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Bastos-Gonçalves R, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ. The mesopontine tegmentum in reward and aversion: From cellular heterogeneity to behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105702. [PMID: 38718986 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105702] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The mesopontine tegmentum, comprising the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPN) and the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT), is intricately connected to various regions of the basal ganglia, motor systems, and limbic systems. The PPN and LDT can regulate the activity of different brain regions of these target systems, and in this way are in a privileged position to modulate motivated behaviours. Despite recent findings, the PPN and LDT have been largely overlooked in discussions about the neural circuits associated with reward and aversion. This review aims to provide a timely and comprehensive resource on past and current research, highlighting the PPN and LDT's connectivity and influence on basal ganglia and limbic, and motor systems. Seminal studies, including lesion, pharmacological, and optogenetic/chemogenetic approaches, demonstrate their critical roles in modulating reward/aversive behaviours. The review emphasizes the need for further investigation into the associated cellular mechanisms, in order to clarify their role in behaviour and contribution for different neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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Mustonen P, Kortesluoma S, Scheinin NM, Perasto L, Kataja EL, Tervahartiala K, Tuulari JJ, Coimbra B, Carter AS, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N, Paavonen EJ, Korja R, Karlsson H, Karlsson L. Negative associations between maternal prenatal hair cortisol and child socioemotional problems. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 162:106955. [PMID: 38232530 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Maternal prenatal distress can participate in the programming of offspring development, in which exposure to altered maternal long-term cortisol levels as measured by hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) may contribute. Yet, studies investigating whether and how maternal prenatal HCC associates with problems in child socioemotional development are scarce. Furthermore, questions remain regarding the timing and potential sex-specificity of fetal exposure to altered cortisol levels and whether there are interactions with maternal prenatal distress, such as depressive symptoms. The subjects were drawn from those FinnBrain Birth Cohort families that had maternal reports of child socioemotional problems (the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment [BITSEA] at 2 years and/or the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] at 5 years) as follows: HCC1 population: maternal mid-pregnancy HCC measured at gestational week 24 with 5 cm segments to depict cortisol levels from the previous five months (n = 321); and HCC2 population: end-of-pregnancy HCC measured 1-3 days after childbirth (5 cm segment; n = 121). Stepwise regression models were utilized in the main analyses and a sensitivity analysis was performed to detect potential biases. Negative associations were observed between maternal HCC2 and child BITSEA Total Problems at 2 years but not with SDQ Total difficulties at 5 years, and neither problem score was associated with HCC1. In descriptive analyses, HCC2 was negatively associated with Internalizing problems at 2 years and SDQ Emotional problems at 5 years. A negative association was observed among 5-year-old girls between maternal HCC1 and SDQ Total Difficulties and the subscales of Conduct and Hyperactivity/inattentive problems. When interactions were also considered, inverse associations between HCC2 and BITSEA Internalizing and Dysregulation Problems were observed in subjects with elevated prenatal depressive symptoms. It was somewhat surprising that only negative associations were observed between maternal HCC and child socioemotional problems. However, there are previous observations of elevated end-of-pregnancy cortisol levels associating with better developmental outcomes. The magnitudes of the observed associations were, as expected, mainly modest. Future studies with a focus on the individual changes of maternal cortisol levels throughout pregnancy as well as studies assessing both maternal and child HPA axis functioning together with child socioemotional development are indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Mustonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, 20520 Turku, Finland.
| | - Susanna Kortesluoma
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Noora M Scheinin
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Satakunta Wellbeing Services County, Sairaalantie 3, 28500 Pori, Finland
| | - Laura Perasto
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Katja Tervahartiala
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Seminaarinkatu 15, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Jetro J Tuulari
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, 20520 Turku, Finland; Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, R. da Universidade, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - Alice S Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, R. da Universidade, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal; Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Hospital de Braga, Lugar de Sete Fontes, S. Victor, 4710-243 Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, R. da Universidade, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
| | - E Juulia Paavonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00271 Helsinki, Finland; Pediatric Research Center, Child Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Haartmaninkatu 4, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riikka Korja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Medisiina A, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520 Turku, Finland; Department of Clinical Medicine, Unit of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520 Turku, Finland
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Deseyve C, Domingues AV, Carvalho TTA, Armada G, Correia R, Vieitas-Gaspar N, Wezik M, Pinto L, Sousa N, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ, Soares-Cunha C. Nucleus accumbens neurons dynamically respond to appetitive and aversive associative learning. J Neurochem 2024; 168:312-327. [PMID: 38317429 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16063] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
To survive, individuals must learn to associate cues in the environment with emotionally relevant outcomes. This association is partially mediated by the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain region of the reward circuit that is mainly composed by GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs), that express either dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Recent studies showed that both populations can drive reward and aversion, however, the activity of these neurons during appetitive and aversive Pavlovian conditioning remains to be determined. Here, we investigated the relevance of D1- and D2-neurons in associative learning, by measuring calcium transients with fiber photometry during appetitive and aversive Pavlovian tasks in mice. Sucrose was used as a positive valence unconditioned stimulus (US) and foot shock was used as a negative valence US. We show that during appetitive Pavlovian conditioning, D1- and D2-neurons exhibit a general increase in activity in response to the conditioned stimuli (CS). Interestingly, D1- and D2-neurons present distinct changes in activity after sucrose consumption that dynamically evolve throughout learning. During the aversive Pavlovian conditioning, D1- and D2-neurons present an increase in the activity in response to the CS and to the US (shock). Our data support a model in which D1- and D2-neurons are concurrently activated during appetitive and aversive conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Deseyve
