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Sheppard PAS, Oomen CA, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM. The Granular Retrosplenial Cortex Is Necessary in Male Rats for Object-Location Associative Learning and Memory, But Not Spatial Working Memory or Visual Discrimination and Reversal, in the Touchscreen Operant Chamber. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0120-24.2024. [PMID: 38844347 PMCID: PMC11208985 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0120-24.2024] [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: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a hub of diverse afferent and efferent projections thought to be involved in associative learning. RSC shows early pathology in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD), which impairs associative learning. To understand and develop therapies for diseases such as AD, animal models are essential. Given the importance of human RSC in object-location associative learning and the success of object-location associative paradigms in human studies and in the clinic, it would be of considerable value to establish a translational model of object-location learning for the rodent. For this reason, we sought to test the role of RSC in object-location learning in male rats using the object-location paired-associates learning (PAL) touchscreen task. First, increased cFos immunoreactivity was observed in granular RSC following PAL training when compared with extended pretraining controls. Following this, RSC lesions following PAL acquisition were used to explore the necessity of the RSC in object-location associative learning and memory and two tasks involving only one modality: trial-unique nonmatching-to-location for spatial working memory and pairwise visual discrimination/reversal. RSC lesions impaired both memory for learned paired-associates and learning of new object-location associations but did not affect performance in either the spatial or visual single-modality tasks. These findings provide evidence that RSC is necessary for object-location learning and less so for learning and memory involving the individual modalities therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A S Sheppard
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Charlotte A Oomen
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
- MRC and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, United Kingdom
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Dutton A, Patel CD, Taylor SA, Garland CR, Turnbaugh EM, Alers-Velazquez R, Mehrbach J, Nautiyal KM, Leib DA. Asymptomatic neonatal herpes simplex virus infection in mice leads to long-term cognitive impairment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.22.590596. [PMID: 38712140 PMCID: PMC11071430 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.22.590596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Neonatal herpes simplex virus (nHSV) is a devastating infection impacting approximately 14,000 newborns globally each year. Infection is associated with high neurologic morbidity and mortality, making early intervention and treatment critical. Clinical outcomes of symptomatic nHSV infections are well-studied, but little is known about the frequency of, or outcomes following, sub-clinical or asymptomatic nHSV. Given the ubiquitous nature of HSV infection and frequency of asymptomatic shedding in adults, subclinical infections are underreported, yet could contribute to long-term neurological damage. To assess potential neurological morbidity associated with subclinical nHSV infection, we developed a low-dose (100 PFU) HSV infection protocol in neonatal C57BL/6 mice. At this dose, HSV DNA was detected in the brain by PCR but was not associated with acute clinical symptoms. However, months after initial inoculation with 100 PFU of HSV, we observed impaired mouse performance on a range of cognitive and memory performance tasks. Memory impairment was induced by infection with either HSV-1 or HSV-2 wild-type viruses, but not by a viral mutant lacking the autophagy-modulating Beclin-binding domain of the neurovirulence gene γ34.5. Retroviral expression of wild type γ34.5 gene led to behavioral pathology in mice, suggesting that γ34.5 expression may be sufficient to cause cognitive impairment. Maternal immunization and HSV-specific antibody treatment prevented offspring from developing neurological sequelae following nHSV-1 infection. Altogether, these results support the idea that subclinical neonatal infections may lead to cognitive decline in adulthood, with possible profound implications for research on human neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease.
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Cho SY, Kim EW, Park SJ, Phillips BU, Jeong J, Kim H, Heath CJ, Kim D, Jang Y, López-Cruz L, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Lee DY, Kim E. Reconsidering repurposing: long-term metformin treatment impairs cognition in Alzheimer's model mice. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:34. [PMID: 38238285 PMCID: PMC10796941 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02755-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Metformin, a primary anti-diabetic medication, has been anticipated to provide benefits for Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known as "type 3 diabetes". Nevertheless, some studies have demonstrated that metformin may trigger AD pathology and even elevate AD risk in humans. Despite this, limited research has elucidated the behavioral outcomes of metformin treatment, which would hold significant translational value. Thus, we aimed to perform thorough behavioral research on the prolonged administration of metformin to mice: We administered metformin (300 mg/kg/day) to transgenic 3xTg-AD and non-transgenic (NT) C57BL/6 mice over 1 and 2 years, respectively, and evaluated their behaviors across multiple domains via touchscreen operant chambers, including motivation, attention, memory, visual discrimination, and cognitive flexibility. We found metformin enhanced attention, inhibitory control, and associative learning in younger NT mice (≤16 months). However, chronic treatment led to impairments in memory retention and discrimination learning at older age. Furthermore, metformin caused learning and memory impairment and increased levels of AMPKα1-subunit, β-amyloid oligomers, plaques, phosphorylated tau, and GSK3β expression in AD mice. No changes in potential confounding factors on cognition, including levels of motivation, locomotion, appetite, body weight, blood glucose, and serum vitamin B12, were observed in metformin-treated AD mice. We also identified an enhanced amyloidogenic pathway in db/db mice, as well as in Neuro2a-APP695 cells and a decrease in synaptic markers, such as PSD-95 and synaptophysin in primary neurons, upon metformin treatment. Our findings collectively suggest that the repurposing of metformin should be carefully reconsidered when this drug is used for individuals with AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Yeon Cho
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Woo Kim
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Nursing, Seoyeong University, Gwangju, 61268, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Jin Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin U Phillips
- Department of Psychology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Jihyeon Jeong
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunjeong Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Daehwan Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Yurim Jang
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Laura López-Cruz
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Do Yup Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Agricultural Genomics, Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory for Alzheimer's Molecular Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Metabolism-Dementia Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Graduate School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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Smith SM, Garcia E, Montelongo A, Davidson CG, Bakhtiar D, Lovett SD, Maurer AP, Burke SN. Muscimol inactivation of dorsal striatum in young and aged male rats does not affect paired associates learning performance. Behav Neurosci 2023; 137:356-363. [PMID: 37326524 PMCID: PMC10721732 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Improving cognitive health for older adults requires understanding the neurobiology of age-related cognitive decline and the mechanisms underlying preserved cognition in old age. During spatial learning tasks, aged humans and rodents shift navigation preferences in favor of a stimulus-response learning strategy. This has been hypothesized to result from competitive interactions of the caudate nucleus/dorsal striatum (DS) memory system with the hippocampus (HPC)-dependent spatial/allocentric memory system. In support of this hypothesis, a recent study reported that inactivation of the DS in aged rodents rescued HPC-dependent spatial learning on a T-maze (Gardner, Gold, & Korol, 2020). Currently, it is unclear whether a shift from HPC-dependent to DS-dependent behavior also contributes to age-related cognitive decline outside of spatial learning and memory. To test the hypothesis that inactivation of the DS can restore age-related cognitive function outside of spatial behavior, the present study bilaterally inactivated the DS of young (n = 8) and aged (n = 7) rats during visuospatial paired associates learning (PAL). This study found that inactivation of the DS did not alter PAL performance in young or aged rats, but did alter a positive control, DS-dependent spatial navigation task. This observation suggests that elevated DS activity does not play a role in the decline of HPC-dependent PAL performance in aged male rats. Given the persistent tendencies of aged rodents toward DS-dependent learning, it will be worthwhile to explore further the coordination dynamics between the HPC and DS that may contribute to age-related cognitive decline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M. Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Elena Garcia
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Anna Montelongo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Caroline G. Davidson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Denna Bakhtiar
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Sarah D. Lovett
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Andrew P. Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Sara N. Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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5
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Smith SM, Garcia EL, Davidson CG, Thompson JJ, Lovett SD, Ferekides N, Federico Q, Bumanglag AV, Hernandez AR, Abisambra JF, Burke SN. Paired associates learning is disrupted after unilateral parietal lobe controlled cortical impact in rats: A trial-by-trial behavioral analysis. Behav Brain Res 2023; 437:114106. [PMID: 36089100 PMCID: PMC9927580 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Approximately 60-70 million people suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. Animal models continue to be paramount in understanding mechanisms of cellular dysfunction and testing new treatments for TBI. Enhancing the translational potential of novel interventions therefore necessitates testing pre-clinical intervention strategies with clinically relevant cognitive assays. This study used a unilateral parietal lobe controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of TBI and tested rats on a touchscreen-based Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task, which is part of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. In humans, the PAL task has been used to assess cognitive deficits in the ability to form stimulus-location associations in a multitude of disease states, including TBI. Although the use of PAL in animal models could be important for understanding the clinical severity of cognitive impairment post-injury and throughout intervention, to date, the extent to which a rat model of TBI produces deficits in PAL task performance has not yet been reported. This study details the behavioral consequences of the CCI injury model with a Trial-by-Trial analysis of PAL performance that enables behavioral strategy use to be inferred. Following behavior, the extent of the injury was quantified with histology and staining for the presence of glial fibrillary acid protein and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1. Rats that received unilateral CCI were impaired on the PAL task and showed more aberrant response-driven behavior. The magnitude of PAL impairment was also correlated with Iba1 staining in the thalamus. These observations suggest that PAL could be useful for pre-clinical assessments of novel interventions for treating TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States; Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida, United States
| | - Elena L Garcia
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Caroline G Davidson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - John J Thompson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sarah D Lovett
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Nedi Ferekides
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Quinten Federico
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Argyle V Bumanglag
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Abbi R Hernandez
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Jose F Abisambra
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States; Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sara N Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States; Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
