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Arrondeau C, Urueña-Méndez G, Bellés L, Marchessaux F, Goutaudier R, Ginovart N. Motor impulsivity but not risk-related impulsive choice is associated to drug intake and drug-primed relapse. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1200392. [PMID: 37333480 PMCID: PMC10275384 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1200392] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Motor impulsivity and risk-related impulsive choice have been proposed as vulnerability factors for drug abuse, due to their high prevalence in drug abusers. However, how these two facets of impulsivity are associated to drug abuse remains unclear. Here, we investigated the predictive value of both motor impulsivity and risk-related impulsive choice on characteristics of drug abuse including initiation and maintenance of drug use, motivation for the drug, extinction of drug-seeking behavior following drug discontinuation and, finally, propensity to relapse. Methods We used the Roman High- (RHA) and Low- Avoidance (RLA) rat lines, which display innate phenotypical differences in motor impulsivity, risk-related impulsive choice, and propensity to self-administer drugs. Individual levels of motor impulsivity and risk-related impulsive choice were measured using the rat Gambling task. Then, rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.3 mg/kg/infusion; 14 days) to evaluate acquisition and maintenance of cocaine self-administration, after which motivation for cocaine was assessed using a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Subsequently, rats were tested for their resistance to extinction, followed by cue-induced and drug-primed reinstatement sessions to evaluate relapse. Finally, we evaluated the effect of the dopamine stabilizer aripiprazole on reinstatement of drug-seeking behaviors. Results We found that motor impulsivity and risk-related impulsive choice were positively correlated at baseline. Furthermore, innate high levels of motor impulsivity were associated with higher drug use and increased vulnerability to cocaine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking. However, no relationships were observed between motor impulsivity and the motivation for the drug, extinction or cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking. High levels of risk-related impulsive choice were not associated to any aspects of drug abuse measured in our study. Additionally, aripiprazole similarly blocked cocaine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking in both high- and low-impulsive animals, suggesting that aripiprazole acts as a D2/3R antagonist to prevent relapse independently of the levels of impulsivity and propensity to self-administer drugs. Discussion Altogether, our study highlights motor impulsivity as an important predictive factor for drug abuse and drug-primed relapse. On the other hand, the involvement of risk-related impulsive choice as a risk factor for drug abuse appears to be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Arrondeau
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ginna Urueña-Méndez
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lidia Bellés
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Florian Marchessaux
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Raphaël Goutaudier
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Ginovart
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Boyle CA, Lei S. Neuromedin B excites central lateral amygdala neurons and reduces cardiovascular output and fear-potentiated startle. J Cell Physiol 2023; 238:1381-1404. [PMID: 37186390 PMCID: PMC10330072 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31020] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) are the two mammalian analogs in the bombesin peptide family that exert a variety of actions including emotional processing, appetitive behaviors, cognition, and tumor growth. The bombesin-like peptides interact with three receptors: the NMB-preferring bombesin 1 (BB1) receptors, the GRP-preferring bombesin 2 (BB2) receptors and the orphan bombesin 3 (BB3) receptors. Whereas, injection of bombesin into the central amygdala reduces satiety and modulates blood pressure, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been determined. As administration of bombesin induces the expression of Fos in the lateral nucleus of the central amygdala (CeL) which expresses BB1 receptors, we probed the effects of NMB on CeL neurons using in vitro and in vivo approaches. We showed that activation of the BB1 receptors increased action potential firing frequency recorded from CeL neurons via inhibition of the inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels. Activities of phospholipase Cβ and protein kinase C were required, whereas intracellular Ca2+ release was unnecessary for BB1 receptor-elicited potentiation of neuronal excitability. Application of NMB directly into the CeA reduced blood pressure and heart rate and significantly reduced fear-potentiated startle. We may provide a cellular and molecular mechanism whereby bombesin-like peptides modulate anxiety and fear responses in the amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A. Boyle
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
| | - Saobo Lei
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA
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Khakpay R, Khakpai F. Modulation of anxiety behavior in gonadectomized animals. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2020. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2020-019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Fulford D, Treadway M, Woolley J. Social motivation in schizophrenia: The impact of oxytocin on vigor in the context of social and nonsocial reinforcement. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 127:116-128. [PMID: 29369669 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Experiential negative symptoms-including diminished motivation-have a profound impact on functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Animal research suggests that abnormalities in dopaminergic regulation can negatively impact effort exertion, a translational model that has been applied to individuals with schizophrenia. Paradigms that assess effort-based decision making, for example, suggest less likelihood of choosing high effort tasks that are high in probability of success, and this preference varies with negative symptoms and impaired functioning. Although asociality is another well-documented component of experiential negative symptoms, it is unclear whether diminished motivation for monetary reward extends to the social domain. To test this question, the authors designed the Social Vigor Task (SVT)-a measure of effort exertion in the context of live social encouragement. They further examined the effect of oxytocin, a neuropeptide implicated in social behavior, on vigor. Forty-two individuals with schizophrenia and 43 healthy controls completed the SVT twice: once after intranasal administration of saline placebo and again after oxytocin. Both groups showed similar increases in vigor in response to social encouragement, suggesting effort in the social context is spared in schizophrenia. Group differences in the effect of social encouragement on vigor varied by point-based reward rate and trial length. Oxytocin did not increase vigor during social encouragement in either group. Within the schizophrenia group, clinician-rated passive social withdrawal, but not active social avoidance, was negatively associated with vigor. Results suggest that people with schizophrenia show normative levels of effort in the context of social encouragement; low approach motivation, however, relates to lower effort. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Fulford
- Departments of Occupational Therapy and Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University
