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Gilmour KM, Bard B. Social buffering of the stress response: insights from fishes. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220332. [PMID: 36285460 PMCID: PMC9597401 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social buffering of stress refers to the effect of a social partner in reducing the cortisol or corticosterone response to a stressor. It has been well studied in mammals, particularly those that form pair bonds. Recent studies on fishes suggest that social buffering of stress also occurs in solitary species, gregarious species that form loose aggregations and species with well-defined social structures and bonds. The diversity of social contexts in which stress buffering has been observed in fishes holds promise to shed light on the evolution of this phenomenon among vertebrates. Equally, the relative simplicity of the fish brain is advantageous for identifying the neural mechanisms responsible for social buffering. In particular, fishes have a relatively small and simple forebrain but the brain regions that are key to social buffering, including the social behaviour network, the amygdala and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis, are functionally conserved across vertebrates. Thus, we suggest that insight into the mechanistic and evolutionary underpinnings of stress buffering in vertebrates can be gained from the study of social buffering of stress in fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M. Gilmour
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Brittany Bard
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
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2
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Hennessy MB, Miller JA, Carter KA, Molina AL, Schiml PA, Deak T. Sensitization of depressive‐like behavior is attenuated by disruption of prostaglandin synthesis days following brief early attachment‐figure isolation. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22237. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - John A. Miller
- Department of Psychology Wright State University Dayton Ohio USA
| | - Kendra A. Carter
- Department of Psychology Wright State University Dayton Ohio USA
| | - Andrea L. Molina
- Department of Psychology Wright State University Dayton Ohio USA
| | | | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program Department of Psychology Binghamton University Binghamton New York USA
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3
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Robinson-Drummer PA, Opendak M, Blomkvist A, Chan S, Tan S, Delmer C, Wood K, Sloan A, Jacobs L, Fine E, Chopra D, Sandler C, Kamenetzky G, Sullivan RM. Infant Trauma Alters Social Buffering of Threat Learning: Emerging Role of Prefrontal Cortex in Preadolescence. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:132. [PMID: 31293398 PMCID: PMC6598593 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Within the infant-caregiver attachment system, the primary caregiver holds potent reward value to the infant, exhibited by infants' strong preference for approach responses and proximity-seeking towards the mother. A less well-understood feature of the attachment figure is the caregiver's ability to reduce fear via social buffering, commonly associated with the notion of a "safe haven" in the developmental literature. Evidence suggests this infant system overlaps with the neural network supporting social buffering (attenuation) of fear in the adults of many species, a network known to involve the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Here, using odor-shock conditioning in young developing rats, we assessed when the infant system transitions to the adult-like PFC-dependent social buffering of threat system. Rat pups were odor-shock conditioned (0.55 mA-0.6 mA) at either postnatal day (PN18; dependent on mother) or 28 (newly independent, weaned at PN23). Within each age group, the mother was present or absent during conditioning, with PFC assessment following acquisition using 14C 2-DG autoradiography and cue testing the following day. Since the human literature suggests poor attachment attenuates the mother's ability to socially buffer the infants, half of the pups at each age were reared with an abusive mother from PN8-12. The results showed that for typical control rearing, the mother attenuated fear in both PN18 and PN28 pups, although the PFC [infralimbic (IL) and ventral prelimbic (vPL) cortices] was only engaged at PN28. Abuse rearing completely disrupted social buffering of pups by the mother at PN18. The results from PN28 pups showed that while the mother modulated learning in both control and abuse-reared pups, the behavioral and PFC effects were attenuated after maltreatment. Our data suggest that pups transition to the adult-like PFC social support circuit after independence from the mother (PN28), and this circuit remains functional after early-life trauma, although its effectiveness appears reduced. This is in sharp contrast to the effects of early life trauma during infancy, where social buffering of the infant is more robustly impacted. We suggest that the infant social buffering circuit is disengaged by early-life trauma, while the adolescent PFC-dependent social buffering circuit may use a safety signal with unreliable safety value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrese A. Robinson-Drummer
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anna Blomkvist
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephanie Chan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Stephen Tan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Cecilia Delmer
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kira Wood
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Aliza Sloan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
| | - Lily Jacobs
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Biology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eliana Fine
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Biology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Divija Chopra
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Chaim Sandler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Biology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Giselle Kamenetzky
