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Conn K, Milton LK, Huang K, Munguba H, Ruuska J, Lemus MB, Greaves E, Homman-Ludiye J, Oldfield BJ, Foldi CJ. Psilocybin restrains activity-based anorexia in female rats by enhancing cognitive flexibility: contributions from 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor mechanisms. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02575-9. [PMID: 38678087 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02575-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Psilocybin has shown promise for alleviating symptoms of depression and is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN), a condition that is characterised by persistent cognitive inflexibility. Considering that enhanced cognitive flexibility after psilocybin treatment is reported to occur in individuals with depression, it is plausible that psilocybin could improve symptoms of AN by breaking down cognitive inflexibility. A mechanistic understanding of the actions of psilocybin is required to tailor the clinical application of psilocybin to individuals most likely to respond with positive outcomes. This can only be achieved using incisive neurobiological approaches in animal models. Here, we use the activity-based anorexia (ABA) rat model and comprehensively assess aspects of reinforcement learning to show that psilocybin (post-acutely) improves body weight maintenance in female rats and facilitates cognitive flexibility, specifically via improved adaptation to the initial reversal of reward contingencies. Further, we reveal the involvement of signalling through the serotonin (5-HT) 1 A and 5-HT2A receptor subtypes in specific aspects of learning, demonstrating that 5-HT1A antagonism negates the cognitive enhancing effects of psilocybin. Moreover, we show that psilocybin elicits a transient increase and decrease in cortical transcription of these receptors (Htr2a and Htr1a, respectively), and a further reduction in the abundance of Htr2a transcripts in rats exposed to the ABA model. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that psilocybin could ameliorate cognitive inflexibility in the context of AN and highlight a need to better understand the therapeutic mechanisms independent of 5-HT2A receptor binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Conn
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - L K Milton
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - K Huang
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - H Munguba
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - J Ruuska
- University of Helsinki, Yliopistonkatu 4, 00100, Helsinki, Finland
| | - M B Lemus
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - E Greaves
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - J Homman-Ludiye
- Monash Micro Imaging, Monash University, 15 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - B J Oldfield
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - C J Foldi
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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Foldi CJ. Taking better advantage of the activity-based anorexia model. Trends Mol Med 2024; 30:330-338. [PMID: 38103992 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2023.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The lack of specific treatments for anorexia nervosa (AN) is partly driven by an inadequate understanding of the neurobiological drivers of the condition. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) model recapitulates key characteristics of AN in rats and mice, and can be used to understand factors that predispose, maintain, and rescue anorectic behaviour. With the rapidly evolving suite of technologies to manipulate and record neural activity during the development of ABA, we are better placed than ever before to take advantage of this unique biobehavioural model in order to develop and refine novel treatments for AN. This will require a collective effort to bridge research disciplines in order to capitalise on knowledge gains from genetics, neurobiology, metabolism, and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Foldi
- Monash University, Department of Physiology, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia; Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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Maussion G, Rocha C, Ramoz N. iPSC-derived models for anorexia nervosa research. Trends Mol Med 2024; 30:339-349. [PMID: 38472034 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with genetic and epigenetic components that results in reduced food intake combined with alterations in the reward-processing network. While studies of patient cohorts and mouse models have uncovered genes and epigenetic changes associated with the disease, neuronal networks and brain areas preferentially activated and metabolic changes associated with reduced food intake, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unknown. The use of both 2D in vitro cultures and 3D models, namely organoids and spheroids, derived from either human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), would allow identification of cell type-specific changes associated with AN and comorbid diseases, to study preferential connections between brain areas and organs, and the development of therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Maussion
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Cecilia Rocha
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Nicolas Ramoz
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Paris 75014, France; GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, CMME, Hôpital Sainte-Anne, Paris F-75014, France
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Schnapp WI, Kim J, Wang Y, Timilsena S, Fang C, Cai H. Development of activity-based anorexia requires PKC-δ neurons in two central extended amygdala nuclei. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113933. [PMID: 38460131 PMCID: PMC11003439 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disease, but the neural mechanisms underlying its development are unclear. A subpopulation of amygdala neurons, marked by expression of protein kinase C-delta (PKC-δ), has previously been shown to regulate diverse anorexigenic signals. Here, we demonstrate that these neurons regulate development of activity-based anorexia (ABA), a common animal model for AN. PKC-δ neurons are located in two nuclei of the central extended amygdala (EAc): the central nucleus (CeA) and oval region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST). Simultaneous ablation of CeAPKC-δ and ovBNSTPKC-δ neurons prevents ABA, but ablating PKC-δ neurons in the CeA or ovBNST alone is not sufficient. Correspondingly, PKC-δ neurons in both nuclei show increased activity with ABA development. Our study shows how neurons in the amygdala regulate ABA by impacting both feeding and wheel activity behaviors and support a complex heterogeneous etiology of AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Ilana Schnapp
