1
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Vanderplow AM, Kermath BA, Bernhardt CR, Gums KT, Seablom EN, Radcliff AB, Ewald AC, Jones MV, Baker TL, Watters JJ, Cahill ME. A feature of maternal sleep apnea during gestation causes autism-relevant neuronal and behavioral phenotypes in offspring. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001502. [PMID: 35113852 PMCID: PMC8812875 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Mounting epidemiologic and scientific evidence indicates that many psychiatric disorders originate from a complex interplay between genetics and early life experiences, particularly in the womb. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the precise prenatal and perinatal experiences that increase susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders remains incomplete. Sleep apnea (SA) is increasingly common during pregnancy and is characterized by recurrent partial or complete cessations in breathing during sleep. SA causes pathological drops in blood oxygen levels (intermittent hypoxia, IH), often hundreds of times each night. Although SA is known to cause adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, the long-term consequences of maternal SA during pregnancy on brain-based behavioral outcomes and associated neuronal functioning in the offspring remain unknown. We developed a rat model of maternal SA during pregnancy by exposing dams to IH, a hallmark feature of SA, during gestational days 10 to 21 and investigated the consequences on the offspring's forebrain synaptic structure, synaptic function, and behavioral phenotypes across multiples stages of development. Our findings represent a rare example of prenatal factors causing sexually dimorphic behavioral phenotypes associated with excessive (rather than reduced) synapse numbers and implicate hyperactivity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in contributing to the behavioral aberrations. These findings have implications for neuropsychiatric disorders typified by superfluous synapse maintenance that are believed to result, at least in part, from largely unknown insults to the maternal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Vanderplow
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Bailey A. Kermath
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Cassandra R. Bernhardt
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kimberly T. Gums
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Erin N. Seablom
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Abigail B. Radcliff
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Andrea C. Ewald
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mathew V. Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Tracy L. Baker
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jyoti J. Watters
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Michael E. Cahill
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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2
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Price ME, McCool BA. Structural, functional, and behavioral significance of sex and gonadal hormones in the basolateral amygdala: A review of preclinical literature. Alcohol 2022; 98:25-41. [PMID: 34371120 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is intimately involved in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and alcohol use disorder (AUD). These disorders have clear sex biases, with women more likely to develop an anxiety disorder and men more likely to develop AUD. Preclinical models have largely confirmed these sex-specific vulnerabilities and emphasize the effects of sex hormones on behaviors influenced by the BLA. This review will discuss sex differences in BLA-related behaviors and highlight potential mechanisms mediated by altered BLA structure and function, including the composition of GABAergic interneuron subpopulations, glutamatergic pyramidal neuron morphology, glutamate/GABA neurotransmission, and neuromodulators. Further, sex hormones differentially organize dimorphic circuits during sensitive developmental periods (organizational effects) and initiate more transient effects throughout adulthood (activational effects). Current literature indicates that estradiol and allopregnanolone, a neuroactive progestogen, generally reduce BLA-related behaviors through a variety of mechanisms, including activation of estrogen receptors or facilitation of GABAA-mediated inhibition, respectively. This enhanced GABAergic inhibition may protect BLA pyramidal neurons from the excitability associated with anxiety and alcohol withdrawal. Understanding sex differences and the effects of sex hormones on BLA structure and function may help explain sex-specific vulnerabilities in BLA-related behaviors and ultimately improve treatments for anxiety and AUD.
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3
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Themann A, Rodriguez M, Garcia-Carachure I, Lira O, Iñiguez SD. Adolescent fluoxetine exposure increases ERK-related signaling within the prefrontal cortex of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. OXFORD OPEN NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 1:kvac015. [PMID: 36776564 PMCID: PMC9918101 DOI: 10.1093/oons/kvac015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
There has been a disproportionate increase in fluoxetine (FLX) prescription rates within the juvenile population. Thus, we evaluated how adolescent FLX exposure alters expression/phosphorylation of proteins from the extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)-1/2 cascade within the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to FLX (20 mg/kg) for 15 consecutive days (postnatal-day [PD] 35-49). At PD70 (adulthood), we examined protein markers for ERK1/2, ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). FLX-pretreatment decreased body weight, while increasing PFC phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and RSK, as well as total mTOR protein expression in adulthood. We provide first-line evidence that juvenile FLX-pretreatment induces long-term decreases in body weight-gain, along with neurobiological changes in the adult PFC - highlighting that early-life antidepressant exposure increases ERK-related signaling markers in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sergio D. Iñiguez
- Corresponding Author: Sergio D. Iñiguez, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, 500 University Ave, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968. Tel: 915-747-5769. Fax: 915-747-6553.