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Cotter KM, Bancroft GL, Haas HA, Shi R, Clarkson AN, Croxall ME, Stowe AM, Yun S, Eisch AJ. Use of an Automated Mouse Touchscreen Platform for Quantification of Cognitive Deficits After Central Nervous System Injury. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2616:279-326. [PMID: 36715942 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2926-0_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Analyzing cognitive performance is an important aspect of assessing physiological deficits after stroke or other central nervous system (CNS) injuries in both humans and in basic science animal models. Cognitive testing on an automated touchscreen operant platform began in humans but is now increasingly popular in preclinical studies as it enables testing in many cognitive domains in a highly reproducible way while minimizing stress to the laboratory animal. Here, we describe the step-by-step setup and application of four operant touchscreen tests used on adult mice. In brief, mice are trained to touch a graphical image on a lit screen and initiate subsequent trials for a reward. Following initial training, mice can be tested on tasks that probe performance in many cognitive domains and thus infer the integrity of brain circuits and regions. There are already many outstanding published protocols on touchscreen cognitive testing. This chapter is designed to add to the literature in two specific ways. First, this chapter provides in a single location practical, behind-the-scenes tips for setup and testing of mice in four touchscreen tasks that are useful to assess in CNS injury models: Paired Associates Learning (PAL), a task of episodic, associative (object-location) memory; Location Discrimination Reversal (LDR), a test for mnemonic discrimination (also called behavioral pattern separation) and cognitive flexibility; Autoshaping (AUTO), a test of Pavlovian or classical conditioning; and Extinction (EXT), tasks of stimulus-response and response inhibition, respectively. Second, this chapter summarizes issues to consider when performing touchscreen tests in mouse models of CNS injury. Quantifying gross and fine aspects of cognitive function is essential to improved treatment for brain dysfunction after stroke or CNS injury as well as other brain diseases, and touchscreen testing provides a sensitive, reliable, and robust way to achieve this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Cotter
- Department of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | | | | | - Raymon Shi
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Ann M Stowe
- Department of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, The University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Amelia J Eisch
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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7
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Gaynor LS, Ravi M, Zequeira S, Hampton AM, Pyon WS, Smith S, Colon-Perez LM, Pompilus M, Bizon JL, Maurer AP, Febo M, Burke SN. Touchscreen-Based Cognitive Training Alters Functional Connectivity Patterns in Aged But Not Young Male Rats. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0329-22.2023. [PMID: 36754628 PMCID: PMC9961373 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0329-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related cognitive decline is related to cellular and systems-level disruptions across multiple brain regions. Because age-related cellular changes within different structures do not show the same patterns of dysfunction, interventions aimed at optimizing function of large-scale brain networks may show greater efficacy at improving cognitive outcomes in older adults than traditional pharmacotherapies. The current study aimed to leverage a preclinical rat model of aging to determine whether cognitive training in young and aged male rats with a computerized paired-associates learning (PAL) task resulted in changes in global resting-state functional connectivity. Moreover, seed-based functional connectivity was used to examine resting state connectivity of cortical areas involved in object-location associative memory and vulnerable in old age, namely the medial temporal lobe (MTL; hippocampal cortex and perirhinal cortex), retrosplenial cortex (RSC), and frontal cortical areas (prelimbic and infralimbic cortices). There was an age-related increase in global functional connectivity between baseline and post-training resting state scans in aged, cognitively trained rats. This change in connectivity following cognitive training was not observed in young animals, or rats that traversed a track for a reward between scan sessions. Relatedly, an increase in connectivity between perirhinal and prelimbic cortices, as well as reduced reciprocal connectivity within the RSC, was found in aged rats that underwent cognitive training, but not the other groups. Subnetwork activation was associated with task performance across age groups. Greater global functional connectivity and connectivity between task-relevant brain regions may elucidate compensatory mechanisms that can be engaged by cognitive training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie S Gaynor
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Meena Ravi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Sabrina Zequeira
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Andreina M Hampton
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Wonn S Pyon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Samantha Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Luis M Colon-Perez
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107
| | - Marjory Pompilus
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Andrew P Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Marcelo Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Sara N Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
- McKnight Brain Institute and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
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Muthukumar S, Mehrotra K, Fouda M, Hamimi S, Jantzie LL, Robinson S. Prenatal and postnatal insults differentially contribute to executive function and cognition: Utilizing touchscreen technology for perinatal brain injury research. Exp Neurol 2022; 354:114104. [PMID: 35525306 PMCID: PMC10085749 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The use of touchscreen technology to evaluate cognitive deficits in animal models has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. The touchscreen apparatus encompasses many advantages, namely a high level of standardization and translational capability. Improvements in technology in recent years have expanded the versatility of the touchscreen platform, as it is able to test distinct cognitive modalities including working memory, attention, discrimination, and association. Importantly, touchscreen technology has allowed researchers to explore deficits in multiple pillars of cognition in a wide variety of perinatal disorders with neurological sequelae across critical developmental windows. The touchscreen platform has been used to dissect deficits in antenatal CNS injury including fetal alcohol syndrome, prenatal opioid exposure, and chorioamnionitis, to peripartum insults such as term hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, to early postnatal insults including infantile traumatic brain injury. Most importantly, touchscreen technology offers the sensitivity necessary to detect subtle injury and treatment-induced changes in cognition and executive function beyond those offered by more rudimentary tests of rodent cognition. Understanding the pathophysiology of these disorders in rodents is paramount to addressing these deficits in human infants and dissecting the neural circuitry essential to perinatal brain injury pathophysiology and responsiveness to novel therapeutics. Touchscreen testing provides an effective, facile, sophisticated technique to accelerate the goal of improving cognitive and behavioral outcomes of children who suffer perinatal brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankar Muthukumar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Karnika Mehrotra
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mohammed Fouda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah Hamimi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lauren L Jantzie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shenandoah Robinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Fitzgerald J, Houle S, Cotter C, Zimomra Z, Martens KM, Vonder Haar C, Kokiko-Cochran ON. Lateral Fluid Percussion Injury Causes Sex-Specific Deficits in Anterograde but Not Retrograde Memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:806598. [PMID: 35185489 PMCID: PMC8854992 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.806598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a common symptom after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Memory, in particular, is often disrupted during chronic post-injury recovery. To understand the sex-specific effects of brain injury on retrograde and anterograde memory, we examined paired associate learning (PAL), spatial learning and memory, and fear memory after lateral fluid percussion TBI. We hypothesized that male and female mice would display unique memory deficits after TBI. PAL task acquisition was initiated via touchscreen operant conditioning 22 weeks before sham injury or TBI. Post-injury PAL testing occurred 7 weeks post-injury. Barnes maze and fear conditioning were completed at 14- and 15-weeks post-injury, respectively. Contrary to our expectations, behavioral outcomes were not primarily influenced by TBI. Instead, sex-specific differences were observed in all tasks which exposed task-specific trends in male TBI mice. Male mice took longer to complete the PAL task, but this was not affected by TBI and did not compromise the ability to make a correct choice. Latency to reach the goal box decreased across testing days in Barnes maze, but male TBI mice lagged in improvement compared to all other groups. Use of two learning indices revealed that male TBI mice were deficient in transferring information from 1 day to the next. Finally, acquisition and contextual retention of fear memory were similar between all groups. Cued retention of the tone-shock pairing was influenced by both injury and sex. Male sham mice displayed the strongest cued retention of fear memory, evidenced by increased freezing behavior across the test trial. In contrast, male TBI mice displayed reduced freezing behavior with repetitive tone exposure. An inverse relationship in freezing behavior to tone exposure was detected between female sham and TBI mice, although the difference was not as striking. Together, these studies show that retrograde memory is intact after lateral TBI. However, male mice are more vulnerable to post-injury anterograde memory deficits. These behaviors were not associated with gross pathological change near the site injury or in subcortical brain regions associated with memory formation. Future studies that incorporate pre- and post-injury behavioral analysis will be integral in defining sex-specific memory impairment after TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Fitzgerald
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Samuel Houle
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Christopher Cotter
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Zachary Zimomra
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Kris M. Martens
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Cole Vonder Haar
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Olga N. Kokiko-Cochran
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Olga N. Kokiko-Cochran,
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10
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Smith SM, Zequeira S, Ravi M, Johnson SA, Hampton AM, Ross AM, Pyon W, Maurer AP, Bizon JL, Burke SN. Age-related impairments on the touchscreen paired associates learning (PAL) task in male rats. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 109:176-191. [PMID: 34749169 PMCID: PMC9351724 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Discovery research in rodent models of cognitive aging is instrumental for identifying mechanisms of behavioral decline in old age that can be therapeutically targeted. Clinically relevant behavioral paradigms, however, have not been widely employed in aged rats. The current study aimed to bridge this translational gap by testing cognition in a cross-species touchscreen-based platform known as paired-associates learning (PAL) and then utilizing a trial-by-trial behavioral analysis approach. This study found age-related deficits in PAL task acquisition in male rats. Furthermore, trial-by-trial analyses and testing rats on a novel interference version of PAL suggested that age-related impairments were not due to differences in vulnerability to an irrelevant distractor, motivation, or to forgetting. Rather, impairment appeared to arise from vulnerability to accumulating, proactive interference, with aged animals performing worse than younger rats in later trial blocks within a single testing session. The detailed behavioral analysis employed in this study provides new insights into the etiology of age-associated cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sabrina Zequeira
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Meena Ravi
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sarah A Johnson
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and Therapeutics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andriena M Hampton
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Aleyna M Ross
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Wonn Pyon
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Concentration, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Andrew P Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sara N Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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11
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Voluntary Exercise Increases Neurogenesis and Mediates Forgetting of Complex Paired Associates Memories. Neuroscience 2021; 475:1-9. [PMID: 34464663 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus is a critical structure involved in many forms of learning and memory. It is also one of the only regions in the mammalian brain that continues to generate new neurons throughout adulthood. This process of adult neurogenesis may increase the plasticity of the hippocampus which could be beneficial for learning but has also been demonstrated to decrease the stability of previously acquired memories. Here we test whether exposure to voluntary running (which increases the production of new neurons) following the formation of a gradually acquired paired associates task will result in forgetting of this type of memory. We trained mice in a touchscreen-based object/location task and then increased neurogenesis using voluntary running. Our results indicate that running increased neurogenesis and resulted in poor recall of the previously established memory. When subsequently exposed to a reversal task we also show that running reduced the number of correction trials required to acquire the new task contingencies. This suggests that prior forgetting reduces perseveration on the now outdated memory. Together our results add to a growing body of literature which indicates the important role of adult neurogenesis in destabilizing previously acquired memories to allow for flexible encoding of new memories.
