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Caregiver maltreatment causes altered neuronal DNA methylation in female rodents. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 29:477-489. [PMID: 28401839 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417000128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Negative experiences with a caregiver during infancy can result in long-term changes in brain function and behavior, but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. It is our central hypothesis that brain and behavior changes are conferred by early childhood adversity through epigenetic changes involving DNA methylation. Using a rodent model of early-life caregiver maltreatment (involving exposure to an adverse caregiving environment for postnatal days 1-7), we have previously demonstrated abnormal methylation of DNA associated with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult rats. The aim of the current study was to characterize Bdnf DNA methylation in specific cell populations within the mPFC. In the prefrontal cortex, there is approximately twice as many neurons as glia, and studies have recently shown differential and distinctive DNA methylation patterns in neurons versus nonneurons. Here, we extracted nuclei from the mPFC of adult animals that had experienced maltreatment and used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to isolate cell types before performing bisulfite sequencing to estimate methylation of cytosine-guanine sites. Our data indicate that early-life stress induced methylation of DNA associated with Bdnf IV in a cell-type and sex-specific manner. Specifically, females that experienced early-life maltreatment exhibited greater neuronal cytosine-guanine methylation compared to controls, while no changes were detected in Bdnf methylation in males regardless of cell type. These changes localize the specificity of our previous findings to mPFC neurons and highlight the capacity of maltreatment to cause methylation changes that are likely to have functional consequences for neuronal function.
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Previous Institutionalization Is Followed by Broader Amygdala-Hippocampal-PFC Network Connectivity during Aversive Learning in Human Development. J Neurosci 2017; 36:6420-30. [PMID: 27307231 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0038-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Early institutional care can be profoundly stressful for the human infant, and, as such, can lead to significant alterations in brain development. In animal models, similar variants of early adversity have been shown to modify amygdala-hippocampal-prefrontal cortex development and associated aversive learning. The current study examined this rearing aberration in human development. Eighty-nine children and adolescents who were either previously institutionalized (PI youth; N = 46; 33 females and 13 males; age range, 7-16 years) or were raised by their biological parents from birth (N = 43; 22 females and 21 males; age range, 7-16 years) completed an aversive-learning paradigm while undergoing functional neuroimaging, wherein visual cues were paired with either an aversive sound (CS+) or no sound (CS-). For the PI youth, better aversive learning was associated with higher concurrent trait anxiety. Both groups showed robust learning and amygdala activation for CS+ versus CS- trials. However, PI youth also exhibited broader recruitment of several regions and increased hippocampal connectivity with prefrontal cortex. Stronger connectivity between the hippocampus and ventromedial PFC predicted significant improvements in future anxiety (measured 2 years later), and this was particularly true within the PI group. These results suggest that for humans as well as for other species, early adversity alters the neurobiology of aversive learning by engaging a broader prefrontal-subcortical circuit than same-aged peers. These differences are interpreted as ontogenetic adaptations and potential sources of resilience. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Prior institutionalization is a significant form of early adversity. While nonhuman animal research suggests that early adversity alters aversive learning and associated neurocircuitry, no prior work has examined this in humans. Here, we show that youth who experienced prior institutionalization, but not comparison youth, recruit the hippocampus during aversive learning. Among youth who experienced prior institutionalization, individual differences in aversive learning were associated with worse current anxiety. However, connectivity between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex prospectively predicted significant improvements in anxiety 2 years following scanning for previously institutionalized youth. Among youth who experienced prior institutionalization, age-atypical engagement of a distributed set of brain regions during aversive learning may serve a protective function.
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Ellis BJ, Bianchi J, Griskevicius V, Frankenhuis WE. Beyond Risk and Protective Factors: An Adaptation-Based Approach to Resilience. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2017; 12:561-587. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691617693054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
How does repeated or chronic childhood adversity shape social and cognitive abilities? According to the prevailing deficit model, children from high-stress backgrounds are at risk for impairments in learning and behavior, and the intervention goal is to prevent, reduce, or repair the damage. Missing from this deficit approach is an attempt to leverage the unique strengths and abilities that develop in response to high-stress environments. Evolutionary-developmental models emphasize the coherent, functional changes that occur in response to stress over the life course. Research in birds, rodents, and humans suggests that developmental exposures to stress can improve forms of attention, perception, learning, memory, and problem solving that are ecologically relevant in harsh-unpredictable environments (as per the specialization hypothesis). Many of these skills and abilities, moreover, are primarily manifest in currently stressful contexts where they would provide the greatest fitness-relevant advantages (as per the sensitization hypothesis). This perspective supports an alternative adaptation-based approach to resilience that converges on a central question: “What are the attention, learning, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making strategies that are enhanced through exposures to childhood adversity?” At an applied level, this approach focuses on how we can work with, rather than against, these strengths to promote success in education, employment, and civic life.
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Pitula CE, Wenner JA, Gunnar MR, Thomas KM. To trust or not to trust: social decision-making in post-institutionalized, internationally adopted youth. Dev Sci 2017; 20. [PMID: 27089448 PMCID: PMC5069074 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Chronic parental maltreatment has been associated with lower levels of interpersonal trust, and depriving environments have been shown to predict short-sighted, risk-averse decision-making. The present study examined whether a circumscribed period of adverse care occurring only early in life was associated with biases in trust behavior. Fifty-three post-institutionalized (PI) youth, adopted internationally on average by 1 year of age, and 33 never-institutionalized, non-adopted youth (Mage = 12.9 years) played a trust game. Participants decided whether or not to share coins with a different anonymous peer in each trial with the potential to receive a larger number of coins in return. Trials were presented in blocks that varied in the degree to which the peers behaved in a trustworthy (reciprocal) or untrustworthy (non-reciprocal) manner. A comparison condition consisted of a computerized lottery with the same choices and probabilistic risk as the peer trials. Non-adopted comparison youth showed a tendency to share more with peers than to invest in the lottery and tended to maintain their level of sharing across trials despite experiencing trials in which peers failed to reciprocate. In contrast, PI children, particularly those who were adopted over 1 year of age, shared less with peers than they invested in the lottery and quickly adapted their sharing behavior to peers' responses. These results suggest that PI youth were more mistrusting, more sensitive to both defection and reciprocation, and potentially more accurate in their trusting decisions than comparison youth. Results support the presence of a sensitive period for the development of trust in others, whereby conditions early in life may set long-term biases in decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clio E Pitula
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Megan R Gunnar
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA
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van Bodegom M, Homberg JR, Henckens MJAG. Modulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis by Early Life Stress Exposure. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:87. [PMID: 28469557 PMCID: PMC5395581 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 310] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stress during critical periods in development can have severe long-term consequences, increasing overall risk on psychopathology. One of the key stress response systems mediating these long-term effects of stress is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; a cascade of central and peripheral events resulting in the release of corticosteroids from the adrenal glands. Activation of the HPA-axis affects brain functioning to ensure a proper behavioral response to the stressor, but stress-induced (mal)adaptation of the HPA-axis' functional maturation may provide a mechanistic basis for the altered stress susceptibility later in life. Development of the HPA-axis and the brain regions involved in its regulation starts prenatally and continues after birth, and is protected by several mechanisms preventing corticosteroid over-exposure to the maturing brain. Nevertheless, early life stress (ELS) exposure has been reported to have numerous consequences on HPA-axis function in adulthood, affecting both its basal and stress-induced activity. According to the match/mismatch theory, encountering ELS prepares an organism for similar ("matching") adversities during adulthood, while a mismatching environment results in an increased susceptibility to psychopathology, indicating that ELS can exert either beneficial or disadvantageous effects depending on the environmental context. Here, we review studies investigating the mechanistic underpinnings of the ELS-induced alterations in the structural and functional development of the HPA-axis and its key external regulators (amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex). The effects of ELS appear highly dependent on the developmental time window affected, the sex of the offspring, and the developmental stage at which effects are assessed. Albeit by distinct mechanisms, ELS induced by prenatal stressors, maternal separation, or the limited nesting model inducing fragmented maternal care, typically results in HPA-axis hyper-reactivity in adulthood, as also found in major depression. This hyper-activity is related to increased corticotrophin-releasing hormone signaling and impaired glucocorticoid receptor-mediated negative feedback. In contrast, initial evidence for HPA-axis hypo-reactivity is observed for early social deprivation, potentially reflecting the abnormal HPA-axis function as observed in post-traumatic stress disorder, and future studies should investigate its neural/neuroendocrine foundation in further detail. Interestingly, experiencing additional (chronic) stress in adulthood seems to normalize these alterations in HPA-axis function, supporting the match/mismatch theory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marloes J. A. G. Henckens
