Amygdalar activation alters the hippocampal GABA system: "partial" modelling for postmortem changes in schizophrenia

BLA-involved circuits in neuropsychiatric disorders

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is the subregion of the amygdala located in the medial of the temporal lobe, which is connected with a wide range of brain regions to achieve diverse functions. Recently, an increasing number of studies have focused on the participation of the BLA in many neuropsychiatric disorders from the neural circuit perspective, aided by the rapid development of viral tracing methods and increasingly specific neural modulation technologies. However, how to translate this circuit-level preclinical intervention into clinical treatment using noninvasive or minor invasive manipulations to benefit patients struggling with neuropsychiatric disorders is still an inevitable question to be considered. In this review, we summarized the role of BLA-involved circuits in neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, perioperative neurocognitive disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and pain-associative affective states and cognitive dysfunctions. Additionally, we provide insights into future directions and challenges for clinical translation.

Amygdala subdivisions exhibit aberrant whole-brain functional connectivity in relation to stress intolerance and psychotic symptoms in 22q11.2DS

The amygdala is a key region in emotional regulation, which is often impaired in psychosis. However, it is unclear if amygdala dysfunction directly contributes to psychosis, or whether it contributes to psychosis through symptoms of emotional dysregulation. We studied the functional connectivity of amygdala subdivisions in patients with 22q11.2DS, a known genetic model for psychosis susceptibility. We investigated how dysmaturation of each subdivision's connectivity contributes to positive psychotic symptoms and impaired tolerance to stress in deletion carriers. Longitudinally-repeated MRI scans from 105 patients with 22q11.2DS (64 at high-risk for psychosis and 37 with impaired tolerance to stress) and 120 healthy controls between the ages of 5 to 30 years were included. We calculated seed-based whole-brain functional connectivity for amygdalar subdivisions and employed a longitudinal multivariate approach to evaluate the developmental trajectory of functional connectivity across groups. Patients with 22q11.2DS presented a multivariate pattern of decreased basolateral amygdala (BLA)-frontal connectivity alongside increased BLA-hippocampal connectivity. Moreover, associations between developmental drops in centro-medial amygdala (CMA)-frontal connectivity to both impaired tolerance to stress and positive psychotic symptoms in deletion carriers were detected. Superficial amygdala hyperconnectivity to the striatum was revealed as a specific pattern arising in patients who develop mild to moderate positive psychotic symptoms. Overall, CMA-frontal dysconnectivity was found as a mutual neurobiological substrate in both impaired tolerance to stress and psychosis, suggesting a role in prodromal dysregulation of emotions in psychosis. While BLA dysconnectivity was found to be an early finding in patients with 22q11.2DS, which contributes to impaired tolerance to stress.

Multivariate patterns of disrupted sleep longitudinally predict affective vulnerability to psychosis in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) contributes dramatically to increased genetic risk for psychopathology, and in particular schizophrenia. Sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are also highly prevalent, making 22q11DS a unique model to explore their impact on psychosis vulnerability. Still, the contribution of sleep disturbances to psychosis vulnerability remains unclear. We characterized the sleep phenotype of 69 individuals with 22q11DS and 38 healthy controls with actigraphy and sleep questionnaires. Psychiatric symptoms were measured concomitantly with the baseline sleep assessment and at longitudinal follow-up, 3.58±0.85 years later. We used a novel multivariate partial-least-square-correlation (PLSC) approach to identify sleep patterns combining objective and subjective variables, which correlated with psychiatric symptoms. We dissected longitudinal pathways linking sleep disturbances to psychosis, using multi-layer-network-analysis. 22q11DS was characterized by a non-restorative sleep pattern, combining increased daytime fatigue despite longer sleep duration. Non-restorative sleep combined with OSA symptoms correlated with both emotional and psychotic symptoms. Moreover, a sleep pattern evocative of OSA predicted longitudinal worsening of positive and negative symptoms, by accentuating the effects of emotional dysregulation. These results suggest that sleep disturbances could significantly increase psychosis risk, along an affective pathway. If confirmed, this suggests that systematic screening of sleep quality could mitigate psychosis vulnerability in 22q11DS.

Sex- and exposure age-dependent effects of adolescent stress on ventral tegmental area dopamine system and its afferent regulators

Adolescent stress is a risk factor for schizophrenia. Emerging evidence suggests that age-dependent sensitive windows for childhood trauma are associated more strongly with adult psychosis, but the neurobiological basis and potential sex differences are unknown.Using in vivo electrophysiology and immunohistology in rats, we systematically compared the effects of two age-defined adolescent stress paradigms, prepubertal (postnatal day [PD] 21-30; PreP-S) and postpubertal (PD41-50; PostP-S) foot-shock and restraint combined stress, on ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic activity, pyramidal neuron activity in the ventral hippocampus (vHipp) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), corticoamygdalar functional inhibitory control, and vHipp and BLA parvalbumin interneuron (PVI) impairments. These endpoints were selected based on their well-documented roles in the pathophysiology of psychosis.Overall, we found distinct sex- and exposure age-dependent stress vulnerability. Specifically, while males were selectively vulnerable to PreP-S-induced adult VTA dopamine neuron and vHipp hyperactivities, females were selectively vulnerable to PostP-S. These male selective PreP-S effects were correlated with stress-induced aberrant persistent BLA hyperactivity, dysfunctional prefrontal inhibitory control of BLA neurons, and vHipp/BLA PVI impairments. In contrast, female PostP-S only produced vHipp PVI impairments in adults, with the BLA structure and functions largely unaffected.Our results indicated distinct adolescent-sensitive periods during which stress can sex-dependently confer maximal risks to corticolimbic systems to drive dopamine hyperactivity, which provide critical insights into the neurobiological basis for sex-biased stress-related psychopathologies emphasizing but not limited to schizophrenia. Furthermore, our work also provides a framework for future translational research on age-sensitive targeted interventions.

Maternal immune activation-induced proBDNF-mediated neural information processing dysfunction at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses associated with memory deficits in offspring

Prenatal exposure to maternal infection increases the risk of offspring developing schizophrenia in adulthood. Current theories suggest that the consequences of MIA on mBDNF secretion may underlie the increased risk of cognitive disorder. There is little evidence for whether the expression of its precursor, proBDNF, is changed and how proBDNF-mediated signaling may involve in learning and memory. In this study, proBDNF levels were detected in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions of male adult rats following MIA by prenatal polyI:C exposure. Behaviorally, learning and memory were assessed in contextual fear conditioning tasks. Local field potentials were recorded in the hippocampal CA3-CA1 pathway. The General Partial Directed Coherence approach was utilized to identify the directional alternation of neural information flow between CA3 and CA1 regions. EPSCs were recorded in CA1 pyramidal neurons to explore a possible mechanism involving the proBDNF-p75NTR signaling pathway. Results showed that the expression of proBDNF in the polyI:C-treated offspring was abnormally enhanced in both CA3 and CA1 regions. Meanwhile, the mBDNF expression was reduced in both hippocampal regions. Intra-hippocampal CA1 but not CA3 injection with anti-proBDNF antibody and p75NTR inhibitor TAT-Pep5 effectively mitigated the contextual memory deficits. Meanwhile, reductions in the phase synchronization between CA3 and CA1 and the coupling directional indexes from CA3 to CA1 were enhanced by the intra-CA1 infusions. Moreover, blocking proBDNF/p75NTR signaling could reverse the declined amplitude of EPSCs in CA1 pyramidal neurons, indicating the changes in postsynaptic information processing in the polyI:C-treated offspring. Therefore, the changes in hippocampal proBDNF activity in prenatal polyI:C exposure represent a potential mechanism involved in NIF disruption leading to contextual memory impairments.

