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Horvat L, Foschini A, Grinias JP, Waterhouse BD, Devilbiss DM. Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury impairs norepinephrine system function and psychostimulant responsivity. Brain Res 2024; 1839:149040. [PMID: 38815643 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.149040] [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: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex pathophysiological process that results in a variety of neurotransmitter, behavioral, and cognitive deficits. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system is a critical regulator of arousal levels and higher executive processes affected by TBI including attention, working memory, and decision making. LC-NE axon injury and impaired signaling within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a potential contributor to the neuropsychiatric symptoms after single, moderate to severe TBI. The majority of TBIs are mild, yet long-term cognitive deficits and increased susceptibility for further injury can accumulate after each repetitive mild TBI. As a potential treatment for restoring cognitive function and daytime sleepiness after injury psychostimulants, including methylphenidate (MPH) that increase levels of NE within the PFC, are being prescribed "off-label". The impact of mild and repetitive mild TBI on the LC-NE system remains limited. Therefore, we determined the extent of LC-NE and arousal dysfunction and response to therapeutic doses of MPH in rats following experimentally induced single and repetitive mild TBI. Microdialysis measures of basal NE efflux from the medial PFC and arousal measures were significantly lower after repetitive mild TBI. Females showed higher baseline PFC-NE efflux than males following single and repetitive mild TBI. In response to MPH challenge, males exhibited a blunted PFC-NE response and persistent arousal levels following repetitive mild TBI. These results provide critical insight into the role of catecholamine system dysfunction associated with cognitive deficits following repeated injury, outcome differences between sex/gender, and lack of success of MPH as an adjunctive therapy to improve cognitive function following injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Horvat
- Rowan University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Science Hall 301G, 230 Meditation Walk, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
| | - Alexis Foschini
- Rowan University, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Science Center 220, 2 Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ, 08084, USA
| | - James P Grinias
- Rowan University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Science Hall 301G, 230 Meditation Walk, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
| | - Barry D Waterhouse
- Rowan University, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Science Center 220, 2 Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ, 08084, USA
| | - David M Devilbiss
- Rowan University, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Science Center 220, 2 Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ, 08084, USA.
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Minshall BL, Skipper RA, Riddle CA, Wasylyshyn CF, Claflin DI, Quinn JJ. Sex differences in acute early life stress-enhanced fear learning in adult rats. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22511. [PMID: 38837722 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) present with a spectrum of debilitating anxiety symptoms resulting from exposure to trauma. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD compared to men; however, the reason for this vulnerability remains unknown. We conducted four experiments where we first demonstrated a female vulnerability to stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL) with a moderate, acute early life stress (aELS) exposure (4 footshocks in a single session), compared to a more intense aELS exposure (15 footshocks in a single session) where males and females demonstrated comparable SEFL. Next, we demonstrated that this female vulnerability does not result from differences in footshock reactivity or contextual fear conditioning during the aELS exposure. Finally, using gonadectomy or sham surgeries in adult male and female rats, we showed that circulating levels of gonadal steroid hormones at the time of adult fear conditioning do not explain the female vulnerability to SEFL. Additional research is needed to determine whether this vulnerability can be explained by organizational effects of gonadal steroid hormones or differences in sex chromosome gene expression. Doing so is critical for a better understanding of increased female vulnerability to certain psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Minshall
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Rachel A Skipper
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Collin A Riddle
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Catherine F Wasylyshyn
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Dragana I Claflin
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Jennifer J Quinn
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
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Sanguino-Gómez J, Krugers HJ. Early-life stress impairs acquisition and retrieval of fear memories: sex-effects, corticosterone modulation, and partial prevention by targeting glucocorticoid receptors at adolescent age. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100636. [PMID: 38883213 PMCID: PMC11177066 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The early postnatal period is a sensitive time window that is characterized by several neurodevelopmental processes that define neuronal architecture and function later in life. Here, we examined in young adult mice, using an auditory fear conditioning paradigm, whether stress during the early postnatal period 1) impacts fear acquisition and memory consolidation in male and female mice; 2) alters the fear responsiveness to corticosterone and 3) whether effects of early-life stress (ELS) can be prevented by treating mice with a glucocorticoid (GR) antagonist at adolescence. Male and female mice were exposed to a limited nesting and bedding model of ELS from postnatal day (PND) 2-9 and injected i.p with RU38486 (RU486) at adolescent age (PND 28-30). At two months of age, mice were trained in the fear conditioning (FC) paradigm (with and without post training administration of corticosterone - CORT) and freezing behavior during fear acquisition and contextual and auditory memory retrieval was scored. We observed that ELS impaired fear acquisition specifically in male mice and reduced both contextual and auditory memory retrieval in male and female mice. Acute post-training administration of CORT increased freezing levels during auditory memory retrieval in female mice but reduced freezing levels during the tone presentation in particular in control males. Treatment with RU486 prevented ELS-effects in acquisition in male mice and in females during auditory memory retrieval. In conclusion, this study highlights the long-lasting consequences of early-life stress on fear memory processing and further illustrates 1) the potential of a glucocorticoid antagonist intervention during adolescence to mitigate these effects and 2) the partial modulation of the auditory retrieval upon post training administration of CORT, with all these effects being sex-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Harm J Krugers