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Tawan T A Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Gisela Armada
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Raquel Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Natacha Vieitas-Gaspar
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marcelina Wezik
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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4
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Correia R, Coimbra B, Domingues AV, Wezik M, Vieitas-Gaspar N, Gaspar R, Sousa N, Pinto L, Rodrigues AJ, Soares-Cunha C. Involvement of nucleus accumbens D2-medium spiny neurons projecting to the ventral pallidum in anxiety-like behaviour. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2023; 48:E267-E284. [PMID: 37437920 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.220111] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is a crucial brain region for emotionally relevant behaviours. The NAcc is mainly composed of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing either dopamine receptor D1 (D1-MSNs) or D2 (D2-MSNs). The D1-MSNs project to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the ventral pallidum (VP), whereas the D2-MSNs project only to the VP. The D1- and D2-MSNs have been associated with depression-like behaviours, but their contribution to anxiety remains to be determined. METHODS We used optogenetic tools to selectively manipulate D1-MSN projections from the NAcc core to the VP or VTA and D2-MSN projections to the VP during validated anxiety-producing behavioural procedures in naive mice. In addition, we assessed the effects of optical stimulation on neuronal activity using in vivo electrophysiologic recordings in anesthetized animals. RESULTS Optogenetic activation of D1-MSN projections to the VTA or VP did not trigger anxiety-like behaviour. However, optical activation of D2-MSN projections to the VP significantly increased anxiety-like behaviour. This phenotype was associated with a decrease in the neuronal activity of putative GABAergic neurons in the VP. Importantly, pretreating D2-MSN-VP animals with the γ-aminobutyric acid modulator diazepam prevented the optically triggered anxiety-like behaviour. LIMITATIONS The exclusive use of males in the behavioural tests limits broader interpretation of the findings. Although we used optogenetic conditions that trigger quasi-physiologic changes, there are caveats associated with the artificial manipulation of neuronal activity. CONCLUSION The D2-MSN-VP projections contributed to the development of anxiety-like behaviour, through modulation of GABAergic activity in the VP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Correia
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Marcelina Wezik
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Natacha Vieitas-Gaspar
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Rita Gaspar
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Nuno Sousa
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Luísa Pinto
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- From the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga and Guimarães, Portugal (Correia, Coimbra, Domingues, Wezik, Vieitas-Gaspar, Gaspar, Sousa, Pinto, Rodrigues, Soares-Cunha); and the Clinical Academic Center - Braga, Braga, Portugal (Sousa, Rodrigues)
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5
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Gomes PA, Bodo C, Nogueras-Ortiz C, Samiotaki M, Chen M, Soares-Cunha C, Silva JM, Coimbra B, Stamatakis G, Santos L, Panayotou G, Tzouanou F, Waites CL, Gatsogiannis C, Sousa N, Kapogiannis D, Costa-Silva B, Sotiropoulos I. A novel isolation method for spontaneously released extracellular vesicles from brain tissue and its implications for stress-driven brain pathology. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:35. [PMID: 36782237 PMCID: PMC9926669 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01045-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including small EVs (sEVs) such as exosomes, exhibit great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, representing a valuable tool for precision medicine. The latter demands high-quality human biospecimens, especially in complex disorders in which pathological and specimen heterogeneity, as well as diverse individual clinical profile, often complicate the development of precision therapeutic schemes and patient-tailored treatments. Thus, the collection and characterization of physiologically relevant sEVs are of the utmost importance. However, standard brain EV isolation approaches rely on tissue dissociation, which can contaminate EV fractions with intracellular vesicles. METHODS Based on multiscale analytical platforms such as cryo-EM, label-free proteomics, advanced flow cytometry, and ExoView analyses, we compared and characterized the EV fraction isolated with this novel method with a classical digestion-based EV isolation procedure. Moreover, EV biogenesis was pharmacologically manipulated with either GW4869 or picrotoxin to assess the validity of the spontaneous-release method, while the injection of labelled-EVs into the mouse brain further supported the integrity of the isolated vesicles. RESULTS We hereby present an efficient purification method that captures a sEV-enriched population spontaneously released by mouse and human brain tissue. In addition, we tested the significance of the release method under conditions where biogenesis/secretion of sEVs was pharmacologically manipulated, as well as under animals' exposure to chronic stress, a clinically relevant precipitant of brain pathologies, such as depression and Alzheimer's disease. Our findings show that the released method monitors the drug-evoked inhibition or enhancement of sEVs secretion while chronic stress induces the secretion of brain exosomes accompanied by memory loss and mood deficits suggesting a potential role of sEVs in the brain response to stress and related stress-driven brain pathology. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the spontaneous release method of sEV yield may contribute to the characterization and biomarker profile of physiologically relevant brain-derived sEVs in brain function and pathology. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia A Gomes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Cristian Bodo
- Systems Oncology Group, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. Brasília, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos Nogueras-Ortiz
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Martina Samiotaki
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Attica, Greece
| | - Minghao Chen
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Muenster, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana M Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - George Stamatakis
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Attica, Greece
| | - Liliana Santos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - George Panayotou
- Institute for Bioinnovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center "Alexander Fleming", 16672, Vari, Attica, Greece
| | - Foteini Tzouanou
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications NCSR "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Clarissa L Waites
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christos Gatsogiannis
- Center for Soft Nanoscience and Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Muenster, 48149, Münster, Germany
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Dimitrios Kapogiannis
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bruno Costa-Silva
- Systems Oncology Group, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. Brasília, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Ioannis Sotiropoulos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications NCSR "Demokritos", Athens, Greece.
