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Downs AM, Catavero CM, Kasten MR, McElligott ZA. Tauopathy and alcohol consumption interact to alter locus coeruleus excitatory transmission and excitability in male and female mice. Alcohol 2023; 107:97-107. [PMID: 36150608 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is a major public health concern in the United States. Recent work has suggested a link between chronic alcohol consumption and the development of tauopathy disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. However, relatively little work has investigated changes in neural circuitry involved in both tauopathy disorders and alcohol use disorder. The locus coeruleus (LC) is the major noradrenergic nucleus in the brain and is one of the earliest sites to be affected by tau lesions. The LC is also implicated in the rewarding effects of ethanol and alcohol withdrawal. In this study we assessed effects of long-term ethanol consumption and tauopathy on the physiology of LC neurons. Male and female P301S mice, a humanized transgenic mouse model of tauopathy, underwent 16 weeks of intermittent access to 20% ethanol from 3 to 7 months of age. We observed higher total alcohol consumption in female mice regardless of genotype. Male P301S mice consumed more ethanol and had a greater preference for ethanol than wild-type (WT) males. At the end of the drinking study, LC function was assessed using ex vivo whole cell electrophysiology. We found significant changes in excitatory inputs to the LC due to both ethanol and genotype. We found significantly increased excitability of the LC due to ethanol with greater effects in female P301S mice than in female WT mice. Our study identifies significant changes in the LC due to interactions between tauopathy and long-term ethanol use. These findings could have important implications regarding LC activity and changes in behavior due to both ethanol- and tauopathy-related dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Downs
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Christina M Catavero
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Michael R Kasten
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Zoé A McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States.
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Lu Z, Teo BM, Tabor RF. Recent developments in polynorepinephrine: an innovative material for bioinspired coatings and colloids. J Mater Chem B 2022; 10:7895-7904. [PMID: 36106821 DOI: 10.1039/d2tb01335e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
While applications of polydopamine (PDA) are exponentially growing, research concerning the closely related neurotransmitter derivative polynorepinephrine (PNE) is in paucity, even though norepinephrine shares dopamine's ability to self-polymerize and form a coating film that is nearly substrate-agnostic. In this review, we demonstrate that PNE can be used as an alternative to PDA with equal or ever superior performance. PNE offers a thinner and smoother coating surface and thus is capable of more effectively resisting fouling by biofoulants, enhancing cell adhesion capability, surface hydrophilicity and biomolecule immobilisation. With the abundance of catechol, amino and hydroxyl groups in PNE's structure, PNE can perform as an electron donor and receiver at the same time and initiate ring opening and redox reactions. It has also been shown that PNE has the potential to be used as a biosensor due to its bioconjugation and molecular recognition ability. Here, we summarise the applications of PNE to date and discuss its potential research directions in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Lu
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Boon Mian Teo
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Rico F Tabor
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
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Abstract
There is very little empirical work that directly assesses the neurobiological association of personality superfactors with the liability to depression. Therefore, as a means of providing a framework for future research, this article outlines the putative neurobiological foundation of three major personality superfactors: positive emotionality or extraversion, constraint or psychoticism, and negative emotionality or neuroticism. The neurobiology of these superfactors, particularly the central dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine projection systems, respectively, is derived largely from animal biobehavioral research, although human work is discussed where available. In an attempt to explore the association of this framework to depression, extreme quantitative variation in the resulting neurobiological systems, alone and in interaction with each other, is discussed in terms of different forms of depression and of modification of the phenotype and course of depression. The effects of experience on neurobiological functioning is briefly considered as a therapeutic approach, in lieu of, or in interaction with, pharmacological modulation of behavior.