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12
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Sanchez-Bezanilla S, Hood RJ, Collins-Praino LE, Turner RJ, Walker FR, Nilsson M, Ong LK. More than motor impairment: A spatiotemporal analysis of cognitive impairment and associated neuropathological changes following cortical photothrombotic stroke. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2021; 41:2439-2455. [PMID: 33779358 PMCID: PMC8393292 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x211005877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
There is emerging evidence suggesting that a cortical stroke can cause delayed and remote hippocampal dysregulation, leading to cognitive impairment. In this study, we aimed to investigate motor and cognitive outcomes after experimental stroke, and their association with secondary neurodegenerative processes. Specifically, we used a photothrombotic stroke model targeting the motor and somatosensory cortices of mice. Motor function was assessed using the cylinder and grid walk tasks. Changes in cognition were assessed using a mouse touchscreen platform. Neuronal loss, gliosis and amyloid-β accumulation were investigated in the peri-infarct and ipsilateral hippocampal regions at 7, 28 and 84 days post-stroke. Our findings showed persistent impairment in cognitive function post-stroke, whilst there was a modest spontaneous motor recovery over the investigated period of 84 days. In the peri-infarct region, we detected a reduction in neuronal loss and decreased neuroinflammation over time post-stroke, which potentially explains the spontaneous motor recovery. Conversely, we observed persistent neuronal loss together with concomitant increased neuroinflammation and amyloid-β accumulation in the hippocampus, which likely accounts for the persistent cognitive dysfunction. Our findings indicate that cortical stroke induces secondary neurodegenerative processes in the hippocampus, a region remote from the primary infarct, potentially contributing to the progression of post-stroke cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Sanchez-Bezanilla
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Rebecca J Hood
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Lyndsey E Collins-Praino
- Department of Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Renée J Turner
- Department of Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Frederick R Walker
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Rehab Innovations, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Nilsson
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Rehab Innovations, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,LKC School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lin Kooi Ong
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and the Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.,NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.,Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
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13
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Bergeron S, Barus R, Leboullenger C, Auger F, Bongiovanni A, Tardivel M, Jonneaux A, Laloux C, Potey C, Bordet R, Chen Y, Gautier S. Beneficial effects of atorvastatin on sex-specific cognitive impairment induced by a cerebral microhaemorrhage in mice. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 178:1705-1721. [PMID: 33502755 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSES Cerebral microhaemorrhages (CMHs) are associated with cognitive decline in humans. In rodents, CMHs induces cognitive impairment in male mice along with sex-specific cortical and hippocampal changes affecting neural, glial and vascular functions. Statins, have been proposed to prevent cognitive decline. We tested here the action of atorvastatin on CMH-induced cognitive impairment in a murine model of CMH. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using a multimodal approach combining behavioural tests, in vivo imaging, biochemistry and molecular biology, the effects of oral administration of atorvastatin on the sex-specific changes induced by a cortical CMH were studied in male and female mice (C57BL/6J) at 6-week post-induction using a collagenase-induced model. KEY RESULTS Atorvastatin caused specific effects according to the sex-specific CMH-induced changes. In males, atorvastatin improved the visuospatial memory, induced a local modulation of microglial response and enhanced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-tropomyosin receptor kinase B (trkB) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the cortex. In the hippocampus, atorvastatin increased glucose metabolism and modulated astrocytes morphology. In females, atorvastatin did not modulate visuospatial memory despite the increased expression of cortical BDNF and the decrease in the number of hippocampal astrocytes. Atorvastatin also induced a decrease in the expression of cortical oestrogen receptors but did not modify body weight nor serum cholesterol levels in both sexes. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Atorvastatin modulated the sex-specific cognitive impairment induced by the CMH with a pathophysiological impact mainly within the cortical area. It could represent a promising candidate for future sex-stratified clinical trials in patients with CMH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Bergeron
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Romain Barus
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Clémence Leboullenger
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UMS 2014 - PLBS, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Florent Auger
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UMS 2014 - PLBS, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Antonino Bongiovanni
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UMS 2014 - PLBS, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Meryem Tardivel
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UMS 2014 - PLBS, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Aurélie Jonneaux
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Charlotte Laloux
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UMS 2014 - PLBS, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Camille Potey
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Régis Bordet
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Yaohua Chen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
| | - Sophie Gautier
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Pharmacology Department, Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, F-59000, France
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14
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Ocular measures during associative learning predict recall accuracy. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 166:103-115. [PMID: 34052234 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The ability to form associations between stimuli and commit those associations to memory is a cornerstone of human cognition. Dopamine and noradrenaline are critical neuromodulators implicated in a range of cognitive functions, including learning and memory. Eye blink rate (EBR) and pupil diameter have been shown to index dopaminergic and noradrenergic activity. Here, we examined how these ocular measures relate to accuracy in a paired-associate learning task where participants (N = 73) learned consistent object-location associations over eight trials consisting of pre-trial fixation, encoding, delay, and retrieval epochs. In order to examine how within-subject changes and between-subject changes in ocular metrics related to accuracy, we mean centered individual metric values on each trial based on within-person and across-subject means for each epoch. Within-participant variation in EBR was positively related to accuracy in both encoding and delay epochs: faster EBR within the individual predicted better retrieval. Differences in EBR across participants was negatively related to accuracy in the encoding epoch and in early trials of the pre-trial fixation: faster EBR, relative to other subjects, predicted poorer retrieval. Visual scanning behavior in pre-trial fixation and delay epochs was also positively related to accuracy in early trials: more scanning predicted better retrieval. We found no relationship between pupil diameter and accuracy. These results provide novel evidence supporting the utility of ocular metrics in illuminating cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of paired-associate learning.