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviourRadboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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56
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Effects of early life stress on rodent hippocampal synaptic plasticity: a systematic review. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Opendak M, Gould E, Sullivan R. Early life adversity during the infant sensitive period for attachment: Programming of behavioral neurobiology of threat processing and social behavior. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 25:145-159. [PMID: 28254197 PMCID: PMC5478471 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, require a highly coordinated and flexible system of social behavior and threat evaluation. However, trauma can disrupt this system, with the amygdala implicated as a mediator of these impairments in behavior. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as a critical variable in determining its immediate and enduring consequences, with trauma experienced from an attachment figure, such as occurs in cases of caregiver-child maltreatment, as particularly detrimental. This review focuses on the unique role of caregiver presence during early-life trauma in programming deficits in social behavior and threat processing. Using data primarily from rodent models, we describe the interaction between trauma and attachment during a sensitive period in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. These data suggest that trauma experienced directly from an abusive caregiver and trauma experienced in the presence of caregiver cues produce similar neurobehavioral deficits, which are unique from those resulting from trauma alone. We go on to integrate this information into social experience throughout the lifespan, including consequences for complex scenarios, such as dominance hierarchy formation and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Gould
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Regina Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
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58
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Liu D, Tang H, Li XY, Deng MF, Wei N, Wang X, Zhou YF, Wang DQ, Fu P, Wang JZ, Hébert SS, Chen JG, Lu Y, Zhu LQ. Targeting the HDAC2/HNF-4A/miR-101b/AMPK Pathway Rescues Tauopathy and Dendritic Abnormalities in Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Ther 2017; 25:752-764. [PMID: 28202389 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) plays a major role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Previous studies have shown that HDAC2 expression is strongly increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a major neurodegenerative disorder and the most common form of dementia. Moreover, previous studies have linked HDAC2 to Aβ overproduction in AD; however, its involvement in tau pathology and other memory-related functions remains unclear. Here, we show that increased HDAC2 levels strongly correlate with phosphorylated tau in a mouse model of AD. HDAC2 overexpression induced AD-like tau hyperphosphorylation and aggregation, which were accompanied by a loss of dendritic complexity and spine density. The ectopic expression of HDAC2 resulted in the deacetylation of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF-4A) transcription factor, which disrupted its binding to the miR-101b promoter. The suppression of miR-101b caused an upregulation of its target, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The introduction of miR-101b mimics or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) against AMPK blocked HDAC2-induced tauopathy and dendritic impairments in vitro. Correspondingly, miR-101b mimics or AMPK siRNAs rescued tau pathology, dendritic abnormalities, and memory deficits in AD mice. Taken together, the current findings implicate the HDAC2/miR-101/AMPK pathway as a critical mediator of AD pathogenesis. These studies also highlight the importance of epigenetics in AD and provide novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Liu
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Hui Tang
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xin-Yan Li
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Man-Fei Deng
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Na Wei
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xiong Wang
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Ya-Fan Zhou
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Ding-Qi Wang
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Peng Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Sébastien S Hébert
- Axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de psychiatrie et neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Youming Lu
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Ling-Qiang Zhu
- The Institute for Brain Research, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Department of Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Neurological Disorders, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
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Krugers HJ, Arp JM, Xiong H, Kanatsou S, Lesuis SL, Korosi A, Joels M, Lucassen PJ. Early life adversity: Lasting consequences for emotional learning. Neurobiol Stress 2017; 6:14-21. [PMID: 28229105 PMCID: PMC5314442 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2016.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The early postnatal period is a highly sensitive time period for the developing brain, both in humans and rodents. During this time window, exposure to adverse experiences can lastingly impact cognitive and emotional development. In this review, we briefly discuss human and rodent studies investigating how exposure to adverse early life conditions - mainly related to quality of parental care - affects brain activity, brain structure, cognition and emotional responses later in life. We discuss the evidence that early life adversity hampers later hippocampal and prefrontal cortex functions, while increasing amygdala activity, and the sensitivity to stressors and emotional behavior later in life. Exposure to early life stress may thus on the one hand promote behavioral adaptation to potentially threatening conditions later in life -at the cost of contextual memory formation in less threatening situations- but may on the other hand also increase the sensitivity to develop stress-related and anxiety disorders in vulnerable individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harm J. Krugers
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J. Marit Arp
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hui Xiong
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sofia Kanatsou
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvie L. Lesuis
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aniko Korosi
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marian Joels
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J. Lucassen
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Hong C, Efferth T. Systematic Review on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Survivors of the Wenchuan Earthquake. TRAUMA, VIOLENCE & ABUSE 2016; 17:542-561. [PMID: 26028651 DOI: 10.1177/1524838015585313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) widely occurs among victims or witness of disasters. With flashbacks, hyperarousal, and avoidance being the typical symptoms, PTSD became a focus of psychological research. The earthquake in Wenchuan, China, on May 12, 2008, was without precedent in magnitude and aftermath and caused huge damage, which drew scientists' attention to mental health of the survivors. We conducted a systematic overview by collecting published articles from the PubMed database and classifying them into five points: epidemiology, neuropathology, biochemistry, genetics and epigenetics, and treatment. The large body of research during the past 6 years showed that adolescents and adults were among the most studied populations with high prevalence rates for PTSD. Genomic and transcriptomic studies focusing on gene × environment studies as well as epigenetics are still rare, although a few available data showed great potential to better understand the pathophysiology of PTSD as multifactorial disease. Phytotherapy with Chinese herbs and acupuncture are rarely reported as of yet, although the first published data indicated promising therapy effects. Future studies should focus on the following points: (1) The affected populations under observation should be better defined concerning individual risk factor, time of observation, spatial movement, and individual disease courses of patients. (2) The role of social support for prevalence rates of PTSD should be observed in more detail. (3) Efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine should be studied to find potential interventions and effective treatments of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlan Hong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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61
