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Sun L, Min L, Li M, Shao F, Wang W. Transcriptomic analysis reveals oxidative phosphorylation activation in an adolescent social isolation rat model. Brain Res Bull 2018; 142:304-312. [PMID: 30142370 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors exert a sustained influence on the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SCZ). Adolescent social isolation is regarded as a typical paradigm for SCZ. However, the underlying pathological mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, adolescent Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were placed in isolation rearing (IR) or social rearing (SR) conditions from postnatal day (PND) 21 to 34 to establish a SCZ disease model and a control model, respectively. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) assays and elevated plus maze tests were performed on PND 56. Next, prefrontal cortex (PFC) tissues were isolated for transcriptomic sequencing and RT-qPCR analyses. The results indicated that adolescent social isolation induced anxious behaviors and disrupted PPIs as well as specific PFC gene expression patterns in adult SD rats. A total of 196 genes were identified as upregulated, and 748 genes were identified as down-regulated in the IR group compared with those in the SR group. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were highly enriched in the KEGG pathways associated with the comorbidity of neurological disorder and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS); 26 out of 27 comorbid neurological disorder-associated DEGs overlapped with 31 OXPHOS-associated DEGs. Those 26 overlapping DEGs were all upregulated in the IR group and could easily distinguish the IR group from the SR group; 6 of these DEGs (COX7C, NDUFB11, NDUFA2, NDUFC2, ATP5C1, and COX6A1) were verified by RT-qPCR. Here, we provide a systematic overview of gene expression alterations in adolescent-social-isolation-induced SCZ (ASI-SCZ), which suggests that genes that are associated with the comorbidity of neurological disorders, especially OXPHOS-related genes, contribute to the pathogenesis of ASI-SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Sun
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Li Min
- Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, China
| | - Man Li
- Department of Psychology, School of Educational Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China
| | - Feng Shao
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Weiwen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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2
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Khan A, Powell SB. Sensorimotor gating deficits in "two-hit" models of schizophrenia risk factors. Schizophr Res 2018; 198:68-83. [PMID: 29070440 PMCID: PMC5911431 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and environmental models of neuropsychiatric disease have grown exponentially over the last 20years. One measure that is often used to evaluate the translational relevance of these models to human neuropsychiatric disease is prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI), an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. Deficient PPI characterizes several neuropsychiatric disorders but has been most extensively studied in schizophrenia. It has become a useful tool in translational neuropharmacological and molecular genetics studies because it can be measured across species using almost the same experimental parameters. Although initial studies of PPI in rodents were pharmacological because of the robust predictive validity of PPI for antipsychotic efficacy, more recently, PPI has become standard common behavioral measures used in genetic and neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Here we review "two hit" models of schizophrenia and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping these models of relevant risk factors. In the review, we consider approaches to rodent models of genetic and neurodevelopmental risk factors and selectively review "two hit" models of gene×environment and environment×environment interactions in which PPI has been measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Susan B Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States.
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3
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Bator E, Latusz J, Głowacka U, Radaszkiewicz A, Mudlaff K, Maćkowiak M. Adolescent Social Isolation Affects Schizophrenia-Like Behavior in the MAM-E17 Model of Schizophrenia. Neurotox Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-018-9888-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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4
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Fear memory in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia based on the postnatal blockade of NMDA receptors. Pharmacol Rep 2017; 69:71-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2016.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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5
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Flores G, Morales-Medina JC, Diaz A. Neuronal and brain morphological changes in animal models of schizophrenia. Behav Brain Res 2016; 301:190-203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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6
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Landek-Salgado MA, Faust TE, Sawa A. Molecular substrates of schizophrenia: homeostatic signaling to connectivity. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:10-28. [PMID: 26390828 PMCID: PMC4684728 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2014] [Revised: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a devastating psychiatric condition affecting numerous brain systems. Recent studies have identified genetic factors that confer an increased risk of SZ and participate in the disease etiopathogenesis. In parallel to such bottom-up approaches, other studies have extensively reported biological changes in patients by brain imaging, neurochemical and pharmacological approaches. This review highlights the molecular substrates identified through studies with SZ patients, namely those using top-down approaches, while also referring to the fruitful outcomes of recent genetic studies. We have subclassified the molecular substrates by system, focusing on elements of neurotransmission, targets in white matter-associated connectivity, immune/inflammatory and oxidative stress-related substrates, and molecules in endocrine and metabolic cascades. We further touch on cross-talk among these systems and comment on the utility of animal models in charting the developmental progression and interaction of these substrates. Based on this comprehensive information, we propose a framework for SZ research based on the hypothesis of an imbalance in homeostatic signaling from immune/inflammatory, oxidative stress, endocrine and metabolic cascades that, at least in part, underlies deficits in neural connectivity relevant to SZ. Thus, this review aims to provide information that is translationally useful and complementary to pathogenic hypotheses that have emerged from genetic studies. Based on such advances in SZ research, it is highly expected that we will discover biomarkers that may help in the early intervention, diagnosis or treatment of SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Landek-Salgado