- Brain Plasticity Group, SILS-CNS, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Mottarlini F, Rizzi B, Targa G, Buzzelli V, Di Trapano M, Rullo L, Candeletti S, Ciccocioppo R, Fattore L, Romualdi P, Fumagalli F, Trezza V, Caffino L. Communal nesting shapes the sex-dependent glutamatergic response to early life stress in the rat prefrontal cortex. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1406687. [PMID: 38835543 PMCID: PMC11148342 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1406687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Early social environment, either positive or negative, shapes the adult brain. Communal nesting (CN), a naturalistic setting in which 2-3 females keep their pups in a single nest sharing care-giving behavior, provides high level of peer interaction for pups. Early social isolation (ESI) from dam and siblings represents, instead, an adverse condition providing no peer interaction. Methods We investigated whether CN (enrichment setting) might influence the response to ESI (impoverishment setting) in terms of social behavior and glutamate system in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult and adolescent male and female rats. Results Pinning (a rewarding component of social play behavior) was significantly more pronounced in males than in females exposed to the combination of CN and ESI. CN sensitized the glutamate synapse in the mPFC of ESI-exposed male, but not female, rats. Accordingly, we observed (i) a potentiation of the glutamatergic neurotransmission in the mPFC of both adolescent and adult males, as shown by the recruitment of NMDA receptor subunits together with increased expression/activation of PSD95, SynCAM 1, Synapsin I and αCaMKII; (ii) a de-recruiting of NMDA receptors from active synaptic zones of same-age females, together with reduced expression/activation of the above-mentioned proteins, which might reduce the glutamate transmission. Whether similar sex-dependent glutamate homeostasis modulation occurs in other brain areas remains to be elucidated. Discussion CN and ESI interact to shape social behavior and mPFC glutamate synapse homeostasis in an age- and sex-dependent fashion, suggesting that early-life social environment may play a crucial role in regulating the risk to develop psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Mottarlini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Beatrice Rizzi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Giorgia Targa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Valeria Buzzelli
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Melania Di Trapano
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Rullo
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sanzio Candeletti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Ciccocioppo
- School of Pharmacy, Center for Neuroscience, Pharmacology Unit, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Liana Fattore
- Research National Council (CNR) Institute of Neuroscience-Cagliari, National Research Council, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Patrizia Romualdi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Viviana Trezza
- Department of Science, Section of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
- Neuroendocrinology, Metabolism and Neuropharmacology Unit, Istituto di Ricerca e Cura di Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences 'Rodolfo Paoletti', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Wang X, Xia Y, Yan R, Sun H, Huang Y, Xia Q, Sheng J, You W, Hua L, Tang H, Yao Z, Lu Q. Sex differences in anhedonia in bipolar depression: a resting-state fMRI study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:10.1007/s00406-024-01765-4. [PMID: 38558145 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01765-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies about anhedonia symptoms in bipolar depression (BD) ignored the unique role of gender on brain function. This study aims to explore the regional brain neuroimaging features of BD with anhedonia and the sex differences in these patients. The resting-fMRI by applying fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) method was estimated in 263 patients with BD (174 high anhedonia [HA], 89 low anhedonia [LA]) and 213 healthy controls. The effects of two different factors in patients with BD were analyzed using a 3 (group: HA, LA, HC) × 2 (sex: male, female) ANOVA. The fALFF values were higher in the HA group than in the LA group in the right medial cingulate gyrus and supplementary motor area. For the sex-by-group interaction, the fALFF values of the right hippocampus, left medial occipital gyrus, right insula, and bilateral medial cingulate gyrus were significantly higher in HA males than in LA males but not females. These results suggested that the pattern of high activation could be a marker of anhedonia symptoms in BD males, and the sex differences should be considered in future studies of BD with anhedonia symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqin Wang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Yi Xia
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Rui Yan
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Hao Sun
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Yinghong Huang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Qiudong Xia
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Junling Sheng
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Wei You
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Lingling Hua
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Hao Tang
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Zhijian Yao
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, China.
- Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, China.
- School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, 2 sipailou, Nanjing, 210096, China.
| | - Qing Lu
- School of Biological Sciences and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, 2 sipailou, Nanjing, 210096, China.
- Child Development and Learning Science, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210096, China.