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A Lanari, IDIM-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Combatientes de Malvinas 3150 (CP 1427), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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Callaghan B, Meyer H, Opendak M, Van Tieghem M, Harmon C, Li A, Lee FS, Sullivan RM, Tottenham N. Using a Developmental Ecology Framework to Align Fear Neurobiology Across Species. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2019; 15:345-369. [PMID: 30786246 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Children's development is largely dependent on caregiving; when caregiving is disrupted, children are at increased risk for numerous poor outcomes, in particular psychopathology. Therefore, determining how caregivers regulate children's affective neurobiology is essential for understanding psychopathology etiology and prevention. Much of the research on affective functioning uses fear learning to map maturation trajectories, with both rodent and human studies contributing knowledge. Nonetheless, as no standard framework exists through which to interpret developmental effects across species, research often remains siloed, thus contributing to the current therapeutic impasse. Here, we propose a developmental ecology framework that attempts to understand fear in the ecological context of the child: their relationship with their parent. By referring to developmental goals that are shared across species (to attach to, then, ultimately, separate from the parent), this framework provides a common grounding from which fear systems and their dysfunction can be understood, thus advancing research on psychopathologies and their treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , , .,Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Heidi Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Maya Opendak
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University, Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Nathan S. Klein Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA;
| | | | - Chelsea Harmon
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , ,
| | - Anfei Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Francis S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA; , ,
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University, Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Nathan S. Klein Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA;
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; , , ,
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Hennessy MB, Schiml PA, Berberich K, Beasley NL, Deak T. Early Attachment Disruption, Inflammation, and Vulnerability for Depression in Rodent and Primate Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 12:314. [PMID: 30666192 PMCID: PMC6330302 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early experiments in nonhuman primates established the relation between disruption of filial attachment and depressive-like outcomes. Subsequent studies in rats and mice have been instrumental in linking depressive-like outcomes to disturbances in maternal behavior. Another aspect of attachment disruption, absence of the attachment object per se, may be studied more effectively in a different laboratory rodent-the guinea pig. Here, we discuss the rationale for using guinea pigs for this work. We then review guinea pig studies providing evidence for inflammatory mechanisms mediating both depressive-like behavior during separation as well as sensitization of stress responsiveness such as is thought to lead to increased vulnerability to depression at later ages. Finally, we discuss recent complementary work in adult monkeys that suggests cross-species generalizability of broad principles derived from the guinea pig experiments. Overall, the findings provide experimental support for human research implicating inflammatory mechanisms in the development of increased stress responsiveness and vulnerability to depression following attachment disruption and other forms of early-life stress. Specifically, the findings suggest inflammatory mechanisms may set in motion a cascade of underlying processes that mediate later increased stress responsiveness and, therefore, depression susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Hennessy
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Patricia A Schiml
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Katelyn Berberich
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Nicole L Beasley
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Terrence Deak
- Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States
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6
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Central neuroimmune activity and depressive-like behavior in response to repeated maternal separation and injection of LPS. Physiol Behav 2018; 199:366-374. [PMID: 30508550 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Disruption of attachment relations in early life is linked to greater vulnerability to depressive illness at later ages. Evidence suggests this process involves stress-induced activation of central inflammatory factors, though the specific mediators and processes involved are not known. We used a guinea pig model in which effects of maternal separation appear more clearly due to absence of the attachment figure than is the case for other laboratory rodents. Separation in a novel environment on two consecutive days evoked a depressive-like behavioral response that sensitized during a final test 9 days later. At this time, prior separation blunted the response of prostaglandin synthesizing enzymes (COX-2 and mPGES) and chemokines (CXCL-1 and MCP-1) 120 min following injection with lipopolysaccharide and isolation in a novel cage. The blunted response was not associated with a greater plasma cortisol elevation. In addition, injection of saline just prior to isolation at the oldest age elicited small, but significant, elevations in several signaling molecules, particularly at 30 min. These results demonstrate lasting central inflammatory consequences of our separation procedure. However, contrary to expectations, sensitization of depressive-like behavior was not associated with an increase in expression of neuroimmune mediators to inflammatory challenge. Together with earlier findings, the results suggest a multi-step process in which inflammatory response to an initial separation affects downstream mediators to sensitize depressive-like behavior.