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Zhao Y, Bijlsma EY, Verdouw MP, Groenink L. No effect of sex and estrous cycle on the fear potentiated startle response in rats. Behav Brain Res 2018; 351:24-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Pooley AE, Benjamin RC, Sreedhar S, Eagle AL, Robison AJ, Mazei-Robison MS, Breedlove SM, Jordan CL. Sex differences in the traumatic stress response: the role of adult gonadal hormones. Biol Sex Differ 2018; 9:32. [PMID: 30001741 PMCID: PMC6043950 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-018-0192-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Our previous study revealed that adult female rats respond differently to trauma than adult males, recapitulating sex differences in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibited by women and men. Here, we asked two questions: does the female phenotype depend on (1) social housing condition and/or (2) circulating gonadal hormones? Methods For the first study, the effects of single prolonged stress (SPS) were compared for females singly or pair-housed. For the second study, adult male and female rats were gonadectomized or sham-gonadectomized 2 weeks prior to exposure to SPS, with half the gonadectomized rats given testosterone. In addition to the typical measures of the trauma response in rats, acoustic startle response (ASR), and the dexamethasone suppression test (DST), we also used two other measures typically used to assess depressive-like responses, social interaction and sucrose preference. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in the hypothalamus was also examined. Results We now report that the distinct trauma response of female rats is not influenced by social housing condition. Moreover, sex differences in the response to SPS based on ASR and DST, replicated in the current study, are independent of adult gonadal hormones. Regardless of hormonal status, traumatized males show a hyper-responsive phenotype whereas traumatized females do not. Moreover, testosterone treatment in adulthood did not masculinize the response to trauma in females. Notably, both sucrose preference and social interaction tests revealed an effect of trauma in females but not in males, with the effects of SPS on sucrose preference dependent on ovarian hormones. Effects of SPS on GR expression in the hypothalamus also depended on gonadal hormones in females. Conclusions We propose that the trauma response for female rats is depressive in nature, recapitulating the female bias in PTSD for internalizing symptoms and major depression in contrast to the externalizing symptoms of males. Presumed core markers of PTSD (enhanced ASR and negative feedback control of corticosterone) are apparently relevant only to males and are independent of adult gonadal hormones. Such sex differences in trauma responding are likely determined earlier in life. We conclude that males and females show fundamentally different responses to trauma that do not simply reflect differences in resilience. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13293-018-0192-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apryl E Pooley
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Rebecca C Benjamin
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Susheela Sreedhar
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Andrew L Eagle
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 2201 BPS, 567 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Alfred J Robison
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 2201 BPS, 567 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Michelle S Mazei-Robison
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 2201 BPS, 567 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - S Marc Breedlove
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Cynthia L Jordan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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Hantsoo L, Golden CEM, Kornfield S, Grillon C, Epperson CN. Startling Differences: Using the Acoustic Startle Response to Study Sex Differences and Neurosteroids in Affective Disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2018; 20:40. [PMID: 29777410 PMCID: PMC6050032 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-018-0906-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [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] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Neuroactive steroid hormones, such as estradiol and progesterone, likely play a role in the pathophysiology of female-specific psychiatric disorders such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and postpartum depression and may contribute to the marked sex differences observed in the incidence and presentation of affective disorders. However, few tools are available to study the precise contributions of these neuroactive steroids (NSs). In this review, we propose that the acoustic startle response (ASR), an objective measure of an organism's response to an emotional context or stressor, is sensitive to NSs. As such, the ASR represents a unique translational tool that may help to elucidate the contribution of NSs to sex differences in psychiatric disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Findings suggest that anxiety-potentiated startle (APS) and prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI) are the most robust ASR paradigms for assessing contribution of NSs to affective disorders, while affective startle response modulation (ASRM) appears less diagnostic of sex or menstrual cycle (MC) effects. However, few studies have appropriately used ASR to test a priori hypotheses about sex or MC differences. We recommend that ASR studies account for sex as a biological variable (SABV) and hormonal status to further knowledge of NS contribution to affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liisa Hantsoo
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Carla E M Golden
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sara Kornfield
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Christian Grillon
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - C Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Penn PROMOTES Research on Sex and Gender in Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Sun N, Lu H, Qu C. Sex differences in extinction to negative stimuli: Event-related brain potentials. Medicine (Baltimore) 2018; 97:e0503. [PMID: 29703014 PMCID: PMC5944551 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000010503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
There are controversial observations regarding whether females have a longer time to extinction than men, which may be related to different levels of conditioning acquisition and/or the influence of the menstrual cycle. We explored the electrophysiological evidence of sex differences in extinction.In this study, females in the luteal phase and menstrual phase were examined for event-related potential (ERP) and evidence of attention allocation in the conditioning model using electroencephalogram recordings. A group of male participants was also included and compared.Women in the luteal phase had a higher difference waveform of P3 amplitude to conditioned stimulus (CS) in the extinction phase than women in the menstrual phase and men. There was a shorter latency of P3 to CS+ in men than in women in the extinction phase, suggesting that men react faster than women to unconditioned stimulus (US) expectation. Our study revealed that women in the luteal phase allocated more attentive resources to the expectation of a US. In contrast, men displayed faster expectation of the extinguished US than women. Our results support the superiority of ERP technology in documenting the neural mechanism of the extinction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Sun
- School of Education
- Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University
| | - Hong Lu
- School of Education
- Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University
| | - Chen Qu
- Psychology Research Center, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Salvatore M, Wiersielis KR, Luz S, Waxler DE, Bhatnagar S, Bangasser DA. Sex differences in circuits activated by corticotropin releasing factor in rats. Horm Behav 2018; 97:145-153. [PMID: 29037972 PMCID: PMC5831187 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Women are more likely than men to suffer from psychiatric disorders characterized by corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) hypersecretion, suggesting sex differences in CRF sensitivity. In rodents, sex differences in the sensitivity of specific brain regions to CRF have been identified. However, regions do not work in isolation, but rather form circuits to coordinate distinct responses to stressful events. Here we examined whether CRF activates different circuits in male and female rats. Following central administration of CRF or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF), neuronal activation in stress-related areas was assessed using cFOS. Functional connectivity was gauged by correlating the number of cFOS-positive cells between regions and then identifying differences within each sex in correlations for aCSF-treated and CRF-treated groups. This analysis revealed that CRF altered different circuits in males and females. As an example, CRF altered correlations involving the dorsal raphe in males and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in females, suggesting sex differences in stress-activated circuits controlling mood and anxiety. Next, plasma estradiol and progesterone levels were correlated with cFOS counts in females. Negative correlations between estradiol and neuronal activation in the regions within the extended amygdala were found in CRF-treated, but not aCSF-treated females. This result suggests that estrogens and CRF together modulate the fear and anxiety responses mediated by these regions. Collectively, these studies reveal sex differences in the way brain regions work together in response to CRF. These differences could drive different stress coping strategies in males and females, perhaps contributing to sex biases in psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Salvatore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Kimberly R Wiersielis
