Anxiety and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to psychological stress are attenuated in male rats made lean by large litter rearing

Unraveling the Influence of Litter Size, Maternal Care, Exercise, and Aging on Neurobehavioral Plasticity and Dentate Gyrus Microglia Dynamics in Male Rats

This study explores the multifaceted influence of litter size, maternal care, exercise, and aging on rats' neurobehavioral plasticity and dentate gyrus microglia dynamics. Body weight evolution revealed a progressive increase until maturity, followed by a decline during aging, with larger litters exhibiting lower weights initially. Notably, exercised rats from smaller litters displayed higher body weights during the mature and aged stages. The dentate gyrus volumes showed no significant differences among groups, except for aged sedentary rats from smaller litters, which exhibited a reduction. Maternal care varied significantly based on litter size, with large litter dams showing lower frequencies of caregiving behaviors. Behavioral assays highlighted the detrimental impact of a sedentary lifestyle and reduced maternal care/large litters on spatial memory, mitigated by exercise in aged rats from smaller litters. The microglial dynamics in the layers of dentate gyrus revealed age-related changes modulated by litter size and exercise. Exercise interventions mitigated microgliosis associated with aging, particularly in aged rats. These findings underscore the complex interplay between early-life experiences, exercise, microglial dynamics, and neurobehavioral outcomes during aging.

Monoamine Oxidase: A Potential Link in Papez Circuit to Generalized Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is a common mental illness that affects a large number of people around the world, and its treatment is often based on the use of pharmacological substances such as benzodiazepines, serotonin, and 5-hydroxytyrosine (MAO) neurotransmitters. MAO neurotransmitters levels are deciding factors in the biological effects. This review summarizes the current understanding of the MAO system and its role in the modulation of anxiety-related brain circuits and behavior. The MAO-A polymorphisms have been implicated in the susceptibility to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in several investigations. The 5-HT system is involved in a wide range of physiological and behavioral processes, involving anxiety, aggressiveness, stress reactions, and other elements of emotional intensity. Among these, 5-HT, NA, and DA are the traditional 5-HT neurons that govern a range of biological activities, including sleep, alertness, eating, thermoregulation, pains, emotion, and memory, as anticipated considering their broad projection distribution in distinct brain locations. The DNMTs (DNA methyltransferase) protein family, which increasingly leads a prominent role in epigenetics, is connected with lower transcriptional activity and activates DNA methylation. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current state of the art in the elucidation of the brain's complex functions in the regulation of anxiety.

Sub-Convulsing Dose Administration of Pilocarpine Reduces Glycemia, Increases Anxiety-Like Behavior and Decelerates Cortical Spreading Depression in Rats Suckled on Various Litter Sizes

Epilepsy and malnutrition constitute two worldwide health problems affecting behavior and brain function. The cholinergic agonist pilocarpine (300-380 mg/kg; single administration) reproduces the human type of temporal lobe epilepsy in rats. Pilocarpine-induced epilepsy in rodents has been associated with glycemia, learning and memory and anxiety disturbances. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) is a neural response that has been linked to brain excitability disorders and its diseases, and has been shown to be antagonized by acute pilocarpine. This study aimed to further investigate the effect of chronic pilocarpine at a sub-convulsing dose on weight gain, blood glucose levels, anxiety-like behavior and CSD. In addition, we tested whether unfavorable lactation-induced malnutrition could modulate the pilocarpine effects. Wistar rats were suckled under normal size and large size litters (litters with 9 and 15 pups; groups L9 and L15, respectively). From postnatal days (PND) 35-55, these young animals received a daily intraperitoneal injection of pilocarpine (45 mg/kg/day), or vehicle (saline), or no treatment (naïve). On PND58, the animals were behaviorally tested in an open field apparatus. This was immediately followed by 6 h fasting and blood glucose measurement. At PND60-65, CSD was recorded, and its parameters (velocity of propagation, amplitude, and duration) were calculated. Compared to the control groups, pilocarpine-treated animals presented with reduced weight gain and lower glycemia, increased anxiety-like behavior and decelerated CSD propagation. CSD velocity was higher (p < 0.001) in the L15 groups in comparison to the corresponding groups in the L9 condition. The results demonstrate an influence of chronic (21-day) administration of a sub-convulsing, very low dose (45 mg/kg) of pilocarpine on CSD propagation, anxiety-like behavior, glycemia and body weight. Furthermore, data reinforce the hypothesis of a relationship between CSD and brain excitability. The lactation condition seems to differentially modulate these effects.

