Forebrain gene expression predicts deficits in sensorimotor gating after isolation rearing in male rats

Compared to socially housed (SH) rats, adult isolation-reared (IR) rats exhibit phenotypes relevant to schizophrenia (SZ), including reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle. PPI is normally regulated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC). We assessed PPI, auditory-evoked local field potentials (LFPs) and expression of seven PPI- and SZ-related genes in the mPFC and NAC, in IR and SH rats. Buffalo (BUF) rats were raised in same-sex groups of 2-3 (SH) or in isolation (IR). PPI was measured early (d53) and later in adulthood (d74); LFPs were measured approximately on d66. Brains were processed for RT-PCR measures of mPFC and NAC expression of Comt, Erbb4, Grid2, Ncam1, Slc1a2, Nrg1 and Reln. Male IR rats exhibited PPI deficits, most pronounced at d53; male and female IR rats had significantly elevated startle magnitude on both test days. Gene expression levels were not significantly altered by IR. PPI levels (d53) were positively correlated with mPFC expression of several genes, and negatively correlated with NAC expression of several genes, in male IR but not SH rats. Late (P90) LFP amplitudes correlated significantly with expression levels of 6/7 mPFC genes in male rats, independent of rearing. After IR that disrupts early adult PPI in male BUF rats, expression levels of PPI- and SZ-associated genes in the mPFC correlate positively with PPI, and levels in the NAC correlate negatively with PPI. These results support the model that specific gene-behavior relationships moderate the impact of early-life experience on SZ-linked behavioral and neurophysiological markers.

Coupling of gene expression in medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens after neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions accompanies deficits in sensorimotor gating and auditory processing in rats

BACKGROUND

After neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs), adult rats exhibit evidence of neural processing deficits relevant to schizophrenia, including reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle and impaired sensory processing. In intact rats, the regulation of PPI by the ventral hippocampus (VH) is mediated via interactions with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC). We assessed PPI, auditory-evoked responses and expression of 7 schizophrenia-related genes in mPFC and NAC, in adult rats after sham- or real NVHLs.

METHODS

Male inbred Buffalo (BUF) rat pups (d7; n=36) received either vehicle or ibotenic acid infusion into the VH. PPI and auditory-evoked dentate gyrus local field potentials (LFPs) were measured on d56 and d66, respectively. Brains were processed for RT-PCR measures of mPFC and NAC Comt, Erbb4, Grid2, Ncam1, Slc1a2, Nrg1 and Reln.

RESULTS

NVHL rats exhibited significant deficits in PPI (p=0.005) and LFPs (p<0.015) proportional to lesion size. Sham vs. NVHL rats did not differ in gene expression levels in mPFC or NAC. As we previously reported, multiple gene expression levels were highly correlated within- (mean r's≈0.5), but not across-brain regions (mean r's≈0). However, for three genes--Comt, Slc1a2 and Ncam1--after NVHLs, expression levels became significantly correlated, or "coupled," across the mPFC and NAC (p's<0.03, 0.002 and 0.05, respectively), and the degree of "coupling" increased with VH lesion size.

CONCLUSIONS

After NVHLs that disrupt PPI and auditory processing, specific gene expression levels suggest an abnormal functional coupling of the mPFC and NAC. This model of VH-mPFC-NAC network dysfunction after NVHLs may have implications for understanding the neural basis for PPI- and related sensory processing deficits in schizophrenia patients.

Antipurinergic therapy corrects the autism-like features in the poly(IC) mouse model

BACKGROUND

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Mitochondria act to connect genes and environment by regulating gene-encoded metabolic networks according to changes in the chemistry of the cell and its environment. Mitochondrial ATP and other metabolites are mitokines-signaling molecules made in mitochondria-that undergo regulated release from cells to communicate cellular health and danger to neighboring cells via purinergic signaling. The role of purinergic signaling has not yet been explored in autism spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS

We used the maternal immune activation (MIA) mouse model of gestational poly(IC) exposure and treatment with the non-selective purinergic antagonist suramin to test the role of purinergic signaling in C57BL/6J mice.