- Department of Psychiatry, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - T E Faust
- Department of Psychiatry, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A Sawa
- Department of Psychiatry, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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7
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O'Connor WT, O'Shea SD. Clozapine and GABA transmission in schizophrenia disease models. Pharmacol Ther 2015; 150:47-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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8
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Greenberg Z, Ramshaw H, Schwarz Q. Time Windows of Interneuron Development: Implications to Our Understanding of the Aetiology and Treatment of Schizophrenia. AIMS Neurosci 2015. [DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2015.4.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Napolitano A, Shah K, Schubert MI, Porkess V, Fone KCF, Auer DP. In vivo neurometabolic profiling to characterize the effects of social isolation and ketamine-induced NMDA antagonism: a rodent study at 7.0 T. Schizophr Bull 2014; 40:566-74. [PMID: 23671195 PMCID: PMC3984514 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbt067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Continued efforts are undertaken to develop animal models of schizophrenia with translational value in the quest for much needed novel drugs. Existing models mimic specific neurobiological aspects of schizophrenia, but not its full complexity. Here, we used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) to assess the metabolic profile in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of two established models, rearing in social isolation and acute N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) antagonism and their combination. Rats reared in social isolation or group housed underwent (1)H-MRS at baseline and dynamically after ketamine challenge (25mg/kg, intraperitoneal) under isoflurane anesthesia. A 7 T animal scanner was used to perform spectra acquisition from the anterior cingulate/medial PFC. LCModel was used for metabolite quantification and effects of rearing and ketamine injection were analyzed. Social isolation did not lead to significant differences in the metabolic profile of the PFC at baseline. Ketamine induced a significant increase in glutamine in both groups with significance specifically reached by the group-housed animals alone. Only rats reared in social isolation showed a significant 11% γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) decrease. This study provides preliminary evidence that social interactions in early life predict the glutamatergic and GABAergic response to acute NMDA-R blockade. The similarity between the prefrontal GABA reduction in patients with schizophrenia and in rats reared as social isolates after challenge with ketamine suggests good potential translational value of this combined animal model for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Napolitano
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed; tel: +39 06 68592437, fax: +39 06 68593856, e-mail:
| | - Khalid Shah
- Division of Radiological and Imaging Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mirjam I. Schubert
- Division of Radiological and Imaging Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
| | - Veronica Porkess
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Kevin C. F. Fone
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Dorothee P. Auer
- Division of Radiological and Imaging Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
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Miyamoto Y, Nitta A. Behavioral Phenotypes for Negative Symptoms in Animal Models of Schizophrenia. J Pharmacol Sci 2014; 126:310-20. [DOI: 10.1254/jphs.14r02cr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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11
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Blaze J, Scheuing L, Roth TL. Differential methylation of genes in the medial prefrontal cortex of developing and adult rats following exposure to maltreatment or nurturing care during infancy. Dev Neurosci 2013; 35:306-16. [PMID: 23751776 PMCID: PMC3847900 DOI: 10.1159/000350716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Quality of maternal care in infancy is an important contributing factor in the development of behavior and psychopathology. One way maternal care could affect behavioral trajectories is through environmentally induced epigenetic alterations within brain regions known to play prominent roles in cognition, emotion regulation, and stress responsivity. Whereas such research has largely focused on the hippocampus or hypothalamus, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has only just begun to receive attention. The current study was designed to determine whether exposure to maltreatment or nurturing care is associated with differential methylation of candidate gene loci (bdnf and reelin) within the medial PFC (mPFC) of developing and adult rats. Using a within-litter design, infant male and female rats were exposed to an adverse or nurturing caregiving environment outside their home cage for 30 min per day during the first postnatal week. Additional littermates remained with their biological caregiver within the home cage during the manipulations. We observed that infant rats subjected to caregiver maltreatment emitted more audible and ultrasonic vocalizations than littermates subjected to nurturing care either within or outside of the home cage. While we found no maltreatment-induced changes in bdnf DNA methylation present in infancy, sex-specific alterations were present in the mPFC of adolescents and adults that had been exposed to maltreatment. Furthermore, while maltreated females showed differences in reelin DNA methylation that were transient, males exposed to maltreatment and both males and females exposed to nurturing care outside the home cage showed differences in reelin methylation that emerged by adulthood. Our results demonstrate the ability of infant-caregiver interactions to epigenetically mark genes known to play a prominent role in cognition and psychiatric disorders within the mPFC. Furthermore, our data indicate the remarkable complexity of alterations that can occur, with both transient and later emerging DNA methylation differences that could shape developmental trajectories and underlie gender differences in outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Blaze
- Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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12
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Lukasz B, O'Sullivan NC, Loscher JS, Pickering M, Regan CM, Murphy KJ. Peripubertal viral-like challenge and social isolation mediate overlapping but distinct effects on behaviour and brain interferon regulatory factor 7 expression in the adult Wistar rat. Brain Behav Immun 2013; 27:71-9. [PMID: 23036922 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Revised: 09/12/2012] [Accepted: 09/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A range of adverse, early life environmental influences such as viral infection and social deprivation are thought to increase risk of psychiatric illness later in life. Here, we used peripheral administration of the viral infection mimic polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid (polyI:C) to compare the consequences of peripubertal infection and isolation rearing. Isolation rearing induced deficits in sensorimotor gating and recognition memory while no changes in social interaction or spatial learning were observed. PolyI:C injection during the peripubertal period markedly increased expression of interferon-stimulated genes (Ifit2, Prkr, Mx2 and Irf7) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus demonstrating that peripheral administration of the viral mimic in the adolescent animal does have direct effects in the brain. Peripubertal infection mimicry induced a similar but later emerging behavioural deficit in prepulse inhibition implying the existence of a peripubertal window of opportunity for viral-mediated cytokine increases to impact brain development and function. PolyI:C treatment also impaired novel object recognition but did not alter spatial reference memory or social interaction. Combining the polyI:C challenge with social isolation did not exacerbate the behavioural deficits seen with isolation rearing alone. Using Irf7 as a marker, peripubertal viral infection mimicry, isolation rearing and a combination of both were all seen to produce a long-lasting molecular imprint on the interferon-associated signalling pathway in the principal neuron population of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. The data suggest that the sensitivity of brain structure and function to disruption by viral infection extends into the peripubertal period. Moreover, augmented interferon signalling in hippocampus may represent a common molecular imprint of environmental insults associated with neuropsychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartlomiej Lukasz
- Neurotherapeutics Research Group, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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Jones CA, Watson DJG, Fone KCF. Animal models of schizophrenia. Br J Pharmacol 2011; 164:1162-94. [PMID: 21449915 PMCID: PMC3229756 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01386.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 520] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Revised: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing reliable, predictive animal models for complex psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, is essential to increase our understanding of the neurobiological basis of the disorder and for the development of novel drugs with improved therapeutic efficacy. All available animal models of schizophrenia fit into four different induction categories: developmental, drug-induced, lesion or genetic manipulation, and the best characterized examples of each type are reviewed herein. Most rodent models have behavioural phenotype changes that resemble 'positive-like' symptoms of schizophrenia, probably reflecting altered mesolimbic dopamine function, but fewer models also show altered social interaction, and learning and memory impairment, analogous to negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia respectively. The negative and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are resistant to treatment with current antipsychotics, even after remission of the psychosis, which limits their therapeutic efficacy. The MATRICS initiative developed a consensus on the core cognitive deficits of schizophrenic patients, and recommended a standardized test battery to evaluate them. More recently, work has begun to identify specific rodent behavioural tasks with translational relevance to specific cognitive domains affected in schizophrenia, and where available this review focuses on reporting the effect of current and potential antipsychotics on these tasks. The review also highlights the need to develop more comprehensive animal models that more adequately replicate deficits in negative and cognitive symptoms. Increasing information on the neurochemical and structural CNS changes accompanying each model will also help assess treatments that prevent the development of schizophrenia rather than treating the symptoms, another pivotal change required to enable new more effective therapeutic strategies to be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Jones
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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Influence of social isolation in the rat on serotonergic function and memory--relevance to models of schizophrenia and the role of 5-HT₆ receptors. Neuropharmacology 2011; 61:400-7. [PMID: 21414329 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing awareness of the importance that early environmental factors have on brain development and their role in the neurobiology of neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia. The isolation reared rat attempts to model adverse effects that human social isolation (absence of social contact) can have on normal brain development. The isolation reared rat also models aspects of schizophrenia including the development of persistent learning and memory deficits. This short review concentrates on the effects of isolation rearing on cognition, including deficits in novel object discrimination, and the neural mechanisms that may underlie this impairment. There is evidence that a key effect of social isolation may be loss of neuronal plasticity combined with change in the functional state of various cortical and hippocampal neurotransmitters, including glutamate and serotonin. Reduced glutamate function may underlie the deficits in novel object discrimination, which can be reversed by administration of a 5-HT(6) receptor antagonist. This suggests that the 5-HT(6) antagonists may act by reducing 5-HT(6) receptor mediated activation of GABA, resulting in glutamate disinhibition. Thus drugs acting at 5-HT(6) receptors may offer a novel approach to treat neurodevelopmental cognitive symptoms, including those seen in schizophrenia.