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6
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Malik S, Park CHJ, Kim JH. Age-specific sex effects in extinction of conditioned fear in rodents. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1298164. [PMID: 38161359 PMCID: PMC10756678 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1298164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sajida Malik
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Chun Hui J. Park
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- School of Medicine, Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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7
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Bortolasci CC, Kidnapillai S, Spolding B, Truong TTT, Connor T, Swinton C, Panizzutti B, Liu ZSJ, Sanigorski A, Dean OM, Crowley T, Richardson M, Bozaoglu K, Vlahos K, Cowdery S, Watmuff B, Steyn SF, Wolmarans DW, Engelbrecht BJ, Perry C, Drummond K, Pang T, Jamain S, Gray L, McGee SL, Harvey BH, Kim JH, Leboyer M, Berk M, Walder K. Use of a gene expression signature to identify trimetazidine for repurposing to treat bipolar depression. Bipolar Disord 2023; 25:661-670. [PMID: 36890661 PMCID: PMC10946906 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.13319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to repurpose a drug for the treatment of bipolar depression. METHODS A gene expression signature representing the overall transcriptomic effects of a cocktail of drugs widely prescribed to treat bipolar disorder was generated using human neuronal-like (NT2-N) cells. A compound library of 960 approved, off-patent drugs were then screened to identify those drugs that affect transcription most similar to the effects of the bipolar depression drug cocktail. For mechanistic studies, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from a healthy subject and reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which were then differentiated into co-cultured neurons and astrocytes. Efficacy studies were conducted in two animal models of depressive-like behaviours (Flinders Sensitive Line rats and social isolation with chronic restraint stress rats). RESULTS The screen identified trimetazidine as a potential drug for repurposing. Trimetazidine alters metabolic processes to increase ATP production, which is thought to be deficient in bipolar depression. We showed that trimetazidine increased mitochondrial respiration in cultured human neuronal-like cells. Transcriptomic analysis in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuron/astrocyte co-cultures suggested additional mechanisms of action via the focal adhesion and MAPK signalling pathways. In two different rodent models of depressive-like behaviours, trimetazidine exhibited antidepressant-like activity with reduced anhedonia and reduced immobility in the forced swim test. CONCLUSION Collectively our data support the repurposing of trimetazidine for the treatment of bipolar depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara C. Bortolasci
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Srisaiyini Kidnapillai
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Briana Spolding
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Trang T. T. Truong
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Timothy Connor
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Courtney Swinton
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Bruna Panizzutti
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Zoe S. J. Liu
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Andrew Sanigorski
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Olivia M. Dean
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Tamsyn Crowley
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- Bioinformatics Core Research Facility (BCRF)Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Mark Richardson
- Bioinformatics Core Research Facility (BCRF)Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Kiymet Bozaoglu
- Murdoch Children's Research InstituteParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Department of PaediatricsUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Katerina Vlahos
- Murdoch Children's Research InstituteParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | - Stephanie Cowdery
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Brad Watmuff
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Stephan F. Steyn
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - De Wet Wolmarans
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - Barend J. Engelbrecht
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
| | - Christina Perry
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Katherine Drummond
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Terence Pang
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Stéphane Jamain
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Translational Neuropsychiatry, AP‐HP, DMU IMPACT, FHU ADAPTFondation FondaMentalCréteilFrance
| | - Laura Gray
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Sean L. McGee
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Brian H. Harvey
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesNorth‐West UniversityPotchefstroomSouth Africa
- SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health and Neuroscience InstituteUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Marion Leboyer
- Univ Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Translational Neuropsychiatry, AP‐HP, DMU IMPACT, FHU ADAPTFondation FondaMentalCréteilFrance
| | - Michael Berk
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
- Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental HealthParkvilleAustralia
| | - Ken Walder
- IMPACTThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
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Perica MI, Luna B. Impact of stress on excitatory and inhibitory markers of adolescent cognitive critical period plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105378. [PMID: 37643681 PMCID: PMC10591935 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of significant neurocognitive development. Prolonged maturation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) through adolescence has been found to support improvements in executive function. Changes in excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms of critical period plasticity have been found to be present in the PFC through adolescence, suggesting that environment may have a greater effect on development during this time. Stress is one factor known to affect neurodevelopment increasing risk for psychopathology. However, less is known about how stress experienced during adolescence could affect adolescent-specific critical period plasticity mechanisms and cognitive outcomes. In this review, we synthesize findings from human and animal literatures looking at the experience of stress during adolescence on cognition and frontal excitatory and inhibitory neural activity. Studies indicate enhancing effects of acute stress on cognition and excitation within specific contexts, while chronic stress generally dampens excitatory and inhibitory processes and impairs cognition. We propose a model of how stress could affect frontal critical period plasticity, thus potentially altering neurodevelopmental trajectories that could lead to risk for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria I Perica
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Beatriz Luna
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Garcia M, Paulus A, Vázquez-Reyes S, Klementieva O, Gouras G, Bachiller S, Deierborg T. Maternal separation differentially modulates early pathology by sex in 5xFAD Alzheimer's disease-transgenic mice. Brain Behav Immun Health 2023; 32:100663. [PMID: 37503358 PMCID: PMC10369403 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease. Most cases of AD are considered idiopathic and likely due to a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle-related risk factors. Despite occurring decades before the typical age of an AD diagnosis, early-life stress (ELS) has been suggested to have long-lasting effects that may contribute to AD risk and pathogenesis. Still, the mechanisms that underlie the role of ELS on AD risk remain largely unknown. Here, we used 5xFAD transgenic mice to study relatively short-term alterations related to ELS in an AD-like susceptible mouse model at 6 weeks of age. To model ELS, we separated pups from their dams for 3 h per day from postnatal day 2-14. Around 6 weeks of age, we found that maternally separated (MS) 5xFAD mice, particularly female mice, displayed increased amyloid-β-immunoreactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). In anterior cingulate cortex, we also noted significantly increased intraneuronal amyloid-β-immunoreactivity associated with MS but only in female mice. Moreover, IBA1-positive DAPI density was significantly increased in relation to MS in ACC and BLA, and microglia in BLA of MS mice had significantly different morphology compared to microglia in non-MS 5xFAD mice. Cytokine analysis showed that male MS mice, specifically, had increased levels of neuroinflammatory markers CXCL1 and IL-10 in hippocampal extracts compared to non-MS counterparts. Additionally, hippocampal extracts from both male and female MS 5xFAD mice had decreased levels of synapse- and activity-related markers Bdnf, 5htr6, Cox2, and Syp in hippocampus. Lastly, we performed behavioral tests to evaluate anxiety- and depressive-like behavior and working memory but could not detect any significant differences between groups. Overall, we detected several sex-specific molecular and cellular alterations in 6-week-old adolescent 5xFAD mice associated with MS that may help explain the connection between ELS and AD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.G. Garcia