RESULTS

We found that antipurinergic therapy (APT) corrected 16 multisystem abnormalities that defined the ASD-like phenotype in this model. These included correction of the core social deficits and sensorimotor coordination abnormalities, prevention of cerebellar Purkinje cell loss, correction of the ultrastructural synaptic dysmorphology, and correction of the hypothermia, metabolic, mitochondrial, P2Y2 and P2X7 purinergic receptor expression, and ERK1/2 and CAMKII signal transduction abnormalities.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperpurinergia is a fundamental and treatable feature of the multisystem abnormalities in the poly(IC) mouse model of autism spectrum disorders. Antipurinergic therapy provides a new tool for refining current concepts of pathogenesis in autism and related spectrum disorders, and represents a fresh path forward for new drug development.

Role of the 5-HT₂A receptor in the locomotor hyperactivity produced by phenylalkylamine hallucinogens in mice

The 5-HT₂A receptor mediates the effects of serotonergic hallucinogens and may play a role in the pathophysiology of certain psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Given these findings, there is a need for animal models to assess the behavioral effects of 5-HT₂A receptor activation. Our previous studies demonstrated that the phenylalkylamine hallucinogen and 5-HT₂A/₂C agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) produces dose-dependent effects on locomotor activity in C57BL/6J mice, increasing activity at low to moderate doses and reducing activity at high doses. DOI did not increase locomotor activity in 5-HT₂A knockout mice, indicating the effect is a consequence of 5-HT₂A receptor activation. Here, we tested a series of phenylalkylamine hallucinogens in C57BL/6J mice using the Behavioral Pattern Monitor (BPM) to determine whether these compounds increase locomotor activity by activating the 5-HT₂A receptor. Low doses of mescaline, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylamphetamine (DOET), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-propylamphetamine (DOPR), 2,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine (TMA-2), and the conformationally restricted phenethylamine (4-bromo-3,6-dimethoxybenzocyclobuten-1-yl)methylamine (TCB-2) increased locomotor activity. By contrast, the non-hallucinogenic phenylalkylamine 2,5-dimethoxy-4-tert-butylamphetamine (DOTB) did not alter locomotor activity at any dose tested (0.1-10 mg/kg i.p.). The selective 5-HT₂A antagonist M100907 blocked the locomotor hyperactivity induced by mescaline and TCB-2. Similarly, mescaline and TCB-2 did not increase locomotor activity in 5-HT₂A knockout mice. These results confirm that phenylalkylamine hallucinogens increase locomotor activity in mice and demonstrate that this effect is mediated by 5-HT₂A receptor activation. Thus, locomotor hyperactivity in mice can be used to assess phenylalkylamines for 5-HT₂A agonist activity and hallucinogen-like behavioral effects. These studies provide additional support for the link between 5-HT₂A activation and hallucinogenesis.

Sensory and sensorimotor gating deficits after neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions in rats

Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs) in rats lead to reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle and other behavioral deficits in adulthood that model abnormalities in schizophrenia patients. A neurophysiological deficit in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives is reduced gating of the P50 event-related potential (ERP). N40 ERP gating in rats may be a cross-species analog of P50 gating, and is disrupted in experimental manipulations related to schizophrenia. Here, we tested whether N40 gating as well as PPI is disrupted after NVHLs, using contemporaneous measures of these two conceptually related phenomena. Male rat pups received sham or ibotenic acid NVHLs on postnatal day 7. PPI was tested on days 35 and 56, after which rats were equipped with cortical surface electrodes for ERP measurements. One week later, PPI and N40 gating were measured in a single test, using paired S1-S2 clicks spaced 500 ms apart to elicit N40 gating. Compared to sham-lesioned rats, those with NVHLs exhibited PPI deficits on days 35 and 56. NVHL rats also exhibited reduced N40 gating and reduced PPI, when measured contemporaneously at day 65. Deficits in PPI and N40 gating appeared most pronounced in rats with larger lesions, focused within the ventral hippocampus. In this first report of contemporaneous measures of two important schizophrenia-related phenotypes in NVHL rats, NVHLs reproduce both sensory (N40) and sensorimotor (PPI) gating deficits exhibited in schizophrenia. In this study, lesion effects were detected prior to pubertal onset, and were sustained well into adulthood.