The emerging role of miRNA-132/212 cluster in neurologic and cardiovascular diseases: Neuroprotective role in cells with prolonged longevity

miRNA-132/212 are small regulators of gene expression with a function that fulfills a vital function in diverse biological processes including neuroprotection of cells with prolonged longevity in neurons and the cardiovascular system. In neurons, miRNA-132 appears to be essential for controlling differentiation, development, and neural functioning. Indeed, it also universally promotes axon evolution, nervous migration, plasticity as well, it is suggested to be neuroprotective against neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, miRNA-132/212 disorder leads to neural developmental perturbation, and the development of degenerative disorders covering Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and epilepsy's along with psychiatric perturbations including schizophrenia. Furthermore, the cellular mechanisms of the miRNA-132/212 have additionally been explored in cardiovascular diseases models. Also, the miRNA-132/212 family modulates cardiac hypertrophy and autophagy in cardiomyocytes. The protective and effective clinical promise of miRNA-132/212 in these systems is discussed in this review. To sum up, the current progress in innovative miRNA-based therapies for human pathologies seems of extreme concern and reveals promising novel therapeutic strategies.

A developmental redox dysregulation leads to spatio-temporal deficit of parvalbumin neuron circuitry in a schizophrenia mouse model

The fast-spiking parvalbumin (PV) interneurons play a critical role in neural circuit activity and dysfunction of these cells has been implicated in the cognitive deficits typically observed in schizophrenia patients. Due to the high metabolic demands of PV neurons, they are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress. Given the extant literature exploring the pathological effects of oxidative stress on PV cells in cortical regions linked to schizophrenia, we decided to investigate whether PV neurons in other select brain regions, including sub-cortical structures, may be differentially affected by redox dysregulation induced oxidative stress during neurodevelopment in mice with a genetically compromised glutathione synthesis (Gclm KO mice). Our analyses revealed a spatio-temporal sequence of PV cell deficit in Gclm KO mice, beginning with the thalamic reticular nucleus at postnatal day (P) 20 followed by a PV neuronal deficit in the amygdala at P40, then in the lateral globus pallidus and the ventral hippocampus Cornu Ammonis 3 region at P90 and finally the anterior cingulate cortex at P180. We suggest that PV neurons in different brain regions are developmentally susceptible to oxidative stress and that anomalies in the neurodevelopmental calendar of metabolic regulation can interfere with neural circuit maturation and functional connectivity contributing to the emergence of developmental psychopathology.

Stress during critical periods of development and risk for schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with genetic predisposition, and stress has long been linked to its etiology. While stress affects all stages of the illness, increasing evidence suggests that stress during critical periods of development may be particularly detrimental, increasing individual's vulnerability to psychosis. To thoroughly understand the potential causative role of stress, our group has been focusing on the prenatal methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) rodent model, and discovered that MAM offspring display abnormal stress reactivity and heightened anxiety prepubertally, prior to the manifestation of a hyperdopaminergic state. Furthermore, pharmacologically treating anxiety during prepuberty prevented the emergence of the dopamine dysfunction in adulthood. Interestingly, sufficiently strong stressors applied to normal rats selectively during early development can recapitulate multiple schizophrenia-related phenotypes of MAM rats, whereas the same stress paradigm during adulthood only produced short-term depression-related deficits. Altogether, the evidence is thus converging: developmental disruption (genetic or environmental) might render animals more susceptible to the deleterious effects of stress during critical time windows, during which unregulated stress can lead to the emergence of psychosis later in life. As an important region regulating the midbrain dopamine system, the ventral hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to stress, and the distinct maturational profile of its fast-spiking parvalbumin interneurons may largely underlie such vulnerability. In this review, by discussing emerging evidence spanning clinical and basic science studies, we propose developmental stress vulnerability as a novel link between early predispositions and environmental triggering events in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This promising line of research can potentially provide not only insights into the etiology, but also a "roadmap" for disease prevention.

Neuroanatomical changes in people with high schizotypy: relationship to glutamate levels

BACKGROUND

Cortical glutamatergic dysfunction is thought to be fundamental for psychosis development, and may lead to structural degeneration through excitotoxicity. Glutamate levels have been related to gray matter volume (GMV) alterations in people at ultra-high risk of psychosis, and we previously reported GMV changes in individuals with high schizotypy (HS), which refers to the expression of schizophrenia-like characteristics in healthy people. This study sought to examine whether GMV changes in HS subjects are related to glutamate levels.

METHODS

We selected 22 healthy subjects with HS and 23 healthy subjects with low schizotypy (LS) based on their rating on a self-report questionnaire for psychotic-like experiences. Glutamate levels were measured in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and GMV was assessed using voxel-based morphometry.

RESULTS

Subjects with HS showed GMV decreases in the rolandic operculum/superior temporal gyrus (pFWE = 0.045). Significant increases in GMV were also detected in HS, in the precuneus (pFWE = 0.043), thereby replicating our previous finding in a separate cohort, as well as in the ACC (pFWE = 0.041). While the HS and LS groups did not differ in ACC glutamate levels, in HS subjects ACC glutamate was negatively correlated with ACC GMV (pFWE = 0.026). Such association was absent in LS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that GMV findings in schizotypy are related to glutamate levels, supporting the hypothesis that glutamatergic function may lead to structural changes associated with the expression of psychotic-like experiences.

Correlation Between Levels of Delusional Beliefs and Perfusion of the Hippocampus and an Associated Network in a Non-Help-Seeking Population

BACKGROUND

Delusions are a defining and common symptom of psychotic disorders. Recent evidence suggests that subclinical and clinical delusions may represent distinct stages on a phenomenological and biological continuum. However, few studies have tested whether subclinical psychotic experiences are associated with neural changes that are similar to those observed in clinical psychosis. For example, it is unclear if overactivity of the hippocampus, a replicated finding of neuroimaging studies of schizophrenia, is also present in individuals with subclinical psychotic symptoms.

METHODS

To investigate this question, structural and pulsed arterial spin labeling scans were collected in 77 adult participants with no psychiatric history. An anatomical region of interest approach was used to extract resting perfusion of the hippocampus, and 15 other regions, from each individual. A self-report measure of delusional ideation was collected on the day of scanning.

RESULTS

The level of delusional thinking (number of beliefs [r = .27, p = .02]), as well as the associated level of distress (r = .29, p = .02), was significantly correlated with hippocampal perfusion (averaged over right and left hemispheres). The correlations remained significant after controlling for age, hippocampal volume, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and image signal-to-noise ratio, and they were confirmed in a voxelwise regression analysis. The same association was observed in the thalamus and parahippocampal, lateral temporal, and cingulate cortices.

CONCLUSIONS

Similar to patients with schizophrenia, non-help-seeking individuals show elevated perfusion of a network of limbic regions in association with delusional beliefs.

Corticolimbic hyper-response to emotion and glutamatergic function in people with high schizotypy: a multimodal fMRI-MRS study

Animal models and human neuroimaging studies suggest that altered levels of glutamatergic metabolites within a corticolimbic circuit have a major role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Rodent models propose that prefrontal glutamate dysfunction could lead to amygdala hyper-response to environmental stress and underlie hippocampal overdrive in schizophrenia. Here we determine whether changes in brain glutamate are present in individuals with high schizotypy (HS), which refers to the presence of schizophrenia-like characteristics in healthy individuals, and whether glutamate levels are related to altered corticolimbic response to emotion. Twenty-one healthy HS subjects and 22 healthy subjects with low schizotypy (LS) were selected based on their Oxford and Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences rating. Glutamate levels were measured in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan to measure corticolimbic response during emotional processing. fMRI results and fMRI × glutamate interactions were considered significant after voxel-wise P<0.05 family-wise error correction. While viewing emotional pictures, HS individuals showed greater activation than did subjects with LS in the caudate, and marginally in the ACC, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and putamen. Although no between-group differences were found in glutamate concentrations, within the HS group ACC glutamate was negatively correlated with striatal activation (left: z=4.30, P=0.004 and right: z=4.12 P=0.008 caudate; left putamen: z=3.89, P=0.018) and marginally with MPFC (z=3.55, P=0.052) and amygdala (left: z=2.88, P=0.062; right: z=2.79, P=0.079), correlations that were not present in LS subjects. These findings provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that brain glutamate levels are associated with hyper-responsivity in brain regions thought to be critical in the pathophysiology of psychosis.

