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Zoubovsky SP, Williams MT, Hoseus S, Tumukuntala S, Riesenberg A, Schulkin J, Vorhees CV, Campbell K, Lim HW, Muglia LJ. Neurobehavioral abnormalities following prenatal psychosocial stress are differentially modulated by maternal environment. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:22. [PMID: 35039487 PMCID: PMC8764031 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01785-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) is associated with increased vulnerability to affective disorders. Transplacental glucocorticoid passage and stress-induced maternal environment alterations are recognized as potential routes of transmission that can fundamentally alter neurodevelopment. However, molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant emotional outcomes or the individual contributions intrauterine stress versus maternal environment play in shaping these mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we report anxiogenic behaviors, anhedonia, and female hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity as a consequence of psychosocial PS in mice. Evidence of fetal amygdala programming precedes these abnormalities. In adult offspring, we observe amygdalar transcriptional changes demonstrating sex-specific dysfunction in synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter systems. We find these abnormalities are primarily driven by in-utero stress exposure. Importantly, maternal care changes postnatally reverse anxiety-related behaviors and partially rescue gene alterations associated with neurotransmission. Our data demonstrate the influence maternal environment exerts in shaping offspring emotional development despite deleterious effects of intrauterine stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra P. Zoubovsky
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Michael T. Williams
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Sarah Hoseus
- grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Shivani Tumukuntala
- grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Amy Riesenberg
- grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Jay Schulkin
- grid.213910.80000 0001 1955 1644Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Charles V. Vorhees
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Kenneth Campbell
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Neurosurgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Hee-Woong Lim
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Louis J. Muglia
- grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.24827.3b0000 0001 2179 9593Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.239573.90000 0000 9025 8099Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA ,grid.427464.70000 0000 8727 8697Office of the President, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, NC USA
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Zoubovsky SP, Wilder A, Muglia L. Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants. J Vis Exp 2021. [PMID: 34180900 DOI: 10.3791/62464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The peripartum period is considered a sensitive period where adverse maternal exposures can result in long-term negative consequences for both mother and offspring, including the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Risk factors linked to the emergence of affective dysregulation in the maternal-infant dyad have been extensively studied. Exposure to psychosocial stress during pregnancy has consistently emerged as one of the strongest predictors. Several rodent models have been created to explore this association; however, these models rely on the use of physical stressors or a limited number of psychosocial stressors presented in a repetitive fashion, which do not accurately capture the type, intensity, and frequency of stressors experienced by women. To overcome these limitations, a chronic psychosocial stress (CGS) paradigm was generated that employs various psychosocial insults of different intensity presented in an unpredictable fashion. The manuscript describes this novel CGS paradigm where pregnant female mice, from gestational day 6.5 to 17.5, are exposed to various stressors during the day and overnight. Day stressors, two per day separated by a 2 h break, range from exposure to foreign objects or predator odor to frequent changes in bedding, removal of bedding, and cage tilting. Overnight stressors include continuous light exposure, changing cage mates, or wetting bedding. We have previously shown that exposure to CGS results in the development of maternal neuroendocrine and behavioral abnormalities, including increased stress reactivity, the emergence of fragmented maternal care patterns, anhedonia, and anxiety-related behaviors, core features of women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. This CGS model, therefore, becomes a unique tool that can be used to elucidate molecular defects underlying maternal affective dysregulation, as well as trans-placental mechanisms that impact fetal neurodevelopment and result in negative long-term behavioral consequences in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra P Zoubovsky
- Molecular Developmental Biology Program, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
| | - Akil Wilder
- Division of Veterinary Services, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
| | - Louis Muglia
- Molecular Developmental Biology Program, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine;
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Zoubovsky SP, Hoseus S, Tumukuntala S, Schulkin JO, Williams MT, Vorhees CV, Muglia LJ. Chronic psychosocial stress during pregnancy affects maternal behavior and neuroendocrine function and modulates hypothalamic CRH and nuclear steroid receptor expression. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:6. [PMID: 32066677 PMCID: PMC7026416 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0704-2] [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: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 20% of mothers and has negative consequences for both mother and child. Although exposure to psychosocial stress during pregnancy and abnormalities in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis have been linked to PPD, molecular changes in the brain that contribute to this disease remain unknown. This study utilized a novel chronic psychosocial stress paradigm during pregnancy (CGS) to investigate the effects of psychosocial stress on maternal behavior, neuroendocrine function, and gene expression changes in molecular regulators of the HPA axis in the early postpartum period. Postpartum female mice exposed to CGS display abnormalities in maternal behavior, including fragmented and erratic maternal care patterns, and the emergence of depression and anxiety-like phenotypes. Dysregulation in postpartum HPA axis function, evidenced by blunted circadian peak and elevation of stress-induced corticosterone levels, was accompanied by increased CRH mRNA expression and a reduction in CRH receptor 1 in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). We further observed decreased PVN expression of nuclear steroid hormone receptors associated with CRH transcription, suggesting these molecular changes could underlie abnormalities in postpartum HPA axis and behavior observed. Overall, our study demonstrates that psychosocial stress during pregnancy induces changes in neuroendocrine function and maternal behavior in the early postpartum period and introduces our CGS paradigm as a viable model that can be used to further dissect the molecular defects that lead to PPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra P Zoubovsky
- Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sarah Hoseus
- Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Shivani Tumukuntala
- Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jay O Schulkin
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael T Williams
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Charles V Vorhees
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Louis J Muglia
- Center for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Zoubovsky SP, Pogorelov VM, Taniguchi Y, Kim SH, Yoon P, Nwulia E, Sawa A, Pletnikov MV, Kamiya A. Working memory deficits in neuronal nitric oxide synthase knockout mice: potential impairments in prefrontal cortex mediated cognitive function. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 408:707-12. [PMID: 21539806 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.04.097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 04/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) forms nitric oxide (NO), which functions as a signaling molecule via S-nitrosylation of various proteins and regulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (cGC)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in the central nervous system. nNOS signaling regulates diverse cellular processes during brain development and molecular mechanisms required for higher brain function. Human genetics have identified nNOS and several downstream effectors of nNOS as risk genes for schizophrenia. Besides the disease itself, nNOS has also been associated with prefrontal cortical functioning, including cognition, of which disturbances are a core feature of schizophrenia. Although mice with genetic deletion of nNOS display various behavioral deficits, no studies have investigated prefrontal cortex-associated behaviors. Here, we report that nNOS knockout (KO) mice exhibit hyperactivity and impairments in contextual fear conditioning, results consistent with previous reports. nNOS KO mice also display mild impairments in object recognition memory. Most importantly, we report for the first time working memory deficits, potential impairments in prefrontal cortex mediated cognitive function in nNOS KO mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), another genetic risk factor for schizophrenia that plays roles for cortical development and prefrontal cortex functioning, including working memory, is a novel protein binding partner of nNOS in the developing cerebral cortex. Of note, genetic deletion of nNOS appears to increase the binding of DISC1 to NDEL1, regulating neurite outgrowth as previously reported. These results suggest that nNOS KO mice are useful tools in studying the role of nNOS signaling in cortical development and prefrontal cortical functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra P Zoubovsky
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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