Behavioral and neurochemical consequences of cortical oxidative stress on parvalbumin-interneuron maturation in rodent models of schizophrenia

Oxidative stress, in response to the activation of the superoxide-producing enzyme Nox2, has been implicated in the schizophrenia-like behavioral dysfunction that develops in animals that were subject to either neonatal NMDA receptor-antagonist treatment or social isolation. In both of these animal models of schizophrenia, an environmental insult occurring during the period of active maturation of the fast-spiking parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneuronal circuit leads to a diminished expression of parvalbumin in GABA-inhibitory neurons when animals reach adulthood. The loss of PV+ interneurons in animal models had been tentatively attributed to the death of these neurons. However, present results show that for the perinatal NMDA-R antagonist model these interneurons are still alive when animals are 5-6 weeks of age even though they have lost their phenotype and no longer express parvalbumin. Alterations in parvalbumin expression and sensory-evoked gamma-oscillatory activity, regulated by PV+ interneurons, are consistently observed in schizophrenia. We propose that cortical networks consisting of faulty PV+ interneurons interacting with pyramidal neurons may be responsible for the aberrant oscillatory activity observed in schizophrenia. Thus, oxidative stress during the maturation window for PV+ interneurons by alteration of normal brain development, leads to the emergence of schizophrenia-like behavioral dysfunctions when subjects reach early adulthood.

Genetic models of sensorimotor gating: relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders

Sensorimotor gating, or the ability of a sensory event to suppress a motor response, can be measured operationally via prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response. PPI is deficient in schizophrenia patients as well as other neuropsychiatric disorders, can be measured across species, and has been used widely as a translational tool in preclinical neuropharmacological and genetic research. First developed to assess drug effects in pharmacological and developmental models, PPI has become one of the standard behavioral measures in genetic models of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders that exhibit PPI deficits. In this chapter we review the literature on genetic models of sensorimotor gating and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping mutant mouse models. We highlight the approaches to genetic mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease, discuss some of the important caveats to these approaches, and provide a comprehensive table covering the more recent genetic models that have evaluated PPI.

Differential contributions of serotonin receptors to the behavioral effects of indoleamine hallucinogens in mice

Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogen that acts as an agonist at 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), and 5-HT(2C) receptors. Psilocin is the active metabolite of psilocybin, a hallucinogen that is currently being investigated clinically as a potential therapeutic agent. In the present investigation, we used a combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches to identify the serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtypes responsible for mediating the effects of psilocin on head twitch response (HTR) and the behavioral pattern monitor (BPM) in C57BL/6J mice. We also compared the effects of psilocin with those of the putative 5-HT(2C) receptor-selective agonist 1-methylpsilocin and the hallucinogen and non-selective serotonin receptor agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). Psilocin, 1-methylpsilocin, and 5-MeO-DMT induced the HTR, effects that were absent in mice lacking the 5-HT(2A) receptor gene. When tested in the BPM, psilocin decreased locomotor activity, holepoking, and time spent in the center of the chamber, effects that were blocked by the selective 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY-100635 but were not altered by the selective 5-HT(2C) antagonist SB 242,084 or by 5-HT(2A) receptor gene deletion. 5-MeO-DMT produced similar effects when tested in the BPM, and the action of 5-MeO-DMT was significantly attenuated by WAY-100635. Psilocin and 5-MeO-DMT also decreased the linearity of locomotor paths, effects that were mediated by 5-HT(2C) and 5-HT(1A) receptors, respectively. In contrast to psilocin and 5-MeO-DMT, 1-methylpsilocin (0.6-9.6 mg/kg) was completely inactive in the BPM. These findings confirm that psilocin acts as an agonist at 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), and 5-HT(2C) receptors in mice, whereas the behavioral effects of 1-methylpsilocin indicate that this compound is acting at 5-HT(2A) sites but is inactive at the 5-HT(1A) receptor. The fact that 1-methylpsilocin displays greater pharmacological selectivity than psilocin indicates that 1-methylpsilocin represents a potentially useful alternative to psilocybin for development as a potential therapeutic agent.

