Anti-manic effect of deep brain stimulation of the ventral tegmental area in an animal model of mania induced by methamphetamine

BACKGROUND

Treatment of refractory bipolar disorder (BD) is extremely challenging. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) holds promise as an effective treatment intervention. However, we still understand very little about the mechanisms of DBS and its application on BD.

AIM

The present study aimed to investigate the behavioural and neurochemical effects of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DBS in an animal model of mania induced by methamphetamine (m-amph).

METHODS

Wistar rats were given 14 days of m-amph injections, and on the last day, animals were submitted to 20 min of VTA DBS in two different patterns: intermittent low-frequency stimulation (LFS) or continuous high-frequency stimulation (HFS). Immediately after DBS, manic-like behaviour and nucleus accumbens (NAc) phasic dopamine (DA) release were evaluated in different groups of animals through open-field tests and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Levels of NAc dopaminergic markers were evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

M-amph induced hyperlocomotion in the animals and both DBS parameters reversed this alteration. M-amph increased DA reuptake time post-sham compared to baseline levels, and both LFS and HFS were able to block this alteration. LFS was also able to reduce phasic DA release when compared to baseline. LFS was able to increase dopamine transporter (DAT) expression in the NAc.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that both VTA LFS and HFS DBS exert anti-manic effects and modulation of DA dynamics in the NAc. More specifically the increase in DA reuptake driven by increased DAT expression may serve as a potential mechanism by which VTA DBS exerts its anti-manic effects.

Optimizing SH-SY5Y cell culture: exploring the beneficial effects of an alternative media supplement on cell proliferation and viability

In the quest to unravel the mysteries of neurological diseases, comprehending the underlying mechanisms is supreme. The SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line serves as a crucial tool in this endeavor; however, the cells are known for its sensitivity and slow proliferation rates. Typically, this cell line is cultured with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) supplement. Nu-Serum (NuS), a low-protein alternative to FBS, is promising to advance cell culture practices. Herein, we evaluated the substitution of NuS for FBS to test the hypothesis that an alternative serum supplement can aid and promote SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and differentiation. Our findings revealed that the NuS-supplemented group exhibited a notable increase in adhered cells compared to both the FBS and serum-free (SF) groups. Importantly, cell viability remained high in both sera treated groups, with the NuS-supplemented cells displaying significantly larger cell sizes compared to the SF-treated group. Furthermore, cell proliferation rates were higher in the NuS-treated group, and neuroblast-like morphology was observed earlier than FBS group. Notably, both FBS and NuS supported the differentiation of these cells into mature neurons. Our data supports NuS as an alternative for SH-SY5Y cell culture, with the potential to elevate the quality of research in the neuroscience field.

A Special Issue on the Roles of Dopamine in Neural Circuits, Genetics, and Behavior

Over the past 80 years, research on dopamine has undergone significant evolution, reshaping our understanding of its roles in the brain and the body [...].

Investigating the Pathogenic Interplay of Alpha-Synuclein, Tau, and Amyloid Beta in Lewy Body Dementia: Insights from Viral-Mediated Overexpression in Transgenic Mouse Models

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is an often misdiagnosed and mistreated neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterized by the emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms followed by motor impairment. LBD falls within an undefined range between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) due to the potential pathogenic synergistic effects of tau, beta-amyloid (Aβ), and alpha-synuclein (αsyn). A lack of reliable and relevant animal models hinders the elucidation of the molecular characteristics and phenotypic consequences of these interactions. Here, the goal was to evaluate whether the viral-mediated overexpression of αsyn in adult hTau and APP/PS1 mice or the overexpression of tau in Line 61 hThy1-αsyn mice resulted in pathology and behavior resembling LBD. The transgenes were injected intravenously via the tail vein using AAV-PHP.eB in 3-month-old hThy1-αsyn, hTau, or APP/PS1 mice that were then aged to 6-, 9-, and 12-months-old for subsequent phenotypic and histological characterization. Although we achieved the widespread expression of αsyn in hTau and tau in hThy1-αsyn mice, no αsyn pathology in hTau mice and only mild tau pathology in hThy1-αsyn mice was observed. Additionally, cognitive, motor, and limbic behavior phenotypes were not affected by overexpression of the transgenes. Furthermore, our APP/PS1 mice experienced premature deaths starting at 3 months post-injection (MPI), therefore precluding further analyses at later time points. An evaluation of the remaining 3-MPI indicated no αsyn pathology or cognitive and motor behavioral changes. Taken together, we conclude that the overexpression of αsyn in hTau and APP/PS1 mice and tau in hThy1-αsyn mice does not recapitulate the behavioral and neuropathological phenotypes observed in LBD.

