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Pardo GVE, Alfaro Saca EE, Becerra Flores CT, Delgado Casós WF, Pacheco-Otalora LF. Limited bedding nesting paradigm alters maternal behavior and pup's early developmental milestones but did not induce anxiety- or depressive-like behavior in two different inbred mice. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22357. [PMID: 36567650 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Animal models are crucial to understanding the mechanisms underlying the deleterious consequences of early-life stress. Here, we aimed to examine the effect of the limited bedding nesting (LBN) paradigm on early life development milestones and anxiety- and/or depression-like behavior in adolescent and adult mice from two inbred mice of both sexes. C57BL/6NCrl and BALB/c litters were exposed to the LBN paradigm postnatal day (PND) 2-9. Maternal behavior recording occurred on PND 3-9, and pups were weighed daily and examined to verify the eye-opening on PND 10-22. The male and female offspring underwent evaluation in the open field test, elevated plus-maze, and the forced swimming test during adolescence (PND 45-49) and adulthood (PND 75-79). We found that LBN impaired the maternal behavior patterns of both strain dams, mainly on C57BL/6NCrl strain. Also, LBN delayed the pup's eye-opening time and reduced body weight gain, impacting C57BL/6NCrl pups more. We also found that LBN decreased anxiety-related indices in adolescent and adult male but not female mice of both strains. Furthermore, LBN decreased depression-related indices only adolescent female and male BALB/c and female but not male C57BL/6NCrl mice. These findings reinforce the evidence that the LBN paradigm impairs the maternal behavior pattern and pup's early developmental milestones but does not induce anxiety- or depressive-like behavior outcomes during later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace V E Pardo
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Neurociencia, Instituto Científico de Investigación, Universidad Andina del Cusco, Cuzco, Peru
| | - Eros Emanuel Alfaro Saca
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Neurociencia, Instituto Científico de Investigación, Universidad Andina del Cusco, Cuzco, Peru
| | | | - Walter Fares Delgado Casós
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Neurociencia, Instituto Científico de Investigación, Universidad Andina del Cusco, Cuzco, Peru
| | - Luis F Pacheco-Otalora
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Neurociencia, Instituto Científico de Investigación, Universidad Andina del Cusco, Cuzco, Peru
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Ménard S, Gelez H, Jacubovitch M, Coria-Avila GA, Pfaus JG. Appetitive olfactory conditioning in the neonatal male rat facilitates subsequent sexual partner preference. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 121:104858. [PMID: 32919208 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Pairing a neutral odor with a male rat's initial sexual experiences to ejaculation produces a subsequent conditioned ejaculatory preference (CEP) in which males ejaculate preferentially with receptive females that bear the odor relative to unscented receptive females. In 1986, Fillion and Blass reported that neonatal male rats exposed to a neutral lemon odor (citral) painted on their mother's ventrum while nursing ejaculated faster as adults with sexually receptive, citral-scented females compared to unscented receptive females. The present study examined whether the same odor paired with tactile reward in neonatal male rats would alter the subsequent expression of a CEP. Newborn Long-Evans male rats were separated from their mothers each day beginning on Postnatal Day 1 and placed into a Plexiglas cage that contained either unscented or citral-scented bedding (N = 8/group). During each trial, rats were stroked from head to toe with a soft, narrow paintbrush, after which they were returned to their mothers. Males were weaned at 21 days of age and housed in same-treatment pairs for an intervening 50 days. Following habituation to a large open field, males were presented with two sexually receptive Long-Evans females, one scented with citral, and the other unscented, for a 30-min test of copulation. Males in the Paired group copulated and ejaculated preferentially with the scented female whereas males in the Unpaired group showed no preference. Pairing a neutral odor with a reward state in infancy generates a preference in male rats to ejaculate with sexually receptive females bearing the same odor in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shann Ménard
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Hélène Gelez
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Mariana Jacubovitch
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Genaro A Coria-Avila
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193 México
| | - James G Pfaus
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada; Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193 México.