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Sandra Luz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - David E Waxler
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Seema Bhatnagar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
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Voulo ME, Parsons RG. Response-specific sex difference in the retention of fear extinction. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:245-251. [PMID: 28507033 PMCID: PMC5435884 DOI: 10.1101/lm.045641.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Fear conditioning studies in rodents allow us to assess vulnerability factors which might underlie fear-based psychopathology such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite PTSD being more prevalent in females than males, very few fear conditioning studies in rodents have tested females. Our study assessed fear conditioning and extinction in male and female rats using both fear-potentiated startle and freezing behavior as measures. Rats were trained to fear cues that predicted the occurrence of shock and then subsequently exposed to an extinction training procedure where the cue was presented repeatedly in the absence of shock. Retention of the extinction memory was assessed the next day. Our results showed that females exhibited less retention of fear extinction, but only when measured by fear-potentiated startle. Our results highlight the importance of using multiple indices of fear behavior, particularly when comparing sexes on measures of extinction learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan E Voulo
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Ryan G Parsons
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
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Acca GM, Mathew AS, Jin J, Maren S, Nagaya N. Allopregnanolone induces state-dependent fear via the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Horm Behav 2017; 89:137-144. [PMID: 28104355 PMCID: PMC5381271 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gonadal steroids and their metabolites have been shown to be important modulators of emotional behavior. Allopregnanolone (ALLO), for example, is a metabolite of progesterone that has been linked to anxiety-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. In rodents, it has been shown to reduce anxiety in a number of behavioral paradigms including Pavlovian fear conditioning. We have recently found that expression of conditioned contextual (but not auditory) freezing in rats can be suppressed by infusion of ALLO into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). To further explore the nature of this effect, we infused ALLO into the BNST of male rats prior to both conditioning and testing. We found that suppression of contextual fear occurred when the hormone was present during either conditioning or testing but not during both procedures, suggesting that ALLO acts in a state-dependent manner within the BNST. A shift in interoceptive context during testing for animals conditioned under ALLO provided further support for this mechanism of hormonal action on contextual fear. Interestingly, infusions of ALLO into the basolateral amygdala produced a state-independent suppression of both conditioned contextual and auditory freezing. Altogether, these results suggest that ALLO can influence the acquisition and expression of fear memories by both state-dependent and state-independent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian M Acca
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Abel S Mathew
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jingji Jin
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Maren
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Naomi Nagaya
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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van Honk J, Bos PA, Terburg D, Heany S, Stein DJ. Neuroendocrine models of social anxiety disorder. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015. [PMID: 26487809 PMCID: PMC4610613 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2015.17.3/jhonk] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder with key behavioral traits of social fearfulness, social avoidance, and submissiveness. Here we argue that hormonal systems play a key role in mediating social anxiety, and so may be important in SAD. Hormonal alterations, often established early in development through the interaction between biological and psychological factors (eg, genetic predisposition x early trauma), predispose to socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. However, whereas gene variants and histories of trauma persist, hormonal systems can be remodeled over the course of life. Hormones play a key role during the periods of all sensitive developmental windows (ie, prenatal, neonatal, puberty, aging), and are capable of opening up new developmental windows in adulthood. Indeed, the developmental plasticity of our social brain, and thus of social behavior in adulthood, critically depends on steroid hormones such as testosterone and peptide hormones such as oxytocin. These steroid and peptide hormones in interaction with social experiences may have potential for reprogramming the socially anxious brain. Certainly, single administrations of oxytocin and testosterone in humans reduce socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. Such work may ultimately lead to new approaches to the treatment of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack van Honk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Peter A Bos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Heany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
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Morrison TR, Ricci LA, Melloni RH. Anabolic/androgenic steroid administration during adolescence and adulthood differentially modulates aggression and anxiety. Horm Behav 2015; 69:132-8. [PMID: 25655668 PMCID: PMC4359666 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2014] [Revised: 01/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Anabolic/androgenic steroid (AAS) use remains high in both teens and adults in the U.S. and worldwide despite studies showing that AAS use is associated with a higher incidence of aggression and anxiety. Recently we showed that chronic exposure to AAS through adolescence increases aggression and decreases anxious behaviors, while during AAS-withdrawal aggression is lowered to species-normative levels and anxiety increases. AAS exposure is known to differentially alter behaviors and their underlying neural substrates between adults and adolescents and thus the current study investigated whether exposure to AAS during adulthood affects the relationship between aggression and anxiety in a manner similar to that previously observed in adolescents. Male hamsters were administered a moderate dose of AAS (5.0mg/kg/day×30days) during adolescence (P27-56) or young adulthood (P65-P94) and then tested for aggression and anxiety during AAS exposure (i.e., on P57 or P95) and during AAS withdrawal (i.e., 30days later on P77 or P115). Adolescent exposure to AAS increased aggressive responding during the AAS exposure period and anxiety-like responding during AAS withdrawal. Neither behavior was similarly influenced by adult exposure to AAS. Adult AAS exposure produced no difference in aggressive responding during AAS exposure (P95) or AAS withdrawal (P115); however, while AAS exposure during adulthood produced no difference in anxiety-like responding during AAS exposure, adult hamsters administered AAS were less anxious than vehicle control animals following AAS withdrawal. Together these data suggest that the aggression and anxiety provoking influence of AAS are likely a developmental phenomenon and that adult exposure to AAS may be anxiolytic over the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R Morrison
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, 125 Nightingale Hall, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02155, USA
| | - Lesley A Ricci
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, 125 Nightingale Hall, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02155, USA
| | - Richard H Melloni
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, 125 Nightingale Hall, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02155, USA.
