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Yohn NL, Caruso MJ, Blendy JA. Effects of nicotine and stress exposure across generations in C57BL/6 mice. Stress 2019; 22:142-150. [PMID: 30457440 PMCID: PMC6453752 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2018.1532991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic administration of nicotine or exposure to stress can produce long-lasting behavioral and physiological changes in humans and animals alike. Further, the impact of nicotine and stress exposure can be inherited by offspring to produce persistent changes in physiology and behavior. To determine if nicotine and stress interact across generations to influence offspring behavior we exposed F0 male mice to nicotine and F1 male and female mice to chronic unpredictable stress during adolescence. We then measured locomotor sensitization to repeated nicotine injections in the subsequent F2 and F3 generations. Stress exposure alone (F1) did not influence locomotor sensitization in any lineage. However, in the F1 male lineage, F0 nicotine exposure abrogated locomotor sensitization in F2 male and transiently enhanced locomotor sensitization in F2 female offspring. These effects were not passed down to the F3 generations or observed in the F1 female lineage. F1 stress exposure modulated the effects of prior F0 nicotine exposure in a sex-dependent manner. Specifically, stress blunted the nicotine-induced enhancement in locomotor sensitization observed in F2 female offspring of F1 males. The effect of F0 nicotine and F1 stress exposure in females appears to have skipped a generation and enhanced nicotine sensitization only in the F3 generation, and only in females. This novel multigenerational exposure paradigm examining the inheritance of two different environmental exposures demonstrates that nicotine responses can be modified by nicotine and stress exposure from previous generations, and these effects are strongly influenced by sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Yohn
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Michael J. Caruso
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Julie A. Blendy
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
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Adolescent Stress Disrupts the Maturation of Anxiety-related Behaviors and Alters the Developmental Trajectory of the Prefrontal Cortex in a Sex- and Age-specific Manner. Neuroscience 2018; 390:265-277. [PMID: 30179643 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a window of vulnerability to environmental factors such as chronic stress that can disrupt brain development and cause long-lasting behavioral dysfunction, as seen in disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. There are also sex differences in the prevalence of these disorders across the lifespan. However, the mechanisms of how adolescent stress contributes to neuropsychiatric phenotypes are not well understood, nor are the mediating effects of sex. We hypothesize that adolescent stress disrupts the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in a sex-specific manner, as this system matures during adolescence and plays an important role in cognitive and emotional functioning. We exposed male and female mice to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) during adolescence (post-natal day [PND] 28-42). One cohort underwent testing for PFC-related behavioral and molecular changes 24 h following the cessation of stress (late adolescence); a separate cohort was tested approximately 2.5 weeks after the end of UCMS (adulthood). We observed an age-related decline in anxiety-like behaviors in control mice, while mice stressed in adolescence showed elevated anxiety-like behaviors in both adolescence and adulthood. PFC-dependent cognitive functioning was also impaired in adult males stressed in adolescence. Adolescent stress disrupted expression patterns of parvalbumin (PV) and perineuronal nets (PNNs) in the PFC, as well as NMDA receptor subunit composition, in a sex- and age-specific manner. The findings presented here contribute to understanding how adolescent stress may lead to neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety by disrupting the development of the PFC and emotional behaviors.
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Caffino L, Messa G, Fumagalli F. A single cocaine administration alters dendritic spine morphology and impairs glutamate receptor synaptic retention in the medial prefrontal cortex of adolescent rats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 140:209-216. [PMID: 30092246 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The brain is still maturing during adolescence and interfering with such a vulnerable period may lead to structural and functional consequences. We investigated the effect of a single cocaine exposure on dendritic spine structure and glutamate dynamics in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adolescent rats 7 days after a single cocaine administration. We found a reduced number of dendritic spines, suggesting that cocaine lowers the density of dendritic spines in the mPFC of adolescent rats. Since dendritic spines are postsynaptic glutamatergic protrusions, we investigated the main determinants of glutamate postsynaptic responsiveness. In the postsynaptic density, cocaine reduced the expression of the NMDA receptor subunits GluN1, GluN2A and GluN2B as well as of the AMPA GluA1 and GluA2 subunits. Cocaine also impaired their synaptic stability since the expression of the scaffolding proteins SAP102 and SAP97, critical for the anchoring of such receptors at the postsynaptic membrane, was reduced as well. The expression of PSD-95 and Arc/Arg3.1, which play structural and functional roles in glutamate neurons, was also similarly reduced. Such changes were not found in the whole homogenate, ruling out a translational effect of cocaine and implying, rather, an impaired synaptic retention at the active zones of the synapse. Notably, neither these critical glutamate determinants nor the density and morphology of the dendritic spines were altered in the mPFC of adult animals, suggesting that a single cocaine exposure selectively impairs the developmental trajectory of the glutamate synapse. These results indicate a dynamic impairment of mPFC glutamate homeostasis during a critical developmental window that persists for at least one week after a single cocaine administration. Our results identify dysfunctional glutamate synapse as a major contributor to the mechanisms that distinguish adolescent vs. adult outcomes of a single cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Caffino
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Messa
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milano, Italy.
