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Vidyadhara DJ, Yarreiphang H, Raju TR, Alladi PA. Differences in Neuronal Numbers, Morphology, and Developmental Apoptosis in Mice Nigra Provide Experimental Evidence of Ontogenic Origin of Vulnerability to Parkinson's Disease. Neurotox Res 2021; 39:1892-1907. [PMID: 34762290 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-021-00439-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson disease (PD) prevalence varies by ethnicity. In an earlier study, we replicated the reduced vulnerability to PD in an admixed population, using 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-susceptible C57BL/6 J, MPTP-resistant CD-1 and their F1 crossbreds. In the present study, we investigated if the differences have a developmental origin. Substantia nigra was evaluated at postnatal days 2 (P2), P6, P10, P14, P18, and P22. C57BL/6 J mice had smaller nigra and fewer dopaminergic neurons than the CD-1 and crossbreds at P2, which persisted through development. A significant increase in numbers and nigral volume was observed across strains until P14. A drastic decline thereafter was specific to C57BL/6 J. CD-1 and crossbreds retained their numbers from P14 to stabilize with supernumerary neurons at adulthood. The neuronal size increased gradually to attain adult morphology at P10 in the resistant strains, vis-à-vis at P22 in C57BL/6 J. Accordingly, in comparison to C57BL/6 J, the nigra of CD-1 and reciprocal crossbreds possessed cytomorphological features of resilience, since birth. The considerably lesser dopaminergic neuronal loss in the CD-1 and crossbreds was seen at P2 and P14 and thereafter was complemented by attenuated developmental cell death. The differences in programmed cell death were confirmed by reduced TUNEL labelling, AIF, and caspase-3 expression. GDNF expression aligned with the cell death pattern at P2 and P14 in both nigra and striatum. Earlier maturity of nigra and its neurons appears to be better features that reflect as MPTP resistance at adulthood. Thus, variable MPTP vulnerability in mice and also differential susceptibility to PD in humans may arise early during nigral development.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Vidyadhara
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, 560029, India
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Haorei Yarreiphang
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, 560029, India
| | - Trichur R Raju
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, 560029, India
| | - Phalguni Anand Alladi
- Department of Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neurotoxicology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, 560029, India.
- Formerly at Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences, Hosur Road, Bangalore, India.
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Transgenerational modification of dopaminergic dysfunctions induced by maternal immune activation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:404-412. [PMID: 32919409 PMCID: PMC7852665 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00855-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to infectious and/or inflammatory insults is increasingly recognized to contribute to the etiology of psychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components. Recent research using animal models suggests that maternal immune activation (MIA) can induce transgenerational effects on brain and behavior, possibly through epigenetic mechanisms. Using a mouse model of MIA that is based on gestational treatment with the viral mimeticpoly(I:C) (= polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid), the present study explored whether the transgenerational effects of MIA are extendable to dopaminergic dysfunctions. We show that the direct descendants born to poly(I:C)-treated mothers display signs of hyperdopaminergia, as manifested by a potentiated sensitivity to the locomotor-stimulating effects of amphetamine (Amph) and increased expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) in the adult ventral midbrain. In stark contrast, second- and third-generation offspring of MIA-exposed ancestors displayed blunted locomotor responses to Amph and reduced expression of Th. Furthermore, we found increased DNA methylation at the promoter region of the dopamine-specifying factor, nuclear receptor-related 1 protein (Nurr1), in the sperm of first-generation MIA offspring and in the ventral midbrain of second-generation offspring of MIA-exposed ancestors. The latter effect was further accompanied by reduced mRNA levels of Nurr1 in this brain region. Together, our results suggest that MIA has the potential to modify dopaminergic functions across multiple generations with opposite effects in the direct descendants and their progeny. The presence of altered DNA methylation in the sperm of MIA-exposed offspring highlights the possibility that epigenetic processes in the male germline play a role in the transgenerational effects of MIA.