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - A. Paulus
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
- Medical Microspectroscopy, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - S. Vázquez-Reyes
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - O. Klementieva
- Medical Microspectroscopy, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - G.K. Gouras
- Experimental Dementia Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - S. Bachiller
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
- Institute of Biomedicine of Seville, IBiS/Virgen del Rocío University Hospital/CSIC/University of Seville/Seville, Spain
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - T. Deierborg
- Experimental Neuroinflammation Laboratory, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
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Lenz B, Gerhardt S, Boroumand-Jazi R, Eichler A, Buchholz VN, Fasching PA, Kornhuber J, Banaschewski T, Flor H, Guldner S, Prignitz M, Nees F. Sex-specific association between prenatal androgenization (second-to-fourth digit length ratio) and frontal brain volumes in adolescents. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023; 273:1243-1254. [PMID: 36449103 PMCID: PMC10449726 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-022-01515-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal androgenization associates sex-dependently with behavior and mental health in adolescence and adulthood, including risk-taking, emotionality, substance use, and depression. However, still little is known on how it affects underlying neural correlates, like frontal brain control regions. Thus, we tested whether prenatal androgen load is sex-dependently related to frontal cortex volumes in a sex-balanced adolescent sample. In a cross-sectional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined 61 adolescents (28 males, 33 females; aged 14 or 16 years) and analyzed associations of frontal brain region volumes with the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D), an established marker for prenatal androgenization, using voxel-based morphometry in a region-of-interest approach. Lower 2D:4D (indicative of higher prenatal androgen load) correlated significantly with smaller volumes of the right anterior cingulate cortex (r-ACC; β = 0.45) in male adolescents and with larger volumes of the left inferior frontal gyrus orbital part (l-IFGorb; β = - 0.38) in female adolescents. The regression slopes of 2D:4D on the r-ACC also differed significantly between males and females. The study provides novel evidence that prenatal androgenization may influence the development of the frontal brain in a sex- and frontal brain region-specific manner. These effects might contribute to the well-known sex differences in risk-taking, emotionality, substance use, and depression. Future research is needed to elucidate the role of prenatal androgenization within the biopsychosocial model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Lenz
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Sarah Gerhardt
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rafat Boroumand-Jazi
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Eichler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Verena Nadine Buchholz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Peter A Fasching
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes Kornhuber
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Herta Flor
- Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stella Guldner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Maren Prignitz
- Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Frauke Nees
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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11
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Knouse MC, Deutschmann AU, Nenov MN, Wimmer ME, Briand LA. Sex differences in pre- and post-synaptic glutamate signaling in the nucleus accumbens core. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:52. [PMID: 37596655 PMCID: PMC10439632 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00537-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glutamate signaling within the nucleus accumbens underlies motivated behavior and is involved in psychiatric disease. Although behavioral sex differences in these processes are well-established, the neural mechanisms driving these differences are largely unexplored. In these studies, we examine potential sex differences in synaptic plasticity and excitatory transmission within the nucleus accumbens core. Further understanding of baseline sex differences in reward circuitry will shed light on potential mechanisms driving behavioral differences in motivated behavior and psychiatric disease. METHODS Behaviorally naïve adult male and female Long-Evans rats, C57Bl/6J mice, and constitutive PKMζ knockout mice were killed and tissue containing the nucleus accumbens core was collected for ex vivo slice electrophysiology experiments. Electrophysiology recordings examined baseline sex differences in synaptic plasticity and transmission within this region and the potential role of PKMζ in long-term depression. RESULTS Within the nucleus accumbens core, both female mice and rats exhibit higher AMPA/NMDA ratios compared to male animals. Further, female mice have a larger readily releasable pool of glutamate and lower release probability compared to male mice. No significant sex differences were detected in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude or frequency. Finally, the threshold for induction of long-term depression was lower for male animals than females, an effect that appears to be mediated, in part, by PKMζ. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that there are baseline sex differences in synaptic plasticity and excitatory transmission in the nucleus accumbens core. Our data suggest there are sex differences at multiple levels in this region that should be considered in the development of pharmacotherapies to treat psychiatric illnesses such as depression and substance use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C Knouse
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Andre U Deutschmann
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Miroslav N Nenov
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - Lisa A Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA.
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12
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Roberts BL, Karatsoreos IN. Circadian desynchronization disrupts physiological rhythms of prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons in mice. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9181. [PMID: 37280307 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35898-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Disruption of circadian rhythms, such as shift work and jet lag, are associated with negative physiological and behavioral outcomes, including changes in affective state, learning and memory, and cognitive function. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is heavily involved in all of these processes. Many PFC-associated behaviors are time-of-day dependent, and disruption of daily rhythms negatively impacts these behavioral outputs. Yet how disruption of daily rhythms impacts the fundamental function of PFC neurons, and the mechanism(s) by which this occurs, remains unknown. Using a mouse model, we demonstrate that the activity and action potential dynamics of prelimbic PFC neurons are regulated by time-of-day in a sex specific manner. Further, we show that postsynaptic K+ channels play a central role in physiological rhythms, suggesting an intrinsic gating mechanism mediating physiological activity. Finally, we demonstrate that environmental circadian desynchronization alters the intrinsic functioning of these neurons independent of time-of-day. These key discoveries demonstrate that daily rhythms contribute to the mechanisms underlying the essential physiology of PFC circuits and provide potential mechanisms by which circadian disruption may impact the fundamental properties of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Roberts
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA, 01003S, USA
| | - Ilia N Karatsoreos
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA, 01003S, USA.
