxicity obtained from animal studies and the possibility of neonatal exposure to PBDEs via the mother's milk suggest that these compounds may represent a potential risk for neurobehavioral development in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Branchi
- Section of Behavioural Pathophysiology, Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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Branchi I, Ricceri L. Transgenic and knock-out mouse pups: the growing need for behavioral analysis. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2002; 1:135-41. [PMID: 12884969 DOI: 10.1034/j.1601-183x.2002.10301.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Few laboratories working with transgenic and knockout mice analyze the neurobehavioral consequences of genetic manipulation in early ontogeny. However, the study of behavioral endpoints during the early postnatal period in genetically modified mice is important not only to assess possible developmental abnormalities, but also to better understand and disentangle the effects of genetic manipulations in adulthood. We propose that the assessment of neurobehavioral development represents an appropriate strategy to identify possible compensatory and/or unexpected effects. Nowadays, a large number of experimental protocols that take into account the practical constraints imposed by the peculiar physiological and behavioral responses of an immature subject are available to assess the neurobehavioral profile of developing mice. While this knowledge should be applied to the field of transgenic and knock-out mice in general, it should be recommended, in particular, for the study of mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Branchi
- Section of Behavioral Pathophysiology, Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia di Organo e di Sistema, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Venerosi A, Calamandrei G, Alleva E. Animal models of anti-HIV drugs exposure during pregnancy: effects on neurobehavioral development. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002; 26:747-61. [PMID: 12188107 DOI: 10.1016/s0278-5846(01)00325-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In the last 10 years, zidovudine (AZT) has become the main prophylactic therapy against vertical HIV-1 transmission. AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 076 have demonstrated that the administration of AZT to HIV-infected women during their third trimester of pregnancy, trough labor and given orally to babies for 6 weeks, reduced by two-thirds the rate of vertical infection. Although the rapid diffusion of this regimen into clinical practice together with the implementation of HIV counseling and testing practices have dramatically reduced the vertical transmission rate in the US and Western Europe, there is a growing concern on the adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy on the fetus and the newborn. In fact, even though shorter regimen therapies that are less complex and expensive to implement in poor countries have been demonstrated as effective as ACTG 076 regimen, the distribution of the risk of vertical transmission in the developing countries is still very high. Consequently, a large number of unborns will be a candidate to developmental exposure to antiretroviral agents. To date, data on the transplacental mutagenicity, carcinogenicity and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by developmental exposure to AZT have been reported in several animal models. Furthermore, one study reported severe yet few human cases of cardiomyopathy and neurological disease likely associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in uninfected infants of seropositive mothers perinatally exposed to AZT. For all of these reasons, many investigations have been focusing on the assessment of the potential adverse effects of nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NRTI) administration during development. A survey of the main results derived from clinical and animal studies is reported here, focusing on those neurobehavioral studies that have been looking for specific and/or aspecific changes in the nervous system induced by NRTI exposure in utero.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldina Venerosi
- Section of Behavioral Pathophysiology, Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia O.S., Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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Puopolo M, Santucci D, Chiarotti F, Alleva E. Behavioural effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on laboratory rodents: statistical methodologies and an application concerning developmental PCB exposure. CHEMOSPHERE 1999; 39:1259-1271. [PMID: 10467721 DOI: 10.1016/s0045-6535(99)00194-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Appropriate behavioural tests and adequate statistical tools may help to establish the ED properties of a given compound by pointing out the alterations of selected behavioural endpoints. Frequently, laboratory collected data consist of frequencies and/or durations of specific items, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique is performed to assess whether the investigated factors affect these behavioural endpoints. Moreover, when numerous aspects of behaviour are investigated simultaneously, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a multivariate technique, may be very useful to reduce the overwhelming number of correlated original variables to a few orthogonal artificial variables (factors). Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC) models may be applied to analyse the time structure of a behavioural pattern when data consist of sequences of events and the time points at which they occur. Moreover, the Cox Proportional Hazard Model, a methodology originally developed for the analysis of failure time data, may help to evidence the effects of a given treatment on behavioural sequences when the assumptions of CTMC models are not fully satisfied. Analyses on data from mice of the outbred CD-1 strain (controls in a study of toxicity and exposed to PCB during development) are presented as examples to show how adequate statistical analyses and appropriate behavioural tests may reveal relevant effect of treatments otherwise not easily detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Puopolo
- Comparative Psychology Section, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
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15