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Kapor S, Aksić M, Puškaš L, Jukić M, Poleksić J, Milosavljević F, Bjelica S, Filipović B. Long-Term Effects of Maternal Deprivation on the Volume of Dopaminergic Nuclei and Number of Dopaminergic Neurons in Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area in Rats. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:578900. [PMID: 33192342 PMCID: PMC7645037 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.578900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life adversities leave long-lasting structural and functional consequences on the brain, which may persist later in life. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is extremely important in mood and motor control. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal deprivation during the ninth postnatal day on the volume of dopaminergic nuclei and the number of dopaminergic neurons in adolescence and adulthood. Maternally deprived and control Wistar rats were sacrificed on postnatal day 35 or 60, and the dopaminergic neurons were stained in coronal histological sections of ventral midbrain with the tyrosine hydroxylase antibody. The volume of dopaminergic nuclei and the number of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) were analyzed in three representative coordinates. Maternal deprivation caused weight loss on postnatal day 21 (weaning) and corticosterone blood level elevation on postnatal days 35 and 60 in stressed compared to control rats. In maternally deprived animals, the volumes of SN and VTA were increased compared to the controls. This increase was accompanied by an elevation in the number of dopaminergic neurons in both nuclei. Altogether, based on somatic and corticosterone level measurements, maternal deprivation represents a substantial adversity, and the phenotype it causes in adulthood includes increased volume of the dopaminergic nuclei and number of dopaminergic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slobodan Kapor
- School of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy "Niko Miljanić", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milan Aksić
- School of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy "Niko Miljanić", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Laslo Puškaš
- School of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy "Niko Miljanić", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marin Jukić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.,Pharmacogenetics Section, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joko Poleksić
- School of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy "Niko Miljanić", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Filip Milosavljević
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Suncica Bjelica
- Group for Molecular Oncology, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.,Department of Hematology, Clinical Center "Dragiša Mišović", Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Branislav Filipović
- School of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy "Niko Miljanić", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Braun K, Bock J, Wainstock T, Matas E, Gaisler-Salomon I, Fegert J, Ziegenhain U, Segal M. Experience-induced transgenerational (re-)programming of neuronal structure and functions: Impact of stress prior and during pregnancy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 117:281-296. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Hyperexcitability of VTA dopaminergic neurons in male offspring exposed to physical or psychological prenatal stress. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 101:109923. [PMID: 32173457 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) exposure leads to cognitive and behavioral alterations in offspring including an increased risk of substance abuse and anxiety disorders. Signalling from dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the mesoaccumbal and mesocortical pathways plays a vital role in drug dependency and anxiety behavior. To provide further knowledge about the changes in drug seeking behavior and anxiety behaviors in prenatally stressed mice, we conducted ex vivo investigations in VTA brain slices of adult male PS offspring to evaluate the effects of two types of PS (physical vs. psychological) on activity of DA neurons. Elevated plus maze (EPM) was used to assess anxiety-like behaviors and conditioned place preference (CPP) was used to evaluate drug reinforcing effects in mice. An increased anxiety-like behavior and preference to morphine was observed in prenatally stressed mice. PS VTA DA cells exhibited greater Ih current and a higher frequency and amplitude of sEPSCs, which were consistent with a greater degree of pre- or postsynaptic excitability of the VTA. This was confirmed by lower rheobase and lower firing thresholds in PS VTA neurons, as well as increases in spontaneous firing frequency. When taken together, these data suggest that alterations in VTA DA neurons in this mouse model of prenatal stress might be associated with later life alterations in drug seeking and anxiety-like behaviors through their role in mesocortical and mesoaccumbal pathways.
