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Licheri V, Chandrasekaran J, Kenton JA, Bird CW, Valenzuela CF, Brigman JL. Optogenetic stimulation of corticostriatal circuits improves behavioral flexibility in mice with prenatal alcohol exposure. Neuropharmacology 2024; 247:109860. [PMID: 38336243 PMCID: PMC10901293 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109860] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the most common preventable form of developmental and neurobehavioral disability. Animal models have demonstrated that even low to moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is sufficient to impair behavioral flexibility in multiple domains. Previously, utilizing a moderate limited access drinking in the dark paradigm, we have shown that PAE 1) impairs touchscreen pairwise visual reversal in male adult offspring 2) leads to small but significant decreases in orbitofrontal (OFC) firing rates 3) significantly increases dorsal striatum (dS) activity and 4) aberrantly sustains OFC-dS synchrony across early reversal. In the current study, we examined whether optogenetic stimulation of OFC-dS projection neurons would be sufficient to rescue the behavioral inflexibility induced by PAE in male C57BL/6J mice. Following discrimination learning, we targeted OFC-dS projections using a retrograde adeno-associated virus (AAV) delivered to the dS which expressed channel rhodopsin (ChR2). During the first four sessions of reversal learning, we delivered high frequency optogenetic stimulation to the OFC via optic fibers immediately following correct choice responses. Our results show that optogenetic stimulation significantly reduced the number of sessions, incorrect responses, and correction errors required to move past the early perseverative phase for both PAE and control mice. In addition, OFC-dS stimulation during early reversal learning reduced the increased sessions, correct and incorrect responding seen in PAE mice during the later learning phase of reversal but did not significantly alter later performance in control ChR2 mice. Taken together these results suggest that stimulation of OFC-dS projections can improve early reversal learning in PAE and control mice, and these improvements can persist even into later stages of the task days later. These studies provide an important foundation for future clinical approaches to improve executive control in those with FASD. This article is part of the Special Issue on "PFC circuit function in psychiatric disease and relevant models".
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Licheri
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
| | | | - Johnny A Kenton
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Chandrasekaran J, Caldwell KK, Brigman JL. Dynamic regulation of corticostriatal glutamatergic synaptic expression during reversal learning in male mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 208:107892. [PMID: 38242226 PMCID: PMC10936219 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107892] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility, one of the core executive functions of the brain, has been shown to be an essential skill for survival across species. Corticostriatal circuits play a critical role in mediating behavioral flexibility. The molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are still unclear. Here, we measured how synaptic glutamatergic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) expression dynamically changed during specific stages of learning and reversal. Following training to well-established stages of discrimination and reversal learning on a touchscreen visual task, lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsal striatum (dS) as well as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and piriform cortex (Pir) were micro dissected from male mouse brain and the expression of glutamatergic receptor subunits in the synaptic fraction were measured via immunoblotting. We found that the GluN2B subunit of NMDAR in the OFC remained stable during initial discrimination learning but significantly increased in the synaptic fraction during mid-reversal stages, the period during which the OFC has been shown to play a critical role in updating outcome expectancies. In contrast, both GluA1 and GluA2 subunits of the AMPAR significantly increased in the dS synaptic fraction as new associations were learned late in reversal. Expression of NMDAR and AMPAR subunits did not significantly differ across learning stages in any other brain region. Together, these findings further support the involvement of OFC-dS circuits in moderating well-learned associations and flexible behavior and suggest that dynamic synaptic expression of NMDAR and AMPAR in these circuits may play a role in mediating efficient learning during discrimination and the ability to update previously learned associations as environmental contingencies change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayapriya Chandrasekaran
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Kevin K Caldwell
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque NM 87131, USA
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque NM 87131, USA.
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Cho SY, Kim EW, Park SJ, Phillips BU, Jeong J, Kim H, Heath CJ, Kim D, Jang Y, López-Cruz L, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Lee DY, Kim E. Reconsidering repurposing: long-term metformin treatment impairs cognition in Alzheimer's model mice. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:34. [PMID: 38238285 PMCID: PMC10796941 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02755-9] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Metformin, a primary anti-diabetic medication, has been anticipated to provide benefits for Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as "type 3 diabetes". Nevertheless, some studies have demonstrated that metformin may trigger AD pathology and even elevate AD risk in humans. Despite this, limited research has elucidated the behavioral outcomes of metformin treatment, which would hold significant translational value. Thus, we aimed to perform thorough behavioral research on the prolonged administration of metformin to mice: We administered metformin (300 mg/kg/day) to transgenic 3xTg-AD and non-transgenic (NT) C57BL/6 mice over 1 and 2 years, respectively, and evaluated their behaviors across multiple domains via touchscreen operant chambers, including motivation, attention, memory, visual discrimination, and cognitive flexibility. We found metformin enhanced attention, inhibitory control, and associative learning in younger NT mice (≤16 months). However, chronic treatment led to impairments in memory retention and discrimination learning at older age. Furthermore, metformin caused learning and memory impairment and increased levels of AMPKα1-subunit, β-amyloid oligomers, plaques, phosphorylated tau, and GSK3β expression in AD mice. No changes in potential confounding factors on cognition, including levels of motivation, locomotion, appetite, body weight, blood glucose, and serum vitamin B12, were observed in metformin-treated AD mice. We also identified an enhanced amyloidogenic pathway in db/db mice, as well as in Neuro2a-APP695 cells and a decrease in synaptic markers, such as PSD-95 and synaptophysin in primary neurons, upon metformin treatment. Our findings collectively suggest that the repurposing of metformin should be carefully reconsidered when this drug is used for individuals with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Yeon Cho
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Woo Kim
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Nursing, Seoyeong University, Gwangju, 61268, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Jin Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jihyeon Jeong
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Daehwan Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yurim Jang
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Laura López-Cruz
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Do Yup Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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Wilson C, Gattuso JJ, Hannan AJ, Renoir T. Mechanisms of pathogenesis and environmental moderators in preclinical models of compulsive-like behaviours. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 185:106223. [PMID: 37423502 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106223] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD) is an emergent class of psychiatric illnesses that contributes substantially to the global mental health disease burden. In particular, the prototypical illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), has a profoundly deleterious effect on the quality of life of those with lived experience. Both clinical and preclinical studies have investigated the genetic and environmental influences contributing to the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Significant progress has been made in recent years in our understanding of the genetics of OCD, along with the critical role of common environmental triggers (e.g., stress). Some of this progress can be attributed to the sophistication of rodent models used in the field, particularly genetic mutant models, which demonstrate promising construct, face, and predictive validity. However, there is a paucity of studies investigating how these genetic and environmental influences interact to precipitate the behavioural, cellular, and molecular changes that occur in OCD. In this review, we assert that preclinical studies offer a unique opportunity to carefully manipulate environmental and genetic factors, and in turn to interrogate gene-environment interactions and relevant downstream sequelae. Such studies may serve to provide a mechanistic framework to build our understanding of the pathogenesis of complex neuropsychiatric disorders such as OCD. Furthermore, understanding gene-environment interactions and pathogenic mechanisms will facilitate precision medicine and other future approaches to enhance treatment, reduce side-effects of therapeutic interventions, and improve the lives of those suffering from these devastating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carey Wilson
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - James J Gattuso
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Thibault Renoir
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
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Vogel A, Ueberbach T, Wilken-Schmitz A, Hahnefeld L, Franck L, Weyer MP, Jungenitz T, Schmid T, Buchmann G, Freudenberg F, Brandes RP, Gurke R, Schwarzacher SW, Geisslinger G, Mittmann T, Tegeder I. Repetitive and compulsive behavior after Early-Life-Pain associated with reduced long-chain sphingolipid species. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:155. [PMID: 37635256 PMCID: PMC10463951 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01106-3] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pain in early life may impact on development and risk of chronic pain. We developed an optogenetic Cre/loxP mouse model of "early-life-pain" (ELP) using mice with transgenic expression of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) under control of the Advillin (Avil) promoter, which drives expression of transgenes predominantly in isolectin B4 positive non-peptidergic nociceptors in postnatal mice. Avil-ChR2 (Cre +) and ChR2-flfl control mice were exposed to blue light in a chamber once daily from P1-P5 together with their Cre-negative mother. RESULTS ELP caused cortical hyperexcitability at P8-9 as assessed via multi-electrode array recordings that coincided with reduced expression of synaptic genes (RNAseq) including Grin2b, neurexins, piccolo and voltage gated calcium and sodium channels. Young adult (8-16 wks) Avil-ChR2 mice presented with nociceptive hypersensitivity upon heat or mechanical stimulation, which did not resolve up until one year of age. The persistent hypersensitivy to nociceptive stimuli was reflected by increased calcium fluxes in primary sensory neurons of aged mice (1 year) upon capsaicin stimulation. Avil-ChR2 mice behaved like controls in maze tests of anxiety, social interaction, and spatial memory but IntelliCage behavioral studies revealed repetitive nosepokes and corner visits and compulsive lickings. Compulsiveness at the behavioral level was associated with a reduction of sphingomyelin species in brain and plasma lipidomic studies. Behavioral studies were done with female mice. CONCLUSION The results suggest that ELP may predispose to chronic "pain" and compulsive psychopathology in part mediated by alterations of sphingolipid metabolism, which have been previously described in the context of addiction and psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Vogel
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Timo Ueberbach
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Annett Wilken-Schmitz
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lisa Hahnefeld
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Luisa Franck
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Marc-Philipp Weyer
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Tassilo Jungenitz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmid
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Partner Site Frankfurt, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Giulia Buchmann
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Florian Freudenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ralf P Brandes
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Robert Gurke
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Stephan W Schwarzacher
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gerd Geisslinger
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Thomas Mittmann
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