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15
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Tamming RJ, Dumeaux V, Jiang Y, Shafiq S, Langlois L, Ellegood J, Qiu LR, Lerch JP, Bérubé NG. Atrx Deletion in Neurons Leads to Sexually Dimorphic Dysregulation of miR-137 and Spatial Learning and Memory Deficits. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107838. [PMID: 32610139 PMCID: PMC7326465 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
ATRX gene mutations have been identified in syndromic and non-syndromic intellectual disabilities in humans. ATRX is known to maintain genomic stability in neuroprogenitor cells, but its function in differentiated neurons and memory processes remains largely unresolved. Here, we show that the deletion of neuronal Atrx in mice leads to distinct hippocampal structural defects, fewer presynaptic vesicles, and an enlarged postsynaptic area at CA1 apical dendrite-axon junctions. We identify male-specific impairments in long-term contextual memory and in synaptic gene expression, linked to altered miR-137 levels. We show that ATRX directly binds to the miR-137 locus and that the enrichment of the suppressive histone mark H3K27me3 is significantly reduced upon the loss of ATRX. We conclude that the ablation of ATRX in excitatory forebrain neurons leads to sexually dimorphic effects on miR-137 expression and on spatial memory, identifying a potential therapeutic target for neurological defects caused by ATRX dysfunction. Loss of ATRX in neurons has sexually dimorphic effects on long-term spatial memory Targeted deletion of neuronal ATRX in mice causes ultrastructural synaptic defects ATRX null neurons show sex-specific changes in miR-137 and target synaptic transcripts ATRX directly binds and suppresses miR-137 in males via enrichment of H3K27me3
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee J Tamming
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Vanessa Dumeaux
- Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yan Jiang
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Sarfraz Shafiq
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Luana Langlois
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jacob Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lily R Qiu
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nathalie G Bérubé
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Oncology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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16
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Martis LS, Højgaard K, Holmes MC, Elfving B, Wiborg O. Vortioxetine ameliorates anhedonic-like behaviour and promotes strategic cognitive performance in a rodent touchscreen task. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9113. [PMID: 33907240 PMCID: PMC8079376 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88462-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression-associated cognitive impairments are among the most prevalent and persistent symptoms during remission from a depressive episode and a major risk factor for relapse. Consequently, development of antidepressant drugs, which also alleviate cognitive impairments, is vital. One such potential antidepressant is vortioxetine that has been postulated to exhibit both antidepressant and pro-cognitive effects. Hence, we tested vortioxetine for combined antidepressant and pro-cognitive effects in male Long-Evans rats exposed to the chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm. This well-established CMS paradigm evokes cognitive deficits in addition to anhedonia, a core symptom of depression. Learning and memory performance was assessed in the translational touchscreen version of the paired-associates learning task. To identify the mechanistic underpinning of the neurobehavioural results, transcriptional profiling of genes involved in the stress response, neuronal plasticity and genes of broad relevance in neuropsychiatric pathologies were assessed. Vortioxetine substantially relieved the anhedonic-like state in the CMS rats and promoted acquisition of the cognitive test independent of hedonic phenotype, potentially due to an altered cognitive strategy. Minor alterations in gene expression profiling in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were found. In summary, our findings suggest that vortioxetine exhibits an antidepressant effect as well as behavioural changes in a translational learning task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena-Sophie Martis
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kristoffer Højgaard
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Megan C Holmes
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Betina Elfving
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ove Wiborg
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
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17
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Palmer D, Dumont JR, Dexter TD, Prado MAM, Finger E, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM. Touchscreen cognitive testing: Cross-species translation and co-clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 182:107443. [PMID: 33895351 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Translating results from pre-clinical animal studies to successful human clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease presents a significant challenge. While this issue is clearly multifaceted, the lack of reproducibility and poor translational validity of many paradigms used to assess cognition in animal models are central contributors to this challenge. Computer-automated cognitive test batteries have the potential to substantially improve translation between pre-clinical studies and clinical trials by increasing both reproducibility and translational validity. Given the structured nature of data output, computer-automated tests also lend themselves to increased data sharing and other open science good practices. Over the past two decades, computer automated, touchscreen-based cognitive testing methods have been developed for non-human primate and rodent models. These automated methods lend themselves to increased standardization, hence reproducibility, and have become increasingly important for the elucidation of the neurobiological basis of cognition in animal models. More recently, there have been increased efforts to use these methods to enhance translational validity by developing task batteries that are nearly identical across different species via forward (i.e., translating animal tasks to humans) and reverse (i.e., translating human tasks to animals) translation. An additional benefit of the touchscreen approach is that a cross-species cognitive test battery makes it possible to implement co-clinical trials-an approach developed initially in cancer research-for novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Co-clinical trials bring together pre-clinical and early clinical studies, which facilitates testing of novel treatments in mouse models with underlying genetic or other changes, and can help to stratify patients on the basis of genetic, molecular, or cognitive criteria. This approach can help to determine which patients should be enrolled in specific clinical trials and can facilitate repositioning and/or repurposing of previously approved drugs. This has the potential to mitigate the resources required to study treatment responses in large numbers of human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Palmer
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Julie R Dumont
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tyler D Dexter
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada; Parkwood Institute, St. Josephs Health Care, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Schmidtke D. Age affects procedural paired-associates learning in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Sci Rep 2021; 11:1252. [PMID: 33442034 PMCID: PMC7806666 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-80960-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to associate memorized objects with their location in space gradually declines during normal aging and can drastically be affected by neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigates object-location paired-associates learning (PAL) in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), a nonhuman primate model of brain aging. Touchscreen-based testing of 6 young adults (1–5 years) and 6 old adults (> 7 years) in the procedural rodent dPAL-task revealed significant age-related performance decline, evident in group differences in the percentage of correct decision during learning and the number of sessions needed to reach a predefined criterion. Response pattern analyses suggest decreased susceptibility to relative stimulus-position biases in young animals, facilitating PAL. Additional data from a subset of “overtrained” individuals (n = 7) and challenge sessions using a modified protocol (sPAL) further suggest that learning criteria routinely used in animal studies on PAL can underestimate the endpoint at which a stable performance is reached and that more conservative criteria are needed to improve construct validity of the task. To conclude, this is the first report of an age effect on dPAL and corroborates the role of mouse lemurs as valuable natural nonhuman primate models in aging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schmidtke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
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19
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Choi DI, Kim M, Kim S, Yu NK, Kwak C, Seo H, Lee K, Kaang BK. Conditional knock out of transcription factor CTCF in excitatory neurons induces cognitive deficiency. Mol Brain 2021; 14:1. [PMID: 33402211 PMCID: PMC7784033 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00716-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a transcription factor that is involved in organizing chromatin structure. A reduction of CTCF expression is known to develop distinct clinical features. Furthermore, conditional knock out (cKO) study revealed reactive gliosis of astrocytes and microglia followed by age-dependent cell death in the excitatory neurons of CTCF cKO mice. To assess the cognitive ability in CTCF cKO mice of over 20 weeks of age, we examined pairwise discrimination (PD), PD reversal learning (PDr), and different paired-associate learning (dPAL) tasks using a touch screen apparatus. We found cognitive impairment in dPAL touch screen tests, suggesting that prolonged Ctcf gene deficiency results in cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Il Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Myeongwon Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Somi Kim
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Nam-Kyung Yu
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Chuljung Kwak
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Hyunhyo Seo
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neural Circuitry and Physiology, Department of Anatomy, Brain Science and Engineering Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, South Korea
| | - Kyungmin Lee
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neural Circuitry and Physiology, Department of Anatomy, Brain Science and Engineering Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, 41944, South Korea.
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanangno, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
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20
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Hatzipantelis C, Langiu M, Vandekolk TH, Pierce TL, Nithianantharajah J, Stewart GD, Langmead CJ. Translation-Focused Approaches to GPCR Drug Discovery for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1042-1062. [PMID: 33344888 PMCID: PMC7737210 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no effective therapeutics for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which includes deficits in executive functions (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and episodic memory. Compounds that have entered clinical trials are inadequate in terms of efficacy and/or tolerability, highlighting a clear translational bottleneck and a need for a cohesive preclinical drug development strategy. In this review we propose hippocampal-prefrontal-cortical (HPC-PFC) circuitry underlying CIAS-relevant cognitive processes across mammalian species as a target source to guide the translation-focused discovery and development of novel, procognitive agents. We highlight several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) enriched within HPC-PFC circuitry as therapeutic targets of interest, including noncanonical approaches (biased agonism and allosteric modulation) to conventional clinical targets, such as dopamine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, along with prospective novel targets, including the orphan receptors GPR52 and GPR139. We also describe the translational limitations of popular preclinical cognition tests and suggest touchscreen-based assays that probe cognitive functions reliant on HPC-PFC circuitry and reflect tests used in the clinic, as tests of greater translational relevance. Combining pharmacological and behavioral testing strategies based in HPC-PFC circuit function creates a cohesive, translation-focused approach to preclinical drug development that may improve the translational bottleneck currently hindering the development of treatments for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra
J. Hatzipantelis
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Monica Langiu
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa H. Vandekolk
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Tracie L. Pierce
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience
and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Gregory D. Stewart
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Langmead
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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21
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Saifullah MAB, Komine O, Dong Y, Fukumoto K, Sobue A, Endo F, Saito T, Saido TC, Yamanaka K, Mizoguchi H. Touchscreen-based location discrimination and paired associate learning tasks detect cognitive impairment at an early stage in an App knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Brain 2020; 13:147. [PMID: 33183323 PMCID: PMC7664057 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline with accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles that usually begins 15–30 years before clinical diagnosis. Rodent models that recapitulate aggressive Aβ and/or the pathology of neurofibrillary tangles are essential for AD research. Accordingly, non-invasive early detection systems in these animal models are required to evaluate the phenotypic changes, elucidate the mechanism of disease progression, and facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches. Although many behavioral tests efficiently reveal cognitive impairments at the later stage of the disease in AD models, it has been challenging to detect such impairments at the early stage. To address this issue, we subjected 4–6-month-old male AppNL−G−F/NL−G−F knock-in (App-KI) mice to touchscreen-based location discrimination (LD), different object–location paired-associate learning (dPAL), and reversal learning tests, and compared the results with those of the classical Morris water maze test. These tests are mainly dependent on the brain regions prone to Aβ accumulation at the earliest stages of the disease. At 4–6 months, considered to represent the early stage of disease when mice exhibit initial deposition of Aβ and slight gliosis, the classical Morris water maze test revealed no difference between groups, whereas touchscreen-based LD and dPAL tasks revealed significant impairments in task performance. Our report is the first to confirm that a systematic touchscreen-based behavioral test battery can sensitively detect the early stage of cognitive decline in an AD-linked App-KI mouse model. This system could be applied in future translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Ali Bin Saifullah
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Okiru Komine
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yutao Dong
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Kazuya Fukumoto
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Fumito Endo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Koji Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan.