The effect of reduced dopamine D4 receptor expression in the 5-choice continuous performance task: Separating response inhibition from premature responding

Impairments in attention/vigilance and response disinhibition are commonly observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Validating animal models could help in developing therapeutics for cognitive deficits and improving functional outcomes in such disorders. The 5-choice continuous performance test (5C-CPT) in mice offers the opportunity to assess vigilance and two forms of impulsivity. Since reduced dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) function is implicated in several disorders, DRD4 is a potential therapeutic target for cognition enhancement. We trained wildtype (WT), heterozygous (HT), and knockout (KO) mice of the murine Drd4 to perform the 5C-CPT under baseline and variable stimulus duration conditions. To dissect motor impulsivity (premature responding) from behavioral disinhibition (false alarms), we administered the 5-HT(2C) antagonist SB242084 during an extended inter-trial-interval session. We also examined the preattentive and exploratory profile of these mice in prepulse inhibition (PPI) and the Behavioral Pattern Monitor (BPM). Reduced Drd4 expression in HT mice, as confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR, resulted in response disinhibition and impaired 5C-CPT performance, while premature responding was unaffected. Conversely, SB242084 increased premature responding without affecting response inhibition or attentional measures. No genotypic differences were observed in PPI or BPM behavior. Thus, reduced Drd4 expression impairs attentional performance, but not other behaviors associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, the use of signal and non-signal stimuli in the 5C-CPT enabled the differentiation of response disinhibition from motor impulsivity in a vigilance task.

Isolation rearing-induced deficits in contextual fear learning do not require CRF(2) receptors

Post-weaning social isolation of rodents is used to model developmental stressors linked to neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia as well as anxiety and mood disorders. Isolation rearing produces alterations in emotional memory and hippocampal neuropathology. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) signaling has recently been shown to be involved in behavioral effects of isolation rearing. Activation of the CRF(2) receptor is linked to stress-induced alterations in fear learning and may also be involved in long-term adaptation to stress. Here we tested the hypothesis that CRF(2) contributes to isolation rearing effects on emotional memory. At weaning, mice were housed either in groups of three or individually in standard mouse cages. In adulthood, isolation-reared mice exhibited significant reductions in context-specific, but not cue-specific, freezing. Isolation-reared mice exhibited no significant changes in locomotor exploration during brief exposure to a novel environment, suggesting that the reduced freezing in response to context cues was not due to activity confounds. Isolation rearing also disrupted context fear memory in mice with a CRF(2) gene null mutation, indicating that the CRF(2) receptor is not required for isolation effects on fear memory. Thus, isolation rearing disrupts hippocampal-dependent fear learning as indicated by consistent reductions in context-conditioned freezing in two separate cohorts of mice, and these effects are via a CRF(2)-independent mechanism. These findings may be clinically relevant because they suggest that isolation rearing in mice may be a useful model of developmental perturbations linked to disruptions in emotional memory in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Models of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in schizophrenia

The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia asserts that the underlying pathology of schizophrenia has its roots in brain development and that these brain abnormalities do not manifest themselves until adolescence or early adulthood. Animal models based on developmental manipulations have provided insight into the vulnerability of the developing fetus and the importance of the early environment for normal maturation. These models have provided a wide range of validated approaches to answer questions regarding environmental influences on both neural and behavioral development. In an effort to better understand the developmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, animal models have been developed, which seek to model the etiology and/or the pathophysiology of schizophrenia or specific behaviors associated with the disease. Developmental models specific to schizophrenia have focused on epidemiological risk factors (e.g., prenatal viral insult, birth complications) or more heuristic models aimed at understanding the developmental neuropathology of the disease (e.g., ventral hippocampal lesions). The combined approach of behavioral and neuroanatomical evaluation of these models strengthens their utility in improving our understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and developing new treatment strategies.