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Odland AU, Sandahl R, Andreasen JT. Chronic corticosterone improves perseverative behavior in mice during sequential reversal learning. Behav Brain Res 2023; 450:114479. [PMID: 37169127 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114479] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stressful life events can both trigger development of psychiatric disorders and promote positive behavioral changes in response to adversities. The relationship between stress and cognitive flexibility is complex, and conflicting effects of stress manifest in both humans and laboratory animals. OBJECTIVE To mirror the clinical situation where stressful life events impair mental health or promote behavioral change, we examined the post-exposure effects of stress on cognitive flexibility in mice. METHODS We tested female C57BL/6JOlaHsd mice in the touchscreen-based sequential reversal learning test. Corticosterone (CORT) was used as a model of stress and was administered in the drinking water for two weeks before reversal learning. Control animals received drinking water without CORT. Behaviors in supplementary tests were included to exclude non-specific confounding effects of CORT and improve interpretation of the results. RESULTS CORT-treated mice were similar to controls on all touchscreen parameters before reversal. During the low accuracy phase of reversal learning, CORT reduced perseveration index, a measure of perseverative responding, but did not affect acquisition of the new reward contingency. This effect was not related to non-specific deficits in chamber activity. CORT increased anxiety-like behavior in the elevated zero maze test and repetitive digging in the marble burying test, reduced locomotor activity, but did not affect spontaneous alternation behavior. CONCLUSION CORT improved cognitive flexibility in the reversal learning test by extinguishing prepotent responses that were no longer rewarded, an effect possibly related to a stress-mediated increase in sensitivity to negative feedback that should be confirmed in a larger study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna U Odland
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rune Sandahl
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper T Andreasen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Chandrasekaran J, Jacquez B, Wilson J, Brigman JL. Reinforcer value moderates the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on learning and reversal. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1147536. [PMID: 37179543 PMCID: PMC10166816 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1147536] [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: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are the leading cause of preventable developmental disability and are commonly characterized by alterations in executive function. Reversal learning tasks are reliable, cross-species methods for testing a frequently impaired aspect of executive control, behavioral flexibility. Pre-clinical studies commonly require the use of reinforcers to motivate animals to learn and perform the task. While there are several reinforcers available, the most commonly employed are solid (food pellets) and liquid (sweetened milk) rewards. Previous studies have examined the effects of different solid rewards or liquid dietary content on learning in instrumental responding and found that rodents on liquid reward with higher caloric content performed better with increased response and task acquisition rate. The influence of reinforcer type on reversal learning and how this interacts with developmental insults such as prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has not been explored. Methods We tested whether reinforcer type during learning or reversal would impact an established deficit in PAE mice. Results We found that all male and female mice on liquid reward, regardless of prenatal exposure were better motivated to learn task behaviors during pre-training. Consistent with previous findings, both male and female PAE mice and Saccharine control mice were able to learn the initial stimulus reward associations irrespective of the reinforcer type. During the initial reversal phase, male PAE mice that received pellet rewards exhibited maladaptive perseverative responding whereas male mice that received liquid rewards performed comparable to their control counterparts. Female PAE mice that received either reinforcer types did not exhibit any deficits on behavioral flexibility. Female saccharine control mice that received liquid, but not pellet, rewards showed increased perseverative responding during the early reversal phase. Discussion These data suggest that reinforcer type can have a major impact on motivation, and therefore performance, during reversal learning. Highly motivating rewards may mask behavioral deficits seen with more moderately sought rewards and gestational exposure to the non-caloric sweetener, saccharine, can impact behavior motivated by those reinforcers in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayapriya Chandrasekaran
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Belkis Jacquez
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jennifer Wilson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jonathan L. Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Siegel AE, Bianchi DW, Guedj F. Visual discrimination and inhibitory control deficits in mouse models of Down syndrome: A pilot study using rodent touchscreen technology. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:492-507. [PMID: 36602162 PMCID: PMC10068543 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25160] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Several non-verbal cognitive and behavioral tests have been developed to assess learning deficits in humans with Down syndrome (DS). Here we used rodent touchscreen paradigms in adult male mice to investigate visual discrimination (VD) learning and inhibitory control in the Dp(16)1/Yey (C57BL/6J genetic background), Ts65Dn (mixed B6 X C3H genetic background) and Ts1Cje (C57BL/6J genetic background) mouse models of DS. Dp(16)1/Yey and Ts1Cje models did not exhibit motivation or learning deficits during early pre-training, however, Ts1Cje mice showed a significant learning delay after the introduction of the incorrect stimulus (late pre-training), suggesting prefrontal cortex defects in this model. Dp(16)1/Yey and Ts1Cje mice display learning deficits in VD but these deficits were more pronounced in the Dp(16)1/Yey model. Both models also exhibited compulsive behavior and abnormal cortical inhibitory control during Extinction compared to WT littermates. Finally, Ts65Dn mice outperformed WT littermates in pre-training stages by initiating a significantly higher number of trials due to their hyperactive behavior. Both Ts65Dn and WT littermates showed poor performance during late pre-training and were not tested in VD. These studies demonstrate significant learning deficits and compulsive behavior in the Ts1Cje and Dp(16)1/Yey mouse models of DS. They also demonstrate that the mouse genetic background (C57BL/6J vs. mixed B6 X C3H) and the absence of hyperactive behavior are key determinants of successful learning in touchscreen behavioral testing. These data will be used to select the mouse model that best mimics cognitive deficits in humans with DS and evaluate the effects of future therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Emily Siegel
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Diana W. Bianchi
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Faycal Guedj
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Macpherson T, Kim JY, Hikida T. Nucleus Accumbens Core Dopamine D2 Receptor-Expressing Neurons Control Reversal Learning but Not Set-Shifting in Behavioral Flexibility in Male Mice. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:885380. [PMID: 35837123 PMCID: PMC9275008 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.885380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to use environmental cues to flexibly guide responses is crucial for adaptive behavior and is thought to be controlled within a series of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops. Previous evidence has indicated that different prefrontal cortical regions control dissociable aspects of behavioral flexibility, with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) necessary for the ability to shift attention to a novel strategy (set-shifting) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) necessary for shifting attention between learned stimulus-outcome associations (reversal learning). The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major downstream target of both the mPFC and the OFC; however, its role in controlling reversal learning and set-shifting abilities is still unclear. Here we investigated the contribution of the two major NAc neuronal populations, medium spiny neurons expressing either dopamine D1 or D2 receptors (D1-/D2-MSNs), in guiding reversal learning and set-shifting in an attentional set-shifting task (ASST). Persistent inhibition of neurotransmitter release from NAc D2-MSNs, but not D1-MSNs, resulted in an impaired ability for reversal learning, but not set-shifting in male mice. These findings suggest that NAc D2-MSNs play a critical role in suppressing responding toward specific learned cues that are now associated with unfavorable outcomes (i.e., in reversal stages), but not in the suppression of more general learned strategies (i.e., in set-shifting). This study provides further evidence for the anatomical separation of reversal learning and set-shifting abilities within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Macpherson
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- Medical Innovation Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- *Correspondence: Tom Macpherson,
| | - Ji Yoon Kim
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
- Medical Innovation Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Takatoshi Hikida,
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10
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Adhikari A, Buchanan FKB, Fenton TA, Cameron DL, Halmai JANM, Copping NA, Fink KD, Silverman JL. Touchscreen Cognitive Deficits, Hyperexcitability, and Hyperactivity in Males and Females Using Two Models of Cdkl5 Deficiency. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3032-3050. [PMID: 35445702 PMCID: PMC9476626 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are the result of mutations on the X chromosome. One severe NDD resulting from mutations on the X chromosome is CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). CDD is an epigenetic, X-linked NDD characterized by intellectual disability (ID), pervasive seizures and severe sleep disruption, including recurring hospitalizations. CDD occurs at a 4:1 ratio, with a female bias. CDD is driven by the loss of cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5), a serine/threonine kinase that is essential for typical brain development, synapse formation and signal transmission. Previous studies focused on male subjects from animal models, likely to avoid the complexity of X mosaicism. For the first time, we report translationally relevant behavioral phenotypes in young adult (8–20 weeks) females and males with robust signal size, including impairments in learning and memory, substantial hyperactivity and increased susceptibility to seizures/reduced seizure thresholds, in both sexes, and in two models of CDD preclinical mice, one with a general loss-of-function mutation and one that is a patient-derived mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Adhikari
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Fiona K B Buchanan
- Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Stem Cell Program and Gene Therapy Center, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Timothy A Fenton
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - David L Cameron
- Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Stem Cell Program and Gene Therapy Center, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Julian A N M Halmai
- Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Stem Cell Program and Gene Therapy Center, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Nycole A Copping
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Kyle D Fink
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Stem Cell Program and Gene Therapy Center, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
| | - Jill L Silverman
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA
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11
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Chen JA, Li S, Wang BX, Wu N, Li F, Li J. The effect of visually evoked innate fear on reward-associated conditional response and reversal learning in mice. Physiol Behav 2022; 244:113648. [PMID: 34798128 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113648] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The response to visually evoked innate fear is essential for survival and impacts the cognition and behavior of animals to threats in the environment. However, contradictory findings of the interaction of fear and executive behaviors were reported by previous studies. To address this question, the present study investigated the effect of looming stimuli-driven visually innate fear on reward-associated conditioned response and reversal learning in mice with low or high motivation for sucrose. The mice with low motivation exposed to looming stimuli displayed reduced efficiency in the test of conditional response in the fixed ratio 1 schedule and impaired executive motivation as tested in the progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. However, the high motivated mice exposed to looming stimuli showed an unaffected conditional response but an increased executive motivation. In the reversal learning program, looming stimuli at the middle stage caused deficits in cognitive flexibility in the mice with low and high motivation. Therefore, these results illuminate the impact of visually evoked innate fear on conditional response and reversal learning and further show that the impacts are relevant to internal motivation and external fear stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-An Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Bing-Xin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China.
| | - Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China.