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22
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Chow WZ, Ong LK, Kluge MG, Gyawali P, Walker FR, Nilsson M. Similar cognitive deficits in mice and humans in the chronic phase post-stroke identified using the touchscreen-based paired-associate learning task. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19545. [PMID: 33177588 PMCID: PMC7658221 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76560-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
For many chronic stroke survivors, persisting cognitive dysfunction leads to significantly reduced quality of life. Translation of promising therapeutic strategies aimed at improving cognitive function is hampered by existing, disparate cognitive assessments in animals and humans. In this study, we assessed post-stroke cognitive function using a comparable touchscreen-based paired-associate learning task in a cross-sectional population of chronic stroke survivors (≥ 5 months post-stroke, n = 70), age-matched controls (n = 70), and in mice generated from a C57BL/6 mouse photothrombotic stroke model (at six months post-stroke). Cognitive performance of stroke survivors was analysed using linear regression adjusting for age, gender, diabetes, systolic blood pressure and waist circumference. Stroke survivors made significantly fewer correct choices across all tasks compared with controls. Similar cognitive impairment was observed in the mice post-stroke with fewer correct choices compared to shams. These results highlight the feasibility and potential value of analogous modelling of clinically meaningful cognitive impairments in chronic stroke survivors and in mice in chronic phase after stroke. Implementation of validated, parallel cross-species test platforms for cognitive assessment offer the potential of delivering a more useful framework for evaluating therapies aimed at improving long-term cognitive function post-stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhen Chow
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Lin Kooi Ong
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Murielle G Kluge
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Prajwal Gyawali
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia
- School of Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, Australia
| | - Frederick R Walker
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia.
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.
- Centre for Rehab Innovations, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
| | - Michael Nilsson
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy and Priority Research Centre for Stroke and Brain Injury, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton, Heights, NSW, Australia.
- NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.
- Centre for Rehab Innovations, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
- LKC School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Novena Campus, Singapore.
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23
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Kay VR, Rätsep MT, Figueiró-Filho EA, Croy BA. Preeclampsia may influence offspring neuroanatomy and cognitive function: a role for placental growth factor†. Biol Reprod 2020; 101:271-283. [PMID: 31175349 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioz095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) is a common pregnancy complication affecting 3-5% of women. Preeclampsia is diagnosed clinically as new-onset hypertension with associated end organ damage after 20 weeks of gestation. Despite being diagnosed as a maternal syndrome, fetal experience of PE is a developmental insult with lifelong cognitive consequences. These cognitive alterations are associated with distorted neuroanatomy and cerebrovasculature, including a higher risk of stroke. The pathophysiology of a PE pregnancy is complex, with many factors potentially able to affect fetal development. Deficient pro-angiogenic factor expression is one aspect that may impair fetal vascularization, alter brain structure, and affect future cognition. Of the pro-angiogenic growth factors, placental growth factor (PGF) is strongly linked to PE. Concentrations of PGF are inappropriately low in maternal blood both before and during a PE gestation. Fetal concentrations of PGF appear to mirror maternal circulating concentrations. Using Pgf-/- mice that may model effects of PE on offspring, we demonstrated altered central nervous system vascularization, neuroanatomy, and behavior. Overall, we propose that development of the fetal brain is impaired in PE, making the offspring of preeclamptic pregnancies a unique cohort with greater risk of altered cognition and cerebrovasculature. These individuals may benefit from early interventions, either pharmacological or environmental. The early neonatal period may be a promising window for intervention while the developing brain retains plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa R Kay
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew T Rätsep
- Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - B Anne Croy
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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24
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Mosser CA, Haqqee Z, Nieto-Posadas A, Murai KK, Stifani S, Williams S, Brandon MP. The McGill-Mouse-Miniscope platform: A standardized approach for high-throughput imaging of neuronal dynamics during behavior. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12686. [PMID: 32691490 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the rules that govern neuronal dynamics throughout the brain to subserve behavior and cognition remains one of the biggest challenges in neuroscience research. Recent technical advances enable the recording of increasingly larger neuronal populations to produce increasingly more sophisticated datasets. Despite bold and important open-science and data-sharing policies, these datasets tend to include unique data acquisition methods, behaviors, and file structures. Discrepancies between experimental protocols present key challenges in comparing data between laboratories and across different brain regions and species. Here, we discuss our recent efforts to create a standardized and high-throughput research platform to address these issues. The McGill-Mouse-Miniscope (M3) platform is an initiative to combine miniscope calcium imaging with standardized touchscreen-based animal behavioral testing. The goal is to curate an open-source and standardized framework for acquiring, analyzing, and accessing high-quality data of the neuronal dynamics that underly cognition throughout the brain in mice, marmosets, and models of disease. We end with a discussion of future developments and a call for users to adopt this standardized approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coralie-Anne Mosser
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zeeshan Haqqee
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrés Nieto-Posadas
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Keith K Murai
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stefano Stifani
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sylvain Williams
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark P Brandon
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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25
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Sex Differences in Cognitive Impairment Induced by Cerebral Microhemorrhage. Transl Stroke Res 2020; 12:316-330. [PMID: 32440818 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-020-00820-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that cerebral microhemorrhages (CMHs) could be involved in cognitive decline. However, little is known about the sex-dependency of this effect. Using a multimodal approach combining behavioral tests, in vivo imaging, biochemistry, and molecular biology, we studied the cortical and hippocampal impact of a CMH in male and female mice (C57BL/6J) 6 weeks post-induction using a collagenase-induced model. Our work shows for the first time that a single cortical CMH exerts sex-specific effects on cognition. It notably induced visuospatial memory impairment in males only. This sex difference might be explained by cortical changes secondary to the lesion. In fact, the CMH induced an upregulation of ERα mRNA only in the female cortex. Besides, in male mice, we observed an impairment of pathways associated to neuronal, glial, or vascular functions: decrease in the P-GSK3β/GSK3β ratio, in BDNF and VEGF levels, and in microvascular water mobility. The CMH also exerted spatial remote effects in the hippocampus by increasing the number of astrocytes in both sexes, increasing the mean area occupied by each astrocyte in males, and decreasing hippocampal BDNF in females suggesting a cortical-hippocampal network impairment. This work demonstrates that a CMH could directly affect cognition in a sex-specific manner and highlights the need to study both sexes in preclinical models.
