1
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Kim DI, Park S, Park S, Ye M, Chen JY, Kang SJ, Jhang J, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Caron KM, Vaughan JM, Saghatelian A, Palmiter RD, Han S. Presynaptic sensor and silencer of peptidergic transmission reveal neuropeptides as primary transmitters in pontine fear circuit. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00709-8. [PMID: 39043179 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Neurons produce and release neuropeptides to communicate with one another. Despite their importance in brain function, circuit-based mechanisms of peptidergic transmission are poorly understood, primarily due to the lack of tools for monitoring and manipulating neuropeptide release in vivo. Here, we report the development of two genetically encoded tools for investigating peptidergic transmission in behaving mice: a genetically encoded large dense core vesicle (LDCV) sensor that detects presynaptic neuropeptide release and a genetically encoded silencer that specifically degrades neuropeptides inside LDCVs. Using these tools, we show that neuropeptides, not glutamate, encode the unconditioned stimulus in the parabrachial-to-amygdalar threat pathway during Pavlovian threat learning. We also show that neuropeptides play important roles in encoding positive valence and suppressing conditioned threat response in the amygdala-to-parabrachial endogenous opioidergic circuit. These results show that our sensor and silencer for presynaptic peptidergic transmission are reliable tools to investigate neuropeptidergic systems in awake, behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sekun Park
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Seahyung Park
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jane Y Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sukjae J Kang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jinho Jhang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Avery C Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kathleen M Caron
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joan M Vaughan
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Alan Saghatelian
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Lepeak L, Miracle S, Ferragud A, Seiglie MP, Shafique S, Ozturk Z, Minnig MA, Medeiros G, Cottone P, Sabino V. Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Mediates Heavy Alcohol Drinking in Mice. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0424-23.2023. [PMID: 38053471 PMCID: PMC10755645 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0424-23.2023] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex psychiatric disease characterized by periods of heavy drinking and periods of withdrawal. Chronic exposure to ethanol causes profound neuroadaptations in the extended amygdala, which cause allostatic changes promoting excessive drinking. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a brain region involved in both excessive drinking and anxiety-like behavior, shows particularly high levels of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a key mediator of the stress response. Recently, a role for PACAP in withdrawal-induced alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behavior in alcohol-dependent rats has been proposed; whether the PACAP system of the BNST is also recruited in other models of alcohol addiction and whether it is of local or nonlocal origin is currently unknown. Here, we show that PACAP immunoreactivity is increased selectively in the BNST of C57BL/6J mice exposed to a chronic, intermittent access to ethanol. While pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) type 1 receptor-expressing cells were unchanged by chronic alcohol, the levels of a peptide closely related to PACAP, the calcitonin gene-related neuropeptide, were found to also be increased in the BNST. Finally, using a retrograde chemogenetic approach in PACAP-ires-Cre mice, we found that the inhibition of PACAP neuronal afferents to the BNST reduced heavy ethanol drinking. Our data suggest that the PACAP system of the BNST is recruited by chronic, voluntary alcohol drinking in mice and that nonlocally originating PACAP projections to the BNST regulate heavy alcohol intake, indicating that this system may represent a promising target for novel AUD therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Antonio Ferragud
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Mariel P. Seiglie
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Samih Shafique
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Zeynep Ozturk
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Margaret A. Minnig
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
| | - Gianna Medeiros
- Laboratory of Addictive Disorders, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian, School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118
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3
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Kang SJ, Liu S, Ye M, Kim DI, Pao GM, Copits BA, Roberts BZ, Lee KF, Bruchas MR, Han S. A central alarm system that gates multi-sensory innate threat cues to the amygdala. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111222. [PMID: 35977501 PMCID: PMC9420642 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of threats is essential for survival. Previous findings suggest that parallel pathways independently relay innate threat signals from different sensory modalities to multiple brain areas, such as the midbrain and hypothalamus, for immediate avoidance. Yet little is known about whether and how multi-sensory innate threat cues are integrated and conveyed from each sensory modality to the amygdala, a critical brain area for threat perception and learning. Here, we report that neurons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the parvocellular subparafascicular nucleus in the thalamus and external lateral parabrachial nucleus in the brainstem respond to multi-sensory threat cues from various sensory modalities and relay negative valence to the lateral and central amygdala, respectively. Both CGRP populations and their amygdala projections are required for multi-sensory threat perception and aversive memory formation. The identification of unified innate threat pathways may provide insights into developing therapeutic candidates for innate fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukjae J Kang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shijia Liu
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gerald M Pao
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Bryan A Copits
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Benjamin Z Roberts
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kuo-Fen Lee