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12
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Gao L, Zhang Y, Sterling K, Song W. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in Alzheimer's disease and its pharmaceutical potential. Transl Neurodegener 2022; 11:4. [PMID: 35090576 PMCID: PMC8796548 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-022-00279-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic abnormalities are a cardinal feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are known to arise as the disease progresses. A growing body of evidence suggests that pathological alterations to neuronal circuits and synapses may provide a mechanistic link between amyloid β (Aβ) and tau pathology and thus may serve as an obligatory relay of the cognitive impairment in AD. Brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNFs) play an important role in maintaining synaptic plasticity in learning and memory. Considering AD as a synaptic disorder, BDNF has attracted increasing attention as a potential diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutical molecule for AD. Although depletion of BDNF has been linked with Aβ accumulation, tau phosphorylation, neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis, the exact mechanisms underlying the effect of impaired BDNF signaling on AD are still unknown. Here, we present an overview of how BDNF genomic structure is connected to factors that regulate BDNF signaling. We then discuss the role of BDNF in AD and the potential of BDNF-targeting therapeutics for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Gao
- Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis, Treatment and Behavioral Interventions of Mental Disorders, Institute of Mental Health, College of Pharmacy, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, Shandong, China
- Townsend Family Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Yun Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, China
| | - Keenan Sterling
- Townsend Family Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Weihong Song
- Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis, Treatment and Behavioral Interventions of Mental Disorders, Institute of Mental Health, College of Pharmacy, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, Shandong, China.
- Townsend Family Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, The University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, China.
- Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, School of Mental Health and The Affiliated Kangning Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou, 325001, Zhejiang, China.
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13
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Liao J, Dong G, Wulaer B, Sawahata M, Mizoguchi H, Mori D, Ozaki N, Nabeshima T, Nagai T, Yamada K. Mice with exonic RELN deletion identified from a patient with schizophrenia have impaired visual discrimination learning and reversal learning in touchscreen operant tasks. Behav Brain Res 2022; 416:113569. [PMID: 34499931 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The Reelin gene (RELN) encodes a large extracellular protein, which has multiple roles in brain development and adult brain function. It activates a series of neuronal signal transduction pathways in the adult brain that function in synaptic plasticity, dendritic morphology, and cognitive function. To further investigate the roles of Reln in brain function, we generated a mouse line using the C57BL/6 J strain with the specific Reln deletion identified from a Japanese patient with schizophrenia (Reln-del mice). These mice exhibited abnormal sociality, but the pathophysiological significance of the Reln deletion for higher brain functions, such as learning and behavioral flexibility remains unclear. In this study, cognitive function in Reln-del mice was assessed using touchscreen-based visual discrimination (VD) and reversal learning (RL) tasks. Reln-del mice showed normal learning in the simple VD task, but the learning was delayed in the complex VD task as compared to their wild-type (WT) littermates. In the RL task, sessions were divided into early perseverative phase (sessions with <50% correct) and later learning phase (sessions with ≥50% correct). Reln-del mice showed normal perseveration but impaired relearning ability in both simple RL and complex RL task as compared to WT mice. These results suggest that Reln-del mice have impaired learning ability, but the behavioral flexibility is unaffected. Overall, the observed behavioral abnormalities in Reln-del mice suggest that this mouse model is a useful preclinical tool for investigating the neurobiological mechanism underlying cognitive impairments in schizophrenia and a therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingzhu Liao
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Geyao Dong
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Bolati Wulaer
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan; Advanced Diagnostic System Research Laboratory, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Department of Disease Control and Prevention, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Masahito Sawahata
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Daisuke Mori
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan; Brain and Mind Research Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Norio Ozaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan; Brain and Mind Research Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan; Medical Genomics Center, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan
| | - Toshitaka Nabeshima
- Advanced Diagnostic System Research Laboratory, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan; Japanese Drug Organization of Appropriate Use and Research, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan; Project Office for Neuropsychological Research Center, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake 470-1192, Japan
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan; Japanese Drug Organization of Appropriate Use and Research, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
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14
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Cabib S, Campus P, Latagliata EC, Orsini C, Tarmati V. Repetitive and Inflexible Active Coping and Addiction-like Neuroplasticity in Stressed Mice of a Helplessness-Resistant Inbred Strain. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:174. [PMID: 34940109 DOI: 10.3390/bs11120174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctional coping styles are involved in the development, persistence, and relapse of psychiatric diseases. Passive coping with stress challenges (helplessness) is most commonly used in animal models of dysfunctional coping, although active coping strategies are associated with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic, and phobias as well as obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorder. This paper analyzes the development of dysfunctional active coping strategies of mice of the helplessness–resistant DBA/2J (D2) inbred strain, submitted to temporary reduction in food availability in an uncontrollable and unavoidable condition. The results indicate that food-restricted D2 mice developed a stereotyped form of food anticipatory activity and dysfunctional reactive coping in novel aversive contexts and acquired inflexible and perseverant escape strategies in novel stressful situations. The evaluation of FosB/DeltaFosB immunostaining in different brain areas of food-restricted D2 mice revealed a pattern of expression typically associated with behavioral sensitization to addictive drugs and compulsivity. These results support the conclusion that an active coping style represents an endophenotype of mental disturbances characterized by perseverant and inflexible behavior.
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15
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Macpherson T, Matsumoto M, Gomi H, Morimoto J, Uchibe E, Hikida T. Parallel and hierarchical neural mechanisms for adaptive and predictive behavioral control. Neural Netw 2021; 144:507-521. [PMID: 34601363 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Our brain can be recognized as a network of largely hierarchically organized neural circuits that operate to control specific functions, but when acting in parallel, enable the performance of complex and simultaneous behaviors. Indeed, many of our daily actions require concurrent information processing in sensorimotor, associative, and limbic circuits that are dynamically and hierarchically modulated by sensory information and previous learning. This organization of information processing in biological organisms has served as a major inspiration for artificial intelligence and has helped to create in silico systems capable of matching or even outperforming humans in several specific tasks, including visual recognition and strategy-based games. However, the development of human-like robots that are able to move as quickly as humans and respond flexibly in various situations remains a major challenge and indicates an area where further use of parallel and hierarchical architectures may hold promise. In this article we review several important neural and behavioral mechanisms organizing hierarchical and predictive processing for the acquisition and realization of flexible behavioral control. Then, inspired by the organizational features of brain circuits, we introduce a multi-timescale parallel and hierarchical learning framework for the realization of versatile and agile movement in humanoid robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Macpherson
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masayuki Matsumoto
- Division of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Gomi
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Jun Morimoto
- Department of Brain Robot Interface, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan; Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Eiji Uchibe
- Department of Brain Robot Interface, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takatoshi Hikida
- Laboratory for Advanced Brain Functions, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
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16
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Dalmaz C, Barth B, Pokhvisneva I, Wang Z, Patel S, Quillfeldt JA, Mendonça Filho EJ, de Lima RMS, Arcego DM, Sassi RB, Hall GBC, Kobor MS, Meaney MJ, Silveira PP. Prefrontal cortex VAMP1 gene network moderates the effect of the early environment on cognitive flexibility in children. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 185:107509. [PMID: 34454100 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
During development, genetic and environmental factors interact to modify specific phenotypes. Both in humans and in animal models, early adversities influence cognitive flexibility, an important brain function related to behavioral adaptation to variations in the environment. Abnormalities in cognitive functions are related to changes in synaptic connectivity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), and altered levels of synaptic proteins. We investigated if individual variations in the expression of a network of genes co-expressed with the synaptic protein VAMP1 in the prefrontal cortex moderate the effect of early environmental quality on the performance of children in cognitive flexibility tasks. Genes overexpressed in early childhood and co-expressed with the VAMP1 gene in the PFC were selected for study. SNPs from these genes (post-clumping) were compiled in an expression-based polygenic score (PFC-ePRS-VAMP1). We evaluated cognitive performance of the 4 years-old children in two cohorts using similar cognitive flexibility tasks. In the first cohort (MAVAN) we utilized two CANTAB tasks: (a) the Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set Shift (IED) task, and (b) the Spatial Working Memory (SWM) task. In the second cohort, GUSTO, we used the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task. The results show that in 4 years-old children, the PFC-ePRS-VAMP1 network moderates responsiveness to the effects of early adversities on the performance in attentional flexibility tests. The same result was observed for a spatial working memory task. Compared to attentional flexibility, reversal learning showed opposite effects of the environment, as moderated by the ePRS. A parallel ICA analysis was performed to identify relationships between whole-brain voxel based gray matter density and SNPs that comprise the PFC-ePRS-VAMP1. The early environment predicts differences in gray matter content in regions such as prefrontal and temporal cortices, significantly associated with a genetic component related to Wnt signaling pathways. Our data suggest that a network of genes co-expressed with VAMP1 in the PFC moderates the influence of early environment on cognitive function in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Dalmaz
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Depto Bioquimica e PPG CB Bioquimica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; PPG Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Barbara Barth
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Irina Pokhvisneva
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Zihan Wang
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sachin Patel
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jorge A Quillfeldt
- PPG Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Depto Biofisica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Euclides J Mendonça Filho
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; PPG Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Danusa M Arcego
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Roberto Britto Sassi
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Geoffrey B C Hall
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, 938 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Patrícia P Silveira
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; PPG Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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17
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Lopez-Cruz L, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM, Heath CJ. Using touchscreen-delivered cognitive assessments to address the principles of the 3Rs in behavioral sciences. Lab Anim (NY) 2021; 50:174-184. [PMID: 34140683 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00791-2] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite considerable advances in both in silico and in vitro approaches, in vivo studies that involve animal model systems remain necessary in many research disciplines. Neuroscience is one such area, with studies often requiring access to a complete nervous system capable of dynamically selecting between and then executing a full range of cognitive and behavioral outputs in response to a given stimulus or other manipulation. The involvement of animals in research studies is an issue of active public debate and concern and is therefore carefully regulated. Such regulations are based on the principles of the 3Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. In the sub-specialty of behavioral neuroscience, Full/Absolute Replacement remains a major challenge, as the complete ex vivo recapitulation of a system as complex and dynamic as the nervous system has yet to be achieved. However, a number of very positive developments have occurred in this area with respect to Relative Replacement and to both Refinement and Reduction. In this review, we discuss the Refinement- and Reduction-related benefits yielded by the introduction of touchscreen-based behavioral assessment apparatus. We also discuss how data generated by a specific panel of behavioral tasks developed for this platform might substantially enhance monitoring of laboratory animal welfare and provide robust, quantitative comparisons of husbandry techniques to define and ensure maintenance of best practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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18
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Hervig ME, Fiddian L, Piilgaard L, Božič T, Blanco-Pozo M, Knudsen C, Olesen SF, Alsiö J, Robbins TW. Dissociable and Paradoxical Roles of Rat Medial and Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex in Visual Serial Reversal Learning. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:1016-1029. [PMID: 31343680 PMCID: PMC7132932 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Much evidence suggests that reversal learning is mediated by cortico-striatal circuitries with the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) playing a prominent role. The OFC is a functionally heterogeneous region, but potential differential roles of lateral (lOFC) and medial (mOFC) portions in visual reversal learning have yet to be determined. We investigated the effects of pharmacological inactivation of mOFC and lOFC on a deterministic serial visual reversal learning task for rats. For reference, we also targeted other areas previously implicated in reversal learning: prelimbic (PrL) and infralimbic (IL) prefrontal cortex, and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Inactivating mOFC and lOFC produced opposite effects; lOFC impairing, and mOFC improving, performance in the early, perseverative phase specifically. Additionally, mOFC inactivation enhanced negative feedback sensitivity, while lOFC inactivation diminished feedback sensitivity in general. mOFC and lOFC inactivation also affected novel visual discrimination learning differently; lOFC inactivation paradoxically improved learning, and mOFC inactivation had no effect. We also observed dissociable roles of the OFC and the IL/PrL. Whereas the OFC inactivation affected only perseveration, IL/PrL inactivation improved learning overall. BLA inactivation did not affect perseveration, but improved the late phase of reversal learning. These results support opponent roles of the rodent mOFC and lOFC in deterministic visual reversal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Hervig
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark.,Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg, Copenhagen NV, Denmark
| | - L Fiddian
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - L Piilgaard
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - T Božič
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Blanco-Pozo
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - C Knudsen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - S F Olesen
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - J Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - T W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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19
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Le Merre P, Ährlund-Richter S, Carlén M. The mouse prefrontal cortex: Unity in diversity. Neuron 2021; 109:1925-1944. [PMID: 33894133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is considered to constitute the highest stage of neural integration and to be devoted to representation and production of actions. Studies in primates have laid the foundation for theories regarding the principles of prefrontal function and provided mechanistic insights. The recent surge of studies of the PFC in mice holds promise for evolvement of present theories and development of novel concepts, particularly regarding principles shared across mammals. Here we review recent empirical work on the mouse PFC capitalizing on the experimental toolbox currently privileged to studies in this species. We conclude that this line of research has revealed cellular and structural distinctions of the PFC and neuronal activity with direct relevance to theories regarding the functions of the PFC. We foresee that data-rich mouse studies will be key to shed light on the general prefrontal architecture and mechanisms underlying cognitive aspects of organized actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Le Merre
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Marie Carlén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden.