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13
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Liiver K, Imbeault S, Školnaja M, Kaart T, Kanarik M, Laugus K, De Wettinck J, Pulver A, Shimmo R, Harro J. Active vs passive novelty-related strategies: Sex differences in exploratory behaviour and monoaminergic systems. Behav Brain Res 2023; 441:114297. [PMID: 36641084 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114297] [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: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences are apparent in numerous behavioural characteristics. In order to compare and characterise male and female variability of exploratory behaviour, 365 male and 401 female rats were assessed in a task where a bimodal response distribution had previously been established in males. Female rats had significantly higher exploratory activity, and presented normal distribution of the behaviour, very differently from the bimodal distribution of males. No major effect of litter or oestrous cycle was detected. Several differences between male and female rats were found in monoamine metabolism measured ex vivo. Male rats had lower levels of dopamine (DA) in frontal cortex, and higher levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in raphe area; higher levels of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in dorsal striatum but lower levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA in locus coeruleus area, 5-HIAA levels were also lower in hippocampus as compared to females. Males had higher noradrenaline (NA) levels in hippocampus and lower normetanephrine (NMN) levels in striatum, in both brain regions male animals had lower NMN/NA ratio. No sex difference was found in accumbens. The only brain region with an interaction between sex and the expression of exploratory activity was raphe: Here 5-HT levels were lower, and DOPAC levels and DOPAC/DA and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios higher in low exploring male but not female rats. Conclusively, female rats not only display higher levels of exploration but the population distribution of this behaviour is distinct; this may be related to differences in the monoaminergic systems between female and male animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristi Liiver
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Sophie Imbeault
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Marianna Školnaja
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia; Laboratory Animal Centre, Tallinn University of Technology, Akadeemia Road 15, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Tanel Kaart
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Margus Kanarik
- Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14A, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Karita Laugus
- Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14A, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jade De Wettinck
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Aleksander Pulver
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Ruth Shimmo
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Jaanus Harro
- School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia; Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14A, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5D, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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14
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Rieger NS, Ng AJ, Lee S, Brady BH, Christianson JP. Maternal immune activation alters social affective behavior and sensitivity to corticotropin releasing factor in male but not female rats. Horm Behav 2023; 149:105313. [PMID: 36706685 PMCID: PMC9974777 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal infection increases risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism in offspring. In rodents, prenatal administration of the viral mimic Polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (Poly I: C) allows for investigation of developmental consequences of gestational sickness on offspring social behavior and neural circuit function. Because maternal immune activation (MIA) disrupts cortical development and sociability, we examined approach and avoidance in a rat social affective preference (SAP) task. Following maternal Poly I:C (0.5 mg/kg) injection on gestational day 12.5, male adult offspring (PN 60-64) exhibited atypical social interactions with stressed conspecifics whereas female SAP behavior was unaffected by maternal Poly I:C. Social responses to stressed conspecifics depend upon the insular cortex where corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) modulates synaptic transmission and SAP behavior. We characterized insular field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) in adult offspring of Poly I:C or control treated dams. Male MIA offspring showed decreased sensitivity to CRF (300 nM) while female MIA offspring showed greater sensitivity to CRF compared to sham offspring. These sex specific effects appear to be behaviorally relevant as CRF injected into the insula of male and female rats prior to social exploration testing had no effect in MIA male offspring but increased social interaction in female MIA offspring. We examined the cellular distribution of CRF receptor mRNA but found no effect of maternal Poly I:C in the insula. Together, these experiments reveal sex specific effects of prenatal infection on offspring responses to social affective stimuli and identify insular CRF signaling as a novel neurobiological substrate for autism risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel S Rieger
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Alexandra J Ng
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Shanon Lee
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Bridget H Brady
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - John P Christianson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
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15
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Smith K, Lacadie CM, Milivojevic V, Fogelman N, Sinha R. Sex differences in neural responses to stress and drug cues predicts future drug use in individuals with substance use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 244:109794. [PMID: 36758371 PMCID: PMC10024802 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substance use disorders (SUDs) are chronically recurring illnesses, where stress and drug cues significantly increase drug craving and risk of drug use recurrence. This study examined sex differences in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain responses to stress and drug cue exposure and assessed their prospective association with future drug use post-treatment. METHODS Inpatient, treatment engaged men (N = 46) and women (N = 26) with SUDs, including alcohol, cocaine and/or cannabis use disorders, participated in an fMRI scan that assessed subjective (anxiety, drug craving), heart rate and neural responses to brief individualized script-driven imagery of stress, drug, and neutral-relaxing trials. Prospective follow-up interviews post-treatment assessed future drug use recurrence over 90 days. RESULTS During fMRI, stress and drug versus neutral cue exposure led to increased anxiety, heart rate and craving responses (p's < 0.004) in both men and women, but greater drug cue-induced anxiety (p < .017) and higher drug use days during follow-up (p < .006) in women relative to men. In whole brain analyses of stress and drug cues (p < .05 FWE corrected), and in whole brain correlation (p < .05, FWE corrected) with drug use days, significant sex differences revealed drug cue-related striatal hyperactivation (caudate, putamen) in men, but drug cue-related cortico-limbic (insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) hypoactivation and stress-related hypoactivation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VmPFC) in women; and these were significantly associated with higher future drug use days. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate sex-specific pathophysiology of SUD recurrence and support the need for differential treatment development for men and women with SUD to improve drug use outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisha Smith
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Cheryl M Lacadie
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, United States
| | - Verica Milivojevic
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Nia Fogelman
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Yale Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
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16
