1
|
Lokossou HA, Rabuffo G, Bernard M, Bernard C, Viola A, Perles-Barbacaru TA. Impact of the day/night cycle on functional connectome in ageing male and female mice. Neuroimage 2024; 290:120576. [PMID: 38490583 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
To elucidate how time of day, sex, and age affect functional connectivity (FC) in mice, we aimed to examine whether the mouse functional connectome varied with the day/night cycle and whether it depended on sex and age. We explored C57Bl6/J mice (6♀ and 6♂) at mature age (5 ± 1 months) and middle-age (14 ± 1 months). Each mouse underwent Blood Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) on a 7T scanner at four different times of the day, two under the light condition and two under the dark condition. Data processing consisted of group independent component analysis (ICA) and region-level analysis using resting-state networks (RSNs) derived from literature. Linear mixed-effect models (LMEM) were used to assess the effects of sex, lighting condition and their interactions for each RSN obtained with group-ICA (RSNs-GICA) and six bilateral RSNs adapted from literature (RSNs-LIT). Our study highlighted new RSNs in mice related to day/night alternation in addition to other networks already reported in the literature. In mature mice, we found sex-related differences in brain activation only in one RSNs-GICA comprising the cortical, hippocampal, midbrain and cerebellar regions of the right hemisphere. In males, brain activity was significantly higher in the left hippocampus, the retrosplenial cortex, the superior colliculus, and the cerebellum regardless of lighting condition; consistent with the role of these structures in memory formation and integration, sleep, and sex-differences in memory processing. Experimental constraints limited the analysis to the impact of light/dark cycle on the RSNs for middle-aged females. We detected significant activation in the pineal gland during the dark condition, a finding in line with the nocturnal activity of this gland. For the analysis of RSNs-LIT, new variables "sexage" (sex and age combined) and "edges" (pairs of RSNs) were introduced. FC was calculated as the Pearson correlation between two RSNs. LMEM revealed no effect of sexage or lighting condition. The FC depended on the edges, but there were no interaction effects between sexage, lighting condition and edges. Interaction effects were detected between i) sex and lighting condition, with higher FC in males under the dark condition, ii) sexage and edges with higher FC in male brain regions related to vision, memory, and motor action. We conclude that time of day and sex should be taken into account when designing, analyzing, and interpreting functional imaging studies in rodents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Houéfa Armelle Lokossou
- Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, CRMBM UMR 7339, Aix-Marseille University-CNRS, Marseille, France; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, INS UMR 1106, Aix-Marseille University-INSERM, Marseille, France.
| | - Giovanni Rabuffo
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, INS UMR 1106, Aix-Marseille University-INSERM, Marseille, France
| | - Monique Bernard
- Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, CRMBM UMR 7339, Aix-Marseille University-CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Christophe Bernard
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, INS UMR 1106, Aix-Marseille University-INSERM, Marseille, France.
| | - Angèle Viola
- Centre for Magnetic Resonance in Biology and Medicine, CRMBM UMR 7339, Aix-Marseille University-CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang CC, Totzek JF, Lepage M, Lavigne KM. Sex differences in cognition and structural covariance-based morphometric connectivity: evidence from 28,000+ UK Biobank participants. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10341-10354. [PMID: 37557917 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
There is robust evidence for sex differences in domain-specific cognition, where females typically show an advantage for verbal memory, whereas males tend to perform better in spatial memory. Sex differences in brain connectivity are well documented and may provide insight into these differences. In this study, we examined sex differences in cognition and structural covariance, as an index of morphometric connectivity, of a large healthy sample (n = 28,821) from the UK Biobank. Using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and regional cortical thickness values, we applied jackknife bias estimation and graph theory to obtain subject-specific measures of structural covariance, hypothesizing that sex-related differences in brain network global efficiency, or overall covariance, would underlie cognitive differences. As predicted, females demonstrated better verbal memory and males showed a spatial memory advantage. Females also demonstrated faster processing speed, with no observed sex difference in executive functioning. Males showed higher global efficiency, as well as higher regional covariance (nodal strengths) in both hemispheres relative to females. Furthermore, higher global efficiency in males mediated sex differences in verbal memory and processing speed. Findings contribute to an improved understanding of how biological sex and differences in cognition are related to morphometric connectivity as derived from graph-theoretic methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Crystal C Yang
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Jana F Totzek
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6211 LK, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Martin Lepage
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Katie M Lavigne
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
- Douglas Research Centre, Montréal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Spets DS, Slotnick SD. Entorhinal Cortex Functional Connectivity during Item Long-Term Memory and the Role of Sex. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13030446. [PMID: 36979256 PMCID: PMC10046190 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13030446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of literature shows there are sex differences in the patterns of brain activity during long-term memory. However, there is a paucity of evidence on sex differences in functional brain connectivity. We previously identified sex differences in the patterns of connections with the hippocampus, a medial temporal lobe (MTL) subregion, during spatial long-term memory. The perirhinal/entorhinal cortex, another MTL subregion, plays a critical role in item memory. In the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated perirhinal/entorhinal functional connectivity and the role of sex during item memory. During the study phase, abstract shapes were presented to the left or right of fixation. During the test phase, abstract shapes were presented at fixation, and the participants classified each item as previously “old” or “new”. An entorhinal region of interest (ROI) was identified by contrasting item memory hits and misses. This ROI was connected to regions generally associated with visual memory, including the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and visual-processing regions (the bilateral V1, bilateral cuneus, and left lingual gyrus). Males produced greater connectivity than females with the right IFG/insula and the right V1/bilateral cuneus. Broadly, these results contribute to a growing body of literature supporting sex differences in the brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dylan S. Spets
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Scott D. Slotnick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