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Derks NAV, Krugers HJ, Hoogenraad CC, Joëls M, Sarabdjitsingh RA. Effects of Early Life Stress on Synaptic Plasticity in the Developing Hippocampus of Male and Female Rats. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164551. [PMID: 27723771 PMCID: PMC5056718 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Early life stress (ELS) increases the risk for developing psychopathology in adulthood. When these effects occur is largely unknown. We here studied at which time during development ELS affects hippocampal synaptic plasticity, from early life to adulthood, in a rodent ELS model. Moreover, we investigated whether the sensitivity of synaptic plasticity to the stress-hormone corticosterone is altered by exposure to ELS. MATERIALS & METHODS Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to maternal deprivation (MD) for 24h on postnatal day (P)3 or left undisturbed with their mother (control). On P8-9, 22-24 and P85-95, plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels, body weight, and thymus and adrenal weights were determined to validate the neuroendocrine effects of MD. Field potentials in the CA1 hippocampus were recorded in vitro before and after high frequency stimulation. Brain slices were incubated for 20 min with 100nM CORT or vehicle 1-4h prior to high frequency stimulation, to mimic high-stress conditions in vitro. RESULTS & DISCUSSION Body weight was decreased by MD only at P4 (p = 0.02). There were minimal effects on P8-9, 22-24 or 85-95 thymus and adrenal weight and basal CORT levels. Glutamate transmission underwent strong developmental changes: half-maximal signal size strongly increased (p<0.0001) while the required half-maximal stimulation intensity concomitantly decreased with age (p = 0.04). Synaptic plasticity developed from long-term depression at P8-9 to increasing levels of long-term potentiation at later ages (p = 0.0001). MD caused a significant increase in long-term potentiation of P22-24 males (p = 0.03) and P85-95 females (p = 0.04). Bayesian modeling strongly supported the age-dependent development, with some evidence for accelerated maturation after MD in males (Bayes factor 1.23). CORT suppressed LTP in adult males; synaptic plasticity at other ages and in females remained unaffected. Thus, MD affects the development of synaptic plasticity in the CA1 hippocampus in a sex-dependent manner, with some support for the notion that maturation is accelerated in MD males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nienke A. V. Derks
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Harm J. Krugers
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Casper C. Hoogenraad
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - R. Angela Sarabdjitsingh
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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62
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Kim S, Kwok S, Mayes LC, Potenza MN, Rutherford HJV, Strathearn L. Early adverse experience and substance addiction: dopamine, oxytocin, and glucocorticoid pathways. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1394:74-91. [PMID: 27508337 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Substance addiction may follow a chronic, relapsing course and critically undermine the physical and psychological well-being of the affected individual and the social units of which the individual is a member. Despite the public health burden associated with substance addiction, treatment options remain suboptimal, with relapses often seen. The present review synthesizes growing insights from animal and human research to shed light upon developmental and neurobiological pathways that may increase susceptibility to addiction. We examine the dopamine system, the oxytocin system, and the glucocorticoid system, as they are particularly relevant to substance addiction. Our aim is to delineate how early adverse experience may induce long-lasting alterations in each of these systems at molecular, neuroendocrine, and behavioral levels and ultimately lead to heightened vulnerability to substance addiction. We further discuss how substance addiction in adulthood may increase the risk of suboptimal caregiving for the next generation, perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of early adverse experiences and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohye Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephanie Kwok
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Linda C Mayes
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.,Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASAColumbia), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.,Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Lane Strathearn
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Attachment and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
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63
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Yuen EY, Wei J, Yan Z. Estrogen in prefrontal cortex blocks stress-induced cognitive impairments in female rats. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2016; 160:221-6. [PMID: 26321384 PMCID: PMC4769981 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2015.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Animal and human studies have found that males and females show distinct stress responses. Recent studies suggest the contribution of estrogen in the brain to this sexual dimorphism. Repeated stress has been found to impair cognitive behaviors via suppressing glutamatergic transmission and glutamate receptor surface expression in pyramidal neurons of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in male rats. On the contrary, female rats exposed to the same stress paradigms show normal synaptic function and PFC-mediated cognition. The level of aromatase, the enzyme for the biosynthesis of estrogen, is significantly higher in the PFC of females than males. The stress-induced glutamatergic deficits and memory impairment are unmasked by blocking estrogen receptors or aromatase in females, suggesting a protective role of estrogen against the detrimental effects of repeated stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice Y Yuen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Jing Wei
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Zhen Yan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
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Arp JM, Ter Horst JP, Loi M, den Blaauwen J, Bangert E, Fernández G, Joëls M, Oitzl MS, Krugers HJ. Blocking glucocorticoid receptors at adolescent age prevents enhanced freezing between repeated cue-exposures after conditioned fear in adult mice raised under chronic early life stress. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 133:30-38. [PMID: 27246249 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversity can have long-lasting impact on learning and memory processes and increase the risk to develop stress-related psychopathologies later in life. In this study we investigated (i) how chronic early life stress (ELS) - elicited by limited nesting and bedding material from postnatal day 2 to 9 - affects conditioned fear in adult mice and (ii) whether these effects can be prevented by blocking glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) at adolescent age. In adult male and female mice, ELS did not affect freezing behavior to the first tone 24h after training in an auditory fear-conditioning paradigm. Exposure to repeated tones 24h after training also resulted in comparable freezing behavior in ELS and control mice, both in males and females. However, male (but not female) ELS compared to control mice showed significantly more freezing behavior between the tone-exposures, i.e. during the cue-off periods. Intraperitoneal administration of the GR antagonist RU38486 during adolescence (on postnatal days 28-30) fully prevented enhanced freezing behavior during the cue-off period in adult ELS males. Western blot analysis revealed no effects of ELS on hippocampal expression of glucocorticoid receptors, neither at postnatal day 28 nor at adult age, when mice were behaviorally tested. We conclude that ELS enhances freezing behavior in adult mice in a potentially safe context after cue-exposure, which can be normalized by brief blockade of glucocorticoid receptors during the critical developmental window of adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Marit Arp
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Manila Loi
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jan den Blaauwen
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eline Bangert
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Melly S Oitzl
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harm J Krugers
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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65
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Gobinath AR, Workman JL, Chow C, Lieblich SE, Galea LA. Maternal postpartum corticosterone and fluoxetine differentially affect adult male and female offspring on anxiety-like behavior, stress reactivity, and hippocampal neurogenesis. Neuropharmacology 2016; 101:165-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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66
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Sterley TL, Howells FM, Dimatelis JJ, Russell VA. Genetic predisposition and early life experience interact to determine glutamate transporter (GLT1) and solute carrier family 12 member 5 (KCC2) levels in rat hippocampus. Metab Brain Dis 2016; 31:169-82. [PMID: 26464063 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-015-9742-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common child psychiatric disorders. While it is typically treated with medications that target dopamine and norepinephrine transmission, there is increasing evidence that other neurotransmitter systems, such as glutamate and GABA, may be involved. The aetiology of ADHD is unknown; however, there is evidence that early life stress may contribute to the development of the disorder. In the present study we used proteomic analysis (iTRAQ) followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis to investigate hippocampal protein profiles of three rat strains: an animal model of ADHD, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), their control Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), and Sprague-Dawley rats (SD). We additionally investigated how these protein profiles are affected by maternal separation, a model of early life stress. Our findings show that solute carrier family 12 member 5 (KCC2) is increased in SHR hippocampus. The glutamate transporter GLT1 splice variant, GLT1b, was increased (proteomic analysis) while total GLT1 (comprised mostly of GLT1a splice variant) was reduced (Western blot analysis) in SHR hippocampus, compared to WKY and SD--a pattern that is consistent with elevated extracellular glutamate levels. Maternal separation increased total GLT1 in hippocampi of SHR, WKY, and SD, and reduced GLT1b in SHR hippocampus. Together these findings provide evidence for disturbed glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in SHR hippocampus, maternal separation effects on glutamate uptake in hippocampi of all three strains, as well a unique effect of maternal separation on GLT1b levels in SHR hippocampus. These data suggest significant involvement of glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in the neuropathophysiology of ADHD, and implicates changes in glutamatergic transmission as a result of early life stress.