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6
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Lopes M, Vieira de Castro J, Pojo M, Gonçalves CS, Martins EP, Coimbra B, Sotiropoulos I, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ, Costa BM. Chronic Stress Does Not Influence the Survival of Mouse Models of Glioblastoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:856210. [PMID: 35402232 PMCID: PMC8990973 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.856210] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The existence of a clear association between stress and cancer is still a matter of debate. Recent studies suggest that chronic stress is associated with some cancer types and may influence tumor initiation and patient prognosis, but its role in brain tumors is not known. Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly malignant primary brain cancer, for which effective treatments do not exist. Understanding how chronic stress, or its effector hormones glucocorticoids (GCs), may modulate GBM aggressiveness is of great importance. To address this, we used both syngeneic and xenograft in vivo orthotopic mouse models of GBM, in immunocompetent C57BL/6J or immunodeficient NSG mice, respectively, to evaluate how different paradigms of stress exposure could influence GBM aggressiveness and animals’ overall survival (OS). Our results demonstrated that a previous exposure to exogenous corticosterone administration, chronic restraint stress, or chronic unpredictable stress do not impact the OS of these mice models of GBM. Concordantly, ex vivo analyses of various GBM-relevant genes showed similar intra-tumor expression levels across all experimental groups. These findings suggest that corticosterone and chronic stress do not significantly affect GBM aggressiveness in murine models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Lopes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Vieira de Castro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marta Pojo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Céline S Gonçalves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Eduarda P Martins
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ioannis Sotiropoulos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bruno M Costa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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7
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Gaspar R, Soares-Cunha C, Domingues AV, Coimbra B, Baptista FI, Pinto L, Ambrósio AF, Rodrigues AJ, Gomes CA. The Duration of Stress Determines Sex Specificities in the Vulnerability to Depression and in the Morphologic Remodeling of Neurons and Microglia. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:834821. [PMID: 35330844 PMCID: PMC8940280 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.834821] [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: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure has been shown to induce a variety of molecular and functional alterations associated with anxiety and depression. Some studies suggest that microglia, the immune cells of the brain, play a significant role in determining neuronal and behavioral responses to chronic stress and also contribute to the development of stress-related psychopathologies. However, little is known about the impact of the duration of stress exposure upon microglia and neurons morphology, particularly considering sex differences. This issue deserves particular investigation, considering that the process of morphologic remodeling of neurons and microglia is usually accompanied by functional changes with behavioral expression. Here, we examine the effects of short and long unpredictable chronic mild stress (uCMS) protocols on behavior, evaluating in parallel microglia and neurons morphology in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP) and in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), two brain regions involved in the etiology of depression. We report that long-term uCMS induced more behavioral alterations in males, which present anxiety and depression-like phenotypes (anhedonia and helplessness behavior), while females only display anxiety-like behavior. After short-term uCMS, both sexes presented anxiety-like behavior. Microglia cells undergo a process of morphologic adaptation to short-term uCMS, dependent on sex, in the NAc: we observed a hypertrophy in males and an atrophy in females, transient effects that do not persist after long-term uCMS. In the dHIP, the morphologic adaptation of microglia is only observed in females (hypertrophy) and after the protocol of long uCMS. Interestingly, males are more vulnerable to neuronal morphological alterations in a region-specific manner: dendritic atrophy in granule neurons of the dHIP and hypertrophy in the medium spiny neurons of the NAc, both after short- or long-term uCMS. The morphology of neurons in these brain regions were not affected in females. These findings raise the possibility that, by differentially affecting neurons and microglia in dHIP and NAc, chronic stress may contribute for differences in the clinical presentation of stress-related disorders under the control of sex-specific mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Gaspar
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s –PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s –PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s –PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Filipa I. Baptista
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s –PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António F. Ambrósio
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s –PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Ana João Rodrigues,
| | - Catarina A. Gomes
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
- Catarina A. Gomes,
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8
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Soares-Cunha C, Domingues AV, Correia R, Coimbra B, Vieitas-Gaspar N, de Vasconcelos NAP, Pinto L, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Distinct role of nucleus accumbens D2-MSN projections to ventral pallidum in different phases of motivated behavior. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110380. [PMID: 35172164 PMCID: PMC8864463 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key region in motivated behaviors. NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are divided into those expressing dopamine receptor D1 or D2. Classically, D1- and D2-MSNs have been described as having opposing roles in reinforcement, but recent evidence suggests a more complex role for D2-MSNs. Here, we show that optogenetic modulation of D2-MSN to ventral pallidum (VP) projections during different stages of motivated behavior has contrasting effects in motivation. Activation of D2-MSN-VP projections during a reward-predicting cue results in increased motivational drive, whereas activation at reward delivery decreases motivation; optical inhibition triggers the opposite behavioral effect. In addition, in a free-choice instrumental task, animals prefer the lever that originates one pellet in opposition to pellet plus D2-MSN-VP optogenetic activation and vice versa for optogenetic inhibition. In summary, D2-MSN-VP projections play different, and even opposing, roles in distinct phases of motivated behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Raquel Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Natacha Vieitas-Gaspar
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nivaldo A P de Vasconcelos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal.