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - JungMin Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Sayujya Timilsena
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Caohui Fang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Haijiang Cai
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Bio5 Institute and Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Conn K, Huang K, Gorrell S, Foldi CJ. A transdiagnostic and translational framework for delineating the neuronal mechanisms of compulsive exercise in anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 2024. [PMID: 38174745 DOI: 10.1002/eat.24130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The development of novel treatments for anorexia nervosa (AN) requires a detailed understanding of the biological underpinnings of specific, commonly occurring symptoms, including compulsive exercise. There is considerable bio-behavioral overlap between AN and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), therefore it is plausible that similar mechanisms underlie compulsive behavior in both populations. While the association between these conditions is widely acknowledged, defining the shared mechanisms for compulsive behavior in AN and OCD requires a novel approach. METHODS We present an argument that a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underpin compulsive exercise in AN can be achieved in two critical ways. First, by applying a framework of the neuronal control of OCD to exercise behavior in AN, and second, by taking better advantage of the activity-based anorexia (ABA) rodent model to directly test this framework in the context of feeding pathology. RESULTS A cross-disciplinary approach that spans preclinical, neuroimaging, and clinical research as well as compulsive neurocircuitry and behavior can advance our understanding of when, why, and how compulsive exercise develops in the context of AN and provide targets for novel treatment strategies. DISCUSSION In this article, we (i) link the expression of compulsive behavior in AN and OCD via a transition between goal-directed and habitual behavior, (ii) present disrupted cortico-striatal circuitry as a key substrate for the development of compulsive behavior in both conditions, and (iii) highlight the utility of the ABA rodent model to better understand the mechanisms of compulsive behavior relevant to AN. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Individuals with AN who exercise compulsively are at risk of worse health outcomes and have poorer responses to standard treatments. However, when, why, and how compulsive exercise develops in AN remains inadequately understood. Identifying whether the neural circuitry underlying compulsive behavior in OCD also controls hyperactivity in the activity-based anorexia model will aid in the development of novel eating disorder treatment strategies for this high-risk population.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Conn
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, Australia
| | - K Huang
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, Australia
| | - S Gorrell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - C J Foldi
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, Australia
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Scherma M, Palmas MF, Pisanu A, Masia P, Dedoni S, Camoglio C, Fratta W, Carta AR, Fadda P. Induction of Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein and c-Fos Expression in an Animal Model of Anorexia Nervosa. Nutrients 2023; 15:3830. [PMID: 37686862 PMCID: PMC10490422 DOI: 10.3390/nu15173830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder characterized by reduced caloric intake to achieve body-weight loss. Furthermore, over-exercise is commonly reported. In recent years, animal models of AN have provided evidence for neuroplasticity changes in specific brain areas of the mesocorticolimbic circuit, which controls a multitude of functions including reward, emotion, motivation, and cognition. The activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) is an immediate early gene that modulates several forms of synaptic plasticity and has been linked to neuropsychiatric illness. Since the role of Arc in AN has never been investigated, in this study we evaluated whether the anorexic-like phenotype reproduced by the activity-based anorexia (ABA) model may impact its expression in selected brain regions that belong to the mesocorticolimbic circuit (i.e., prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus). The marker of neuronal activation c-Fos was also assessed. We found that the expression of both markers increased in all the analyzed brain areas of ABA rats in comparison to the control groups. Moreover, a negative correlation between the density of Arc-positive cells and body-weight loss was found. Together, our findings suggest the importance of Arc and neuroplasticity changes within the brain circuits involved in dysfunctional behaviors associated with AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Scherma
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Maria Francesca Palmas
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council (CNR), 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
| | - Paolo Masia
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Simona Dedoni
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Chiara Camoglio
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Walter Fratta
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Paola Fadda
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
- Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council (CNR), 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