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67
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Liu R, Yang XD, Liao XM, Xie XM, Su YA, Li JT, Wang XD, Si TM. Early postnatal stress suppresses the developmental trajectory of hippocampal pyramidal neurons: the role of CRHR1. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 221:4525-4536. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1182-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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68
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Deutschenbaur L, Beck J, Kiyhankhadiv A, Mühlhauser M, Borgwardt S, Walter M, Hasler G, Sollberger D, Lang UE. Role of calcium, glutamate and NMDA in major depression and therapeutic application. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2016; 64:325-33. [PMID: 25747801 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Revised: 01/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Major depression is a common, recurrent mental illness that affects millions of people worldwide. Recently, a unique fast neuroprotective and antidepressant treatment effect has been observed by ketamine, which acts via the glutamatergic system. Hence, a steady accumulation of evidence supporting a role for the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter (EAA) glutamate in the treatment of depression has been observed in the last years. Emerging evidence indicates that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) agonists have antidepressant properties. Indeed, treatment with NMDA receptor antagonists has shown the ability to sprout new synaptic connections and reverse stress-induced neuronal changes. Based on glutamatergic signaling, a number of therapeutic drugs might gain interest in the future. Several compounds such as ketamine, memantine, amantadine, tianeptine, pioglitazone, riluzole, lamotrigine, AZD6765, magnesium, zinc, guanosine, adenosine aniracetam, traxoprodil (CP-101,606), MK-0657, GLYX-13, NRX-1047, Ro25-6981, LY392098, LY341495, D-cycloserine, D-serine, dextromethorphan, sarcosine, scopolamine, pomaglumetad methionil, LY2140023, LY404039, MGS0039, MPEP, 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid, all of which target this system, have already been brought up, some of them recently. Drugs targeting the glutamatergic system might open up a promising new territory for the development of drugs to meet the needs of patients with major depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Deutschenbaur
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Beck
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anna Kiyhankhadiv
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Mühlhauser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Sollberger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Undine E Lang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (UPK), University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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69
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Opendak M, Sullivan RM. Unique neurobiology during the sensitive period for attachment produces distinctive infant trauma processing. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2016; 7:31276. [PMID: 27837581 PMCID: PMC5106868 DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v7.31276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trauma has neurobehavioral effects when experienced at any stage of development, but trauma experienced in early life has unique neurobehavioral outcomes related to later life psychiatric sequelae. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as a critical variable in determining its immediate and enduring consequences. Trauma experienced from an attachment figure, such as occurs in cases of caregiver child maltreatment, is particularly detrimental. METHODS Using data primarily from rodent models, we review the literature on the interaction between trauma and attachment in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. We then consider how trauma with and without the caregiver produces long-term changes in emotionality and behavior, and suggest that these experiences initiate distinct pathways to pathology. RESULTS Together these data suggest that infant trauma processing and its enduring effects are impacted by both the immaturity of brain areas for processing trauma and the unique functioning of the early-life brain, which is biased toward processing information within the attachment circuitry. CONCLUSION An understanding of developmental differences in trauma processing as well as the critical role of the caregiver in further altering early life brain processing of trauma is important for developing age-relevant treatment and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.,Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA;
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.,Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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70
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Curley JP, Champagne FA. Influence of maternal care on the developing brain: Mechanisms, temporal dynamics and sensitive periods. Front Neuroendocrinol 2016; 40:52-66. [PMID: 26616341 PMCID: PMC4783284 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Revised: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 11/22/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Variation in maternal care can lead to divergent developmental trajectories in offspring with implications for neuroendocrine function and behavioral phenotypes. Study of the long-term outcomes associated with mother-infant interactions suggests complex mechanisms linking the experience of variation in maternal care and these neurobiological consequences. Through integration of genetic, molecular, cellular, neuroanatomical, and neuroendocrine approaches, significant advances in our understanding of these complex pathways have been achieved. In this review, we will consider the impact of maternal care on male and female offspring development with a particular focus on the issues of timing and mechanism. Identifying the period of sensitivity to maternal care and the temporal dynamics of the molecular and neuroendocrine changes that are a consequence of maternal care represents a critical step in the study of mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, Room 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Frances A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, Room 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA; Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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71
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van der Veen R, Kentrop J, van der Tas L, Loi M, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Joëls M. Complex Living Conditions Impair Behavioral Inhibition but Improve Attention in Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:357. [PMID: 26733839 PMCID: PMC4689791 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid adaptation to changes, while maintaining a certain level of behavioral inhibition is an important feature in every day functioning. How environmental context and challenges in life can impact on the development of this quality is still unknown. In the present study, we examined the effect of a complex rearing environment during adolescence on attention and behavioral inhibition in adult male rats. We also tested whether these effects were affected by an adverse early life challenge, maternal deprivation (MD). We found that animals that were raised in large, two floor MarlauTM cages, together with 10 conspecifics, showed improved attention, but impaired behavioral inhibition in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. The early life challenge of 24 h MD on postnatal day 3 led to a decline in bodyweight during adolescence, but did not by itself influence responses in the 5-choice task in adulthood, nor did it moderate the effects of complex housing. Our data suggest that a complex rearing environment leads to a faster adaptation to changes in the environment, but at the cost of lower behavioral inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rixt van der Veen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht, Netherlands; Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden UniversityLeiden, Netherlands
| | - Jiska Kentrop
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Liza van der Tas
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Manila Loi
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands
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72
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Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis provides physiological adaptations to various environmental stimuli in mammals. These stimuli including maternal care, diet, immune challenge, stress, and others have the potential to stably modify or program the functioning of the HPA axis when experienced early in life or at later critical stages of development. Epigenetic mechanisms mediate the biological embedding of environmental stimuli or conditions. These changes are influenced by the genotype and both, environment and genotype contribute to the development of a specific phenotype with regard to the stress response that might be more susceptible or resilient to the development of mental conditions. The effects of stress might be a result of cumulative stress or a mismatch between the environments experienced early in life versus the conditions much later. These effects including the associated epigenetic modifications are potentially reversible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan P Buschdorf
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Canadian Neuroepigenetics Network, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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73
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Chipman A, Morrison E. Experimentally induced stress decreases ideal female reproductive timing. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 62:89-95. [PMID: 26263545 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous correlational research shows that childhood adversity is associated with earlier age of reproduction in humans and other species. Such studies, however, cannot show that stressful conditions cause earlier reproduction. Using the cold-pressor task, we built on previous work to test the idea that acute stress influences human reproductive and marital ideals, and that individual stress responses depend on adaptive life history strategies shaped by exposure to adversity during childhood. Acute stress shifted ideal ages of first birth and marriage to earlier ages. We also tested a competing hypothesis, whether stress had a more general impact on time preference, but found no evidence that it did. Furthermore, there was an interaction between childhood adversity and acute stress. Individuals who reported more exposure to childhood adversity responded to acute stress by reporting even earlier reproductive ideals. These findings offer experimental evidence that physiological stress can alter reproductive decision making in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby Chipman
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
| | - Edward Morrison
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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74
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Overexpression of Mineralocorticoid Receptors Partially Prevents Chronic Stress-Induced Reductions in Hippocampal Memory and Structural Plasticity. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142012. [PMID: 26600250 PMCID: PMC4658081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to chronic stress is a risk factor for cognitive decline and psychopathology in genetically predisposed individuals. Preliminary evidence in humans suggests that mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) may confer resilience to these stress-related changes. We specifically tested this idea using a well-controlled mouse model for chronic stress in combination with transgenic MR overexpression in the forebrain. Exposure to unpredictable stressors for 21 days in adulthood reduced learning and memory formation in a low arousing hippocampus-dependent contextual learning task, but enhanced stressful contextual fear learning. We found support for a moderating effect of MR background on chronic stress only for contextual memory formation under low arousing conditions. In an attempt to understand potentially contributing factors, we studied structural plasticity. Chronic stress altered dendritic morphology in the hippocampal CA3 area and reduced the total number of doublecortin-positive immature neurons in the infrapyramidal blade of the dentate gyrus. The latter reduction was absent in MR overexpressing mice. We therefore provide partial support for the idea that overexpression of MRs may confer resilience to the effects of chronic stress on hippocampus-dependent function and structural plasticity.