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4
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Methods and Challenges in Investigating Sex-Specific Consequences of Social Stressors in Adolescence in Rats: Is It the Stress or the Social or the Stage of Development? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 54:23-58. [PMID: 34455576 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of social learning and social restructuring that is accompanied by changes in both the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The activation of these axes by puberty and stressors, respectively, shapes adolescent development. Models of social stress in rats are used to understand the consequences of perturbations of the social environment for ongoing brain development. This paper reviews the challenges in investigating the sex-specific consequences of social stressors, sex differences in the models of social stress used in rats and the sex-specific effects on behaviour and provides an overview of sex differences in HPA responding to stressors, the variability in pubertal development and in strains of rats that require consideration in conducting such research, and directions for future research.
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5
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Hou W, Ma H, Xun Y, Zhang X, Cai W, Huang S, He Z, Tai F, Jia R. Sex-Dependent Effects of Chronic Social Defeat on Emotional and Social Behaviors, and Parameters of Oxytocin and Vasopressin Systems in Mandarin Voles ( Microtus mandarinus). Front Neurosci 2021; 15:625116. [PMID: 34045941 PMCID: PMC8144301 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.625116] [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: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the regulation of emotional and social behaviors, both oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are sex specific. Although significant sex differences have been reported in the context of behavioral and hormonal responses to social stress, such differences in response to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. By investigating monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), CSDS was found to decrease the percentages of time spent in the central area of the open field, in the open arms of the elevated plus maze, as well as in the light area of the light and dark boxes in both male and female voles. CSDS also increased the observed level of social withdrawal in both sex groups. However, CSDS exposure increased the percentages of immobile time in both the tail suspension test and the forced swim test and reduced the locomotor activity in the open field (in females only). Along with these behavioral changes, the oxytocin receptor (OTR) levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) were significantly lower in CSDS-exposed voles of both sexes; however, in males, the levels of OTR in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were reduced. CSDS-exposed males showed lower levels of V1aR in the NAc than CSDS-exposed females. Furthermore, induced by a single social defeat event, CSDS reduced c-Fos and OT double labeling in the PVN of females but increased c-Fos and AVP double-labeled neurons in the PVN of males exposed to a single social defeat event. Collectively, the present study indicates that OT and AVP systems may play important regulatory roles in the sex differences of behavioral performances in response to CSDS. These findings suggest mandarin voles as a useful animal model for studying sex-specific behavioral performance and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of stress-related mental disorders in preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Hou
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yufeng Xun
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenqi Cai
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuying Huang
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Laboratory for Brain and Behavioral Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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6
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Pfaff D, Barbas H. Mechanisms for the Approach/Avoidance Decision Applied to Autism. Trends Neurosci 2020; 42:448-457. [PMID: 31253250 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
As a neurodevelopmental disorder with serious lifelong consequences, autism has received considerable attention from neuroscientists and geneticists. We present a hypothesis of mechanisms plausibly affected during brain development in autism, based on neural pathways that are associated with social behavior and connect the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to the basal ganglia (BG). We consider failure of social approach in autism as a special case of imbalance in the fundamental dichotomy between behavioral approach and avoidance. Differential combinations of genes mutated, differences in the timing of their impact during development, and graded degrees of hormonal influences may help explain the heterogeneity in symptomatology in autism and predominance in boys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Pfaff
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA.
