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Becerril-Villanueva E, Olvera-Alvarez MI, Alvarez-Herrera S, Maldonado-García JL, López-Torres A, Ramírez-Marroquín OA, González-Ruiz O, Nogueira-Fernández JM, Mendoza-Contreras JM, Sánchez-García HO, José-Alfallo JA, Valencia Baños A, Torres-Serrano AB, Jiménez-Genchi J, Mendieta-Cabrera D, Pérez-Sánchez G, Pavón L. Screening of SERT and p11 mRNA Levels in Airline Pilots: A Translational Approach. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:859768. [PMID: 35401250 PMCID: PMC8983845 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.859768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Airline pilots are frequently exposed to numerous flights per week, changes in their circadian rhythms, and extended periods away from home. All these stressors make pilots susceptible to developing psychiatric disorders. Recently, emphasis has been placed on the need for molecular tests that help in the diagnosis of depression. The genes SLC6A4 and S100A10 encode serotonin transporter (SERT) and p11 protein, respectively. Their expression has been frequently associated with stress and depression. In this work, we quantified, by quantitative PCR, the expression of SERT and p11 in peripheral mononuclear cells of airline pilots compared to patients with depression and healthy volunteers. Moreover, by mass spectrometry, we quantified the serum serotonin levels in the same three groups. We found that SERT and p11 were overexpressed in the mononuclear cells of airline pilots and depressed patients compared to healthy volunteers. Although serum serotonin was not different between healthy volunteers and airline pilots, a decreasing trend was observed in the latter. As expected, serum serotonin in the patients was significantly lower. Alterations in SERT and p11 in airline pilots could be related to professional stress, a condition that could potentially affect their long-term mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Becerril-Villanueva
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - María Irma Olvera-Alvarez
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Samantha Alvarez-Herrera
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jose Luis Maldonado-García
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Adolfo López-Torres
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Química Aplicada, Universidad del Papaloapan, Oaxaca, Mexico
| | | | - Octavio González-Ruiz
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - José Manuel Nogueira-Fernández
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - José Manuel Mendoza-Contreras
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Héctor Omar Sánchez-García
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - José Antonio José-Alfallo
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Atenodoro Valencia Baños
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ana Berta Torres-Serrano
- Dirección General de Protección y Medicina Preventiva en el Transporte, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | | | - Danelia Mendieta-Cabrera
- Servicios Clínicos, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Gilberto Pérez-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Lenin Pavón
- Laboratorio de Psicoinmunología, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Prophylactic efficacy of 5-HT 4R agonists against stress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:542-552. [PMID: 31600767 PMCID: PMC6969048 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0540-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Enhancing stress resilience could protect against stress-induced psychiatric disorders in at-risk populations. We and others have previously reported that (R,S)-ketamine acts as a prophylactic against stress when administered 1 week before stress. While we have shown that the selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (serotonin) reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine (Flx) is ineffective as a prophylactic, we hypothesized that other serotonergic compounds such as serotonin 4 receptor (5-HT4R) agonists could act as prophylactics. We tested if three 5-HT4R agonists with varying affinity could protect against stress in two mouse strains by utilizing chronic corticosterone (CORT) administration or contextual fear conditioning (CFC). Mice were administered saline, (R,S)-ketamine, Flx, RS-67,333, prucalopride, or PF-04995274 at varying doses, and then 1 week later were subjected to chronic CORT or CFC. In C57BL/6N mice, chronic Flx administration attenuated CORT-induced weight changes and increased open-arm entries in the elevated plus maze (EPM). Chronic RS-67,333 administration attenuated CORT-mediated weight changes and protected against depressive- and anxiety-like behavior. In 129S6/SvEv mice, RS-67,333 attenuated learned fear in male, but not female mice. RS-67,333 was ineffective against stress-induced depressive-like behavior in the forced swim test (FST), but prevented anxiety-like behavior in both sexes. Prucalopride and PF-04995274 attenuated learned fear and decreased stress-induced depressive-like behavior. Electrophysiological recordings following (R,S)-ketamine or prucalopride administration revealed that both drugs alter AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in CA3. These data show that in addition to (R,S)-ketamine, 5-HT4R agonists are also effective prophylactics against stress, suggesting that the 5-HT4R may be a novel target for prophylactic drug development.
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Zhang L, Hu XZ, Benedek DM, Fullerton CS, Forsten RD, Naifeh JA, Li X. Genetic predictor of current suicidal ideation in US service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 113:65-71. [PMID: 30904785 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Suicide is one of the ten leading causes of death in United States and the suicide rate in the military population has increased since the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. However, few biomarkers for current suicidal ideation (CSI) have been identified. The current study examined the association of four candidate genes with CSI in active duty US Army Special Operations Command and National Guard units (n = 3,889) who served in Iraq and Afghanistan between November 2009 and July 2014. METHODS Current PTSD symptoms and CSI were assessed using the PTSD Checklist (PCL) and PHQ-9, respectively. Traumatic events were assessed using items from the Life Events Checklist (LEC) that met the DSM-IV PTSD criteria of a traumatic stressor. All genotypes of saliva DNA were discriminated using the TaqMan 5'-exonuclease assay. RESULTS The associations between CSI and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), FK506 binding protein (FKBP5), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), or S100A10 (p11) were examined. We found CSI was associated with BDNF (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.5-1.8, P = 0.0002), but not FKBP5, COMT and p11. Female soldiers reported CSI more often than males (χ2 = 7.403, p = 0.0065), although gender did not affect CSI severity. In addition, associations were found between CSI and depression, PTSD, and BDNF, but not traumatic events. The BDNF Val66Met contributed to the severity of CSI even after adjusting to PTSD, depression and LEC. CONCLUSIONS The associations of BDNF with CSI and its severity suggest that BDNF may be a predictor of suicidal risk and present an opportunity to develop laboratory tools with clinical implications in suicide prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA.