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Sullivan M, Fernandez-Aranda F, Camacho-Barcia L, Harkin A, Macrì S, Mora-Maltas B, Jiménez-Murcia S, O'Leary A, Ottomana AM, Presta M, Slattery D, Scholtz S, Glennon JC. Insulin and Disorders of Behavioural Flexibility. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 150:105169. [PMID: 37059405 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Behavioural inflexibility is a symptom of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer's Disease, encompassing the maintenance of a behaviour even when no longer appropriate. Recent evidence suggests that insulin signalling has roles apart from its regulation of peripheral metabolism and mediates behaviourally-relevant central nervous system (CNS) functions including behavioural flexibility. Indeed, insulin resistance is reported to generate anxious, perseverative phenotypes in animal models, with the Type 2 diabetes medication metformin proving to be beneficial for disorders including Alzheimer's Disease. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies of Type 2 diabetes patients have highlighted aberrant connectivity in regions governing salience detection, attention, inhibition and memory. As currently available therapeutic strategies feature high rates of resistance, there is an urgent need to better understand the complex aetiology of behaviour and develop improved therapeutics. In this review, we explore the circuitry underlying behavioural flexibility, changes in Type 2 diabetes, the role of insulin in CNS outcomes and mechanisms of insulin involvement across disorders of behavioural inflexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mairéad Sullivan
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Fernando Fernandez-Aranda
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Camacho-Barcia
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew Harkin
- School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Simone Macrì
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Bernat Mora-Maltas
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Jiménez-Murcia
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain; Psychoneurobiology of Eating and Addictive Behaviors Group, Neurosciences Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aet O'Leary
- University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Angela Maria Ottomana
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Neuroscience Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Parma, 43100 Parma, Italy
| | - Martina Presta
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Sutton Hickey AK, Duane SC, Mickelsen LE, Karolczak EO, Shamma AM, Skillings A, Li C, Krashes MJ. AgRP neurons coordinate the mitigation of activity-based anorexia. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1622-1635. [PMID: 36577844 PMCID: PMC10782560 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01932-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and deadly disease characterized by low body mass index due to diminished food intake, and oftentimes concurrent hyperactivity. A high percentage of AN behavioral and metabolic phenotypes can be replicated in rodents given access to a voluntary running wheel and subject to food restriction, termed activity-based anorexia (ABA). Despite the well-documented bodyweight loss observed in AN human patients and ABA rodents, much less is understood regarding the neurobiological underpinnings of these maladaptive behaviors. Hunger-promoting hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons have been well characterized in their ability to regulate appetite, yet much less is known regarding their activity and function in the mediation of food intake during ABA. Here, feeding microstructure analysis revealed ABA mice decreased food intake due to increased interpellet interval retrieval and diminished meal number. Longitudinal activity recordings of AgRP neurons in ABA animals exhibited a maladaptive inhibitory response to food, independent of basal activity changes. We then demonstrated that ABA development or progression can be mitigated by chemogenetic AgRP activation through the reprioritization of food intake (increased meal number) over hyperactivity, but only during periods of food availability. These results elucidate a potential neural target for the amelioration of behavioral maladaptations present in AN patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ames K Sutton Hickey
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Sean C Duane
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Laura E Mickelsen
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eva O Karolczak
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ahmed M Shamma
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anna Skillings
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chia Li
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael J Krashes
- Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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9
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Bhasin H, O'Brien SC, Cordner ZA, Aston SA, Tamashiro KLK, Moran TH. Activity-based anorexia in adolescent female rats causes changes in brain mitochondrial dynamics. Physiol Behav 2023; 261:114072. [PMID: 36599403 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.114072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality as well as a high rate of relapse. The molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of the disorder or the relapses are largely unknown. Patients with AN have been shown to have increased oxidative stress, but its involvement in the development in the disease is unknown. We have previously shown that adolescent female rats undergoing the activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm also show signs of oxidative stress. Due to their role in the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondria are of high interest in diseases exhibiting oxidative stress. In this study, the impact of ABA on brain mitochondrial dynamics was examined. We found transient changes in the medial prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, and hippocampus following 25% weight loss and changes in the amygdala at a 10-day weight recovery timepoint. These changes point towards damage in the mitochondria contributing to the oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshit Bhasin
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America; Cardiovascular Disease Initiative, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Shannon C O'Brien
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Zachary A Cordner
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - S Andrew Aston
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Kellie L K Tamashiro
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Timothy H Moran
- The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.