A Kappa Opioid Model of Atypical Altered Consciousness and Psychosis: U50488, DOI, AC90179 Effects on Prepulse Inhibition and Locomotion in Mice

Sensorimortor gating and locomotion are behaviors that reflect pre-attentive sensory filtering and higher order, top-down, sensory processing, respectively. These processes are thought to affect either the perception of novelty in an environment (filtering) or cognition (higher order processing), salient features of models of altered states of consciousness (ASC). Drugs with highly selective receptor affinities that produce ASC can help to establish neural correlates, pathways, and mechanisms underlying ASC. Furthermore, screening for substances that selectively reverse drug-induced sensory processing departures is valuable for development of experimental antipsychotics. This study investigated the anomalous opioid sub-type, the kappa opioid (KA) system, within the two ASC models. Significant interaction and reversal effects between KA and the serotonin/2A (5-HT2A) system - the serotonin sub-type associated with classical psychedelics - were observed in three BPM measures. These measures showed that KA activation-induced effects could be reversed by 5-HT2A deactivation. These results suggest that KA could function as an atypical antipsychotic medications and/or as a screening tool for new antipsychotic medicines. The experimental work for this study comprised dose-response and reversal experiments with drugs that activate and deactivate kappa opioid and serotonin systems in the two behavioral models for the first time in mice.

Prepulse inhibition and genetic mouse models of schizophrenia

Mutant mouse models related to schizophrenia have been based primarily on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the known effects of antipsychotic drugs, and candidate genes for schizophrenia. Sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia patients, as indexed by measures of prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI), have been well characterized and suggested to meet the criteria as a useful endophenotype in human genetic studies. PPI refers to the ability of a non-startling "prepulse" to inhibit responding to the subsequent startling stimulus or "pulse." Because of the cross-species nature of PPI, it has been used primarily in pharmacological animal models to screen putative antipsychotic medications. As techniques in molecular genetics have progressed over the past 15 years, PPI has emerged as a phenotype used in assessing genetic mouse models of relevance to schizophrenia. In this review, we provide a selected overview of the use of PPI in mouse models of schizophrenia and discuss the contribution and usefulness of PPI as a phenotype in the context of genetic mouse models. To that end, we discuss mutant mice generated to address hypotheses regarding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and candidate genes (i.e., hypothesis driven). We also briefly discuss the usefulness of PPI in phenotype-driven approaches in which a PPI phenotype could lead to "bottom up" approaches of identifying novel genes of relevance to PPI (i.e., hypothesis generating).

Contributions of dopamine D1, D2, and D3 receptor subtypes to the disruptive effects of cocaine on prepulse inhibition in mice

Deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle, an operational measure of sensorimotor gating, are characteristics of schizophrenia and related neuropsychiatric disorders. Previous studies in mice demonstrate a contribution of dopamine (DA) D(1)-family receptors in modulating PPI and DA D(2) receptors (D2R) in mediating the PPI-disruptive effects of amphetamine. To examine further the contributions of DA receptor subtypes in PPI, we used a combined pharmacological and genetic approach. In congenic C57BL/6 J wild-type mice, we tested whether the D1R antagonist SCH23390 or the D2/3R antagonist raclopride would attenuate the effects of the indirect DA agonist cocaine (40 mg/kg). Both the D1R and D2/3R antagonists attenuated the cocaine-induced PPI deficit. We also tested the effect of cocaine on PPI in wild-type and DA D1R, D2R, or D3R knockout mice. The cocaine-induced PPI deficit was influenced differently by the three DA receptor subtypes, being absent in D1R knockout mice, partially attenuated in D2R knockout mice, and exaggerated in D3R knockout mice. Thus, the D1R is necessary for the PPI-disruptive effects of cocaine, while the D2R partially contributes to these effects. Conversely, the D3R appears to inhibit the PPI-disruptive effects of cocaine. Uncovering neural mechanisms involved in PPI will further our understanding of substrates of sensorimotor gating and could lead to better therapeutics to treat complex cognitive disorders such as schizophrenia.