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Effects of early life stress on biochemical indicators of the dopaminergic system: A 3 level meta-analysis of rodent studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:1-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Frasch MG, Lobmaier SM, Stampalija T, Desplats P, Pallarés ME, Pastor V, Brocco MA, Wu HT, Schulkin J, Herry CL, Seely AJE, Metz GAS, Louzoun Y, Antonelli MC. Non-invasive biomarkers of fetal brain development reflecting prenatal stress: An integrative multi-scale multi-species perspective on data collection and analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 117:165-183. [PMID: 29859198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) impacts early postnatal behavioural and cognitive development. This process of 'fetal programming' is mediated by the effects of the prenatal experience on the developing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). We derive a multi-scale multi-species approach to devising preclinical and clinical studies to identify early non-invasively available pre- and postnatal biomarkers of PS. The multiple scales include brain epigenome, metabolome, microbiome and the ANS activity gauged via an array of advanced non-invasively obtainable properties of fetal heart rate fluctuations. The proposed framework has the potential to reveal mechanistic links between maternal stress during pregnancy and changes across these physiological scales. Such biomarkers may hence be useful as early and non-invasive predictors of neurodevelopmental trajectories influenced by the PS as well as follow-up indicators of success of therapeutic interventions to correct such altered neurodevelopmental trajectories. PS studies must be conducted on multiple scales derived from concerted observations in multiple animal models and human cohorts performed in an interactive and iterative manner and deploying machine learning for data synthesis, identification and validation of the best non-invasive detection and follow-up biomarkers, a prerequisite for designing effective therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
| | - Silvia M Lobmaier
- Frauenklinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Tamara Stampalija
- Unit of Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis, Institute for Mother and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
| | - Paula Desplats
- University of California, Departments of Neurosciences and Pathology, San Diego, USA
| | - María Eugenia Pallarés
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Pastor
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcela A Brocco
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas - Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB-INTECH), Universidad Nacional de San Martín - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNSAM-CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hau-Tieng Wu
- Department of Mathematics and Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Mathematics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jay Schulkin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | | | | | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yoram Louzoun
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of Applied Mathematics, Israel
| | - Marta C Antonelli
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Frasch MG, Baier CJ, Antonelli MC, Metz GAS. Perinatal Psychoneuroimmunology: Protocols for the Study of Prenatal Stress and Its Effects on Fetal and Postnatal Brain Development. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1781:353-376. [PMID: 29705857 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7828-1_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) impacts early behavioral, neuroimmune, and cognitive development. Pregnant rat models have been very valuable in examining the mechanisms of such fetal programming. A newer pregnant sheep model of maternal stress offers the unique advantages of chronic in utero monitoring and manipulation. This chapter presents the techniques used to model single and multigenerational stress exposures and their pleiotropic effects on the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Carlos J Baier
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Bioquímica y Farmacia (DBByF), Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Marta C Antonelli
- Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis", Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gerlinde A S Metz
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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Luan W, Hammond LA, Cotter E, Osborne GW, Alexander SA, Nink V, Cui X, Eyles DW. Developmental Vitamin D (DVD) Deficiency Reduces Nurr1 and TH Expression in Post-mitotic Dopamine Neurons in Rat Mesencephalon. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:2443-2453. [PMID: 28365874 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0497-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency has been proposed as an important risk factor for schizophrenia. Our previous study using Sprague Dawley rats found that DVD deficiency disrupted the ontogeny of mesencephalic dopamine neurons by decreasing the mRNA level of a crucial differentiation factor of dopamine cells, the nuclear receptor related 1 protein (Nurr1). However, it remains unknown whether this reflects a reduction in dopamine cell number or in Nurr1 expression. It is also unclear if any particular subset of developing dopamine neurons in the mesencephalon is selectively affected. In this study, we employed state-of-the-art spinning disk confocal microscopy optimized for the imaging of tissue sections and 3D segmentation to assess post-mitotic dopamine cells on a single-cell basis in the rat mesencephalon at embryonic day 15. Our results showed that DVD deficiency did not alter the number, morphology, or positioning of post-mitotic dopamine cells. However, the ratio of Nurr1+TH+ cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) compared with the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was increased in DVD-deficient embryos. In addition, the expression of Nurr1 in immature dopamine cells and mature dopamine neurons in the VTA was decreased in DVD-deficient group. Tyrosine hydroxylase was selectively reduced in SNc of DVD-deficient mesencephalon. We conclude that DVD deficiency induced early alterations in mesencephalic dopamine development may in part explain the abnormal dopamine-related behaviors found in this model. Our findings may have broader implications for how certain environmental risk factors for schizophrenia may shape the ontogeny of dopaminergic systems and by inference increase the risk of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Luan
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Edmund Cotter
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Geoffrey William Osborne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Virginia Nink
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Xiaoying Cui
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Darryl Walter Eyles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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Champagne FA, Curley JP. Plasticity of the Maternal Brain Across the Lifespan. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2017; 2016:9-21. [PMID: 27589495 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is dynamic and highly sensitive to experiential and contextual factors. In this review, this plasticity will be explored, with a focus on how experiences of females occurring from the time of fetal development through to adulthood impact maternal behavior and the maternal brain. Variation in postpartum maternal behavior is dependent on estrogen sensitivity within the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus and activation within mesolimbic dopamine neurons. This review will discuss how experiences across the lifespan alter the function of these systems and the multigenerational consequences of these neuroendocrine and behavioral changes. These studies, based primarily on the examination of maternal behavior in laboratory rodents and nonhuman primates, provide mechanistic insights relevant to our understanding of human maternal behavior and to the mechanisms of lifelong plasticity.