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Gross CM, Flubacher A, Tinnes S, Heyer A, Scheller M, Herpfer I, Berger M, Frotscher M, Lieb K, Haas CA. Early life stress stimulates hippocampal reelin gene expression in a sex-specific manner: evidence for corticosterone-mediated action. Hippocampus 2010; 22:409-20. [PMID: 21136520 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.20907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Early life stress predisposes to the development of psychiatric disorders. In this context the hippocampal formation is of particular interest, because it is affected by stress on the structural and cognitive level. Since little is known how early life stress is translated on the molecular level, we mimicked early life stress in mouse models and analyzed the expression of the glycoprotein Reelin, a master molecule for development and differentiation of the hippocampus. From postnatal day 1 (P1) to P14, mouse pups were subjected to one of the following treatments: nonhandling (NH), handling (H), maternal separation (MS), and early deprivation (ED) followed by immediate (P15) or delayed (P70) real time RT-PCR analysis of reelin mRNA expression. We show that at P15, reelin mRNA levels were significantly increased in male H and ED groups when compared with the NH group. In contrast, no stress-induced alterations of reelin mRNA expression were found in female animals. This sex difference in stress-mediated stimulation of reelin expression was maintained into adulthood, since at P70 intergroup differences were still found in male, but not in female mice. On the cellular level, however, we did not find any significant differences in cell densities of Reelin-immunolabeled neurons between treatment groups or sexes, but an overall reduction of Reelin-expressing neurons in the adult hippocampus when compared to P15. To address the question whether corticosterone mediates the stress-induced up-regulation of reelin gene expression, we used age-matched hippocampal slice cultures derived from male and female mouse pups. Quantitative determination of mRNA levels revealed that corticosterone treatment significantly up-regulated reelin mRNA expression in male, but not in female hippocampi. Taken together, these results show a sex-specific regulation of reelin gene expression by early life experience, most likely mediated by corticosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus M Gross
- Experimental Epilepsy Research, Neurocenter, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Baune BT, Konrad C, Suslow T, Domschke K, Birosova E, Sehlmeyer C, Beste C. The Reelin (RELN) gene is associated with executive function in healthy individuals. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2010; 94:446-51. [PMID: 20727978 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2010.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2010] [Revised: 07/26/2010] [Accepted: 08/16/2010] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Executive functions such as set-shifting and maintenance are cognitive processes that rely on complex neurodevelopmental processes. Although neurodevelopmental processes are mainly studied in animal models and in neuropsychiatric disorders, the underlying genetic basis for these processes under physiological conditions is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the association between genetic variants of the Reelin (RELN) gene and cognitive set-shifting in healthy young individuals. The relationship between 12 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the RELN gene and cognitive set-shifting as measured by perseverative errors using the modified card sorting test (MCST) was analysed in a sample of N=98 young healthy individuals (mean age in years: 22.7 ± 0.19). Results show that in individual MANCOVA analyses two of five significant SNPs (rs2711870: F(2,39)=7.14; p=0.0019; rs2249372: F(2,39)=6.97; p=0.002) withstood Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (corrected p-value: p=0.004). While haplotype analyses of the RELN gene showed significant associations between three haplotypes and perseverative error processing in various models of inheritance (adjusted for age, gender, BDI, MWTB IQ), the GCT haplotype showed the most robust finding with a recessive model of inheritance (p=2.32 × 10(-5)) involving the functional SNP rs362691 (Leu-Val amino acid change). Although our study strongly suggests the involvement of the RELN gene in cognitive set-shifting and maintenance, our study requires further exploration as well as replication of the findings in larger samples of healthy individuals and in clinical samples with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard T Baune
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, QLD, Australia.
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