Amygdala Hyperactivity in MAM Model of Schizophrenia is Normalized by Peripubertal Diazepam Administration

In addition to prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, amygdala may have a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, given its pivotal role in emotion and extensive connectivity with the PFC and hippocampus. Moreover, abnormal activities of amygdala may be related to the anxiety observed in schizophrenia patients and at-risk adolescents. These at-risk subjects demonstrated heightened levels of anxiety, which are correlated with the onset of psychosis later in life. Similarly, rats that received methyl azoxymethanol acetate (MAM) gestationally exhibited higher levels of anxiety peripubertally. In the current study, the heightened anxiety was also observed in adult MAM animals, as well as higher firing rates of BLA neurons in both peripubertal and adult MAM rats. In addition, the power of BLA theta oscillations of adult MAM rats showed a larger increase in response to conditioned stimuli (CS). We showed previously that administration of the antianxiety drug diazepam during the peripubertal period prevents the hyperdopaminergic state in adult MAM rats. In this study, we found that peripubertal diazepam treatment reduced heightened anxiety, decreased BLA neuron firing rates and attenuated the CS-induced increase in BLA theta power in adult MAM rats, supporting a persistent normalization by this treatment. This study provides a link between BLA hyperactivity and anxiety in schizophrenia model rats and that circumvention of stress may prevent the emergence of pathology in the adult.

The Human MSI2 Gene is Associated with Schizophrenia in the Chinese Han Population

It has been suggested that altered neurogenesis may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia, so genes impacting on neurogenesis could be potential candidates for schizophrenia. A member of the Musashi family, the human MSI2 gene plays a substantial role in stem-cell maintenance, asymmetric division, and differentiation during neurogenesis. Our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) implied an association of MSI2 with schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population. To further explore this association, three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs9892791, rs11657292, and rs1822381, were selected for a replication study involving 921 schizophrenia cases and 1244 controls. After rigorous Bonferroni correction, two of the SNPs (rs9892791 and rs11657292) displayed significant differences in allele and genotype distribution frequencies between the case and control groups. When our GWAS and replication samples were combined, the three MSI2 SNPs were all strongly associated with schizophrenia (rs9892791: allelic P = 1.07E-5; rs11657292: allelic P = 1.95E-12; rs1822381: allelic P = 1.44E-4). These results indicate that the human MSI2 gene might be a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia and encourage future research on the functional relationship between this gene and schizophrenia.

Building models for postmortem abnormalities in hippocampus of schizophrenics

Postmortem studies have suggested that there is abnormal GABAergic activity in the hippocampus in schizophrenia (SZ). In micro-dissected human hippocampal slices, a loss of interneurons and a compensatory upregulation of GABAA receptor binding activity on interneurons, but not PNs, has suggested that disinhibitory GABA-to-GABA connections are abnormal in stratum oriens (SO) of CA3/2, but not CA1, in schizophrenia. Abnormal expression changes in the expression of kainate receptor (KAR) subunits 5, 6 and 7, as well as an inwardly-rectifying hyperpolarization-activated cationic channel (Ih3; HCN3) may play important roles in regulating GABA cell activity at the SO CA3/2 locus. The exclusive neurons at this site are GABAergic interneurons; these cells also receive direct projections from the basolateral amygdala (BLA). When the BLA is stimulated by stereotaxic infusion of picrotoxin in rats, KARs influence axodendritic and presynaptic inhibitory mechanisms that regulate both inhibitory and disinhibitory interneurons in the SO-CA3/2 locus. The rat model described here was specifically developed to extend our understanding of these and other postmortem findings and has suggested that GABAergic abnormalities and possible disturbances in oscillatory rhythms may be related to a dysfunction of disinhibitory interneurons at the SO-CA3/2 site of schizophrenics.

Altered basolateral amygdala encoding in an animal model of schizophrenia

It has been proposed that schizophrenia results, in part, from the inappropriate or spurious attribution of salience to cues in the environment. We have recently reported neural correlates of salience in the basolateral amygdala (ABL) of rats during learning in an odor-guided discrimination task. Here we tested whether this dopamine-dependent salience signal is altered in rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs), a rodent model of schizophrenia. We found that ABL signals related to violations in reward prediction were only mildly affected by NVHL; however, neurons in rats with NVHLs showed significantly stronger selectivity during odor sampling, particularly for the more salient large-reward cue. The elevated cue-evoked activity in NVHL rats was correlated with heightened orienting behavior and also with changes in firing to the shifts in reward, suggesting that it reflected abnormal signaling of the large reward-predicting cue's salience. These results are broadly consistent with the proposal that schizophrenics suffer from enhanced signaling of salience.

Distribution of interneurons in the CA2 region of the rat hippocampus

The CA2 region of the mammalian hippocampus is a unique region with its own distinctive properties, inputs and pathologies. Disruption of inhibitory circuits in this region appears to be linked with the pathology of specific psychiatric disorders, promoting interest in its local circuitry, its role in hippocampal function and its dysfunction in disease. In previous studies, CA2 interneurons, including a novel subclass of CA2 dendrite-preferring interneurons that has not been identified in other CA regions, have been shown to display physiological, synaptic and morphological properties unique to this sub-field and may therefore play a crucial role in the hippocampal circuitry. The distributions of immuno-labeled interneurons in dorsal CA2 were studied and compared with those of interneurons in CA1 and CA3. Like those in CA1 and CA3, the somata of CA2 parvalbumin-immunoperoxidase-labeled interneurons were located primarily in Stratum Pyramidale (SP) and Stratum Oriens (SO), with very few cells in Stratum Radiatum (SR) and none in Stratum Lacunosum Moleculare (SLM). There was, however, a greater proportion of GAD-positive cells were immunopositive for PV in SP in CA2 than in CA1 or CA3. CA2 SP also contained a larger density of somatostatin-, calbindin-, and VIP-immunopositive somata than CA1 and/or CA3. Like those in CA1 and CA3, CCK-immunopositive somata in CA2 were mostly located in SR. Reelin- and NPY- immunolabeled cell bodies were located in all layers of the three CA regions. However, a higher density of Reelin-positive somata was found in SP and SR of CA2 than in CA1 or CA3.

Amygdala activation and GABAergic gene expression in hippocampal sub-regions at the interplay of stress and spatial learning

Molecular processes in GABAergic local circuit neurons critically contribute to information processing in the hippocampus and to stress-induced activation of the amygdala. In the current study, we determined expression changes in GABA-related factors induced in subregions of the dorsal hippocampus as well as in the BLA of rats 5 h after spatial learning in a Morris water maze (MWM), using laser microdissection and quantitative real-time PCR. Spatial learning resulted in highly selective pattern of changes in hippocampal subregions: gene expression levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) were reduced in the hilus of the dentate gyrus (DG), whereas somatostatin (SST) was increased in the stratum oriens (SO) of CA3. The GABA-synthesizing enzymes GAD65 and GAD67 as well as the neuropeptide cholecystokinin (CCK) were reduced in SO of CA1. In the BLA, expression of GAD65 and GAD67 were reduced compared to a handled Control group. These expression patterns were further compared to alterations in a group of rats that have been exposed to the water maze but were not provided with an invisible escape platform. In this Water Exposure group, no expression changes were observed in any of the hippocampal subregions, but a differential regulation of all selected target genes was evident in the BLA. These findings suggest that expression changes of GABAergic factors in the hippocampus are associated with spatial learning, while additional stress effects modulate expression alterations in the BLA. Indeed, while in both experimental groups plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels were enhanced, only Water Exposure stress activated the basolateral amygdala (BLA), as indicated by increased levels of phosphorylated ERK 1/2. Altered GABAergic function in the BLA may thus contribute to memory consolidation in the hippocampus, in relation to levels of stress and emotionality associated with the experience.

