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Smail MA, Lenz KM. Developmental functions of microglia: Impact of psychosocial and physiological early life stress. Neuropharmacology 2024; 258:110084. [PMID: 39025401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110084] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Microglia play numerous important roles in brain development. From early embryonic stages through adolescence, these immune cells influence neuronal genesis and maturation, guide connectivity, and shape brain circuits. They also interact with other glial cells and structures, influencing the brain's supportive microenvironment. While this central role makes microglia essential, it means that early life perturbations to microglia can have widespread effects on brain development, potentially resulting in long-lasting behavioral impairments. Here, we will focus on the effects of early life psychosocial versus physiological stressors in rodent models. Psychosocial stress refers to perceived threats that lead to stress axes activation, including prenatal stress, or chronic postnatal stress, including maternal separation and resource scarcity. Physiological stress refers to physical threats, including maternal immune activation, postnatal infection, and traumatic brain injury. Differing sources of early life stress have varied impacts on microglia, and these effects are moderated by factors such as developmental age, brain region, and sex. Overall, these stressors appear to either 1) upregulate basal microglia numbers and activity throughout the lifespan, while possibly blunting their responsivity to subsequent stressors, or 2) shift the developmental curve of microglia, resulting in differential timing and function, impacting the critical periods they govern. Either could contribute to behavioral dysfunctions that occur after the resolution of early life stress. Exploring how different stressors impact microglia, as well as how multiple stressors interact to alter microglia's developmental functions, could deepen our understanding of how early life stress changes the brain's developmental trajectory. This article is part of the Special Issue on "Microglia".
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa A Smail
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Kathryn M Lenz
- Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Chronic Brain Injury Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Mawson ER, Morris BJ. A consideration of the increased risk of schizophrenia due to prenatal maternal stress, and the possible role of microglia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 125:110773. [PMID: 37116354 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is caused by interaction of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Of the latter, prenatal exposure to maternal stress is reportedly associated with elevated disease risk. The main orchestrators of inflammatory processes within the brain are microglia, and aberrant microglial activation/function has been proposed to contribute to the aetiology of schizophrenia. Here, we evaluate the epidemiological and preclinical evidence connecting prenatal stress to schizophrenia risk, and consider the possible mediating role of microglia in the prenatal stress-schizophrenia relationship. Epidemiological findings are rather consistent in supporting the association, albeit they are mitigated by effects of sex and gestational timing, while the evidence for microglial activation is more variable. Rodent models of prenatal stress generally report lasting effects on offspring neurobiology. However, many uncertainties remain as to the mechanisms underlying the influence of maternal stress on the developing foetal brain. Future studies should aim to characterise the exact processes mediating this aspect of schizophrenia risk, as well as focussing on how prenatal stress may interact with other risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor R Mawson
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Brian J Morris
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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Kaki S, DeRosa H, Timmerman B, Brummelte S, Hunter RG, Kentner AC. Developmental Manipulation-Induced Changes in Cognitive Functioning. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023; 63:241-289. [PMID: 36029460 PMCID: PMC9971379 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with as-yet no identified cause. The use of animals has been critical to teasing apart the potential individual and intersecting roles of genetic and environmental risk factors in the development of schizophrenia. One way to recreate in animals the cognitive impairments seen in people with schizophrenia is to disrupt the prenatal or neonatal environment of laboratory rodent offspring. This approach can result in congruent perturbations in brain physiology, learning, memory, attention, and sensorimotor domains. Experimental designs utilizing such animal models have led to a greatly improved understanding of the biological mechanisms that could underlie the etiology and symptomology of schizophrenia, although there is still more to be discovered. The implementation of the Research and Domain Criterion (RDoC) has been critical in taking a more comprehensive approach to determining neural mechanisms underlying abnormal behavior in people with schizophrenia through its transdiagnostic approach toward targeting mechanisms rather than focusing on symptoms. Here, we describe several neurodevelopmental animal models of schizophrenia using an RDoC perspective approach. The implementation of animal models, combined with an RDoC framework, will bolster schizophrenia research leading to more targeted and likely effective therapeutic interventions resulting in better patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahith Kaki
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Holly DeRosa
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian Timmerman
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Susanne Brummelte
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Amanda C Kentner
- School of Arts and Sciences, Health Psychology Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA.