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Neurobiology of Infant Sensitive Period for Attachment and Its Reinstatement Through Maternal Social Buffering. MINNESOTA SYMPOSIA ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/9781119461746.ch2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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8
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Yoshida S, Ohnishi R, Tsuneoka Y, Yamamoto-Mimura Y, Muramatsu R, Kato T, Funato H, Kuroda KO. Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Mediates Maternal Absence-Induced Attenuation of Transport Response in Mouse Pups. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:204. [PMID: 30057526 PMCID: PMC6053499 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A human infant initially shows non-selective sociality, and gradually develops selective attachment toward its caregiver, manifested as "separation anxiety." It was unclear whether such sophistication of attachment system occurs in non-human mammals. To seek a mouse model of separation anxiety, we utilized a primitive attachment behavior, the Transport Response, in that both human and mouse newborns immediately stop crying and stay immobile to cooperate with maternal carrying. We examined the mouse Transport Response in three social contexts: 30-min isolation in a novel environment, 30-min maternal absence experienced with littermates in the home cage, and the control home-cage condition with the mother and littermates. The pups after postnatal day (PND) 13 attenuated their Transport Response not only in complete isolation but also by maternal absence, and activated several brain areas including the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, suggesting that 30-min maternal absence was perceived as a social stress by mouse pups after PND13. This attenuation of Transport Response by maternal absence was independent with plasma corticosterone, but was diminished by prior administration of a corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) antagonist. Among 18 brain areas examined, only neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) co-express c-fos mRNA and CRFR1 after maternal absence. Consistently, excitotoxic ACC lesions inhibited the maternal absence-induced attenuation of Transport Response. These data indicate that the expression of mouse Transport Response is influenced not only by social isolation but also by maternal absence even in their home cage with littermates after PND13, at least partly via CRF-CRFR1 signaling in the ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachine Yoshida
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Saitama, Japan
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ryuko Ohnishi
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan
| | - Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
| | | | - Reiko Muramatsu
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadafumi Kato
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Funato
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Kumi O. Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan
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Kiyokawa Y, Hennessy MB. Comparative studies of social buffering: A consideration of approaches, terminology, and pitfalls. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 86:131-141. [PMID: 29223771 PMCID: PMC5801062 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
KIYOKAWA, Y. and HENNESSY, M.B. Comparative studies of social buffering: A consideration of approaches, terminology, and pitfalls…NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV XXX-XXX, .- Over the past decades, there has been an increasing number of investigations of the impact of social variables on neural, endocrine, and immune outcomes. Among these are studies of "social buffering"-or the phenomenon by which affiliative social partners mitigate the response to stressors. Yet, as social buffering studies have become more commonplace, the variety of approaches taken, definitions employed, and divergent results obtained in different species can lead to confusion and miscommunication. The aim of the present paper, therefore, is to address terminology and approaches and to highlight potential pitfalls to the study of social buffering across nonhuman species. We review and categorize variables currently being employed in social buffering studies and provide an overview of responses measured, mediating sensory modalities and underlying mechanisms. It is our hope that the paper will be useful to those contemplating examination of social buffering in the context of their own research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasushi Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Michael B Hennessy
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, 335 Fawcett Hall, Dayton, OH, 45435, United States.