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26
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Braeckman K, Descamps B, Vanhove C, Caeyenberghs K. Exploratory relationships between cognitive improvements and training induced plasticity in hippocampus and cingulum in a rat model of mild traumatic brain injury: a diffusion MRI study. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 14:2281-2294. [PMID: 31407153 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00179-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of long-term cognitive deficits, even in mild TBI patients. Computerized cognitive training can help alleviate complaints and improve daily life functioning of TBI patients. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of cognitive training in TBI are not fully understood. In the present study, we utilised for the first time a touchscreen cognitive training system in a rat model of mild TBI. Moreover, we wanted to examine whether the beneficial effects of a cognitive training are task-dependent and selective in their target. Specifically, we examined the effect of two training tasks, i.e. the Paired Associate Learning (PAL) task targeting spatial memory functioning and 5-Choice Continuous Performance (5-CCP) task loading on attention and inhibition control, on the microstructural organization of the hippocampus and cingulum, respectively, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Our findings revealed that the two training protocols induced similar effects on the diffusion MRI metrics. Further, in the TBI groups who received training microstructural organization in the hippocampus and cingulum improved (as denoted by increases in fractional anisotropy), while a worsening (i.e., increases in mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity) was found in the TBI control group. In addition, these alterations in diffusion MRI metrics coincided with improved performance on the training tasks in the TBI groups who received training. Our findings show the potential of DTI metrics as reliable measure to evaluate cognitive training in TBI patients and to facilitate future research investigating further improvement of cognitive training targeting deficits in spatial memory and attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Braeckman
- Infinity Lab, Medical Imaging and Signal Processing Group-IBiTech, UGent, Blok B-5 (Ingang 36), Campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Benedicte Descamps
- Infinity Lab, Medical Imaging and Signal Processing Group-IBiTech, UGent, Blok B-5 (Ingang 36), Campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christian Vanhove
- Infinity Lab, Medical Imaging and Signal Processing Group-IBiTech, UGent, Blok B-5 (Ingang 36), Campus UZ Gent, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Karen Caeyenberghs
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, 470.5.02, Level 5, Building 470, 215 Spring Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
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27
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Lee JQ, McDonald RJ, Sutherland RJ. Hippocampal Damage Causes Retrograde Amnesia and Slower Acquisition of a Cue-Place Discrimination in a Concurrent Cue-Place Water Task in Rats. Neuroscience 2019; 412:131-143. [PMID: 31195054 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Explanations of memory-guided navigation in rodents typically suggest that cue- and place-based navigations are independent aspects of behavior and neurobiology. The results of many experiments show that hippocampal damage causes both anterograde and retrograde amnesia (AA; RA) for place memory, but only RA for cue memory. In the present experiments, we used a concurrent cue-place water task (CWT) to study the effects of hippocampal damage before or after training on cue- and place-guided navigation, and how cue and place memory interact in damaged and control rats. We found that damaging the hippocampus before training caused a delay in the expression of cue-place navigation strategies relative to intact control animals; surprisingly, place navigation strategies emerged following pre-training hippocampal damage. With additional training, both control and damaged rats used local cues to navigate in the CWT. Damaged animals also show minor impairments in latency to navigate to the correct cue following a cue contingency reversal. By contrast to these anterograde effects, damage made after training causes RA for cue choice accuracy and latency to navigate to the correct cue. In addition, the extent of hippocampal damage predicted impairments in choice accuracy when lesions were made after training. These data extend previous work on the role of the hippocampus in cue and place memory-guided navigation, and show that the hippocampus plays an important role in both aspects of memory and navigation when present during the learning experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Quinn Lee
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada; University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Robert J McDonald
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Robert J Sutherland
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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28
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Bergeron S, Chen Y, Auger F, Deguil J, Durieux N, Skrobala E, Barus R, Potey C, Cordonnier C, Pasquier F, Ravasi L, Bordet R, Gautier S. Role of cortical microbleeds in cognitive impairment: In vivo behavioral and imaging characterization of a novel murine model. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2019; 39:1015-1025. [PMID: 29333917 PMCID: PMC6547192 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x17752765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) could contribute to cognitive impairment in the general population and in patients with dementia. We designed a study to (i) develop a murine model of CMBs, (ii) assess whether CMBs affect cognition in this model and (iii) assess whether this model is sensitive to pharmacological modulation. Male C57Bl6/J mice were stereotactically administered collagenase to induce cortical lesion analysed by MRI at 24 h. CMB-mice were assessed at six weeks post-lesion for cognitive performances (Barnes maze and Touchscreen automated paired-associated learning (PAL) task) and for cerebral metabolism (in vivo PET/CT with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)). CMB-model sensitivity to pharmacological modulation was assessed by administering atorvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) over the follow-up period. CMB mice were compared to naïve littermates. Collagenase at 0.8 µU/µl appeared suitable to induce reproducible and reliable CMBs. At six weeks, a decline in learning, spatial and visuospatial memory was significantly observed in CMB-mice. Brain metabolism was impaired in all cortex, striatum and the ipsilateral dentate gyrus. A significant improvement in cognition performances was depicted under atorvastatin. In this novel murine model of CMBs, we validated that CMBs lowered cognitive performances and affected regional metabolism. We also proved that this CMB-model is sensitive to pharmacological modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Bergeron
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Yaohua Chen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Florent Auger
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, In Vivo
Imaging Core Facility, Lille, France
| | - Julie Deguil
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Nicolas Durieux
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, In Vivo
Imaging Core Facility, Lille, France
| | - Emilie Skrobala
- Univ. Lille Labex DISTALZ, CHU Lille,
Biostatistics Platform, and memory clinic, Lille, France
| | - Romain Barus
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Camille Potey
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Charlotte Cordonnier
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Florence Pasquier
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Laura Ravasi
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, In Vivo
Imaging Core Facility, Lille, France
| | - Régis Bordet
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
| | - Sophie Gautier
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille,
Degenerative and Vascular Cognitive Disorders, Lille, France
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Converging measures of neural change at the microstructural, informational, and cortical network levels in the hippocampus during the learning of the structure of organic compounds. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:1345-1357. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01838-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Effects of the T-type calcium channel antagonist Z944 on paired associates learning and locomotor activity in rats treated with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:3339-3350. [PMID: 30251162 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5040-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Currently available antipsychotics are unsatisfactory given their side effects and limited efficacy for the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. Many currently available drugs, such as haloperidol, are T-type calcium channel antagonists in addition to their well-established antagonism of dopamine D2 receptors. Thus, preclinical research into the effects of T-type calcium channel antagonists/blockers in behavioral assays related to schizophrenia may inform novel therapeutic strategies. OBJECTIVES We explored the effects of a recently developed highly selective T-type calcium channel antagonist, Z944 (2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg), on the MK-801 (0.15 mg/kg) model of acute psychosis. METHODS To examine the effects of Z944 on behaviors relevant to schizophrenia, we tested touchscreen-based paired associates learning given its relevance to the cognitive symptoms of the disorder and locomotor activity given its relevance to the positive symptoms. RESULTS Acute treatment with Z944 failed to reverse the visuospatial associative memory impairments caused by MK-801 in paired associates learning. The highest dose of drug (10.0 mg/kg) given alone produced subtle impairments on paired associates learning. In contrast, Z944 (5.0 mg/kg) blocked the expected increase in locomotion following MK-801 treatment in a locomotor assay. CONCLUSIONS These experiments provide support that Z944 may reduce behaviors relevant to positive symptoms of schizophrenia, although additional study of its effects on cognition is required. These findings and other research suggest T-type calcium channel antagonists may be an alternative to currently available antipsychotics with less serious side effects.
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31
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Piiponniemi TO, Parkkari T, Heikkinen T, Puoliväli J, Park LC, Cachope R, Kopanitsa MV. Impaired Performance of the Q175 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease in the Touch Screen Paired Associates Learning Task. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:226. [PMID: 30333735 PMCID: PMC6176131 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive disturbances often predate characteristic motor dysfunction in individuals with Huntington’s disease (HD) and place an increasing burden on the HD patients and caregivers with the progression of the disorder. Therefore, application of maximally translational cognitive tests to animal models of HD is imperative for the development of treatments that could alleviate cognitive decline in human patients. Here, we examined the performance of the Q175 mouse knock-in model of HD in the touch screen version of the paired associates learning (PAL) task. We found that 10–11-month-old heterozygous Q175 mice had severely attenuated learning curve in the PAL task, which was conceptually similar to previously documented impaired performance of individuals with HD in the PAL task of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Besides high rate of errors in PAL task, Q175 mice exhibited considerably lower responding rate than age-matched wild-type (WT) animals. Our examination of effortful operant responding during fixed ratio (FR) and progressive ratio (PR) reinforcement schedules in a separate cohort of similar age confirmed slower and unselective performance of mutant animals, as observed during PAL task, but suggested that motivation to work for nutritional reward in the touch screen setting was similar in Q175 and WT mice. We also demonstrated that pronounced sensorimotor disturbances in Q175 mice can be detected at early touch screen testing stages, (e.g., during “Punish Incorrect” phase of operant pretraining), so we propose that shorter test routines may be utilised for more expedient studies of treatments aimed at the rescue of HD-related phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Larry C Park
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Roger Cachope
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Maksym V Kopanitsa
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland.,UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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32
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Jonin PY, Calia C, Muratot S, Belliard S, Duché Q, Barbeau EJ, Parra MA. Refining understanding of working memory buffers through the construct of binding: Evidence from a single case informs theory and clinical practise. Cortex 2018; 112:37-57. [PMID: 30245198 PMCID: PMC6418315 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Binding operations carried out in working memory enable the integration of information from different sources during online performance. While available evidence suggests that working memory may involve distinct binding functions, whether or not they all involve the episodic buffer as a cognitive substrate remains unclear. Similarly, knowledge about the neural underpinnings of working memory buffers is limited, more specifically regarding the involvement of medial temporal lobe structures. In the present study, we report on the case of patient KA, with developmental amnesia and selective damage to the whole hippocampal system. We found that KA was unable to hold shape-colours associations (relational binding) in working memory. In contrast, he could hold integrated coloured shapes (conjunctive binding) in two different tasks. Otherwise, and as expected, KA was impaired on three relational memory tasks thought to depend on the hippocampus that are widely used in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Our results emphasize a dissociation between two binding processes within working memory, suggesting that the visuo-spatial sketchpad could support conjunctive binding, and may rely upon a large cortical network including sub-hippocampal structures. By contrast, we found evidence for a selective impairment of relational binding in working memory when the hippocampal system is compromised, suggesting that the long-term memory deficit observed in amnesic patients may be related to impaired short-term relational binding at encoding. Finally, these findings may inform research on the early detection of Alzheimer's disease as the preservation of conjunctive binding in KA is in sharp contrast with the impaired performance demonstrated very early in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Yves Jonin
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, CNRS CERCO, UMR 5549, Toulouse, France; RISA, UMR CNRS 6074, VisAGeS U 1228, Inserm, INRIA, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France; CHU Pontchaillou, Service de Neurologie, Rennes, France.