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Kelly B, Maguire-Herring V, Rose CM, Gore HE, Ferrigno S, Novak MA, Lacreuse A. Short-term testosterone manipulations do not affect cognition or motor function but differentially modulate emotions in young and older male rhesus monkeys. Horm Behav 2014; 66:731-42. [PMID: 25308086 PMCID: PMC4262694 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Revised: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Human aging is characterized by declines in cognition and fine motor function as well as improved emotional regulation. In men, declining levels of testosterone (T) with age have been implicated in the development of these age-related changes. However, studies examining the effects of T replacement on cognition, emotion and fine motor function in older men have not provided consistent results. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are excellent models for human cognitive aging and may provide novel insights on this issue. We tested 10 aged intact male rhesus monkeys (mean age=19, range 15-25) on a battery of cognitive, motor and emotional tasks at baseline and under low or high T experimental conditions. Their performance was compared to that of 6 young males previously tested in the same paradigm (Lacreuse et al., 2009; Lacreuse et al., 2010). Following a 4-week baseline testing period, monkeys were treated with a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (Depot Lupron, 200 μg/kg) to suppress endogenous T and were tested on the task battery under a 4-week high T condition (injection of Lupron+T enanthate, 20 mg/kg, n=8) or 4-week low T condition (injection of Lupron+oil vehicle, n=8) before crossing over to the opposite treatment. The cognitive tasks consisted of the Delayed Non-Matching-to-Sample (DNMS), the Delayed Response (DR), and the Delayed Recognition Span Test (spatial-DRST). The emotional tasks included an object Approach-Avoidance task and a task in which monkeys were played videos of unfamiliar conspecifics in different emotional context (Social Playbacks). The fine motor task was the Lifesaver task that required monkeys to remove a Lifesaver candy from rods of different complexity. T manipulations did not significantly affect visual recognition memory, working memory, reference memory or fine motor function at any age. In the Approach-Avoidance task, older monkeys, but not younger monkeys, spent more time in proximity of novel objects in the high T condition relative to the low T condition. In both age groups, high T increased watching time of threatening social stimuli in the Social Playbacks. These results suggest that T affects some aspects of emotional processing but has no effect on fine motor function or cognition in young or older male macaques. It is possible that the duration of T treatment was not long enough to affect cognition or fine motor function or that T levels were too high to improve these outcomes. An alternative explanation for the discrepancies of our findings with some of the cognitive and emotional effects of T reported in rodents and humans may be the use of a chemical castration, which reduced circulating gonadotropins in addition to T. Further studies will investigate whether the luteinizing hormone LH mediates the effects of T on brain function in male primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Kelly
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; Harvard Medical School, New England Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA 01772, USA; Behavioral Sciences, Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg MA 01420, USA
| | | | - Christian M Rose
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Heather E Gore
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Stephen Ferrigno
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Melinda A Novak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; Harvard Medical School, New England Primate Research Center, Southborough, MA 01772, USA
| | - Agnès Lacreuse
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Kokras N, Dalla C. Sex differences in animal models of psychiatric disorders. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 171:4595-619. [PMID: 24697577 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Revised: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders are characterized by sex differences in their prevalence, symptomatology and treatment response. Animal models have been widely employed for the investigation of the neurobiology of such disorders and the discovery of new treatments. However, mostly male animals have been used in preclinical pharmacological studies. In this review, we highlight the need for the inclusion of both male and female animals in experimental studies aiming at gender-oriented prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. We present behavioural findings on sex differences from animal models of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance-related disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism. Moreover, when available, we include studies conducted across different stages of the oestrous cycle. By inspection of the relevant literature, it is obvious that robust sex differences exist in models of all psychiatric disorders. However, many times results are conflicting, and no clear conclusion regarding the direction of sex differences and the effect of the oestrous cycle is drawn. Moreover, there is a lack of considerable amount of studies using psychiatric drugs in both male and female animals, in order to evaluate the differential response between the two sexes. Notably, while in most cases animal models successfully mimic drug response in both sexes, test parameters and treatment-sensitive behavioural indices are not always the same for male and female rodents. Thus, there is an increasing need to validate animal models for both sexes and use standard procedures across different laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece; First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece
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16
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He F. The relationship of prenatal ethanol exposure and anxiety-related behaviors and central androgen receptor and vasopressin expression in adult male mandarin voles. Neuroscience 2014; 266:224-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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17
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Prenatal nicotine exposure increases anxiety and modifies sensorimotor integration behaviors in adult female mice. Neurosci Res 2014; 79:41-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2013.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 10/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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18
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Inagaki H, Mori Y. Relationship between 22-kHz calls and testosterone in male rats. Horm Behav 2014; 65:42-6. [PMID: 24280555 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Ultrasonic calls in rats induced by the presence of a predator, referred to as "22-kHz calls," are mainly emitted by socially dominant male rats. Testosterone levels are closely related to social dominance in male rats. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the emission of stress-induced 22-kHz calls and circulating testosterone levels in male rats, using a combination of surgery (castration or sham operation) and chronic steroid administration (testosterone or cholesterol) to modify circulating testosterone levels. We also assessed the effects of androgen and/or estrogen receptor antagonists on the emission of 22-kHz calls in male rats. An air puff stimulus, known to reliably induce 22-kHz calls in rats, was used as a stressor. Castrated rats with cholesterol implants exhibited significantly fewer 22-kHz calls than rats that had received a sham operation and cholesterol implants, and there was no significant difference between castrated rats with testosterone implants and rats that had received a sham operation and cholesterol implants. Only male rats pretreated with a binary mixture of androgen and estrogen antagonists exhibited significantly fewer 22-kHz calls than controls. These results show that testosterone in male rats has a positive effect on the emission of stress-induced 22-kHz calls, and the calls may be regulated by the activation of both androgen and estrogen receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideaki Inagaki
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Yuji Mori
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Hawley WR, Grissom EM, Martin RC, Halmos MB, Bart CLS, Dohanich GP. Testosterone modulates spatial recognition memory in male rats. Horm Behav 2013; 63:559-65. [PMID: 23481590 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Revised: 02/09/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research indicates that testosterone influences spatial cognition in male rats; however, the overwhelming majority of studies have been conducted on tasks motivated by either food deprivation or water escape. The hippocampus-dependent version of the Y-maze task, which characterizes spatial recognition memory, capitalizes on the propensity of rats to gravitate toward novel spatial environments and is not contingent upon either appetite or the stress associated with water escape, two factors also affected by testosterone. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine the effects of orchidectomy and subsequent testosterone treatment on spatial recognition memory. Orchidectomy did not impact spatial recognition memory when the delay between the information and retention trials of the Y-maze task was 24h. Alternatively, on the second Y-maze task, which featured a 48-h delay between trials, orchidectomy reduced, and treatments that produced higher levels of testosterone restored, preference for the arm associated with the novel spatial environment. Importantly, there were no differences in activity levels as a function of orchidectomy or testosterone treatment on either of the two tasks. Consistent with previous findings, orchidectomy attenuated, and testosterone treatment restored, both body weight gain and the relative weight of the androgen-sensitive ischiocavernosus muscle, which confirmed the efficacy of orchidectomy and testosterone treatments on physiological outcomes. Therefore, testosterone influenced spatial cognition on a task that minimized the influence of non-mnemonic factors and took advantage of the innate preference of rodents to seek out novel spatial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne R Hawley
- Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA.
