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Bijlsma A, Birza EE, Pimentel TC, Maranus JPM, van Gaans MJJM, Lozeman-van T Klooster JG, Baars AJM, Achterberg EJM, Lesscher HMB, Wierenga CJ, Vanderschuren LJMJ. Opportunities for risk-taking during play alters cognitive performance and prefrontal inhibitory signalling in rats of both sexes. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2748-2765. [PMID: 38511534 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16313] [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] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Social play behaviour is a rewarding activity that can entail risks, thus allowing young individuals to test the limits of their capacities and to train their cognitive and emotional adaptability to challenges. Here, we tested in rats how opportunities for risk-taking during play affect the development of cognitive and emotional capacities and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function, a brain structure important for risk-based decision making. Male and female rats were housed socially or social play-deprived (SPD) between postnatal day (P)21 and P42. During this period, half of both groups were daily exposed to a high-risk play environment. Around P85, all rats were tested for cognitive performance and emotional behaviour after which inhibitory currents were recorded in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in mPFC slices. We show that playing in a high-risk environment altered cognitive flexibility in both sexes and improved behavioural inhibition in males. High-risk play altered anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in males and in the open field in females, respectively. SPD affected cognitive flexibility in both sexes and decreased anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze in females. We found that synaptic inhibitory currents in the mPFC were increased in male, but not female, rats after high-risk play, while SPD lowered prefrontal cortex (PFC) synaptic inhibition in both sexes. Together, our data show that exposure to risks during play affects the development of cognition, emotional behaviour and inhibition in the mPFC. Furthermore, our study suggests that the opportunity to take risks during play cannot substitute for social play behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ate Bijlsma
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Evelien E Birza
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tara C Pimentel
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Janneke P M Maranus
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke J J M van Gaans
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - José G Lozeman-van T Klooster
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Annemarie J M Baars
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - E J Marijke Achterberg
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Heidi M B Lesscher
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Corette J Wierenga
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute and Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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2
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Sgro M, Kodila ZN, Li C, Carmichael I, Warren S, Reichelt AC, Yamakawa GR, Mychasiuk R. Microbiome depletion prior to repeat mild TBI differentially alters social deficits and prefrontal cortex plasticity in adolescent and adult rats. iScience 2024; 27:109395. [PMID: 38510122 PMCID: PMC10952042 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109395] [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] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Although aging, repeat mild traumatic brain injury (RmTBI), and microbiome modifications independently change social behavior, there has been no investigation into their cumulative effects on social behavior and neuroplasticity within the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, we examined how microbiome depletion prior to RmTBI affected social behavior and neuroplasticity in adolescent and adult rats. Play, temperament analysis, elevated plus maze, and the hot/cold plate assessed socio-emotional function. Analyses of perineuronal nets (PNNs) and parvalbumin (PV) interneurons was completed. Social-emotional deficits were more pronounced in adults, with microbiome depletion attenuating social behavior deficits associated with RmTBI in both age groups. Microbiome depletion increased branch length and PNN arborization within the PFC but decreased the overall number of PNNs. Adults and males were more vulnerable to RmTBI. Interestingly, microbiome depletion may have attenuated the changes to neuroplasticity and subsequent social deficits, suggesting that the microbiome is a viable, but age-specific, target for RmTBI therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Sgro
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Zoe N. Kodila
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Crystal Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Irena Carmichael
- Monash Micro Imaging, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Samantha Warren
- Monash Micro Imaging, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Amy C. Reichelt
- School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Glenn R. Yamakawa
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