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10
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Clarke RE, Voigt K, Reichenbach A, Stark R, Bharania U, Dempsey H, Lockie SH, Mequinion M, Lemus M, Wei B, Reed F, Rawlinson S, Nunez-Iglesias J, Foldi CJ, Kravitz AV, Verdejo-Garcia A, Andrews ZB. Identification of a Stress-Sensitive Anorexigenic Neurocircuit From Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Lateral Hypothalamus. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:309-321. [PMID: 36400605 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A greater understanding of how the brain controls appetite is fundamental to developing new approaches for treating diseases characterized by dysfunctional feeding behavior, such as obesity and anorexia nervosa. METHODS By modeling neural network dynamics related to homeostatic state and body mass index, we identified a novel pathway projecting from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the lateral hypothalamus (LH) in humans (n = 53). We then assessed the physiological role and dissected the function of this mPFC-LH circuit in mice. RESULTS In vivo recordings of population calcium activity revealed that this glutamatergic mPFC-LH pathway is activated in response to acute stressors and inhibited during food consumption, suggesting a role in stress-related control over food intake. Consistent with this role, inhibition of this circuit increased feeding and sucrose seeking during mild stressors, but not under nonstressful conditions. Finally, chemogenetic or optogenetic activation of the mPFC-LH pathway is sufficient to suppress food intake and sucrose seeking in mice. CONCLUSIONS These studies identify a glutamatergic mPFC-LH circuit as a novel stress-sensitive anorexigenic neural pathway involved in the cortical control of food intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Clarke
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Katharina Voigt
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alex Reichenbach
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Romana Stark
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Urvi Bharania
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Harry Dempsey
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah H Lockie
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathieu Mequinion
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Moyra Lemus
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bowen Wei
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Felicia Reed
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sasha Rawlinson
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Juan Nunez-Iglesias
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claire J Foldi
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alexxai V Kravitz
- Departments of Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Antonio Verdejo-Garcia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Zane B Andrews
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
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11
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Pinos H, Sánchez-Serrano R, Carrillo B, Fernández-García JM, García-Úbeda R, de Paz A, López-Tolsa GE, Vidal P, Gutiérrez-Ferre V, Pellón R, Collado P. Activity-based anorexia alters hypothalamic POMC and orexin populations in male rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 436:114055. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Noguer-Calabús I, Schäble S, Kalenscher T. Lesions of nucleus accumbens shell abolish socially transmitted food preferences. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:5795-5809. [PMID: 36151057 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Rats adapt their food choices to conform to their conspecifics' dietary preferences. The nucleus accumbens shell is a relevant brain region to process reward-related and motivated behaviours and social information. Here, we hypothesize that the integrity of the nucleus accumbens shell is necessary to show socially transmitted food preferences. We made excitotoxic and sham lesions of nucleus accumbens shell in male Long-Evans rats who performed a social transmission of food preference task. In this task, observer rats revealed their original preference for one out of two food options. Afterward, they were exposed to a demonstrator rat who was fed with the observer's originally non-preferred food, and the observer's food choices were sampled again. Sham lesioned observer rats changed their food preferences following interaction with the demonstrator, specifically by increasing the intake of their originally non-preferred food type. This interaction-related change in preference was not found after nucleus accumbens shell lesions. The lesion effects on choice were not the consequence of impaired social or non-social motivation, anxiety or sensory or motor function, suggesting that they reflected a genuine deficit in social reward revaluation. These results highlight the role of nucleus accumbens shell in revaluating food rewards to match a conspecific's preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Noguer-Calabús
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sandra Schäble
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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13
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How Can Animal Models Inform the Understanding of Cognitive Inflexibility in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa? J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11092594. [PMID: 35566718 PMCID: PMC9105411 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11092594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Deficits in cognitive flexibility are consistently seen in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This type of cognitive impairment is thought to be associated with the persistence of AN because it leads to deeply ingrained patterns of thought and behaviour that are highly resistant to change. Neurobiological drivers of cognitive inflexibility have some commonalities with the abnormal brain functional outcomes described in patients with AN, including disrupted prefrontal cortical function, and dysregulated dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitter systems. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) model recapitulates the key features of AN in human patients, including rapid weight loss caused by self-starvation and hyperactivity, supporting its application in investigating the cognitive and neurobiological causes of pathological weight loss. The aim of this review is to describe the relationship between AN, neural function and cognitive flexibility in human patients, and to highlight how new techniques in behavioural neuroscience can improve the utility of animal models of AN to inform the development of novel therapeutics.