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Prenatal Stress and Neurodevelopmental Plasticity: Relevance to Psychopathology. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1015:117-129. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-62817-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Pastor V, Antonelli MC, Pallarés ME. Unravelling the Link Between Prenatal Stress, Dopamine and Substance Use Disorder. Neurotox Res 2016; 31:169-186. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-016-9674-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Montes P, Ruiz-Sánchez E, Calvillo M, Rojas P. Active coping of prenatally stressed rats in the forced swimming test: involvement of the Nurr1 gene. Stress 2016; 19:506-15. [PMID: 27219004 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2016.1193147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Depending on genetic predisposition, prenatal stress may result in vulnerability or resilience to develop psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Nurr1 is an immediate early gene, important in the brain for the stress response. We tested the hypothesis that prenatal stress and the decrease of hippocampal Nurr1 alter offspring behavioral responses in the forced swimming test (FST). Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to restraint stress (45 min, thrice daily) from gestation day 14. Prenatally stressed (PS) and non-prenatally stressed (NPS) male offspring were treated bilaterally with a Nurr1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN; or control) into the hippocampus at 97 d of age. After 1 h, the rats were exposed to the FST (acute stressor) to analyze their behavioral responses. Thirty minutes after the FST, we analyzed the gene expression of Nurr1, Bdnf and Nr3c1 (genes for Nurr1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), respectively) in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hypothalamus. Results showed that the decrease of hippocampal Nurr1 after the antisense ODN in adult NPS rats induces immobility (indicating depressive-like behavior). The PS adult rats, including the group with decreased hippocampal Nurr1, presented low immobility in the FST. This low immobility was concordant with maintenance of Nurr1 and Bdnf expression levels in the three analyzed brain regions; Nr3c1 gene expression was also maintained in the PFC and hypothalamus. These findings suggest that Nurr1 and associated genes could participate in the brain modifications induced by prenatal stress, allowing active coping (resilience) with acute stress in adulthood.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptation, Psychological/physiology
- Animals
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics
- Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism
- Female
- Gene Expression
- Hippocampus/metabolism
- Hypothalamus/metabolism
- Male
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2/genetics
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2/metabolism
- Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism
- Pregnancy
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/genetics
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/metabolism
- Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/psychology
- Rats
- Rats, Wistar
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/metabolism
- Restraint, Physical
- Stress, Psychological/genetics
- Stress, Psychological/metabolism
- Stress, Psychological/psychology
- Swimming/psychology
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Montes
- a Laboratory of Neurotoxicology , National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, "Manuel Velasco Suárez" , Mexico D.F. , Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Ruiz-Sánchez
- a Laboratory of Neurotoxicology , National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, "Manuel Velasco Suárez" , Mexico D.F. , Mexico
| | - Minerva Calvillo
- b Experimental Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases , National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, "Manuel Velasco Suárez" , Mexico D.F. , Mexico
| | - Patricia Rojas
- a Laboratory of Neurotoxicology , National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, "Manuel Velasco Suárez" , Mexico D.F. , Mexico
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Long-term consequences of prenatal stress and neurotoxicants exposure on neurodevelopment. Prog Neurobiol 2016; 155:21-35. [PMID: 27236051 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2016.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There is a large consensus that the prenatal environment determines the susceptibility to pathological conditions later in life. The hypothesis most widely accepted is that exposure to insults inducing adverse conditions in-utero may have negative effects on the development of target organs, disrupting homeostasis and increasing the risk of diseases at adulthood. Several models have been proposed to investigate the fetal origins of adult diseases, but although these approaches hold true for almost all diseases, particular attention has been focused on disorders related to the central nervous system, since the brain is particularly sensitive to alterations of the microenvironment during early development. Neurobiological disorders can be broadly divided into developmental, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Even though most of these diseases share genetic risk factors, the onset of the disorders cannot be explained solely by inheritance. Therefore, current understanding presumes that the interactions of environmental input, may lead to different disorders. Among the insults that can play a direct or indirect role in the development of neurobiological disorders are stress, infections, drug abuse, and environmental contaminants. Our laboratories have been involved in the study of the neurobiological impact of gestational stress on the offspring (Dr. Antonelli's lab) and on the effect of gestational exposure to toxicants, mainly methyl mercury (MeHg) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) (Dr. Ceccatelli's lab). In this focused review, we will review the specialized literature but we will concentrate mostly on our own work on the long term neurodevelopmental consequences of gestational exposure to stress and neurotoxicants.
