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Lopes LM, Reis-Silva LL, Rodrigues B, Crestani CC. Pharmacological Manipulation of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptors in the Anterior and Posterior Subregions of the Insular Cortex Differently Affects Anxiety-Like Behaviors in the Elevated Plus Maze in Rats. Biomed Res Int 2024; 2024:8322844. [PMID: 38327803 PMCID: PMC10849808 DOI: 10.1155/2024/8322844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging data in humans and neurobiological studies in rodents have suggested an involvement of the insular cortex (IC) in anxiety manifestations. However, the local neurochemical mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurotransmission has been described as a prominent neurochemical mechanism involved in the expression of anxiety-like behaviors, but the brain sites related are poorly understood. Additionally, several findings indicate that control of physiological and behavioral responses by the IC occurs in a site-specific manner along its rostrocaudal axis. Thus, this study is aimed at evaluating the effect of CRF receptor agonism and antagonism within the anterior and posterior subregions of the IC in controlling anxiety-related behaviors in the elevated plus maze (EPM). For this, independent groups (six groups) of animals received bilateral microinjections of vehicle, the selective CRF1 receptor antagonist CP376395, or CRF into either the anterior or posterior subregions of the IC. Ten minutes later, the behavior in the EPM was evaluated for five minutes. Treatment of the anterior IC with CP376395, but not with CRF, increased the time and number of entries into the open arms of the EPM. CRF, but not the CRF1 receptor antagonist, microinjected into the posterior IC also increased exploration of the EPM open arms. Taken together, these data indicate that CRFergic neurotransmission in the anterior IC is involved in the expression of anxiety-related behaviors in the EPM. This neurochemical mechanism does not seem to be activated within the posterior IC during exposure to the EPM, but the effects caused by CRF microinjection indicate that activation of CRF receptors in this IC subregion might evoke anxiolytic-like effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas M. Lopes
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lilian L. Reis-Silva
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruno Rodrigues
- Department of Adapted Physical Activity, Faculty of Physical Education, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos C. Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
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Vitorio AS, Reis-Silva LL, Barretto-de-Souza L, Gomes-de-Souza L, Crestani CC. Evaluation of the posterior insular cortex involvement in anxiogenic response to emotional stress in male rats: Functional topography along the rostrocaudal axis. Physiol Behav 2023; 258:114006. [PMID: 36341833 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.114006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The insular cortex (IC) is engaged in behavioral and physiological responses to emotional stress. Control of physiological functions and behavioral responses has been reported to occur in a site-specific manner along the rostrocaudal axis of the IC. However, a functional topography of the IC regulation of anxiogenic responses caused by stress has never been evaluated. Therefore, we investigated the role of rostrocaudal subregions in the posterior IC in anxiogenic-like effect caused by exposure to acute restraint stress in male rats. For this, rats received bilateral microinjection of the non-selective synaptic inhibitor CoCl2 or vehicle into either the rostral, intermediate or caudal portions of the posterior IC before exposure to acute restraint stress. Then, behavior in the elevated plus maze (EPM) was evaluated immediately after restraint stress. The behavior of non-stressed animals in the EPM was also investigated. We observed that acute restraint stress decreased the exploration of the EPM open arms in animals treated with vehicle in all regions of the posterior IC, thus indicating an anxiogenic-like effect. The avoidance of the EPM open arms was completely inhibited in animals subjected to microinjection of CoCl2 into the intermediate posterior IC. Nevertheless, the same pharmacological treatment into either the rostral or caudal subregions of the posterior IC did not affect the restraint-evoked behavioral changes in the EPM. Taken together, these results suggest that regulation of anxiogenic-like effect to emotional stress along the rostrocaudal axis of the posterior IC might occur in a site-specific manner, indicating a role of the intermediate subregion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex S Vitorio
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lilian L Reis-Silva
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas Barretto-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lucas Gomes-de-Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos C Crestani
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
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dos Santos Corrêa M, Grisanti GDV, Franciscatto IAF, Tarumoto TSA, Tiba PA, Ferreira TL, Fornari RV. Remote contextual fear retrieval engages activity from salience network regions in rats. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 18:100459. [PMID: 35601686 PMCID: PMC9118522 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to retrieve contextual fear memories depends on the coordinated activation of a brain-wide circuitry. Transition from recent to remote memories seems to involve the reorganization of this circuitry, a process called systems consolidation that has been associated with time-dependent fear generalization. However, it is unknown whether emotional memories acquired under different stress levels can undergo different systems consolidation processes. Here, we explored the activation pattern and functional connectivity of key brain regions associated with contextual fear conditioning (CFC) retrieval after recent (2 days) or remote (28 days) memory tests performed in rats submitted to strong (1.0 mA footshock) or mild (0.3 mA footshock) training. We used brain tissue from Wistar rats from a previous study, where we observed that increasing training intensity promotes fear memory generalization over time, possibly due to an increase in corticosterone (CORT) levels during memory consolidation. Analysis of Fos expression across 8 regions of interest (ROIs) allowed us to identify coactivation between them at both timepoints following memory recall. Our results showed that strong CFC elicits higher Fos activation in the anterior insular and prelimbic cortices during remote retrieval, which was positively correlated with freezing along with the basolateral amygdala. Rats trained either with mild or strong CFC showed broad functional connectivity at the recent timepoint whereas only animals submitted to the strong CFC showed a widespread loss of coactivation during remote retrieval. Post-training plasma CORT levels are positively correlated with FOS expression during recent retrieval in strong CFC, but negatively correlated with FOS expression during remote retrieval in mild CFC. Our findings suggest that increasing training intensity results in differential processes of systems consolidation, possibly associated with increased post-training CORT release, and that strong CFC engages activity from the aIC, BLA and PrL – areas associated with the Salience Network in rats – during remote retrieval. Different training intensities may induce different systems consolidation processes. Mild training induces a broad functional connectivity at recent and remote recall. Strong training results in a widespread loss of coactivation during remote retrieval. Strong training engages areas related to the salience network during remote recall. Post-training corticosterone is associated with Fos expression during retrieval.