| | - Helen Barbas
- Neural Systems Laboratory, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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7
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Azogu I, Cossette I, Mukunzi J, Ibeke O, Plamondon H. Sex-specific differences in adult cognition and neuroplasticity following repeated combinatory stress and TrkB receptor antagonism in adolescence. Horm Behav 2019; 113:21-37. [PMID: 30995444 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Evidence supports brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its primary receptor tyrosine-related kinase B (TrkB) as targets in the treatment of mood disorders. This study characterized the impact of a 10-day combinatory stress paradigm (alternating days of restraint stress and forced swim) and administration of the selective TrkB antagonist ANA-12 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) during adolescence in male and female Wistar rats on adulthood behavioral and neurochemical responses. The social interaction/preference (SIT/SP), and Y maze conditioned place preference (YMCPP) and passive avoidance tests (YMPAT), initiated on PND 62, served to determine sex-related behavioral responses. Results support reduced sociability in females in the SIT/SP, but no impact of ANA-12 to regulate sociability or social memory. Blockade of TrkB during adolescence facilitated YMCPP-related reward behavior in both sexes, and reduced YMPAT fear conditioning in females. Following behavioral testing, rats were exposed to 5-min acute forced swim and brains collected 2 h post swim to determine effects of adolescent TrkB blockade and stress exposure on neurochemical regulators of stress and plasticity. Findings show elevated glucocorticoid receptor (GR-) and TrkB-immunoreactivity (ir) in the amygdalar central nucleus, and GR-ir in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of females compared to males. In the hippocampal CA1, BDNF-ir was lower in females versus males, and GR-ir was elevated in stress versus non-stress males. Together, we demonstrate that inherent sex-specific differences, which may modulate impact of adolescence stress exposure and TrkB inhibition, differentially affect male and female adulthood behavior and biochemical response profiles, suggesting that these responses are in part conditioned by prior experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idu Azogu
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Isabelle Cossette
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Joana Mukunzi
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ogechi Ibeke
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Helene Plamondon
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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8
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He Z, Young L, Ma XM, Guo Q, Wang L, Yang Y, Luo L, Yuan W, Li L, Zhang J, Hou W, Qiao H, Jia R, Tai F. Increased anxiety and decreased sociability induced by paternal deprivation involve the PVN-PrL OTergic pathway. eLife 2019; 8:44026. [PMID: 31084703 PMCID: PMC6516825 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Early adverse experiences often have devastating consequences. However, whether preweaning paternal deprivation (PD) affects emotional and social behaviors and their underlying neural mechanisms remain unexplored. Using monogamous mandarin voles, we found that PD increased anxiety-like behavior and attenuated social preference in adulthood. PD also decreased the number of oxytocin (OT)-positive neurons projecting from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and reduced the levels of the medial prefrontal cortex OT receptor protein in females and of the OT receptor and V1a receptor proteins in males. Intra-prelimbic cortical OT injections reversed the PD-induced changes in anxiety-like behavior and social preferences. Optogenetic activation of the prelimbic cortex OT terminals from PVN OT neurons reversed the PD-induced changes in emotion and social preference behaviors, whereas optogenetic inhibition was anxiogenic and impaired social preference in naive voles. These findings demonstrate that PD increases anxiety-like behavior and attenuates social preferences through the involvement of PVN OT neuron projections to the prelimbic cortex. Parental care early in life is essential for normal development of the brain in humans and some other animals. It also lays the ground work for healthy behaviors later in life. Many studies have looked at the importance of a mother’s care, but less attention has been paid to the role played by fathers. Research shows that children who grow up without a father are at risk of emotional and behavioral problems later in life. But it is not clear how missing a father’s care affects brain development. Oxytocin, a chemical produced by a part of the brain called the paraventricular nucleus, plays a key role in parental bonding. Another part of the brain called the prelimbic cortex regulates many emotions and many complex behaviors. Studying animals, like the mandarin vole, that form strong bonds with both parents is one way to learn more about how the loss of paternal care affects oxytocin or emotional and behavioral health. Now, He et al. show that mandarin voles raised without a father are more anxious and socialize less with other voles than those raised with a father. The voles deprived of paternal care also have fewer oxytocin-producing cells in the paraventricular nucleus and fewer receptors for oxytocin in the prelimbic cortex. Injecting oxytocin into the prelimbic cortex eliminated the anxious and antisocial behavior seen in the voles lacking paternal care. Using a technique called optogenetics to restore the release of oxytocin in the prelimbic cortex reduced anxious behavior and restored normal social interactions. Using the same approach to interfere with communication between the paraventricular nucleus and prelimbic cortex in voles raised with a father also triggered anxious and antisocial behavior. The experiments reveal that fathers play an important role in brain and behavioral development in mandarin voles. He et al. show that a lack of paternal care leads to deficits in oxytocin and a poor communication between the paraventricular nucleus and prelimbic cortex that contribute to emotional and social abnormalities in the voles. More studies are needed to determine father’s care has similar effects in humans. But if this relationship is confirmed, it might lead scientists to develop new strategies for treating psychiatric disorders in people deprived of paternal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Larry Young