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75
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Sullivan EL, Riper KM, Lockard R, Valleau JC. Maternal high-fat diet programming of the neuroendocrine system and behavior. Horm Behav 2015; 76:153-61. [PMID: 25913366 PMCID: PMC4619177 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "SBN 2014". Maternal obesity, metabolic state, and diet during gestation have profound effects on offspring development. The prevalence of neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders has risen rapidly in the last several decades in parallel with the rise in obesity rates. Evidence from epidemiological studies indicates that maternal obesity and metabolic complications increase the risk of offspring developing behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and schizophrenia. Animal models show that a maternal diet high in fat similarly disrupts behavioral programming of offspring, with animals showing social impairments, increased anxiety and depressive behaviors, reduced cognitive development, and hyperactivity. Maternal obesity, metabolic conditions, and high fat diet consumption increase maternal leptin, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, and inflammatory cytokines. This leads to increased risk of placental dysfunction, and altered fetal neuroendocrine development. Changes in brain development that likely contribute to the increased risk of behavioral and mental health disorders include increased inflammation in the brain, as well as alterations in the serotonergic system, dopaminergic system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elinor L Sullivan
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, Portland, OR, USA; Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, USA.
| | - Kellie M Riper
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Rachel Lockard
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Jeanette C Valleau
- Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, USA
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76
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Rifkin-Graboi A, Kong L, Sim LW, Sanmugam S, Broekman BFP, Chen H, Wong E, Kwek K, Saw SM, Chong YS, Gluckman PD, Fortier MV, Pederson D, Meaney MJ, Qiu A. Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity: a preliminary study. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e668. [PMID: 26506054 PMCID: PMC4930120 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms underlying the profound parental effects on cognitive, emotional and social development in humans remain poorly understood. Studies with nonhuman models suggest variations in parental care affect the limbic system, influential to learning, autobiography and emotional regulation. In some research, nonoptimal care relates to decreases in neurogenesis, although other work suggests early-postnatal social adversity accelerates the maturation of limbic structures associated with emotional learning. We explored whether maternal sensitivity predicts human limbic system development and functional connectivity patterns in a small sample of human infants. When infants were 6 months of age, 20 mother-infant dyads attended a laboratory-based observational session and the infants underwent neuroimaging at the same age. After considering age at imaging, household income and postnatal maternal anxiety, regression analyses demonstrated significant indirect associations between maternal sensitivity and bilateral hippocampal volume at six months, with the majority of associations between sensitivity and the amygdala demonstrating similar indirect, but not significant results. Moreover, functional analyses revealed direct associations between maternal sensitivity and connectivity between the hippocampus and areas important for emotional regulation and socio-emotional functioning. Sensitivity additionally predicted indirect associations between limbic structures and regions related to autobiographical memory. Our volumetric results are consistent with research indicating accelerated limbic development in response to early social adversity, and in combination with our functional results, if replicated in a larger sample, may suggest that subtle, but important, variations in maternal care influence neuroanatomical trajectories important to future cognitive and emotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rifkin-Graboi
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore. E-mail:
| | - L Kong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - L W Sim
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S Sanmugam
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - B F P Broekman
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - H Chen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - E Wong
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - K Kwek
- Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S-M Saw
- Department of Epidemiology, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Y-S Chong
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - P D Gluckman
- Human Development, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - M V Fortier
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - D Pederson
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - M J Meaney
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Neurosciences, Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada,Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - A Qiu
- Integrative Neuroscience Program, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Clinical Imaging Research Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore,Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Block EA #03-12, Singapore 117576, Singapore. E-mail:
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77
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Nguyen HB, Bagot RC, Diorio J, Wong TP, Meaney MJ. Maternal care differentially affects neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:1590-9. [PMID: 25598429 PMCID: PMC4915255 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Revised: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Variations in early life maternal care modulate hippocampal development to program distinct emotional-cognitive phenotypes that persist into adulthood. Adult rat offspring that received low compared with high levels of maternal licking and grooming (low LG offspring) in early postnatal life show reduced long term potentiation (LTP) and impaired hippocampal-dependent memory, suggesting a 'detrimental' maternal effect on neural development. However, these studies focused uniquely on the dorsal hippocampus. Emerging evidence suggests a distinct role of the ventral hippocampus in mediating aggression, anxiety, and fear-memory formation, which are enhanced in low LG offspring. We report that variations in maternal care in the rat associate with opposing effects on hippocampal function in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Reduced pup licking associated with suppressed LTP formation in the dorsal hippocampus, but enhanced ventral hippocampal LTP. Ventral hippocampal neurons in low LG offspring fired action potentials at lower threshold voltages that were of larger amplitude and faster rise rate in comparison with those in high LG offspring. Furthermore, recordings of excitatory postsynaptic potential-to-spike coupling (E-S coupling) revealed an increase in excitability of ventral hippocampal CA1 neurons in low LG offspring. These effects do not associate with changes in miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents or paired-pulse facilitation, suggesting a specific effect of maternal care on intrinsic excitability. These findings suggest region-specific influences of maternal care in shaping neural development and synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy-Binh Nguyen
- Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rosemary C Bagot
- Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Josie Diorio
- Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Tak Pan Wong
- Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 LaSalle, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R4, Canada, Tel: +1 514 761 6131 ext. 2929, Fax: +1 514 762 3034, E-mail: or
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada,The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore,Neuroscience Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 LaSalle, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R4, Canada, Tel: +1 514 761 6131 ext. 2929, Fax: +1 514 762 3034, E-mail: or
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78
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Ménard C, Hodes GE, Russo SJ. Pathogenesis of depression: Insights from human and rodent studies. Neuroscience 2015; 321:138-162. [PMID: 26037806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.05.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 337] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) will affect one out of every five people in their lifetime and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Nevertheless, mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of MDD have yet to be completely understood and current treatments remain ineffective in a large subset of patients. In this review, we summarize the most recent discoveries and insights for which parallel findings have been obtained in human depressed subjects and rodent models of mood disorders in order to examine the potential etiology of depression. These mechanisms range from synaptic plasticity mechanisms to epigenetics and the immune system where there is strong evidence to support a functional role in the development of specific depression symptomology. Ultimately we conclude by discussing how novel therapeutic strategies targeting central and peripheral processes might ultimately aid in the development of effective new treatments for MDD and related stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ménard
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - G E Hodes
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - S J Russo
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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79
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Abstract
The human brain undergoes a remarkable transformation during fetal life and the first postnatal years from a relatively undifferentiated but pluripotent organ to a highly specified and organized one. The outcome of this developmental maturation is highly dependent on a sequence of environmental exposures that can have either positive or negative influences on the ultimate plasticity of the adult brain. Many environmental exposures are beyond the control of the individual, but nutrition is not. An ever-increasing amount of research demonstrates not only that nutrition shapes the brain and affects its function during development but also that several nutrients early in life have profound and long-lasting effects on the brain. Nutrients have been shown to alter opening and closing of critical and sensitive periods of particular brain regions. This paper discusses the roles that various nutrients play in shaping the developing brain, concentrating specifically on recently explicated biological mechanisms by which particularly salient nutrients influence childhood and adult neural plasticity.
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80
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Xiong H, Krugers HJ. Tuning hippocampal synapses by stress-hormones: Relevance for emotional memory formation. Brain Res 2015; 1621:114-20. [PMID: 25907153 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2014] [Revised: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
While stress is often associated with an increased risk to develop (psycho) pathology, the initial response after exposure to stressors is often highly beneficial and allows individuals to optimally cope with challenging situations. Various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators - such as catecholamines and glucocorticoids - are released upon exposure to stressors and regulate behavioural adaptation to stress and enhance the storage of salient information. Studies over the past years have revealed that catecholamines and glucocorticoids regulate synaptic function and synaptic plasticity - which underlie memory formation - in a highly dynamic manner. In this brief review we will summarise how catecholamines and glucocorticoids regulate synaptic function and discuss how these effects may contribute to acquisition and storage of emotional information. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Brain and Memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xiong
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Harm J Krugers
- SILS-Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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81
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Increased palatable food intake and response to food cues in intrauterine growth-restricted rats are related to tyrosine hydroxylase content in the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Behav Brain Res 2015; 287:73-81. [PMID: 25796489 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with altered food preferences, which may contribute to increased risk of obesity. We evaluated the effects of IUGR on attention to a palatable food cue, as well as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) content in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) in response to sweet food intake. From day 10 of gestation and through lactation, Sprague-Dawley rats received either an ad libitum (Adlib) or a 50% food-restricted (FR) diet. At birth, pups were cross-fostered, generating four groups (gestation/lactation): Adlib/Adlib (control), FR/Adlib (intrauterine growth-restricted), Adlib/FR, and FR/FR. Adult attention to palatable food cues was measured using the Attentional Set-Shifting Task (ASST), which uses a sweet pellet as reward. TH content in the OFC and NAcc was measured at baseline and in response to palatable food intake. At 90 days of age, FR/Adlib males ate more sweet food than controls, without differences in females. However, when compared to Controls, FR/Adlib females needed fewer trials to reach criterion in the ASST (p=0.04) and exhibited increased TH content in the OFC in response to sweet food (p=0.03). In the NAcc, there was a differential response of TH content after sweet food intake in both FR/Adlib males and females (p<0.05). Fetal programming of adult food preferences involves the central response to palatable food cues and intake, affecting dopamine release in select structures of the brain reward system.