Small litter size impairs spatial memory and increases anxiety- like behavior in a strain-dependent manner in male mice

Early life overfeeding is associated with cognitive decline and anxiety-like behaviors in later life. It is not clear whether there are individual differences in the effects of early life overfeeding and what the underlying mechanistic pathways are. We investigated the long-lasting effects of small litter size, an experimental manipulation to induce neonatal overfeeding, in two strains of mice, C57BL/6 and NMRI. We measured body weight, learning and memory, anxiety-related behaviors, interleukin-(IL)-1β and brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus, and both basal and stress corticosterone levels in adult mice which have been nursed in small litters compared with those from control litters. Our findings showed that small litter size led to increased body weight in both strains of mice. Small litter size significantly decreased spatial memory and hippocampal BDNF levels, and increased hippocampal IL-1β, in NMRI mice, but not C57BL/6 mice. Interestingly, we found that small litter size resulted in a significant increase in anxiety-like behaviors and stress-induced corticosterone in NMRI mice, whereas small litter size reduced anxiety-like symptoms and stress-induced corticosterone levels in C57BL/6 mice. These data show that small litter size, which is life-long associated with increased body weight, affects memory and anxiety-related behaviors in a strain-dependent manner in male mice. This suggests that there are individual differences in the developmental consequences of early life overfeeding.

The role of oxidative stress in anxiety disorder: cause or consequence?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the USA affecting 18% of the population. The cause(s) of anxiety disorders is/are not completely clear, and research in the neurobiology of anxiety at the molecular level is still rather limited. Although mounting clinical and preclinical evidence now indicates that oxidative stress may be a major component of anxiety pathology, whether oxidative stress is the cause or consequence remains elusive. Studies conducted over the past few years suggest that anxiety disorders may be characterised by lowered antioxidant defences and increased oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In particular, oxidative modifications to proteins have actually been proposed as a potential factor in the onset and progression of several psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depressive disorders. Oxidised proteins are normally degraded by the proteasome proteolytic complex in the cell cytoplasm, nucleus, and endoplasmic reticulum. The Lon protease performs a similar protective function inside mitochondria. Impairment of the proteasome and/or the Lon protease results in the accumulation of toxic oxidised proteins in the brain, which can cause severe neuronal trauma. Recent evidence points to possible proteolytic dysfunction and accumulation of damaged, oxidised proteins as factors that may determine the appearance and severity of psychotic symptoms in mood disorders. Thus, critical interactions between oxidative stress, proteasome, and the Lon protease may provide keys to the molecular mechanisms involved in emotional regulation, and may also be of great help in designing and screening novel anxiolytics and antidepressants.

Refeeding after caloric restriction reverses altered liver glucose release

CONTEXT

Caloric restriction increases liver glucose release (LGR), but it is not known if this is a permanent condition.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate if refeeding after caloric restriction reverses the high LGR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rats were organised in six-pups litters (GC); 12-pups litters with either 50% caloric restriction from 21 to 80 days of age (GR) or fed at will from 50 to 80 days of age (GRL). Liver perfusion was made at the age of 80 days.

RESULTS

LGR was higher in the GR both during basal and adrenaline-stimulated conditions. Refeeding after caloric restriction decreased it to values close to those of GC rats.

DISCUSSION

The altered LGR of GR rats was reversed by refeeding (group GRL). The influence of hypothalamic neuropetides on these hepatic changes is suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhanced LGR under caloric restriction is not programmed by early feeding; instead, it is determined by the current nutritional conditions.

Neonatal overfeeding by small-litter rearing sensitises hippocampal microglial responses to immune challenge: Reversal with neonatal repeated injections of saline or minocycline

