1
|
Grissom NM, Glewwe N, Chen C, Giglio E. Sex mechanisms as nonbinary influences on cognitive diversity. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105544. [PMID: 38643533 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Essentially all neuropsychiatric diagnoses show some degree of sex and/or gender differences in their etiology, diagnosis, or prognosis. As a result, the roles of sex-related variables in behavior and cognition are of strong interest to many, with several lines of research showing effects on executive functions and value-based decision making in particular. These findings are often framed within a sex binary, with behavior of females described as less optimal than male "defaults"-- a framing that pits males and females against each other and deemphasizes the enormous overlap in fundamental neural mechanisms across sexes. Here, we propose an alternative framework in which sex-related factors encompass just one subset of many sources of valuable diversity in cognition. First, we review literature establishing multidimensional, nonbinary impacts of factors related to sex chromosomes and endocrine mechanisms on cognition, focusing on value- based decision-making tasks. Next, we present two suggestions for nonbinary interpretations and analyses of sex-related data that can be implemented by behavioral neuroscientists without devoting laboratory resources to delving into mechanisms underlying sex differences. We recommend (1) shifting interpretations of behavior away from performance metrics and towards strategy assessments to avoid the fallacy that the performance of one sex is worse than another; and (2) asking how much variance sex explains in measures and whether any differences are mosaic rather than binary, to avoid assuming that sex differences in separate measures are inextricably correlated. Nonbinary frameworks in research on cognition will allow neuroscience to represent the full spectrum of brains and behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola M Grissom
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America.
| | - Nic Glewwe
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Cathy Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Erin Giglio
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ye F, Dong MC, Xu CX, Jiang N, Chang Q, Liu XM, Pan RL. Effects of different chronic restraint stress periods on anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism along the brain-gut axis in C57BL/6N mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 965:176301. [PMID: 38145646 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Chronic restraint stress (CRS) is a widely used stimulus to induce anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, linked to alterations in tryptophan-kynurenine (TRP-KYN) metabolism in animals. This study assessed the effects of different CRS periods on anxiety- or depression-like behaviors and TRP-KYN metabolism along brain-gut axis in C57BL/6N mice. Results showed that one-week CRS decreased the open arm entries of mice in elevated plus maze and delayed latency of feeding in novelty suppressed feeding test. Four-week CRS reduced sucrose preference, increases forced swimming immobility time, and also induced anxiety-like behaviors of mice. UPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed decreased levels of the neurotoxic 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) and quinolinic acid (QA), and an increase in the neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KA) in the hippocampus of one-week CRS mice; meanwhile, four-week CRS mice displayed a reduction in KA and increases in 3-HK and QA. In the colon, both one-week and four-week CRS mice exhibited significant reductions in 3-HK and QA, with a marked increase of KA exclusively in four-week CRS mice. Briefly, one-week CRS only induced anxiety-like behaviors with hippocampal neuroprotection in TRP-KYN metabolism, whereas four-week CRS caused anxiety- and depression-like behaviors with neurotoxicity. In the colon, during both CRS periods, KYN was metabolized in the direction of NAD+ production. However, four-week CRS triggered intestinal inflammation risk with increased KA. Summarily, slightly short-term stress has beneficial effects on mice, while prolonged chronic stress can lead to pathological changes. This study offers valuable insights into stress-induced emotional disturbances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fan Ye
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Meng-Chen Dong
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Chen-Xi Xu
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Qi Chang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xin-Min Liu
- Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, No. 818, Feng Hua Road, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, 315000, China.