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9
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Coimbra B, Domingues AV, Soares-Cunha C, Correia R, Pinto L, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Laterodorsal tegmentum-ventral tegmental area projections encode positive reinforcement signals. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:3084-3100. [PMID: 34374447 PMCID: PMC9541203 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is a brainstem nucleus classically involved in REM sleep and attention, and that has recently been associated with reward‐related behaviors, as it controls the activity of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neurons, modulating dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. To further understand the role of LDT–VTA inputs in reinforcement, we optogenetically manipulated these inputs during different behavioral paradigms in male rats. We found that in a two‐choice instrumental task, optical activation of LDT–VTA projections shifts and amplifies preference to the laser‐paired reward in comparison to an otherwise equal reward; the opposite was observed with inhibition experiments. In a progressive ratio task, LDT–VTA activation boosts motivation, that is, enhances the willingness to work to get the reward associated with LDT–VTA stimulation; and the reverse occurs when inhibiting these inputs. Animals abolished preference if the reward was omitted, suggesting that LDT–VTA stimulation adds/decreases value to the stimulation‐paired reward. In addition, we show that LDT–VTA optical activation induces robust preference in the conditioned and real‐time place preference tests, while optical inhibition induces aversion. The behavioral findings are supported by electrophysiological recordings and c‐fos immunofluorescence correlates in downstream target regions. In LDT–VTA ChR2 animals, we observed an increase in the recruitment of lateral VTA dopamine neurons and D1 neurons from nucleus accumbens core and shell; whereas in LDT–VTA NpHR animals, D2 neurons appear to be preferentially recruited. Collectively, these data show that the LDT–VTA inputs encode positive reinforcement signals and are important for different dimensions of reward‐related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Raquel Correia
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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10
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Lotfi N, Fontenele AJ, Feliciano T, Aguiar LAA, de Vasconcelos NAP, Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N, Copelli M, Carelli PV. Signatures of brain criticality unveiled by maximum entropy analysis across cortical states. Phys Rev E 2021; 102:012408. [PMID: 32795006 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.012408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
It has recently been reported that statistical signatures of brain criticality, obtained from distributions of neuronal avalanches, can depend on the cortical state. We revisit these claims with a completely different and independent approach, employing a maximum entropy model to test whether signatures of criticality appear in urethane-anesthetized rats. To account for the spontaneous variation of cortical states, we parse the time series and perform the maximum entropy analysis as a function of the variability of the population spiking activity. To compare data sets with different numbers of neurons, we define a normalized distance to criticality that takes into account the peak and width of the specific heat curve. We found a universal collapse of the normalized distance to criticality dependence on the cortical state, on an animal by animal basis. This indicates a universal dynamics and a critical point at an intermediate value of spiking variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nastaran Lotfi
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Antonio J Fontenele
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Thaís Feliciano
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Leandro A A Aguiar
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Nivaldo A P de Vasconcelos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, 4806-909, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, 4806-909, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, 4806-909, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, 4806-909, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, 4806-909, Portugal
| | - Mauro Copelli
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Pedro V Carelli
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
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11
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Gaspar R, Soares-Cunha C, Domingues AV, Coimbra B, Baptista FI, Pinto L, Ambrósio AF, Rodrigues AJ, Gomes CA. Resilience to stress and sex-specific remodeling of microglia and neuronal morphology in a rat model of anxiety and anhedonia. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100302. [PMID: 33614864 PMCID: PMC7879043 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [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: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to stress or glucocorticoids (GC) is associated with the appearance of psychiatric diseases later in life. Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, are altered in stress-related disorders. Synthetic GC such as dexamethasone (DEX) are commonly prescribed in case of preterm risk labour in order to promote fetal lung maturation. Recently, we reported long-lasting differences in microglia morphology in a model of in utero exposure to DEX (iuDEX), that presents an anxious phenotype. However, it is still unclear if stress differentially affects iuDEX males and females. In this work, we evaluated how iuDEX animals of both sexes cope with chronic mild stress for 2 weeks. We evaluated emotional behavior and microglia and neuronal morphology in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP) and nucleus accumbens (NAc), two brain regions involved in emotion-related disorders. We report that males and females prenatally exposed to DEX have better performance in anxiety- and depression-related behavioral tests after chronic stress exposure in adulthood than non-exposed animals. Interestingly, iuDEX animals present sex-dependent changes in microglia morphology in the dHIP (hypertrophy in females) and in the NAc (atrophy in females and hypertrophy in males). After chronic stress, these cells undergo sex-specific morphological remodeling. Paralleled to these alterations in cytoarchitecture of microglia, we report inter-regional differences in dendritic morphology in a sex-specific manner. iuDEX females present fewer complex neurons in the NAc, whereas iuDEX males presented less complex neuronal morphology in the dHIP. Interestingly, these alterations were modified by stress exposure. Our work shows that stressful events during pregnancy can exert a preserved sex-specific effect in adulthood. Although the role of the observed cellular remodeling is still unknown, sex-specific differences in microglia plasticity induced by long-term stress exposure may anticipate differences in drug efficacy in the context of stress-induced anxiety- or depression-related behaviors. iuDEX induces anxiety- and depression-related behavioral in both sexes. iuDEX induces sex dependent fine structural alterations in neurons and microglia morphology in the dHIP and in the NAc. uCMS in combination to iuDEX normalize the behavior as well the morphology of neurons in the NAc. Stressful events during pregnancy can exert a preserved sex-specific effect in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Gaspar