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Curley JP, Champagne FA. Shaping the development of complex social behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1530:46-63. [PMID: 37855311 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15076] [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: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Early life experiences can have an enduring impact on the brain and behavior, with implications for stress reactivity, cognition, and social behavior. In particular, the neural systems that contribute to the expression of social behavior are altered by early life social environments. However, paradigms that have been used to alter the social environment during development have typically focused on exposure to stress, adversity, and deprivation of species-typical social stimulation. Here, we explore whether complex social environments can shape the development of complex social behavior. We describe lab-based paradigms for studying early life social complexity in rodents that are generally focused on enriching the social and sensory experiences of the neonatal and juvenile periods of development. The impact of these experiences on social behavior and neuroplasticity is highlighted. Finally, we discuss the degree to which our current approaches for studying social behavior outcomes give insight into "complex" social behavior and how social complexity can be better integrated into lab-based methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Frances A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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Bijlsma A, Vanderschuren LJMJ, Wierenga CJ. Social play behavior shapes the development of prefrontal inhibition in a region-specific manner. Cereb Cortex 2023:bhad212. [PMID: 37317037 PMCID: PMC10393492 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Experience-dependent organization of neuronal connectivity is critical for brain development. We recently demonstrated the importance of social play behavior for the developmental fine-tuning of inhibitory synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex in rats. When these effects of play experience occur and if this happens uniformly throughout the prefrontal cortex is currently unclear. Here we report important temporal and regional heterogeneity in the impact of social play on the development of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex. We recorded in layer 5 pyramidal neurons from juvenile (postnatal day (P)21), adolescent (P42), and adult (P85) rats after social play deprivation (between P21 and P42). The development of these prefrontal cortex subregions followed different trajectories. On P21, inhibitory and excitatory synaptic input was higher in the orbitofrontal cortex than in the medial prefrontal cortex. Social play deprivation did not affect excitatory currents, but reduced inhibitory transmission in both medial prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex. Intriguingly, the reduction occurred in the medial prefrontal cortex during social play deprivation, whereas the reduction in the orbitofrontal cortex only became manifested after social play deprivation. These data reveal a complex interaction between social play experience and the specific developmental trajectories of prefrontal subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ate Bijlsma
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Louk J M J Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Section Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Corette J Wierenga
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Cooper MA, Grizzell JA, Whitten CJ, Burghardt GM. Comparing the ontogeny, neurobiology, and function of social play in hamsters and rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105102. [PMID: 36804399 PMCID: PMC10023430 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Syrian hamsters show complex social play behavior and provide a valuable animal model for delineating the neurobiological mechanisms and functions of social play. In this review, we compare social play behavior of hamsters and rats and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Juvenile rats play by competing for opportunities to pin one another and attack their partner's neck. A broad set of cortical, limbic, and striatal regions regulate the display of social play in rats. In hamsters, social play is characterized by attacks to the head in early puberty, which gradually transitions to the flanks in late puberty. The transition from juvenile social play to adult hamster aggression corresponds with engagement of neural ensembles controlling aggression. Play deprivation in rats and hamsters alters dendritic morphology in mPFC neurons and impairs flexible, context-dependent behavior in adulthood, which suggests these animals may have converged on a similar function for social play. Overall, dissecting the neurobiology of social play in hamsters and rats can provide a valuable comparative approach for evaluating the function of social play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
| | - J Alex Grizzell
- Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Conner J Whitten
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Gordon M Burghardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Stark RA, Brinkman B, Gibb RL, Iwaniuk AN, Pellis SM. Atypical play experiences in the juvenile period has an impact on the development of the medial prefrontal cortex in both male and female rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 439:114222. [PMID: 36427590 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114222] [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: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In rats reared without play, or with limited access to play during the juvenile period, the dendrites of pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) exhibit more branching than rats reared with more typical levels of play. This suggests that play is critical for pruning the dendritic arbor of these neurons. However, the rearing paradigms typically used to limit play involve physical separation from a peer or sharing a cage with an adult, causing stress that may disrupt pruning. To limit this potentially confounding source of stress, we used an alternative approach in this study: pairing playful Long Evans rats (LE) with low playing Fischer 344 (F344) rats throughout the juvenile period. We then examined the morphology of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons, predicting that pruning should be reduced. LE rats reared with another LE rat had significantly greater pruning of mPFC pyramidal neurons compared to LE rats reared with a F344 partner. Furthermore, in previous studies, only one sex or the other was used, whereas in the present rearing paradigm, both sexes were tested, showing that play influences neuronal pruning in both. The neurons of the play deficient LE rats not only occupied more space, as determined by convex hull analyses, but the dendrites were also longer than in rats with more typical play experiences. Unlike studies using more stressful rearing paradigms, the present effects were limited to the apical dendritic projections, suggesting that the previously reported effects on the basilar dendrites may have resulted from developmental disruptions caused by stress. If correct, the present findings indicate that play experienced over the juvenile period affects how mPFC neurons develop and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Stark