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Pallarés ME, Antonelli MC. Hormonal modulation of catecholaminergic neurotransmission in a prenatal stress model. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 10:45-59. [PMID: 25287535 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1372-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Our laboratory has a long-standing interest in the effects of prenatal stress (PS) on various neurotransmitter pathways and the morphology of the developing brain as well as in behavioural aspects of the offspring. Employing a commonly used PS paradigm in which the dams were subjected to restraint stress during the last week of gestation, we observed that several of these pathways were altered in the offspring brain. In this chapter, we will summarize and discuss the results obtained with the main catecholaminergic pathways, namely dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). In our hands, PS produces an increase in dopamine D2-type receptors in limbic areas, a decreased DA release after amphetamine stimulation in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and an increase in NE release in the same area of the adult offspring brain. In addition, DA uptake is altered at prepubertal stages that persist through adulthood. However, the expression of the step-limiting enzyme of the DA synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), is only impaired at early stages of development after PS in the neuronal bodies. At the nuclear regulation level, dopaminergic transcription factors Nurr1 and Ptx3 showed a high vulnerability to PS showing changes along the lifespan. It was striking to observe that many impairments observed in most of these pathways differed depending on whether they were tested before or after puberty indicating a particular sensitivity of the systems to variations in gonadal hormones peaks. In fact, we observed that PS induced long-term effects on the male offspring reproductive system and spermatogenesis development, particularly by inducing a long-term imbalance of circulating sexual hormone levels. Our findings suggest that PS exerts long-term effects on various neurotransmitter pathways altering the normal connectivity between brain areas. Since the developing forebrain was shown to be influenced by androgen exposure, and PS was shown to disrupt prenatal testosterone surges, our results suggest that prenatal insults might be affecting the organizational role of androgens during brain development and differentially modulating their activational role during pubertal brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Pallarés
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Baier CJ, Pallarés ME, Adrover E, Katunar MR, Raisman-Vozari R, Antonelli MC. Intrastriatal 6-OHDA Lesion Differentially Affects Dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area of Prenatally Stressed Rats. Neurotox Res 2014; 26:274-84. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-014-9479-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Campos-Melo D, Galleguillos D, Sánchez N, Gysling K, Andrés ME. Nur transcription factors in stress and addiction. Front Mol Neurosci 2013; 6:44. [PMID: 24348325 PMCID: PMC3844937 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Nur transcription factors Nur77 (NGFI-B, NR4A1), Nurr1 (NR4A2), and Nor-1 (NR4A3) are a sub-family of orphan members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. These transcription factors are products of immediate early genes, whose expression is rapidly and transiently induced in the central nervous system by several types of stimuli. Nur factors are present throughout the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis where are prominently induced in response to stress. Drugs of abuse and stress also induce the expression of Nur factors in nuclei of the motivation/reward circuit of the brain, indicating their participation in the process of drug addiction and in non-hypothalamic responses to stress. Repeated use of addictive drugs and chronic stress induce long-lasting dysregulation of the brain motivation/reward circuit due to reprogramming of gene expression and enduring alterations in neuronal function. Here, we review the data supporting that Nur transcription factors are key players in the molecular basis of the dysregulation of neuronal circuits involved in chronic stress and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danae Campos-Melo
- Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
| | - Danny Galleguillos
- Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
| | - Natalia Sánchez
- Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
| | - Katia Gysling
- Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
| | - María E Andrés
- Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago, Chile
