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Fernández-Teruel A, Cañete T, Sampedro-Viana D, Oliveras I, Torrubia R, Tobeña A. Contribution of the Roman rat lines/strains to personality neuroscience: neurobehavioral modeling of internalizing/externalizing psychopathologies. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 6:e8. [PMID: 38107777 PMCID: PMC10725777 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2023.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The Roman high-avoidance (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rat lines/strains were established in Rome through bidirectional selection of Wistar rats for rapid (RHA) or extremely poor (RLA) acquisition of a two-way active avoidance task. Relative to RHAs, RLA rats exhibit enhanced threat sensitivity, anxiety, fear and vulnerability to stress, a passive coping style and increased sensitivity to frustration. Thus, RLA rats' phenotypic profile falls well within the "internalizing" behavior spectrum. Compared with RLAs and other rat strains/stocks, RHAs present increased impulsivity and reward sensitivity, deficits in social behavior and attentional/cognitive processes, novelty-induced hyper-locomotion and vulnerability to psychostimulant sensitization and drug addiction. Thus, RHA rats' phenotypes are consistent with a "disinhibiting externalizing" profile. Many neurobiological/molecular traits differentiate both rat lines/strains. For example, relative to RLA rats, RHAs exhibit decreased function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus and amygdala, increased functional tone of the mesolimbic dopamine system, a deficit of central metabotropic glutamate-2 (mGlu2) receptors, increased density of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors in the PFC, impairment of GABAergic transmission in the PFC, alterations of several synaptic markers and increased density of pyramidal immature dendrític spines in the PFC. These characteristics suggest an immature brain of RHA rats and are reminiscent of schizophrenia features like hypofrontality and disruption of the excitation/inhibition cortical balance. We review evidence supporting RLA rats as a valid model of anxiety/fear, stress and frustration vulnerability, whereas RHA rats represent a promising translational model of neurodevelopmental alterations related to impulsivity, schizophrenia-relevant features and comorbidity with drug addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Cañete
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Sampedro-Viana
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignasi Oliveras
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael Torrubia
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine & Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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Lages YV, Balthazar L, Krahe TE, Landeira-Fernandez J. Pharmacological and Physiological Correlates of the Bidirectional Fear Phenotype of the Carioca Rats and Other Bidirectionally Selected Lines. Curr Neuropharmacol 2023; 21:1864-1883. [PMID: 36237160 PMCID: PMC10514533 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x20666221012121534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Carioca rat lines originated from the selective bidirectional breeding of mates displaying extreme defense responses to contextual conditioned fear. After three generations, two distinct populations could be distinguished: the Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing rats, CHF, and CLF, respectively. Later studies identified strong anxiety-like behaviors in the CHF line, while indications of impulsivity and hyperactivity were prominent in the CLF animals. The present review details the physiological and pharmacological-related findings obtained from these lines. The results discussed here point towards a dysfunctional fear circuitry in CHF rats, including alterations in key brain structures and the serotoninergic system. Moreover, data from these animals highlight important alterations in the stress-processing machinery and its associated systems, such as energy metabolism and antioxidative defense. Finally, evidence of an alteration in the dopaminergic pathway in CLF rats is also debated. Thus, accumulating data gathered over the years, place the Carioca lines as significant animal models for the study of psychiatric disorders, especially fear-related ones like anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury V. Lages
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Laura Balthazar
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Biology Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thomas. E. Krahe
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - J. Landeira-Fernandez