| | - Xian-Zhang Hu
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
| | - David M Benedek
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
| | - Carol S Fullerton
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
| | - Robert D Forsten
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
| | - James A Naifeh
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
| | - Xiaoxia Li
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
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- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USA
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Zhang L, Li H, Hu X, Benedek DM, Fullerton CS, Forsten RD, Naifeh JA, Li X, Wu H, Benevides KN, Le T, Smerin S, Russell DW, Ursano RJ. Mitochondria-focused gene expression profile reveals common pathways and CPT1B dysregulation in both rodent stress model and human subjects with PTSD. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e580. [PMID: 26080315 PMCID: PMC4490278 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a trauma-related mental disorder, is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in the brain. However, the biologic approach to identifying the mitochondria-focused genes underlying the pathogenesis of PTSD is still in its infancy. Previous research, using a human mitochondria-focused cDNA microarray (hMitChip3) found dysregulated mitochondria-focused genes present in postmortem brains of PTSD patients, indicating that those genes might be PTSD-related biomarkers. To further test this idea, this research examines profiles of mitochondria-focused gene expression in the stressed-rodent model (inescapable tail shock in rats), which shows characteristics of PTSD-like behaviors and also in the blood of subjects with PTSD. This study found that 34 mitochondria-focused genes being upregulated in stressed-rat amygdala. Ten common pathways, including fatty acid metabolism and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) pathways were dysregulated in the amygdala of the stressed rats. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT1B), an enzyme in the fatty acid metabolism and PPAR pathways, was significantly over-expressed in the amygdala (P < 0.007) and in the blood (P < 0.01) of stressed rats compared with non-stressed controls. In human subjects with (n = 28) or without PTSD (n = 31), significant over-expression of CPT1B in PTSD was also observed in the two common dysregulated pathways: fatty acid metabolism (P = 0.0027, false discovery rate (FDR) = 0.043) and PPAR (P = 0.006, FDR = 0.08). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validated the microarray findings and the CPT1B result. These findings indicate that blood can be used as a specimen in the search for PTSD biomarkers in fatty acid metabolism and PPAR pathways, and, in addition, that CPT1B may contribute to the pathology of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Zhang
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. E-mail:
| | - H Li
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - X Hu
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - D M Benedek
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - C S Fullerton
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - R D Forsten
- U.S. Army Pacific Command, Hawaiian Islands, HI, USA
| | - J A Naifeh
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - X Li
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - H Wu
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - K N Benevides
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - T Le
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - S Smerin
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - D W Russell
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - R J Ursano
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Ding AY, Li Q, Zhou IY, Ma SJ, Tong G, McAlonan GM, Wu EX. MR diffusion tensor imaging detects rapid microstructural changes in amygdala and hippocampus following fear conditioning in mice. PLoS One 2013; 8:e51704. [PMID: 23382811 PMCID: PMC3559642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following fear conditioning (FC), ex vivo evidence suggests that early dynamics of cellular and molecular plasticity in amygdala and hippocampal circuits mediate responses to fear. Such altered dynamics in fear circuits are thought to be etiologically related to anxiety disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Consistent with this, neuroimaging studies of individuals with established PTSD in the months after trauma have revealed changes in brain regions responsible for processing fear. However, whether early changes in fear circuits can be captured in vivo is not known. METHODS We hypothesized that in vivo magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) would be sensitive to rapid microstructural changes elicited by FC in an experimental mouse PTSD model. We employed a repeated measures paired design to compare in vivo DTI measurements before, one hour after, and one day after FC-exposed mice (n=18). RESULTS Using voxel-wise repeated measures analysis, fractional anisotropy (FA) significantly increased then decreased in amygdala, decreased then increased in hippocampus, and was increasing in cingulum and adjacent gray matter one hour and one day post-FC respectively. These findings demonstrate that DTI is sensitive to early changes in brain microstructure following FC, and that FC elicits distinct, rapid in vivo responses in amygdala and hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that DTI can detect rapid microstructural changes in brain regions known to mediate fear conditioning in vivo. DTI indices could be explored as a translational tool to capture potential early biological changes in individuals at risk for developing PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby Y. Ding
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Reproduction Growth and Development, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Iris Y. Zhou
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Samantha J. Ma
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gehua Tong
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Grainne M. McAlonan
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Centre for Reproduction Growth and Development, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London
| | - Ed X. Wu
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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