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, United States.,Center for Social Neural Networks, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Xin-Ming Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, United States
| | - Qianqian Guo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Limin Wang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Luo Luo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Laifu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Qiao
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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9
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Borbélyová V, Domonkos E, Bábíčková J, Tóthová Ľ, Bosý M, Hodosy J, Celec P. No effect of testosterone on behavior in aged Wistar rats. Aging (Albany NY) 2017; 8:2848-2861. [PMID: 27852981 PMCID: PMC5191874 DOI: 10.18632/aging.101096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In men, aging is accompanied by a gradual decline in androgen secretion. Studies suggest beneficial effects of endogenous and exogenous testosterone on affective behavior and cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to describe behavioral and cognitive sex differences and to analyze the effects of long-term androgen deficiency in aged male rats. Thirty-months old rats divided into three groups (males, females and males gonadectomized as young adults) underwent a battery of behavioral tests assessing locomotor activity, anxiety, memory, anhedonia, sociability and depression-like behavior. No major effect of gonadectomy was found in any of the analyzed behavioral measures in male rats. The only consistent sex difference was confirmed in depression-like behavior with longer immobility time observed in males. In an interventional experiment, a single dose of testosterone had no effect on gonadectomized male and female rats in the forced swim test. In contrast to previous studies this comprehensive behavioral phenotyping of aged rats revealed no major role of endogenous testosterone. Based on our results long-term hypogonadism does not alter the behavior of aged male rats, neither does acute testosterone treatment. Whether these findings have any consequences on androgen replacement therapy in aged men remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Borbélyová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Emese Domonkos
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Janka Bábíčková
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ľubomíra Tóthová
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Martin Bosý
- Department of Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Július Hodosy
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 813 72 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Celec
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, 811 08 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia.,Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 831 01 Bratislava, Slovakia
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10
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Robison LS, Michaelos M, Gandhi J, Fricke D, Miao E, Lam CY, Mauceri A, Vitale M, Lee J, Paeng S, Komatsu DE, Hadjiargyrou M, Thanos PK. Sex Differences in the Physiological and Behavioral Effects of Chronic Oral Methylphenidate Treatment in Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:53. [PMID: 28400722 PMCID: PMC5368228 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylphenidate (MP) is a psychostimulant prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Previously, we developed a dual bottle 8-h-limited-access-drinking-paradigm for oral MP treatment of rats that mimics the pharmacokinetic profile of treated patients. This study assessed sex differences in response to this treatment. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to one of three treatment groups at 4 weeks of age (n = 12/group): Control (water), low dose (LD) MP, and high dose (HD) MP. Rats drank 4 mg/kg MP (LD) or 30 mg/kg MP (HD) during the first hour, and 10 mg/kg (LD) or 60 mg/kg MP (HD) for the remaining 7 h each day. Throughout 3 months of treatment, rats were monitored for body weight, food intake, and fluid intake; as well as tested for open field behavior, circadian activity, novel object recognition, and social interaction. Chronic MP treated rats exhibited reduced fluid intake during distinct treatment weeks to a greater extent in males, and reduced total fluid intake in males only. HD MP treatment decreased body weight in both sexes, while HD MP increased total food intake in females only, likely to offset energy deficits resulting from MP-induced hyperactivity. LD and HD MP increased locomotor activity in the open field, particularly in females and during later treatment weeks. MP dose-dependently increased activity during the dark cycle of circadian testing in females, while in males hyperactivity was only exhibited by HD rats. HD MP increased center activity to a greater extent in males, while MP increased rearing behavior in females only. MP had no effect on social behavior or novel object recognition in either sex. This study concludes that chronic oral MP treatment at clinically-relevant dosages has significant effects on food intake, body weight, open field behavior, and wake cycle activity. Particularly marked sex differences were apparent for locomotor activity, with females being significantly more sensitive to the hyperactivating effects of the drug. These findings suggest that chronic MP exposure beginning in adolescence can have significant behavioral effects that are both dose- and sex-dependent, and raise concerns regarding the reversibility of these effects post-discontinuation of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa S Robison