- Department of Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Yousefsani BS, Akbarizadeh N, Pourahmad J. The antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of Zolpidem on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity using Wistar rat primary neuronal cortical culture. Toxicol Rep 2020; 7:233-240. [PMID: 32025499 PMCID: PMC6997640 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Zolpidem is an introduced medication for the therapy of sleeping disorders. Its pharmacological effects are consequently characterized by a quick onset and a half-life of 2.4 h. Previous studies revealed the antioxidant and neuroprotectant effects of zolpidem. In this research, we wanted to demonstrate the exact sub-cellular/molecular mechanism of this medication using the primary neuronal cortical culture. For this purpose, firstly, the cortical neurons were isolated from the postnatal Wistar rat pups. Thereafter, different neural toxicity endpoints caused by acrylamide including ROS formation, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, lysosomal membrane integrity, and apoptosis were determined. All of these parameters are upstream events of cellular apoptosis which justifies neurodegeneration involved in many diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Our results demonstrated that zolpidem at concentrations of 1 and 2 mM prevented all the acrylamide-induced above referenced neural toxic events leading to neuronal apoptosis. These results revealed that zolpidem has the antioxidant and neuroprotectant properties that make it a promising prophylactic agent for preventing neurodegenerative complications. Considering the important role of oxidative stress in the development or progression of diseases, if the medication used as a treatment of a disease has antioxidant properties at the same time, it will certainly have much greater healing effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh sadat Yousefsani
- Research Institute for Islamic and Complementary Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- School of Persian Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasim Akbarizadeh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jalal Pourahmad
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Giorgi O, Corda MG, Fernández-Teruel A. A Genetic Model of Impulsivity, Vulnerability to Drug Abuse and Schizophrenia-Relevant Symptoms With Translational Potential: The Roman High- vs. Low-Avoidance Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:145. [PMID: 31333426 PMCID: PMC6624787 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The bidirectional selective breeding of Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rats for respectively rapid vs. poor acquisition of active avoidant behavior has generated two lines/strains that differ markedly in terms of emotional reactivity, with RHA rats being less fearful than their RLA counterparts. Many other behavioral traits have been segregated along the selection procedure; thus, compared with their RLA counterparts, RHA rats behave as proactive copers in the face of aversive conditions, display a robust sensation/novelty seeking (SNS) profile, and show high impulsivity and an innate preference for natural and drug rewards. Impulsivity is a multifaceted behavioral trait and is generally defined as a tendency to express actions that are poorly conceived, premature, highly risky or inappropriate to the situation, that frequently lead to unpleasant consequences. High levels of impulsivity are associated with several neuropsychiatric conditions including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. Herein, we review the behavioral and neurochemical differences between RHA and RLA rats and survey evidence that RHA rats represent a valid genetic model, with face, construct, and predictive validity, to investigate the neural underpinnings of behavioral disinhibition, novelty seeking, impulsivity, vulnerability to drug addiction as well as deficits in attentional processes, cognitive impairments and other schizophrenia-relevant traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osvaldo Giorgi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria G Corda
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Río-Álamos C, Oliveras I, Piludu MA, Gerbolés C, Cañete T, Blázquez G, Lope-Piedrafita S, Martínez-Membrives E, Torrubia R, Tobeña A, Fernández-Teruel A. Neonatal handling enduringly decreases anxiety and stress responses and reduces hippocampus and amygdala volume in a genetic model of differential anxiety: Behavioral-volumetric associations in the Roman rat strains. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 27:146-158. [PMID: 28049558 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus and amygdala have been proposed as key neural structures related to anxiety. A more active hippocampus/amygdala system has been related to greater anxious responses in situations involving conflict/novelty. The Roman Low- (RLA) and High-avoidance (RHA) rat lines/strains constitute a genetic model of differential anxiety. Relative to RHA rats, RLA rats exhibit enhanced anxiety/fearfulness, augmented hippocampal/amygdala c-Fos expression following exposure to novelty/conflict, increased hippocampal neuronal density and higher endocrine responses to stress. Neonatal handling (NH) is an environmental treatment with long-lasting anxiety/stress-reducing effects in rodents. Since hippocampus and amygdala volume are supposed to be related to anxiety/fear, we hypothesized a greater volume of both areas in RLA than in RHA rats, as well as that NH treatment would reduce anxiety and the volume of both structures, in particular in the RLA strain. Adult untreated and NH-treated RHA and RLA rats were tested for anxiety, sensorimotor gating (PPI), stress-induced corticosterone and prolactin responses, two-way active avoidance acquisition and in vivo 7 T 1H-Magnetic resonance image. As expected, untreated RLA rats showed higher anxiety and post-stress hormone responses, as well as greater hippocampus and amygdala volumes than untreated RHA rats. NH decreased anxiety/stress responses, especially in RLA rats, and significantly reduced hippocampus and amygdala volumes in this strain. Dorsal striatum volume was not different between the strains nor it was affected by NH. Finally, there were positive associations (as shown by correlations, factor analysis and multiple regression) between anxiety and PPI and hippocampus/amygdala volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristóbal Río-Álamos