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Hennessy MB, Watanasriyakul WT, Price BC, Bertke AS, Schiml PA. Adult males buffer the cortisol response of young guinea pigs: Changes with age, mediation by behavior, and comparison with prefrontal activity. Horm Behav 2018; 98:165-172. [PMID: 29307694 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In the guinea pig, the presence of the mother buffers hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses of her young during exposure to a novel environment, and can do so even if she is anesthetized. In contrast, under comparable conditions other conspecifics (siblings, other adult females) are less effective or ineffective in doing so. However, we recently observed that an unfamiliar adult male reduced plasma cortisol elevations and increased Fos in the prefrontal cortex of preweaning pups exposed to a novel enclosure for 120min. Here we found adult males buffered the adrenocortical response of preweaning pups at 60 as well as 120min and of periadolescent guinea pigs if exposure was of 120min. Further, because males vigorously engaged in social interactions with the young during exposure, we examined the effect of behavior by comparing the impact of conscious and unconscious (anesthetized) adult males. When tested with a conscious but not unconscious male, pups exhibited reduced plasma cortisol elevations. Pups, particularly females, had greater Fos induction in the prefrontal cortex when with a conscious versus unconscious adult male. Overall, we found that an unfamiliar adult male can buffer the cortisol response of guinea pigs both before and after weaning, though more-prolonged exposure appears necessary in the older animals. Further, unlike buffering by the biological mother, the effect of the male is mediated by behavioral interactions. Thus, the buffering of the infant guinea pig's cortisol response by the mother and an unfamiliar adult male involve different underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brittany C Price
- Department of Psychology, Wright State University, United States
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11
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Debiec J, Sullivan RM. The neurobiology of safety and threat learning in infancy. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 143:49-58. [PMID: 27826033 PMCID: PMC5418109 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Revised: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
What an animal needs to learn to survive is altered dramatically as they change from dependence on the parent for protection to independence and reliance on self-defense. This transition occurs in most altricial animals, but our understanding of the behavioral neurobiology has mostly relied on the infant rat. The transformation from dependence to independence occurs over three weeks in pups and is accompanied by complex changes in responses to both natural and learned threats and the supporting neural circuitry. Overall, in early life, the threat system is quiescent and learning is biased towards acquiring attachment related behaviors to support attachment to the caregiver and proximity seeking. Caregiver-associated cues learned in infancy have the ability to provide a sense of safety throughout lifetime. This attachment/safety system is activated by learning involving presumably pleasurable stimuli (food, warmth) but also painful stimuli (tailpinch, moderate shock). At about the midway point to independence, pups begin to have access to the adult-like amygdala-dependent threat system and amygdala-dependent responses to natural dangers such as predator odors. However, pups have the ability to switch between the infant and adult-like system, which is controlled by maternal presence and modification of stress hormones. Specifically, if the pup is alone, it will learn fear but if with the mother it will learn attachment (10-15days of age). As pups begin to approach weaning, pups lose access to the attachment system and rely only on the amygdala-dependent threat system. However, pups learning system is complex and exhibits flexibility that enables the mother to override the control of the attachment circuit, since newborn pups may acquire threat responses from the mother expressing fear in their presence. Together, these data suggest that the development of pups' threat learning system is not only dependent upon maturation of the amygdala, but it is also exquisitely controlled by the environment. Most notably the mother can switch pup learning between attachment to threat learning in a moment's notice. This enables the mother to navigate pup's learning about the world and what is threatening and what is safe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek Debiec
- Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, United States.