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20
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Piantadosi PT, Halladay LR, Radke AK, Holmes A. Advances in understanding meso-cortico-limbic-striatal systems mediating risky reward seeking. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1547-1571. [PMID: 33704784 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The risk of an aversive consequence occurring as the result of a reward-seeking action can have a profound effect on subsequent behavior. Such aversive events can be described as punishers, as they decrease the probability that the same action will be produced again in the future and increase the exploration of less risky alternatives. Punishment can involve the omission of an expected rewarding event ("negative" punishment) or the addition of an unpleasant event ("positive" punishment). Although many individuals adaptively navigate situations associated with the risk of negative or positive punishment, those suffering from substance use disorders or behavioral addictions tend to be less able to curtail addictive behaviors despite the aversive consequences associated with them. Here, we discuss the psychological processes underpinning reward seeking despite the risk of negative and positive punishment and consider how behavioral assays in animals have been employed to provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying addictive disorders. We then review the critical contributions of dopamine signaling to punishment learning and risky reward seeking, and address the roles of interconnected ventral striatal, cortical, and amygdala regions to these processes. We conclude by discussing the ample opportunities for future study to clarify critical gaps in the literature, particularly as related to delineating neural contributions to distinct phases of the risky decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T Piantadosi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Anna K Radke
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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21
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Marquardt K, Cavanagh JF, Brigman JL. Alcohol exposure in utero disrupts cortico-striatal coordination required for behavioral flexibility. Neuropharmacology 2021; 188:108471. [PMID: 33618902 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in behavioral flexibility are a hallmark of multiple psychiatric, neurological, and substance use disorders. These deficits are often marked by decreased function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC); however, the genesis of such executive deficits remains understudied. Here we report how the most preventable cause of developmental disability, in utero exposure to alcohol, alters cortico-striatal circuit activity leading to impairments in behavioral flexibility in adulthood. We utilized a translational touch-screen task coupled with in vivo electrophysiology in adult mice to examine single unit and coordinated activity of the lateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and dorsolateral striatum (DS) during flexible behavior. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) decreased OFC, and increased DS, single unit activity during reversal learning and altered the number of choice responsive neurons in both regions. PAE also decreased coordinated activity within the OFC and DS as measured by oscillatory field activity and altered spike-field coupling. Furthermore, PAE led to sustained connectivity between regions past what was seen in control animals. These findings suggest that PAE causes altered coordination within and between the OFC and DS, promoting maladaptive perseveration. Our model suggests that in optimally functioning mice OFC disengages the DS and updates the newly changed reward contingency, whereas in PAE animals, aberrant and persistent OFC to DS signaling drives behavioral inflexibility during early reversal sessions. Together, these findings demonstrate how developmental exposure alters circuit-level activity leading to behavioral deficits and suggest a critical role for coordination of neural timing during behaviors requiring executive function.
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22
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Sun W, Wu Y, Tang D, Li X, An L. Melamine disrupts spatial reversal learning and learning strategy via inhibiting hippocampal BDNF-mediated neural activity. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245326. [PMID: 33428671 PMCID: PMC7799824 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Although several studies showed adverse neurotoxic effects of melamine on hippocampus (HPC)-dependent learning and reversal learning, the evidence for this mechanism is still unknown. We recently demonstrated that intra-hippocampal melamine injection affected the induction of long-term depression, which is associated with novelty acquisition and memory consolidation. Here, we infused melamine into the HPC of rats, and employed behavioral tests, immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry and electrophysiological methods to sought evidence for its effects on cognitive flexibility. Rats with intra-hippocampal infusion of melamine displayed dose-dependent increase in trials to the criterion in reversal learning, with no locomotion or motivation defect. Compared with controls, melamine-treated rats avoided HPC-dependent place strategy. Meanwhile, the learning-induced BDNF level in the HPC neurons was significantly reduced. Importantly, bilateral intra-hippocampal BDNF infusion could effectively mitigate the suppressive effects of melamine on neural correlate with reversal performance, and rescue the strategy bias and reversal learning deficits. Our findings provide first evidence for the effect of melamine on cognitive flexibility and suggest that the reversal learning deficit is due to the inability to use place strategy. Furthermore, the suppressive effects of melamine on BDNF-mediated neural activity could be the mechanism, thus advancing the understanding of compulsive behavior in melamine-induced and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Sun
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
- Department of Pediatric, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Yuanhua Wu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
| | - Dongxin Tang
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiaoliang Li
- Department of Neurology, Jinan Hospital, Jinan, China
| | - Lei An
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
- Department of Pediatric, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
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23
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Hatzipantelis C, Langiu M, Vandekolk TH, Pierce TL, Nithianantharajah J, Stewart GD, Langmead CJ. Translation-Focused Approaches to GPCR Drug Discovery for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1042-1062. [PMID: 33344888 PMCID: PMC7737210 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no effective therapeutics for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which includes deficits in executive functions (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and episodic memory. Compounds that have entered clinical trials are inadequate in terms of efficacy and/or tolerability, highlighting a clear translational bottleneck and a need for a cohesive preclinical drug development strategy. In this review we propose hippocampal-prefrontal-cortical (HPC-PFC) circuitry underlying CIAS-relevant cognitive processes across mammalian species as a target source to guide the translation-focused discovery and development of novel, procognitive agents. We highlight several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) enriched within HPC-PFC circuitry as therapeutic targets of interest, including noncanonical approaches (biased agonism and allosteric modulation) to conventional clinical targets, such as dopamine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, along with prospective novel targets, including the orphan receptors GPR52 and GPR139. We also describe the translational limitations of popular preclinical cognition tests and suggest touchscreen-based assays that probe cognitive functions reliant on HPC-PFC circuitry and reflect tests used in the clinic, as tests of greater translational relevance. Combining pharmacological and behavioral testing strategies based in HPC-PFC circuit function creates a cohesive, translation-focused approach to preclinical drug development that may improve the translational bottleneck currently hindering the development of treatments for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra
J. Hatzipantelis
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Monica Langiu
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa H. Vandekolk
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Tracie L. Pierce
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience
and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Gregory D. Stewart
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Langmead
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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24
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Houlton J, Barwick D, Clarkson AN. Frontal cortex stroke-induced impairment in spatial working memory on the trial-unique nonmatching-to-location task in mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 177:107355. [PMID: 33276070 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Stroke-induced cognitive impairments are of significant concern, however mechanisms that underpin these impairments remain poorly understood and researched. To further characterise cognitive impairments in our frontal cortex stroke model, and to align our assessments with what is used clinically, we tested young C57BL/6J mice trained in operant touchscreen chambers to complete the trial-unique nonmatched-to-location (TUNL) task. Based on baseline performance, animals were given either stroke (n = 12) or sham (n = 12) surgery using a photothrombosis model, bilaterally targeting the frontal cortex. Upon recovery, post-stroke spatial working memory was assessed by varying the degree of separation and delay within TUNL trials. Seven weeks after surgery, animals received a prelimbic injection of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (CTB) to access thalamo-PFC connectivity. Tissue was then processed histologically and immunohistochemically to assess infarct volume, astrogliosis and thalamocortical connectivity. Assessment of TUNL probes revealed sensitivity to a frontal cortex stroke (separation: p = 0.0003, delay: p < 0.0001), with stroke animals taking significantly longer (p = 0.0170) during reacquisition of the TUNL task, relative to shams. CTB-positive cell counts revealed a stroke-induced loss of thalamo-PFC connectivity. In addition, quantification of reactive astrogliosis revealed a positive correlation between the degree of astrogliosis expanding into white matter tracts and the development of cognitive impairments. This study reveals a stroke-induced impairment in mice completing the TUNL task. Our findings also demonstrate a significant loss of thalamo-PFC connections and a correlation between white matter reactive astrogliosis and cognitive impairment. Future experiments will investigate therapeutic interventions in the hope of promoting functional improvement in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Houlton
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Deanna Barwick
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
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25
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Saifullah MAB, Komine O, Dong Y, Fukumoto K, Sobue A, Endo F, Saito T, Saido TC, Yamanaka K, Mizoguchi H. Touchscreen-based location discrimination and paired associate learning tasks detect cognitive impairment at an early stage in an App knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Brain 2020; 13:147. [PMID: 33183323 PMCID: PMC7664057 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline with accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles that usually begins 15–30 years before clinical diagnosis. Rodent models that recapitulate aggressive Aβ and/or the pathology of neurofibrillary tangles are essential for AD research. Accordingly, non-invasive early detection systems in these animal models are required to evaluate the phenotypic changes, elucidate the mechanism of disease progression, and facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches. Although many behavioral tests efficiently reveal cognitive impairments at the later stage of the disease in AD models, it has been challenging to detect such impairments at the early stage. To address this issue, we subjected 4–6-month-old male AppNL−G−F/NL−G−F knock-in (App-KI) mice to touchscreen-based location discrimination (LD), different object–location paired-associate learning (dPAL), and reversal learning tests, and compared the results with those of the classical Morris water maze test. These tests are mainly dependent on the brain regions prone to Aβ accumulation at the earliest stages of the disease. At 4–6 months, considered to represent the early stage of disease when mice exhibit initial deposition of Aβ and slight gliosis, the classical Morris water maze test revealed no difference between groups, whereas touchscreen-based LD and dPAL tasks revealed significant impairments in task performance. Our report is the first to confirm that a systematic touchscreen-based behavioral test battery can sensitively detect the early stage of cognitive decline in an AD-linked App-KI mouse model. This system could be applied in future translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Ali Bin Saifullah
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Okiru Komine
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yutao Dong
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Kazuya Fukumoto
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Fumito Endo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Koji Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan.