The early-life period is extremely vulnerable to programming effects from the environment, many of which persist into adulthood. We have previously demonstrated that adult rats overfed as neonates have hypothalamic microglia that are hyper-responsive to an immune challenge, as well as hippocampal microglia that respond less efficiently to learning. We therefore hypothesised that neonatal overfeeding would alter the ability of hippocampal microglia to respond to an immune challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and that concomitant minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic that suppresses microglial activity, could restore these responses. We induced neonatal overfeeding by manipulating the litter sizes in which Wistar rat pups were raised, so the pups were suckled in litters of four (neonatally overfed) or 12 (control-fed). We then examined the hippocampal microglial profiles 24 hour after an immune challenge with LPS and found that the neonatally overfed rats had dramatically increased microglial numbers in the hippocampus after immune challenge compared to control-fed rats. Attempts to reverse these effects with minocycline revealed repeated that neonatal injections, whether with minocycline or with saline, markedly suppressed microglial number and density throughout the hippocampus and abolished the difference between the groups in their responses to LPS. These data suggest that neonatal overfeeding not only can have lasting effects on hippocampal immune responses, but also that neonatal exposure to a protocol of repeated injections, irrespective of treatment, has a pronounced long-term impact, highlighting the importance of considering these effects when interpreting experimental data.

Des-Acyl Ghrelin and Ghrelin O-Acyltransferase Regulate Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activation and Anxiety in Response to Acute Stress

Ghrelin exists in two forms in circulation, acyl ghrelin and des-acyl ghrelin, both of which have distinct and fundamental roles in a variety of physiological functions. Despite this fact, a large proportion of papers simply measure and refer to plasma ghrelin without specifying the acylation status. It is therefore critical to assess and state the acylation status of plasma ghrelin in all studies. In this study we tested the effect of des-acyl ghrelin administration on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and on anxiety-like behavior of mice lacking endogenous ghrelin and in ghrelin-O-acyltransferase (GOAT) knockout (KO) mice that have no endogenous acyl ghrelin and high endogenous des-acyl ghrelin. Our results show des-acyl ghrelin produces an anxiogenic effect under nonstressed conditions, but this switches to an anxiolytic effect under stress. Des-acyl ghrelin influences plasma corticosterone under both nonstressed and stressed conditions, although c-fos activation in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus is not different. By contrast, GOAT KO are anxious under both nonstressed and stressed conditions, although this is not due to corticosterone release from the adrenals but rather from impaired feedback actions in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, as assessed by c-fos activation. These results reveal des-acyl ghrelin treatment and GOAT deletion have differential effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and anxiety-like behavior, suggesting that anxiety-like behavior in GOAT KO mice is not due to high plasma des-acyl ghrelin.

Environmental enrichment models a naturalistic form of maternal separation and shapes the anxiety response patterns of offspring

Environmental enrichment (EE) mimics positive life experiences by providing enhanced social and physical stimulation. Placement into EE following weaning, or in later life, confers beneficial outcomes on both emotional and cognitive processes. However, anxiety-like behavior is also reported, particularly in rats exposed to enhanced housing during early development. Notably, the quality of maternal behavior affects stress regulation and emotional stability in offspring, yet the impact of environmental context on maternal care has not been thoroughly evaluated, or are the influences of EE on their offspring understood. To investigate the role of EE on these factors we analyzed the details of mother-neonate interactions, and juvenile offspring performance on several anxiety measures. Additionally, we evaluated neurochemical differences (i.e. serotonin, corticosterone, GABA, glutamate) in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus as a function of EE, Communal Nesting (CN) and Standard Care (SC). Although EE dams spent significantly less time on the nest and had lower nursing frequencies compared to SC dams, there were no differences in maternal licking/grooming. In offspring, EE increased GLUR1 level and GABA concentrations in the prefrontal cortex of both juvenile male and female rats. A similar pattern for glutamate was only observed in males. Although EE offspring spent less time on the open arms of the elevated plus maze and had faster escape latencies in a light-dark test, there were no other indications of anxiety-like behavior on these measures or when engaged in social interaction with a conspecific. In the wild, rats live in complicated and variable environments. Consequently dams must leave their nest to defend and forage, limiting their duration of direct contact. EE exposure in early development may mimic this naturalistic maternal separation, shaping parental behavior and offspring resiliency to stressors.