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Center of Excellence in the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Departments of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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4
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Jaramillo AA, Brown JA, Winder DG. Danger and distress: Parabrachial-extended amygdala circuits. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108757. [PMID: 34461068 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of the role of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) has evolved as technology has advanced, in part due to cell-specific studies and complex behavioral assays. This is reflected in the heterogeneous neuronal populations within the PBN to the extended amygdala (EA) circuits which encompass the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and central amygdala (CeA) circuitry, as they differentially modulate aspects of behavior in response to diverse threat-like contexts necessary for survival. Here we review how the PBN→CeA and PBN→BNST pathways differentially modulate fear-like behavior, innate and conditioned, through unique changes in neurotransmission in response to stress-inducing contexts. Furthermore, we hypothesize how in specific instances the PBN→CeA and PBN→BNST circuits are redundant and in part intertwined with their respective reciprocal projections. By deconstructing the interoceptive and exteroceptive components of affect- and stress related behavioral paradigms, evidence suggests that the PBN→CeA circuit modulates innate response to physical stimuli and fear conditioning. Conversely, the PBN→BNST circuit modulates distress-like stress in unpredictable contexts. Thereby, the PBN provides a pathway for alarming interoceptive and exteroceptive stimuli to be processed and relayed to the EA to induce stress-relevant affect. Additionally, we provide a framework for future studies to detail the cell-type specific intricacies of PBN→EA circuits in mediating behavioral responses to threats, and the relevance of the PBN in drug-use as it relates to threat and negative reinforcement. This article is part of the special Issue on 'Neurocircuitry Modulating Drug and Alcohol Abuse'.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Jaramillo
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA
| | - J A Brown
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA; Department of Pharmacology, USA
| | - D G Winder
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Dept. Mol. Phys. & Biophysics, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, USA; Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, USA; Department of Pharmacology, USA; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, USA.
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5
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Sugimoto M, Takahashi Y, Sugimura YK, Tokunaga R, Yajima M, Kato F. Active role of the central amygdala in widespread mechanical sensitization in rats with facial inflammatory pain. Pain 2021; 162:2273-2286. [PMID: 33900711 PMCID: PMC8280967 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Widespread or ectopic sensitization is a hallmark symptom of chronic pain, characterized by aberrantly enhanced pain sensitivity in multiple body regions remote from the site of original injury or inflammation. The central mechanism underlying widespread sensitization remains unidentified. The central nucleus of the amygdala (also called the central amygdala, CeA) is well situated for this role because it receives nociceptive information from diverse body sites and modulates pain sensitivity in various body regions. In this study, we examined the role of the CeA in a novel model of ectopic sensitization of rats. Injection of formalin into the left upper lip resulted in latent bilateral sensitization in the hind paw lasting >13 days in male Wistar rats. Chemogenetic inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons or blockade of calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors in the right CeA, but not in the left, significantly attenuated this sensitization. Furthermore, chemogenetic excitation of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic neurons in the right CeA induced de novo bilateral hind paw sensitization in the rats without inflammation. These results indicate that the CeA neuronal activity determines hind paw tactile sensitivity in rats with remote inflammatory pain. They also suggest that the hind paw sensitization used in a large number of preclinical studies might not be simply a sign of the pain at the site of injury but rather a representation of the augmented CeA activity resulting from inflammation/pain in any part of the body or from activities of other brain regions, which has an active role of promoting defensive/protective behaviors to avoid further bodily damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Sugimoto
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukari Takahashi
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yae K. Sugimura
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryota Tokunaga
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Manami Yajima
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Dental Anesthesiology, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Fusao Kato
- Center for Neuroscience of Pain and Department of Neuroscience, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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6
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Edvinsson JCA, Viganò A, Alekseeva A, Alieva E, Arruda R, De Luca C, D'Ettore N, Frattale I, Kurnukhina M, Macerola N, Malenkova E, Maiorova M, Novikova A, Řehulka P, Rapaccini V, Roshchina O, Vanderschueren G, Zvaune L, Andreou AP, Haanes KA. The fifth cranial nerve in headaches. J Headache Pain 2020; 21:65. [PMID: 32503421 PMCID: PMC7275328 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-020-01134-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The fifth cranial nerve is the common denominator for many headaches and facial pain pathologies currently known. Projecting from the trigeminal ganglion, in a bipolar manner, it connects to the brainstem and supplies various parts of the head and face with sensory innervation. In this review, we describe the neuroanatomical structures and pathways implicated in the sensation of the trigeminal system. Furthermore, we present the current understanding of several primary headaches, painful neuropathies and their pharmacological treatments. We hope that this overview can elucidate the complex field of headache pathologies, and their link to the trigeminal nerve, to a broader field of young scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C A Edvinsson
- Department of Clinical Experimental Research, Glostrup Research Institute, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark. .,Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - A Viganò