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82
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Merrill L, Grindstaff JL. Pre and post-natal antigen exposure can program the stress axis of adult zebra finches: evidence for environment matching. Brain Behav Immun 2015; 45:71-9. [PMID: 25535860 PMCID: PMC4342340 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Both maternal exposure to stressors and exposure of offspring to stressors during early life can have lifelong effects on the physiology and behavior of offspring. Stress exposure can permanently shape an individual's phenotype by influencing the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is responsible for the production and regulation of glucocorticoids such as corticosterone (CORT). In this study we used captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to examine the effects of matching and mismatching maternal and early post-natal exposure to one of two types of antigens or a control on HPA axis reactivity in adult offspring. Prior to breeding, adult females were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or a control. Offspring of females in each of the three treatments were themselves exposed to LPS, KLH or a control injection at 5 and 28days post-hatch. When offspring were at least 18months of age, standardized capture and restraint stress tests were conducted to determine the impact of the treatments on adult stress responsiveness. We found significant interaction effects between maternal and offspring treatments on stress-induced CORT levels, and evidence in support of the environment matching hypothesis for KLH-treated birds, not LPS-treated birds. KLH-treated offspring of KLH-treated mothers exhibited reduced stress-induced CORT levels, whereas LPS-treated or control offspring of KLH-treated mothers exhibited elevated stress-induced CORT levels. Although the treatment effects on baseline CORT were non-significant, the overall pattern was similar to the effects observed on stress-induced CORT levels. Our results highlight the complex nature of HPA axis programming, and to our knowledge, provide the first evidence that a match or mismatch between pre and post-natal antigen exposure can have life-long consequences for HPA axis function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren Merrill
- Oklahoma State University, Department of Integrative Biology, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA; Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Grindstaff
- Oklahoma State University, Department of Integrative Biology, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
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83
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Lajud N, Torner L. Early life stress and hippocampal neurogenesis in the neonate: sexual dimorphism, long term consequences and possible mediators. Front Mol Neurosci 2015; 8:3. [PMID: 25741234 PMCID: PMC4327304 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse early life experience decreases adult hippocampal neurogenesis and results in increased vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite that the effects of postnatal stress on neurogenesis have been widely studied in adult individuals, few efforts have been done to evaluate its immediate effects on the developing hippocampus. Moreover, it is not clear whether postnatal stress causes a differential impact in hippocampus development in male and female neonates that could be related to emotional deficits in adulthood. It has been proposed that the long term effects of early stress exposure rise from a persistent HPA axis activation during sensitive time windows; nevertheless the exact mechanisms and mediators remain unknown. Here, we summarize the immediate and late effects of early life stress on hippocampal neurogenesis in male and female rat pups, compare its later consequences in emotionality, and highlight some relevant mediator peptides that could be potentially involved in programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naima Lajud
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social Morelia, Mexico
| | - Luz Torner
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social Morelia, Mexico
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84
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Skelin I, Needham MA, Molina LM, Metz GAS, Gruber AJ. Multigenerational prenatal stress increases the coherence of brain signaling among cortico-striatal-limbic circuits in adult rats. Neuroscience 2015; 289:270-8. [PMID: 25595989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Revised: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PNS) is a significant risk factor for the development of psychopathology in adulthood such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and addiction. Animal models of PNS resemble many of the effects of PNS on humans and provide a means to study the accumulated effects of PNS over several generations on brain function. Here, we examined how mild PNS delivered during the third week in utero over four consecutive generations affects behavioral flexibility and functional signaling among cortical and limbic structures. These multi-generational prenatally stressed (MGPNS) rats were not impaired on an odor-cued reversal learning task as compared to control animals. Unilateral field potential (FP) recordings from the medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and striatal territories revealed widespread differences in brain signaling between these groups during the odor sampling phase of the task. The FP power was significantly lower in most structures across most frequency bands in MGPNS animals, and the relative increase in power from baseline during the task was lower for the beta band (12-30Hz) in MGPNS animals as compared to controls. The coherence of FPs between brain regions, however, was much higher in MGPNS animals among all structures and for most frequency bands. We propose that this pattern of changes in brain signaling reflects a simplification of network processing, which is consistent with reports of reduced spine density and dendritic complexity in the brains of animals receiving PNS. Our data support the proposal that recurrent ancestral stress leads to adaptations in the brain, and that these may confer adaptive behavior in some circumstances as compared to single-generation PNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Skelin
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - M A Needham
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - L M Molina
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - G A S Metz
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - A J Gruber
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
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85
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Hoeijmakers L, Lucassen PJ, Korosi A. The interplay of early-life stress, nutrition, and immune activation programs adult hippocampal structure and function. Front Mol Neurosci 2015; 7:103. [PMID: 25620909 PMCID: PMC4288131 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2014.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life adversity increases the vulnerability to develop psychopathologies and cognitive decline later in life. This association is supported by clinical and preclinical studies. Remarkably, experiences of stress during this sensitive period, in the form of abuse or neglect but also early malnutrition or an early immune challenge elicit very similar long-term effects on brain structure and function. During early-life, both exogenous factors like nutrition and maternal care, as well as endogenous modulators, including stress hormones and mediator of immunological activity affect brain development. The interplay of these key elements and their underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We discuss here the hypothesis that exposure to early-life adversity (specifically stress, under/malnutrition and infection) leads to life-long alterations in hippocampal-related cognitive functions, at least partly via changes in hippocampal neurogenesis. We further discuss how these different key elements of the early-life environment interact and affect one another and suggest that it is a synergistic action of these elements that shapes cognition throughout life. Finally, we consider different intervention studies aiming to prevent these early-life adversity induced consequences. The emerging evidence for the intriguing interplay of stress, nutrition, and immune activity in the early-life programming calls for a more in depth understanding of the interaction of these elements and the underlying mechanisms. This knowledge will help to develop intervention strategies that will converge on a more complete set of changes induced by early-life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianne Hoeijmakers
- Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Paul J Lucassen
- Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Center for Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
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86
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Suri D, Vaidya VA. The adaptive and maladaptive continuum of stress responses – a hippocampal perspective. Rev Neurosci 2015; 26:415-42. [DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2014-0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AbstractExposure to stressors elicits a spectrum of responses that span from potentially adaptive to maladaptive consequences at the structural, cellular and physiological level. These responses are particularly pronounced in the hippocampus where they also appear to influence hippocampal-dependent cognitive function and emotionality. The factors that influence the nature of stress-evoked consequences include the chronicity, severity, predictability and controllability of the stressors. In addition to adult-onset stress, early life stress also elicits a wide range of structural and functional responses, which often exhibit life-long persistence. However, the outcome of early stress exposure is often contingent on the environment experienced in adulthood, and could either aid in stress coping or could serve to enhance susceptibility to the negative consequences of adult stress. This review comprehensively examines the consequences of adult and early life stressors on the hippocampus, with a focus on their effects on neurogenesis, neuronal survival, structural and synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent behaviors. Further, we discuss potential factors that may tip stress-evoked consequences from being potentially adaptive to largely maladaptive.