- University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.,University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Filipa I Baptista
- University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.,University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António F Ambrósio
- University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.,University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's -PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Catarina A Gomes
- University of Coimbra, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.,University of Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), Coimbra, Portugal.,University of Coimbra, Faculty of Pharmacy, Coimbra, Portugal
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12
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Aatsinki AK, Keskitalo A, Laitinen V, Munukka E, Uusitupa HM, Lahti L, Kortesluoma S, Mustonen P, Rodrigues AJ, Coimbra B, Huovinen P, Karlsson H, Karlsson L. Maternal prenatal psychological distress and hair cortisol levels associate with infant fecal microbiota composition at 2.5 months of age. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 119:104754. [PMID: 32531627 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [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: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal prenatal stress associates with infant developmental outcomes, but the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. Alterations in the composition and function of infant intestinal microbiota may mediate some of the observed health effects, a viewpoint that is supported by animal studies along with a small human study showing that exposure to prenatal stress modifies the offspring's intestinal microbiota. In the current study, we aim to investigate the associations between maternal prenatal psychological distress (PPD) and hair cortisol concentration (HCC) with infant fecal microbiota composition in a large prospective human cohort. METHODS The study population was drawn from FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Maternal PPD was measured with standardized questionnaires (EPDS, SCL, PRAQ-R2, Daily Hassles) three times during pregnancy (n = 398). A measure addressing the chronicity of PPD was composed separately for each questionnaire. HCC was measured from a five cm segment at gestational week 24 (n = 115), thus covering the early and mid-pregnancy. Infant fecal samples were collected at the age of 2.5 months and analyzed with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS Maternal chronic PPD (all symptom measures) showed positive associations (FDR < 0.01) with bacterial genera from phylum Proteobacteria, with potential pathogens, in infants. Further, chronic PPD (SCL, PRAQ-R2, and Daily Hassles negative scale) associated negatively with Akkermansia. HCC associated negatively with Lactobacillus. Neither maternal chronic PPD nor HCC associated with infant fecal microbiota diversity. CONCLUSION Chronic maternal PPD symptoms and elevated HCC associate with alterations in infant intestinal microbiota composition. In keeping with the earlier literature, maternal PPD symptoms were associated with increases in genera fromProteobacteria phylum. Further research is needed to understand how these microbiota changes are linked with later child health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katariina Aatsinki
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | - Anniina Keskitalo
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Ville Laitinen
- Department of Future Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eveliina Munukka
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Microbiome Biobank, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Henna-Maria Uusitupa
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Leo Lahti
- Department of Future Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanna Kortesluoma
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Paula Mustonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Pentti Huovinen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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13
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Martinez D, Yeh M, Oliveira L, Coimbra B, Mello AF, Poyares D, Tufik S, Mello MF. 1079 Is PTSD In Young Women Associated With Rem Sleep Abnormalities? Sleep 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.1075] [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: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
The increase in violence against young women has a high impact on the prevalence of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is twice as high in women. However, most studies assessing sleep disturbances in PTSD were conducted predominantly in male samples and combat veterans. Objective: To analyze the sleep of young women with and without PTSD. Hypothesis: Women with PTSD have worse sleep quality, higher arousability, and higher muscle activity during REM sleep.
Methods
Case-controlled study with young women. Seventy-four women who suffered sexual assault and developed PTSD (DSM-5); and 64 women from the community without PTSD. Women were recruited from the PTSD outpatient clinic (Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil).Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Scale (CAPS 5), Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI) (BAI), full in-lab Polysomnography (PSG), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Índex (PSQI), Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), and Insomnia Severity Índex (ISI) were applied to all participants. Analysis of variance, regression models, and general linear modeling were used.
Results
Patients mean age was 28 vs 24 for the control group (p=0.004). CAPS mean score in PTSD-group was 42.5±9.1. BDI, BAI, FIS, PSQI, ISI scores were worse in PTSD-group (p<0.05, all). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score was significantly associated with CAPS 5 independently of depression, fatigue, and sleep fragmentation.
The PTSD women had lower total sleep time (p= 0.01) and lower REM sleep percentage (p=0.04). However, the control group had higher arousal index (p=.0.01) and had higher muscle activity during REM sleep (p=0.03) than PTSD.
Conclusion
Women with PTSD had significantly worse score in PSQI, FIS, and ISI. PSQI score was associated with PTSD severity. However, when PSG results are concerned, we found higher sleep fragmentation in the control group. We speculate that women with PTSD may have felt safer and taken care of in the lab, which might explain the difference between objective and subjective measures of sleep quality in PTSD.