Honokiol decreases alpha-synuclein mRNA levels and reveals novel targets for modulating alpha-synuclein expression

Background

Intracytoplasmic inclusions comprised of aggregated alpha-synuclein (αsyn) represent a key histopathological feature of neurological disorders collectively termed "synucleinopathies," which includes Parkinson's disease (PD). Mutations and multiplications in the SNCA gene encoding αsyn cause familial forms of PD and a large body of evidence indicate a correlation between αsyn accumulation and disease. Decreasing αsyn expression is recognized as a valid target for PD therapeutics, with down-regulation of SNCA expression potentially attenuating downstream cascades of pathologic events. Here, we evaluated if Honokiol (HKL), a polyphenolic compound derived from magnolia tree bark with demonstrated neuroprotective properties, can modulate αsyn levels in multiple experimental models.

Methods

Human neuroglioma cells stably overexpressing αsyn, mouse primary neurons, and human iPSC-derived neurons were exposed to HKL and αsyn protein and SNCA messenger RNA levels were assessed. The effect of HKL on rotenone-induced overexpression of αsyn levels was further assessed and transcriptional profiling of mouse cortical neurons treated with HKL was performed to identify potential targets of HKL.

Results

We demonstrate that HKL can successfully reduce αsyn protein levels and SNCA expression in multiple in vitro models of PD with our data supporting a mechanism whereby HKL acts by post-transcriptional modulation of SNCA rather than modulating αsyn protein degradation. Transcriptional profiling of mouse cortical neurons treated with HKL identifies several differentially expressed genes (DEG) as potential targets to modulate SNCA expression.

Conclusion

This study supports a HKL-mediated downregulation of SNCA as a viable strategy to modify disease progression in PD and other synucleinopathies. HKL has potential as a powerful tool for investigating SNCA gene modulation and its downstream effects.

Stimulation of the subparafascicular thalamic nucleus modulates dopamine release in the inferior colliculus of rats

Although dopamine is commonly studied for its role in incentive motivation, cognition, and various neuropsychiatric disorders, evidence from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients that present auditory deficits suggest that dopamine is also involved in central auditory processing. It has been recently discovered that the subparafascicular thalamic nucleus (SPF) sends dopaminergic projections to the inferior colliculus (IC), an important convergence hub for the ascending and descending auditory pathways. In the present study, our aim was to provide neurochemical evidence that activation of SPF neurons evokes dopamine release in the IC of anesthetized rats using fast-scan cyclic and paired pulse voltammetry in combination with carbon fiber microelectrodes. Electrical stimulation of the SPF (60 and 90 Hz) evoked dopamine release in the IC in a frequency-dependent manner, with higher frequencies evoking greater amplitude dopamine responses. Optogenetic-evoked dopamine responses were similar to the effects of electrical stimulation suggesting that electrical stimulation-evoked dopamine release was not due to nonspecific activation of fibers of passage, but rather to activation of SPF cells projecting to the IC. Selective dopamine reuptake blockade enhanced the evoked dopamine response, while selective blockade of serotonin did not, confirming the selectivity of the neurochemical recordings to dopamine. Therefore, the SPF neuronal pathway functionally mediates dopamine release in the IC and thus may be involved in auditory processing deficits associated with PD.

Mechanism for optimization of signal-to-noise ratio of dopamine release based on short-term bidirectional plasticity

Repeated electrical stimulation of dopamine (dopamine) fibers can cause variable effects on further dopamine release; sometimes there are short-term decreases while in other cases short-term increases have been reported. Previous studies have failed to discover what factors determine in which way dopamine neurons will respond to repeated stimulation. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate what determines the direction and magnitude of this particular form of short-term plasticity. Fixed potential amperometry was used to measure dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to two trains of electrical pulses administered to the ventral tegmental area of anesthetized mice. When the pulse trains were of equal magnitude we found that low magnitude stimulation was associated with short-term suppression and high magnitude stimulation with short-term facilitation of dopamine release. Secondly, we found that the magnitude of the second pulse train was critical for determining the sign of the plasticity (suppression or facilitation), while the magnitude of the first pulse train determined the extent to which the response to the second train was suppressed or facilitated. This form of bidirectional plasticity might provide a mechanism to enhance signal-to-noise ratio of dopamine neurotransmission.

Diazepam Inhibits Electrically Evoked and Tonic Dopamine Release in the Nucleus Accumbens and Reverses the Effect of Amphetamine

Diazepam is a benzodiazepine receptor agonist with anxiolytic and addictive properties. Although most drugs of abuse increase the level of release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, here we show that diazepam not only causes the opposite effect but also prevents amphetamine from enhancing dopamine release. We used 20 min sampling in vivo microdialysis and subsecond fast-scan cyclic voltammetry recordings at carbon-fiber microelectrodes to show that diazepam caused a dose-dependent decrease in the level of tonic and electrically evoked dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of urethane-anesthetized adult male Swiss mice. In fast-scan cyclic voltammetry assays, dopamine release was evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area. We observed that 2 and 3 mg of diazepam/kg reduced the level of electrically evoked dopamine release, and this effect was reversed by administration of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazenil in doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg, respectively. No significant effects on measures of dopamine re-uptake were observed. Cyclic voltammetry experiments further showed that amphetamine (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) caused a significant increase in the level of dopamine release and in the half-life for dopamine re-uptake. Diazepam (2 mg/kg) significantly weakened the effect of amphetamine on dopamine release without affecting dopamine re-uptake. These results suggest that the pharmacological effects of benzodiazepines have a dopaminergic component. In addition, our findings challenge the classic view that all drugs of abuse cause dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens and suggest that benzodiazepines could be useful in the treatment of addiction to other drugs that increase the level of dopamine release, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine.