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Holladay SD. Environmental contaminants, endocrine disruption, and transgender: Can "born that way" in some cases be toxicologically real? Hum Exp Toxicol 2023; 42:9603271231203382. [PMID: 37751728 DOI: 10.1177/09603271231203382] [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] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Gender is viewed by many as strictly binary based on a collection of body traits typical of a female or male phenotype, presence of a genotype that includes at least one copy of a Y chromosome, or ability to produce either egg or sperm cells. A growing non-binary view is that these descriptors, while compelling, may nonetheless fail to accurately capture an individual's true gender. The position of the American Psychological Association (APA) agrees with this view and is that transgender people are a defendable and real part of the human population. The considerable diversity of transgender expression then argues against any unitary or simple explanations, however, prenatal hormone levels, genetic influences, and early and later life experiences have been suggested as playing roles in development of transgender identities. The present review considers existing and emerging toxicologic data that may also support an environmental chemical contribution to some transgender identities, and suggest the possibility of a growing nonbinary brain gender continuum in the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven David Holladay
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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17
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Knouse MC, McGrath AG, Deutschmann AU, Rich MT, Zallar LJ, Rajadhyaksha AM, Briand LA. Sex differences in the medial prefrontal cortical glutamate system. Biol Sex Differ 2022; 13:66. [PMID: 36348414 PMCID: PMC9641904 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-022-00468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex underlies a variety of psychiatric illnesses, including substance use disorder, depression, and anxiety. Despite the established sex differences in prevalence and presentation of these illnesses, the neural mechanisms driving these differences are largely unexplored. Here, we investigate potential sex differences in glutamatergic transmission within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The goal of these experiments was to determine if there are baseline sex differences in transmission within this region that may underlie sex differences in diseases that involve dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex. METHODS Adult male and female C57Bl/6J mice were used for all experiments. Mice were killed and bilateral tissue samples were taken from the medial prefrontal cortex for western blotting. Both synaptosomal and total GluA1 and GluA2 levels were measured. In a second set of experiments, mice were killed and ex vivo slice electrophysiology was performed on prepared tissue from the medial prefrontal cortex. Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and rectification indices were measured. RESULTS Females exhibit higher levels of synaptosomal GluA1 and GluA2 in the mPFC compared to males. Despite similar trends, no statistically significant differences are seen in total levels of GluA1 and GluA2. Females also exhibit both a higher amplitude and higher frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and greater inward rectification in the mPFC compared to males. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we conclude that there are sex differences in glutamatergic transmission in the mPFC. Our data suggest that females have higher levels of glutamatergic transmission in this region. This provides evidence that the development of sex-specific pharmacotherapies for various psychiatric diseases is important to create more effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C. Knouse
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Anna G. McGrath
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Andre U. Deutschmann
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Matthew T. Rich
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Lia J. Zallar
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Pediatric Neurology, Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
| | - Lisa A. Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
- Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA
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18
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Bowman R, Frankfurt M, Luine V. Sex differences in cognition following variations in endocrine status. Learn Mem 2022; 29:234-245. [PMID: 36206395 PMCID: PMC9488023 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053509.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Spatial memory, mediated primarily by the hippocampus, is responsible for orientation in space and retrieval of information regarding location of objects and places in an animal's environment. Since the hippocampus is dense with steroid hormone receptors and is capable of robust neuroplasticity, it is not surprising that changes in spatial memory performance occur following a variety of endocrine alterations. Here, we review cognitive changes in both spatial and nonspatial memory tasks following manipulations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and gonadal axes and after exposure to endocrine disruptors in rodents. Chronic stress impairs male performance on numerous behavioral cognitive tasks and enhances or does not impact female cognitive function. Sex-dependent changes in cognition following stress are influenced by both organizational and activational effects of estrogen and vary depending on the developmental age of the stress exposure, but responses to gonadal hormones in adulthood are more similar than different in the sexes. Also discussed are possible underlying neural mechanisms for these steroid hormone-dependent, cognitive effects. Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, given at low levels during adolescent development, impairs spatial memory in adolescent male and female rats and object recognition memory in adulthood. BPA's negative effects on memory may be mediated through alterations in dendritic spine density in areas that mediate these cognitive tasks. In summary, this review discusses the evidence that endocrine status of an animal (presence or absence of stress hormones, gonadal hormones, or endocrine disruptors) impacts cognitive function and, at times, in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Bowman
- Department of Psychology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut 06825, USA
| | - Maya Frankfurt
- Department of Psychology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut 06825, USA
- Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York 11549, USA
| | - Victoria Luine
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College of City University of New York, New York, New York 10065, USA
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19
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Alcohol Deprivation Differentially Changes Alcohol Intake in Female and Male Rats Depending on Early-Life Stressful Experience. NEUROSCI 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/neurosci3020016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiencing early-life adverse events has enduring effects on individual vulnerability to alcohol abuse and the development of addiction-related behaviors. In rodents, it can be studied using maternal separation (MS) stress. Studies have shown that, depending on the protocol used, MS can affect the mother and pups’ behavior and are associated with behavioral alterations later in adulthood, associated with both positive or negative outcomes. However, it is not fully elucidated how MS affects relapse-like behaviors when experienced by female or male individuals. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of brief and prolonged MS on the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) in female and male rats. Female and male Wistar rats were exposed to brief (15 min/day) or prolonged (180 min/day) MS from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 10. Later, during adulthood (PND 70), animals were submitted to an ADE protocol. Brief MS exposure prevented the ADE in both females and males, while prolonged MS exposure also prevented the ADE in female rats. Moreover, the ADE was more robust in females when compared to males. In conclusion, we showed that male and female rats are differentially affected by alcohol deprivation periods depending on their early-life experiences.