| | - Clara Calia
- School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sophie Muratot
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, CNRS CERCO, UMR 5549, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Quentin Duché
- RISA, UMR CNRS 6074, VisAGeS U 1228, Inserm, INRIA, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Emmanuel J Barbeau
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, CNRS CERCO, UMR 5549, Toulouse, France
| | - Mario A Parra
- School of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK; Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Facultad de Psicología, Barranquilla, Colombia
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Martis LS, Brision C, Holmes MC, Wiborg O. Resilient and depressive-like rats show distinct cognitive impairments in the touchscreen paired-associates learning (PAL) task. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 155:287-296. [PMID: 30138691 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Depression-associated cognitive impairments persist after remission from affective symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD), decreasing quality of life and increasing risk of relapse in patients. Conventional antidepressants are ineffective in restoring cognitive functions. Therefore, novel antidepressants with improved efficacy for ameliorating cognitive symptoms are required. For tailoring such antidepressants, translational animal models are in demand. The chronic mild stress (CMS) model is a well-validated preclinical model of depression and known for eliciting the MDD core symptom "anhedonia" in stress-susceptible rats. Thus, cognitive performance was assessed in rats susceptible (depressive-like) or resilient to CMS and in unchallenged controls. The rodent analogue of the human touchscreen Paired-Associates Learning (PAL) task was used for cognitive assessment. Both stress groups exhibited a lack of response inhibition compared to controls while only the depressive-like group was impaired in task acquisition. The results indicate that cognitive deficits specifically associate with the anhedonic-like state rather than being a general consequence of stress exposure. Hence, we propose that the application of a translational touchscreen task on the etiologically valid CMS model, displaying depression-associated cognitive impairments, provides a novel platform for pro-cognitive and clinically pertinent antidepressant drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena-Sophie Martis
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Claudia Brision
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Megan C Holmes
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Ove Wiborg
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark; Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark.
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Nichols JN, Hagan KL, Floyd CL. Evaluation of Touchscreen Chambers To Assess Cognition in Adult Mice: Effect of Training and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2018; 34:2481-2494. [PMID: 28558476 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.4998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairments are often experienced after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). In the clinical arena, neuropsychological assessments are used frequently to detect cognitive deficits. Animal models of mTBI, however, rely on an assortment of behavioral tasks to assess cognitive outcome. Computer-based touchscreen systems have been developed for rodents and are hypothesized to offer a translational approach to evaluate cognitive function because of the similarities of tasks performed in rodents to those implemented in humans. While these touchscreen systems have been used in pre-clinical models of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders, their use in assessing cognitive impairment after mTBI has not been investigated. We hypothesized that mTBI would result in impaired cognitive performance on touchscreen tasks, particularly those with hippocampal-based learning components, including the paired associate learning (PAL) task and the location discrimination (LD) task. Adult male, C57BL/6 mice received a single impact-acceleration mTBI. We found that training mice before injury to perform to criteria is arduous and that performance is sensitive to many environmental variables. Despite extensive optimization and training, mice failed to perform better than chance in the PAL paradigm. Alternatively, mice demonstrated some capacity to learn in the LD paradigm, but only with the easier stages of the task. The mTBI did not affect performance in the LD paradigm, however. Thus, we concluded that under the conditions presented here, the PAL and LD touchscreen tasks are not robust outcome measures for the evaluation of cognitive performance in C57BL/6 mice after a single impact-acceleration mTBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica N Nichols
- 1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Kenton L Hagan
- 2 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Candace L Floyd
- 1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
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Roebuck AJ, Liu MC, Lins BR, Scott GA, Howland JG. Acute stress, but not corticosterone, facilitates acquisition of paired associates learning in rats using touchscreen-equipped operant conditioning chambers. Behav Brain Res 2018; 348:139-149. [PMID: 29684470 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress influences learning and memory in humans and rodents, enhancing performance in some tasks while impairing it in others. Typically, subjects preferentially employ striatal-mediated stimulus-response strategies in spatial memory tasks following stress, making use of fewer hippocampal-based strategies which may be more cognitively demanding. Previous research demonstrated that the acquisition of rodent paired associates learning (PAL) relies primarily on the striatum, while task performance after extensive training is impaired by hippocampal disruption. Therefore, we sought to explore whether the acquisition of PAL, an operant conditioning task involving spatial stimuli, could be enhanced by acute stress. Male Long-Evans rats were trained to a predefined criterion in PAL and then subjected to either a single session of restraint stress (30 min) or injection of corticosterone (CORT; 3 mg/kg). Subsequent task performance was monitored for one week. We found that rats subjected to restraint stress, but not those rats injected with CORT, performed with higher accuracy and efficiency, when compared to untreated controls. These results suggest that while acute stress enhances the acquisition of PAL, CORT alone does not. This dissociation may be due to differences between these treatments and their ability to produce sufficient catecholamine release in the amygdala, a requirement for stress effects on memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Roebuck
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Max C Liu
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Brittney R Lins
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Gavin A Scott
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
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36
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Al-Onaizi MA, Parfitt GM, Kolisnyk B, Law CSH, Guzman MS, Barros DM, Leung LS, Prado MAM, Prado VF. Regulation of Cognitive Processing by Hippocampal Cholinergic Tone. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:1615-1628. [PMID: 26803167 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic dysfunction has been associated with cognitive abnormalities in a variety of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Here we tested how information processing is regulated by cholinergic tone in genetically modified mice targeting the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), a protein required for acetylcholine release. We measured long-term potentiation of Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses in vivo and assessed information processing by using a mouse touchscreen version of paired associates learning task (PAL). Acquisition of information in the mouse PAL task correlated to levels of hippocampal VAChT, suggesting a critical role for cholinergic tone. Accordingly, synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus in vivo was disturbed, but not completely abolished, by decreased hippocampal cholinergic signaling. Disrupted forebrain cholinergic signaling also affected working memory, a result reproduced by selectively decreasing VAChT in the hippocampus. In contrast, spatial memory was relatively preserved, whereas reversal spatial memory was sensitive to decreased hippocampal cholinergic signaling. This work provides a refined roadmap of how synaptically secreted acetylcholine influences distinct behaviors and suggests that distinct forms of cognitive processing may be regulated in different ways by cholinergic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gustavo M Parfitt
- Robarts Research Institute.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Fisiologia Animal Comparada, Laboratório de Neurociências (FURG), Brazil
| | | | - Clayton S H Law
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, CanadaN6A5K8
| | - Monica S Guzman
- Robarts Research Institute.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A5K8
| | - Daniela Martí Barros
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fisiológicas, Fisiologia Animal Comparada, Laboratório de Neurociências (FURG), Brazil
| | - L Stan Leung
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, CanadaN6A5K8
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience and.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A5K8
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience and.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A5K8
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37
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Romberg C, Bartko S, Wess J, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. Impaired object-location learning and recognition memory but enhanced sustained attention in M2 muscarinic receptor-deficient mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:3495-3508. [PMID: 30327842 PMCID: PMC6267149 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5065-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are known to play key roles in mediating cognitive processes, and impaired muscarinic cholinergic neurotransmission is associated with normal ageing processes and Alzheimer's disease. However, the specific contributions of the individual muscarinic receptor subtypes (M1-M5) to cognition are presently not well understood. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of M2-type muscarinic receptor signalling to sustained attention, executive control and learning and memory. METHODS M2 receptor-deficient (M2-/-) mice were tested on a touchscreen-operated task battery testing visual discrimination, behavioural flexibility, object-location associative learning, attention and response control. Spontaneous recognition memory for real-world objects was also assessed. RESULTS We found that M2-/- mice showed an enhancement of attentional performance, but significant deficits on some tests of learning and memory. Executive control and visual discrimination were unaffected by M2-depletion. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that M2 activation has heterogeneous effects across cognitive domains, and provide insights into how acetylcholine may support multiple specific cognitive processes through functionally distinct cholinergic receptor subtypes. They also suggest that therapeutics involving M2 receptor-active compounds should be assessed across a broad range of cognitive domains, as they may enhance some cognitive functions, but impair others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Romberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK. .,Wellcome Trust and MRC Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK. .,Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
| | - Susan Bartko
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK
| | - Jürgen Wess
- Molecular Signaling Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Lisa M. Saksida
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,Wellcome Trust and MRC Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,Department of Psychology, Research Unit Biological Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany ,Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada
| | - Timothy J. Bussey
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,Wellcome Trust and MRC Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB UK ,Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON Canada ,Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON Canada
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38
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Yajima H, Haijima A, Khairinisa MA, Shimokawa N, Amano I, Takatsuru Y. Early-life stress induces cognitive disorder in middle-aged mice. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 64:139-146. [PMID: 29458841 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Early-life stress can induce several neuropsychological disorders in adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms inducing such disorders are still not fully understood. Furthermore, the effects of early-life stress on the changes in cognitive function with age are still not clarified. In this study, we used maternal deprivation (MD) to examine the cognitive function in middle-aged mice using a touchscreen-equipped operant chamber. In the visual-discrimination task, the aged (∼1.4 years old) control mice could accurately learn to discriminate between different visual stimuli. In contrast, the correct response rate of aged MD mice increased to ∼60% by day 10; it was still significantly lower than that of the control mice (85%). In the hippocampus of aged MD mice, the expression level of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 decreased significantly as compared to that in control mice. On the other hand, no significant difference in GluN1 expression level was detected in young (2.5 months old) mice. These findings indicate that early-life stress accelerates cognitive impairment in middle-aged mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Yajima
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Asahi Haijima
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Miski Aghnia Khairinisa
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Noriaki Shimokawa
- Department of Nutrition, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare, Takasaki, Gunma, Japan
| | - Izuki Amano
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Yusuke Takatsuru
- Department of Medicine, Johmoh Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
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Roschlau C, Hauber W. Effects of dorsal hippocampus catecholamine depletion on paired-associates learning and place learning in rats. Behav Brain Res 2017; 323:124-132. [PMID: 28153394 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that the catecholamine (CA) neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline support hippocampus-mediated learning and memory. However, little is known to date about which forms of hippocampus-mediated spatial learning are modulated by CA signaling in the hippocampus. Therefore, in the current study we examined the effects of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced CA depletion in the dorsal hippocampus on two prominent forms of hippocampus-based spatial learning, that is learning of object-location associations (paired-associates learning) as well as learning and choosing actions based on a representation of the context (place learning). Results show that rats with CA depletion of the dorsal hippocampus were able to learn object-location associations in an automated touch screen paired-associates learning (PAL) task. One possibility to explain this negative result is that object-location learning as tested in the touchscreen PAL task seems to require relatively little hippocampal processing. Results further show that in rats with CA depletion of the dorsal hippocampus the use of a response strategy was facilitated in a T-maze spatial learning task. We suspect that impaired hippocampus CA signaling may attenuate hippocampus-based place learning and favor dorsolateral striatum-based response learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Roschlau
- Department Animal Physiology, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hauber
- Department Animal Physiology, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany.