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26
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Kim E, White MA, Phillips BU, Lopez-Cruz L, Kim H, Heath CJ, Lee JE, Saksida LM, Sreedharan J, Bussey TJ. Coexistence of perseveration and apathy in the TDP-43 Q331K knock-in mouse model of ALS-FTD. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:377. [PMID: 33149110 PMCID: PMC7643138 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Perseveration and apathy are two of the most common behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD). Availability of a validated and behaviourally characterised animal model is crucial for translational research into BPSD in the FTD context. We behaviourally evaluated the male TDP-43Q331K mouse, an ALS-FTD model with a human-equivalent mutation (TDP-43Q331K) knocked into the endogenous Tardbp gene. We utilised a panel of behavioural tasks delivered using the rodent touchscreen apparatus, including progressive ratio (PR), extinction and visual discrimination/reversal learning (VDR) assays to examine motivation, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility, respectively. Relative to WT littermates, TDP-43Q331K mice exhibited increased responding under a PR schedule. While elevated PR responding is typically an indication of increased motivation for reward, a trial-by-trial response rate analysis revealed that TDP-43Q331K mice exhibited decreased maximal response rate and slower response decay rate, suggestive of reduced motivation and a perseverative behavioural phenotype, respectively. In the extinction assay, TDP-43Q331K mice displayed increased omissions during the early phase of each session, consistent with a deficit in activational motivation. Finally, the VDR task revealed cognitive inflexibility, manifesting as stimulus-bound perseveration. Together, our data indicate that male TDP-43Q331K mice exhibit a perseverative phenotype with some evidence of apathy-like behaviour, similar to BPSDs observed in human ALS-FTD patients. The TDP-43Q331K knock-in mouse therefore has features that recommend it as a useful platform to facilitate translational research into behavioural symptoms in the context of ALS-FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew A White
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Jong Eun Lee
- Department of Anatomy, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jemeen Sreedharan
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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27
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Alsiö J, Lehmann O, McKenzie C, Theobald DE, Searle L, Xia J, Dalley JW, Robbins TW. Serotonergic Innervations of the Orbitofrontal and Medial-prefrontal Cortices are Differentially Involved in Visual Discrimination and Reversal Learning in Rats. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:1090-1105. [PMID: 33043981 PMCID: PMC7906782 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cross-species studies have identified an evolutionarily conserved role for serotonin in flexible behavior including reversal learning. The aim of the current study was to investigate the contribution of serotonin within the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to visual discrimination and reversal learning. Male Lister Hooded rats were trained to discriminate between a rewarded (A+) and a nonrewarded (B−) visual stimulus to receive sucrose rewards in touchscreen operant chambers. Serotonin was depleted using surgical infusions of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT), either globally by intracebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusions or locally by microinfusions into the OFC or mPFC. Rats that received i.c.v. infusions of 5,7-DHT before initial training were significantly impaired during both visual discrimination and subsequent reversal learning during which the stimulus–reward contingencies were changed (A− vs. B+). Local serotonin depletion from the OFC impaired reversal learning without affecting initial discrimination. After mPFC depletion, rats were unimpaired during reversal learning but slower to respond at the stimuli during all the stages; the mPFC group was also slower to learn during discrimination than the OFC group. These findings extend our understanding of serotonin in cognitive flexibility by revealing differential effects within two subregions of the prefrontal cortex in visual discrimination and reversal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Olivia Lehmann
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Colin McKenzie
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - David E Theobald
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Lydia Searle
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jing Xia
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jeffrey W Dalley
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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28
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Bryce CA, Floresco SB. Central CRF and acute stress differentially modulate probabilistic reversal learning in male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 397:112929. [PMID: 32998044 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress can have variable and sometimes sex-dependent effects on different executive functions, including cognitive flexibility, some of which may be mediated by increased corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). Previous studies on the effects of stress and CRF on cognitive flexibility have used procedures entailing deterministic rewards, yet how they may alter behavior when outcomes are probabilistic is unclear. The present study examined how acute stress and increased CRF activity alters probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) in male and female rats. Rats learned to discriminate between a 'correct' lever rewarded on 80 % of trials, and an "incorrect" lever delivering reward on 20 % of trials, with reward contingencies reversed after 8 consecutive correct choices. Separate groups received either intracerebroventricular infusions of CRF (3 μg) or restraint stress prior to a PRL session. Experiments examined how these manipulations affected learning when given prior to a one-day acquisition test or during performance in well-trained rats. Exogenous CRF, and to a lesser extent acute stress, impaired motivation across sexes, slowing deliberation times and increasing the number of trials omitted, particularly following a switch in reward contingencies. Neither manipulation significantly altered errors or reversal performance. However, increased CRF activity reduced negative feedback sensitivity. Across manipulations, females showed increased omissions and choice latencies, and were less sensitive to feedback than males. These results reveal the complexity with which stress, CRF, sex, and experience interact to alter aspects of motivation and probabilistic reinforcement learning and provide insight into how CRF activity may contribute to symptoms of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney A Bryce
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Fritz RG, Zimmermann E, Meier M, Mestre-Francés N, Radespiel U, Schmidtke D. Neurobiological substrates of animal personality and cognition in a nonhuman primate (Microcebus murinus). Brain Behav 2020; 10:e01752. [PMID: 32683780 PMCID: PMC7507526 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is an important nonhuman primate model in biomedical research. Numerous studies investigated mouse lemur behavior and possible factors underlying interindividual variation in both, animal personality and cognitive performance. Some effects, such as an age-related decline in executive functioning, have robustly been found across laboratory colonies; however, little is known about the brain structural substrates in mouse lemurs. METHODS Here, we provide first exploratory data linking in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of 34 mouse lemurs to performance in a standardized, touchscreen-based task on object discrimination and reversal learning as well as to animal personality under different scenarios in an open field. RESULTS High interindividual variability in both brain morphometric and behavioral measurements was found, but only few significant correlations between brain structure and behavior were revealed: Object discrimination learning was linked to the volume of the hippocampus and to temporal lobe thickness, while reversal learning was linked to thalamic volume and the thickness of the anterior cingulate lobe. Emergence latency into the open field correlated with volume of the amygdala. General exploration-avoidance in the empty open-field arena correlated with thicknesses of the anterior cingulate lobe and fronto-parietal substructures. Neophilia, assessed as exploration of a novel object placed in the arena, among others, related to the volume of the caudate nucleus. CONCLUSION In summary, our data suggest a prominent role of temporal structures (including the hippocampus) for learning capability, as well as thalamic and anterior cingulate structures for cognitive flexibility and response inhibition. The amygdala, the anterior cingulate lobe, and the caudate nucleus are particularly linked to animal personality in the open-field setting. These findings are congruent with the comparative psychological literature and provide a valuable basis for future studies elucidating aspects of behavioral variation in this nonhuman primate model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Grace Fritz
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Martin Meier
- ZTL-Imaging, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Schmidtke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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Sun W, Che H, Li J, Tang D, Liu X, Liu W, An L. Dorsolateral Striatal proBDNF Improves Reversal Learning by Enhancing Coordination of Neural Activity in Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 57:4642-4656. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02051-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Schmidtke D, Zimmermann E, Trouche SG, Fontès P, Verdier JM, Mestre-Francés N. Linking cognition to age and amyloid-β burden in the brain of a nonhuman primate (Microcebus murinus). Neurobiol Aging 2020; 94:207-216. [PMID: 32650184 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is a valuable model in research on age-related proteopathies. This nonhuman primate, comparable to humans, naturally develops tau and amyloid-β proteopathies during aging. Whether these are linked to cognitive alterations is unknown. Here, standardized cognitive testing in pairwise discrimination and reversal learning in a sample of 37 aged (>5 years) subjects was combined with tau and amyloid-β histochemistry in individuals that died naturally. Correlation analyses in successfully tested subjects (n = 22) revealed a significant relation between object discrimination learning and age, strongly influenced by outliers, suggesting pathological cases. Where neuroimmunohistochemistry was possible, as subjects deceased, the naturally developed cortical amyloid-β burden was significantly linked to pretraining success (intraneuronal accumulations) and discrimination learning (extracellular deposits), showing that cognitive (pairwise discrimination) performance in old age predicts the natural accumulation of amyloid-β at death. This is the first description of a direct relation between the cortical amyloid-β burden and cognition in a nonhuman primate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schmidtke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany; Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany; Center for Systems Neuroscience Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stéphanie G Trouche
- MMDN, University of Montpellier, EPHE, INSERM, U1198, PSL University, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascaline Fontès
- MMDN, University of Montpellier, EPHE, INSERM, U1198, PSL University, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Michel Verdier
- MMDN, University of Montpellier, EPHE, INSERM, U1198, PSL University, Montpellier, France
| | - Nadine Mestre-Francés
- MMDN, University of Montpellier, EPHE, INSERM, U1198, PSL University, Montpellier, France
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32
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Hervig ME, Piilgaard L, Božič T, Alsiö J, Robbins TW. Glutamatergic and Serotonergic Modulation of Rat Medial and Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex in Visual Serial Reversal Learning. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 13:438-458. [PMID: 33613854 PMCID: PMC7872199 DOI: 10.1037/pne0000221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Adapting behavior to a dynamic environment requires both steadiness when the environment is stable and behavioral flexibility in response to changes. Much evidence suggests that cognitive flexibility, which can be operationalized in reversal learning tasks, is mediated by cortico-striatal circuitries, with the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) playing a prominent role. The OFC is a functionally heterogeneous region, and we have previously reported differential roles of lateral (lOFC) and medial (mOFC) regions in a touchscreen serial visual reversal learning task for rats using pharmacological inactivation. Here, we investigated the effects of pharmacological overactivation of these regions using a glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) inhibitor, dihydrokainate (DHK), which increases extracellular glutamate by blocking its reuptake. We also tested the impact of antagonism of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR), which modulates glutamate action, in the mOFC and lOFC on the same task. Overactivation induced by DHK produced dissociable effects in the mOFC and lOFC, with more prominent effects in the mOFC, specifically improving performance in the early, perseveration phase. Intra-lOFC DHK increased the number of omitted responses without affecting errors. In contrast, blocking the 5-HT2AR in the lOFC impaired reversal learning overall, while mOFC 5-HT2AR blockade had no effect. These results further support dissociable roles of the rodent mOFC and lOFC in deterministic visual reversal learning and indicate that modulating glutamate transmission through blocking the GLT-1 and the 5-HT2AR have different roles in these two structures. This study further supports dissociable roles of specific orbitofrontal subregions, as well as glutamatergic and serotonergic transmission in these subregions, in cognitive flexibility. This knowledge will add to the understanding of specific neural mechanisms underlying inflexible behaviour across psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona E Hervig