Abnormal stress responsivity in a rodent developmental disruption model of schizophrenia

Although numerous studies have implicated stress in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, less is known about how the effects of stress interact with genetic, developmental, and/or environmental determinants to promote disease progression. In particular, it has been proposed that in humans, stress exposure in adolescence could combine with a predisposition towards increased stress sensitivity, leading to prodromal symptoms and eventually psychosis. However, the neurobiological substrates for this interaction are not fully characterized. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated that rats born to dams administered with the DNA-methylating agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 exhibit as adults behavioral and anatomical abnormalities consistent with those observed in patients with schizophrenia. Here, we examined behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress in the MAM model of schizophrenia. MAM-treated male rats were exposed to acute and repeated footshock stress at prepubertal, peripubteral, and adult ages. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), freezing, and corticosterone responses were quantified. We found that juvenile MAM-treated rats emitted significantly more calls, spent more time vocalizing, emitted calls at a higher rate, and showed more freezing in response to acute footshock stress when compared with their saline (SAL) treated counterparts, and that this difference is not present in older animals. In addition, adolescent MAM-treated animals displayed a blunted HPA axis corticosterone response to acute footshock that did not adapt after 10 days of stress exposure. These data demonstrate abnormal stress responsivity in the MAM model of schizophrenia and suggest that these animals are more sensitive to the effects of stress in youth.

Peripubertal diazepam administration prevents the emergence of dopamine system hyperresponsivity in the MAM developmental disruption model of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is believed to arise from an interaction of genetic predisposition and adverse environmental factors, with stress being a primary variable. We propose that alleviating anxiety produced in response to stress during a sensitive developmental period may circumvent the dopamine (DA) system alterations that may correspond to psychosis in adults. This was tested in a developmental rat model of schizophrenia based on prenatal administration of the mitotoxin methyl azoxymethanol acetate (MAM). MAM administration leads to a hyperdopaminergic state consisting of an increase in the number of DA neurons firing spontaneously, which correlates with an increased behavioral response to amphetamine. MAM-treated rats exhibited a heightened level of anxiety during adolescence. Peripubertal administration of the antianxiety agent diazepam was found to prevent the increase in DA neuron activity and blunt the behavioral hyperresponsivity to amphetamine in these rats. These data suggest that the pathophysiological factors leading to the onset of psychosis in early adulthood may be circumvented by controlling the response to stress during the peripubertal period.

Nicotinic receptors and functional regulation of GABA cell microcircuitry in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Studies of the hippocampus in postmortem brains from patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have provided evidence for a defect of GABAergic interneurons. Significant decreases in the expression of GAD67, a marker for GABA cell function, have been found repeatedly in several different brain regions that include the hippocampus. In this region, nicotinic receptors are thought to play an important role in modulating the activity of GABAergic interneurons by influences of excitatory cholinergic afferents on their activity. In bipolar disorder, this influence appears to be particularly prominent in the stratum oriens of sectors CA3/2 and CA1, two sites where these cells constitute the exclusive neuronal cell type. In sector CA3/2, this layer receives a robust excitatory projection from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and this is thought to play a central role in regulating GABA cells at this locus. Using laser microdissection, recent studies have focused selectively on these two layers and their associated GABA cells using microarray technology. The results have provided support for the idea that nicotinic cholinergic receptors play a particularly important role in regulating the activity of GABA neurons at these loci by regulating the progression of cell cycle and the repair of damaged DNA. In bipolar disorder, there is a prominent reduction in the expression of mRNAs for several different nicotinic subunit isoforms. These decreases could reflect a diminished influence of this receptor system on these GABA cells, particularly in sector CA3/2 where a preponderance of abnormalities have been observed in postmortem studies. In patients with bipolar disorder, excitatory nicotinic cholinergic fibers from the medial septum may converge with glutamatergic fibers from the BLA on GABAergic interneurons in the stratum oriens of CA3/2 and result in disturbances of their genomic and functional integrity, ones that may induce disruptions of the integration of microcircuitry within this region.

Amygdala abnormalities in first-degree relatives of individuals with schizophrenia unmasked by benzodiazepine challenge

RATIONALE

Impaired emotion processing in schizophrenia predicts broader social dysfunction and has been related to negative symptom severity and amygdala dysfunction. Pharmacological modulation of emotion-processing deficits and related neural abnormalities may provide useful phenotypes for pathophysiological investigation.

OBJECTIVES

We used an acute benzodiazepine challenge to identify and modulate potential emotion-processing abnormalities in 20 unaffected first-degree relatives of individuals with schizophrenia, compared to 25 control subjects without a family history of psychosis.

METHODS

An oral 1 mg dose of the short-acting anxiolytic benzodiazepine alprazolam was administered in a balanced crossover placebo-controlled double-blind design, preceding identical 3 T fMRI sessions approximately 1 week apart. Primary outcomes included fMRI activity in amygdala and related regions during two facial emotion-processing tasks: emotion identification and emotion memory.

RESULTS

Family members exhibited abnormally strong alprazolam-induced reduction in amygdala and hippocampus activation during emotion identification, compared to equal reduction in both groups for the emotion memory task.

CONCLUSIONS

GABAergic modulation with alprazolam produced differential responses in family members vs. controls, perhaps by unmasking underlying amygdalar and/or GABAergic abnormalities. Such pharmacological fMRI paradigms could prove useful for developing drugs targeting specific neural circuits to treat or prevent schizophrenia.

Contribution of nonprimate animal models in understanding the etiology of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder that is characterized by positive and negative symptoms and cognitive impairments. The etiology of the disorder is complex, and it is thought to follow a multifactorial threshold model of inheritance with genetic and neurodevelop mental contributions to risk. Human studies are particularly useful in capturing the richness of the phenotype, but they are often limited to the use of correlational approaches. By assessing behavioural abnormalities in both humans and rodents, nonprimate animal models of schizophrenia provide unique insight into the etiology and mechanisms of the disorder. This review discusses the phenomenology and etiology of schizophrenia and the contribution of current nonprimate animal models with an emphasis on how research with models of neuro transmitter dysregulation, environmental risk factors, neurodevelopmental disruption and genetic risk factors can complement the literature on schizophrenia in humans.

Annual Research Review: New frontiers in developmental neuropharmacology: can long-term therapeutic effects of drugs be optimized through carefully timed early intervention?

Our aim is to present a working model that may serve as a valuable heuristic to predict enduring effects of drugs when administered during development. Our primary tenet is that a greater understanding of neurodevelopment can lead to improved treatment that intervenes early in the progression of a given disorder and prevents symptoms from manifesting. The immature brain undergoes significant changes during the transitions between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Such changes in innervation, neurotransmitter levels, and their respective signaling mechanisms have profound and observable changes on typical behavior, but also increase vulnerability to psychiatric disorders when the maturational process goes awry. Given the remarkable plasticity of the immature brain to adapt to its external milieu, preventive interventions may be possible. We intend for this review to initiate a discussion of how currently used psychotropic agents can influence brain development. Drug exposure during sensitive periods may have beneficial long-term effects, but harmful delayed consequences may be possible as well. Regardless of the outcome, this information needs to be used to improve or develop alternative approaches for the treatment of childhood disorders. With this framework in mind, we present what is known about the effects of stimulants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics on brain maturation (including animal studies that use more clinically-relevant dosing paradigms or relevant animal models). We endeavor to provocatively set the stage for altering treatment approaches for improving mental health in non-adult populations.