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87
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Early-life experience, epigenetics, and the developing brain. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:141-53. [PMID: 24917200 PMCID: PMC4262891 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2014.140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Development is a dynamic process that involves interplay between genes and the environment. In mammals, the quality of the postnatal environment is shaped by parent-offspring interactions that promote growth and survival and can lead to divergent developmental trajectories with implications for later-life neurobiological and behavioral characteristics. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic factors (ie, DNA methylation, posttranslational histone modifications, and small non-coding RNAs) may have a critical role in these parental care effects. Although this evidence is drawn primarily from rodent studies, there is increasing support for these effects in humans. Through these molecular mechanisms, variation in risk of psychopathology may emerge, particularly as a consequence of early-life neglect and abuse. Here we will highlight evidence of dynamic epigenetic changes in the developing brain in response to variation in the quality of postnatal parent-offspring interactions. The recruitment of epigenetic pathways for the biological embedding of early-life experience may also have transgenerational consequences and we will describe and contrast two routes through which this transmission can occur: experience dependent vs germline inheritance. Finally, we will speculate regarding the future directions of epigenetic research and how it can help us gain a better understanding of the developmental origins of psychiatric dysfunction.
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88
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Naninck EF, Hoeijmakers L, Kakava-Georgiadou N, Meesters A, Lazic SE, Lucassen PJ, Korosi A. Chronic early life stress alters developmental and adult neurogenesis and impairs cognitive function in mice. Hippocampus 2014; 25:309-28. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva F.G. Naninck
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
| | - Lianne Hoeijmakers
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
| | - Nefeli Kakava-Georgiadou
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
| | - Astrid Meesters
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
| | - Stanley E. Lazic
- In Silico Lead Discovery, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research; Basel Switzerland
| | - Paul J. Lucassen
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Center for Neuroscience, Structural and Functional Plasticity of the Nervous System Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam; The Netherlands
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89
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Maccari S, Krugers HJ, Morley-Fletcher S, Szyf M, Brunton PJ. The consequences of early-life adversity: neurobiological, behavioural and epigenetic adaptations. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:707-23. [PMID: 25039443 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 255] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2014] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During the perinatal period, the brain is particularly sensitive to remodelling by environmental factors. Adverse early-life experiences, such as stress exposure or suboptimal maternal care, can have long-lasting detrimental consequences for an individual. This phenomenon is often referred to as 'early-life programming' and is associated with an increased risk of disease. Typically, rodents exposed to prenatal stress or postnatal maternal deprivation display enhanced neuroendocrine responses to stress, increased levels of anxiety and depressive-like behaviours, and cognitive impairments. Some of the phenotypes observed in these models of early-life adversity are likely to share common neurobiological mechanisms. For example, there is evidence for impaired glucocorticoid negative-feedback control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, altered glutamate neurotransmission and reduced hippocampal neurogenesis in both prenatally stressed rats and rats that experienced deficient maternal care. The possible mechanisms through which maternal stress during pregnancy may be transmitted to the offspring are reviewed, with special consideration given to altered maternal behaviour postpartum. We also discuss what is known about the neurobiological and epigenetic mechanisms that underpin early-life programming of the neonatal brain in the first generation and subsequent generations, with a view to abrogating programming effects and potentially identifying new therapeutic targets for the treatment of stress-related disorders and cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Maccari
- LIA, International Laboratory Associated, UMR 8576 CNRS Neural plasticity Team, University of Lille 1, France and Sapienza University of Rome, IRCCS NEUROMED, Italy
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90
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Lewis CR, Olive MF. Early-life stress interactions with the epigenome: potential mechanisms driving vulnerability toward psychiatric illness. Behav Pharmacol 2014; 25:341-51. [PMID: 25003947 PMCID: PMC4119485 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the 20th century a body of literature concerning the long-lasting effects of the early environment was produced. Adverse experiences in early life, or early-life stress (ELS), is associated with a higher risk of developing various psychiatric illnesses. The mechanisms driving the complex interplay between ELS and adult phenotype has baffled many investigators for decades. Over the last decade, the new field of neuroepigenetics has emerged as one possible mechanism by which ELS can have far-reaching effects on adult phenotype, behavior, and risk for psychiatric illness. Here we review two commonly investigated epigenetic mechanisms, histone modifications and DNA methylation, and the emerging field of neuroepigenetics as they relate to ELS. We discuss the current animal literature demonstrating ELS-induced epigenetic modulation of gene expression that results in altered adult phenotypes. We also briefly discuss other areas in which neuroepigenetics has emerged as a potential mechanism underlying environmental and genetic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace Renee Lewis
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 930 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, , Phone: (602) 680 – 8786
| | - Michael Foster Olive
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 930 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, , Phone: (480) 727-9557
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91
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Xiong GJ, Yang Y, Wang LP, Xu L, Mao RR. Maternal separation exaggerates spontaneous recovery of extinguished contextual fear in adult female rats. Behav Brain Res 2014; 269:75-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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92
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Shumake J, Furgeson-Moreira S, Monfils MH. Predictability and heritability of individual differences in fear learning. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:1207-21. [PMID: 24791664 PMCID: PMC4138434 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0752-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Our objective was to characterize individual differences in fear conditioning and extinction in an outbred rat strain, to test behavioral predictors of these individual differences, and to assess their heritability. We fear-conditioned 100 Long-Evans rats, attempted to extinguish fear the next day, and tested extinction recall on the third day. The distribution of freezing scores after fear conditioning was skewed, with most rats showing substantial freezing; after fear extinction, the distribution was bimodal with most rats showing minimal freezing, but a substantial portion showing maximal freezing. Longer rearing episodes measured prior to conditioning predicted less freezing at the beginning of extinction, but differences in extinction learning were not predicted by any baseline exploratory behaviors. We tested the heritability of extinction differences by breeding rats from the top and bottom 20 % of freezing scores during extinction recall. We then ran the offspring through the same conditioning/extinction procedure, with the addition of recording ultrasonic vocalizations throughout training and testing. Only a minority of rats emitted distress vocalizations during fear acquisition, but the incidence was less frequent in the offspring of good extinguishers than in poor extinguishers or randomly bred controls. The occurrence of distress vocalizations during acquisition predicted higher levels of freezing during fear recall regardless of breeding line, but the relationship between vocalization and freezing was no longer evident following extinction training, at which point freezing levels were influenced only by breeding and not by vocalization. The heritability (h2) of extinction recall was estimated at 0.36, consistent with human estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Shumake
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-1043, USA,
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93
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Lutz PE, Turecki G. DNA methylation and childhood maltreatment: from animal models to human studies. Neuroscience 2014; 264:142-56. [PMID: 23933308 PMCID: PMC5293537 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.07.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 07/27/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment (CM) has estimated prevalence among Western societies between 10% and 15%. As CM associates with increased risk of several psychiatric disorders, early age of illness onset, increased comorbidity and negative clinical outcome, it imposes a major public health, social and economic impact. Although the clinical consequences of CM are well characterized, a major challenge remains to understand how negative early-life events can affect brain function over extended periods of time. We review here both animal and human studies indicating that the epigenetic mechanism of DNA methylation is a crucial mediator of early-life experiences, thereby maintaining life-long neurobiological sequelae of CM, and strongly determining psychopathological risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- P-E Lutz
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - G Turecki
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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94
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Fuentes S, Daviu N, Gagliano H, Garrido P, Zelena D, Monasterio N, Armario A, Nadal R. Sex-dependent effects of an early life treatment in rats that increases maternal care: vulnerability or resilience? Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:56. [PMID: 24616673 PMCID: PMC3934416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) in rodents has profound long-term effects that are partially mediated by changes in maternal care. ELS not only induces “detrimental” effects in adulthood, increasing psychopathology, but also promotes resilience to further stressors. In Long-Evans rats, we evaluated a combination of two procedures as a model of ELS: restriction of bedding during the first post-natal days and exposure to a “substitute” mother. The maternal care of biological and “substitute” mothers was measured. The male and female offspring were evaluated during adulthood in several contexts. Anxiety was measured by the elevated plus-maze (EPM), acoustic startle response (ASR) and forced swim test (FST). In other group of animals, novelty-seeking was measured (activity in an inescapable novel environment, preference for novel environments and exploration of novel objects). Plasmatic ACTH and corticosterone in basal conditions and in response to stress were also measured. Cognitive impulsivity was assessed by a delay-discounting paradigm, and impulsive action, attention and compulsive-like behavior by a five choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT). ELS decreased pup body weight and increased the care of the biological mother; however, the “substitute” mother did not exhibit overt maltreatment. A mixture of “detrimental” and “beneficial” effects was shown. In the 5CSRTT, attention was impaired in both genders, and in females, ELS increased compulsive-like behavior. Novel object exploration was only increased by ELS in males, but the preference for novel spaces decreased in both genders. Baseline anxiety (EPM and ASR) and recognition memory were not affected. Unexpectedly, ELS decreased the ACTH response to novelty and swim stress and increased active coping in the FST in both genders. Cognitive impulsivity was decreased only in females, but impulsive action was not affected. The enhancement in maternal care may “buffer” the effects of ELS in a context-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sílvia Fuentes