Neonatal overfeeding alters hypothalamic microglial profiles and central responses to immune challenge long-term

The early life period is one of significant vulnerability to programming effects from the environment. Given the sensitivity of microglial cells to early life programming and to adult diet, we hypothesized overfeeding during the neonatal period would acutely alter microglial profiles within the developing brain, predisposing the individual to a lasting central pro-inflammatory profile that contributes to overactive immune responses long-term. We tested this idea by manipulating litter sizes in which Wistar rat pups were raised, so the pups were suckled in litters of 4 (neonatally overfed) or 12 (control). This manipulation induces obesity and susceptibility to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) long-term. We then examined microglial and central pro-inflammatory profiles during development and in adulthood as well as susceptibility to neuroimmune challenge with LPS. Neonatally overfed rats have evidence of microgliosis in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) as early as postnatal day 14. They also show changes in hypothalamic gene expression at this time, with suppressed hypothalamic interleukin 1β mRNA. These effects persist into adulthood, with basal PVN microgliosis and increased hypothalamic toll-like receptor 4, nuclear factor κB, and interleukin 6 gene expression. These neonatally overfed rats also have dramatically exacerbated microglial activation in the PVN 24h after an adult LPS challenge, coupled with changes in inflammatory gene expression. Thus, it appears neonatal overfeeding sensitizes PVN microglia, contributing to a basal pro-inflammatory profile and an altered response to a neuroimmune challenge throughout life. It remains to be seen if these effects can be reversed with early interventions.

Large litter rearing improves leptin sensitivity and hypothalamic appetite markers in offspring of rat dams fed high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation

Maternal high-fat (HF) diet has long-term consequences on the offspring's metabolic phenotype. Here, we determined the effects of large litter (LL) rearing in offspring of rat dams fed HF diet during gestation and lactation. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained on standard chow (CHOW) or HF diet throughout gestation and lactation. Pups were raised in normal litters (NLs) (10 pups/dam) or LLs (16 pups/dam) during lactation, resulting in 4 groups: CHOW-NL, CHOW-LL, HF-NL, and HF-LL. The offspring were weaned onto to either CHOW or HF diet on postnatal day 21. Male and female pups with maternal HF diet (HF-NL) had greater body weight and adiposity, higher plasma leptin levels, impaired glucose tolerance, abnormal hypothalamic leptin signaling pathways (lower leptin receptor-b [OB-Rb] and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, higher suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 mRNA expression) and appetite markers (lower neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related peptide mRNA expression), and reduced phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 level in response to leptin in the arcuate nucleus at weaning, whereas LL rearing normalized these differences. When weaned onto CHOW diet, adult male offspring from HF diet-fed dams continued to have greater adiposity, higher leptin levels, and lower hypothalamic OB-Rb, and LL rearing improved them. When weaned onto HF diet, both adult male and female offspring with maternal HF diet had greater body weight and adiposity, higher leptin levels, impaired glucose tolerance, lower OB-Rb, and higher suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 in hypothalamus compared with those of CHOW dams, whereas LL rearing improved most of them except male OB-Rb expression. Our data suggest that LL rearing improves hypothalamic leptin signaling pathways and appetite markers in an age- and sex-specific manner in this model.

Pro-TRH and pro-CRF expression in paraventricular nucleus of small litter-reared fasted adult rats

Neuroendocrine axes adapt to nutrient availability. During fasting, the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT) is reduced, whereas that of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is increased. Overfeeding-induced hyperleptinemia during lactation may alter the regulatory set point of neuroendocrine axes and their adaptability to fasting in adulthood. Hyperleptinemia is developed in rodents by litter size reduction during lactation; adult rats from small litters become overweight, but their paraventricular nucleus (PVN) TRH synthesis is unchanged. It is unclear whether peptide expression still responds to nutrient availability. PVN corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) expression has not been evaluated in this model. We analyzed adaptability of HPT and HPA axes to fasting-induced low leptin levels of reduced-litter adult rats. Offspring litters were reduced to 2-3/dam (early-overfed) or maintained at 8/dam (controls, C). At 10 weeks old, a subset of animals from each group was fasted for 48 h and leptin, corticosterone, and thyroid hormones serum levels were analyzed. In brain, expressions of leptin receptor, NPY and SOCS3, were evaluated in arcuate nucleus, and those of proTRH and proCRF in PVN by real-time PCR. ProTRH expression in anterior and medial PVN subcompartments was assayed by in situ hybridization. Early-overfed adults developed hyperphagia and excessive weight, together with decreased proTRH expression in anterior PVN, supporting the anorexigenic effects of TRH. Early-overfed rats presented low PVN proTRH synthesis, whereas fasting did not induce a further reduction. Fasting-induced stress was unable to increase corticosterone levels, contributing to reduced body weight loss in early-overfed rats. We concluded that early overfeeding impaired the adaptability of HPT and HPA axes to excess weight and fasting in adults.