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen
| | - Louise Piilgaard
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge
| | - Tadej Božič
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, and Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge
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33
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Lee JH, Cho SY, Kim E. Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia with touchscreen operant chambers. Genes Brain Behav 2020; 20:e12664. [PMID: 32374080 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia involves mainly two areas: the validation of newly developed dementia animal models and the preclinical assessment of novel drug candidates in such model animals. To validate new animal models, a multidomain panel (battery) approach is essential in that dementia is, by definition, not merely a memory disorder but rather a multidomain cognitive/behavior disorder: animal modeling with a certain type of dementia would develop cognitive impairments in multiple (two at minimum) domains in a specific order according to unique spreading patterns of its neuropathology. In new drug development, the availability of highly sensitive tools assessing animal cognition is crucial to the detection of cognitive decline at the earliest stage of the disease, which may be an optimal time point to test a drug candidate. Using interspecies translatable (analogous) cognitive tasks would also be necessary to successfully predict the efficacy of drug candidates in subsequent clinical trials. Currently, this translational prediction is seriously limited given discrepancies in behavioral assessment methods between animals and humans in the preclinical and clinical trials, respectively. Since neurodegenerative diseases are often accompanied by not only cognitive but also affective and movement disorders, simultaneous assessment of task-relevant locomotor behavior and motivation is also important to rule out the effects of potential confounders. The touchscreen operant platform may satisfy these needs by offering several advantages over conventional methodology. In this review, we discuss the touchscreen operant chamber system and highlight some of its qualities as a promising and desirable tool for translational research of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Han Lee
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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34
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Sala-Bayo J, Fiddian L, Nilsson SRO, Hervig ME, McKenzie C, Mareschi A, Boulos M, Zhukovsky P, Nicholson J, Dalley JW, Alsiö J, Robbins TW. Dorsal and ventral striatal dopamine D1 and D2 receptors differentially modulate distinct phases of serial visual reversal learning. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:736-744. [PMID: 31940660 PMCID: PMC7075980 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0612-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Impaired cognitive flexibility in visual reversal-learning tasks has been observed in a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Although both human and animal studies have implicated striatal D2-like and D1-like receptors (D2R; D1R) in this form of flexibility, less is known about the contribution they make within distinct sub-regions of the striatum and the different phases of visual reversal learning. The present study investigated the involvement of D2R and D1R during the early (perseverative) phase of reversal learning as well as in the intermediate and late stages (new learning) after microinfusions of D2R and D1R antagonists into the nucleus accumbens core and shell (NAcC; NAcS), the anterior and posterior dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) on a touchscreen visual serial reversal-learning task. Reversal learning was improved after dopamine receptor blockade in the nucleus accumbens; the D1R antagonist, SCH23390, in the NAcS and the D2R antagonist, raclopride, in the NAcC selectively reduced early, perseverative errors. In contrast, reversal learning was impaired by D2R antagonism, but not D1R antagonism, in the dorsal striatum: raclopride increased errors in the intermediate phase after DMS infusions, and increased errors across phases after DLS infusions. These findings indicate that D1R and D2R modulate different stages of reversal learning through effects localised to different sub-regions of the striatum. Thus, deficits in behavioral flexibility observed in disorders linked to dopamine perturbations may be attributable to specific D1R and D2R dysfunction in distinct striatal sub-regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Sala-Bayo
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Leanne Fiddian
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Simon R O Nilsson
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Mona E Hervig
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Colin McKenzie
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Alexis Mareschi
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Maria Boulos
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Peter Zhukovsky
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Janet Nicholson
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Div. Research Germany, Biberach an der Riß, Germany
| | - Jeffrey W Dalley
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ, UK
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 2EB, UK.
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35
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Bryce CA, Adalbert AJ, Claes MM, van Holstein M, Floresco SB. Differential effects of corticotropin-releasing factor and acute stress on different forms of risk/reward decision-making. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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36
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Jantzie LL, Maxwell JR, Newville JC, Yellowhair TR, Kitase Y, Madurai N, Ramachandra S, Bakhireva LN, Northington FJ, Gerner G, Tekes A, Milio LA, Brigman JL, Robinson S, Allan A. Prenatal opioid exposure: The next neonatal neuroinflammatory disease. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 84:45-58. [PMID: 31765790 PMCID: PMC7010550 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [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: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The rates of opioid use disorder during pregnancy have more than quadrupled in the last decade, resulting in numerous infants suffering exposure to opioids during the perinatal period, a critical period of central nervous system (CNS) development. Despite increasing use, the characterization and definition of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the long-term neurodevelopmental impacts of opioid exposure commencing in utero remains incomplete. Thus, in consideration of the looming public health crisis stemming from the multitude of infants with prenatal opioid exposure entering school age, we undertook an investigation of the effects of perinatal methadone exposure in a novel preclinical model. Specifically, we examined the effects of opioids on the developing brain to elucidate mechanisms of putative neural cell injury, to identify diagnostic biomarkers and to guide clinical studies of outcome and follow-up. We hypothesized that methadone would induce a pronounced inflammatory profile in both dams and their pups, and be associated with immune system dysfunction, sustained CNS injury, and altered cognition and executive function into adulthood. This investigation was conducted using a combination of cellular, molecular, biochemical, and clinically translatable biomarker, imaging and cognitive assessment platforms. Data reveal that perinatal methadone exposure increases inflammatory cytokines in the neonatal peripheral circulation, and reprograms and primes the immune system through sustained peripheral immune hyperreactivity. In the brain, perinatal methadone exposure not only increases chemokines and cytokines throughout a crucial developmental period, but also alters microglia morphology consistent with activation, and upregulates TLR4 and MyD88 mRNA. This increase in neuroinflammation coincides with reduced myelin basic protein and altered neurofilament expression, as well as reduced structural coherence and significantly decreased fractional anisotropy on diffusion tensor imaging. In addition to this microstructural brain injury, adult rats exposed to methadone in the perinatal period have significant impairment in associative learning and executive control as assessed using touchscreen technology. Collectively, these data reveal a distinct systemic and neuroinflammatory signature associated with prenatal methadone exposure, suggestive of an altered CNS microenvironment, dysregulated developmental homeostasis, complex concurrent neural injury, and imaging and cognitive findings consistent with clinical literature. Further investigation is required to define appropriate therapies targeted at the neural injury and improve the long-term outcomes for this exceedingly vulnerable patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren L. Jantzie
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD.,Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.,Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.,Correspondence: Lauren L. Jantzie, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, CMSC Building Room 6-104A, Baltimore, MD 21287,
| | - Jessie R. Maxwell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.,Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Jessie C. Newville
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.,Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Tracylyn R. Yellowhair
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yuma Kitase
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Nethra Madurai
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Sindhu Ramachandra
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ludmila N. Bakhireva
- Substance Use Research and Education (SURE) Center, University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM
| | | | - Gwendolyn Gerner
- Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Aylin Tekes
- Division of Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Neuroradiology, Russell Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lorraine A. Milio
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan L. Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM
| | - Shenandoah Robinson
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Andrea Allan
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM
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Jager A, Dam SA, Van Der Mierden S, Oomen CA, Arias-Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Kozicz T, Glennon JC. Modulation of cognitive flexibility by reward and punishment in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 378:112294. [PMID: 31626850 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Learning from feedback is one of the key mechanisms within cognitive flexibility, which is needed to react swiftly to constantly changing environments. The motivation to change behavior is highly dependent on the expectancy of positive (reward) or negative (punishment) feedback. Individuals with conduct disorder (CD) with high callous unemotional traits show decreased sensitivity to negative feedback and increased reward seeking. Previous studies have modeled traits associated with CD (i.e. heightened aggression and anti-social behavior) in BALB/cJ mice (compared to the BALB/cByJ mouse as controls). Based on these findings, we hypothesized reduced negative feedback-related cognitive flexibility to be present in BALB/cJ mice. The effect of negative feedback and reward sensitivity on cognitive flexibility in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice was examined in a reversal learning paradigm. BALB/cJ mice were more flexible in the acquisition of new contingencies under rewarding conditions compared to BALB/cByJ mice, while the presence of an aversive punishing stimulus decreased their learning performance. Additionally, BALB/cJ mice needed more correction trials to reach the reversal learning criterion. This was accompanied by a higher rate of perseverance, which could represent impaired error detection. The addition of a second punishment enhanced punishment sensitivity in BALB/cJ mice. In contrast, the performance of the BALB/cByJ mice was not affected by additional negative feedback. Taken together, the BALB/cJ can be considered to be less sensitive to learn from negative feedback and therefore may be a useful model to further characterize molecular and neural underpinnings of callous unemotional traits in CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Jager
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sarita A Dam
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Stevie Van Der Mierden
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A Oomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Arias-Vasquez
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tamas Kozicz
- Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Geert Grooteplein 27, 6525 EZ Nijmegen Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, 299-79 Woodlake Dr, Rochester, MN 55904, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Gogos A, Sbisa A, Witkamp D, van den Buuse M. Sex differences in the effect of maternal immune activation on cognitive and psychosis-like behaviour in Long Evans rats. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:2614-2626. [PMID: 31901174 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of development of schizophrenia in later life. There are sex differences in schizophrenia, particularly in terms of age of onset, course of illness and severity of symptoms. However, there is limited and inconsistent literature on sex differences in the effects of maternal immune activation on behaviour with relevance to schizophrenia. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate sex differences in the effects of maternal immune activation by treating Long Evans rats with poly(I:C) on gestational day 15. We compared adult male and female offspring on spatial working memory in the touchscreen trial-unique nonmatching-to-location task, pairwise discrimination and reversal learning, as well as on prepulse inhibition and psychotropic drug-induced locomotor hyperactivity. Male, but not female poly(I:C) offspring displayed a deficit in spatial working memory, particularly at the longer delay. Neither pairwise discrimination nor reversal learning showed an effect of poly(I:C), but female controls outperformed male controls in the reversal learning task. Significant reduction of prepulse inhibition and enhancement of acute methamphetamine-induced locomotor hyperactivity was found similarly in male and female poly(I:C) offspring. These results show that maternal immune activation induces a range of behavioural effects in the offspring, with sex specificity in the effects of maternal immune activation on some aspects of cognition, but not psychosis-like behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gogos
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Alyssa Sbisa
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Diede Witkamp
- School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Maarten van den Buuse
- School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,The College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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39
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Huzard D, Vouros A, Monari S, Astori S, Vasilaki E, Sandi C. Constitutive differences in glucocorticoid responsiveness are related to divergent spatial information processing abilities. Stress 2020; 23:37-49. [PMID: 31187686 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1625885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The stress response facilitates survival through adaptation and is intimately related to cognitive processes. The Morris water maze task probes spatial learning and memory in rodents and glucocorticoids (i.e. corticosterone (CORT) in rats) have been suggested to elicit a facilitating action on memory formation. Moreover, the early aging period (around 16-18 months of age) is susceptible to stress- and glucocorticoid-mediated acceleration of cognitive decline. In this study, we tested three lines of rats selectively bred according to their individual differences in CORT responsiveness to repeated stress exposure during juvenility. We investigated whether endogenous differences in glucocorticoid responses influenced spatial learning, long-term memory, and reversal learning abilities in a Morris water maze task at early aging. Additionally, we assessed the quality of the different swimming strategies of the rats. Our results indicate that rats with differential CORT responsiveness exhibit similar spatial learning abilities but different long-term memory retention and reversal learning. Specifically, the high CORT responding line had a better long-term spatial memory, while the low CORT responding line was impaired for both long-term retention and reversal learning. Our modeling analysis of performance strategies revealed further important line-related differences. Therefore, our findings support the view that individuals with high CORT responsiveness would form stronger long-term memories to navigate in stressful environments. Conversely, individuals with low CORT responsiveness would be impaired at different phases of spatial learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Huzard
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Silvia Monari
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Simone Astori
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eleni Vasilaki
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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40
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Van Looveren K, Van Boxelaere M, Callaerts-Vegh Z, Libert C. Cognitive dysfunction in mice lacking proper glucocorticoid receptor dimerization. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0226753. [PMID: 31869387 PMCID: PMC6927629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is a major risk factor for depression and anxiety. One of the effects of stress is the (over-) activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the release of stress hormones such as glucocorticoids (GCs). Chronically increased stress hormone levels have been shown to have detrimental effects on neuronal networks by inhibiting neurotrophic processes particularly in the hippocampus proper. Centrally, GCs modulate metabolic as well as behavioural processes by activating two classes of corticoid receptors, high-affinity mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and low-affinity glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Upon activation, GR can modulate gene transcription either as a monomeric protein, or as a dimer interacting directly with DNA. GR can also modulate cellular processes via non-genomic mechanisms, for example via a GPCR-protein interaction. We evaluated the behavioral phenotype in mice with a targeted mutation in the GR in a FVB/NJ background. In GRdim/dim mice, GR proteins form poor homodimers, while the GR monomer remains intact. We evaluated the effect of poor GR dimerization on hippocampus-dependent cognition as well as on exploration and emotional behavior under baseline and chronically increased stress hormone levels. We found that GRdim/dim mice did not behave differently from GRwt/wt littermates under baseline conditions. However, after chronic elevation of stress hormone levels, GRdim/dim mice displayed a significant impairment in hippocampus-dependent memory compared to GRwt/wt mice, which correlated with differential expression of hippocampal Bdnf/TrkB and Fkbp5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Van Looveren
- Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Zsuzsanna Callaerts-Vegh
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, KULeuven, Leuven Belgium
- Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience & Disease (LIND), Leuven, Belgium
- mINT Mouse Behavioural Core Facility, KULeuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Claude Libert
- Center for Inflammation Research, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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41
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Wellman CL, Bollinger JL, Moench KM. Effects of stress on the structure and function of the medial prefrontal cortex: Insights from animal models. Int Rev Neurobiol 2020; 150:129-53. [PMID: 32204829 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Stress alters both cognitive and emotional function, and increases risk for a variety of psychological disorders, such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. The prefrontal cortex is critical for executive function and emotion regulation, is a target for stress hormones, and is implicated in many stress-influenced psychological disorders. Therefore, understanding how stress-induced changes in the structure and function of the prefrontal cortex are related to stress-induced changes in behavior may elucidate some of the mechanisms contributing to stress-sensitive disorders. This review focuses on data from rodent models to describe the effects of chronic stress on behaviors mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex, the effects of chronic stress on the morphology and physiology of the medial prefrontal cortex, mechanisms that may mediate these effects, and evidence for sex differences in the effects of stress on the prefrontal cortex. Understanding how stress influences prefrontal cortex and behaviors mediated by it, as well as sex differences in this effect, will elucidate potential avenues for novel interventions for stress-sensitive disorders characterized by deficits in executive function and emotion regulation.
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42
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Bergstrom HC, Lipkin AM, Lieberman AG, Pinard CR, Gunduz-Cinar O, Brockway ET, Taylor WW, Nonaka M, Bukalo O, Wills TA, Rubio FJ, Li X, Pickens CL, Winder DG, Holmes A. Dorsolateral Striatum Engagement Interferes with Early Discrimination Learning. Cell Rep 2019; 23:2264-2272. [PMID: 29791838 PMCID: PMC6015733 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In current models, learning the relationship between environmental stimuli and the outcomes of actions involves both stimulus-driven and goal-directed systems, mediated in part by the DLS and DMS, respectively. However, though these models emphasize the importance of the DLS in governing actions after extensive experience has accumulated, there is growing evidence of DLS engagement from the onset of training. Here, we used in vivo photosilencing to reveal that DLS recruitment interferes with early touchscreen discrimination learning. We also show that the direct output pathway of the DLS is preferentially recruited and causally involved in early learning and find that silencing the normal contribution of the DLS produces plasticity-related alterations in a PL-DMS circuit. These data provide further evidence suggesting that the DLS is recruited in the construction of stimulus-elicited actions that ultimately automate behavior and liberate cognitive resources for other demands, but with a cost to performance at the outset of learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadley C Bergstrom
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Anna M Lipkin
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Abby G Lieberman
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Courtney R Pinard
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ozge Gunduz-Cinar
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Emma T Brockway
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - William W Taylor
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mio Nonaka
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Olena Bukalo
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tiffany A Wills
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - F Javier Rubio
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xuan Li
- Behavioral Neuroscience Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Charles L Pickens
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Danny G Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Marquardt K, Cavanagh JF, Brigman JL. Alcohol exposure in utero disrupts cortico-striatal coordination required for behavioral flexibility. Neuropharmacology 2019; 162:107832. [PMID: 31678398 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [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: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in behavioral flexibility are a hallmark of multiple psychiatric, neurological, and substance use disorders. These deficits are often marked by decreased function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC); however, the genesis of such executive deficits remains understudied. Here we report how the most preventable cause of developmental disability, in utero exposure to alcohol, alters cortico-striatal circuit activity leading to impairments in behavioral flexibility in adulthood. We utilized a translational touch-screen task coupled with in vivo electrophysiology in adult mice to examine single unit and coordinated activity of the lateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and dorsolateral striatum (DS) during flexible behavior. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) decreased OFC, and increased DS, single unit activity during reversal learning and altered the number of choice responsive neurons in both regions. PAE also decreased coordinated activity within the OFC and DS as measured by oscillatory field activity and altered spike-field coupling. Furthermore, PAE led to sustained connectivity between regions past what was seen in control animals. These findings suggest that PAE causes altered coordination within and between the OFC and DS, promoting maladaptive perseveration. Our model suggests that in optimally functioning mice OFC disengages the DS and updates the newly changed reward contingency, whereas in PAE animals, aberrant and persistent OFC to DS signaling drives behavioral inflexibility during early reversal sessions. Together, these findings demonstrate how developmental exposure alters circuit-level activity leading to behavioral deficits and suggest a critical role for coordination of neural timing during behaviors requiring executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Marquardt
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - James F Cavanagh
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
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44
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Wang J, Tait DS, Brown VJ, Bowman EM. Exacerbation of the credit assignment problem in rats with lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex is revealed by Bayesian analysis of behavior in the pre-solution period of learning. Behav Brain Res 2019; 372:112037. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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45
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Abstract
Stress-related psychiatric conditions are one of the main causes of disability in developed countries. They account for a large portion of resource investment in stress-related disorders, become chronic, and remain difficult to treat. Research on the neurobehavioral effects of stress reveals how changes in certain brain areas, mediated by a number of neurochemical messengers, markedly alter behavior. The cerebellum is connected with stress-related brain areas and expresses the machinery required to process stress-related neurochemical mediators. Surprisingly, it is not regarded as a substrate of stress-related behavioral alterations, despite numerous studies that show cerebellar responsivity to stress. Therefore, this review compiles those studies and proposes a hypothesis for cerebellar function in stressful conditions, relating it to stress-induced psychopathologies. It aims to provide a clearer picture of stress-related neural circuitry and stimulate cerebellum-stress research. Consequently, it might contribute to the development of improved treatment strategies for stress-related disorders.
