1
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Boerner KE, Keogh E, Inkster AM, Nahman-Averbuch H, Oberlander TF. A developmental framework for understanding the influence of sex and gender on health: Pediatric pain as an exemplar. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 158:105546. [PMID: 38272336 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences are a robust finding in many areas of adult health, including cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain. However, many sex differences are not consistently observed until after the onset of puberty. This has led to the hypothesis that hormones are primary contributors to sex differences in health outcomes, largely ignoring the relative contributions of early developmental influences, emerging psychosocial factors, gender, and the interaction between these variables. In this paper, we argue that a comprehensive understanding of sex and gender contributions to health outcomes should start as early as conception and take an iterative biopsychosocial-developmental perspective that considers intersecting social positions. We present a conceptual framework, informed by a review of the literature in basic, clinical, and social science that captures how critical developmental stages for both sex and gender can affect children's health and longer-term outcomes. The literature on pediatric chronic pain is used as a worked example of how the framework can be applied to understanding different chronic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelynn E Boerner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Edmund Keogh
- Department of Psychology & Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Inkster
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hadas Nahman-Averbuch
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tim F Oberlander
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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2
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Moura MS, Lozano AFQ, Tavares BM, Figueiredo TM, Franco de Barros JW, Valencise L, de Grava Kempinas W. Prenatal exposure to sertraline, associated or not with stress, can negatively program somatic and neurobehavioral development of female rats, and dysregulate reproductive function in adulthood. Reprod Toxicol 2023; 116:108336. [PMID: 36669626 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2023.108336] [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: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed to pregnant women for treating mental illnesses. Among the drugs of this class, sertraline (ST) is the antidepressant therapy recommended most frequently. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of gestational ST treatment on reproductive parameters and toxicological target organs of rat female offspring, as well as on somatic, reflex and neurobehavioral development, in a model of maternal adversity. Pregnant Wistar rats received vehicle (filtered water) or ST hydrochloride (20 mg/Kg/day diluted in vehicle) by oral gavage, associated or not with restraint stress for 1 h/day from gestational days 13-20. F1 female offspring was evaluated on reproductive parameters, body weight and somatic and reflex milestones from postnatal day (PND) 1. On PNDs 25 and 72, the elevated-plus-maze test was performed, while toxicological target organs were evaluated on PNDs 42 and 80. In utero exposure to ST, regardless of exposure to stress, reduced body weight at birth and affected the somatic development and estrous cycle. The absolute and relative thyroid weights were increased in Stress/ST group during puberty and adulthood, while the percentage of ovarian structures and the absolute uterine weight were altered in this group on PND 80. Prenatal exposure only to ST reduced initial body weight gain, delayed fur development and increased anxiety-like behavior on PND 25. Thus, this experimental study suggests that intrauterine exposure to ST disrupts the fetal environment and can negatively program serotonin-regulated processes. Furthermore, it impacts thyroid weight when associated with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayara Silva Moura
- Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
| | - Ana Flávia Quiarato Lozano
- Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Bruna Marques Tavares
- Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Thamíris Moreira Figueiredo
- Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Jorge Willian Franco de Barros
- Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Lethicia Valencise
- Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Wilma de Grava Kempinas
- Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology and Toxicology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil
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3
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Campbell KSJ, Williams LJ, Bjornson BH, Weik E, Brain U, Grunau RE, Miller SP, Oberlander TF. Prenatal antidepressant exposure and sex differences in neonatal corpus callosum microstructure. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22125. [PMID: 33942888 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may influence white matter (WM) development, as previous studies report widespread microstructural alterations and reduced interhemispheric connectivity in SSRI-exposed infants. In rodents, perinatal SSRIs had sex-specific disruptions in corpus callosum (CC) axon architecture and connectivity; yet it is unknown whether SSRI-related brain outcomes in humans are sex specific. In this study, the neonate CC was selected as a region-of-interest to investigate whether prenatal SSRI exposure has sex-specific effects on early WM microstructure. On postnatal day 7, diffusion tensor imaging was used to assess WM microstructure in SSRI-exposed (n = 24; 12 male) and nonexposed (n = 48; 28 male) term-born neonates. Fractional anisotropy was extracted from CC voxels and a multivariate discriminant analysis was used to identify latent patterns differing between neonates grouped by SSRI-exposure and sex. Analysis revealed localized variations in CC fractional anisotropy that significantly discriminated neonate groups and correctly predicted group membership with an 82% accuracy. Such effects were identified across three dimensions, representing sex differences in SSRI-exposed neonates (genu, splenium), SSRI-related effects independent of sex (genu-to-rostral body), and sex differences in nonexposed neonates (isthmus-splenium, posterior midbody). Our findings suggest that CC microstructure may have a sex-specific, localized, developmental sensitivity to prenatal SSRI exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh S J Campbell