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40
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Lee JQ, Zelinski EL, McDonald RJ, Sutherland RJ. Heterarchic reinstatement of long-term memory: A concept on hippocampal amnesia in rodent memory research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 71:154-166. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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41
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Kim M, Kwak C, Yu NK, Kaang BK. Optimization of the touchscreen paired-associate learning (PAL) task for mice and its dorsal hippocampal dependency. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2016.1221855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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42
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Roschlau C, Votteler A, Hauber W. Stimulant drug effects on touchscreen automated paired-associates learning (PAL) in rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 23:422-6. [PMID: 27421894 PMCID: PMC4947238 DOI: 10.1101/lm.040345.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Here we tested in rats effects of the procognitive drugs modafinil and methylphenidate on post-acquisition performance in an object–location paired-associates learning (PAL) task. Modafinil (32; 64 mg/kg) was without effect, while higher (9 mg/kg) but not lower (4.5 mg/kg) doses of methylphenidate impaired PAL performance. Likewise, higher but not lower doses of amphetamine (0.4; 0.8 mg/kg) and MK-801 (0.08; 0.12 mg/kg) decreased PAL performance. Impaired PAL performance induced by methylphenidate, amphetamine, and MK801 most likely reflects compromised cognitive function, e.g., retrieval of learned paired associates. Our data suggest that stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate and modafinil might not facilitate performance in hippocampus-related cognitive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Roschlau
- Department Animal Physiology, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Angeline Votteler
- Department Animal Physiology, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hauber
- Department Animal Physiology, University of Stuttgart, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany
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Abstract
Fear memory is the best-studied form of memory. It was thoroughly investigated in the past 60 years mostly using two classical conditioning procedures (contextual fear conditioning and fear conditioning to a tone) and one instrumental procedure (one-trial inhibitory avoidance). Fear memory is formed in the hippocampus (contextual conditioning and inhibitory avoidance), in the basolateral amygdala (inhibitory avoidance), and in the lateral amygdala (conditioning to a tone). The circuitry involves, in addition, the pre- and infralimbic ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the central amygdala subnuclei, and the dentate gyrus. Fear learning models, notably inhibitory avoidance, have also been very useful for the analysis of the biochemical mechanisms of memory consolidation as a whole. These studies have capitalized on in vitro observations on long-term potentiation and other kinds of plasticity. The effect of a very large number of drugs on fear learning has been intensively studied, often as a prelude to the investigation of effects on anxiety. The extinction of fear learning involves to an extent a reversal of the flow of information in the mentioned structures and is used in the therapy of posttraumatic stress disorder and fear memories in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Izquierdo
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R. G. Furini
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jociane C. Myskiw
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, National Research Council of Brazil, and Memory Center, Brain Institute, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Assessments of cognitive abilities in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease with a touch screen test. Behav Brain Res 2016; 301:63-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Barnett JH, Blackwell AD, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW. The Paired Associates Learning (PAL) Test: 30 Years of CANTAB Translational Neuroscience from Laboratory to Bedside in Dementia Research. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2016; 28:449-74. [PMID: 27646012 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_5001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The origins and rationale of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) as a cross-species translational instrument suitable for use in human neuropsychopharmacological studies are reviewed. We focus on its use for the early assessment and detection of Alzheimer's disease, in particular the Paired Associates Learning (PAL) test. We consider its psychometric properties, neural validation, and utility, including studies on large samples of healthy volunteers, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease. We demonstrate how it can be applied in cross-species studies using experimental animals to bridge the cross-species translational 'gap'. We also show how the CANTAB PAL has bridged a second translational 'gap' through its application to the early detection of memory problems in primary care clinics, using iPad technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer H Barnett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Cambridge Cognition, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Andrew D Blackwell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Cognition, Cambridge, UK
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Lins BR, Howland JG. Effects of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 positive allosteric modulator CDPPB on rats tested with the paired associates learning task in touchscreen-equipped operant conditioning chambers. Behav Brain Res 2015; 301:152-60. [PMID: 26721467 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Effective treatments for the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are critically needed. Positive allosteric modulation (PAM) of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) is one strategy currently under investigation to improve these symptoms. Examining cognition using touchscreen-equipped operant chambers may increase translation between preclinical and clinical research through analogous behavioral testing paradigms in rodents and humans. We used acute CDPPB (1-30mg/kg) treatment to examine the effects of mGluR5 PAM in the touchscreen paired associates learning (PAL) task using well-trained rats with and without co-administration of acute MK-801 (0.15mg/kg). CDPPB had no consistent effects on task performance when administered alone and failed to reverse the MK-801 induced impairments at any of the examined doses. Overall, the disruptive effects of MK-801 on PAL were consistent with previous research but increasing mGluR5 signaling is not beneficial in the PAL task. Future research should test whether administration of CDPPB during PAL acquisition increases performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney R Lins
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada.
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Lins BR, Phillips AG, Howland JG. Effects of D- and L-govadine on the disruption of touchscreen object-location paired associates learning in rats by acute MK-801 treatment. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:4371-82. [PMID: 26359226 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4064-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE New pharmacological treatments for the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are needed. Tetrahydroprotoberberines, such as govadine, are one class of compounds with dopaminergic activities that may be useful in treating some aspects of the cognitive symptoms of the disorder. OBJECTIVE The objective of the present studies was to test the effects of the D- and L-enantiomers of govadine on the impairment in a paired-associate learning (PAL) task produced by acute MK-801 in rats. We also assessed effects of the typical antipsychotic haloperidol as a comparator compound. METHODS MK-801 (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 mg/kg), D- and L-govadine (0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg), and haloperidol (0.05, 0.1, and 0.25 mg/kg) were administered acutely to rats well trained on the PAL task in touchscreen-equipped operant conditioning chambers. RESULTS Acute MK-801 impaired performance of PAL in a dose-dependent manner by reducing accuracy and increasing correction trials. L-Govadine (1.0 mg/kg), but not D-govadine, blocked the disruptive effects of MK-801 (0.15 mg/kg) on PAL. Haloperidol failed to affect the MK-801-induced disruption of PAL. Higher doses of L-govadine and haloperidol dramatically impaired performance of the task which confounded interpretation of cognitive outcomes. CONCLUSION L-Govadine appears unique in its ability to improve performance of the MK-801-induced impairment in the PAL task. This behavioral effect may relate the ability of L-govadine to antagonize dopamine D2 receptors while also promoting dopamine efflux. Future research should further characterize the role of the dopamine system in the rodent PAL task to elucidate the mechanisms of its pro-cognitive effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney R Lins
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Rd, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E5
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 2A1
| | - John G Howland
- Department of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, GB33, Health Sciences Building, 107 Wiggins Rd, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E5.
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