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Rahimi-Danesh M, Samizadeh MA, Sajadi AE, Rezvankhah T, Vaseghi S. Sex difference affects fear extinction but not lithium efficacy in rats following fear-conditioning with respect to the hippocampal level of BDNF. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 234:173675. [PMID: 37972713 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
In rodents, exposure to electrical shock and creating a strong fear memory using fear-conditioning model can induce PTSD-like behavior. In this study, we induced a fear-conditioning model in rats and investigated freezing (PTSD-like) behavior, 21 days after three shocks exposure (0.6 mA, 3 s, 30 seconds interval) in both male and female rats. Lithium was injected intraperitoneally (100 mg/kg) in three protocols: (1) 1 h after fear-conditioning (2) 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h after fear-conditioning (3), 1 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h after fear-conditioning. Extinction training (20 sounds without shocks, 75 dB, 3 s, 30 seconds interval) was performed in three protocols: (1) 1 h after fear-conditioning (one session), (2) 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h after fear-conditioning (three sessions), (3), 1 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h after fear-conditioning (five sessions). Forced swim test (FST) and hot plate were used to assess behavior. Results showed that lithium in all protocols had no effect on freezing behavior, FST, and pain subthreshold in all rats. Extinction training decreased freezing behavior, with more efficacy in females. In males, only 5-session training was effective, while in females all protocols were effective. Extinction training also altered pain perception and the results of FST, depending on the sessions and was different in males and females. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA level was increased in females following 3 and 5 sessions, and in males following 5 sessions extinction training. In conclusion, we suggested that there is a sex difference for the effect of extinction training on freezing behavior and BDNF mRNA level in a rat model of fear-conditioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrsa Rahimi-Danesh
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Ali Samizadeh
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran
| | - Amir-Ehsan Sajadi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran
| | - Tara Rezvankhah
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran
| | - Salar Vaseghi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran; Medicinal Plants Research Center, Institute of Medicinal Plants, ACECR, Karaj, Iran.
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Rich MT, Worobey SJ, Mankame S, Pang ZP, Swinford-Jackson SE, Pierce RC. Sex-dependent fear memory impairment in cocaine-sired rat offspring. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf6039. [PMID: 37851809 PMCID: PMC10584337 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf6039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Cocaine self-administration by male rats results in neuronal and behavioral alterations in offspring, including responses to cocaine. Given the high degree of overlap between the brain systems underlying the pathological responses to cocaine and stress, we examined whether sire cocaine taking would influence fear-associated behavioral effects in drug-naïve adult male and female progeny. Sire cocaine exposure had no effect on contextual fear conditioning or its extinction in either male or female offspring. During cued fear conditioning, freezing behavior was enhanced in female, but not male, cocaine-sired progeny. In contrast, male cocaine-sired progeny exhibited enhanced expression of cue-conditioned fear during extinction. Long-term potentiation (LTP) was robust in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), which encodes fear conditioning, of female offspring but was completely absent in male offspring of cocaine-exposed sires. Collectively, these results indicate that cued fear memory is enhanced in the male progeny of cocaine exposed sires, which also have BLA synaptic plasticity deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T. Rich
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Samantha J. Worobey
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Sharvari Mankame
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Zhiping P. Pang
- Child Health Institute and Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | | | - R. Christopher Pierce
- Brain Health Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
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Grochecki P, Smaga I, Wydra K, Marszalek-Grabska M, Slowik T, Kedzierska E, Listos J, Gibula-Tarlowska E, Filip M, Kotlinska JH. Impact of Mephedrone on Fear Memory in Adolescent Rats: Involvement of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) Receptor. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24031941. [PMID: 36768263 PMCID: PMC9915535 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is complicated by the presence of drug use disorder comorbidity. Here, we examine whether conditioned fear (PTSD model) modifies the rewarding effect of mephedrone and if repeated mephedrone injections have impact on trauma-related behaviors (fear sensitization, extinction, and recall of the fear reaction). We also analyzed whether these trauma-induced changes were associated with exacerbation in metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the GluN2A and GluN2B subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor expression in such brain structures as the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala. Male adolescent rats underwent trauma exposure (1.5 mA footshock), followed 7 days later by a conditioned place preference training with mephedrone. Next, the post-conditioning test was performed. Fear sensitization, conditioned fear, anxiety-like behavior, extinction acquisition and relapse were then assessed to evaluate behavioral changes. MMP-9, GluN2A and GluN2B were subsequently measured. Trauma-exposed rats subjected to mephedrone treatment acquired a strong place preference and exhibited impairment in fear extinction and reinstatement. Mephedrone had no effect on trauma-induced MMP-9 level in the basolateral amygdala, but decreased it in the hippocampus. GluN2B expression was decreased in the hippocampus, but increased in the basolateral amygdala of mephedrone-treated stressed rats. These data suggest that the modification of the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala due to mephedrone use can induce fear memory impairment and drug seeking behavior in adolescent male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawel Grochecki
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Irena Smaga
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Marta Marszalek-Grabska
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University, Jaczewskiego 8B, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Tymoteusz Slowik
- Experimental Medicine Center, Medical University, Jaczewskiego 8, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Ewa Kedzierska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Joanna Listos
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Ewa Gibula-Tarlowska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Filip
- Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Krakow, Poland
| | - Jolanta H. Kotlinska
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Medical University, Chodzki 4A, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
- Correspondence:
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Lguensat A, Boudjafad Z, Giorla E, Bennis M, Baunez C, Garcia R, Ba-M'hamed S. Repeated ethanol exposure following avoidance conditioning impairs avoidance extinction and modifies conditioning-associated prefrontal dendritic changes in a mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7710-7732. [PMID: 34670326 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15499] [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: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder is complicated by the presence of alcohol use disorder comorbidity. Little is known about the underlying brain mechanisms. We have recently shown, in mice, that the post-traumatic stress disorder-like phenotype is characterised by the increase and decrease in total dendritic number and length in the prelimbic and infralimbic areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, respectively. Here, we examined whether repeated ethanol exposure would exacerbate these changes and whether this would be associated with difficulty to extinguish passive avoidance behaviour, as an indicator of treatment resistance. We also analysed whether other known trauma-associated changes, like increased or decreased corticosterone and decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, would also be exacerbated. Male mice underwent trauma exposure (1.5-mA footshock), followed, 8 days later, by a conditioned place preference training with ethanol. Tests for fear sensitization, passive avoidance, anxiety-like behaviour, extinction acquisition and relapse susceptibility were used to assess behaviour changes. Plasma corticosterone and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and prefrontal dendritic changes were subsequently measured. Trauma-susceptible mice exposed to ethanol acquired a strong place preference and behaved differently from those not exposed to ethanol, with delayed avoidance extinction and higher avoidance relapse vulnerability. Ethanol potentiated trauma-associated dendritic changes in the prelimbic area and suppressed trauma-associated dendritic changes in the infralimbic area. However, ethanol had no effect on trauma-induced increased corticosterone and decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. These data suggest that the modification of prefrontal trauma-related changes, due to alcohol use, can characterise, and probably support, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmae Lguensat
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Neurobiologie, Anthropologie et Environnement, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Zineb Boudjafad
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Neurobiologie, Anthropologie et Environnement, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Elodie Giorla
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Mohamed Bennis
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Neurobiologie, Anthropologie et Environnement, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco
| | - Christelle Baunez
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - René Garcia
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.,Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Saadia Ba-M'hamed
- Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Neurobiologie, Anthropologie et Environnement, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco
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