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20
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Suarez-Jimenez B, Gore HE, Hachey J, King HM, Lacreuse A. Testosterone modulation of anxiety in gonadally-suppressed male rhesus monkeys: a role for gonadotropins? Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 104:97-104. [PMID: 23333155 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) has repeatedly been shown to have anxiolytic properties in rodents, but findings in primates are more mixed. To examine the effects of exogenous T on anxiety, we tested pharmacologically-castrated adult male rhesus monkeys in a modified version of the Human Intruder Paradigm, which measured defensive responses to an unfamiliar human staring directly at them for 2 min. Monkeys were tested at 2 week intervals during 4 experimental conditions lasting 4 weeks each: at baseline, during treatment with the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist leuprolide acetate (200 μg/kg; Lupron phase), during treatment with Lupron+T enanthate (TE, 5 mg/kg; TE phase) and during treatment with Lupron+oil vehicle (oil phase). We found that the number of anxious behaviors was lower during periods of low T (Lupron only and Lupron+oil phases) than during the Lupron+TE phase. No change in pacing or watching behavior was observed. Thus, in contrast to rodent data, we found no evidence for anxiolytic properties of T in male rhesus monkeys. Rather, T supplementation restored baseline levels of anxiety in Lupron-treated monkeys. These discrepant findings may be best explained by the low levels of gonadotropins achieved by the GnRH agonist. We suggest that Lupron-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) suppression reduced anxiety and that this effect was abolished by T administration. This interpretation is consistent with the view that T increases emotional reactivity to a potential threat and facilitates adaptive arousal response in face of immediate social challenge.
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Sun N, Qu C, Zhao S, Yu L, Zheng X. Allocation of attention in response to novel neutral stimuli and predictive negative stimuli in men and women: an event-related potentials research study. BIOL RHYTHM RES 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/09291016.2011.605626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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22
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Yildirim BO, Derksen JJL. A review on the relationship between testosterone and the interpersonal/affective facet of psychopathy. Psychiatry Res 2012; 197:181-98. [PMID: 22342179 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2011.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2010] [Revised: 05/20/2011] [Accepted: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) has received increasing interest in the recent years as a probable biological determinant in the etiology of male-biased clinical conditions such as psychopathy (i.e. psychopathy is more prevalent in men and leads to an earlier onset and more severe expression of antisocial and aggressive behavior in men compared to women). In this review, the authors evaluated the potential relationship between T and different constructs closely related to the core characteristics of psychopathy (affective empathy, fear-reactivity, and instrumental aggression). After a thorough examination of the literature, it is concluded that high T exposure in utero and high circulating T levels throughout important life phases (most notably adolescence) or in response to social challenges (e.g. social stress, competition) could be an important etiological risk factor in the emergence of psychopathic behavior. Nevertheless, studies consistently indicate that high T is not related to a significantly reduced fear-reactivity and is only indirectly associated with the increased levels of instrumental aggression observed in psychopathic individuals. Therefore, psychopathy is likely to arise from an interaction between high T levels and other biological and socio-psychological risk factors, such as a constitutionally based dampened fear-reactivity, insecure/disordered attachment processes in childhood, and social discrimination/rejection in adolescence and/or adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baris O Yildirim
- Department of Clinical Psychology, De Kluyskamp 1002, JD Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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23
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Hodosy J, Zelmanová D, Majzúnová M, Filová B, Malinová M, Ostatníková D, Celec P. The anxiolytic effect of testosterone in the rat is mediated via the androgen receptor. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012; 102:191-5. [PMID: 22546276 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2012.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2011] [Revised: 04/10/2012] [Accepted: 04/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Endogenous and exogenous testosterone affects several behavioural traits as shown in human and animal studies. The effects of testosterone can be mediated via androgen or oestrogen receptors, but also via rapid non-genomic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a single testosterone injection has effects, mediated via the androgen receptor, on anxiety in intact male rats. We hypothesised that administration of testosterone will have an anxiolytic effect, mediated by the androgen receptor. Intact adult male Wistar rats were divided into groups: control, flutamide, testosterone and testosterone with flutamide. Testosterone and flutamide (as an androgen receptor blocker) were applied once, intramuscularly, at a dose of 5mg/kg. Twenty four hours later, rats underwent the following behavioural tests to analyse anxiety: open field test, elevated plus maze and light-dark box. Testosterone was measured in plasma to confirm elevated levels in groups that received testosterone. The levels of testosterone were 2.5-3 fold higher amongst rats administered with testosterone compared to controls. Flutamide did not affect plasma testosterone concentrations. Testosterone administration had no effect on anxiety in the open field and elevated plus maze. In the light-dark transition task, testosterone increased the time spent in the light part of the maze by 80%, an effect which was blocked by flutamide, and which was in support of our hypothesis. Flutamide-treated rats spent more time in the central square of the open field. Using the light-dark box we have shown that a single injection of testosterone decreases anxiety in adult male rats. This effect of increased testosterone was mediated via the androgen receptor as flutamide blocked the anxiolytic effect of exogenous testosterone. Treatment with flutamide blocked the effects of endogenous testosterone and had anxiolytic effects in the open field, suggesting a non-linear relationship between genomic effects of T and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Július Hodosy
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
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24
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Dark-enhanced startle responses and heart rate variability in a traumatized civilian sample: putative sex-specific correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychosom Med 2012; 74:153-9. [PMID: 22286850 PMCID: PMC3674026 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0b013e318240803a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Trauma is associated with increased risk for anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To further understand biologic mechanisms of PTSD, we examined the dark-enhanced startle response, a psychophysiological correlate of anxiety, and heart rate variability (HRV) in traumatized individuals with and without PTSD. The associations of these measures with PTSD may be sex-specific because of their associations with the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, a sexually dimorphic brain structure in the limbic system that is approximately 2.5 times larger in men than in women. METHODS The study sample (N = 141) was recruited from a highly traumatized civilian population seeking treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Psychophysiological responses during a dark-enhanced startle paradigm task included startle magnitude, assessed by eyeblink reflex, and measures of high-frequency HRV, during light and dark phases of the startle session. RESULTS The startle magnitude was higher during the dark phase than the light phase (mean ± standard error = 98.61 ± 10.68 versus 73.93 ± 8.21 μV, p < .001). PTSD was associated with a greater degree of dark-enhanced startle in women (p = .03) but not in men (p = .38, p interaction = .48). Although HRV measures did not differ between phases, high-frequency HRV was greater in men with PTSD compared with men without PTSD (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that the dark-enhanced paradigm provides novel insights into the psychophysiological responses associated with PTSD in traumatized civilian sample. Sex differences in altered parasympathetic and sympathetic function during anxiety regulation tasks may provide further insight into the neurobiological mechanisms of PTSD.