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Manners MT, Yohn NL, Lahens NF, Grant GR, Bartolomei MS, Blendy JA. Transgenerational inheritance of chronic adolescent stress: Effects of stress response and the amygdala transcriptome. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12493. [PMID: 29896789 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent stress can impact health and well-being not only during adulthood of the exposed individual but even in future generations. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these long-term effects, we exposed adolescent males to stress and measured anxiety behaviors and gene expression in the amygdala-a critical region in the control of emotional states-in their progeny for two generations, offspring and grandoffspring. Male C57BL/6 mice underwent chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 2 weeks during adolescence and were used to produce two generations of offspring. Male and female offspring and grandoffspring were tested in behavioral assays to measure affective behavior and stress reactivity. Remarkably, transgenerational inheritance of paternal stress exposure produced a protective phenotype in the male, but not the female lineage. RNA-seq analysis of the amygdala from male offspring and grandoffspring identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mice derived from fathers exposed to CUS. The DEGSs clustered into numerous pathways, and the "notch signaling" pathway was the most significantly altered in male grandoffspring. Therefore, we show that paternal stress exposure impacts future generations which manifest in behavioral changes and molecular adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M T Manners
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - N L Yohn
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - N F Lahens
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - G R Grant
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - M S Bartolomei
- Epigenetics Institute, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - J A Blendy
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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CB1-Dependent Long-Term Depression in Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons: A Novel Target for Marijuana. J Neurosci 2017; 37:10943-10954. [PMID: 29038246 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0190-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The VTA is necessary for reward behavior with dopamine cells critically involved in reward signaling. Dopamine cells in turn are innervated and regulated by neighboring inhibitory GABA cells. Using whole-cell electrophysiology in juvenile-adolescent GAD67-GFP male mice, we examined excitatory plasticity in fluorescent VTA GABA cells. A novel CB1-dependent LTD was induced in GABA cells that was dependent on metabotropic glutamate receptor 5, and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). LTD was absent in CB1 knock-out mice but preserved in heterozygous littermates. Bath applied Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol depressed GABA cell activity, therefore downstream dopamine cells will be disinhibited; and thus, this could potentially result in increased reward. Chronic injections of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol occluded LTD compared with vehicle injections; however, a single exposure was insufficient to do so. As synaptic modifications by drugs of abuse are often tied to addiction, these data suggest a possible mechanism for the addictive effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in juvenile-adolescents, by potentially altering reward behavioral outcomes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study identifies a novel form of glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in VTA GABA neurons, a currently understudied cell type that is critical for the brain's reward circuit, and how Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol occludes this plasticity. This study specifically addresses a potential unifying mechanism whereby marijuana could exert rewarding and addictive/withdrawal effects. Marijuana use and legalization are a pressing issue for many states in the United States. Although marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug, the implications of legalized, widespread, or continued usage are speculative. This study in juvenile-adolescent aged mice identifies a novel form of synaptic plasticity in VTA GABA cells, and the synaptic remodeling that can occur after Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol use.
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Wall TR, Henderson BJ, Voren G, Wageman CR, Deshpande P, Cohen BN, Grady SR, Marks MJ, Yohannes D, Kenny PJ, Bencherif M, Lester HA. TC299423, a Novel Agonist for Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:641. [PMID: 29033834 PMCID: PMC5626944 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
(E)-5-(Pyrimidin-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,7,8-hexahydroazocine (TC299423) is a novel agonist for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We examined its efficacy, affinity, and potency for α6β2∗ (α6β2-containing), α4β2∗, and α3β4∗ nAChRs, using [125I]-epibatidine binding, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, synaptosomal 86Rb+ efflux, [3H]-dopamine release, and [3H]-acetylcholine release. TC299423 displayed an EC50 of 30–60 nM for α6β2∗ nAChRs in patch-clamp recordings and [3H]-dopamine release assays. Its potency for α6β2∗ in these assays was 2.5-fold greater than that for α4β2∗, and much greater than that for α3β4∗-mediated [3H]-acetylcholine release. We observed no major off-target binding on 70 diverse molecular targets. TC299423 was bioavailable after intraperitoneal or oral administration. Locomotor assays, measured with gain-of-function, mutant α6 (α6L9′S) nAChR mice, show that TC299423 elicits α6β2∗ nAChR-mediated responses at low doses. Conditioned place preference assays show that low-dose TC299423 also produces significant reward in α6L9′S mice, and modest reward in WT mice, through a mechanism that probably involves α6(non-α4)β2∗ nAChRs. However, TC299423 did not suppress nicotine self-administration in rats, indicating that it did not block nicotine reinforcement in the dosage range that was tested. In a hot-plate test, TC299423 evoked antinociceptive responses in mice similar to those of nicotine. TC299423 and nicotine similarly inhibited mouse marble burying as a measure of anxiolytic effects. Taken together, our data suggest that TC299423 will be a useful small-molecule agonist for future in vitro and in vivo studies of nAChR function and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teagan R Wall
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Brandon J Henderson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States
| | - George Voren
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Charles R Wageman
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Purnima Deshpande
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Bruce N Cohen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Sharon R Grady
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Michael J Marks
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | | | - Paul J Kenny
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Henry A Lester
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
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