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20
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Chaudhari PR, Singla A, Vaidya VA. Early Adversity and Accelerated Brain Aging: A Mini-Review. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:822917. [PMID: 35392273 PMCID: PMC8980717 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.822917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early adversity is an important risk factor that influences brain aging. Diverse animal models of early adversity, including gestational stress and postnatal paradigms disrupting dam-pup interactions evoke not only persistent neuroendocrine dysfunction and anxio-depressive behaviors, but also perturb the trajectory of healthy brain aging. The process of brain aging is thought to involve hallmark features such as mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, evoking impairments in neuronal bioenergetics. Furthermore, brain aging is associated with disrupted proteostasis, progressively defective epigenetic and DNA repair mechanisms, the build-up of neuroinflammatory states, thus cumulatively driving cellular senescence, neuronal and cognitive decline. Early adversity is hypothesized to evoke an “allostatic load” via an influence on several of the key physiological processes that define the trajectory of healthy brain aging. In this review we discuss the evidence that animal models of early adversity impinge on fundamental mechanisms of brain aging, setting up a substratum that can accelerate and compromise the time-line and nature of brain aging, and increase risk for aging-associated neuropathologies.
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21
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Sex-dependent effects of chronic exercise on cognitive flexibility but not hippocampal Bdnf in aging mice. Neuronal Signal 2022; 6:NS20210053. [PMID: 35036000 PMCID: PMC8734434 DOI: 10.1042/ns20210053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairments associated with advanced age involve alterations in the hippocampus that changes with experience throughout life. The hippocampus is critical for cognitive flexibility involved with extinction and reinstatement of conditioned fear. It is widely accepted that regular exercise can be beneficial for hippocampal function. Therefore, we asked whether chronic voluntary exercise in middle-aged mice can improve extinction and/or reinstatement of conditioned fear compared with standard-housing. Eight-month-old male and female C57Bl/6J mice had access to a running wheel or remained in standard-housing until 11 months of age. Alongside control standard-housed young adult (3-month-old) mice, they received tone-footshock pairings, which were subsequently extinguished with tone-alone presentations the next day. Half of the mice then received a reminder in the form of a single footshock. Male and female 11-month-old mice housed in standard conditions exhibited impaired reinstatement compared with young adult mice. However, for males that had access to a running wheel from 8 months of age, the reminder treatment rescued reinstatement ability. This was not observed in females. Additionally, exercise during middle age in both sexes increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA in the hippocampus, specifically exon 4 mRNA. These results show that, at least for males, physical exercise is beneficial for reducing age-related decline in cognitive abilities. Despite not affecting reinstatement, exercise also increased Bdnf gene expression in the female hippocampus, which could potentially benefit other forms of hippocampus-dependent cognition.
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22
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Influences of Taurine Pharmacodynamics and Sex on Active Avoidance Learning and Memory. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1370:381-393. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-93337-1_36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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23
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Ellis SN, Honeycutt JA. Sex Differences in Affective Dysfunction and Alterations in Parvalbumin in Rodent Models of Early Life Adversity. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:741454. [PMID: 34803622 PMCID: PMC8600234 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.741454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The early life environment markedly influences brain and behavioral development, with adverse experiences associated with increased risk of anxiety and depressive phenotypes, particularly in females. Indeed, early life adversity (ELA) in humans (i.e., caregiver deprivation, maltreatment) and rodents (i.e., maternal separation, resource scarcity) is associated with sex-specific emergence of anxious and depressive behaviors. Although these disorders show clear sex differences in humans, little attention has been paid toward evaluating sex as a biological variable in models of affective dysfunction; however, recent rodent work suggests sex-specific effects. Two widely used rodent models of ELA approximate caregiver deprivation (i.e., maternal separation) and resource scarcity (i.e., limited bedding). While these approaches model aspects of ELA experienced in humans, they span different portions of the pre-weaning developmental period and may therefore differentially contribute to underlying mechanistic risk. This is borne out in the literature, where evidence suggests differences in trajectories of behavior depending on the type of ELA and/or sex; however, the neural underpinning of these differences is not well understood. Because anxiety and depression are thought to involve dysregulation in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory signaling in ELA-vulnerable brain regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus), outcomes are likely driven by alterations in local and/or circuit-specific inhibitory activity. The most abundant GABAergic subtypes in the brain, accounting for approximately 40% of inhibitory neurons, contain the calcium-binding protein Parvalbumin (PV). As PV-expressing neurons have perisomatic and proximal dendritic targets on pyramidal neurons, they are well-positioned to regulate excitatory/inhibitory balance. Recent evidence suggests that PV outcomes following ELA are sex, age, and region-specific and may be influenced by the type and timing of ELA. Here, we suggest the possibility of a combined role of PV and sex hormones driving differences in behavioral outcomes associated with affective dysfunction following ELA. This review evaluates the literature across models of ELA to characterize neural (PV) and behavioral (anxiety- and depressive-like) outcomes as a function of sex and age. Additionally, we detail a putative mechanistic role of PV on ELA-related outcomes and discuss evidence suggesting hormone influences on PV expression/function which may help to explain sex differences in ELA outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seneca N Ellis
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
| | - Jennifer A Honeycutt
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States.,Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
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24