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25
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Zuloaga DG, Poort JE, Jordan CL, Breedlove SM. Male rats with the testicular feminization mutation of the androgen receptor display elevated anxiety-related behavior and corticosterone response to mild stress. Horm Behav 2011; 60:380-8. [PMID: 21801726 PMCID: PMC3171185 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2011] [Revised: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 07/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone influences the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, anxiety-related behavior, and sensorimotor gating in rodents, but little is known about the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in mediating these influences. We compared levels of the stress hormone corticosterone at baseline and following exposure to a novel object in an open field in wild type (wt) male and female rats, and male rats with the testicular feminization mutation (Tfm) of the AR, which disables its function. Basal corticosterone was equivalent in all groups, but exposure to a novel object in an open field elicited a greater increase in corticosterone in Tfm males and wt females than in wt males. Tfm males also showed increased behavioral indices of anxiety compared to wt males and females in the test. Analysis of the immediate early gene c-Fos expression after exposure to a novel object revealed greater activation in Tfm males than wt males in some regions (medial preoptic area) and lesser activation in others (dentate gyrus, posterodorsal medial amygdala). No differences were found in a measure of sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response), although Tfm males had an increased acoustic startle response compared to wt males and females. These findings demonstrate that ARs play a role in regulating anxiety-related behaviors, as well as corticosterone responses and neural activation following exposure to a mild stressor in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian G Zuloaga
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1101, USA.
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Zuloaga DG, Jordan CL, Breedlove SM. The organizational role of testicular hormones and the androgen receptor in anxiety-related behaviors and sensorimotor gating in rats. Endocrinology 2011; 152:1572-81. [PMID: 21325044 PMCID: PMC3060630 DOI: 10.1210/en.2010-1016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Perinatal exposure to testosterone (T), which can act upon both the androgen receptor (AR) and, via aromatization of T into estrogens, upon estrogen receptors, organizes many adult behaviors in rodents. We compared behaviors in wild-type (WT) male rats and AR-deficient rats with the testicular feminization mutation (Tfm), which on the day of birth were either gonadectomized (Neo-Gdx) or sham operated. In adulthood, all rats were either gonadectomized or sham operated and implanted with T capsules to equilibrate circulating androgens. In each of four tests of behavior related to anxiety (open field, novel object exposure, light/dark box, and elevated plus maze), Neo-Gdx rats showed decreased indices of anxiety and increased activity compared with rats sham operated on the day of birth, with no differences between WT or Tfm males within treatment groups. These results indicate that testicular hormones act in development to increase adult indices of anxiety and decrease activity in males and that functional ARs are not required for this effect. Acoustic startle response was also reduced by Neo-Gdx, suggesting that postnatal testicular secretions potentiate this behavior as well. Adult corticosterone levels and sensorimotor gating, as measured by prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, were increased by neonatal castration in both WT and Tfm rats. These findings indicate a role of T before adulthood in the organization of anxiety-related behaviors, activity, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and sensorimotor gating in rats, all of which appears to be AR independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian G Zuloaga
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1101, USA.
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27
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Hawley W, Grissom E, Keskitalo L, Hastings T, Dohanich G. Sexual motivation and anxiety-like behaviors of male rats after exposure to a trauma followed by situational reminders. Physiol Behav 2011; 102:181-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2010] [Revised: 10/25/2010] [Accepted: 10/27/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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28
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Lacreuse A, King HM, Kurdziel LB, Partan SR, Caldwell KM, Chiavetta MR, Millette MM, Meyer JS, Grow DR. Testosterone may increase selective attention to threat in young male macaques. Horm Behav 2010; 58:854-63. [PMID: 20804760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2009] [Revised: 08/18/2010] [Accepted: 08/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Animal studies indicate that sex hormones have widespread effects on the brain, cognition and emotion, but findings in humans are inconsistent. Well-controlled studies in nonhuman primates are crucial to resolve these discrepancies. In this study, we examined the effects of testosterone (T) on emotion in male rhesus monkeys. Six young adult males were tested on two emotional tasks during three hormonal conditions in a crossover design: when intact at baseline and when pharmacologically hypogonadal with add-back of T or placebo. The emotional tasks were the Approach-Avoidance task, which tested behavioral responses to three categories of objects (familiar, novel, and negative) and a Social Playback task which tested behavioral responses to scenes of unfamiliar conspecifics engaged in three types of social activities (neutral, positive, or negative). Following a 4-week baseline period, monkeys were treated with Depot Lupron, 200μg/kg before being randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Depot Lupron+Testosterone Enanthate (TE, 20mg/kg) or Depot Lupron+oil vehicle. In each treatment group, monkeys received one injection of Lupron and one injection of TE or one injection of Lupron and one injection of oil at the onset of a 4-week testing period, before crossing over to the alternate treatment for an additional 4weeks of testing. TE treatment had no effect on behavioral measures in the Approach-Avoidance task. For the Social Playback task, however, TE significantly increased watching time of video clips which depicted fights between unfamiliar conspecifics. The enhancing effect of T on watching time for negative social scenes is consistent with human data suggesting that T decreases aversion or facilitates approach to threatening social stimuli. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms by which T may mediate responsiveness to social threat in male primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnès Lacreuse
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Davis M, Walker DL, Miles L, Grillon C. Phasic vs sustained fear in rats and humans: role of the extended amygdala in fear vs anxiety. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:105-35. [PMID: 19693004 PMCID: PMC2795099 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1004] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2009] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 07/14/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Data will be reviewed using the acoustic startle reflex in rats and humans based on our attempts to operationally define fear vs anxiety. Although the symptoms of fear and anxiety are very similar, they also differ. Fear is a generally adaptive state of apprehension that begins rapidly and dissipates quickly once the threat is removed (phasic fear). Anxiety is elicited by less specific and less predictable threats, or by those that are physically or psychologically more distant. Thus, anxiety is a more long-lasting state of apprehension (sustained fear). Rodent studies suggest that phasic fear is mediated by the amygdala, which sends outputs to the hypothalamus and brainstem to produce symptoms of fear. Sustained fear is also mediated by the amygdala, which releases corticotropin-releasing factor, a stress hormone that acts on receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a part of the so-called 'extended amygdala.' The amygdala and BNST send outputs to the same hypothalamic and brainstem targets to produce phasic and sustained fear, respectively. In rats, sustained fear is more sensitive to anxiolytic drugs. In humans, symptoms of clinical anxiety are better detected in sustained rather than phasic fear paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Davis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University, and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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Walker D, Yang Y, Ratti E, Corsi M, Trist D, Davis M. Differential effects of the CRF-R1 antagonist GSK876008 on fear-potentiated, light- and CRF-enhanced startle suggest preferential involvement in sustained vs phasic threat responses. Neuropsychopharmacology 2009; 34:1533-42. [PMID: 19078950 PMCID: PMC3586210 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2008.