The mechanism of antidepressant-like effects of piroxicam in rats

Objective:

To investigate the antidepressant-like effect of piroxicam with a focus on serotonergic neurotransmission.

Materials and Methods:

Rats were randomly distributed into the following groups: 0.9% saline control; 3 mg/kg pizotifen; 10 mg/kg sertraline; 10 mg/kg piroxicam; 10 mg/kg sertraline + 10 mg/kg piroxicam; 10 mg/kg sertraline + 3 mg/kg pizotifen; and 10 mg/kg piroxicam + 3 mg/kg pizotifen. All the drugs were dissolved in 0.9% saline. Three administrations of the drugs (piroxicam and sertraline) were performed 1, 5 and 24 h before testing the animals in the open field followed by the forced swim test (FST). Piroxicam and sertraline were administered orally by gavage and pizotifen was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before gavage. Immediately after the FST, the hippocampi were rapidly dissected for neurochemical analysis in high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results:

Acute treatment with piroxicam promoted an antidepressant-like effect in the FST, which was associated with an increase in serotonin levels in the hippocampus. This effect was potentiated in the piroxicam + sertraline group but counteracted by administration of the non-selective serotonin receptor antagonist pizotifen.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that the antidepressant-like effect of piroxicam in the FST is mediated by the serotonin system; however, by different mechanisms from those of sertraline.

Toward sophisticated basal ganglia neuromodulation: Review on basal ganglia deep brain stimulation

This review presents state-of-the-art knowledge about the roles of the basal ganglia (BG) in action-selection, cognition, and motivation, and how this knowledge has been used to improve deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Such pathological conditions include Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Tourette syndrome, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first section presents evidence supporting current hypotheses of how the cortico-BG circuitry works to select motor and emotional actions, and how defects in this circuitry can cause symptoms of the BG diseases. Emphasis is given to the role of striatal dopamine on motor performance, motivated behaviors and learning of procedural memories. Next, the use of cutting-edge electrochemical techniques in animal and human studies of BG functioning under normal and disease conditions is discussed. Finally, functional neuroimaging studies are reviewed; these works have shown the relationship between cortico-BG structures activated during DBS and improvement of disease symptoms.

Neuroprotective and antidepressant-like effects of melatonin in a rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease model in rats

Parkinson׳s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Systemic and intranigral exposure to rotenone in rodents reproduces many of the pathological and behavioral features of PD in humans and thus has been used as an animal model of the disease. Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted by the pineal gland, which has several important physiological functions. It has been reported to be neuroprotective in some animal models of PD. The present study investigated the effects of prolonged melatonin treatment in rats previously exposed to rotenone. The animals were intraperitoneally treated for 10 days with rotenone (2.5mg/kg) or its vehicle. 24h later, they were intraperitoneally treated with melatonin (10mg/kg) or its vehicle for 28 days. One day after the last rotenone exposure, the animals exhibited hypolocomotion in the open field test, which spontaneously reversed at the last motor evaluation. We verified that prolonged melatonin treatment after dopaminergic lesion did not alter motor function but produced antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test, prevented the rotenone-induced reduction of striatal dopamine, and partially prevented tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity loss in the SNpc. Our results indicate that melatonin exerts neuroprotective and antidepressant-like effects in the rotenone model of PD.

Functional disconnection of the substantia nigra pars compacta from the pedunculopontine nucleus impairs learning of a conditioned avoidance task

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) targets nuclei in the basal ganglia, including the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), in which neuronal loss occurs in Parkinson's disease, a condition in which patients show cognitive as well as motor disturbances. Partial loss and functional abnormalities of neurons in the PPTg are also associated with Parkinson's disease. We hypothesized that the interaction of PPTg and SNc might be important for cognitive impairments and so investigated whether disrupting the connections between the PPTg and SNc impaired learning of a conditioned avoidance response (CAR) by male Wistar rats. The following groups were tested: PPTg unilateral; SNc unilateral; PPTg-SNc ipsilateral (ipsilateral lesions in PPTg and SNc); PPTg-SNc contralateral (contralateral lesions in PPTg and SNc); sham lesions (of each type). SNc lesions were made with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine HCl (MPTP, 0.6micromol); PPTg lesions with ibotenate (24nmol). After recovery, all rats underwent 50-trial sessions of 2-way active avoidance conditioning for 3 consecutive days. Rats with unilateral lesions in PPTg or SNc learnt this, however rats with contralateral (but not ipsilateral) combined lesions in both structures presented no sign of learning. This effect was not likely to be due to sensorimotor impairment because lesions did not affect reaction time to the tone or footshock during conditioning. However, an increased number of non-responses were observed in the rats with contralateral lesions. The results support the hypothesis that a functional interaction between PPTg and SNc is needed for CAR learning and performance.