| | - Rui-Le Pan
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zimmer L. Recent applications of positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging in psychiatric drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:161-172. [PMID: 37948046 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2278635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Psychiatry is one of the medical disciplines that suffers most from a lack of innovation in its therapeutic arsenal. Many failures in drug candidate trials can be explained by pharmacological properties that have been poorly assessed upstream, in terms of brain passage, brain target binding and clinical outcomes. Positron emission tomography can provide pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to help select candidate-molecules for further clinical trials. AREAS COVERED This review aims to explain and discuss the various methods using positron-emitting radiolabeled molecules to trace the cerebral distribution of the drug-candidate or indirectly measure binding to its therapeutic target. More than an exhaustive review of PET studies in psychopharmacology, this article highlights the contributions this technology can make in drug discovery applied to psychiatry. EXPERT OPINION PET neuroimaging is the only technological approach that can, in vivo in humans, measure cerebral delivery of a drug candidate, percentage and duration of target binding, and even the pharmacological effects. PET studies in a small number of subjects in the early stages of the development of a psychotropic drug can therefore provide the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data required for subsequent clinical evaluation. While PET technology is demanding in terms of radiochemical, radiopharmacological and nuclear medicine expertise, its integration into the development process of new drugs for psychiatry has great added value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luc Zimmer
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
- CERMEP, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
- Institut National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaire, Saclay, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
He H, Zhao Z, Xiao C, Li L, Liu YE, Fu J, Liao H, Zhou T, Zhang J. Gut microbiome promotes mice recovery from stress-induced depression by rescuing hippocampal neurogenesis. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 191:106396. [PMID: 38176570 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies from rodents to primates and humans indicate that individuals vary in how resilient they are to stress, and understanding the basis of these variations may help improve treatments for depression. Here we explored the potential contribution of the gut microbiome to such variation. Mice were exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 4 weeks then allowed to recover for 3 weeks, after which they were subjected to behavioral tests and categorized as showing low or high stress resilience. The two types of mouse were compared in terms of hippocampal gene expression using RNA sequencing, fecal microbiomes using 16S RNA sequencing, and extent of neurogenesis in the hippocampus using immunostaining of brain sections. Fecal microbiota were transplanted from either type of mouse into previously stress-exposed and stress-naïve animals, and the effects of the transplantation on stress-induced behaviors and neurogenesis in the hippocampus were examined. Finally, we blocked neurogenesis using temozolomide to explore the role of neurogenesis promoted by fecal microbiota transplantation in enhancing resilience to stress. Results showed that highly stress-resilient mice, but not those with low resilience, improved significantly on measures of anhedonia, behavioral despair, and anxiety after 3-week recovery from CUMS. Their feces showed greater abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Romboutsia than feces from mice with low stress resilience, as well as lower abundance of Staphylococcus, Psychrobacter and Corynebacterium. Similarly, highly stress-resilient mice showed greater neurogenesis in hippocampus than animals with low stress resilience. Transplanting fecal microbiota from mice with high stress resilience into previously CUMS-exposed recipients rescued neurogenesis in hippocampus, facilitating recovery from stress-induced depression and cognitive decline. Blockade of neurogenesis with temozolomide abolished recovery of recipients from CUMS-induced depression and cognitive decline in mice transplanted with fecal microbiota from mice with high stress resilience. In conclusion, our results suggested that remodeling of the gut microbiome after stress may reverse stress-induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis and thereby promote recovery from stress-induced depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haili He
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Zhihuang Zhao
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Chenghong Xiao
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Liangyuan Li
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Yu-E Liu
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Juan Fu
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Hongyu Liao
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Tao Zhou
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Jinqiang Zhang
