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Mace BE, Lassiter E, Arulraja EK, Chaparro E, Cantillana V, Gupta R, Faw TD, Laskowitz DT, Kolls BJ. Optimization of a translational murine model of closed-head traumatic brain injury. Neurol Res 2024; 46:304-317. [PMID: 38197610 DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2024.2302261] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) from closed-head trauma is a leading cause of disability, with limited effective interventions. Many TBI models impact brain parenchyma directly, and are limited by the fact that these forces do not recapitulate clinically relevant closed head injury. However, applying clinically relevant injury mechanics to the intact skull may lead to variability and as a result, preclinical modeling TBI remains a challenge. Current models often do not explore sex differences in TBI, which is critically important for translation to clinical practice. We systematically investigated sources of variability in a murine model of closed-head TBI and developed a framework to reduce variability across severity and sex. We manipulated pressure, dwell time, and displacement to determine effects on motor coordination, spatial learning, and neuronal damage in 10-week-old male and female mice. Increasing pressure beyond 70 psi had a ceiling effect on cellular and behavioral outcomes, while manipulating dwell time only affected behavioral performance. Increasing displacement precisely graded injury severity in both sexes across all outcomes. Physical signs of trauma occurred more frequently at higher displacements. Stratifying severity based on day-1 rotarod performance retained histological relationships and separated both sexes into injury severity cohorts with distinct patterns of behavioral recovery. Utilizing this stratification strategy, within-group rotarod variability over 6 days post-injury was reduced by 50%. These results have important implications for translational research in TBI and provide a framework for using this clinically relevant translational injury model in both male and female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Mace
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Eric Lassiter
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | | | - Eduardo Chaparro
- School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Viviana Cantillana
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Rupali Gupta
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Timothy D Faw
- School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Daniel T Laskowitz
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
- School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Brad J Kolls
- School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Brain Injury Translational Research Laboratory, Duke University, Durham, USA
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2
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Zheng L, Pang Q, Xu H, Guo H, Liu R, Wang T. The Neurobiological Links between Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review of Research to Date. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179519. [PMID: 36076917 PMCID: PMC9455169 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurological dysfunctions commonly occur after mild or moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although most TBI patients recover from such a dysfunction in a short period of time, some present with persistent neurological deficits. Stress is a potential factor that is involved in recovery from neurological dysfunction after TBI. However, there has been limited research on the effects and mechanisms of stress on neurological dysfunctions due to TBI. In this review, we first investigate the effects of TBI and stress on neurological dysfunctions and different brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus. We then explore the neurobiological links and mechanisms between stress and TBI. Finally, we summarize the findings related to stress biomarkers and probe the possible diagnostic and therapeutic significance of stress combined with mild or moderate TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexin Zheng
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Qiuyu Pang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Heng Xu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hanmu Guo
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medicine and Biological Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
- Shanghai Key Lab of Forensic Medicine, Key Lab of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, China (Academy of Forensic Science), Shanghai 200063, China
- Correspondence:
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3
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Popovitz J, Mysore SP, Adwanikar H. Neural Markers of Vulnerability to Anxiety Outcomes after Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2020; 38:1006-1022. [PMID: 33050836 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2020.7320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Anxiety outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are complex, and the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we developed a multi-dimensional behavioral profiling approach to investigate anxiety-like outcomes in mice that takes into account individual variability. Departing from the tradition of comparing outcomes in TBI versus sham groups, we identified a subgroup within the TBI group that is vulnerable to anxiety dysfunction, and present increased exploration of the anxiogenic zone compared to sham controls or resilient injured animals, by applying dimensionality reduction, clustering, and post hoc validation to behavioral data obtained from multiple assays for anxiety at several post-injury time points. These vulnerable animals expressed distinct molecular profiles in the corticolimbic network, with downregulation in gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate and upregulation in neuropeptide Y markers. Indeed, among vulnerable animals, not resilient or sham controls, severity of anxiety-related outcomes correlated strongly with expression of molecular markers. Our results establish a foundational approach, with predictive power, for reliably identifying maladaptive anxiety outcomes after TBI and uncovering neural signatures of vulnerability to anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Popovitz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Shreesh P Mysore
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hita Adwanikar
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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4
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Sanchez CM, Titus DJ, Wilson NM, Freund JE, Atkins CM. Early Life Stress Exacerbates Outcome after Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2020; 38:555-565. [PMID: 32862765 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2020.7267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurocognitive impairments associated with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) often resolve within 1-2 weeks; however, a subset of people exhibit persistent cognitive dysfunction for weeks to months after injury. The factors that contribute to these persistent deficits are unknown. One potential risk factor for worsened outcome after TBI is a history of stress experienced by a person early in life. Early life stress (ELS) includes maltreatment such as neglect, and interferes with the normal construction of cortical and hippocampal circuits. We hypothesized that a history of ELS contributes to persistent learning and memory dysfunction following a TBI. To explore this interaction, we modeled ELS by separating Sprague Dawley pups from their nursing mothers from post-natal days 2-14 for 3 h daily. At 2 months of age, male rats received sham surgery or mild to moderate parasagittal fluid-percussion brain injury. We found that the combination of ELS with TBI in adulthood impaired hippocampal-dependent learning, as assessed with contextual fear conditioning, the water maze task, and spatial working memory. Cortical atrophy was significantly exacerbated in TBI animals exposed to ELS compared with normal-reared TBI animals. Changes in corticosterone in response to restraint stress were prolonged in TBI animals that received ELS compared with TBI animals that were normally reared or sham animals that received ELS. Our findings indicate that ELS is a risk factor for worsened outcome after TBI, and results in persistent learning and memory deficits, worsened cortical pathology, and an exacerbation of the hormonal stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal M Sanchez