Overview of animal models of schizophrenia

Animal models of schizophrenia may increase the understanding of the neurological abnormalities associated with the disorder and aid in the development of rational pharmacological treatments. Rather than attempting to model the entire syndrome of schizophrenia, a more biologically oriented approach to animal models has been to focus on specific symptoms of schizophrenia that are more objectively measured in the clinical population and more directly translatable to animals (e.g., observables or endophenotypes). This overview focuses on behavioral measures that have been investigated in rodent models of schizophrenia with varying degrees of predictive, etiological, and construct validity. Because of the severity of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and their resistance to current treatments, there is a need to develop animal models specific to the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. In light of this need, this overview discusses rodent models of cognition with relevance to the core cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia.

Deficits in parvalbumin and calbindin immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus of isolation reared rats

Post-mortem studies have provided evidence for abnormalities of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system in schizophrenia. The calcium-binding proteins (CBPs), parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB) and calretinin (CR) can be used as markers for specific subpopulations of GABAergic neurons in the brain. Isolation rearing of rats is a non-pharmacological, non-lesion manipulation that leads to deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex (PPI) and other behavioural and neurochemical alterations reminiscent of schizophrenia. Female rats were reared in social housing (groups of three) or singly for 11 weeks post weaning and PPI was measured. Brains were removed and hippocampal CBP- containing neurons determined following immunocytochemical staining. Compared to socially housed rats, isolated rats exhibited PPI deficits and reductions in PV and CB-immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus, with no significant change in CR. These findings demonstrate selective abnormalities of sub-populations of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus of isolation reared rats, which resemble the neuronal deficits seen in this region in schizophrenia.

Iloperidone reduces sensorimotor gating deficits in pharmacological models, but not a developmental model, of disrupted prepulse inhibition in rats

Iloperidone is a novel atypical antipsychotic which acts as a broad spectrum dopamine/serotonin/norepinephrine receptor antagonist. To compare iloperidone behaviorally to other known antipsychotics, we evaluated the drug in three pharmacological models and one developmental model of disrupted prepulse inhibition (PPI) in rats. Firstly, 0.5 mg/kg apomorphine induced PPI deficits that were prevented by pretreatment with iloperidone (1 and 3 mg/kg). Secondly, treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) produced robust deficits in PPI. Both doses of iloperidone (1 and 3 mg/kg) prevented the PPI-disruptive effects of treatment with 1 mg/kg PCP. Thirdly, treatment with the alpha1-adrenoceptor agonist cirazoline (0.6 mg/kg) disrupted PPI, and produced a concurrent large increase in startle magnitude. A relatively low dose of iloperidone (0.3 mg/kg) prevented cirazoline-induced PPI deficits, independent of its effects on startle magnitude. Finally, iloperidone (1 mg/kg) did not reverse PPI deficits in the isolation-rearing model of schizophrenia. These results indicate that iloperidone exerts behavioral effects in pharmacological models of disrupted sensorimotor gating consistent with "atypical" antipsychotics, mediated by antagonism of dopaminergic and noradrenergic receptors. The absence of effect in isolation-reared rats may be due to the relatively small effect size of isolation rearing on PPI or dose of iloperidone.

Pharmacological and Behavioral Profile of N-(4-Fluorophenylmethyl)-N-(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)-N′-(4-(2-methylpropyloxy)phenylmethyl) Carbamide (2R,3R)-Dihydroxybutanedioate (2:1) (ACP-103), a Novel 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A Receptor Inverse Agonist