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Pallarés ME, Baier CJ, Adrover E, Monteleone MC, Brocco MA, Antonelli MC. Age-Dependent Effects of Prenatal Stress on the Corticolimbic Dopaminergic System Development in the Rat Male Offspring. Neurochem Res 2013; 38:2323-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s11064-013-1143-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Revised: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Pallarés ME, Adrover E, Baier CJ, Bourguignon NS, Monteleone MC, Brocco MA, González-Calvar SI, Antonelli MC. Prenatal maternal restraint stress exposure alters the reproductive hormone profile and testis development of the rat male offspring. Stress 2013; 16:429-40. [PMID: 23252714 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2012.761195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have demonstrated that the presence of stressors during pregnancy induces adverse effects on the neuroendocrine system of the offspring later in life. In the present work, we investigated the effects of early programming on the male reproductive system, employing a prenatal stress (PS) paradigm. This study found that when pregnant dams were placed in a plastic restrainer three times a day during the last week of pregnancy, the offspring showed reduced anogenital distance and delayed testicular descent. Serum luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were decreased at postnatal day (PND) 28 and testosterone was decreased at PND 75. Increased testosterone plus dihydrotestosterone (T + DHT) concentrations correlated with increased testicular 5α Reductase-1 (5αR-1) mRNA expression at PND 28. Moreover, PS accelerated spermatogenesis at PND 35 and 60, and increased mean seminiferous tubule diameter in pubertal offspring and reduced Leydig cell number was observed at PND 35 and 60. PS offspring had increased androgen receptor (AR) mRNA level at PND 28, and at PND 35 had increased the numbers of Sertoli cells immunopositive for AR. Overall, the results confirm that stress during gestation can induce long-term effects on the male offspring reproductive system. Of particular interest is the pre-pubertal imbalance of circulating hormones that probably trigger accelerated testicular development, followed by an increase in total androgens and a decrease in testosterone concentration during adulthood. Exposure to an unfavourable intrauterine environment might prepare for harsh external conditions by triggering early puberty, increasing reproductive potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Pallarés
- IQUIFIB, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Wang M, Lu C, Roisen F. Adult human olfactory epithelial-derived progenitors: a potential autologous source for cell-based treatment for Parkinson's disease. Stem Cells Transl Med 2012; 1:492-502. [PMID: 23197853 PMCID: PMC3659713 DOI: 10.5966/sctm.2012-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adult olfactory epithelial-derived neural progenitors (hONPs) can differentiate along several neural lineages in response to morphogenic signals in vitro. A previous study optimized the transfection paradigm for the differentiation of hONPs to dopaminergic neurons. This study engrafted cells modified by the most efficient transfection paradigm for dopaminergic neural restriction and pretransfected controls into a unilateral neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine-induced parkinsonian rat model. Approximately 35% of the animals engrafted with hONPs had improved behavioral recovery as demonstrated by the amphetamine-induced rotation test, as well as a corner preference and cylinder paw preference, over a period of 24 weeks. The pre- and post-transfected groups produced equivalent responses, indicating that the toxic host environment supported hONP dopaminergic differentiation in situ. Human fibroblasts used as a cellular control did not diminish the parkinsonian rotational deficits at any point during the study. Increased numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells were detected in the engrafted brains compared with the fibroblast-implanted and medium-only controls. Engrafted TH-positive hONPs were detected for a minimum of 6 months in vivo; they were multipolar, had long processes, and migrated beyond their initial injection sites. Higher dopamine levels were detected in the striatum of behaviorally improved animals than in equivalent regions of their nonrecovered counterparts. Throughout these experiments, no evidence of tumorigenicity was observed. These results support our hypothesis that human adult olfactory epithelial-derived progenitors represent a unique autologous cell type with promising potential for future use in a cell-based therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Chengliang Lu
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Fred Roisen
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
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Baier CJ, Katunar MR, Adrover E, Pallarés ME, Antonelli MC. Gestational restraint stress and the developing dopaminergic system: an overview. Neurotox Res 2012; 22:16-32. [PMID: 22215534 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-011-9305-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Revised: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 12/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal stress exerts a strong impact on fetal brain development in rats impairing adaptation to stressful conditions, subsequent vulnerability to anxiety, altered sexual function, and enhanced propensity to self-administer drugs. Most of these alterations have been attributed to changes in the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA). In humans; dysfunction of dopaminergic system is associated with development of several neurological disorders, such as Parkinson disease, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and depression. Evidences provided by animal research, as well as retrospective studies in humans, pointed out that exposure to adverse events in early life can alter adult behaviors and neurochemical indicators of midbrain DA activity, suggesting that the development of the DA system is sensitive to disruption by exposure to early stressors. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of published studies and our own study related to the effect of prenatal insults on the development of DA metabolism and biology, focusing mainly in articles involving prenatal-restraint stress protocols in rats. We will also attempt to make a correlation between theses alterations and DA-related pathological processes in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J Baier