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ignasi Oliveras
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Antonietta Piludu
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Section of Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Cristina Gerbolés
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Section of Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy; Servei de RMN, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de investigacion Biomédica en Red - Bioingenieria, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Toni Cañete
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gloria Blázquez
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Lope-Piedrafita
- Servei de RMN, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de investigacion Biomédica en Red - Bioingenieria, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Spain
| | - Esther Martínez-Membrives
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rafael Torrubia
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
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Oliveras I, Río-Álamos C, Cañete T, Blázquez G, Martínez-Membrives E, Giorgi O, Corda MG, Tobeña A, Fernández-Teruel A. Prepulse inhibition predicts spatial working memory performance in the inbred Roman high- and low-avoidance rats and in genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rats: relevance for studying pre-attentive and cognitive anomalies in schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:213. [PMID: 26347624 PMCID: PMC4539526 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal models of schizophrenia-relevant symptoms are increasingly important for progress in our understanding of the neurobiological basis of the disorder and for discovering novel and more specific treatments. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and working memory, which are impaired in schizophrenic patients, are among the symptoms/processes modeled in those animal analogs. We have evaluated whether a genetically-selected rat model, the Roman high-avoidance inbred strain (RHA-I), displays PPI deficits as compared with its Roman low-avoidance (RLA-I) counterpart and the genetically heterogeneous NIH-HS rat stock. We have investigated whether PPI deficits predict spatial working memory impairments (in the Morris water maze; MWM) in these three rat types (Experiment 1), as well as in a separate sample of NIH-HS rats stratified according to their extreme (High, Medium, Low) PPI scores (Experiment 2). The results from Experiment 1 show that RHA-I rats display PPI and spatial working memory deficits compared to both RLA-I and NIH-HS rats. Likewise, in Experiment 2, "Low-PPI" NIH-HS rats present significantly impaired working memory with respect to "Medium-PPI" and "High-PPI" NIH-HS subgroups. Further support to these results comes from correlational, factorial, and multiple regression analyses, which reveal that PPI is positively associated with spatial working memory performance. Conversely, cued learning in the MWM was not associated with PPI. Thus, using genetically-selected and genetically heterogeneous rats, the present study shows, for the first time, that PPI is a positive predictor of performance in a spatial working memory task. These results may have translational value for schizophrenia symptom research in humans, as they suggest that either by psychogenetic selection or by focusing on extreme PPI scores from a genetically heterogeneous rat stock, it is possible to detect a useful (perhaps "at risk") phenotype to study cognitive anomalies linked to schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Oliveras
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
- *Correspondence: Ignasi Oliveras and Alberto Fernández-Teruel, Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08913 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain ;
| | - Cristóbal Río-Álamos
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Cañete
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Gloria Blázquez
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Martínez-Membrives
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Osvaldo Giorgi
- Section of Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Sciences, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
| | - Maria G. Corda
- Section of Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Nutraceutical Sciences, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
- *Correspondence: Ignasi Oliveras and Alberto Fernández-Teruel, Medical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08913 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain ;