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14
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Abstract
Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder) are a heterogeneous class of complex illnesses marked by weight and appetite dysregulation coupled with distinctive behavioral and psychological features. Our understanding of their genetics and neurobiology is evolving thanks to global cooperation on genome-wide association studies, neuroimaging, and animal models. Until now, however, these approaches have advanced the field in parallel, with inadequate cross-talk. This review covers overlapping advances in these key domains and encourages greater integration of hypotheses and findings to create a more unified science of eating disorders. We highlight ongoing and future work designed to identify implicated biological pathways that will inform staging models based on biology as well as targeted prevention and tailored intervention, and will galvanize interest in the development of pharmacologic agents that target the core biology of the illnesses, for which we currently have few effective pharmacotherapeutics.
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15
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Milton LK, Patton T, O'Keeffe M, Oldfield BJ, Foldi CJ. In pursuit of biomarkers for predicting susceptibility to activity-based anorexia in adolescent female rats. Int J Eat Disord 2022; 55:664-677. [PMID: 35302253 PMCID: PMC9311799 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Identifying risk factors that contribute to the development of anorexia nervosa (AN) is critical for the implementation of early intervention strategies. Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and immune dysfunction may be involved in the development of AN; however, their direct influence on susceptibility to the condition remains unclear. Here, we used the activity-based anorexia (ABA) model to examine whether activity, anxiety-like behavior, compulsive behavior, and circulating immune markers predict the subsequent development of pathological weight loss. METHOD Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 44) underwent behavioral testing before exposure to ABA conditions after which they were separated into susceptible and resistant subpopulations. Blood was sampled before behavioral testing and after recovery from ABA to screen for proinflammatory cytokines. RESULTS Rats that were vulnerable to pathological weight loss differed significantly from resistant rats on all key ABA parameters. While the primary measures of anxiety-like or compulsive behavior were not shown to predict vulnerability to ABA, increased locomotion and anxiety-like behavior were both associated with the extent of weight loss in susceptible but not resistant animals. Moreover, the change in expression of proinflammatory markers IL-4 and IL-6 evoked by ABA was associated with discrete vulnerability factors. Intriguingly, behavior related to risk assessment was shown to predict vulnerability to ABA. DISCUSSION We did not find undisputable behavioral or immune predictors of susceptibility to pathological weight loss in the ABA rat model. Future research should examine the role of cognition in the development of ABA, dysfunction of which may represent an endophenotype linking anorectic, anxiety-like and compulsive behavior. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Anorexia nervosa (AN) has among the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric disorders and treatment options remain limited in their efficacy. Understanding what types of risk factors contribute to the development of AN is essential for implementing early intervention strategies. This study describes how some of the most common psychological features of AN could be used to predict susceptibility to pathological weight loss in a well-established animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Karina Milton
- Department of PhysiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia,Monash Biomedicine Discovery InstituteClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Timothy Patton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityUniversity of MelbourneElizabethVictoriaAustralia
| | - Meredith O'Keeffe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Brian John Oldfield
- Department of PhysiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia,Monash Biomedicine Discovery InstituteClaytonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Claire Jennifer Foldi
- Department of PhysiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia,Monash Biomedicine Discovery InstituteClaytonVictoriaAustralia
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16
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Mottarlini F, Targa G, Bottan G, Tarenzi B, Fumagalli F, Caffino L. Cortical reorganization of the glutamate synapse in the activity-based anorexia rat model: impact on cognition. J Neurochem 2022; 161:350-365. [PMID: 35257377 PMCID: PMC9313878 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) display altered neural activity, morphological, and functional connectivity in the fronto‐striatal circuit. In addition, hypoglutamatergic transmission and aberrant excitability of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) observed in AN patients might underpin cognitive deficits that fuel the vicious cycle of dieting behavior. To provide a molecular mechanism, we employed the activity‐based anorexia (ABA) rat model, which combines the two hallmarks of AN (i.e., caloric restriction and intense physical exercise), to evaluate structural remodeling together with alterations in the glutamatergic signaling in the mPFC and their impact on temporal memory, as measured by the temporal order object recognition (TOOR) test. Our data indicate that the combination of caloric restriction and intense physical exercise altered the homeostasis of the glutamate synapse and reduced spine density in the mPFC. These events, paralleled by an impairment in recency discrimination in the TOOR test, are associated with the ABA endophenotype. Of note, after a 7‐day recovery period, body weight was recovered and the mPFC structure normalized but ABA rats still exhibited reduced post‐synaptic stability of AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors associated with cognitive dysfunction. Taken together, these data suggest that the combination of reduced food intake and hyperactivity affects the homeostasis of the excitatory synapse in the mPFC contributing to maintain the aberrant behaviors observed in AN patients. Our findings, by identifying novel potential targets of AN, may contribute to more effectively direct the therapeutic interventions to ameliorate, at least, the cognitive effects of this psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Mottarlini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Giorgia Targa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bottan
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Benedetta Tarenzi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
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17