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Laviola G, Terranova ML. The developmental psychobiology of behavioural plasticity in mice: the role of social experiences in the family unit. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 1999; 23:197-213. [PMID: 9884113 DOI: 10.1016/s0149-7634(98)00021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Small perturbations of young animals' sensory experience or hormonal milieu have been shown to alter ontogenetic pathways and to potentially produce huge effects on CNS functioning and behaviour later in life. From a social point of view, variables such as the expression of affiliative bonding and of playful interactions among littermates, the quantity/quality of maternal care, or episodes of maternal or sibling deprivation during critical phases in development, seem to interfere as epigenetic factors with the rigidly ordered temporal sequences of events that occur during the ontogenesis of CNS. This leads to the onset of adaptive neurodevelopmental changes, which are observable within a continuum that encompasses both "normal" individual variability and potential behavioural disorganisation, which in turn will probably be related to profound alteration in the establishment of adult social competence. The present review summarises the more recent work in mice dealing with short-term, as well as long-term modifications, in naturally occurring species-typical social and non-social responses as a function of the early manipulation of social characteristics of the family unit (such as litter gender composition and time of weaning). These analyses were carried out on infant animals, i.e. during the ontogenetic stage of the establishment of social bonding, as well as on pre-pubertal and adult mice and on lactating adult females. Critical issues, such as the respective roles of sibling-sibling and dam-offspring interactions in the shaping of "sibling effects", are also addressed. Overall, these studies indicate that, within their natural range of variation, early patterns of social stimulation are powerful determinants of subsequent behaviour of developing altricial rodents, and confirm that early social life events warrant attention because they can strongly affect neurobehavioural development. Evidence of a relationship between social events occurring during early rearing (i.e. when dramatic transitions in neuroendocrine and neurochemical CNS systems occur) and individual behavioural variability in the infant and adult response to the effects of psychostimulants abused by humans is presented. A better understanding of the mechanisms that mediate such remarkable plasticity might have great psychobiological as well as clinical importance, especially when considering the issue of vulnerability to drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Laviola
- Laboratorio di Fisiopatologia di Organo e di Sistema, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
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Laviola G. On mouse pups and their lactating dams: behavioral consequences of early exposure to oxazepam and interacting factors. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1996; 55:459-74. [PMID: 8981576 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-3057(96)00279-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral analysis in animal models appears to be a valuable and sensitive tool for detecting subtle alterations in CNS function, which can be produced by early exposure to small perturbations of sensory experience, hormonal milieu, or exposure to psychotropic agents devoid of major teratogenic potential. Concerning anxiolytics, the more recent work in mice, which is here summarized, was carried out by putting the emphasis on changes in naturally occurring species-typical social responses as a function of early exposure to benzodiazepines. For adult females, on the behavior expressed during the early postpartum period, whereas for infant subjects, on the ontogenetic stage of the establishment of social bonding. Critical issues such as the choice of fostering procedure and rearing conditions are also addressed. Evidences of relationships between changes in social milieu taking place during early rearing-i.e., when dramatic transitions in the neurochemical target system occur- and the adult behavioral response to challenges with BDZ agents are presented. These data strengthen the notion that the modes of reaction of adult animals to the joint influence of physiological and environmental (stimulus) variables are under the influence of events in early ontogenesis. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms-as unveiled by an appropriate use of drug tools-that mediate such a plasticity might have considerable psychobiological and clinical-therapeutical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Laviola
- Section of Behavioural Pathophysiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
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Petruzzi S, Fiore M, Dell'Omo G, Bignami G, Alleva E. Medium and long-term behavioral effects in mice of extended gestational exposure to ozone. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1995; 17:463-70. [PMID: 7565492 DOI: 10.1016/0892-0362(95)00003-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
CD-1 mice were continuously exposed to ozone (O3) from 6 days before the formation of breeding pairs to Day 17 of pregnancy. The concentrations used were 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 ppm; the lowest-observed-effect levels for eye irritation and respiratory function are in the range of 0.08-0.2 ppm for both humans and animals (47). Ozone failed to produce significant effects on either reproductive performance, postnatal somatic and neurobehavioral development (as assessed by a Fox test battery) or adult motor activity (including within-session habituation). In social interaction tests performed in the pre-juvenile period (23-25 days) and the juvenile period (43-45 days), social response endpoints were not modified in O3 mice, but exploration and self-grooming showed concentration dependent effects (decrease and increase, respectively). Performance at 84-98 days in an eight-arm radial maze with water reinforcement was initially impaired in O3 mice, but the results were not entirely consistent; e.g., the data failed to show a concentration dependence of the effects. Overall, the data confirm previous results of an experiment with more limited exposure [pregnancy Days 7-17 (6)] by showing that prenatal O3 exposure, even when extended to include a period before the start of pregnancy and the preimplantation phase, does not produce major or widespread somatic and neurobehavioral effects. Some of the results, however, point to subtle or borderline behavioral deficits which deserve to be considered both in further animal experiments and in the assessment of risk to developing humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Affiliation(s)
- S Petruzzi
- Section of Behavioral Pathophysiology, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Roma, Italy
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Livia Terranova M, Laviola G. Individual differences in mouse behavioural development: effects of precocious weaning and ongomg sexual segregation. Anim Behav 1995. [DOI: 10.1016/0003-3472(95)80042-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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