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Bruce H Bjornson
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ella Weik
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ursula Brain
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Ruth E Grunau
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steven P Miller
- Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Tim F Oberlander
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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4
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Chen MX, Cheng S, Lei L, Zhang XF, Liu Q, Lin A, Wallis CU, Lukowicz MJ, Sham PC, Li Q, Ao LJ. The effects of maternal SSRI exposure on the serotonin system, prefrontal protein expression and behavioral development in male and female offspring rats. Neurochem Int 2021; 146:105041. [PMID: 33836218 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Fluoxetine (FLX), a commonly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is often used to treat depression during pregnancy. However, prenatal exposure to FLX has been associated with a series of neuropsychiatric illnesses. The use of a rodent model can provide a clear indication as to whether prenatal exposure to SSRIs, independent of maternal psychiatric disorders or genetic syndromes, can cause long-term behavioral abnormalities in offspring. Thus, the present study aimed to explore whether prenatal FLX exposure causes long-term neurobehavioral effects, and identify the underlying mechanism between FLX and abnormal behaviors. In our study, 12/mg/kg/day of FLX or equal normal saline (NS) was administered to pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (FLX = 30, NS = 27) on gestation day 11 till birth. We assessed the physical development and behavior of offspring, and in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was conducted to quantify biochemical alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Ex vivo measurements of brain serotonin level and a proteomic analysis were also undertaken. Our results showed that the offspring (male offspring in particular) of fluoxetine exposed mothers showed delayed physical development, increased anxiety-like behavior, and impaired social interaction. Moreover, down-regulation of 5-HT and SERT expression were identified in the PFC. We also found that prenatal FLX exposure significantly decreased NAA/tCr with 1H-MRS in the PFC of offspring. Finally, a proteomic study revealed sex-dependent differential protein expression. These findings may have translational importance suggesting that using SSRI medication alone in pregnant mothers may result in developmental delay in their offspring. Our results also help guide the choice of outcome measures in identifying of molecular and developmental mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo Xian Chen
- School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Shu Cheng
- Department of Rehabilitation, China Resources & WISCO General Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Lei Lei
- Rehabilitation Medicine Department, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Tai Ping Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiao Fan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Aijin Lin
- School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | | | | | - Pak C Sham
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Centre for Genomic Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Li Juan Ao
- School of Rehabilitation, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
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5
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Glazova NY, Manchenko DM, Volodina MA, Merchieva SA, Andreeva LA, Kudrin VS, Myasoedov NF, Levitskaya NG. Semax, synthetic ACTH(4-10) analogue, attenuates behavioural and neurochemical alterations following early-life fluvoxamine exposure in white rats. Neuropeptides 2021; 86:102114. [PMID: 33418449 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2020.102114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are commonly used to treat depression during pregnancy. SSRIs cross the placenta and may influence the maturation of the foetal brain. Clinical and preclinical findings suggest long-term consequences of SSRI perinatal exposure for the offspring. The mechanisms of SSRI effects on developing brain remain largely unknown and there are no directional approaches for prevention of the consequences of maternal SSRI treatment during pregnancy. The heptapeptide Semax (MEHFPGP) is a synthetic analogue of ACTH(4-10) which exerts marked nootropic and neuroprotective activities. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effects of neonatal exposure to the SSRI fluvoxamine (FA) in white rats. Additionally, the study examined the potential for Semax to prevent the negative consequences of neonatal FA exposure. Rat pups received FA or vehicle injections on postnatal days 1-14, a time period equivalent to 27-40 weeks of human foetal age. After FA treatment, rats were administered with Semax or vehicle on postnatal days 15-28. During the 2nd month of life, the rats underwent behavioural testing, and monoamine levels in brain structures were measured. It was shown that neonatal FA exposure leads to the impaired emotional response to stress and novelty and delayed acquisition of food-motivated maze task in adolescent and young adult rats. Furthermore, FA exposure induced alterations in the monoamine levels in brains of 1- and 2- month-old rats. Semax administration reduced the anxiety-like behaviour, improved learning abilities and normalized the levels of brain biogenic amines impaired by the FA exposure. The results demonstrate that early-life FA exposure in rat pups produces long-term disturbances in their anxiety-related behaviour, learning abilities, and brain monoamines content. Semax exerts a favourable effect on behaviour and biogenic amine system of rats exposed to the antidepressant. Thus, peptide Semax can prevent behavioural deficits caused by altered 5-HT levels during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Yu Glazova
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, RAS, 2 Akademika Kurchatova square, Moscow 123182, Russia.