Amygdalocortical circuitry in schizophrenia: from circuits to molecules

Schizophrenia is a disorder in which disturbances in the integration of emotion with cognition plays a central role and probably involves several different regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, the hippocampal formation, and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Recent brain imaging studies have reported changes in volume, whereas postmortem studies point to dysfunction of the GABA and glutamate systems in these regions. Microarray-based profiles indicate that complex changes in the expression of genes associated with synaptic transmission and ion channels are involved in GABA cell dysfunction in schizophrenics. Molecular abnormalities vary considerably on the basis of sector and layer, suggesting that the unique connectivity of intrinsic and extrinsic afferents may critical in regulating the activity of genes in specific subpopulations of GABA cells. Projections of the BLA may be of particular importance to the induction of abnormal circuitry in schizophrenia, as their ingrowth during late adolescence and early adulthood may help to 'trigger' the onset of illness in susceptible individuals. A preponderance of cellular and molecular abnormalities has been found in the stratum oriens (SO) of sectors CA3/2 in which BLA afferents provide a robust innervation. These observations have lead to the development of a rodent model for the study of abnormal circuitry in this disorder. For example, single-cell recordings in hippocampal slices exposed to increased activation from the BLA have shown decreases in GABA currents in pyramidal neurons in SO of CA3/2, but not CA1, and support the validity of this model. Overall, the postmortem studies of neural circuitry abnormalities in schizophrenia are beginning to implicate specific cellular, molecular, and electrophysiological mechanism in specific subtypes of cortical neurons defined by their afferent and efferent connectivity within key corticolimbic regions.

Hippocampal oscillations in the rodent model of schizophrenia induced by amygdala GABA receptor blockade

Brain oscillations are critical for cognitive processes, and their alterations in schizophrenia have been proposed to contribute to cognitive impairments. Network oscillations rely upon GABAergic interneurons, which also show characteristic changes in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to examine the capability of hippocampal networks to generate oscillations in a rat model previously shown to reproduce the stereotypic structural alterations of the hippocampal interneuron circuit seen in schizophrenic patients. This model uses injection of GABA-A receptor antagonist picrotoxin into the basolateral amygdala which causes cell-type specific disruption of interneuron signaling in the hippocampus. We found that after such treatment, hippocampal theta rhythm was still present during REM sleep, locomotion, and exploration of novel environment and could be elicited under urethane anesthesia. Subtle changes in theta and gamma parameters were observed in both preparations; specifically in the stimulus intensity-theta frequency relationship under urethane and in divergent reactions of oscillations at the two major theta dipoles in freely moving rats. Thus, theta power in the CA1 region was generally enhanced as compared with deep theta dipole which decreased or did not change. The results indicate that pathologic reorganization of interneurons that follows the over-activation of the amygdala-hippocampal pathway, as shown for this model of schizophrenia, does not lead to destruction of the oscillatory circuit but changes the normal balance of rhythmic activity in its various compartments.

Cingulate white matter neurons in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Increased neuronal density in prefrontal, parietal, and temporal white matter of schizophrenia subjects is thought to reflect disordered neurodevelopment; however, it is not known if this cellular alteration affects the cingulate cortex and whether similar changes exist in bipolar disorder.

METHOD

Eighty-two postmortem specimens (bipolar 15, schizophrenia 22, control 45) were included in this clinical study. Densities for two neuronal markers, neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and neuregulin 1 alpha (NRG), were determined in white matter up to 2.5 mm beneath the anterior cingulate cortex; density of NeuN immunopositive neurons (NeuN+) was also determined for a subset of cases in prefrontal cortex. Changes during normal development were monitored in a separate cohort of 14 brains.

RESULTS

Both the schizophrenia and bipolar cohorts demonstrated a twofold increase in NeuN+ density in cingulate white matter; this effect could be attributed to approximately 25% of cases that exceeded the second standard deviation from control subjects. Similar changes were observed in prefrontal cortex. In contrast density of NRG expressing neurons was unaltered. Cases with increased NeuN+ densities in two-dimensional (2-D) counts also showed a pronounced, > fivefold elevation in NeuN+ nuclei per cubic millimeter. Additionally, the developmental cohort demonstrated a 75% decline in NeuN+ neuronal density during the first postnatal year but was stable thereafter.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased neuronal density in white matter of cingulate cortex in schizophrenia provides further evidence that this alteration occurs in multiple cortical areas. Similar changes in some cases with bipolar illness suggest that the two disorders may share a common underlying defect in late prenatal or early postnatal neurodevelopment.

Amygdala-dependent regulation of electrical properties of hippocampal interneurons in a model of schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia (SZ) involves dysfunction of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic transmission in the hippocampus (HIPP), particularly in sector CA2/3. Previous work using a rodent model of postmortem abnormalities in SZ demonstrated that activation of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) results in decreases of GABA currents in pyramidal neurons of CA2/3 but not CA1. In addition, a decrease of GABA cells has been reported in postmortem studies of the HIPP in SZ. In the present work we tested the hypothesis that BLA activation in this rodent model of SZ leads to changes in the electrical properties of interneurons located in sector CA2/3.

METHODS

Patch clamp recordings in HIPP slices were performed in rat HIPP slices after 15 days of infusion of picrotoxin into the BLA. The intrinsic and firing properties and hyperpolarization-activated currents (Ih) of interneurons were measured in stratum oriens (SO) of CA2/3 and CA1.

RESULTS

The BLA activation was associated with a lower resting membrane potential and an increased action potential firing rate in interneurons of CA2/3 but not CA1. Recordings from interneurons further demonstrated an increase of currents associated with hyperpolarization-activated cationic channels (Ih), which help to control neuronal firing rates and oscillatory rhythms.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, these results suggest that the enhanced BLA activity is capable of increasing the excitability of interneurons in SO of CA2/3 and might contribute to GABAergic dysfunction in SZ.

The evolution of drug development in schizophrenia: past issues and future opportunities

Schizophrenia is a disease syndrome with major public health implications. The primary advance in pharmacotherapeutics was in 1952 with the introduction of antipsychotic medications (ie, chlorpromazine, dopamine D2 antagonism). Barriers to progress have been substantial, but many will be subject to rapid change based on current knowledge. There are attractive psychopathology indications for drug discovery (eg, impaired cognition and negative symptoms), and drugs with efficacy in these domains may have application across a number of disease classes. These pathologies are observed prior to psychosis raising the possibility of very early intervention and secondary prevention. Success in drug discovery for cognition and negative symptom pathologies may bring forth issues in ethics as the potential for enhancing normal function is explored.