Effects of mild calorie restriction on anxiety and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in the male rat

Chronic calorie restriction (CR) is one of the few interventions to improve longevity and quality of life in a variety of species. It also reduces behavioral indices of anxiety and influences some stress hormones under basal conditions. However, it is not known how CR influences hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function or if those on a CR diet have heightened HPA axis responses to stress. We hypothesized elevated basal glucocorticoid levels induced by CR would lead to exacerbated HPA axis responses to the psychological stress, restraint, in the male rat. We first confirmed rats fed 75% of their normal calorie intake for 3 weeks were less anxious than ad libitum‐fed (AD) rats in the elevated plus maze test for anxiety. The anxiolytic effect was mild, with only grooming significantly attenuated in the open field and no measured behavior affected in the light/dark box. Despite elevated basal glucocorticoids, CR rats had very similar hormonal and central responses to 15‐min restraint to the AD rats. Both CR and AD rats responded to restraint stress with a robust increase in glucocorticoids that was resolved by 60 min. Both groups also showed robust neuronal activation in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and in other stress‐ and feeding‐sensitive brain regions that was not substantially affected by calorie intake. Our findings thus demonstrate chronic mild CR is subtly anxiolytic and is not likely to affect HPA axis responses to psychological stress. These findings support research suggesting a beneficial effect of mild CR.

Being suckled in a large litter mitigates the effects of early-life stress on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in the male rat

The perinatal environment influences stress responses in the long-term, as does body composition. Male rats suckled in large litters, where they have reduced access to milk and attention from the dam, are less anxious and have attenuated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to stress compared to rats from control litters. In the present study, we investigated whether this early-life environment can also ameliorate anxiety and HPA axis function in rats prone to be stress-sensitive. We conducted these experiments in male rats from control litters (n = 12) or large litters (n = 20). Half were given 24 h of maternal separation on postnatal day 10 to induce HPA axis hyperactivity; the remainder staying undisturbed with their dam. When the rats reached adulthood, we examined behavioural indices of anxiety (elevated plus maze) and depression (Porsolt's forced swim test) under basal conditions and after 15 min of restraint stress. We also examined neuronal activation in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) as an index of HPA axis function. Being suckled in a large litter led to a significantly attenuated PVN response to stress in adulthood. Maternal separation strongly exacerbated the stress-induced increase in PVN neuronal activation in control rats but did not affect the PVN response in large-litter rats. Immobility in the forced swim after restraint was also exacerbated in neonatally maternally separated control rats but not in those from large litters. Our findings show that being suckled in large litters mitigates the effects of early-life stress on HPA axis function and indices of depression in the rat.

Perinatal nutrition programs neuroimmune function long-term: mechanisms and implications

Our early life nutritional environment can influence several aspects of physiology, including our propensity to become obese. There is now evidence to suggest perinatal diet can also independently influence development of our innate immune system. This review will address three not-necessarily-exclusive mechanisms by which perinatal nutrition can program neuroimmune function long-term: by predisposing the individual to obesity, by altering the gut microbiota, and by inducing epigenetic modifications that alter gene transcription throughout life.

Perinatal programming of neuroendocrine mechanisms connecting feeding behavior and stress

Feeding behavior is closely regulated by neuroendocrine mechanisms that can be influenced by stressful life events. However, the feeding response to stress varies among individuals with some increasing and others decreasing food intake after stress. In addition to the impact of acute lifestyle and genetic backgrounds, the early life environment can have a life-long influence on neuroendocrine mechanisms connecting stress to feeding behavior and may partially explain these opposing feeding responses to stress. In this review I will discuss the perinatal programming of adult hypothalamic stress and feeding circuitry. Specifically I will address how early life (prenatal and postnatal) nutrition, early life stress, and the early life hormonal profile can program the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the endocrine arm of the body's response to stress long-term and how these changes can, in turn, influence the hypothalamic circuitry responsible for regulating feeding behavior. Thus, over- or under-feeding and/or stressful events during critical windows of early development can alter glucocorticoid (GC) regulation of the HPA axis, leading to changes in the GC influence on energy storage and changes in GC negative feedback on HPA axis-derived satiety signals such as corticotropin-releasing-hormone. Furthermore, peripheral hormones controlling satiety, such as leptin and insulin are altered by early life events, and can be influenced, in early life and adulthood, by stress. Importantly, these neuroendocrine signals act as trophic factors during development to stimulate connectivity throughout the hypothalamus. The interplay between these neuroendocrine signals, the perinatal environment, and activation of the stress circuitry in adulthood thus strongly influences feeding behavior and may explain why individuals have unique feeding responses to similar stressors.