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy
| | - A Alekseeva
- Department of Neurology, First Pavlov State Medical University of St.Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Russia
| | - E Alieva
- GBUZ Regional Clinical Hospital № 2, Krasnodar, Russia
| | - R Arruda
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - C De Luca
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Neurology Unit, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Public Medicine, Laboratory of Morphology of Neuronal Network, University of Campania-Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - N D'Ettore
- Department of Neurology, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - I Frattale
- Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L'Aquila, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - M Kurnukhina
- Department of Neurosurgery, First Pavlov State Medical University of St.Petersburg, Lev Tolstoy Street 6-8, St.Petersburg, Russia.,The Leningrad Regional State Budgetary Institution of health care "Children's clinical hospital", St.Petersburg, Russia
| | - N Macerola
- Department of Internal Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - E Malenkova
- Pain Department, Petrovsky National Research Centre of Surgery, Moscow, Russia
| | - M Maiorova
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - A Novikova
- F.F. Erisman Federal Research Center for Hygiene, Mytishchy, Russia
| | - P Řehulka
- Department of Neurology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - V Rapaccini
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, Systems Medicine Department, University Hospital Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133, Rome, Italy.,Unità Sanitaria Locale (USL) Umbria 2, Viale VIII Marzo, 05100, Terni, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - O Roshchina
- Department of Neurology, First Pavlov State Medical University of St.Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Russia
| | - G Vanderschueren
- Department of Neurology, ZNA Middelheim, Lindendreef 1, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - L Zvaune
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.,Department of Pain Medicine, Hospital Jurmala, Jurmala, Latvia.,Headache Centre Vivendi, Riga, Latvia
| | - A P Andreou
- Headache Research, Wolfson CARD, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,The Headache Centre, Guy's and St Thomas, NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - K A Haanes
- Department of Clinical Experimental Research, Glostrup Research Institute, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark
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7
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Gowrishankar R, Bruchas MR. Defining circuit-specific roles for G protein-coupled receptors in aversive learning. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019; 26:146-156. [PMID: 32855999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The encoding of negative valence in response to noxious stimuli/experiences and in turn, the behavioral representation of negative affective states is essential for survival. Recent advances in neuroscience have determined multiple sites of neural plasticity and key circuits of connectivity across these regions in mediating aversive behavior. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), owing to their neuromodulatory role, are especially important to refining our understanding of the molecular substrates involved in these circuits. In this review, we will focus on recent, contemporary findings that explore neural circuit-specific roles for neurotransmitter/peptide GPCRs and the importance of using novel approaches to illuminate the molecular mechanisms central to aversive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raajaram Gowrishankar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Department of Pharmacology, Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.,Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
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8
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Palmiter RD. The Parabrachial Nucleus: CGRP Neurons Function as a General Alarm. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:280-293. [PMID: 29703377 PMCID: PMC5929477 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 234] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 02/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The parabrachial nucleus (PBN), which is located in the pons and is dissected by one of the major cerebellar output tracks, is known to relay sensory information (visceral malaise, taste, temperature, pain, itch) to forebrain structures including the thalamus, hypothalamus, and extended amygdala. The availability of mouse lines expressing Cre recombinase selectively in subsets of PBN neurons and viruses for Cre-dependent gene expression is beginning to reveal the connectivity and functions of PBN component neurons. This review focuses on PBN neurons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRPPBN) that play a major role in regulating appetite and transmitting real or potential threat signals to the extended amygdala. The functions of other specific PBN neuronal populations are also discussed. This review aims to encourage investigation of the numerous unanswered questions that are becoming accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard D Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Departments of Biochemistry and Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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9
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Han S, Soleiman MT, Soden ME, Zweifel LS, Palmiter RD. Elucidating an Affective Pain Circuit that Creates a Threat Memory. Cell 2015; 162:363-374. [PMID: 26186190 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 297] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Revised: 03/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Animals learn to avoid harmful situations by associating a neutral stimulus with a painful one, resulting in a stable threat memory. In mammals, this form of learning requires the amygdala. Although pain is the main driver of aversive learning, the mechanism that transmits pain signals to the amygdala is not well resolved. Here, we show that neurons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the parabrachial nucleus are critical for relaying pain signals to the central nucleus of amygdala and that this pathway may transduce the affective motivational aspects of pain. Genetic silencing of CGRP neurons blocks pain responses and memory formation, whereas their optogenetic stimulation produces defensive responses and a threat memory. The pain-recipient neurons in the central amygdala expressing CGRP receptors are also critical for establishing a threat memory. The identification of the neural circuit conveying affective pain signals may be pertinent for treating pain conditions with psychiatric comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Han