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Namkung H, Thomas KL, Hall J, Sawa A. Parsing neural circuits of fear learning and extinction across basic and clinical neuroscience: Towards better translation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104502. [PMID: 34921863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decades, studies of fear learning and extinction have advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of threat and safety learning. Animal studies can provide mechanistic/causal insights into human brain regions and their functional connectivity involved in fear learning and extinction. Findings in humans, conversely, may further enrich our understanding of neural circuits in animals by providing macroscopic insights at the level of brain-wide networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in translation between basic and clinical research on fear learning and extinction. Through the lens of neural circuits, in this article, we aim to review the current knowledge of fear learning and extinction in both animals and humans, and to propose strategies to fill in the current knowledge gap for the purpose of enhancing clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Namkung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kerrie L Thomas
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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Reed MB, Klöbl M, Godbersen GM, Handschuh PA, Ritter V, Spurny-Dworak B, Unterholzner J, Kraus C, Gryglewski G, Winkler D, Seiger R, Vanicek T, Hahn A, Lanzenberger R. Serotonergic modulation of effective connectivity in an associative relearning network during task and rest. Neuroimage 2022; 249:118887. [PMID: 34999203 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
An essential core function of one's cognitive flexibility is the use of acquired knowledge and skills to adapt to ongoing environmental changes. Animal models have highlighted the influence serotonin has on neuroplasticity. These effects have been predominantly demonstrated during emotional relearning which is theorized as a possible model for depression. However, translation of these mechanisms is in its infancy. To this end, we assessed changes in effective connectivity at rest and during associative learning as a proxy of neuroplastic changes in healthy volunteers. 76 participants underwent 6 weeks of emotional or non-emotional (re)learning (face-matching or Chinese character-German noun matching). During relearning participants either self-administered 10 mg/day of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram or placebo in a double-blind design. Associative learning tasks, resting-state and structural images were recorded before and after both learning phases (day 1, 21 and 42). Escitalopram intake modulated relearning changes in a network encompassing the right insula, anterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus. Here, the process of relearning during SSRI intake showed a greater decrease in effective connectivity from the right insula to both the anterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus, with increases in the opposite direction when compared to placebo. In contrast, intrinsic connections and those at resting-state were only marginally affected by escitalopram. Further investigation of gray matter volume changes in these functionally active regions revealed no significant SSRI-induced structural changes. These findings indicate that the right insula plays a central role in the process of relearning and SSRIs further potentiate this effect. In sum, we demonstrated that SSRIs amplify learning-induced effective connections rather than affecting the intrinsic task connectivity or that of resting-state.
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Dos Santos Corrêa M, Vaz BDS, Menezes BS, Ferreira TL, Tiba PA, Fornari RV. Corticosterone differentially modulates time-dependent fear generalization following mild or moderate fear conditioning training in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 184:107487. [PMID: 34242811 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Stressful and emotionally arousing experiences create strong memories that seem to lose specificity over time. It is uncertain, however, how the stress system contributes to the phenomenon of time-dependent fear generalization. Here, we investigated whether post-training corticosterone (CORT-HBC) injections, given after different training intensities, affect contextual fear memory specificity at several time points. We trained male Wistar rats on the contextual fear conditioning (CFC) task using two footshock intensities (mild CFC, 3 footshocks of 0.3 mA, or moderate CFC, 3x 0.6 mA) and immediately after the training session we administered CORT-HBC systemically. We first tested the animals in a novel context and then in the training context at different intervals following training (2, 14, 28 or 42 days). By measuring freezing in the novel context and then contrasting freezing times shown in both contexts, we inferred contextual fear generalization for each rat, classifying them into Generalizers or Discriminators. Following mild CFC training, the glucocorticoid injection promoted an accurate contextual memory at the recent time point (2 days), and increase the contextual memory accuracy 28 days after training. In contrast, after the moderate CFC training, CORT-HBC facilitated contextual generalization at 14 days, compared to the control group that maintained contextual discrimination at this timepoint. For this training intensity, however, CORT-HBC did not have any effect on recent memory specificity. These findings indicate that treatment with CORT-HBC immediately after the encoding of mild or moderately arousing experiences may differentially modulate memory consolidation and time-dependent fear generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés Dos Santos Corrêa
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Barbara Dos Santos Vaz
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Beatriz Scazufca Menezes
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Tatiana Lima Ferreira
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Paula Ayako Tiba
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Raquel Vecchio Fornari
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
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