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Daviu
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ; Animal Physiology Unit, School of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Humberto Gagliano
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ; Animal Physiology Unit, School of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Garrido
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Science Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nela Monasterio
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ; Psychobiology Unit, School of Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Armario
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ; Animal Physiology Unit, School of Biosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roser Nadal
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain ; Psychobiology Unit, School of Psychology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain
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95
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Liao XM, Yang XD, Jia J, Li JT, Xie XM, Su YA, Schmidt MV, Si TM, Wang XD. Blockade of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 attenuates early-life stress-induced synaptic abnormalities in the neonatal hippocampus. Hippocampus 2014; 24:528-40. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Revised: 01/05/2014] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Mei Liao
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Xiao-Dun Yang
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Jiao Jia
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
- Department of Mental Health; Dayi Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University; 030032 Taiyuan China
| | - Ji-Tao Li
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Xiao-Meng Xie
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Yun-Ai Su
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Mathias V. Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, RG Neurobiology of Stress; 80804 Munich Germany
| | - Tian-Mei Si
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
| | - Xiao-Dong Wang
- Institute of Mental Health; Peking University; 100191 Beijing China
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University); 100191 Beijing China
- Department of Neurobiology; Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Ministry of Health of China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Neurobiology; Zhejiang University School of Medicine; 310058 Hangzhou China
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96
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Loi M, Koricka S, Lucassen PJ, Joëls M. Age- and sex-dependent effects of early life stress on hippocampal neurogenesis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2014; 5:13. [PMID: 24600436 PMCID: PMC3929839 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/31/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress is a well-documented risk factor for the development of psychopathology in genetically predisposed individuals. As it is hard to study how early life stress impacts human brain structure and function, various animal models have been developed to address this issue. The models discussed here reveal that perinatal stress in rodents exerts lasting effects on the stress system as well as on the structure and function of the brain. One of the structural parameters strongly affected by perinatal stress is adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Based on compiled literature data, we report that postnatal stress slightly enhances neurogenesis until the onset of puberty in male rats; when animals reach adulthood, neurogenesis is reduced as a consequence of perinatal stress. By contrast, female rats show a prominent reduction in neurogenesis prior to the onset of puberty, but this effect subsides when animals reach young adulthood. We further present preliminary data that transient treatment with a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist can normalize cell proliferation in maternally deprived female rats, while the compound had no effect in non-deprived rats. Taken together, the data show that neurogenesis is affected by early life stress in an age- and sex-dependent manner and that normalization may be possible during critical stages of brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manila Loi
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Manila Loi, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, Netherlands e-mail:
| | - Sylwia Koricka
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Paul J. Lucassen
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences – Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
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97
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de Kloet ER, Claessens SEF, Kentrop J. Context modulates outcome of perinatal glucocorticoid action in the brain. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2014; 5:100. [PMID: 25071717 PMCID: PMC4088189 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prematurely born infants may be at risk, because of inadequate maturation of tissues. If there are signs of preterm birth, it has become common practice therefore to treat either antenatally the mother or postnatally the infant with glucocorticoids to accelerate tissue development, particularly of the lung. However, this life-saving early glucocorticoid treatment was found to increase the risk of adverse outcome in later life. In one animal study, the authors reported a 25% shorter lifespan of rats treated as newborns with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone, but so far this finding has not been replicated. After a brief clinical introduction, we discuss studies in rodents designed to examine how perinatal glucocorticoid action affects the developing brain. It appears that the perinatal action of the glucocorticoid depends on the context and the timing as well as the type of administered steroid. The type of steroid is important because the endogenous glucocorticoids cortisol and corticosterone bind to two distinct receptor populations, i.e., mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors (GR), while synthetic glucocorticoids predominantly bind to the GR. In addition, if given antenatally hydrocortisone is inactivated in the placenta by 11β-HSD type 2, and dexamethasone is not. With respect to timing, the outcome of glucocorticoid effects is different in early vs. late phases of brain development. The context refers to the environmental input that can affect the susceptibility to glucocorticoid action in the newborn rodent brain; early handling of pups and maternal care obliterate effects of post-natal dexamethasone treatment. Context also refers to coping with environmental conditions in later life, for which the individual may have been programed epigenetically by early-life experience. This knowledge of determinants affecting the outcome of perinatal glucocorticoid exposure may have clinical implications for the treatment of prematurely born infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Ronald de Kloet
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: E. Ronald de Kloet, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Division of Medical Pharmacology, LACDR, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, PO Box 9503, Leiden 2300 RA, Netherlands e-mail: ;
| | - Sanne E. F. Claessens
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Jiska Kentrop
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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98
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Krugers HJ, Joëls M. Long-lasting Consequences of Early Life Stress on Brain Structure, Emotion and Cognition. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 18:81-92. [PMID: 24862989 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2014_289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
During the perinatal period, the brain undergoes substantial structural changes, synaptic rearrangements, and development of neuronal circuits which ultimately determine brain function and behavior. Environmental factors-such as exposure to adverse experiences-have major impact on brain function and structure during this sensitive period. These alterations can be long-lasting, and have been implicated in psychopathology such as cognitive decline and emotional dysfunction. Here we briefly review how early postnatal adversity determines structure and function of the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas, which are crucial for proper cognitive and emotional function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harm J Krugers
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
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99
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Abstract
AbstractHow do exposures to stress affect biobehavioral development and, through it, psychiatric and biomedical disorder? In the health sciences, the allostatic load model provides a widely accepted answer to this question: stress responses, while essential for survival, have negative long-term effects that promote illness. Thus, the benefits of mounting repeated biological responses to threat are traded off against costs to mental and physical health. The adaptive calibration model, an evolutionary–developmental theory of stress–health relations, extends this logic by conceptualizing these trade-offs as decision nodes in allocation of resources. Each decision node influences the next in a chain of resource allocations that become instantiated in the regulatory parameters of stress response systems. Over development, these parameters filter and embed information about key dimensions of environmental stress and support, mediating the organism's openness to environmental inputs, and function to regulate life history strategies to match those dimensions. Drawing on the adaptive calibration model, we propose that consideration of biological fitness trade-offs, as delineated by life history theory, is needed to more fully explain the complex relations between developmental exposures to stress, stress responsivity, behavioral strategies, and health. We conclude that the adaptive calibration model and allostatic load model are only partially complementary and, in some cases, support different approaches to intervention. In the long run, the field may be better served by a model informed by life history theory that addresses the adaptive role of stress response systems in regulating alternative developmental pathways.
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100
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Howe ML. Memory development: implications for adults recalling childhood experiences in the courtroom. Nat Rev Neurosci 2013; 14:869-76. [DOI: 10.1038/nrn3627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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