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de Mendonça Filho EJ, Barth B, Bandeira DR, de Lima RMS, Arcego DM, Dalmaz C, Pokhvisneva I, Sassi RB, Hall GBC, Meaney MJ, Silveira PP. Cognitive Development and Brain Gray Matter Susceptibility to Prenatal Adversities: Moderation by the Prefrontal Cortex Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Co-expression Network. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:744743. [PMID: 34899157 PMCID: PMC8652300 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.744743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Previous studies focused on the relationship between prenatal conditions and neurodevelopmental outcomes later in life, but few have explored the interplay between gene co-expression networks and prenatal adversity conditions on cognitive development trajectories and gray matter density. Methods: We analyzed the moderation effects of an expression polygenic score (ePRS) for the Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor gene network (BDNF ePRS) on the association between prenatal adversity and child cognitive development. A score based on genes co-expressed with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) BDNF was created, using the effect size of the association between the individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and the BDNF expression in the PFC. Cognitive development trajectories of 157 young children from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) cohort were assessed longitudinally in 4-time points (6, 12, 18, and 36 months) using the Bayley-II mental scales. Results: Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated that BDNF ePRS moderates the effects of prenatal adversity on cognitive growth. In children with high BDNF ePRS, higher prenatal adversity was associated with slower cognitive development in comparison with those exposed to lower prenatal adversity. Parallel-Independent Component Analysis (pICA) suggested that associations of expression-based SNPs and gray matter density significantly differed between low and high prenatal adversity groups. The brain IC included areas involved in visual association processes (Brodmann area 19 and 18), reallocation of attention, and integration of information across the supramodal cortex (Brodmann area 10). Conclusion: Cognitive development trajectories and brain gray matter seem to be influenced by the interplay of prenatal environmental conditions and the expression of an important BDNF gene network that guides the growth and plasticity of neurons and synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Euclides José de Mendonça Filho
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Barbara Barth
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Denise Ruschel Bandeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Randriely Merscher Sobreira de Lima
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Danusa Mar Arcego
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Carla Dalmaz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Neurociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Irina Pokhvisneva
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Geoffrey B. C. Hall
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Michael J. Meaney
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Patricia Pelufo Silveira
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Creutzberg KC, Sanson A, Viola TW, Marchisella F, Begni V, Grassi-Oliveira R, Riva MA. Long-lasting effects of prenatal stress on HPA axis and inflammation: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in rodent studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:270-283. [PMID: 33951412 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to prenatal stress (PNS) can lead to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral consequences for the offspring, which may enhance the susceptibility for mental disorders. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system are two major factors involved in the stress response. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of rodent studies that investigated the effects of PNS exposure on the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines in adult offspring. Our analysis shows that animals exposed to PNS display a consistent increase in peripheral corticosterone (CORT) levels and central corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), while decreased levels of its receptor 2 (CRHR2). Meta-regression revealed that sex and duration of PNS protocol are covariates that moderate these results. There was no significant effect of PNS in glucocorticoid receptor (GR), CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our findings suggest that PNS exposure elicits long-lasting effects on the HPA axis function, providing an important tool to investigate in preclinical settings key pathological aspects related to early-life stress exposure. Furthermore, researchers should be aware of the mixed outcomes of PNS on inflammatory markers in the adult brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Camile Creutzberg
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alice Sanson
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Thiago Wendt Viola
- School of Medicine, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 12A, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Francesca Marchisella
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Veronica Begni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- School of Medicine, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Building 12A, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy; Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
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Gildawie KR, Orso R, Peterzell S, Thompson V, Brenhouse HC. Sex differences in prefrontal cortex microglia morphology: Impact of a two-hit model of adversity throughout development. Neurosci Lett 2020; 738:135381. [PMID: 32927000 PMCID: PMC7584734 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Neuroimmune mechanisms play critical roles in brain development and can be impacted by early life adversity. Microglia are the resident immune cells in the brain, with both sex-specific and region-specific developmental profiles. Since early life adversity is associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders with developmental pathogeneses, here we investigated the degree to which maternal separation (MS) impacted microglia over development. Microglia are dynamic cells that alter their morphology in accordance with their functions and in response to stressors. While males and females reportedly display different microglial morphology in several brain regions over development and following immune and psychological challenges, little is known about such differences in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which regulates several early life adversity-attributable disorders. Additionally, little is known about the potential for early life adversity to prime microglia for later immune challenges. In the current study, male and female rats were exposed to MS followed by lipopolysaccharide administration in juvenility or adolescence. The prelimbic and infralimbic PFC were then separately analyzed for microglial density and morphology. Typically developing males expressed smaller soma and less arborization than females in juvenility, but larger soma than females in adolescence. MS led to fewer microglia in the infralimbic PFC of adolescent males. Both MS and lipopolysaccharide administration affected morphological characteristics in juvenile males and females, with MS exposure leading to a greater increase in soma size following lipopolysaccharide. Interestingly, effects of MS and lipopolysaccharide were not observed in adolescence, while notable sex differences in PFC microglial morphology were apparent. Taken together, these findings provide insight into how PFC microglia may differentially respond to challenges over development in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rodrigo Orso
- Psychology Department, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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