The amygdala modulates neuronal activation in the hippocampus in response to spatial novelty

Emerging evidence indicates that the amygdala and the hippocampus play an important role in the pathophysiology of major psychotic disorders. Consistent with this evidence, and with data indicating amygdala modulation of hippocampal activity, animal model investigations have shown that a disruption of amygdala activity induces neurochemical changes in the hippocampus that are similar to those detected in subjects with schizophrenia. With the present study, we used induction of the immediate early gene Fos, to test the hypothesis that the amygdala may affect neuronal activation of the hippocampus in response to different spatial environments (familiar, modified, and novel). Exploratory and anxiety related behaviors were also assessed. In vehicle-treated rats, exposure to a modified version of the familiar environment was associated with an increase of numerical densities of Fos-immunoreactive nuclei in sectors CA1 and CA2, while exposure to a completely novel environment was associated with an increase in sectors CA1, CA4, and DG, compared with the familiar environment. Pharmacological disruption of amygdala activity resulted in a failure to increase Fos induction in the hippocampus in response to these environments. Exploratory behavior in response to the different environments was not altered by manipulation of amygdala activity. These findings support the idea that the amygdala modulates spatial information processing in the hippocampus and may affect encoding of specific environmental features, while complex behavioral responses to environment may be the result of broader neural circuits. These findings also raise the possibility that amygdala abnormalities may contribute to impairments in cognitive information processing in subjects with major psychoses.

Searching for unique endophenotypes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder within neural circuits and their molecular regulatory mechanisms

The endophenotype is a construct that has utility for the study of postmortem brains from patients with psychotic disorders. By identifying networks of genes that show changes in expression within specific neuronal populations implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it may be possible to move toward understanding these disorders at the cellular and molecular levels. The ultimate goal is to characterize their respective underlying genotypes.

Selective epigenetic alteration of layer I GABAergic neurons isolated from prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia patients using laser-assisted microdissection

Among the most consistent results of studies of post-mortem brain tissue from schizophrenia patients (SZP) is the finding that in this disease, several genes expressed by GABAergic neurons are downregulated. This downregulation may be caused by hypermethylation of the relevant promoters in affected neurons. Indeed, increased numbers of GABAergic interneurons expressing DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) mRNA have been demonstrated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of SZP using in situ hybridization. The present study expands upon these findings using nested competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction combined with laser-assisted microdissection to quantitate the extent of DNMT1 mRNA overexpression in distinct populations of GABAergic neurons obtained from either layer I or layer V of the PFC of SZP. In a cohort of eight SZP and eight non-psychiatric subject (NPS) post-mortem BA9 tissue samples, DNMT1 mRNA was found to be selectively expressed in GABAergic interneurons and virtually absent in pyramidal neurons. DNMT1 mRNA expression was approximately threefold higher in GABAergic interneurons microdissected from layer I of SZP relative to the same neurons microdissected from NPS. GABAergic interneurons obtained from layer V of the same samples displayed no difference in DNMT1 mRNA expression between groups. In the same samples, the GABAergic neuron-specific glutamic acid-decarboxylase(67) (GAD(67)) and reelin mRNAs were underexpressed twofold in GABAergic interneurons isolated from layer I of SZP relative to GABAergic interneurons microdissected from layer I of NPS, and unaltered in GABAergic interneurons of layer V. These findings implicate an epigenetically mediated layer I GABAergic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and suggest novel strategies for treatment of the disease.

A rat model for neural circuitry abnormalities in schizophrenia

Animal models for complex brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, are essential for the interpretation of postmortem findings. These models allow empirical testing of hypotheses regarding the role of genetic and environmental factors, the pathophysiological mechanisms and brain circuits that are responsible for specific neural abnormalities and their associated behavioral impairment, and the effectiveness of therapeutic treatments relative to these diseases. Recently, we developed a rodent model for neural circuitry abnormalities in discrete corticolimbic subregions of subjects with major psychoses. According to our protocol, the GABA-A receptor antagonist picrotoxin is stereotaxically infused in the basolateral amygdala to mimic a GABA defect in this region that is postulated to occur in these disorders. This protocol has been tested with a number of acute and chronic time schedules. Following picrotoxin administration in the basolateral amygdala, changes in GABAergic neurons and/or terminals in hippocampal regions CA2/3 are observed, similar to those seen in major psychoses, as well as a marked reduction in GABA-receptor-mediated currents in pyramidal neurons of this region. This has established the construct and predictive validity of this model for studying limbic-lobe circuitry abnormalities. We propose that this modeling strategy may provide a valid alternative to isomorphic models of these diseases.

Mapping of hippocampal gene clusters regulated by the amygdala to nonlinkage sites for schizophrenia

A recent study using a 'partial' rodent model of schizophrenia has employed amygdalar activation to induce reported changes in the expression of hippocampal genes associated with metabolic and signaling pathways in response to amygdalar activation. The amygdalo-hippocampal pathway plays a central role in the regulation of the stress response and emotional learning. In the current study, we have performed a chromosome mapping analysis to determine whether genes showing changes in response to environmental stress may form clusters and, if so, whether they might show a topographical association with linkage sites for schizophrenia. When the hippocampal genes showing changes in expression were topographically mapped on specific rat chromosomes, significant clustering was observed on chromosomes 1, 4 and 8, although chromosome 1 showed the largest amount of clustering. When these same rodent genes were mapped to human chromosomes, most of the genes found on chromosome 1 in rat mapped to chromosome 11 in human. The vast majority of the genes showing changes in regulation were excluded from known linkage sites for schizophrenia. Based on these findings, we postulate that environmental factors may contribute to the endophenotype for schizophrenia through the activation and/or deactivation of specific genetic clusters, ones that do not appear to be directly associated with susceptibility genes for this disorder.

The dual origin hypothesis: An evolutionary brain-behavior framework for analyzing psychiatric disorders

According to the dual origin hypothesis, the cerebral cortex of higher mammals evolved from two primordial brain structures, the amygdala and hippocampal formation. This developmental process defines the orderly principles of cortical connectivity and gives rise to functionally distinct ventral and dorsal systems within the cerebrum. This paper reviews the basic features of the dual origin theory. This model is then applied to understanding symptom production in a number of psychiatric illnesses, with particular reference to recent structural and functional imaging studies. In this paper I propose that psychiatric symptoms can be conceptualized as arising from abnormal processing within dorsal (time-space-motility) or ventral (meaning-motivation) systems, or from a disturbance in the functional interaction/balance between them. Within this framework, one can identify symptom-specific correlations that cross-traditional diagnostic boundaries, as well as potential mechanisms that may explain biologically valid diagnostic entities. Integrating evolutionary, connectional and functional bases across multiple species, the dual origin hypothesis offers a powerful neural systems model to help organize our understanding of psychiatric illness, therein suggesting novel approaches to diagnosis, prevention and treatment.

Cortico-amygdala circuits: role in the conditioned stress response

The amygdala plays a crucial role in the orchestration and modulation of the organism response to aversive, stressful events. This response could be conceived as the result of two interdependent components. The first is represented by sets of visceral and motor responses aimed at helping the organism to cope with the present event. The second is the acquisition and modulation of memories relative to the stressful stimulus and its context. This latter component contributes to the instatement of conditioned stress responses that are essential to the capability of the organism to predict future exposures to similar stimuli in order to avoid them or counteract them effectively. In the amygdala, these two components become fully integrated. Massive networks link the amygdala to the hypothalamus, midbrain and brainstem. These networks convey visceral, humoral and nociceptive information to the amygdala and mediate its effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as well on autonomic and motor centers. On the other hand, interactions between the amygdala and interconnected cortical networks play a crucial role in acquisition, consolidation and extinction of learning relative to the stressful stimulus. Within the scope of this review, current evidence relative to the interaction between the amygdala and cortical networks will be considered in relationship to the integration of the conditioned response to stress.

Regulation of synaptic plasticity in a schizophrenia model

The pathology of schizophrenia is characterized by increased hippocampal activity at baseline and during auditory hallucinations. Animal-model studies in which the flow of activity to the hippocampus is increased through decreased amygdalar GABAergic inhibition have shown alterations of hippocampal circuitry similar to schizophrenia, but the functional importance of this phenomenon remains unclear. We provide evidence of decreased hippocampal feed-forward and tonic GABA-mediated inhibition in this animal model, complementing increased hippocampal activity seen in neuroimaging and postmortem studies. We demonstrate that GABA dysfunction increases long-term potentiation through activation of the cholinergic system, offering a new mechanism for pharmacological strategies of this disorder.