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
| | - B Brinkman
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - R L Gibb
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - S M Pellis
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Stark RA, Pellis SM. Using the 'stranger test' to assess social competency in adult female Long Evans rats reared with a Fischer 344 partner. Behav Processes 2021; 192:104492. [PMID: 34478804 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rats reared with limited access to a play partner during the juvenile period develop into adults with impairments in various cognitive, emotional, and social skills. The present study assesses the consequences of play deprivation on adult social skills in female Long Evans (LE) rats that were reared with a low-playing Fischer 344 rat over the juvenile period. As adults, their social skills were assessed using the stranger paradigm, by pairing the deprived LE rats with a novel LE partner in a neutral arena. While the deprived rat engages its partner in play there were alterations in key aspects of play, such as reduced pinning and a longer latency to begin playing, that suggest there are impairments in the social ability of the deprived rat. Most notable were the changes in the behaviour of the typically reared partner, a reduction in the amount of play it initiated and fewer actions that produced reciprocal and prolonged interactions. The changes in the behaviour of the normally reared partner suggest that it detected subtle changes in the play deprived LE rats. These findings support the hypothesis that peer-peer play experiences during the juvenile period are important for the development of socio-cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Stark
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Sergio M Pellis
- University of Lethbridge, 4401 Univerisity Drive W, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4, Canada
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Pinzón-Parra C, Vidal-Jiménez B, Camacho-Abrego I, Flores-Gómez AA, Rodríguez-Moreno A, Flores G. Juvenile stress causes reduced locomotor behavior and dendritic spine density in the prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala in Sprague-Dawley rats. Synapse 2018; 73:e22066. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.22066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cesar Pinzón-Parra
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Blanca Vidal-Jiménez
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Israel Camacho-Abrego
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Alejandra A. Flores-Gómez
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud; Licenciatura en Medicina, Universidad de las Américas Puebla; Cholula, Puebla México
| | - Antonio Rodríguez-Moreno
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Celular y Plasticidad; Benemérita Universidad Pablo de Olavide; Sevilla España
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología; Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
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Harker A, Carroll C, Raza S, Kolb B, Gibb R. Preconception Paternal Stress in Rats Alters Brain and Behavior in Offspring. Neuroscience 2018; 388:474-485. [PMID: 29964157 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Whereas environmental challenges during gestation have been repeatedly shown to alter offspring brain architecture and behavior, exploration examining the consequences of paternal preconception experience on offspring outcome is limited. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of preconception paternal stress (PPS) on cerebral plasticity and behavior in the offspring. Several behavioral assays were performed on offspring between postnatal days 33 (P33) and 101 (P101). Following behavioral testing, the brains were harvested and dendritic morphology (dendritic complexity, length, and spine density) were examined on cortical pyramidal cells in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbital frontal cortex (OFC), parietal cortex (Par1), and the CA1 area of the hippocampus. As anticipated, behavior was altered on both the activity box assay and elevated plus maze and performance was impaired in the Whishaw tray reaching task. Neuroanatomical measures revealed a heavier brain in stressed animals and dendritic changes in all regions measured, the precise effect varying with the measure and cerebral region. Thus, PPS impacted both behavior and neuronal morphology of offspring. These effects likely have an epigenetic basis given that in a parallel study of littermates of the current animals we found extensive epigenetic changes at P21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allonna Harker
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Canada.
| | - Cathy Carroll
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Canada.
| | - Sarah Raza
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Bryan Kolb
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Canada; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Robbin Gibb
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Canada.
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