| | - Daria M Manchenko
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, 1-12 Leninskie gori, Moscow 119234, Russia
| | - Maria A Volodina
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, 1-12 Leninskie gori, Moscow 119234, Russia; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces, NRU HSE, 13-4 Myasnitskaya, Moscow 109028, Russia
| | - Svetlana A Merchieva
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, 1-12 Leninskie gori, Moscow 119234, Russia
| | - Ludmila A Andreeva
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, RAS, 2 Akademika Kurchatova square, Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Vladimir S Kudrin
- Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology RAMS, 8 Baltiyskaya, Moscow 125315, Russia
| | - Nikolai F Myasoedov
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, RAS, 2 Akademika Kurchatova square, Moscow 123182, Russia
| | - Natalia G Levitskaya
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, 1-12 Leninskie gori, Moscow 119234, Russia; Institute of Molecular Genetics, RAS, 2 Akademika Kurchatova square, Moscow 123182, Russia
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6
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Campbell KSJ, Collier AC, Irvine MA, Brain U, Rurak DW, Oberlander TF, Lim KI. Maternal Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressants Have Acute Effects on Fetal Heart Rate Variability in Late Gestation. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:680177. [PMID: 34483982 PMCID: PMC8415315 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.680177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Prenatal exposure to serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants increases risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, yet little is known about whether effects are present before birth. In relation to maternal SRI pharmacokinetics, this study investigated chronic and acute effects of prenatal SRI exposure on third-trimester fetal heart rate variability (HRV), while evaluating confounding effects of maternal depressed mood. Methods: At 36-weeks' gestation, cardiotocograph measures of fetal HR and HRV were obtained from 148 pregnant women [four groups: SRI-Depressed (n = 31), SRI-Non-Depressed (n = 18), Depressed (unmedicated; n = 42), and Control (n = 57)] before, and ~5-h after, typical SRI dose. Maternal plasma drug concentrations were quantified at baseline (pre-dose) and four time-points post-dose. Mixed effects modeling investigated group differences between baseline/pre-dose and post-dose fetal HR outcomes. Post hoc analyses investigated sex differences and dose-dependent SRI effects. Results: Maternal SRI plasma concentrations were lowest during the baseline/pre-dose fetal assessment (trough) and increased to a peak at the post-dose assessment; concentration-time curves varied widely between individuals. No group differences in fetal HR or HRV were observed at baseline/pre-dose; however, following maternal SRI dose, short-term HRV decreased in both SRI-exposed fetal groups. In the SRI-Depressed group, these post-dose decreases were displayed by male fetuses, but not females. Further, episodes of high HRV decreased post-dose relative to baseline, but only among SRI-Non-Depressed group fetuses. Higher maternal SRI doses also predicted a greater number of fetal HR decelerations. Fetuses exposed to unmedicated maternal depressed mood did not differ from Controls. Conclusions: Prenatal SRI exposure had acute post-dose effects on fetal HRV in late gestation, which differed depending on maternal mood response to SRI pharmacotherapy. Importantly, fetal SRI effects were sex-specific among mothers with persistent depressive symptoms, as only male fetuses displayed acute HRV decreases. At trough (pre-dose), chronic fetal SRI effects were not identified; however, concurrent changes in maternal SRI plasma levels suggest that fetal drug exposure is inconsistent. Acute SRI-related changes in fetal HRV may reflect a pharmacologic mechanism, a transient impairment in autonomic functioning, or an early adaption to altered serotonergic signaling, which may differ between males and females. Replication is needed to determine significance with postnatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh S J Campbell
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Abby C Collier
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael A Irvine
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ursula Brain
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Dan W Rurak
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Tim F Oberlander
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kenneth I Lim
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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7