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li Y, Liu H, Zhao D, Zhang D. Spleen contributes to chronic restraint stress-induced lung injury through splenic CD11b + cells. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 126:111258. [PMID: 37992443 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Chronic stress can induce lung injury. The spleen, as the largest peripheral immune organ, plays a crucial role in various lung diseases. Our previous study found that the spleen underwent significant changes during chronic restraint stress (CRS). However, the exact role of the spleen in CRS-induced lung injury remains unclear. In this study, we found that CRS could increase lung index. CRS could lead to alterations of the lungs such as destruction of alveolar wall, thickening of alveolar septa, dilation of pulmonary capillaries, and increased inflammatory cell infiltration. CRS increases the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), decreases the level of surfactant protein A (SP-A), and elevates the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) in the lungs. Additionally, CRS could increase the proportions and numbers of CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6G- monocytes in the lung, while cannot alter proportions and numbers of CD3-NK1.1+ NK cells, CD3+CD4+ T cells, CD3+CD8+ T cells, and CD11b+Ly6G+ neutrophils. Moreover, the levels of inflammatory markers in lung tissues were positively correlated with the proportion of CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6G- monocytes. Interestingly, splenectomy inhibited CRS-induced lung injury and attenuated the alteration in the proportion of CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6G- monocytes in the lungs induced by CRS. Moreover, splenic CD11b+ cells, rather than splenic CD11b- cells, transfused into splenectomized mice, and subsequently exposed to CRS, can cause lung injury. These results suggest that CRS could induce lung injury and CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6G- monocytes aggregation in the lung. The spleen could contribute to CRS-induced lung injury. Furthermore, splenic CD11b+ cells might play an important role in CRS-induced lung injury.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Hailing Liu
- Department of Clinical Hematology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Danwen Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Danjie Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pantoja-Urbán AH, Richer S, Mittermaier A, Giroux M, Nouel D, Hernandez G, Flores C. Gains and Losses: Resilience to Social Defeat Stress in Adolescent Female Mice. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:37-47. [PMID: 37355003 PMCID: PMC10996362 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a unique period of psychosocial growth during which social adversity can negatively influence mental health trajectories. Understanding how adolescent social stress impacts males and females and why some individuals are particularly affected is becoming increasingly urgent. Social defeat stress models for adolescent male mice have been effective in reproducing some physical/psychological aspects of bullying. Designing a model suitable for females has proven challenging. METHODS We report a version of the adolescent male accelerated social defeat stress (AcSD) paradigm adapted for females. Early adolescent C57BL/6J female mice (N = 107) were exposed to our modified AcSD procedure twice a day for 4 days and categorized as resilient or susceptible based on a social interaction test 24 hours later. Mice were then assessed for changes in Netrin-1/DCC guidance cue expression in dopamine systems, for inhibitory control in adulthood using the Go/No-Go task, or for alterations in dopamine connectivity organization in the matured prefrontal cortex. RESULTS Most adolescent females showed protection against stress-induced social avoidance, but in adulthood, these resilient females developed inhibitory control deficits and showed diminution of prefrontal cortex presynaptic dopamine sites. Female mice classified as susceptible were protected against cognitive and dopaminergic alterations. AcSD did not alter Netrin-1/DCC in early adolescent females, contrary to previous findings with males. CONCLUSIONS Preserving prosocial behavior in adolescent females may be important for survival advantage but seems to come at the price of developing persistent cognitive and dopamine deficiencies. The female AcSD paradigm produced findings comparable to those found in males, allowing mechanistic investigation in both sexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Harée Pantoja-Urbán
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Samuel Richer
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Michel Giroux
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Dominique Nouel
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Cecilia Flores
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gilgoff R, Mengelkoch S, Elbers J, Kotz K, Radin A, Pasumarthi I, Murthy R, Sindher S, Burke Harris N, Slavich GM. The Stress Phenotyping Framework: A multidisciplinary biobehavioral approach for assessing and therapeutically targeting maladaptive stress physiology. Stress 2024; 27:2327333. [PMID: 38711299 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2327333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Although dysregulated stress biology is becoming increasingly recognized as a key driver of lifelong disparities in chronic disease, we presently have no validated biomarkers of toxic stress physiology; no biological, behavioral, or cognitive treatments specifically focused on normalizing toxic stress processes; and no agreed-upon guidelines for treating stress in the clinic or evaluating the efficacy of interventions that seek to reduce toxic stress and improve human functioning. We address these critical issues by (a) systematically describing key systems and mechanisms that are dysregulated by stress; (b) summarizing indicators, biomarkers, and instruments for assessing stress response systems; and (c) highlighting therapeutic approaches that can be used to normalize stress-related biopsychosocial functioning. We also present a novel multidisciplinary Stress Phenotyping Framework that can bring stress researchers and clinicians one step closer to realizing the goal of using precision medicine-based approaches to prevent and treat stress-associated health problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Gilgoff
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Summer Mengelkoch
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jorina Elbers
- Trauma Recovery Program, HeartMath Institute, Boulder Creek, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Isha Pasumarthi
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Reanna Murthy