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12
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Watanasriyakul WT, Wardwell J, McNeal N, Schultz R, Woodbury M, Dagner A, Cox M, Grippo AJ. Voluntary physical exercise protects against behavioral and endocrine reactivity to social and environmental stressors in the prairie vole. Soc Neurosci 2017; 13:602-615. [PMID: 28786739 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2017.1365761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Physical activity can combat detrimental effects of stress. The current study examined the potential protective effects of exercise against a combination of social isolation and chronic mild stress (CMS) in a prairie vole model. Female voles were isolated for 4 weeks, with the addition of CMS during the final 2 weeks. Half of the voles were allowed access to a running wheel during this final 2 weeks, while the other half remained sedentary. Animals underwent behavioral tests to assess depressive- and anxiety-behaviors. In a subset of animals, plasma was collected 10 minutes after behavioral testing for corticosterone analysis. In a separate subset, brains were collected 2 hours after behavioral testing for cFos analysis in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Voles in the exercise group displayed significantly lower depressive- and anxiety-behaviors, and displayed significantly lower corticosterone levels, compared to animals in the sedentary group. There was no difference in PVN cFos activity between groups. Interestingly, animals that moderately exercised displayed lower levels of depressive-behavior and attenuated corticosterone reactivity compared to animals in the low and high activity subgroups. These findings suggest that physical activity can protect against a combination of social and environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua Wardwell
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Neal McNeal
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Rachel Schultz
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Matthew Woodbury
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Ashley Dagner
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Miranda Cox
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Angela J Grippo
- a Department of Psychology , Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
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Opendak M, Gould E, Sullivan R. Early life adversity during the infant sensitive period for attachment: Programming of behavioral neurobiology of threat processing and social behavior. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 25:145-159. [PMID: 28254197 PMCID: PMC5478471 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, require a highly coordinated and flexible system of social behavior and threat evaluation. However, trauma can disrupt this system, with the amygdala implicated as a mediator of these impairments in behavior. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as a critical variable in determining its immediate and enduring consequences, with trauma experienced from an attachment figure, such as occurs in cases of caregiver-child maltreatment, as particularly detrimental. This review focuses on the unique role of caregiver presence during early-life trauma in programming deficits in social behavior and threat processing. Using data primarily from rodent models, we describe the interaction between trauma and attachment during a sensitive period in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. These data suggest that trauma experienced directly from an abusive caregiver and trauma experienced in the presence of caregiver cues produce similar neurobehavioral deficits, which are unique from those resulting from trauma alone. We go on to integrate this information into social experience throughout the lifespan, including consequences for complex scenarios, such as dominance hierarchy formation and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Gould
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Regina Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
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Al Aïn S, Perry RE, Nuñez B, Kayser K, Hochman C, Brehman E, LaComb M, Wilson DA, Sullivan RM. Neurobehavioral assessment of maternal odor in developing rat pups: implications for social buffering. Soc Neurosci 2017; 12:32-49. [PMID: 26934130 PMCID: PMC5033694 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1159605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Social support can attenuate the behavioral and stress hormone response to threat, a phenomenon called social buffering. The mother's social buffering of the infant is one of the more robust examples; yet we understand little about the neurobiology. Using a rodent model, we explore the neurobiology of social buffering by assessing neural processing of the maternal odor, a major cue controlling social buffering in rat pups. We used pups before (postnatal day (PN) 7) and after (PN14, PN23) the functional emergence of social buffering. Pups were injected with 14C 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and presented with the maternal odor, a control preferred odor incapable of social buffering (acetophenone), or no odor. Brains were removed, processed for autoradiography and brain areas identified as important in adult social buffering were assessed, including the amygdala basolateral complex (Basolateral Amygdala [BLA]), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Results suggest dramatic changes in the processing of maternal odor. PN7 pups show mPFC and ACC activation, although PN14 pups showed no activation of the mPFC, ACC, or BLA. All brain areas assessed were recruited by PN23. Additional analysis suggests substantial changes in functional connectivity across development. Together, these results imply complex nonlinear transitions in the neurobiology of social buffering in early life that may provide insight into the changing role of the mother in supporting social buffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syrina Al Aïn
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rosemarie E. Perry
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Sackler Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bestina Nuñez
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