Support
Acknowledgments: FAPESP: Fundação de Apoio à pesquisa de São Paulo, AFIP: Associação Incentivo a Pesquisa
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Affiliation(s)
- D Martinez
- Psychobiology Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - M Yeh
- Psychiatry Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - L Oliveira
- Psychobiology Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - B Coimbra
- Psychiatry Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - A F Mello
- Psychiatry Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - D Poyares
- Psychobiology Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - S Tufik
- Psychobiology Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
| | - M F Mello
- Psychiatry Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL
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14
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Mustonen P, Karlsson L, Kataja EL, Scheinin NM, Kortesluoma S, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N, Karlsson H. Maternal prenatal hair cortisol is associated with prenatal depressive symptom trajectories. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 109:104383. [PMID: 31400561 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [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: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Maternal prenatal cortisol levels have been inconsistently associated with self-reports of prenatal psychological distress (PD). Previous research has linked hair cortisol concentration (HCC) evaluating cumulatively the previous months with cross-sectional PD measures that usually cover the past week(s), which may lead to misleading conclusions on their relations. We aimed to investigate how maternal HCC relates to cumulative PD measures across pregnancy. METHODS Subjects (N = 595) were drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Maternal HCC was measured from hair samples collected at gestational week (gwk) 24 (HCC1, n = 467) and at delivery (HCC2, n = 222). As HCC1 and HCC2 comprised mostly of different subjects, they were considered as independent populations. Maternal PD assessments at gwks 14, 24, and 34 were the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the anxiety subscale of the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire -Revised2 (PRAQ-R2), and a daily hassles scale. Cumulative PD comprised of the mean scores of two consecutive assessments (mean1 = gwks 14 and 24; mean2 = gwks 24 and 34). In addition, EPDS and SCL scores were modelled by using growth mixture modelling to identify symptom trajectory categories. Regression models were adjusted for age, body mass index, education and use of selective serotonin/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor medication. RESULTS In the adjusted regression model, higher HCC2 was related to the "consistently elevated" prenatal depressive symptoms trajectory in comparison to "consistently low" (β =.71, p =.021) and "low and increasing" (β =.82, p = .011) symptom trajectories. Additionally, the cumulative mean (mean 1) of daily hassles in relationships was associated with HCC1 (β = 0.25, p = .004). General or pregnancy-related anxiety symptoms were unrelated to HCC after adjustment for the covariates. CONCLUSIONS The assessment of cumulative or trajectory measures of PD can reveal important associations with maternal prenatal HCC, even though the associations are generally weak. Of the different dimensions of PD, prenatal trajectories of depressive symptoms were most consistently linked with end-pregnancy HCC levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Mustonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Noora M Scheinin
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanna Kortesluoma
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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15
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Coimbra B, Soares-Cunha C, Vasconcelos NAP, Domingues AV, Borges S, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Role of laterodorsal tegmentum projections to nucleus accumbens in reward-related behaviors. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4138. [PMID: 31515512 PMCID: PMC6742663 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11557-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is associated with reward considering that it modulates VTA neuronal activity, but recent anatomical evidence shows that the LDT also directly projects to nucleus accumbens (NAc). We show that the majority of LDT-NAc inputs are cholinergic, but there is also GABAergic and glutamatergic innervation; activation of LDT induces a predominantly excitatory response in the NAc. Non-selective optogenetic activation of LDT-NAc projections in rats enhances motivational drive and shifts preference to an otherwise equal reward; whereas inhibition of these projections induces the opposite. Activation of these projections also induces robust place preference. In mice, specific activation of LDT-NAc cholinergic inputs (but not glutamatergic or GABAergic) is sufficient to shift preference, increase motivation, and drive positive reinforcement in different behavioral paradigms. These results provide evidence that LDT-NAc projections play an important role in motivated behaviors and positive reinforcement, and that distinct neuronal populations differentially contribute for these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nivaldo A P Vasconcelos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Sónia Borges
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
- Clinical Academic Center (2CA-Braga), Braga, Portugal.
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
- Clinical Academic Center (2CA-Braga), Braga, Portugal.
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16
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Fontenele AJ, de Vasconcelos NAP, Feliciano T, Aguiar LAA, Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Dalla Porta L, Ribeiro S, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N, Carelli PV, Copelli M. Criticality between Cortical States. Phys Rev Lett 2019; 122:208101. [PMID: 31172737 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.208101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Since the first measurements of neuronal avalanches, the critical brain hypothesis has gained traction. However, if the brain is critical, what is the phase transition? For several decades, it has been known that the cerebral cortex operates in a diversity of regimes, ranging from highly synchronous states (with higher spiking variability) to desynchronized states (with lower spiking variability). Here, using both new and publicly available data, we test independent signatures of criticality and show that a phase transition occurs in an intermediate value of spiking variability, in both anesthetized and freely moving animals. The critical exponents point to a universality class different from mean-field directed percolation. Importantly, as the cortex hovers around this critical point, the avalanche exponents follow a linear relation that encompasses previous experimental results from different setups and is reproduced by a model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio J Fontenele
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Nivaldo A P de Vasconcelos
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- ICVS/3Bs-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Thaís Feliciano
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Leandro A A Aguiar
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, PE 52171-900, Brazil
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- ICVS/3Bs-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- ICVS/3Bs-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Leonardo Dalla Porta
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
- Systems Neuroscience, Institut dInvestigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sidarta Ribeiro
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN 59056-450, Brazil
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- ICVS/3Bs-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
- ICVS/3Bs-PT Government Associate Laboratory, 4806-909, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Pedro V Carelli
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Mauro Copelli
- Physics Department, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE 50670-901, Brazil
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17
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Gaspar R, Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Domingues AV, Baptista F, Fontes-Ribeiro C, Sousa N, Ambrósio A, Rodrigues AJ, Gomes C. Dynamic changes in microglia morphology and higher resilience to stress-induced anxious-behavior in a model of prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids. Front Cell Neurosci 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2019.01.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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18