The in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties of N-(4-fluorophenylmethyl)-N-(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)-N'-(4-(2-methylpropyloxy)phenylmethyl)carbamide (2R,3R)-dihydroxybutanedioate (2:1) (ACP-103) are presented. A potent 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(2A) receptor inverse agonist ACP-103 competitively antagonized the binding of [(3)H]ketanserin to heterologously expressed human 5-HT(2A) receptors with a mean pK(i) of 9.3 in membranes and 9.70 in whole cells. ACP-103 displayed potent inverse agonist activity in the cell-based functional assay receptor selection and amplification technology (R-SAT), with a mean pIC(50) of 8.7. ACP-103 demonstrated lesser affinity (mean pK(i) of 8.80 in membranes and 8.00 in whole cells, as determined by radioligand binding) and potency as an inverse agonist (mean pIC(50) 7.1 in R-SAT) at human 5-HT(2C) receptors, and lacked affinity and functional activity at 5-HT(2B) receptors, dopamine D(2) receptors, and other human monoaminergic receptors. Behaviorally, ACP-103 attenuated head-twitch behavior (3 mg/kg p.o.), and prepulse inhibition deficits (1-10 mg/kg s.c.) induced by the 5-HT(2A) receptor agonist (+/-)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine hydrochloride in rats and reduced the hyperactivity induced in mice by the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor noncompetitive antagonist 5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine (dizocilpine maleate; MK-801) (0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg s.c.; 3 mg/kg p.o.), consistent with a 5-HT(2A) receptor mechanism of action in vivo and antipsychotic-like efficacy. ACP-103 demonstrated >42.6% oral bioavailability in rats. Thus, ACP-103 is a potent, efficacious, orally active 5-HT(2A) receptor inverse agonist with a behavioral pharmacological profile consistent with utility as an antipsychotic agent.

Isolation rearing of mice induces deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle response

Male 129T2 and C57BL/6J mice were housed either in groups of three (socials) or singly (isolates) at weaning. Six and seven weeks later, prepulse inhibition (PPI), startle reactivity, and locomotor activity (LMA) were measured. Isolation-reared mice of both strains exhibited PPI deficits compared to socially reared controls in at least one of the two PPI test sessions. Isolation rearing had no effect on startle reactivity or habituation and only 129T2 isolates exhibited increased LMA. Isolation rearing induced locomotor hyperactivity and PPI deficits in mice and may be an effective developmental manipulation to use in combination with studies of genetically altered mice.

Yohimbine disrupts prepulse inhibition in rats via action at 5-HT1A receptors, not alpha2-adrenoceptors

RATIONALE

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating that can be assessed in both humans and animals. The noradrenergic system appears to play a role in PPI as the alpha1 agonist cirazoline disrupts PPI and the alpha1 antagonist prazosin blocks the disruptions in PPI produced by phencyclidine.

OBJECTIVES

To better understand the role of adrenergic receptors in the modulation of PPI, we assessed the effects of the alpha2 adrenergic antagonist yohimbine (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 mg/kg) on PPI.

RESULTS

Yohimbine reduced PPI at the 5.0 and 7.5 mg/kg doses, without significantly affecting startle magnitude. In separate experiments, we examined whether adrenergic or serotonergic compounds blocked this disruption in PPI produced by yohimbine. There was a trend for the alpha2 agonist clonidine (0.01, 0.02 mg/kg) to attenuate the PPI disruption produced by yohimbine. However, other alpha2 agonists (guanfacine, medetomidine) and an alpha1 antagonist (prazosin) failed to prevent the disruption. The alpha2 antagonist atipamezole weakly decreased PPI in a narrow dose range (0.3-1.0 mg/kg). The 5-HT1A antagonist WAY100,635 (0.1, 0.3 mg/kg) significantly prevented the yohimbine-induced disruption of PPI.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that (1) yohimbine disrupts PPI in rats and (2) the yohimbine-induced disruption of PPI is largely due to the 5-HT1A partial agonist properties of yohimbine.

Reduced N-acetylaspartate in the temporal cortex of rats reared in isolation

BACKGROUND

Isolation rearing of rats is a nonpharmacologic, nonlesion manipulation that leads to deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) and other behavioral and neurochemical alterations reminiscent of schizophrenia. N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is present in high concentrations in the central nervous system and is found primarily in neurons. N-acetylaspartate is considered to be a marker of both neuronal loss and cellular dysfunction. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have shown reductions of cortical and hippocampal NAA in schizophrenia, and a recent postmortem study has demonstrated a regionally selective temporal cortex deficit.

METHODS

The aim of the present study was to determine whether rats reared in isolation exhibit deficits in PPI and reductions in NAA in discrete brain regions, namely the temporal cortex, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum.