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - David J Titus
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Nicole M Wilson
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Julie E Freund
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Coleen M Atkins
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
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Fucich EA, Mayeux JP, McGinn MA, Gilpin NW, Edwards S, Molina PE. A Novel Role for the Endocannabinoid System in Ameliorating Motivation for Alcohol Drinking and Negative Behavioral Affect after Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats. J Neurotrauma 2019; 36:1847-1855. [PMID: 30638118 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.5854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with psychiatric dysfunction-including pain, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and increased alcohol use. We previously demonstrated that inhibiting endocannabinoid degradation post-TBI with JZL184 attenuates neuroinflammation and neuronal hyperexcitability at the site of injury and improves neurobehavioral recovery. This study aimed to determine the effect of JZL184 on post-TBI behavioral changes related to psychiatric dysfunction and post-TBI neuroadaptations in brain regions associated with these behaviors. We hypothesized that JZL184 would attenuate post-TBI behavioral and neural changes in alcohol-drinking rats. Adult male Wistar rats were trained to operantly self-administer alcohol before receiving lateral fluid percussion injury. Thirty minutes post-TBI, rats received JZL184 (16 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle. Spatial memory (Y-maze), anxiety-like behavior (open field), alcohol motivation (progressive ratio responding), and mechanosensitivity (Von Frey) were measured 3-10 days post-injury, and ventral striatum (VS) and central amygdala (CeA) tissue were collected for western blot analysis of phosphorylated glutamate receptor subunit 1 (GluR1) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). TBI impaired spatial memory, increased anxiety-like behavior, and increased motivated alcohol drinking. JZL184 prevented these changes. TBI also increased phosphorylated GluR1 and GR in the CeA (but not the VS) compared with sham controls. JZL184 attenuated post-TBI GR phosphorylation in the CeA. These findings suggest that TBI produces comorbid cognitive dysfunction, increased alcohol motivation, and anxiety-like behavior, possibly related to amygdala dysfunction, and these changes are prevented by systemic post-TBI endocannabinoid degradation inhibition. Thus, boosting endocannabinoid tone post-TBI may represent a viable therapeutic strategy for TBI-related psychiatric comorbidities such as alcohol use disorder and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Fucich
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Jacques P Mayeux
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - M Adrienne McGinn
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Nicholas W Gilpin
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Scott Edwards
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
| | - Patricia E Molina
- 1 Department of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.,2 Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
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6
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Kaplan GB, Leite-Morris KA, Wang L, Rumbika KK, Heinrichs SC, Zeng X, Wu L, Arena DT, Teng YD. Pathophysiological Bases of Comorbidity: Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. J Neurotrauma 2017; 35:210-225. [PMID: 29017388 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2016.4953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The high rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnoses encountered in recent years by the United States Veterans Affairs Healthcare System have increased public awareness and research investigation into these conditions. In this review, we analyze the neural mechanisms underlying the TBI/PTSD comorbidity. TBI and PTSD present with common neuropsychiatric symptoms including anxiety, irritability, insomnia, personality changes, and memory problems, and this overlap complicates diagnostic differentiation. Interestingly, both TBI and PTSD can be produced by overlapping pathophysiological changes that disrupt neural connections termed the "connectome." The neural disruptions shared by PTSD and TBI and the comorbid condition include asymmetrical white matter tract abnormalities and gray matter changes in the basolateral amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. These neural circuitry dysfunctions result in behavioral changes that include executive function and memory impairments, fear retention, fear extinction deficiencies, and other disturbances. Pathophysiological etiologies can be identified using experimental models of TBI, such as fluid percussion or blast injuries, and for PTSD, using models of fear conditioning, retention, and extinction. In both TBI and PTSD, there are discernible signs of neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, and oxidative damage. These disturbances produce neuronal death and degeneration, axonal injury, and dendritic spine dysregulation and changes in neuronal morphology. In laboratory studies, various forms of pharmacological or psychological treatments are capable of reversing these detrimental processes and promoting axonal repair, dendritic remodeling, and neurocircuitry reorganization, resulting in behavioral and cognitive functional enhancements. Based on these mechanisms, novel neurorestorative therapeutics using anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticonvulsant agents may promote better outcomes for comorbid TBI and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary B Kaplan
- 1 Mental Health Service , VA Boston Healthcare System, Brockton, Massachusetts.,2 Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts.,3 Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kimberly A Leite-Morris
- 2 Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts.,3 Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts.,4 Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System , Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
| | - Lei Wang
- 5 Division of Spinal Cord Injury Research, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts.,6 Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kendra K Rumbika
- 7 Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen C Heinrichs
- 7 Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts
| | - Xiang Zeng
- 5 Division of Spinal Cord Injury Research, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts.,6 Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Liquan Wu
- 5 Division of Spinal Cord Injury Research, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts.,6 Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Danielle T Arena
- 7 Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts
| | - Yang D Teng
- 5 Division of Spinal Cord Injury Research, VA Boston Healthcare System , West Roxbury, Massachusetts.,6 Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
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7
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Irvine KA, Clark JD. Chronic Pain After Traumatic Brain Injury: Pathophysiology and Pain Mechanisms. PAIN MEDICINE 2017; 19:1315-1333. [DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnx153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Karen-Amanda Irvine
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Anesthesiology Service, Palo Alto, California
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - J David Clark
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Anesthesiology Service, Palo Alto, California
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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8
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Prager EM, Wynn GH, Ursano RJ. The tenth annual amygdala, stress, and PTSD conference: "The amygdala: Dysfunction, hyperfunction, and connectivity". J Neurosci Res 2016; 94:433-6. [PMID: 27091310 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary H Wynn
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Robert J Ursano
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
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