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The amplitude of the acoustic startle response is increased when elicited in the presence of brief cues that predict shock (fear-potentiated startle) and also when elicited during sustained exposure to bright light (light-enhanced startle). Although both effects are thought to reflect fear or anxiety, their neuroanatomical substrates differ. Although fear-potentiated startle is disrupted by reversible inactivation of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) but not the closely related bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), light-enhanced startle is disrupted by BNST inactivation but not by CeA inactivation. Intraventricular infusions of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) also increase startle (CRF-enhanced startle) and this effect is mediated by CRF receptors within the BNST, with no involvement of the CeA. Together, these observations suggest that CeA- and BNST-dependent fear and anxiety may be differentially sensitive to CRF receptor blockade. We tested this by orally administering the novel, potent, and selective CRF-R1 antagonist GSK876008 to rats before CRF-enhanced, light-enhanced, or fear-potentiated startle testing. GSK876008 disrupted CRF-enhanced startle with a linear dose-response curve, and light-enhanced startle with a U-shaped dose-response curve, but did not disrupt fear-potentiated startle to a visual stimulus at any dose tested, and even augmented the response in some animals. GSK876008 also disrupted shock-related 'baseline' startle increases, which may have reflected context conditioning (shown elsewhere to also be BNST-dependent). Overall, these results suggest that short-duration CeA-dependent threat responses can be pharmacologically dissociated from longer duration BNST-dependent responses in terms of their sensitivity to CRF1 receptor antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Walker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Y. Yang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - E. Ratti
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Verona, Italy
| | - M. Corsi
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Verona, Italy
| | - D. Trist
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Verona, Italy
| | - M. Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA,The Center for Behavior Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Dalla C, Shors TJ. Sex differences in learning processes of classical and operant conditioning. Physiol Behav 2009; 97:229-38. [PMID: 19272397 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2008] [Revised: 02/05/2009] [Accepted: 02/20/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Males and females learn and remember differently at different times in their lives. These differences occur in most species, from invertebrates to humans. We review here sex differences as they occur in laboratory rodent species. We focus on classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including classical eyeblink conditioning, fear-conditioning, active avoidance and conditioned taste aversion. Sex differences have been reported during acquisition, retention and extinction in most of these paradigms. In general, females perform better than males in the classical eyeblink conditioning, in fear-potentiated startle and in most operant conditioning tasks, such as the active avoidance test. However, in the classical fear-conditioning paradigm, in certain lever-pressing paradigms and in the conditioned taste aversion, males outperform females or are more resistant to extinction. Most sex differences in conditioning are dependent on organizational effects of gonadal hormones during early development of the brain, in addition to modulation by activational effects during puberty and adulthood. Critically, sex differences in performance account for some of the reported effects on learning and these are discussed throughout the review. Because so many mental disorders are more prevalent in one sex than the other, it is important to consider sex differences in learning when applying animal models of learning for these disorders. Finally, we discuss how sex differences in learning continue to alter the brain throughout the lifespan. Thus, sex differences in learning are not only mediated by sex differences in the brain, but also contribute to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Dalla
- Department of Psychology and Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
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Dalla C, Edgecomb C, Whetstone AS, Shors TJ. Females do not express learned helplessness like males do. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:1559-69. [PMID: 17712351 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Women are more likely than men to suffer from stress-related mental disorders, such as depression. In the present experiments, we identified sex differences in one of the most common animal models of depression, that of learned helplessness. Male and female rats were trained to escape a mild footshock each day for 7 days (controllable stress). Each rat was yoked to another rat that could not escape (uncontrollable stress), but was exposed to the same amount of shock. One day later, all stressed rats and unstressed controls were tested on a more difficult escape task in a different context. Most males exposed to uncontrollable stress did not learn to escape and were therefore helpless. In contrast, most females did learn to escape on the more difficult escape task, irrespective of whether they had been exposed to controllable or uncontrollable stress. The sex differences in helplessness behavior were not dependent on the presence of sex hormones in adulthood, because neither ovariectomy of females nor castration of males abolished them. The absence of helplessness in females was neither dependent on organizational effects of testosterone during the day of birth, because masculinized females did not express helplessness as adults. Thus, sex differences in helplessness behavior are independent of gonadal hormones in adulthood and testosterone exposure during perinatal development. Learned helplessness may not constitute a valid model for depressive behavior in women, at least as reflected by the response of female rats to operant conditioning procedures after stressful experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Dalla
- Department of Psychology and Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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Sanbe A, Takagi N, Fujiwara Y, Yamauchi J, Endo T, Mizutani R, Takeo S, Tsujimoto G, Tanoue A. Alcohol preference in mice lacking the Avpr1a vasopressin receptor. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2008; 294:R1482-90. [PMID: 18305023 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00708.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
[Arg(8)]-vasopressin (Avp), a nonapeptide hormone, is known to regulate blood pressure, water balance, and a variety of behaviors such as anxiety, aggression, and bonding. Although some evidence that Avp modifies ethanol consumption and some of the effects of ethanol on behavior have been reported, the role of Avp in alcohol consumption and preference is poorly understood. The Avp1a receptor (Avpr1a) is ubiquitously expressed in the central nervous system. To determine the role of Avp signaling on the behavioral effects of alcohol, we examined voluntary ethanol consumption in mice with targeted disruptions of the Avpr1a knockout (Avpr1a KO) gene. Avpr1a KO mice displayed both increased ethanol consumption and preference compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Enhanced ethanol consumption was dramatically and reversibly reduced by treatment with N-methyl-D-aspartic acid antagonists. Basal glutamate release was elevated around the striatum in Avpr1a KO mice. Elevation of extracellular glutamate was also produced in WT mice by local application of an Avpr1a antagonist though a dialysis probe, and this elevation was quickly reversed by stopping the perfusion. These results suggest that Avp can inhibit the release of glutamate from the presynaptic terminal via the Avp1a receptor and that elevation of glutamate levels owing to loss of the inhibitory effect via Avp-Avpr1a signaling may play an important role in the preference for ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Sanbe
- Department of Pharmacology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
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Toufexis DJ, Myers KM, Bowser ME, Davis M. Estrogen disrupts the inhibition of fear in female rats, possibly through the antagonistic effects of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta. J Neurosci 2007; 27:9729-35. [PMID: 17804633 PMCID: PMC6672956 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2529-07.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2006] [Revised: 07/11/2007] [Accepted: 07/11/2007] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The ambiguous role of estrogen in emotional learning may result from opposing actions of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta. Using a fear-conditioning paradigm called the AX+, BX- discrimination, in which cue A comes to elicit fear and cue B becomes a safety signal, we examined the effect of 17beta-estradiol (E) and selective ERalpha and ERbeta agonists on excitatory and inhibitory fear learning. Gonadectomized (GDX) male and female rats implanted with E or selective ERalpha or ERbeta agonists were trained on the AX+, BX- discrimination and tested periodically to A, B, and AB. GDX sham-implanted male and female rats and GDX E-implanted males, but not GDX E-implanted females, exhibited less fear to AB than to A, suggesting that estrogen interferes with generalization of safety signals in female rats. ERalpha and ERbeta agonists disrupted discrimination learning in both sexes. ERalpha-implanted groups had higher fear responses to all cues than did ERbeta-implanted groups, suggesting that these two receptors have opposing effects in aversive discrimination learning. In contrast, neither E nor ERalpha and ERbeta agonists affected single-cue fear conditioning in either sex. These data suggest that E does not enhance fear in emotional learning but acts to disrupt the inhibition of fear in females only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna J Toufexis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, and The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.