López-Taboada I, Sal-Sarria S, Vallejo G, Coto-Montes A, Conejo NM, González-Pardo H. Sexual dimorphism in spatial learning and brain metabolism after exposure to a western diet and early life stress in rats. Physiol Behav 2022; 257:113969. [PMID: 36181786 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Prolonged daily intake of Western-type diet rich in saturated fats and sugars, and exposure to early life stress have been independently linked to impaired neurodevelopment and behaviour in animal models. However, sex-specific effects of both environmental factors combined on spatial learning and memory, behavioural flexibility, and brain oxidative capacity have still not been addressed. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of maternal and postnatal exposure to a high-fat and high-sugar diet (HFS), and exposure to early life stress by maternal separation in adult male and female Wistar rats. For this purpose, spatial learning and memory and behavioural flexibility were evaluated in the Morris water maze, and regional brain oxidative capacity and oxidative stress levels were measured in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Spatial memory, regional brain oxidative metabolism, and levels of oxidative stress differed between females and males, suggesting sexual dimorphism in the effects of a HFS diet and early life stress. Males fed the HFS diet performed better than all other experimental groups independently of early life stress exposure. However, behavioural flexibility evaluated in the spatial reversal leaning task was impaired in males fed the HFS diet. In addition, exposure to maternal separation or the HFS diet increased the metabolic capacity of the prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in males and females. Levels of oxidative stress measured in the latter brain regions were also increased in groups fed the HFS diet, but maternal separation seemed to dampen regional brain oxidative stress levels. Therefore, these results suggest a compensatory effect resulting from the interaction between prolonged exposure to a HFS diet and early life stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel López-Taboada
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Saúl Sal-Sarria
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Guillermo Vallejo
- Methodology area, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ana Coto-Montes
- Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; Department of Morphology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Nélida M Conejo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Héctor González-Pardo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zorzo C, Arias JL, Méndez M. The removal and addition of cues does not impair spatial retrieval and leads to a different metabolic activity of the limbic network in female rats. Brain Res Bull 2022; 190:22-31. [PMID: 36126874 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The retrieval of spatial memories does not always occur in an environment with the same stimuli configuration where the memory was first formed. However, re-exposure to a partial portion of the previously encountered cues can elicit memory successfully. Navigation with contextual changes has received little attention, especially in females. Thus, we aimed to assess memory retrieval using the Morris Water Maze spatial reference protocol in female adult Wistar rats. Rats were trained with five allocentric cues, and retrieval was explored one week later either with the same cues, or with four removed, or with three added cues. We studied the underlying brain oxidative metabolism of the hippocampus, prefrontal, parietal, retrosplenial, entorhinal, and perirhinal cortices through cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) histochemistry. Neither cue removal nor cue addition impaired retrieval performance. Retrieval with a degraded subset of cues led to increased prefrontal, hippocampal, retrosplenial, parietal, and perirhinal CCO activity. Retrieval with extra cues led to an enhancement of CCO activity in the hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex. Different patterns of network intercorrelations were found. The cue-removal group presented a closed reciprocal network, while the group with extra cues had separate parallel networks. Both groups showed a simpler network than the group with no cue modifications. Future research is needed to delve into behavioral and brain-related functions of spatial memory processes under modified environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Candela Zorzo
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, s/n, E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Jorge L Arias
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, s/n, E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Marta Méndez
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo, s/n, E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), E-33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yang L, Yu S, Zhang L, Peng W, Hu Y, Feng F, Yang J. Gender Differences in Hippocampal/Parahippocampal Functional Connectivity Network in Patients Diagnosed with Chronic Insomnia Disorder. Nat Sci Sleep 2022; 14:1175-1186. [PMID: 35761887 PMCID: PMC9233514 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s355922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gender differences in hippocampal and parahippocampal gyrus (HIP/PHG) volumes have been reported in sleep disorders. Therefore, this study investigated the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between chronic insomnia disorder (CID) and the HIP/PHG functional connectivity (FC) network. METHODS For this study, 110 patients diagnosed with CID (43 men and 67 women) and 60 matched good sleep control (GSC) (22 men and 38 women) were recruited. These participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, after which a 2 × 2 (diagnosis × gender) analysis of variance was used to detect the main and interactive effect of insomnia and gender on their HIP/PHG FC networks. RESULTS Although the main effect of insomnia on the HIP FC network was observed in the bilateral cerebellar tonsil, superior frontal gyrus, and the medial orbitofrontal cortex, effects on the PHG FC network were observed in the bilateral HIP and amygdala. In contrast, the main effect of gender on the HIP FC network was observed in the right cerebellum posterior lobe, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and the supplemental motor area. Of note, the interactive effect of both insomnia and gender was observed in FCs between the right HIP and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and then between the right PHG and DLPFC. Moreover, the FC between the right PHG and left DLPFC was positively associated with anxiety scores in the female patients with CID. CONCLUSION Our study identified that gender differences in brain connectivity existed between the HIP/PHG and executive control network in patients diagnosed with CID, these results will eventually extend our understanding of the important role that gender plays in the pathophysiology of CID.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lili Yang
- Department of Acupuncture & Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyi Yu
- Department of Acupuncture & Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, People's Republic of China.,Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, People's Republic of China
| | - Leixiao Zhang
- Department of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Peng
- Department of Acupuncture & Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, People's Republic of China
| | - Youping Hu
- Department of Acupuncture & Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, People's Republic of China
| | - Fen Feng
- Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Acupuncture & Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Allen TA, Furtak SC. Introduction to the special issue on extrahippocampal contributions to hippocampal-dependent memory. Hippocampus 2021; 31:634-639. [PMID: 34117810 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Allen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Sharon C Furtak
- Department of Psychology, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|