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Moussa-Tooks AB, Larson ER, Gimeno AF, Leishman E, Bartolomeo LA, Bradshaw HB, Green JT, O'Donnell BF, Mackie K, Hetrick WP. Long-Term Aberrations To Cerebellar Endocannabinoids Induced By Early-Life Stress. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7236. [PMID: 32350298 PMCID: PMC7190863 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64075-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence points to the role of the endocannabinoid system in long-term stress-induced neural remodeling with studies on stress-induced endocannabinoid dysregulation focusing on cerebral changes that are temporally proximal to stressors. Little is known about temporally distal and sex-specific effects, especially in cerebellum, which is vulnerable to early developmental stress and is dense with cannabinoid receptors. Following limited bedding at postnatal days 2-9, adult (postnatal day 70) cerebellar and hippocampal endocannabinoids, related lipids, and mRNA were assessed, and behavioral performance evaluated. Regional and sex-specific effects were present at baseline and following early-life stress. Limited bedding impaired peripherally-measured basal corticosterone in adult males only. In the CNS, early-life stress (1) decreased 2-arachidonoyl glycerol and arachidonic acid in the cerebellar interpositus nucleus in males only; (2) decreased 2-arachidonoyl glycerol in females only in cerebellar Crus I; and (3) increased dorsal hippocampus prostaglandins in males only. Cerebellar interpositus transcriptomics revealed substantial sex effects, with minimal stress effects. Stress did impair novel object recognition in both sexes and social preference in females. Accordingly, the cerebellar endocannabinoid system exhibits robust sex-specific differences, malleable through early-life stress, suggesting the role of endocannabinoids and stress to sexual differentiation of the brain and cerebellar-related dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra B Moussa-Tooks
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Eric R Larson
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Alex F Gimeno
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Emma Leishman
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Lisa A Bartolomeo
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Heather B Bradshaw
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - John T Green
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Brian F O'Donnell
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ken Mackie
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - William P Hetrick
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Allen-Blevins CR, You X, Hinde K, Sela DA. Handling stress may confound murine gut microbiota studies. PeerJ 2017; 5:e2876. [PMID: 28097073 PMCID: PMC5234434 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence indicates interactions between human milk composition, particularly sugars (human milk oligosaccharides or HMO), the gut microbiota of human infants, and behavioral effects. Some HMO secreted in human milk are unable to be endogenously digested by the human infant but are able to be metabolized by certain species of gut microbiota, including Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis), a species sensitive to host stress (Bailey & Coe, 2004). Exposure to gut bacteria like B. infantisduring critical neurodevelopment windows in early life appears to have behavioral consequences; however, environmental, physical, and social stress during this period can also have behavioral and microbial consequences. While rodent models are a useful method for determining causal relationships between HMO, gut microbiota, and behavior, murine studies of gut microbiota usually employ oral gavage, a technique stressful to the mouse. Our aim was to develop a less-invasive technique for HMO administration to remove the potential confound of gavage stress. Under the hypothesis that stress affects gut microbiota, particularly B. infantis, we predicted the pups receiving a prebiotic solution in a less-invasive manner would have the highest amount of Bifidobacteria in their gut. METHODS This study was designed to test two methods, active and passive, of solution administration to mice and the effects on their gut microbiome. Neonatal C57BL/6J mice housed in a specific-pathogen free facility received increasing doses of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) solution or deionized, distilled water. Gastrointestinal (GI) tracts were collected from five dams, six sires, and 41 pups over four time points. Seven fecal pellets from unhandled pups and two pellets from unhandled dams were also collected. Qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to quantify and compare the amount of Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. RESULTS Our results demonstrate a significant difference between the amount of Firmicutes in pups receiving water passively and those receiving FOS actively (p-value = 0.009). Additionally, we found significant differences between the fecal microbiota from handled and non-handled mouse pups. DISCUSSION From our results, we conclude even handling pups for experimental purposes, without gavage, may induce enough stress to alter the murine gut microbiota profile. We suggest further studies to examine potential stress effects on gut microbiota caused by experimental techniques. Stress from experimental techniques may need to be accounted for in future gut microbiota studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cary R. Allen-Blevins
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Xiaomeng You
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Katie Hinde
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - David A. Sela
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
- Center for Microbiome Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
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McCormick GL, Robbins TR, Cavigelli SA, Langkilde T. Ancestry trumps experience: Transgenerational but not early life stress affects the adult physiological stress response. Horm Behav 2017; 87:115-121. [PMID: 27864050 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to stressors can affect an organism's physiology and behavior as well as that of its descendants (e.g. through maternal effects, epigenetics, and/or selection). We examined the relative influence of early life vs. transgenerational stress exposure on adult stress physiology in a species that has populations with and without ancestral exposure to an invasive predator. We raised offspring of eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) from sites historically invaded (high stress) or uninvaded (low stress) by predatory fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and determined how this different transgenerational exposure to stress interacted with the effects of early life stress exposure to influence the physiological stress response in adulthood. Offspring from these high- and low-stress populations were exposed weekly to either sub-lethal attack by fire ants (an ecologically relevant stressor), topical treatment with a physiologically-appropriate dose of the stress-relevant hormone, corticosterone (CORT), or a control treatment from 2 to 43weeks of age. Several months after treatments ended, we quantified plasma CORT concentrations at baseline and following restraint, exposure to fire ants, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) injection. Exposure to fire ants or CORT during early life did not affect lizard stress physiology in adulthood. However, offspring of lizards from populations that had experienced multiple generations of fire ant-invasion exhibited more robust adult CORT responses to restraint and ACTH-injection compared to offspring from uninvaded populations. Together, these results indicate that transgenerational stress history may be at least as important, if not more important, than early life stress in affecting adult physiological stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail L McCormick
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Travis R Robbins
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Sonia A Cavigelli
- The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Tracy Langkilde
- Department of Biology, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; The Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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