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Soares AR, Esteves M, Moreira PS, Cunha AM, Guimarães MR, Carvalho MM, Raposo-Lima C, Morgado P, Carvalho AF, Coimbra B, Melo A, Rodrigues AJ, Salgado AJ, Pêgo JM, Cerqueira JJ, Costa P, Sousa N, Almeida A, Leite-Almeida H. Trait determinants of impulsive behavior: a comprehensive analysis of 188 rats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17666. [PMID: 30518850 PMCID: PMC6281674 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35537-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Impulsivity is a naturally occurring behavior that, when accentuated, can be found in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. The expression of trait impulsivity has been shown to change with a variety of factors, such as age and sex, but the existing literature does not reflect widespread consensus regarding the influence of modulating effects. We designed the present study to investigate, in a cohort of significant size (188 rats), the impact of four specific parameters, namely sex, age, strain and phase of estrous cycle, using the variable delay-to-signal (VDS) task. This cohort included (i) control animals from previous experiments; (ii) animals specifically raised for this study; and (iii) animals previously used for breeding purposes. Aging was associated with a general decrease in action impulsivity and an increase in delay tolerance. Females generally performed more impulsive actions than males but no differences were observed regarding delay intolerance. In terms of estrous cycle, no differences in impulsive behavior were observed and regarding strain, Wistar Han animals were, in general, more impulsive than Sprague-Dawley. In addition to further confirming, in a substantial study cohort, the decrease in impulsivity with age, we have demonstrated that both the strain and sex influences modulate different aspects of impulsive behavior manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rosa Soares
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Madalena Esteves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Pedro Silva Moreira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Margarida Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Marco Rafael Guimarães
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Miguel Murteira Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Catarina Raposo-Lima
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Pedro Morgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Franky Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Department of General Surgery, Hospital of Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António Melo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António José Salgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - José Miguel Pêgo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - João José Cerqueira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Patrício Costa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Armando Almeida
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Hugo Leite-Almeida
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. .,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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19
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Soares-Cunha C, Coimbra B, Borges S, Domingues AV, Silva D, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Mild Prenatal Stress Causes Emotional and Brain Structural Modifications in Rats of Both Sexes. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:129. [PMID: 30034328 PMCID: PMC6043801 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [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: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress or high levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) during developmental periods is known to induce persistent effects in the neuroendocrine circuits that control stress response, which may underlie individuals’ increased risk for developing neuropsychiatric conditions later in life, such as anxiety or depression. We developed a rat model (Wistar han) of mild exposure to unpredictable prenatal stress (PS), which consists in a 4-h stressor administered three times per week on a random basis; stressors include strobe lights, noise and restrain. Pregnant dams subjected to this protocol present disrupted circadian corticosterone secretion and increased corticosterone secretion upon acute stress exposure. Regarding progeny, both young adult (2 months old) male and female rats present increased levels of circulating corticosterone and hyperactivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis to acute stress exposure. Both sexes present anxious- and depressive-like behaviors, shown by the decreased time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze (EPM) and in the light side of the light-dark box (LDB), and by increased immobility time in the forced swim test, respectively. Interestingly, these results were accompanied by structural modifications of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and hippocampus, as well as decreased norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the BNST, and serotonin levels in the hippocampus. In summary, we characterize a new model of mild PS, and show that stressful events during pregnancy can lead to long-lasting structural and neurochemical effects in the offspring, which affect behavior in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Sónia Borges
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana Verónica Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Deolinda Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center-Braga (2CA), Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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20
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Mustonen P, Karlsson L, Scheinin NM, Kortesluoma S, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ, Karlsson H. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a measure for prenatal psychological distress - A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 92:21-28. [PMID: 29609112 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [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: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal environment reportedly affects the programming of developmental trajectories in offspring and the modification of risks for later morbidity. Among the increasingly studied prenatal exposures are maternal psychological distress (PD) and altered maternal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. Both prenatal PD and maternal short-term cortisol concentrations as markers for HPA axis activity have been linked to adverse child outcomes and it has been assumed that maternal PD affects the offspring partially via altered cortisol secretion patterns. Yet, the existing literature on the interrelations between these two measures is conflicting. The assessment of cortisol levels by using hair cortisol concentration (HCC) has gained interest, as it offers a way to assess long-term cortisol levels with a single non-invasive sampling. According to our review, 6 studies assessing the associations between maternal HCC during pregnancy and various types of maternal PD have been published so far. Measures of prenatal PD range from maternal symptoms of depression or anxiety to stress related to person's life situation or pregnancy. The aim of this systematic review is to critically evaluate the potential of HCC as a biomarker for maternal PD during pregnancy. We conclude that HCC appears to be inconsistently associated with self-reported symptoms of prenatal PD, especially in the range of mild to moderate symptom levels. Self-reports on PD usually cover short time periods and they seem to depict partly different phenomena than HCC. Thus, methodological aspects are in a key role in future studies evaluating the interconnections across different types of prenatal PD and maternal HPA axis functioning. Further, studies including repetitive measurements of both HCC and PD during the prenatal period are needed, as timing of the assessments is one important source of variation among current studies. The significance of prenatal HCC in the context of offspring outcomes needs to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Mustonen
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Noora M Scheinin
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Susanna Kortesluoma
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku Brain and Mind Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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21
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Coimbra B, Soares-Cunha C, Borges S, Vasconcelos NAP, Sousa N, Rodrigues AJ. Impairments in laterodorsal tegmentum to VTA projections underlie glucocorticoid-triggered reward deficits. eLife 2017; 6:e25843. [PMID: 28837419 PMCID: PMC5576484 DOI: 10.7554/elife.25843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [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: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ventral tegmental area (VTA) activity is critical for reward/reinforcement and is tightly modulated by the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT). In utero exposure to glucocorticoids (iuGC) triggers prominent motivation deficits but nothing is known about the impact of this exposure in the LDT-VTA circuit. We show that iuGC-rats have long-lasting changes in cholinergic markers in the LDT, together with a decrease in LDT basal neuronal activity. Interestingly, upon LDT stimulation, iuGC animals present a decrease in the magnitude of excitation and an increase in VTA inhibition, as a result of a shift in the type of cells that respond to the stimulus. In agreement with LDT-VTA dysfunction, we show that iuGC animals present motivational deficits that are rescued by selective optogenetic activation of this pathway. Importantly, we also show that LDT-VTA optogenetic stimulation is reinforcing, and that iuGC animals are more susceptible to the reinforcing properties of LDT-VTA stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