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Jason Gandhi
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Dennis Fricke
- Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Erick Miao
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Chiu-Yim Lam
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Anthony Mauceri
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Melissa Vitale
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Junho Lee
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Soyeh Paeng
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - David E Komatsu
- Department of Orthopedics, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Michael Hadjiargyrou
- Department of Life Sciences, New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, NY, USA
| | - Panayotis K Thanos
- Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY, USA
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11
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Prefrontal cortical control of a brainstem social behavior circuit. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:260-270. [PMID: 28067904 PMCID: PMC5580810 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in adjusting an organism's behavior to its environment. In particular, numerous studies have implicated the prefrontal cortex in the control of social behavior, but the neural circuits that mediate these effects remain unknown. Here we investigated behavioral adaptation to social defeat in mice and uncovered a critical contribution of neural projections from the medial prefrontal cortex to the dorsal periaqueductal grey, a brainstem area vital for defensive responses. Social defeat caused a weakening of functional connectivity between these two areas and selective inhibition of these projections mimicked the behavioral effects of social defeat. These findings define a specific neural projection by which the prefrontal cortex can control and adapt social behavior.
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Reilly MP, Weeks CD, Topper VY, Thompson LM, Crews D, Gore AC. The effects of prenatal PCBs on adult social behavior in rats. Horm Behav 2015; 73:47-55. [PMID: 26093262 PMCID: PMC4546928 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [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: 12/09/2014] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) exposures during critical periods of development may influence neuronal development and the manifestation of sexually dimorphic sociability and social novelty behaviors in adulthood. In this study, we assessed the effects of gestational exposure to PCBs on the social behavior of males and females later in adulthood. A weakly estrogenic PCB mixture, Aroclor 1221 (A1221, 0.5 or 1mg/kg) was administered to pregnant Sprague-Dawley rat dams. Both a positive control (estradiol benzoate; EB, 50μg/kg) and negative control (dimethylsulfoxide; DMSO in sesame oil vehicle) were similarly administered to separate sets of dams. The sexes responded differently in two tasks essential to sociality. Using a three-chamber apparatus that contained a caged, same-sex, gonadectomized stimulus animal and an empty stimulus cage, we found that both sexes showed a strong preference for affiliating with a stimulus animal (vs. an empty cage), an effect that was much more pronounced in the males. In the second task, a novel and a familiar stimulus animal were caged at opposite ends of the same apparatus. Females displayed a higher degree of novelty preference than the males. During both tests, females had significantly higher social approach behaviors while male engaged in significantly more interactive behaviors with the conspecific. Of particular interest, males born of dams that received prenatal A1221 (0.5mg/kg) exhibited an overall decrease in nose-to-nose investigations. These behavioral data suggest that the males are more sensitive to A1221 treatment than are females. In addition to behavioral analysis, serum corticosterone was measured. Females born of dams treated with A1221 (0.5mg/kg) had significantly higher concentrations of corticosterone than the DMSO female group; males were unaffected. Females also had significantly higher corticosterone concentrations than did males. Overall, our results suggest that the effects of gestational exposure to PCBs on adult social behavior are relatively limited within this particular paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Reilly
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Connor D Weeks
- College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Viktoria Y Topper
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Lindsay M Thompson
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - David Crews
- Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Kabir ZD, Kennedy B, Katzman A, Lahvis GP, Kosofsky BE. Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on social development in mice. Dev Neurosci 2014; 36:338-46. [PMID: 24852757 DOI: 10.1159/000360524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) in humans and animals has been shown to impair social development. Molecules that mediate synaptic plasticity and learning in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), specifically brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its downstream signaling molecule, early growth response protein 1 (egr1), have been shown to affect the regulation of social interactions (SI). In this study we determined the effects of PCE on SI and the corresponding ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in developing mice. Furthermore, we studied the PCE-induced changes in the constitutive expression of BDNF, egr1 and their transcriptional regulators in the mPFC as a possible molecular mechanism mediating the altered SI. In prenatal cocaine-exposed (PCOC) mice we identified increased SI and USV production at postnatal day (PD) 25, and increased SI but not USVs at PD35. By PD45 the expression of both social behaviors normalized in PCOC mice. At the molecular level, we found increased BDNF exon IV and egr1 mRNA in the mPFC of PCOC mice at PD30 that normalized by PD45. This was concurrent with increased EGR1 protein in the mPFC of PCOC mice at PD30, suggesting a role of egr1 in the enhanced SI observed in juvenile PCOC mice. Additionally, by measuring the association of acetylation of histone 3 at lysine residues 9 and 14 (acH3K9,14) and MeCP2 at the promoters of BDNF exons I and IV and egr1, our results provide evidence of promoter-specific alterations in the mPFC of PCOC juvenile mice, with increased association of acH3K9,14 only at the BDNF exon IV promoter. These results identify a potential PCE-induced molecular alteration as the underlying neurobiological mechanism mediating the altered social development in juvenile mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeeba D Kabir
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, N.Y., USA
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Lukas M, Neumann ID. Social preference and maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in virgin female rats: sex differences in involvement of brain oxytocin and vasopressin. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:101-7. [PMID: 24709115 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2013] [Revised: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research concerning non-reproductive sociability in rodents is mainly restricted to assessing the effects of oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) in male rats and mice. Comparable studies on natural social preference and social avoidance in females are substantially lacking. NEW METHOD Here, we adapted a behavioral paradigm for monitoring social preference of female rats consisting of two consecutive exposures to either non-social or social stimuli. Further, to induce stimulus-specific social avoidance, female rats were exposed to a single 10-min maternal defeat by a lactating dam. RESULTS Social preference towards same-sex conspecifics in female rats was shown to be independent of the estrous cycle and even more pronounced than in male rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) application of OXT, AVP, or their selective receptor antagonists or agonists, did not alter naturally-occurring social preference in female rats. Stimulus-specific social avoidance could be induced by prior exposure to a lactating rat: an effect that could not be reversed/overcome by icv OXT. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S) The female social preference paradigm for rats established in this study detected subtle sex differences in social preference behavior of rats. Further, stimulus-specific social deficits could be induced in female rats using an acute exposure to social defeat - as previously observed in male rodents. CONCLUSIONS Female rats show strong social preference behavior, which can be prevented by social defeat, but does not seem to be regulated by the OXT or AVP systems. Accordingly, icv application of synthetic OXT does not reverse maternal defeat-induced social avoidance in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lukas
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Jodo E. The role of the hippocampo-prefrontal cortex system in phencyclidine-induced psychosis: a model for schizophrenia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 107:434-40. [PMID: 23792022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Revised: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Phencyclidine (PCP) is a psychotomimetic drug that induces schizophrenia-like symptoms in healthy individuals and exacerbates pre-existing symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. PCP also induces behavioral and cognitive abnormalities in non-human animals, and PCP-treated animals are considered a reliable pharmacological model of schizophrenia. However, the exact neural mechanisms by which PCP modulates behavior are not known. During the last decade several studies have indicated that disturbed activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may be closely related to PCP-induced psychosis. Systemic administration of PCP produces long-lasting activation of medial PFC (mPFC) neurons in rats, almost in parallel with augmentation of locomotor activity and behavioral stereotypies. Later studies have showed that such PCP-induced behavioral abnormalities are ameliorated by prior administration of drugs that normalize or inhibit excess excitability of PFC neurons. Similar activation of mPFC neurons is not induced by systemic injection of a typical psychostimulant such as methamphetamine, even though behavioral hyperactivity is induced to almost the same level. This suggests that the neural circuits mediating PCP-induced psychosis are different to those mediating methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Locally applied PCP does not induce excitation of mPFC neurons, indicating that PCP-induced tonic excitation of mPFC neurons is mediated by inputs from regions outside the mPFC. This hypothesis is strongly supported by experimental results showing that local perfusion of PCP in the ventral hippocampus, which has dense fiber projections to the mPFC, induces tonic activation of mPFC neurons with accompanying augmentation of behavioral abnormalities. In this review we summarize current knowledge on the neural mechanisms underlying PCP-induced psychosis and highlight a possible involvement of the PFC and the hippocampus in PCP-induced psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiichi Jodo
- Department of Neurophysiology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
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