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Matthew T Soleiman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Marta E Soden
- Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard D Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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10
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Wu X, Zhang JT, Liu J, Yang S, Chen T, Chen JG, Wang F. Calcitonin gene-related peptide erases the fear memory and facilitates long-term potentiation in the central nucleus of the amygdala in rats. J Neurochem 2015; 135:787-98. [PMID: 26179152 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37 amino acid neuropeptide, which plays a critical role in the central nervous system. CGRP binds to G protein-coupled receptors, including CGRP1, which couples positively to adenylyl cyclase (AC) and protein kinase A (PKA) activation. CGRP and CGRP1 receptors are enriched in central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), the main part of the amygdala, which regulates conditioned fear memories. Here, we reported the importance of CGRP and CGRP1 receptor for synaptic plasticity in the CeA and the extinction of fear memory in rats. Our electrophysiological and behavioral in vitro and in vivo results showed exogenous application of CGRP induced an immediate and lasting long-term potentiation in the basolateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway, but not in the lateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway, while bilateral intra-CeA infusion CGRP (0, 5, 13 and 21 μM/side) dose dependently enhanced fear memory extinction. The effects were blocked by CGRP1 receptor antagonist (CGRP8-37 ), N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors antagonist MK801 and PKA inhibitor H89. These results demonstrate that CGRP can lead to long-term potentiation of basolateral nucleus of amygdala-CeA pathway through a PKA-dependent postsynaptic mechanism that involved N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and enhance the extinction of fear memory in rats. Together, the results strongly support a pivotal role of CGRP in the synaptic plasticity of CeA and extinction of fear memory. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays an essential role in synaptic plasticity in the amygdala and fear memory. We found that CGRP-induced chemical long-term potentiation (LTP) in a dose-dependent way in the BLA-CeA (basolateral and central nucleus of amygdala, respectively) pathway and enhanced fear memory extinction in rats through a protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent postsynaptic mechanism that involved NMDA receptors. These results support a pivotal role of CGRP in amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jie-Ting Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jue Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Si Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases (HUST), Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan, China.,Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, The Institute of Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases (HUST), Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan, China.,Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, The Institute of Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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11
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Russo AF. CGRP as a neuropeptide in migraine: lessons from mice. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2015; 80:403-14. [PMID: 26032833 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 04/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Migraine is a neurological disorder that is far more than just a bad headache. A hallmark of migraine is altered sensory perception. A likely contributor to this altered perception is the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Over the past decade, CGRP has become firmly established as a key player in migraine. Although the mechanisms and sites of action by which CGRP might trigger migraine remain speculative, recent advances with mouse models provide some hints. This brief review focuses on how CGRP might act as both a central and peripheral neuromodulator to contribute to the migraine-like symptom of light aversive behaviour in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Russo
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.,Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, 52246, USA
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12
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Shao B, Zhou YL, Wang H, Lin YS. The role of calcitonin gene-related peptide in post-stroke depression in chronic mild stress-treated ischemic rats. Physiol Behav 2015; 139:224-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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13
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Yang CJ, Tan HP, Du YJ. The developmental disruptions of serotonin signaling may involved in autism during early brain development. Neuroscience 2014; 267:1-10. [PMID: 24583042 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2013] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Autism is a developmental disorder defined by the presence of a triad of communication, social and stereo typical behavioral characteristics with onset before 3years of age. In spite of the fact that there are potential environmental factors for autistic behavior, the dysfunction of serotonin during early development of the brain could be playing a role in this prevalence rise. Serotonin can modulate a number of developmental events, including cell division, neuronal migration, cell differentiation and synaptogenesis. Hyperserotonemia during fetal development results in the loss of serotonin terminals through negative feedback. The increased serotonin causes a decrease of oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and an increase in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the central nucleus of the amygdale, which are associated with social interactions and vital in autism. However, hyposerotonemia may be also relevant to the development of sensory as well as motor and cognitive faculties. And the paucity of placenta-derived serotonin should have potential importance when the pathogenesis of autism is considered. This review briefly summarized the developmental disruptions of serotonin signaling involved in the pathogenesis of autism during early development of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- C-J Yang