Differences in the cellular distribution of D1 receptor mRNA in the hippocampus of bipolars and schizophrenics

Several lines of evidence have pointed to a role of the dopamine system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. A recent postmortem study demonstrated a selective decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase fibers on pyramidal neurons in sector CA2 in the hippocampus of schizophrenics. Although both brain imaging and postmortem studies have examined the distribution of the D1 receptor in the prefrontal and cingulate cortex, no study to date has examined its expression of mRNA using a high-resolution autoradiographic approach. In order to further assess whether the regulation of the dopamine D1 receptor is altered in hippocampal neurons in this disorder, we used in situ hybridization (ISH) to measure the expression of messenger RNA for this receptor in the dentate gyrus and sectors CA1-4. Both the number of cells expressing D1 mRNA and the amount of expression per cell were measured in 15 schizophrenic, 15 bipolar disorder, and 15 normal control subjects. The results show a significant (21%) and selective decrease in D1 mRNA expression in sector CA3 of schizophrenic subjects. First-degree relatives of schizophrenics did not show any differences in either the expression of D1 mRNA per cell or the number of cells expressing this mRNA when compared to a separate group of normal controls matched for age and PMI. Subjects with bipolar disorder also showed a significant (25%) and selective increase of D1 mRNA expression in sector CA2. Other hippocampal sectors did not show significant changes. These findings in schizophrenics and bipolars were also associated with inverse changes in the overall number of neurons expressing D1 mRNA in sectors CA3 and CA2, respectively. This study shows diagnosis-specific changes in D1 mRNA expression in the hippocampus of schizophrenic versus bipolar subjects and suggests that this neuromodulatory system may show distinct changes in the pathophysiology of the two disorders.

Long-term effects of amygdala GABA receptor blockade on specific subpopulations of hippocampal interneurons

Growing evidence indicates that the amygdala modulates hippocampal functions. To test the hypothesis that this modulation may involve long-lasting effects on interneuronal networks in the hippocampus, changes in the expression of neurochemical markers specific for different interneuronal subpopulations were assessed in adult rats 96 h following acute infusion of low doses of the GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin into the amygdala. The numerical density (Nd) of somata showing immunoreactivity (IR) for parvalbumin (PVB) was decreased in dentate gyrus (DG) and the CA4-2 region, while that of calretinin (CR)-IR was decreased in DG and CA2. The Nd of calbindin D28k (CB)-IR somata was decreased in CA3-2. The densities of axon terminals arising from PVB-IR and cholecystokinin (CCK)-IR basket neurons were also altered, with those of CCK-IR terminals increased across all sectors, while PVB-IR terminals were decreased only in the CA region. Increases in CCK-IR terminals were paralleled by increases of terminals with IR for the 65-kD isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65). Mixed-effects statistical models, adapted specifically for these analyses, indicated that perturbations of amygdalar inputs to the hippocampus significantly alter the drive that hippocampal PVB-, CR-, and CB-IR neurons within the dentate gyrus/CA4 region exercise on CCK-IR terminals within the same region as well as in CA3-1. These results suggest that amygdalar modulation of specific neuronal subpopulations may induce lasting and far-reaching changes in the hippocampus during normal functioning, as well as in diseases involving a disruption of amygdalar activity. In particular, changes in specific interneuronal markers within selective hippocampal sectors detected in the present results are strikingly similar to those reported in this region in schizophrenia. These similarities suggest that, in this disease, a disruption of GABAergic transmission within the amygdala may play a significant role in the induction of abnormalities in the hippocampus.

Infralimbic cortex activation increases c-Fos expression in intercalated neurons of the amygdala

Recently, it was reported that stimulation of the infralimbic cortex produces a feedforward inhibition of central amygdala neurons. The interest of this observation comes from the fact that the central nucleus is the main output station of the amygdala for conditioned fear responses and evidence that the infralimbic cortex plays a critical role in the extinction of conditioned fear. However, the identity of the neurons mediating this infralimbic-evoked inhibition of the central nucleus remains unknown. Likely candidates are intercalated amygdala neurons. Indeed, these cells receive glutamatergic afferents from the infralimbic cortex, use GABA as a transmitter, and project to the central amygdala. Thus, the present study was undertaken to test whether, in adult rats, the infralimbic cortex can affect the activity of intercalated neurons. To this end, disinhibition of the infralimbic cortex was induced by local infusion of the non-competitive GABA-A receptor antagonist picrotoxin. Subsequently, neuronal activation was determined bilaterally within the amygdala using induction of the immediate early gene Fos. Infralimbic disinhibition produced a significant increase in the number of Fos-immunoreactive intercalated cells bilaterally whereas no change was detected in the central nucleus. In the basolateral amygdaloid complex, increases in the number of Fos-immunoreactive cells only reached significance in the contralateral lateral nucleus. These results suggest that glutamatergic inputs from the infralimbic cortex directly activate intercalated neurons. Thus, our findings raise the possibility that the infralimbic cortex inhibits conditioned fear via the excitation of intercalated cells and the consequent inhibition of central amygdala neurons.

Stereological quantification of GAD-67-immunoreactive neurons and boutons in the hippocampus of middle-aged and old Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats

The aging process in rodents is associated with learning and memory impairments that are correlated with changes in multiple neurotransmitter systems in the hippocampus. For example, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system is compromised in old compared with young rats (Shetty and Turner [1998] J. Comp. Neurol. 394:252-269; Vela et al. [2003] J. Neurochem. 85:368-377; Potier et al. [1992] Neuroscience 48:793-806; Potier et al. [1994] Brain Res. 661:181-188). The present study investigated the important issue of whether there is a decline of the GABAergic inhibitory system between middle and old age. Five middle-aged (15-17 months) and five old (25-29 months) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway male rats were perfused, and coronal sections through the dorsal hippocampus were immunoreacted with antibodies either to NeuN, a neuronal marker, or to the 67-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the rate-limiting enzyme for GABA synthesis. Using the optical dissector technique, NeuN-immunoreactive (IR) cells, GAD-IR cells, and GAD-IR boutons were quantified stereologically in the dentate gyrus, CA3, and CA1. The resulting GAD-IR cell and GAD-IR bouton densities then were normalized to NeuN-IR cell density to exclude the possible confound of tissue shrinkage. The results revealed a significant decline in GAD-IR cells between middle and old age in CA1 but not in dentate gyrus or CA3. Interestingly, GAD-IR boutons did not show a decline in CA1, CA3, or dentate gyrus between middle and old age. It is possible that loss of CA1 inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal hippocampus contributes to the learning and memory impairments reported in old rats.

Expression of disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) protein in the adult and developing mouse brain indicates its role in neurodevelopment

Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) was identified as a potential susceptibility gene for schizophrenia due to its disruption by a balanced t(1;11) (q42;q14) translocation, which has been shown to cosegregate with major psychiatric disease in a large Scottish family. We have recently presented evidence that DISC1 exists in a neurodevelopmentally regulated protein complex with Nudel. In this study, we report the protein expression profile of DISC1 in the adult and developing mouse brain utilizing immunohistochemistry and quantitative Western blot. In the adult mouse brain, DISC1 is expressed in neurons within various brain areas including the olfactory bulb, cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebellum and brain stem. During development, DISC1 protein is detected at all stages, from E10 to 6 months old, with two significant peaks of protein expression of a DISC1 isoform at E13.5 and P35. Interestingly, these time points correspond to critical stages during mouse development, the active neurogenesis period in the developing brain and the period of puberty. Together, these results suggest that DISC1 may play a critical role in brain development, consistent with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of the etiology of schizophrenia.