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Drummond KD, Waring ML, Faulkner GJ, Blewitt ME, Perry CJ, Kim JH. Hippocampal neurogenesis mediates sex-specific effects of social isolation and exercise on fear extinction in adolescence. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100367. [PMID: 34337114 PMCID: PMC8313755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired extinction of conditioned fear is associated with anxiety disorders. Common lifestyle factors, like isolation stress and exercise, may alter the ability to extinguish fear. However, the effect of and interplay between these factors on adolescent fear extinction, and the relevant underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Here we examined the effects of periadolescent social isolation and physical activity on adolescent fear extinction in rats and explored neurogenesis as a potential mechanism. Isolation stress impaired extinction recall in male adolescents, an effect prevented by exercise. Extinction recall in female adolescents was unaffected by isolation stress. However, exercise disrupted extinction recall in isolated females. Extinction recall in isolated females was positively correlated to the number of immature neurons in the ventral hippocampus, suggesting that exercise affected extinction recall via neurogenesis in females. Pharmacologically suppressing cellular proliferation in isolated adolescents using temozolomide blocked the effect of exercise on extinction recall in both sexes. Together, these findings highlight sex-specific outcomes of isolation stress and exercise on adolescent brain and behavior, and highlights neurogenesis as a potential mechanism underlying lifestyle effects on adolescent fear extinction. Periadolescent isolation stress disrupted extinction recall in male adolescents. Running prevented isolation-induced extinction recall deficit in male adolescents. Exercise impaired extinction recall in isolated female adolescents. Exercise increased hippocampal neurogenesis, except in isolated males. Suppression of neurogenesis blocked exercise effects in isolated adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D Drummond
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Michelle L Waring
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Geoffrey J Faulkner
- Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Marnie E Blewitt
- The Epigenetics and Development Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.,The Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Christina J Perry
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,IMPACT - the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
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25
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Drzewiecki CM, Willing J, Cortes LR, Juraska JM. Adolescent stress during, but not after, pubertal onset impairs indices of prepulse inhibition in adult rats. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:837-850. [PMID: 33629385 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to stress during adolescence is a risk factor for developing several psychiatric disorders, many of which involve prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction. The human PFC and analogous rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) continue to mature functionally and anatomically during adolescence, and some of these maturational events coincide with pubertal onset. As developing brain regions are more susceptible to the negative effects of stress, this may make puberty especially vulnerable. To test this, we exposed male and female rats to isolation and restraint stress during the onset of puberty or during the post-pubertal period of adolescence. In young adulthood, both stressed groups and an unstressed control group underwent testing on a battery of tasks to assess emotional and cognitive behaviors, and the volume of the mPFC was quantified postmortem. Factor analysis revealed only subjects stressed peri-pubertally showed a long-term deficiency compared to controls in prepulse inhibition. Additionally, both sexes showed volumetric mPFC decreases following adolescent stress, and these losses were most pronounced in females. Our findings suggest that pubertal onset may be a vulnerable window wherein adolescents are most susceptible to the negative consequences of stress exposure. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of accounting for pubertal status when studying adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly M Drzewiecki
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Jari Willing
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, 822 E Merry Ave, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Laura R Cortes
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Janice M Juraska
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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26
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Tan SZK, Kim JH. mGlu5: A double-edged sword for aversive learning related therapeutics. NEUROANATOMY AND BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.35430/nab.2021.e16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Aversive memories underlie many types of anxiety disorders. One area of research to more effectively treat anxiety disorders has therefore been identifying pharmacological targets to affect memory processes. Among these targets, the metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor (mGlu5) has received attention due to the availability of drugs to utilize its role in learning and memory. In this review, we highlight preclinical studies examining the role of mGlu5 at various stages of aversive learning and its inhibition via extinction in order to gain a better understanding of its therapeutic potential. We suggest that mGlu5 has distinct roles at different stages of memory that not only makes it a tricky target, but a double-edged sword as a therapeutic. However, the selective involvement of mGlu5 in different memory stages allows for certain precision that could be harnessed clinically. We therefore suggest potential applications, limitations, and pitfalls when considering use of mGlu5 modulators as therapeutics. In addition, we recommend future studies to address important gaps in this literature, such as sex and age factors in light of anxiety disorders being more prevalent in those demographics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn Zheng Kai Tan
- School of Biomedical Science, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- IMPACT – the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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27
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Endo N, Makinodan M, Mannari-Sasagawa T, Horii-Hayashi N, Somayama N, Komori T, Kishimoto T, Nishi M. The effects of maternal separation on behaviours under social-housing environments in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Sci Rep 2021; 11:527. [PMID: 33436833 PMCID: PMC7804413 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80206-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse experience in early life can affect the formation of neuronal circuits during postnatal development and exert long-lasting influences on neural functions that can lead to the development of a variety of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many studies have demonstrated that daily repeated maternal separation, an animal model of early-life stress, can induce impairments in emotional behaviours and cognitive function during adolescence and adulthood. However, the behavioural phenotypes of maternally separated mice under long-term group-housing conditions are largely unknown. In this study, we applied our newly developed assay system to investigate the effects of maternal separation on behaviours under group-housing conditions during four days of continuous observations. Using our system, we found that repeated maternal separation resulted in inappropriate social distance from cagemates, altered approach preferences to others, and induced a lower rank in the time spent on the running wheel under group-housing conditions in adult male mice. Focussing on these behavioural abnormalities that appear in an environment with a social context will be important insights to understand the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Endo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Manabu Makinodan
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Takayo Mannari-Sasagawa
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
- Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women's University, Nara, 630-8506, Japan
| | - Noriko Horii-Hayashi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Nami Somayama
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Takashi Komori
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Kishimoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan
| | - Mayumi Nishi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8521, Japan.
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