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas (UBA-CONICET), Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956, C1113AAD, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Differential neuronal changes in medial prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens after postweaning social isolation. Brain Struct Funct 2011; 217:337-51. [PMID: 22002740 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-011-0355-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The mesocorticolimbic system contains dopamine (DA)-producing neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and their projection targets, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala (AMY) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Disruption of this system might attribute to mental illnesses. In the present study, we adopted the postweaning social isolation paradigm to model neuropsychiatric disorders and studied the functional and structural changes of the mesocorticolimbic system. After 8-9 weeks of isolation, rats exhibited hyperlocomotor activity and impaired sensorimotor gating compared to group-reared controls. However, the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive VTA neurons and the volume of VTA were not affected. Comparing with group-reared controls, the DA levels in the isolation-reared were not altered in the VTA, mPFC and NAc but decreased in the AMY. In the structural aspect, dendritic features of layer II/III pyramidal mPFC neurons; pyramidal neurons in the basolateral nucleus of amygdala (BLA) and medium spiny neurons in the core region of the NAc (NAcc) were examined. Interestingly, the neuronal changes were region-specific. The mPFC neurons had reduced dendritic complexity, spine density and elongated terminal branches. The BLA neurons had extensive dendritic arbors with short branches but unchanged spine density. The NAcc neurons had reduced total dendritic length but the segment length and spine density remained the same. Together, the results demonstrated the structural and functional changes in the mesocorticolimbic DA system of socially isolated rats. These changes may account for the behavioral impairments in these rats and attribute to the susceptibility to mental disorders related to schizophrenia and depression.
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Chocyk A, Przyborowska A, Dudys D, Majcher I, Maćkowiak M, Wędzony K. The impact of maternal separation on the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-expressing midbrain neurons during different stages of ontogenesis. Neuroscience 2011; 182:43-61. [PMID: 21396433 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2010] [Revised: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 03/03/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Early life stressors have life-long functional and anatomical consequences. Though many neurotransmitters are involved in the functional impact of early life stress, dopamine seems to be important because of its roles in motor control, adaptation to stressful conditions, mood, cognition, attention and reward. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the way that early life stress, in the form of maternal separation (MS), affects the populations of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) dopaminergic neurons in rat midbrain structures during ontogenesis. We included in the study the sub-regions of the substantia nigra (SN) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In both the control and MS rats, we found that the estimated total number of TH-expressing neurons fluctuated during ontogenesis. Moreover, MS influenced the number of TH-IR cells, especially in the SN pars reticulata (SNr) and VTA. Shortly after the termination of MS, on postnatal day (PND) 15, a decrease in the estimated total number of TH-IR neurons was observed in the SNr and VTA (in both males and females). On PND 35, MS caused a transient increase in the number of TH-IR cells only in the SNr of female rats. On PND 70, MS affected the number of TH-IR neurons in the VTA of females; specifically, an increase in the number of these cells was observed. Additionally, MS did not alter TH-IR cell sizes or the total levels of TH (measured by Western blot analysis) in the SN and VTA for all stages of ontogenesis in both males and females. The results from the study herein indicate that early life stress has enduring effects on the populations of midbrain TH-expressing dopaminergic neurons (especially in female rats), which are critically important for dopamine-regulated brain function throughout ontogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Chocyk
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland.