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Gupta R, Mehan S, Sethi P, Prajapati A, Alshammari A, Alharbi M, Al-Mazroua HA, Narula AS. Smo-Shh Agonist Purmorphamine Prevents Neurobehavioral and Neurochemical Defects in 8-OH-DPAT-Induced Experimental Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030342. [PMID: 35326298 PMCID: PMC8946713 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by repetitive, unwanted thoughts and behavior due to abnormal neuronal corticostriatal-thalamocortical pathway and other neurochemical changes. Purmorphamine is a smoothened-sonic-hedgehog agonist that has a protective effect against many neurological diseases due to its role in maintaining functional connectivity during CNS development and its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. As part of our current research, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of PUR against behavioral and neurochemical changes in 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder in rats. Additionally, the effect of PUR was compared with the standard drug for OCD, i.e., fluvoxamine. The intra-dorsal raphe-nucleus injection of 8-OH-DPAT in rats for seven days significantly showed OCD-like repetitive and compulsive behavior along with increased oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, as well as neurotransmitter imbalance. These alterations were dose-dependently attenuated by long-term purmorphamine treatment at 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg i.p. In this study, we assessed the level of various neurochemical parameters in different biological samples, including brain homogenate, blood plasma, and CSF, to check the drug’s effect centrally and peripherally. These effects were comparable to the standard oral treatment withfluvoxamine at 10 mg/kg. However, when fluvoxamine was given in combination with purmorphamine, there was a more significant restoration of these alterations than the individualtreatmentswithfluvoxamine and purmorphamine. All the above findings demonstrate that the neuroprotective effect of purmorphamine in OCD can be strong evidence for developing a new therapeutic target for treating and managing OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ria Gupta
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga 142001, Punjab, India; (R.G.); (P.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Sidharth Mehan
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga 142001, Punjab, India; (R.G.); (P.S.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Pranshul Sethi
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga 142001, Punjab, India; (R.G.); (P.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Aradhana Prajapati
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga 142001, Punjab, India; (R.G.); (P.S.); (A.P.)
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.); (M.A.); (H.A.A.-M.)
| | - Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.); (M.A.); (H.A.A.-M.)
| | - Haneen A. Al-Mazroua
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.); (M.A.); (H.A.A.-M.)
| | - Acharan S. Narula
- Narula Research, LLC, 107 Boulder Bluff, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA;
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18
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Chemogenetics as a neuromodulatory approach to treating neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. Mol Ther 2022; 30:990-1005. [PMID: 34861415 PMCID: PMC8899595 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemogenetics enables precise, non-invasive, and reversible modulation of neural activity via the activation of engineered receptors that are pharmacologically selective to endogenous or exogenous ligands. With recent advances in therapeutic gene delivery, chemogenetics is poised to support novel interventions against neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. To evaluate its translational potential, we performed a scoping review of applications of chemogenetics that led to the reversal of molecular and behavioral deficits in studies relevant to neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. In this review, we present these findings and discuss the potential and challenges for using chemogenetics as a precision medicine-based neuromodulation strategy.
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19
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Ventura R, Cabib S, Babicola L, Andolina D, Di Segni M, Orsini C. Interactions Between Experience, Genotype and Sex in the Development of Individual Coping Strategies. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:785739. [PMID: 34987364 PMCID: PMC8721137 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.785739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Coping strategies, the first line of defense against adversities, develop through experience. There is consistent evidence that both genotype and sex contribute to the development of dysfunctional coping, leading to maladaptive outcomes of adverse experiences or to adaptive coping that fosters rapid recovery even from severe stress. However, how these factors interact to influence the development of individual coping strategies is just starting to be investigated. In the following review, we will consider evidence that experience, sex, and genotype influence the brain circuits and neurobiological processes involved in coping with adversities and discuss recent results pointing to the specific effects of the interaction between early experiences, genotype, and stress in the development of functional and dysfunctional coping styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Ventura
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Cabib
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucy Babicola
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Andolina
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Di Segni
- Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Orsini
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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20
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The goal of this review is to describe how emerging technological developments in pre-clinical animal research can be harnessed to accelerate research in anorexia nervosa (AN). RECENT FINDINGS The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm, the best characterized animal model of AN, combines restricted feeding, excessive exercise, and weight loss. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that pathophysiological weight loss in this model is due to cognitive inflexibility, a clinical feature of AN. Targeted manipulations that recapitulate brain changes reported in AN - hyperdopaminergia or hyperactivity of cortical inputs to the nucleus accumbens - exacerbate weight loss in the ABA paradigm, providing the first evidence of causality. The power of preclinical research lies in the ability to assess the consequences of targeted manipulations of neuronal circuits that have been implicated in clinical research. Additional paradigms are needed to capture other features of AN that are not seen in ABA.