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Carrasco J, Márquez C, Nadal R, Tobeña A, Fernández-Teruel A, Armario A. Characterization of central and peripheral components of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in the inbred Roman rat strains. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2008; 33:437-45. [PMID: 18276081 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2007] [Revised: 12/27/2007] [Accepted: 01/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Several studies performed in outbred Roman high- and low-avoidance lines (RHA and RLA, respectively) have demonstrated that the more anxious line (RLA) is characterized by a higher hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to certain stressors than the less anxious one (RHA). However, inconsistent results have also been reported. Taking advantage of the generation of an inbred colony of RLA and RHA rats (RHA-I and RLA-I, respectively), we have characterized in the two strains not only resting and stress levels of peripheral HPA hormones but also central components of the HPA axis, including CRF gene expression in extra-hypothalamic areas. Whereas resting levels of ACTH and corticosterone did not differ between the strains, a greater response to a novel environment was found in RLA-I as compared to RHA-I rats. RLA-I rats showed enhanced CRF gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, with normal arginin-vasopressin gene expression in both parvocellular and magnocellular regions of the PVN. This enhanced CRF gene expression is not apparently related to altered negative corticosteroid feedback as similar levels of expression of brain glucorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors were found in the two rat strains. CRF gene expression tended to be higher in the central amygdala and it was significantly higher in the dorsal region of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) of RLA-I rats, while no differences appeared in the ventral region of BNST. Considering the involvement of CRF and the BNST in anxiety and stress-related behavioral alterations, the present data suggest that the CRF system may be a critical neurobiological substrate underlying differences between the two rat strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Carrasco
- Unitat de Fisiologia Animal, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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Bishnoi M, Chopra K, Kulkarni SK. Possible anti-oxidant and neuroprotective mechanisms of zolpidem in attenuating typical anti-psychotic-induced orofacial dyskinesia: a biochemical and neurochemical study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2007; 31:1130-8. [PMID: 17513028 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2007.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2007] [Revised: 04/07/2007] [Accepted: 04/07/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Tardive dyskinesia is a serious motor side effect of chronic anti-psychotic therapy. The pathophysiology of this disabling and commonly irreversible movement disorder continues obscure and may be caused due to GABAergic hypofunction or increased oxidative damage and free radical generation. Chronic treatment with typical antipsychotics leads to the development of abnormal hyperkinetic orofacial movements (vacuous chewing movements, tongue protrusions and facial jerking) in rats and is widely accepted as the animal model for tardive dyskinesia. Zolpidem, a GABA-mimetic drug is structurally related to melatonin and has been reported to possess anti-oxidant and neuroprotective effects both in vivo and in vitro. The study was carried out to investigate whether zolpidem can be used in the treatment of typical anti-psychotic-induced orofacial dyskinesia. Chronic haloperidol (1 mg/kg, i.p. for 21 days) and chlorpromazine (5 mg/kg, i.p. for 21 days) treatment significantly induced orofacial hyperkinetic movements and zolpidem [N, N, 6-trimethyl-2-p-tolyl-imidazo (1, 2-a) pyridine 3-acetamideL-(+)] dose dependently (1, 2, 5 mg/kg i.p. for 21 days) reduced these haloperidol and chlorpromazine-induced hyperkinetic orofacial movements. Biochemical analysis revealed that haloperidol and chlorpromazine treatment significantly induced increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in the levels of total nitric oxide levels, non-protein thiols (NPSH) and of anti-oxidant defense enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in the striatum of rat brain. Co-administration of zolpidem (1, 2, 5 mg/kg i.p. for 21 days) significantly reduced the lipid peroxidation and restored the non-protein thiols and total nitric oxide levels induced by chronic haloperidol and chlorpromazine treatment. It also significantly reversed the haloperidol and chlorpromazine-induced decrease in brain SOD and catalase activity. Neurochemical analysis (Neurotransmitter and their metabolite level estimation) revealed that haloperidol and chlorpromazine significantly decreased the dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin levels in brain homogenates where as it caused a significant increase in the metabolite (VMA and HVA) levels in urine, which were significantly reversed by zolpidem at higher doses. Result of the present study support the therapeutic use of zolpidem in the treatment of typical anti-psychotic-induced orofacial dyskinesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahendra Bishnoi
- Centre with Potential for Excellence in Biomedical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