- School of Preschool & Special Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
| | - H-P Tan
- School of Preschool & Special Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Y-J Du
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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14
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Sink KS, Davis M, Walker DL. CGRP antagonist infused into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis impairs the acquisition and expression of context but not discretely cued fear. Learn Mem 2013; 20:730-9. [PMID: 24255102 PMCID: PMC3834624 DOI: 10.1101/lm.032482.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) infusions into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) evoke increases in startle amplitude and increases in anxiety-like behavior in the plus maze. Conversely, intra-BNST infusions of the CGRP antagonist CGRP8–37 block unconditioned startle increases produced by fox odor. Here we evaluate the contribution of CGRP signaling in the BNST to the development and expression of learned fear. Rats received five pairings of a 3.7-sec light and footshock and were tested for fear-potentiated startle one or more days later. Neither pre-training (Experiment 1) nor pre-test (Experiment 2) infusions of the CGRP antagonist CGRP8–37 (800 ng/BNST) disrupted fear-potentiated startle to the 3.7-sec visual cue. However, in both experiments, CGRP8–37 infusions disrupted baseline startle increases that occurred when rats were tested in the same context as that in which they previously received footshock (Experiment 3). Intra-BNST CGRP8–37 infusions did not disrupt shock-evoked corticosterone release (Experiment 4). These data confirm previous findings implicating BNST CGRP receptors in fear and anxiety. They extend those results by showing an important contribution to learned fear and, specifically, to fear evoked by a shock-associated context rather than a discrete cue. This pattern is consistent with previous models of BNST function that have posited a preferential role in sustained anxiety as opposed to phasic fear responses. More generally, the results add to a growing body of evidence indicating behaviorally, possibly clinically, relevant modulation of BNST function by neuroactive peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly S Sink
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA
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15
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Sink KS, Chung A, Ressler KJ, Davis M, Walker DL. Anxiogenic effects of CGRP within the BNST may be mediated by CRF acting at BNST CRFR1 receptors. Behav Brain Res 2013; 243:286-93. [PMID: 23376701 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2012] [Revised: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) acting within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) increases anxiety as well as neural activation in anxiety-related structures, and mediates behavioral stress responses. Similar effects have been described following intra-ventricular as well as intra-BNST infusions of the stress-responsive neuropeptide, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). Interestingly, CGRP-positive terminals within the lateral division of the BNST form perisomatic baskets around neurons that express CRF, suggesting that BNST CGRP could exert its anxiogenic effects by increasing release of CRF from these neurons. With this in mind, the present set of experiments was designed to examine the role of CRFR1 signaling in the anxiogenic effects of CGRP within the BNST and to determine whether CRF from BNST neurons contributes to these effects. Consistent with previous studies, we found that 400 ng CGRP infused bilaterally into the BNST increased the acoustic startle response and induced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze compared to vehicle. Both of these effects were attenuated by 10mg/kg PO of the CRFR1 antagonist, GSK876008. GSK876008 alone did not affect startle. An intra-BNST infusion of the CRFR1 antagonist CP376395 (2 μg) also blocked increases in acoustic startle induced by intra-BNST infusion of CGRP, as did virally-mediated siRNA knockdown of CRF expression locally within the BNST. Together, these results suggest that the anxiogenic effects of intra-BNST CGRP may be mediated by CRF from BNST neurons acting at local CRFR1 receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S Sink
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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16
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Sink KS, Walker DL, Yang Y, Davis M. Calcitonin gene-related peptide in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis produces an anxiety-like pattern of behavior and increases neural activation in anxiety-related structures. J Neurosci 2011; 31:1802-10. [PMID: 21289190 PMCID: PMC3088995 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5274-10.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2010] [Revised: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) evokes anxiety-like responses when infused into the lateral ventricle of rats. Because the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) lies immediately adjacent to the lateral ventricle, is rich in CGRP receptors, and has itself been implicated in anxiety, we evaluated the hypothesis that these effects are attributable to stimulation of CGRP receptors within the BNST itself. Bilateral intra-BNST, but not dorsal, CGRP infusions (0, 200, 400, 800 ng/side) enhanced startle amplitude in a dose-dependent manner, and produced an anxiety-like response on the elevated plus maze. Intra-BNST infusion of the CGRP antagonist, αCGRP(8-37), blocked the effect of CGRP on startle, and also blocked startle potentiation produced by exposure to trimethylthiazoline (a component of fox feces that induces anxiety-like behavior in rats). Intra-BNST, but not dorsal, CGRP infusions also increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in a number of anxiety-related brain areas (central nucleus of the amygdala, locus ceruleus, ventrolateral septal nucleus, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, lateral hypothalamus, lateral parabrachial nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, and nucleus accumbens shell), all of which receive direct projections from the BNST. Together, the results indicate that the activation of BNST CGRP receptors is both necessary and sufficient for some anxiety responses and that these effects may be mediated by activation of a wider network of BNST efferent structures. If so, inhibition of CGRP receptors may be a clinically useful strategy for anxiety reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly S Sink
- Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.