| | - Sónia Borges
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
| | - Nivaldo AP Vasconcelos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of MedicineUniversity of MinhoBragaPortugal
- ICVS/3B’s–PT Government Associate LaboratoryBraga/GuimarãesPortugal
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22
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Caetano L, Pinheiro H, Patrício P, Mateus-Pinheiro A, Alves ND, Coimbra B, Baptista FI, Henriques SN, Cunha C, Santos AR, Ferreira SG, Sardinha VM, Oliveira JF, Ambrósio AF, Sousa N, Cunha RA, Rodrigues AJ, Pinto L, Gomes CA. Adenosine A 2A receptor regulation of microglia morphological remodeling-gender bias in physiology and in a model of chronic anxiety. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:1035-1043. [PMID: 27725661 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Developmental risk factors, such as the exposure to stress or high levels of glucocorticoids (GCs), may contribute to the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. The immunomodulatory role of GCs and the immunological fingerprint found in animals prenatally exposed to GCs point towards an interplay between the immune and the nervous systems in the etiology of these disorders. Microglia are immune cells of the brain, responsive to GCs and morphologically altered in stress-related disorders. These cells are regulated by adenosine A2A receptors, which are also involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety. We now compare animal behavior and microglia morphology in males and females prenatally exposed to the GC dexamethasone. We report that prenatal exposure to dexamethasone is associated with a gender-specific remodeling of microglial cell processes in the prefrontal cortex: males show a hyper-ramification and increased length whereas females exhibit a decrease in the number and in the length of microglia processes. Microglial cells re-organization responded in a gender-specific manner to the chronic treatment with a selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, which was able to ameliorate microglial processes alterations and anxiety behavior in males, but not in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Caetano
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - H Pinheiro
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - P Patrício
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - A Mateus-Pinheiro
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - N D Alves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - B Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - F I Baptista
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - S N Henriques
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - C Cunha
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - A R Santos
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - S G Ferreira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - V M Sardinha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - J F Oliveira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - A F Ambrósio
- Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - N Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - R A Cunha
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - A J Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - L Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - C A Gomes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,CNC.IBILI Consortium, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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23
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Carvalho MM, Campos FL, Coimbra B, Pêgo JM, Rodrigues C, Lima R, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N, Salgado AJ. Behavioral characterization of the 6-hydroxidopamine model of Parkinson's disease and pharmacological rescuing of non-motor deficits. Mol Neurodegener 2013; 8:14. [PMID: 23621954 PMCID: PMC3653696 DOI: 10.1186/1750-1326-8-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that is characterized by motor symptoms as a result of dopaminergic degeneration, particularly in the mesostriatal pathway. However, in recent years, a greater number of clinical studies have focused on the emergence of non-motor symptoms in PD patients, as a consequence of damage on the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic networks, and on their significant impact on the quality of life of PD patients. Herein, we performed a thorough behavioral analysis including motor, emotional and cognitive dimensions, of the unilateral medial forebrain bundle (MFB) 6-hydroxidopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned model of PD, and further addressed the impact of pharmacological interventions with levodopa and antidepressants on mood dimensions. RESULTS Based on apomorphine-induced turning behaviour and degree of dopaminergic degeneration, animals submitted to MFB lesions were subdivided in complete and incomplete lesion groups. Importantly, this division also translated into a different severity of motor and exploratory impairments and depressive-like symptoms; in contrast, no deficits in anxiety-like and cognitive behaviors were found in MFB-lesioned animals. Subsequently, we found that the exploratory and the anhedonic behavioural alterations of MFB-lesioned rats can be partially improved with the administration of both levodopa or the antidepressant bupropion, but not paroxetine. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that this model is a relevant tool to study the pathophysiology of motor and non-motor symptoms of PD. In addition, the present data shows that pharmacological interventions modulating dopaminergic transmission are also relevant to revert the non-motor behavioral deficits found in the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel M Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Filipa L Campos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - José M Pêgo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carla Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui Lima
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana J Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António J Salgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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24
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Borges S, Coimbra B, Soares-Cunha C, Ventura-Silva AP, Pinto L, Carvalho MM, Pêgo JM, Rodrigues AJ, Sousa N. Glucocorticoid programing of the mesopontine cholinergic system. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2013; 4:190. [PMID: 24379803 PMCID: PMC3862116 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress perception, response, adaptation, and coping strategies are individually distinct, and the sequel of stress and/or glucocorticoids (GCs) is also distinct between subjects. In the last years, it has become clear that early life stress is a powerful modulator of neuroendocrine stress-responsive circuits, programing intrinsic susceptibility to stress, and potentiating the appearance of stress-related disorders such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. Herein we were interested in understanding how early life experiences reset the normal processing of negative stimuli, leading to emotional dysfunction. Animals prenatally exposed to GCs (in utero glucocorticoid exposure, iuGC) present hyperanxiety, increased fear behavior, and hyper-reactivity to negative stimuli. In parallel, we found a remarkable increase in the number of aversive 22 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in response to an aversive cue. Considering the suggested role of the mesopontine tegmentum cholinergic pathway, arising from the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT), in the initiation of 22 kHz vocalizations and hypothetically in the control of emotional arousal and tone, we decided to evaluate the condition of this circuit in iuGC animals. Notably, in a basal situation, iuGC animals present increased choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expression in the LDT and PPT, but not in other cholinergic nuclei, namely in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. In addition, and in accordance with the amplified response to an adverse stimulus of iuGC animals, we found marked changes in the cholinergic activation pattern of LDT and PPT regions. Altogether, our results suggest a specific cholinergic pathway programing by prenatal GC, and hint that this may be of relevance in setting individual stress vulnerability threshold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia Borges
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana P. Ventura-Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luisa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Miguel M. Carvalho
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - José-Miguel Pêgo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Ana João Rodrigues and Nuno Sousa, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal e-mail: ;
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Ana João Rodrigues and Nuno Sousa, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal e-mail: ;
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