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21
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Frintrop L, Trinh S, Seitz J, Kipp M. The Role of Glial Cells in Regulating Feeding Behavior: Potential Relevance to Anorexia Nervosa. J Clin Med 2021; 11:jcm11010186. [PMID: 35011927 PMCID: PMC8745326 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11010186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Eating behavior is controlled by hypothalamic circuits in which agouti-related peptide-expressing neurons when activated in the arcuate nucleus, promote food intake while pro-opiomelanocortin-producing neurons promote satiety. The respective neurotransmitters signal to other parts of the hypothalamus such as the paraventricular nucleus as well as several extra-hypothalamic brain regions to orchestrate eating behavior. This complex process of food intake may be influenced by glia cells, in particular astrocytes and microglia. Recent studies showed that GFAP+ astrocyte cell density is reduced in the central nervous system of an experimental anorexia nervosa model. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes, among the well-known somatic symptoms, brain volume loss which was associated with neuropsychological deficits while the underlying pathophysiology is unknown. In this review article, we summarize the findings of glia cells in anorexia nervosa animal models and try to deduce which role glia cells might play in the pathophysiology of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa. A better understanding of glia cell function in the regulation of food intake and eating behavior might lead to the identification of new drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Frintrop
- Institute of Anatomy, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-(0)-381-494-8406
| | - Stefanie Trinh
- Institute of Neuroanatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Jochen Seitz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Markus Kipp
- Institute of Anatomy, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057 Rostock, Germany;
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22
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Foldi CJ, Morris MJ, Oldfield BJ. Executive function in obesity and anorexia nervosa: Opposite ends of a spectrum of disordered feeding behaviour? Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 111:110395. [PMID: 34217755 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Higher-order executive functions such as decision-making, cognitive flexibility and behavioural control are critical to adaptive success in all aspects of life, including the maintenance of a healthy body weight by regulating food intake. Performance on tasks designed to assess these aspects of cognition is impaired in individuals with obesity and anorexia nervosa (AN); conditions at either end of a spectrum of body weight disturbance. While the conceptualisation of obesity and AN as mirror images of each other makes some sense from a metabolic point of view, whether or not these conditions also reflect opposing states of executive function is less clear. Here, we review evidence from neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies to compare the direction and extent of executive dysfunction in subjects with obesity and AN and how these are underpinned by changes in structure and function of subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Both conditions of extreme body weight disturbance are associated with impaired decision-making and cognitive inflexibility, however, impulsive behaviour presents in opposing directions; obesity being associated with reduced behavioural control and AN being associated with elevated control over behaviour with respect to food and feeding. Accordingly, the subregions of the PFC that guide inhibitory control and valuation of action outcomes (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex) show opposite patterns of activation in subjects with obesity compared to those with AN, whereas the subregions implicated in cognitive and behavioural flexibility (ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex) show alterations in the same direction in both conditions but with differential extent of dysfunction. We synthesise these findings in the context of the utility of animal models of obesity and AN to interrogate the detail of the neurobiological contributions to cognition in patient populations and the utility of such detail to inform future treatment strategies that specifically target executive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Foldi
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia; Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia.