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17
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Hadjikhani N. Serotonin, pregnancy and increased autism prevalence: Is there a link? Med Hypotheses 2010; 74:880-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2009.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2009] [Accepted: 11/16/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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18
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Zafeiriou DI, Ververi A, Vargiami E. The serotonergic system: its role in pathogenesis and early developmental treatment of autism. Curr Neuropharmacol 2010; 7:150-7. [PMID: 19949574 PMCID: PMC2730007 DOI: 10.2174/157015909788848848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2008] [Revised: 01/15/2009] [Accepted: 03/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is a severe childhood disorder already presenting in the first 3 years of life and, therefore, strongly correlated with neurodevelopmental alterations in prenatal, as well as postnatal period. Neurotransmitters hold a pivotal role in development by providing the stimulation needed for synapses and neuronal networks to be formed during the critical period of neuroplasticity. Aberrations of the serotonergic system modify key processes in the developing brain and are strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of developmental disorders. Evidence for the role of serotonin in autism emerges from neuropathological, imaging and genetic studies. Due to its developmental arrest, autism requires early intervention that would, among others, target the disrupted serotonergic system and utilize brain plasticity to elicit clinically important brain changes in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- D I Zafeiriou
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
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19
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Davis M, Walker DL, Miles L, Grillon C. Phasic vs sustained fear in rats and humans: role of the extended amygdala in fear vs anxiety. Neuropsychopharmacology 2010; 35:105-35. [PMID: 19693004 PMCID: PMC2795099 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2009.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1020] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2009] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 07/14/2009] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Data will be reviewed using the acoustic startle reflex in rats and humans based on our attempts to operationally define fear vs anxiety. Although the symptoms of fear and anxiety are very similar, they also differ. Fear is a generally adaptive state of apprehension that begins rapidly and dissipates quickly once the threat is removed (phasic fear). Anxiety is elicited by less specific and less predictable threats, or by those that are physically or psychologically more distant. Thus, anxiety is a more long-lasting state of apprehension (sustained fear). Rodent studies suggest that phasic fear is mediated by the amygdala, which sends outputs to the hypothalamus and brainstem to produce symptoms of fear. Sustained fear is also mediated by the amygdala, which releases corticotropin-releasing factor, a stress hormone that acts on receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a part of the so-called 'extended amygdala.' The amygdala and BNST send outputs to the same hypothalamic and brainstem targets to produce phasic and sustained fear, respectively. In rats, sustained fear is more sensitive to anxiolytic drugs. In humans, symptoms of clinical anxiety are better detected in sustained rather than phasic fear paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Davis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University, and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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20
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Schorscher-Petcu A, Austin JS, Mogil JS, Quirion R. Role of central calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in locomotor and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in two mouse strains exhibiting a CGRP-dependent difference in thermal pain sensitivity. J Mol Neurosci 2009; 39:125-36. [PMID: 19381879 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-009-9201-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2009] [Accepted: 04/02/2009] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that, in AKR and C57BL/6 mice, a genetic polymorphism results in differential expression of the peptide, calcitonin gene-related polypeptide (CGRP), explaining a strain difference in thermal pain sensitivity. Although CGRP is widely distributed in the brain, little is known about the effects of supraspinal CGRP. We used AKR and C57BL/6 mice as a model to explore the effects of centrally (intracerebroventricular) injected CGRP and the CGRP receptor antagonists, CGRP(8-37) and BIBN4096BS, in a series of behavioral assays. Locomotor activity was significantly increased in C57BL/6 mice following the injection of BIBN4096BS and in both strains after the administration of CGRP(8-37) into the third ventricle. CGRP increased paw-withdrawal latencies in C57BL/6 mice only, while decreasing depression-like behaviors in both strains in the forced-swimming test. CGRP and CGRP receptor antagonists failed to modulate activity in the elevated plus maze, a model of anxiety. Taken together, these results suggest a complex role for supraspinal CGRP systems in the regulation of locomotion, nociception, and depression-like behaviors.