Acute amygdalar activation induces an upregulation of multiple monoamine G protein coupled pathways in rat hippocampus

A "partial" rodent model for schizophrenia has been used to characterize the regulation of hippocampal genes in response to amygdalar activation. At 96 h after the administration of picrotoxin into the basolateral nucleus, we have observed an increase in the expression of genes associated with 18 different monoamine (ie adrenergic alpha 1, alpha 2 and beta 2, serotonergic 5HT5b and 5HT6, dopamine D4 and muscarinic m1, m2 and m3) and peptide (CCK A and B, angiotensin 1A, mu and kappa opiate, FSH, TSH, LH, GNRH, and neuropeptide Y) G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). These latter receptors are associated with three different G protein signaling pathways (Gq, Gs, and Gi) in which significant changes in gene expression were also noted for adenylate cyclase (AC4), phosphodiesterase (PDE4D), protein kinase A (PKA), and protein kinase C (PKC). Quantitative RT-PCR was used to validate the results and demonstrated that there were predictable increases of three GPCRs selected for this analysis, including the dopamine D4, alpha 1b, and CCK-B receptors. Eight out of the nine monoamine receptors showing these changes have moderate to high affinity for the atypical antipsychotic, clozapine. Taken together, these results suggest that amygdalar activation may play a role in the pathophysiology and treatment of psychosis by regulating the activity of multiple GPCR and metabolic pathways in hippocampal cells.

Prepulse inhibition deficits in GAD65 knockout mice and the effect of antipsychotic treatment

Recent postmortem studies in humans suggest that defects in GABAergic neurotransmission might contribute to the neuropathology associated with schizophrenia. Disturbances in GABAergic systems may also contribute to the sensorimotor gating deficits classically observed in schizophrenic patients, including deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI). To explore the relationship, the current study examined the integrity of PPI and startle habituation in knockout (KO) mice that lack the GABA synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD 65). GAD65 KO mice displayed normal baseline and habituated startle responses, which did not differ from GAD65 wild-type (WT) or heterozygous (HET) mice. However, GAD65 KO mice showed robust deficits in PPI which were reversed by the atypical antipsychotic agent clozapine. These results lend support to the view that abnormalities in GABAergic systems might contribute to the basic pathophysiological mechanisms in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia: a review of neuropharmacology

BACKGROUND

The last few decades have seen significant advances in our understanding of the neurochemical basis of schizophrenia.

AIMS

To describe the neurotransmitter systems and nerve circuits implicated in schizophrenia; to compare the neuropharmacology of typical and atypical anti-psychotic agents; and to describe recent developments in the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia.

METHODS

Relevant pharmacological, neurophysiological and psychiatric literature was examined and reviewed.

RESULTS

Schizophrenia is associated with abnormalities of multiple neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate. Typical and atypical antipsychotic agents differ in their receptor-binding affinities, which are related to their differing side-effect profiles. Novel therapeutic strategies include normalisation of synaptic dopamine or serotonin levels, serotonin receptor antagonism and modulation of cerebral protein synthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

The ideal treatment for schizophrenia may not be a single pharmacological agent but several agents that match the different expressions of the illness, in combination with psycho-social interventions.

Involvement of highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM)-positive granule cells in the amygdaloid-kindling-induced sprouting of a hippocampal mossy fiber trajectory

The mossy fiber system in the hippocampus of amygdaloid-kindled rats was examined by using highly polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) as a marker for immunohistochemical detection of immature dentate granule cells and mossy fibers in combination with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of newly generated granule cells. Statistically significant increases in BrdU-labeled cells and PSA-NCAM-positive cells occurred in the dentate gyrus following kindling. The increase in PSA-NCAM-immunoreactive neurites was confined to the entire stratum lucidum of CA3. Immunoelectron-microscopic examination also revealed that PSA-NCAM-positive immature synaptic terminals of the sprouting mossy fibers increased in the stratum lucidum of CA3 in the kindled rats. The increase in the numbers of PSA-NCAM-positive granule cells correlated well with the increase in the immunopositive neurites and synaptic terminals on the mossy fiber trajectory. The increase in these PSA-NCAM-immunopositive structures is thought to reflect the enhancement of sprouting and synaptogenesis of mossy fibers by a subset of granule cells newly generated during amygdaloid-kindling and suggests that the reorganization of the mossy fiber system on the normal trajectory at least in part contributes to the acquisition and maintenance of an epileptogenic state.

Parallel activation of field CA2 and dentate gyrus by synaptically elicited perforant path volleys

Previous studies showed that dorsal psalterium (PSD) volleys to the entorhinal cortex (ENT) activated in layer II perforant path neurons projecting to the dentate gyrus. The discharge of layer II neurons was followed by the sequential activation of the dentate gyrus (DG), field CA3, field CA1. The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether in this experimental model field, CA2, a largely ignored sector, is activated either directly by perforant path volleys and/or indirectly by recurrent hippocampal projections. Field potentials evoked by single-shock PSD stimulation were recorded in anesthetized guinea pigs from ENT, DG, fields CA2, CA1, and CA3. Current source-density (CSD) analysis was used to localize the input/s to field CA2. The results showed the presence in field CA2 of an early population spike superimposed on a slow wave (early response) and of a late and smaller population spike, superimposed on a slow wave (late response). CSD analysis during the early CA2 response showed a current sink in stratum lacunosum-moleculare, followed by a sink moving from stratum radiatum to stratum pyramidale, suggesting that this response represented the activation and discharge of CA2 pyramidal neurons, mediated by perforant path fibers to this field. CSD analysis during the late response showed a current sink in middle stratum radiatum of CA2 followed by a sink moving from inner stratum radiatum to stratum pyramidale, suggesting that this response was mediated by Schaffer collaterals from field CA3. No early population spike was evoked in CA3. However, an early current sink of small magnitude was evoked in stratum lacunosum-moleculare of CA3, suggesting the presence of synaptic currents mediated by perforant path fibers to this field. The results provide novel information about the perforant path system, by showing that dorsal psalterium volleys to the entorhinal cortex activate perforant path neurons that evoke the parallel discharge of granule cells and CA2 pyramidal neurons and depolarization, but no discharge of CA3 pyramidal neurons. Consequently, field CA2 may mediate the direct transfer of ENT signals to hippocampal and extrahippocampal structures in parallel with the DG-CA3-CA1 system and may provide a security factor in situations in which the latter is disrupted.

Intracerebroventricular kainic acid administration to neonatal rats alters interneuron development in the hippocampus

The effects of neonatal exposure to excitotoxins on the development of interneurons have not been well characterized, but may be relevant to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study, the excitotoxin, kainic acid (KA) was administered to rats at postnatal day 7 (P7) by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion. At P14, P25, P40 and P60, Nissl staining and immunohistochemical studies with the interneuron markers, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD-67), calbindin-D28k (CB) and parvalbumin (PV) were performed in the hippocampus. In control animals, the total number of interneurons, as well as the number of interneurons stained with GAD-67, CB and PV, was nearly constant from P14 through P60. In KA-treated rats, Nissl staining, GAD-67 staining, and CB staining revealed a progressive decline in the overall number of interneurons in the CA1 and CA3 subfields from P14 to P60. In contrast, PV staining in KA-treated rats showed initial decreases in the number of interneurons in the CA1 and CA3 subfields at P14 followed by increases that approached control levels by P60. These results suggest that, in general, early exposure to the excitotoxin KA decreases the number of hippocampal interneurons, but has a more variable effect on the specific population of interneurons labeled by PV. The functional impact of these changes may be relevant to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.