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Houwing DJ, Schuttel K, Struik EL, Arling C, Ramsteijn AS, Heinla I, Olivier JDA. Perinatal fluoxetine treatment and dams' early life stress history alter affective behavior in rat offspring depending on serotonin transporter genotype and sex. Behav Brain Res 2020; 392:112657. [PMID: 32339551 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Many women diagnosed with a major depression continue or initiate antidepressant treatment during pregnancy. Both maternal stress and selective serotonin inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant treatment during pregnancy have been associated with changes in offspring behavior, including increased anxiety and depressive-like behavior. Our aim was to investigate the effects of the SSRI fluoxetine (FLX), with and without the presence of a maternal depression, on affective behavior in male and female rat offspring. As reduced serotonin transporter (SERT) availability has been associated with altered behavioral outcome, both offspring with normal (SERT+/+) and reduced (SERT+/-) SERT expression were included. For our animal model of maternal depression, SERT+/- dams exposed to early life stress were used. Perinatal FLX treatment and early life stress in dams (ELSD) had sex- and genotype-specific effects on affective behavior in the offspring. In female offspring, perinatal FLX exposure interacted with SERT genotype to increase anxiety and depressive-like behavior in SERT+/+, but not SERT+/-, females. In male offspring, ELSD reduced anxiety and interacted with SERT genotype to decrease depressive-like behavior in SERT+/-, but not SERT+/+, males. Altogether, SERT+/+ female offspring appear to be more sensitive than SERT+/- females to the effects of perinatal FLX exposure, while SERT+/- male offspring appear more sensitive than SERT+/+ males to the effects of ELSD on affective behavior. Our data suggest a role for offspring SERT genotype and sex in FLX and ELSD-induced effects on affective behavior, thereby contributing to our understanding of the effects of perinatal SSRI treatment on offspring behavior later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle J Houwing
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kirsten Schuttel
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eline L Struik
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Chantal Arling
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anouschka S Ramsteijn
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - I Heinla
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Hansine Hansens veg 18, 9019 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jocelien D A Olivier
- Department of Neurobiology, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
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8
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Hanswijk SI, Spoelder M, Shan L, Verheij MMM, Muilwijk OG, Li W, Liu C, Kolk SM, Homberg JR. Gestational Factors throughout Fetal Neurodevelopment: The Serotonin Link. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E5850. [PMID: 32824000 PMCID: PMC7461571 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) is a critical player in brain development and neuropsychiatric disorders. Fetal 5-HT levels can be influenced by several gestational factors, such as maternal genotype, diet, stress, medication, and immune activation. In this review, addressing both human and animal studies, we discuss how these gestational factors affect placental and fetal brain 5-HT levels, leading to changes in brain structure and function and behavior. We conclude that gestational factors are able to interact and thereby amplify or counteract each other's impact on the fetal 5-HT-ergic system. We, therefore, argue that beyond the understanding of how single gestational factors affect 5-HT-ergic brain development and behavior in offspring, it is critical to elucidate the consequences of interacting factors. Moreover, we describe how each gestational factor is able to alter the 5-HT-ergic influence on the thalamocortical- and prefrontal-limbic circuitry and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical-axis. These alterations have been associated with risks to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, depression, and/or anxiety. Consequently, the manipulation of gestational factors may be used to combat pregnancy-related risks for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina I. Hanswijk
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Marcia Spoelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Ling Shan
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Michel M. M. Verheij
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Otto G. Muilwijk
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
| | - Weizhuo Li
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China; (W.L.); (C.L.)
| | - Chunqing Liu
- College of Medical Laboratory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116044, China; (W.L.); (C.L.)
| | - Sharon M. Kolk
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Judith R. Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (S.I.H.); (M.S.); (M.M.M.V.); (O.G.M.)