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Walker DL, Davis M. Role of the extended amygdala in short-duration versus sustained fear: a tribute to Dr. Lennart Heimer. Brain Struct Funct 2008; 213:29-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-008-0183-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2008] [Accepted: 05/15/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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22
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McNamara IM, Borella AW, Bialowas LA, Whitaker-Azmitia PM. Further studies in the developmental hyperserotonemia model (DHS) of autism: Social, behavioral and peptide changes. Brain Res 2008; 1189:203-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.10.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2007] [Revised: 10/25/2007] [Accepted: 10/26/2007] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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23
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D'Hanis W, Linke R, Yilmazer-Hanke DM. Topography of thalamic and parabrachial calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactive neurons projecting to subnuclei of the amygdala and extended amygdala. J Comp Neurol 2007; 505:268-91. [PMID: 17879271 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Injections of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) into the amygdala evoke fear-related behaviors and antinociceptive effects. In the present study we therefore characterized CGRP-containing amygdaloid afferents by injecting the retrograde tracer FluoroGold (FG) into subnuclei of the amygdala and adjacent divisions of the extended amygdala, namely, the lateral (LA) and central (CE) amygdaloid nuclei, interstitial nucleus of the posterior limb of the anterior commissure (IPAC), and the amygdalostriatal area (AStr). The distribution of retrogradely FG-labeled neurons and colocalization of CGRP-immunoreactivity with FG-labeling were mapped in the posterior paralaminar thalamic complex and parabrachial nuclei. The analysis of the posterior thalamus revealed that about 50% of CGRP-containing neurons projected to the AStr, the projections originating in the medial part of the medial geniculate body, posterior intralaminar nucleus, parvicellular subparafascicular nucleus, and peripeduncular nucleus. However, the percentage of CGRP-containing thalamic neurons projecting to the adjacent LA, medial part of the CE, and ventrocaudal part of the caudatoputamen rapidly dropped to 3-9%. There were no double-labeled cells after injections into the lateral and capsular parts of the CE and the IPAC. Thus, the AStr received the heaviest CGRP-containing projection from the posterior thalamus. CGRP-containing parabrachial neurons projected to the AStr and lateral, capsular, and medial parts of the CE, the projections originating in the external, crescent, and central parts of the lateral parabrachial nucleus and external part of the medial parabrachial nucleus. The results demonstrate a distinct projection pattern of CGRP-containing thalamic and parabrachial neurons to subnuclei of the amygdala and extended amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- W D'Hanis
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
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24
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Lafont AG, Dufour S, Fouchereau-Peron M. Evolution of the CT/CGRP family: comparative study with new data from models of teleosts, the eel, and cephalopod molluscs, the cuttlefish and the nautilus. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2007; 153:155-69. [PMID: 17353015 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2007.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2006] [Revised: 01/22/2007] [Accepted: 01/23/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, alternative splicing of the calcitonin gene generates two distinct peptides: calcitonin (CT), synthesised in the thyroid C cells and involved in the regulation of calcium metabolism, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), brain neuromediator synthesised in the peripheral and central nerves. CGRP is well represented and molecularly conserved during evolution whereas CT has not been detected in any of the invertebrates analysed so far. In order to better understand the evolution of this CT/CGRP peptide family we reviewed the major data concerning its evolution from the literature and our recent data obtained in models of teleosts and cephalopod molluscs. The presence of both CGRP-like molecules and its specific bindings sites in the central nervous system of eel, cuttlefish and nautilus, suggests that the brain neurotransmitter role of CGRP could represent an ancient role in metazoa, already present in cephalopods and conserved among vertebrates, as still observed in mammals. In contrast, the presence of CGRP specific binding sites, and not the peptide itself, in the gills suggests an endocrine role for CGRP, in cephalopods and teleosts, that may have been lost during the evolution of the tetrapod lineage. These data, and the absence of CT-like molecules that we observed in cephalopods, support the hypothesis that CGRP represents the ancestral molecule of the CT/CGRP family, appeared in metazoa before the vertebrate emergence. The distinction between CT and CGRP receptors appears to be an event posterior to the emergence of ecdysozoan and lophotrochozoan protostomes, probably in relation to the CT appearance. The evolution of the CT/CGRP peptide family is probably similar to the evolution of the CT/CGRP receptor family. In fact, the genic duplication that induced the appearance of the two separate molecules, CT and CGRP, may constitute an event close to that, which induced the appearance of the two specific receptors. These events remain to be further studied in order to better understand the peptide and receptor evolution of the CT/CGRP family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Gaëlle Lafont