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Abstract
Recent studies in both animals and humans indicate that gonadal hormones have profound control over emotional states, and certainly contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric illness in women. Reports, as reviewed here, suggest that two important regions of the limbic system, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), control different aspects of emotional behaviour. Short-term cue-specific emotional responses, like Pavlovian fear conditioning, require activation of the CeA, while long-duration and contextual emotional responses, are dependant on the BNST. There is accumulating experimental evidence that gender and sex hormones specifically modulate BNST-mediated anxiety behaviours. Moreover, the functional separation between the CeA and the BNST may be exaggerated during lactation in the rat, a time of profound hormonal and behavioural change. In this study, the effects of sex hormones on fear and anxiety are reviewed with an emphasis on the differential effects of these hormones on functions subserved by the BNST as opposed to the CeA. Studies, as highlighted here, looking at sex hormone and gender effects on the ability of corticotrophin-releasing factor and bright ambient light to enhance startle, emphasise the importance of understanding both the effect of, and brain region where, gonadal hormones exert their control over emotional behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Toufexis
- Emory University, Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Centre, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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Toufexis DJ, Myers KM, Davis M. The effect of gonadal hormones and gender on anxiety and emotional learning. Horm Behav 2006; 50:539-49. [PMID: 16904674 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2006] [Revised: 06/20/2006] [Accepted: 06/21/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Disorders of anxiety and fear dysregulation are highly prevalent. These disorders affect women approximately 2 times more than they affect men, occur predominately during a woman's reproductive years, and are especially prevalent at times of hormonal flux. This implies that gender differences and sex steroids play a key role in the regulation of anxiety and fear. However, the underlying mechanism by which these factors regulate emotional states in either sex is still largely unknown. This review discusses animal studies describing sex-differences in and gonadal steroid effects on affect and emotional learning. The effects of gonadal hormones on the modulation of anxiety, with particular emphasis on progesterone's ability to reduce the responsiveness of female rats to corticotropin releasing factor and the sex-specific effect of testosterone in the reduction of anxiety in male rats, is discussed. In addition, gonadal hormone and gender modulation of emotional learning is considered and preliminary data are presented showing that estrogen (E2) disrupts fear learning in female rats, probably through the antagonistic effect of ERalpha and ERbeta activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna J Toufexis
- Emory University, Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Center, 954 Gatewood Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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Perrin JS, Segall LA, Harbour VL, Woodside B, Amir S. The expression of the clock protein PER2 in the limbic forebrain is modulated by the estrous cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:5591-6. [PMID: 16554373 PMCID: PMC1459398 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0601310103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2006] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Daily behavioral and physiological rhythms are linked to circadian oscillations of clock genes in the brain and periphery that are synchronized by the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. In addition, there are a number of inputs that can influence circadian oscillations in clock gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. Here we identify an influence on the circadian oscillation of the clock protein PER2, endogenous changes in ovarian steroids, within two nuclei of the limbic forebrain: the oval nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and central nucleus of the amygdala. We show that the daily rhythm of PER2 expression within these nuclei but not in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, dentate gyrus, or basolateral amygdala is blunted in the metestrus and diestrus phases of the estrus cycle. The blunting of the PER2 rhythm at these phases of the cycle is abolished by ovariectomy and restored by phasic estrogen replacement suggesting that fluctuations in estrogen levels or their sequelae are necessary to produce these effects. The finding that fluctuations in ovarian hormones have area-specific effects on clock gene expression in the brain introduces a new level of organizational complexity in the control of circadian rhythms of behavior and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S. Perrin
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Room SP 244, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Lauren A. Segall
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Room SP 244, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Valerie L. Harbour
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Room SP 244, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Barbara Woodside
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Room SP 244, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Shimon Amir
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Room SP 244, Montreal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
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Flake NM, Hermanstyne TO, Gold MS. Testosterone and estrogen have opposing actions on inflammation-induced plasma extravasation in the rat temporomandibular joint. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2006; 291:R343-8. [PMID: 16469833 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00835.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that estrogen exacerbates inflammation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Evans blue dye was used to quantify plasma extravasation (PE) around the rat TMJ. In an initial set of experiments, TMJ PE was compared in naïve intact male and female rats, as well as in both groups after complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation of the TMJ. In contrast to our hypothesis, TMJ PE was significantly greater in both naïve and CFA-inflamed male rats than in females. To determine whether these differences were due to gonadal hormones, four additional groups of rats were studied: gonadectomized (Gx) males and females, Gx males with chronic testosterone (T) replacement, and Gx females with chronic estrogen (E) replacement. The sex difference in baseline TMJ PE appeared to reflect the actions of T. However, in the presence of TMJ inflammation, T augmented TMJ PE in males, while E attenuated TMJ PE in females. Changes in PE were also assessed in the contralateral TMJ. Results from this analysis indicated that there is a transient contralateral increase in TMJ PE in females but not males. Given that there is an inverse relationship between PE and joint damage, our results suggest that testosterone may mitigate, but estrogen may exacerbate, TMJ damage, particularly in the presence of overt inflammation. Importantly, our results may help explain both the higher prevalence and severity of temporomandibular disorder pain in females than males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha M Flake
- University of Maryland Dental School, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Rm. 5-A-12 HHH, 666 West Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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