RESULTS

Compared with socially housed rats, isolation rearing resulted in PPI deficits (p <.05) and reductions in NAA in the temporal cortex (p <.001), with no significant change in the other regions investigated.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest a disturbance of neuronal function, reflected by NAA reductions in the temporal cortex in isolation-reared rats, providing further evidence that isolation rearing can mimic aspects of the neuronal pathology of schizophrenia.

The balance between approach and avoidance behaviors in a novel object exploration paradigm in mice

Approach and avoidance are critical components of novelty seeking, which plays an important role in susceptibility to drug abuse and aspects of cognition. This experiment was designed to examine whether brief periods of handling or prior exposure to a novel environment affect various measures of novel object exploration in mice. Forty male C57BL/6J mice were handled by the experimenter or received minimal exposure to human contact. In addition to manipulating the degree of familiarity with the experimenter (handling), we also manipulated the degree of familiarity with the object. All mice were tested over a 3-day period. On day 1, all mice were tested in the open field for 60 min. On day 2, there were two, 30-min sessions. In the first 30-min session, there was no object present. In the second 30-min session, half of the mice were exposed to a novel object. On day 3, all mice were placed in the open field for 30 min followed by a 30-min period in which the object was placed in the center of the open field. Handled mice showed a trend toward more object exploration on day 2 compared to non-handled mice. Mice with prior exposure to the novel object showed more object exploration compared to object-naïve mice on day 3. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a certain degree of familiarity with the object or with the experimenter decreases avoidance and increases exploration of novel stimuli. In combination, these results show that the approach and avoidance dimensions of novelty seeking can be manipulated experimentally and may be used in subsequent studies to examine the effects of drugs of abuse.

Autism as a disorder of neural information processing: directions for research and targets for therapy

The broad variation in phenotypes and severities within autism spectrum disorders suggests the involvement of multiple predisposing factors, interacting in complex ways with normal developmental courses and gradients. Identification of these factors, and the common developmental path into which they feed, is hampered by the large degrees of convergence from causal factors to altered brain development, and divergence from abnormal brain development into altered cognition and behaviour. Genetic, neurochemical, neuroimaging, and behavioural findings on autism, as well as studies of normal development and of genetic syndromes that share symptoms with autism, offer hypotheses as to the nature of causal factors and their possible effects on the structure and dynamics of neural systems. Such alterations in neural properties may in turn perturb activity-dependent development, giving rise to a complex behavioural syndrome many steps removed from the root causes. Animal models based on genetic, neurochemical, neurophysiological, and behavioural manipulations offer the possibility of exploring these developmental processes in detail, as do human studies addressing endophenotypes beyond the diagnosis itself.

MDMA "ecstasy" alters hyperactive and perseverative behaviors in dopamine transporter knockout mice

RATIONALE

Mice lacking the gene for the dopamine transporter (DAT) show a unique behavioral phenotype characterized by locomotor hyperactivity and repetitive circling in a novel environment. The hyperactivity of DAT (-/-) mice can be attenuated by psychostimulants and by serotonin uptake inhibitors, suggesting an important role for serotonin in the attenuation of locomotor hyperactivity in these mice.

OBJECTIVES

These studies characterized the effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), a serotonin releaser, on the amount and patterns of locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice. We compared the locomotor patterns produced by MDMA to those observed in DAT (-/-) mice, and examined whether MDMA altered the hyperactivity and perseverative locomotor patterns in DAT (-/-) mice.

METHODS

The effects of MDMA (10, 30 mg/kg) on locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) mice were measured for 90 min in a video tracker system to determine the optimal dose for subsequent studies in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice. The effects of 20 mg/kg MDMA on patterns of locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice were measured for 90 min.

RESULTS

In DAT (+/+) mice, MDMA increased locomotor activity and induced repetitive straight movement patterns. In DAT (-/-) mice, however, MDMA (20 mg/kg) attenuated the characteristic locomotor hyperactivity seen in these mice. In contrast, MDMA potentiated the thigmotaxis and decreased entropy observed in the DAT (-/-) mice.

CONCLUSIONS

The effects of MDMA observed here demonstrate that the different aspects of the abnormal locomotor behavior exhibited by DAT (-/-) mice can be independently manipulated by pharmacological treatments.