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département des Milieux et Peuplements Aquatiques, USM 0401, UMR 5178 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Biologie des Organismes Marins et Ecosystèmes, Station de Biologie Marine, 29900 Concarneau, France
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Whitaker-Azmitia PM. Behavioral and cellular consequences of increasing serotonergic activity during brain development: a role in autism? Int J Dev Neurosci 2004; 23:75-83. [PMID: 15730889 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2004.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 210] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2004] [Accepted: 07/30/2004] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothesis explored in this review is that the high levels of serotonin in the blood seen in some autistic children (the so-called hyperserotonemia of autism) may lead to some of the behavioral and cellular changes also observed in the disorder. At early stages of development, when the blood-brain Barrier is not yet fully formed, the high levels of serotonin in the blood can enter the brain of a developing fetus and cause loss of serotonin terminals through a known negative feedback function of serotonin during development. The loss of serotonin innervation persists throughout subsequent development and the symptoms of autism appear. A review of the basic scientific literature on prenatal treatments affecting serotonin is given, in support of this hypothesis, with an emphasis on studies using the serotonin agonist, 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT). In work using 5-MT to mimic hyperserotonemia, Sprague-Dawley rats are treated from gestational day 12 until postnatal 20. In published reports, these animals have been found to have a significant loss of serotonin terminals, decreased metabolic activity in cortex, changes in columnar development in cortex, changes in serotonin receptors, and "autistic-like" behaviors. In preliminary cellular findings given in this review, the animals have also been found to have cellular changes in two relevant brain regions: 1. Central nucleus of the amygdala, a brain region involved in fear-responding, where an increase in calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) was found 2. Paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, a brain region involved in social memory and bonding, where a decrease in oxytocin was found. Both of these cellular changes could result from loss of serotonin innervation, possibly due to loss of terminal outgrowth from the same cells of the raphe nuclei. Thus, increased serotonergic activity during development could damage neurocircuitry involved in emotional responding to social stressors and may have relevance to the symptoms of autism.
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Carter RM, Hofstotter C, Tsuchiya N, Koch C. Working memory and fear conditioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:1399-404. [PMID: 12552137 PMCID: PMC298784 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0334049100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2002] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of associative learning implicate higher-level cognitive processes in some forms of classical conditioning. An ongoing debate is concerned with the extent to which attention and awareness are necessary for trace but not delay eye-blink conditioning [Clark, R. E. & Squire, L. R. (1998) Science 280, 77-81; Lovibond, P. F. & Shanks, D. (2002) J. Exp. Psychol. Anim. Behav. Processes 28, 38-42]. In trace conditioning, a short interval is interposed between the termination of the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the onset of the unconditioned stimulus (US). In delay conditioning, the CS and US overlap. We here investigate the extent to which human classical fear conditioning depends on working memory. Subjects had to carry out an n-back task, requiring tracking an item 1 or 2 back in a sequentially presented list of numbers, while simultaneously being tested for their ability to associate auditory cues with shocks under a variety of conditions (single-cue versus differential; delay versus trace; no task versus 0-, 1-, and 2-back). Differential delay conditioning proved to be more resilient than differential trace conditioning but does show a reduction due to task interference similar in slope to that found in trace conditioning. Explicit knowledge of the stimulus contingency facilitates but does not guarantee trace conditioning. Only the single-cue delay protocol shows conditioning during the more difficult working memory task. Our findings suggest that the larger the cognitive demands on the system, the less likely conditioning occurs. A postexperimental questionnaire showed a positive correlation between conditioning and awareness for differential trace conditioning extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald McKell Carter
- Division of Biology and Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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