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46
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Hupalo S, Bryce CA, Bangasser DA, Berridge CW, Valentino RJ, Floresco SB. Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) circuit modulation of cognition and motivation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 103:50-59. [PMID: 31212019 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [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: 12/30/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), is a key modulator of physiological, endocrine, and behavioral responses during stress. Dysfunction of the CRF system has been observed in stress-related affective disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Beyond affective symptoms, these disorders are also characterized by impaired cognition, for which current pharmacological treatments are lacking. Thus, there is a need for pro-cognitive treatments to improve quality of life for individuals suffering from mental illness. In this review, we highlight research demonstrating that CRF elicits potent modulatory effects on higher-order cognition via actions within the prefrontal cortex and subcortical monoaminergic and cholinergic systems. Additionally, we identify questions for future preclinical research on this topic, such as the need to investigate sex differences in the cognitive and microcircuit actions of CRF, and whether CRF may represent a pharmacological target to treat cognitive dysfunction. Addressing these questions will provide new insight into pathophysiology underlying cognitive dysfunction and may lead to improved treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiya Hupalo
- Integrative Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
| | - Courtney A Bryce
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Debra A Bangasser
- Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Craig W Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Rita J Valentino
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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47
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Houlton J, Zhou LYY, Barwick D, Gowing EK, Clarkson AN. Stroke Induces a BDNF-Dependent Improvement in Cognitive Flexibility in Aged Mice. Neural Plast 2019; 2019:1460890. [PMID: 31191635 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1460890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Revised: 03/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide. Recently, we have established an animal model of stroke that results in delayed impairment in spatial memory, allowing us to better investigate cognitive deficits. Young and aged brains show different recovery profiles after stroke; therefore, we assessed aged-related differences in poststroke cognition. As neurotrophic support diminishes with age, we also investigated the involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in these differences. Young (3-6 months old) and aged (16-21 months old) mice were trained in operant touchscreen chambers to complete a visual pairwise discrimination (VD) task. Stroke or sham surgery was induced using the photothrombotic model to induce a bilateral prefrontal cortex stroke. Five days poststroke, an additional cohort of aged stroke animals were treated with intracerebral hydrogels loaded with the BDNF decoy, TrkB-Fc. Following treatment, animals underwent the reversal and rereversal task to identify stroke-induced cognitive deficits at days 17 and 37 poststroke, respectively. Assessment of sham animals using Cox regression and log-rank analyses showed aged mice exhibit an increased impairment on VD reversal and rereversal learning compared to young controls. Stroke to young mice revealed no impairment on either task. In contrast, stroke to aged mice facilitated a significant improvement in reversal learning, which was dampened in the presence of the BDNF decoy, TrkB-Fc. In addition, aged stroke control animals required significantly less consecutive days and correction trials to master the reversal task, relative to aged shams, an effect dampened by TrkB-Fc. Our findings support age-related differences in recovery of cognitive function after stroke. Interestingly, aged stroke animals outperformed their sham counterparts, suggesting reopening of a critical window for recovery that is being mediated by BDNF.
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Delgado-Acevedo C, Estay SF, Radke AK, Sengupta A, Escobar AP, Henríquez-Belmar F, Reyes CA, Haro-Acuña V, Utreras E, Sotomayor-Zárate R, Cho A, Wendland JR, Kulkarni AB, Holmes A, Murphy DL, Chávez AE, Moya PR. Behavioral and synaptic alterations relevant to obsessive-compulsive disorder in mice with increased EAAT3 expression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1163-73. [PMID: 30622300 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0302-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 12/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe, chronic neuropsychiatric disorder with a strong genetic component. The SLC1A1 gene encoding the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAT3 has been proposed as a candidate gene for this disorder. Gene variants affecting SLC1A1 expression in human brain tissue have been associated with OCD. Several mouse models fully or partially lacking EAAT3 have shown no alterations in baseline anxiety-like or repetitive behaviors. We generated a transgenic mouse model (EAAT3glo) to achieve conditional, Cre-dependent EAAT3 overexpression and evaluated the overall impact of increased EAAT3 expression at behavioral and synaptic levels. Mice with EAAT3 overexpression driven by CaMKIIα-promoter (EAAT3glo/CMKII) displayed increased anxiety-like and repetitive behaviors that were both restored by chronic, but not acute, treatment with fluoxetine or clomipramine. EAAT3glo/CMKII mice also displayed greater spontaneous recovery of conditioned fear. Electrophysiological and biochemical analyses at corticostriatal synapses of EAAT3glo/CMKII mice revealed changes in NMDA receptor subunit composition and altered NMDA-dependent synaptic plasticity. By recapitulating relevant behavioral, neurophysiological, and psychopharmacological aspects, our results provide support for the glutamatergic hypothesis of OCD, particularly for the increased EAAT3 function, and provide a valuable animal model that may open novel therapeutic approaches to treat this devastating disorder.
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49
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Lim J, Kim E, Noh HJ, Kang S, Phillips BU, Kim DG, Bussey TJ, Saksida L, Heath CJ, Kim CH. Assessment of mGluR5 KO mice under conditions of low stress using a rodent touchscreen apparatus reveals impaired behavioural flexibility driven by perseverative responses. Mol Brain 2019; 12:37. [PMID: 30971312 PMCID: PMC6458840 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0441-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic and pharmacological manipulations targeting metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) affect performance in behavioural paradigms that depend on cognitive flexibility. Many of these studies involved exposing mice to highly stressful conditions including electric foot shocks or water immersion and forced swimming. Because mGluR5 is also implicated in resilience and stress responses, however, apparent impairments in inhibitory learning may have been an artifact of manipulation-induced changes in affective state. To address this, we present here a characterization of cognitive flexibility in mGluR5 knockout (KO) mice conducted with a rodent touchscreen cognitive assessment apparatus in which the animals experience significantly less stress. Our results indicate a significant reversal learning impairment relative to wild-type (WT) controls in the two-choice Visual Discrimination-Reversal (VDR) paradigm. Upon further analysis, we found that this deficit is primarily driven by a prolonged period of perseveration in the early phase of reversal. We also observed a similar perseveration phenotype in the KO mice in the Extinction (EXT) paradigm. In addition, mGluR5 KO mice show higher breakpoints in the touchscreen Progressive Ratio (PR) and altered decision making in the Effort-related Choice (ERC) tasks. Interestingly, this impairment in PR is an additional manifestation of an increased propensity to perseverate on the emission of relatively simplistic behavioural outputs. Together, these findings suggest that under conditions of low stress, mGluR5 KO mice exhibit a pronounced perseverative phenotype that blunts cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisoo Lim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioural Science in Medicine, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jong Noh
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinwon Kang
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Dong Goo Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
| | - Chul Hoon Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, BK21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea. .,Severance Biomedical Science Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, South Korea.
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50
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Havenith MN, Zijderveld PM, van Heukelum S, Abghari S, Tiesinga P, Glennon JC. The Virtual-Environment-Foraging Task enables rapid training and single-trial metrics of rule acquisition and reversal in head-fixed mice. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4790. [PMID: 30886236 PMCID: PMC6423024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41250-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioural flexibility is an essential survival skill, yet our understanding of its neuronal substrates is still limited. While mouse research offers unique tools to dissect the neuronal circuits involved, the measurement of flexible behaviour in mice often suffers from long training times, poor experimental control, and temporally imprecise binary (hit/miss) performance readouts. Here we present a virtual-environment task for mice that tackles these limitations. It offers fast training of vision-based rule reversals (~100 trials per reversal) with full stimulus control and continuous behavioural readouts. By generating multiple non-binary performance metrics per trial, it provides single-trial estimates not only of response accuracy and speed, but also of underlying processes like choice certainty and alertness (discussed in detail in a companion paper). Based on these metrics, we show that mice can predict new task rules long before they are able to execute them, and that this delay varies across animals. We also provide and validate single-trial estimates of whether an error was committed with or without awareness of the task rule. By tracking in unprecedented detail the cognitive dynamics underlying flexible behaviour, this task enables new investigations into the neuronal interactions that shape behavioural flexibility moment by moment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha N Havenith
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter M Zijderveld
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sabrina van Heukelum
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Shaghayegh Abghari
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Tiesinga
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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