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Northoff G, Witzel T, Richter A, Gessner M, Schlagenhauf F, Fell J, Baumgart F, Kaulisch T, Tempelmann C, Heinzel A, Kötter R, Hagner T, Bargel B, Hinrichs H, Bogerts B, Scheich H, Heinze HJ. GABA-ergic modulation of prefrontal spatio-temporal activation pattern during emotional processing: a combined fMRI/MEG study with placebo and lorazepam. J Cogn Neurosci 2002; 14:348-70. [PMID: 11970797 DOI: 10.1162/089892902317361895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Various prefrontal cortical regions have been shown to be activated during emotional stimulation, whereas neurochemical mechanisms underlying emotional processing in the prefrontal cortex remain unclear. We therefore investigated the influence of the GABA-A potentiator lorazepam on prefrontal cortical emotional-motor spatio-temporal activation pattern in a combined functional magnetic resonance imaging/magnetoencephalography study. Lorazepam led to the reversal in orbito-frontal activation pattern, a shift of the early magnetic field dipole from the orbito-frontal to medial prefrontal cortex, and alterations in premotor/motor cortical function during negative and positive emotional stimulation. It is concluded that negative emotional processing in the orbito-frontal cortex may be modulated either directly or indirectly by GABA-A receptors. Such a modulation of orbito-frontal cortical emotional function by lorazepam has to be distinguished from its effects on cortical motor function as being independent from the kind of processing either emotional or nonemotional.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Northoff
- Department of Neurology, Section of Behavioral Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Kirstein Building KS 454, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, 02215 MA, USA.
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Belzung C. The genetic basis of the pharmacological effects of anxiolytics: a review based on rodent models. Behav Pharmacol 2001; 12:451-60. [PMID: 11742138 DOI: 10.1097/00008877-200111000-00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Anxiolytic drugs exert their pharmacological actions by binding to molecular targets, such as benzodiazepine receptors or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors. Specific genes encode these receptors, or the subunits of which they are formed. Therefore, genetic factors may influence strongly the ability of anti-anxiety agents to produce their behavioural effects. The literature on this subject is reviewed here, with emphasis on data derived from studies with rodents. We present in a critical way the animal models used in the studies aimed at investigating the genetic basis of the action of anxiolytic compounds, including inbred mice, selected lines, linkage strains or mice generated by targeted mutation. Data show that increased anxiety-like behaviour is not a predictive factor for increased sensitivity to anxiolytic treatment, and it is possible that gene deletion might not be isomorphic to pharmacological antagonism. It is suggested that the strain differences in anxiety-like behaviour may be used as a tool in assaying anxiolytic activity of new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Belzung
- EA 3248 Psychobiologie des émotions, UFR Sciences et Techniques, Parc Grandmont, F-37200-Tours, France.
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11
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Hermann B, Landgraf R, Keck ME, Wigger A, Morrow AL, Ströhle A, Holsboer F, Rupprecht R. Pharmacological characterisation of cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors in two Wistar rat lines selectively bred for high and low anxiety-related behaviour. World J Biol Psychiatry 2000; 1:137-43. [PMID: 12607222 DOI: 10.3109/15622970009150581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Two Wistar rat lines that have been selectively bred for high-anxiety-related behaviour (HAB) and low-anxiety-related behaviour (LAB) in the elevated plusmaze test may be considered as a genetically prone animal model to study the neurochemical correlates of anxiety-related behaviour. Because there are pronounced differences between the two lines both in baseline levels of open-arm exploration in the elevated plus-maze test and in sensitivity to the anxiolytic effects of 1 mg/kg diazepam, we used these lines to investigate the pharmacology of the benzodiazepine binding site and the GABA binding site of cortical GABAA receptors. No difference in characteristics of flunitrazepam, zolpidem or muscimol binding to cortical GABAA receptors could be detected between the two lines. Although there was an increase in the brain concentration of the anxiolytic neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone, a potent positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, both in HAB and LAB animals after a forced swim stress, allopregnanolone concentrations did not differ between the two lines. Moreover, plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentrations were similar in HAB and LAB animals. We conclude that anxiety-related behaviour and benzodiazepine sensitivity in these rat lines are likely to be independent of the pharmacology of cortical GABAA receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Hermann
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
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