Effects of neonatal overfeeding on juvenile and adult feeding and energy expenditure in the rat

Overfeeding during perinatal life leads to an overweight phenotype that persists throughout the juvenile stage and into adulthood, however, the mechanim(s) underlying this effect are poorly understood. We hypothesized that obesity due to neonatal overfeeding is maintained by changes in energy expenditure and that these changes differ between males and females. We investigated feeding, physical activity, hormonal and metabolic alterations that occur in adult rats made obese by having been nursed in small litters (SL) compared with those from control litters (CL). There were no differences in absolute food intake between the groups, and juvenile and adult SL rats ate less chow per gram body weight than the CL did in the dark (active) phase. Juvenile, but not adult SL rats did have reduced whole body energy expenditure, but there were no differences between the groups by the time they reached adulthood. Adult SL females (but not males) had reduced brown adipose tissue (BAT) temperatures compared with CL in the first half of the dark phase. Our results indicate a persistent overweight phenotype in rats overfed as neonates is not associated with hyperphagia at any stage, but is reflected in reduced energy expenditure into the juvenile phase. The reduced dark phase BAT activity in adult SL females is not sufficient to reduce total energy expenditure at this stage of life and there is an apparently compensatory effect that prevents SL and CL from continuing to diverge in weight that appears between the juvenile and adult stages.

Ghrelin regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and restricts anxiety after acute stress

BACKGROUND

Ghrelin plays important roles in glucose metabolism, appetite, and body weight regulation, and recent evidence suggests ghrelin prevents excessive anxiety under conditions of chronic stress.

METHODS

We used ghrelin knockout (ghr-/-) mice to examine the role of endogenous ghrelin in anxious behavior and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) responses to acute stress.

RESULTS

Ghr-/- mice are more anxious after acute restraint stress, compared with wild-type (WT) mice, with three independent behavioral tests. Acute restraint stress exacerbated neuronal activation in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and medial nucleus of the amygdala in ghr-/- mice compared with WT, and exogenous ghrelin reversed this effect. Acute stress increased neuronal activation in the centrally projecting Edinger-Westphal nucleus in WT but not ghr-/- mice. Ghr-/- mice exhibited a lower corticosterone response after stress, suggesting dysfunctional glucocorticoid negative feedback in the absence of ghrelin. We found no differences in dexamethasone-induced Fos expression between ghr-/- and WT mice, suggesting central feedback was not impaired. Adrenocorticotropic hormone replacement elevated plasma corticosterone in ghr-/-, compared with WT mice, indicating increased adrenal sensitivity. The adrenocorticotropic hormone response to acute stress was significantly reduced in ghr-/- mice, compared with control subjects. Pro-opiomelanocortin anterior pituitary cells express significant growth hormone secretagogue receptor.

CONCLUSIONS

Ghrelin reduces anxiety after acute stress by stimulating the HPA axis at the level of the anterior pituitary. A novel neuronal growth hormone secretagogue receptor circuit involving urocortin 1 neurons in the centrally projecting Edinger-Westphal nucleus promotes an appropriate stress response. Thus, ghrelin regulates acute stress and offers potential therapeutic efficacy in human mood and stress disorders.

Large litters rearing changes brain expression of GLUT3 and acetylcholinesterase activity in adult rats

Effects of malnutrition in the brain are more pronounced during the period of growth spurt, corresponding to the suckling in rodents. Neuronal glucose transporter GLUT3 expression and acetylcholinesterase activity were studied in the brain of adult young rats (84 days old) suckled in litters formed by 6 (control group) or 12 pups (malnourished group). In the adult rats, brain weight, blood glucose levels and GLUT3 expression were decreased in malnourished group (5%, 18%, 58%, respectively, P<0.001, Student's t test) compared to the control. Increased activity of acetylcholinesterase was found in cerebral cortex homogenates and a significant interaction (P=0.019, ANOVA two-way, Tukey's test) was found between nutritional state and homogenate fraction. In summary, malnutrition during suckling period decreased GLUT3 expression and increased acetylcholinesterase activity in the rat brain that could contribute to possible cognitive deficits and changes of brain metabolic activity.