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Campos-Melo D, Quiroz G, Noches V, Gysling K, Forray MI, Andrés ME. Repeated immobilization stress increases nur77 expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Neurotox Res 2011; 20:289-300. [PMID: 21442465 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-011-9243-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2010] [Revised: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor Nur77 has been identified as a neuronal activation marker of stressful stimuli in the central nervous system. Nur77 plays a key role at all levels of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis during the stress response. However, the participation of Nur77 in extra-hypothalamic responses to stress is unknown. In this study, we studied the impact of acute and repeated immobilization stress on Nur77 expression in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), a region involved in autonomic, neuroendocrine, and behavioral responses to stress. After a single session of immobilization stress we observed a significant increase of Nur77-like immunoreactivity in the BNST. This effect is not lost with repeated exposure to stress, since Nur77-like immunoreactivity and Nur77 mRNA in BNST were increased after the fifteenth stress session. The administration of desipramine, a specific inhibitor of noradrenaline reuptake, prevented the increase in Nur77-like immunoreactivity and mRNA induced by stress in rats subjected to repeated exposure to immobilization stress. Our results show that acute and repeated stress modulates Nur77 expression in BNST and suggest that Nur77 participates in extra-hypothalamic responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danae Campos-Melo
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Nucleus Millennium in Stress and Addiction, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Prenatal stress: role in psychotic and depressive diseases. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2011; 214:89-106. [PMID: 20949351 PMCID: PMC3050113 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-010-2035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2010] [Accepted: 09/26/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The birth of neurons, their migration to appropriate positions in the brain, and their establishment of the proper synaptic contacts happen predominately during the prenatal period. Environmental stressors during gestation can exert a major impact on brain development and thereby contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as depression and psychotic disorders including schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE The objectives here are to present recent preclinical studies of the impact of prenatal exposure to gestational stressors on the developing fetal brain and discuss their relevance to the neurobiological basis of mental illness. The focus is on maternal immune activation, psychological stresses, and malnutrition, due to the abundant clinical literature supporting their role in the etiology of neuropsychiatric illnesses. RESULTS Prenatal maternal immune activation, viral infection, unpredictable psychological stress, and malnutrition all appear to foster the development of behavioral abnormalities in exposed offspring that may be relevant to the symptom domains of schizophrenia and psychosis, including sensorimotor gating, information processing, cognition, social function, and subcortical hyperdopaminergia. Depression-related phenotypes, such as learned helplessness or anxiety, are also observed in some model systems. These changes appear to be mediated by the presence of proinflammatory cytokines and/or corticosteroids in the fetal compartment that alter the development the neuroanatomical substrates involved in these behaviors. CONCLUSION Prenatal exposure to environmental stressors alters the trajectory of brain development and can be used to generate animal preparations that may be informative in understanding the pathophysiological processes involved in several human neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Wang M, Lu C, Li H, Qiu M, Winstead W, Roisen F. Lineage restriction of adult human olfactory-derived progenitors to dopaminergic neurons. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.4236/scd.2011.13004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Mabandla MV, Russell VA. Voluntary exercise reduces the neurotoxic effects of 6-hydroxydopamine in maternally separated rats. Behav Brain Res 2010; 211:16-22. [PMID: 20206210 PMCID: PMC2862124 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2009] [Revised: 02/23/2010] [Accepted: 02/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal separation has been associated with development of anxiety-like behaviour and learning impairments in adult rats. This has been linked to changes in brain morphology observed after exposure to high levels of circulating glucocorticoids during the stress-hyporesponsive period (P4-P14). In the present study, adult rats that had been subjected to maternal separation (180 min/day for 14 days) during the stress-hyporesponsive period, received unilateral infusions of a small dose of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 5 microg/4 microl saline) into the medial forebrain bundle. The results showed that voluntary exercise had a neuroprotective effect in both non-stressed and maternally separated rats in that there was a decrease in forelimb akinesia (step test) and limb use asymmetry (cylinder test). Maternal separation increased forelimb akinesia and forelimb use asymmetry and reduced the beneficial effect of exercise on forelimb akinesia. It also reduced exploratory behaviour, consistent with anxiety-like behaviour normally associated with maternal separation. Exercise appeared to reduce dopamine neuron destruction in the lesioned substantia nigra when expressed as a percentage of the non-lesioned hemisphere. However, this appeared to be due to a compensatory decrease in completely stained tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in the contralateral, non-lesioned substantia nigra. In agreement with reports that maternal separation increases the 6-OHDA-induced loss of dopamine terminals in the striatum, there was a small increase in dopamine neuron destruction when expressed as a percentage of the non-lesioned hemisphere but there was no difference in dopamine cell number, suggesting that exposure to maternal separation did not exacerbate dopamine cell loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Musa Vuyisile Mabandla
- Department of Human Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa.
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