| | - Kassandra Kayser
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
| | - Chase Hochman
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Brehman
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Miranda LaComb
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Donald A. Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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15
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Abstract
Altricial infants (i.e., requiring parental care for survival), such as humans and rats, form an attachment to their caregiver and receive the nurturing and protections needed for survival. Learning has a strong role in attachment, as is illustrated by strong attachment formed to non-biological caregivers of either sex. Here we summarize and integrate results from animal and human infant attachment research that highlights the important role of social buffering (social presence) of the stress response by the attachment figure and its effect on infant processing of threat and fear through modulation of the amygdala. Indeed, this work suggests the caregiver switches off amygdala function in rodents, although recent human research suggests a similar process in humans and nonhuman primates. This cross-species analysis helps provide insight and unique understanding of attachment and its role in the neurobiology of infant behavior within attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Child Study Center, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center
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16
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Sullivan RM, Perry RE. Mechanisms and functional implications of social buffering in infants: Lessons from animal models. Soc Neurosci 2015; 10:500-11. [PMID: 26324338 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2015.1087425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Social buffering, which is the attenuation of stress hormone release by a social partner, occurs in many species throughout the lifespan. Social buffering of the infant by the caregiver is particularly robust, and animal models using infant rodents are uncovering the mechanisms and neural circuitry supporting social buffering. At birth, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress system is functional but is suppressed via extended social buffering by the mother: the profound social buffering effects of the mother can last for 1-2 hours when pups are removed from the mother. At 10 days of age, pups begin to mount a stress response immediately when separated from the mother. The stimuli from the mother supporting social buffering are broad, for tactile stimulation, milk, and an anesthetized mother (no maternal behavior) all sufficiently support social buffering. The mother appears to produce social buffering by blocking norepinephrine (NE) release into the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which blocks HPA activation. Since the infant amygdala relies on the presence of corticosterone (CORT), this suggests that social buffering of pups by the mother attenuates the neurobehavioral stress response in infancy and prevents pups from learning about threat within mother-infant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Sullivan
- a Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.,b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , NYU School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA
| | - Rosemarie E Perry
- a Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, New York University School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.,b Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , NYU School of Medicine , New York , NY , USA.,c Neuroscience and Physiology , NYU Sackler Institute , New York , NY , USA
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17
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Hennessy MB, Kaiser S, Tiedtke T, Sachser N. Stability and change: Stress responses and the shaping of behavioral phenotypes over the life span. Front Zool 2015; 12 Suppl 1:S18. [PMID: 26816517 PMCID: PMC4722350 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-12-s1-s18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, maternal signals conveyed via influences on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity may shape behavior of the young to be better adapted for prevailing environmental conditions. However, the mother's influence extends beyond classic stress response systems. In guinea pigs, several hours (h) of separation from the mother activates not only the HPA axis, but also the innate immune system, which effects immediate behavioral change, as well as modifies behavioral responsiveness in the future. Moreover, the presence of the mother potently suppresses the behavioral consequences of this innate immune activation. These findings raise the possibility that long-term adaptive behavioral change can be mediated by the mother's influence on immune-related activity of her pups. Furthermore, the impact of social partners on physiological stress responses and their behavioral outcomes are not limited to the infantile period. A particularly crucial period for social development in male guinea pigs is that surrounding the attainment of sexual maturation. At this time, social interactions with adults can dramatically affect circulating cortisol concentrations and social behavior in ways that appear to prepare the male to best cope in its likely future social environment. Despite such multiple social influences on the behavior of guinea pigs at different ages, inter-individual differences in the magnitude of the cortisol response remain surprisingly stable over most of the life span. Together, it appears that throughout the life span, physiological stress responses may be regulated by social stimuli. These influences are hypothesized to adjust behavior for predicted environmental conditions. In addition, stable individual differences might provide a means of facilitating adaptation to less predictable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Badestrasse 13, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Tobias Tiedtke
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Badestrasse 13, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Muenster, Badestrasse 13, 48149, Muenster, Germany
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