| | - Margaret J Morris
- School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, High Street, Randwick 2052, Australia
| | - Brian J Oldfield
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia; Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 23 Innovation Walk, Clayton 3800, Australia
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23
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Overlapping Neural Circuitry Links Cognitive Flexibility and Activity-Based Anorexia. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 90:803-805. [PMID: 34794636 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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24
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Repetitive and Inflexible Active Coping and Addiction-like Neuroplasticity in Stressed Mice of a Helplessness-Resistant Inbred Strain. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:bs11120174. [PMID: 34940109 PMCID: PMC8698352 DOI: 10.3390/bs11120174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctional coping styles are involved in the development, persistence, and relapse of psychiatric diseases. Passive coping with stress challenges (helplessness) is most commonly used in animal models of dysfunctional coping, although active coping strategies are associated with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic, and phobias as well as obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorder. This paper analyzes the development of dysfunctional active coping strategies of mice of the helplessness–resistant DBA/2J (D2) inbred strain, submitted to temporary reduction in food availability in an uncontrollable and unavoidable condition. The results indicate that food-restricted D2 mice developed a stereotyped form of food anticipatory activity and dysfunctional reactive coping in novel aversive contexts and acquired inflexible and perseverant escape strategies in novel stressful situations. The evaluation of FosB/DeltaFosB immunostaining in different brain areas of food-restricted D2 mice revealed a pattern of expression typically associated with behavioral sensitization to addictive drugs and compulsivity. These results support the conclusion that an active coping style represents an endophenotype of mental disturbances characterized by perseverant and inflexible behavior.
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25
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From Desire to Dread-A Neurocircuitry Based Model for Food Avoidance in Anorexia Nervosa. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10112228. [PMID: 34063884 PMCID: PMC8196668 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychiatric illness associated with food avoidance. Animal models from Berridge et al. over the past decade showed that environmental ambience, pleasant or fear inducing, can trigger either appetitive (desire) or avoidance (dread) behaviors in animals via frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens dopamine D1 and D2 receptors, and hypothalamus. Those mechanisms could be relevant for understanding anorexia nervosa. However, models that translate animal research to explain the psychopathology of anorexia nervosa are sparse. This article reviews animal and human research to find evidence for whether this model can explain food avoidance behaviors in anorexia nervosa. Research on anorexia nervosa suggests fear conditioning to food, activation of the corticostriatal brain circuitry, sensitization of ventral striatal dopamine response, and alterations in hypothalamic function. The results support the applicability of the animal neurocircuitry derived model and provide directions to further study the pathophysiology that underlies anorexia nervosa.
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Zhang J, Dulawa SC. The Utility of Animal Models for Studying the Metabo-Psychiatric Origins of Anorexia Nervosa. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:711181. [PMID: 34721100 PMCID: PMC8551379 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.711181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe eating disorder that primarily affects young women and girls, and is characterized by abnormal restrictive feeding and a dangerously low body-mass index. AN has one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder, and no approved pharmacological treatments exist. Current psychological and behavioral treatments are largely ineffective, and relapse is common. Relatively little basic research has examined biological mechanisms that underlie AN compared to other major neuropsychiatric disorders. A recent large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed that the genetic architecture of AN has strong metabolic as well as psychiatric origins, suggesting that AN should be reconceptualized as a metabo-psychiatric disorder. Therefore, identifying the metabo-psychiatric mechanisms that contribute to AN may be essential for developing effective treatments. This review focuses on animal models for studying the metabo-psychiatric mechanisms that may contribute to AN, with a focus on the activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm. We also highlight recent work using modern circuit-dissecting neuroscience techniques to uncover metabolic mechanisms that regulate ABA, and encourage further work to ultimately identify novel treatment strategies for AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Stephanie C Dulawa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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Activity-Based Anorexia Dynamically Dysregulates the Glutamatergic Synapse in the Nucleus Accumbens of Female Adolescent Rats. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12123661. [PMID: 33260714 PMCID: PMC7760003 DOI: 10.3390/nu12123661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Intense physical activity and dieting are core symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN). Their combination evolves into compulsivity, leading the patient into an out-of-control spiral. AN patients exhibit an altered activation of nucleus accumbens (NAc), revealing a dysfunctional mesocorticolimbic reward circuitry in AN. Since evidence exists that a dysregulation of the glutamate system in the NAc influences reward and taking advantage of the activity-based anorexia (ABA) rat model, which closely mimics the hallmarks of AN, we investigated the involvement of the glutamatergic signaling in the NAc in this experimental model. We here demonstrate that food restriction causes hyperactive and compulsive behavior in rodents, inducing an escalation of physical activity, which results in dramatic weight loss. Analysis of the glutamate system revealed that, in the acute phase of the pathology, ABA rats increased the membrane expression of GluA1 AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) receptor subunits together with its scaffolding protein SAP97. Recovery of body weight reduced GluN2A/2B balance together with the expression of their specific scaffolding proteins, thus suggesting persistent maladaptive neurotransmission. Taken together, AMPA and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor subunit reorganization may play a role in the motivational mechanisms underlying AN.
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