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9
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Butkevich IP, Mikhailenko VA, Vershinina EA, Barr GA. Differences Between the Prenatal Effects of Fluoxetine or Buspirone Alone or in Combination on Pain and Affective Behaviors in Prenatally Stressed Male and Female Rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:125. [PMID: 31244623 PMCID: PMC6579839 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine and the 5-HT1A receptor agonist buspirone are used to treat depression and anxiety. Previously we demonstrated that chronic stress during pregnancy (prenatal stress) in rats, used as a model of maternal depression risk, increased inflammatory pain and depressive-like behavior in the offspring; buspirone injected to pregnant dams was protective. Clinically, the addition of buspirone to fluoxetine increases the latter’s efficacy in treating depression in patients. Here, we investigated the influence of repeated prenatal injections of fluoxetine, buspirone or their combination on pain- and depressive-like behaviors in prenatally stressed young male and female rats. Prenatal stress augmented depressive-like behavior and both thermal and inflammatory pain (formalin test), replicating our prior findings, and increased basal levels of corticosterone in the blood plasma. Both drugs and their combination reduced the effects of prenatal stress on thermal pain and depressive-like behavior independently of sex. The combination of fluoxetine and buspirone, compared with fluoxetine, was more antinociceptive in the hot plate test in both sexes, and when compared with buspirone, was more antinociceptive only in males. A detailed study of the time-course of formalin-induced pain showed a nuanced effect of these drugs that was sex-dependent. The combination of the two drugs was less effective in females than males during the initial acute phase of nociceptive behavior in flexing + shaking behaviors, whereas that combination was more effective than fluoxetine alone in the first acute phase of licking behavior in females. The antinociceptive effect of buspirone dominated that of the drug combination and of fluoxetine alone, especially during the interphase of the formalin test in both sexes for both flexing + shaking and licking, suggesting a more effective prenatal action of buspirone on the development of a descending serotonergic inhibitory system modulating pain in the spinal cord dorsal horn neurons. Our results indicate that inflammatory pain-like responses integrated at the spinal level in males were more vulnerable to prenatal stress than females. In licking, the antinociceptive effect of fluoxetine and drug combination in the interphase was more in males than females. The data underscore the importance of considering sexual dimorphism when using drug therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina P Butkevich
- Laboratory of Ontogenesis of the Nervous System, I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Department of Normal Physiology, State Pediatric Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Viktor A Mikhailenko
- Laboratory of Ontogenesis of the Nervous System, I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elena A Vershinina
- Department of Information Technologies and Mathematical Modeling, I.P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Gordon A Barr
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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10
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Kott J, Brummelte S. Trick or treat? Evaluating contributing factors and sex-differences for developmental effects of maternal depression and its treatment. Horm Behav 2019; 111:31-45. [PMID: 30658054 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Maternal depression and treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most common form of pharmaceutical intervention, can both have an impact on infant development. As such, it is difficult for healthcare providers to recommend a course of treatment to expectant mothers suffering from depression, or to women on antidepressant medication prior to pregnancy. This review will discuss the existing research on the developmental impacts of maternal depression and its treatment with SSRIs, with a particular focus on contributing factors that complicate our attempt to disentangle the consequences of maternal depression and its treatment such as the timing or severity of the depression. We will explore avenues for translational animal models to help address the question of "Trick or Treat", i.e.: which is worse for offspring development: exposure to maternal depression, or the SSRI treatment? Further, we will explore sex-dependent outcomes for the offspring in human and animal studies as male and female offspring may react differently to the presence of maternal depression or antidepressant treatment. Without more clinical and preclinical data, it remains difficult for women to make an informed decision regarding their depression treatment before, during, and after their pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Kott
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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11
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Pawluski JL, Li M, Lonstein JS. Serotonin and motherhood: From molecules to mood. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100742. [PMID: 30878665 PMCID: PMC6541513 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Emerging research points to a valuable role of the monoamine neurotransmitter, serotonin, in the display of maternal behaviors and reproduction-associated plasticity in the maternal brain. Serotonin is also implicated in the pathophysiology of numerous affective disorders and likely plays an important role in the pathophysiology of maternal mental illness. Therefore, the main goals of this review are to detail: (1) how the serotonin system of the female brain changes across pregnancy and postpartum; (2) the role of the central serotonergic system in maternal caregiving and maternal aggression; and (3) how the serotonin system and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs) are involved in the treatment of maternal mental illness. Although there is much work to be done, studying the central serotonin system's multifaceted role in the maternal brain is vital to our understanding of the processes governing matrescence and the maintenance of motherhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi L Pawluski
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program & Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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