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Sayantani Sindher
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Yang Y, Li JH, Yao BC, Chen QL, Jiang N, Wang LQ, Guo ZG. NDUFB11 and NDUFS3 play a role in atherosclerosis and chronic stress. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:8026-8043. [PMID: 37642954 PMCID: PMC10496984 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Atherosclerosis is characterized by the formation of fibrofatty plaques in the intima of arteries, resulting in thickening of the vessel wall and narrowing of the lumen. Chronic stress refers to individuals in a state of long-term chronic stress. However, the relationship between NDUFB11 and NDUFS3 and atherosclerosis and chronic stress is unclear. METHOD The atherosclerosis with chronic stress group data file was used. DEGs were screened and WGCNA was performed. Construction and analysis of PPI Network. Functional enrichment analysis, GSEA, gene expression heatmap, immune infiltration analysis and mRNA analysis were performed. CTD was used to find diseases most related to core genes. WB was performed. TargetScan was used to screen miRNAs of DEGs. RESULTS 1708 DEGs were identified. According to GO analysis, they were mainly enriched in catabolic processes, organic acid metabolism processes, carboxylic acid metabolism processes. KEGG analysis showed that they were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, fatty acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis / gluconeogenesis, fructose and mannose metabolism. Gene expression heatmap showed that the core genes (NDUFB11, NDUFS3) were lowly expressed in samples of those with atherosclerosis accompanied by chronic stress and highly expressed in the normal samples. NDUFB11 and NDUFS3 were associated with necrosis, hyperplasia, inflammation, renal disease, weight loss, memory impairment, and cognitive impairment. WB showed that the expression level of NDUFS3 in atherosclerosis and chronic stress was lower than that in control group. CONCLUSIONS NDUFB11 and NDUFS3 are underexpressed in atherosclerosis and chronic stress; the lower NDUFB11 and NDUFS3 levels, the worse the prognosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yin Yang
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Jing-Hui Li
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Bo-Chen Yao
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Qing-Liang Chen
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Nan Jiang
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Lian-Qun Wang
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| | - Zhi-Gang Guo
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Chest Hospital, Jinnan, Tianjin 300222, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Campeau S, McNulty C, Stanley JT, Gerber AN, Sasse SK, Dowell RD. Determination of steady-state transcriptome modifications associated with repeated homotypic stress in the rat rostral posterior hypothalamic region. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1173699. [PMID: 37360161 PMCID: PMC10288150 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1173699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress is epidemiologically correlated with physical and psychiatric disorders. Whereas many animal models of chronic stress induce symptoms of psychopathology, repeated homotypic stressors to moderate intensity stimuli typically reduce stress-related responses with fewer, if any, pathological symptoms. Recent results indicate that the rostral posterior hypothalamic (rPH) region is a significant component of the brain circuitry underlying response reductions (habituation) associated with repeated homotypic stress. To test whether posterior hypothalamic transcriptional regulation associates with the neuroendocrine modifications induced by repeated homotypic stress, RNA-seq was performed in the rPH dissected from adult male rats that experienced either no stress, 1, 3, or 7 stressful loud noise exposures. Plasma samples displayed reliable increases of corticosterone in all stressed groups, with the smallest increase in the group exposed to 7 loud noises, indicating significant habituation compared to the other stressed groups. While few or no differentially expressed genes were detected 24-h after one or three loud noise exposures, relatively large numbers of transcripts were differentially expressed between the group exposed to 7 loud noises when compared to the control or 3-stress groups, respectively, which correlated with the corticosterone response habituation observed. Gene ontology analyses indicated multiple significant functional terms related to neuron differentiation, neural membrane potential, pre- and post-synaptic elements, chemical synaptic transmission, vesicles, axon guidance and projection, glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission. Some of the differentially expressed genes (Myt1l, Zmat4, Dlx6, Csrnp3) encode transcription factors that were independently predicted by transcription factor enrichment analysis to target other differentially regulated genes in this study. A similar experiment employing in situ hybridization histochemical analysis in additional animals validated the direction of change of the 5 transcripts investigated (Camk4, Gabrb2, Gad1, Grin2a and Slc32a) with a high level of temporal and regional specificity for the rPH. In aggregate, the results suggest that distinct patterns of gene regulation are obtained in response to a repeated homotypic stress regimen; they also point to a significant reorganization of the rPH region that may critically contribute to the phenotypic modifications associated with repeated homotypic stress habituation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serge Campeau
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Connor McNulty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Jacob T. Stanley
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Anthony N. Gerber
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Sarah K. Sasse
- Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Robin D. Dowell
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| |
Collapse
|