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Andrés-Benito P, Fernández-Dueñas V, Carmona M, Escobar LA, Torrejón-Escribano B, Aso E, Ciruela F, Ferrer I. Locus coeruleus at asymptomatic early and middle Braak stages of neurofibrillary tangle pathology. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2017; 43:373-392. [PMID: 28117912 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The present study analyses molecular characteristics of the locus coeruleus (LC) and projections to the amygdala and hippocampus at asymptomatic early and middle Braak stages of neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology. METHODS Immunohistochemistry, whole-transcriptome arrays and RT-qPCR in LC and western blotting in hippocampus and amygdala in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals at stages I-IV of NFT pathology were used. RESULTS NFTs in the LC increased in parallel with colocalized expression of tau kinases, increased neuroketal adducts and decreased superoxide dismutase 1 in neurons with hyperphosphorylated tau and decreased voltage-dependent anion channel in neurons containing truncated tau were found. These were accompanied by increased microglia and AIF1, CD68, PTGS2, IL1β, IL6 and TNF-α gene expression. Whole-transcriptome arrays revealed upregulation of genes coding for proteins associated with heat shock protein binding and genes associated with ATP metabolism and downregulation of genes coding for DNA-binding proteins and members of the small nucleolar RNAs family, at stage IV when compared with stage I. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity was preserved in neurons of the LC, but decreased TH and increased α2A adrenergic receptor protein levels were found in the hippocampus and the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS Complex alteration of several metabolic pathways occurs in the LC accompanying NFT formation at early and middle asymptomatic stages of NFT pathology. Dopaminergic/noradrenergic denervation and increased expression of α2A adrenergic receptor in the hippocampus and amygdala occur at first stage of NFT pathology, suggesting compensatory activation in the face of decreased adrenergic input occurring before clinical evidence of cognitive impairment and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Andrés-Benito
- Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei d'Anatomia Patològica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - V Fernández-Dueñas
- Unitat de Farmacologia, Departament Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Carmona
- Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei d'Anatomia Patològica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - L A Escobar
- Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei d'Anatomia Patològica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - B Torrejón-Escribano
- Unitat de Biologia (BT-E), Serveis Cientifics I Tecnics, Universitat de Barcelona, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Aso
- Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei d'Anatomia Patològica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Madrid, Spain
| | - F Ciruela
- Unitat de Farmacologia, Departament Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Ferrer
- Institut de Neuropatologia, Servei d'Anatomia Patològica, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain.,Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Madrid, Spain.,CIBERNED, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Fang Y, Ji N, Cao Q, Su Y, Chen M, Wang Y, Yang L. Variants of Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase Gene Moderate Atomoxetine Response in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2015; 25:625-32. [PMID: 26447643 PMCID: PMC4615817 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2014.0178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Atomoxetine is the most widely used nonstimulant for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It selectively acts on the norepinephrine (NE) system. Dopamine beta hydroxylase (DBH) regulates the synthesis of NE. This study aimed to investigate whether variants in the DBH gene have an effect on the differential response to atomoxetine. METHODS Children and adolescents with ADHD were enrolled in a prospective, open-label study of atomoxetine for 8-12 weeks. The dose was titrated to 1.2-1.4 mg/kg per day and maintained for at least 4 weeks. The primary efficacy measure was the investigator-rated ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Three categorical evaluations of treatment effects (defined as response, robust response, and remission) were used. We used a candidate gene approach. Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DBH were selected and genotyped based on the functional annotation in literature. Their association with response or remission status was analyzed. RESULTS Four SNPs were found nominally associated with response status (rs1076150, p = 0.0484; rs2873804, p = 0.0348; rs1548364, p = 0.0383; and rs2519154, p = 0.0097), two were associated with robust response (rs1076150, p = 0.0349; and rs2519154, p = 0.0047), and one was associated with remission (rs2519154, p = 0.0479). The association between rs2519154 and robust response was significant after correction of multiple comparison (p = 0.0384). Two haplotypes of linkage disequilibrium (LD) block1 (constituted by rs1108580, rs2873804, rs1548364, and rs2519154) were nominally associated with response and robust response status (CTAC: p = 0.0301 for response, p = 0.0374 for robust response; TCGT: p = 0.0317 for response, p = 0.021 for robust response), whereas one haplotype (GC) of LD block2 (constituted by rs2073837 and rs129882) was associated with robust response and remission status (p = 0.0377 for robust response; p = 0.0321 for remission), although none achieved significant threshold after multiple comparison. CONCLUSIONS Variants in DBH genes were associated with atomoxetine response in the treatment of ADHD. Further replication in larger samples would be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yantong Fang
- The Affiliated Hospital Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ning Ji
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qingjiu Cao
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Su
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Min Chen
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Li Yang
- Beijing University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
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A cognitive/information-processing approach to the relationship between stress and depression. Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00010712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractAversive experiences have been thought to provoke or exacerbate clinical depression. The present review provides a brief survey of the stress-depression literature and suggests that the effects of stressful experiences on affective state may be related to depletion of several neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. A major element in determining the neurochemical changes is the organism's ability to cope with the aversive stimuli through behavioral means. Aversive experiences give rise to behavioral attempts to cope with the stressor, coupled with increased utilization and synthesis of brain amines to contend with environmental demands. When behavioral coping is possible, neurochemical systems are not overly taxed, and behavioral pathology will not ensue. However, when there can be no behavioral control over the stressful stimuli, or when the aversive experience is perceived as uncontrollable, increased emphasis is placed on coping through endogenous neurochemical mechanisms. Amine utilization increases appreciably and may exceed synthesis, resulting in a net reduction of amine stores, which in turn promotes or exacerbates affective disorder. The processes governing the depletions may be subject to sensitization or conditioning, such that exposure to traumatic experiences may have long-term repercussions when the organism subsequently encounters related stressful stimuli. With continued uncontrollable stimulation, adaptation occurs in the form of increased activity of synthetic enzymes, and levels of amines approach basal values. It is suggested that either the initial amine depletion provoked by aversive experiences or a dysfunction of the adaptive processes, resulting in persistent amine depletion, contributes to behavioral depression. Aside from the contribution of behavioral coping, several organismic, experiential, and environmental variables will influence the effects of aversive experiences on neurochemical activity, and may thus influence vulnerability to depression.
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Abstract
AbstractA comparative method of studying the biological bases of personality compares human trait dimensions with likely animal models in terms of genetic determination and common biological correlates. The approach is applied to the trait of sensation seeking, which is defined on the human level by a questionnaire, reports of experience, and observations of behavior, and on the animal level by general activity, behavior in novel situations, and certain types of naturalistic behavior in animal colonies. Moderately high genetic determination has been found for human sensation seeking, and marked strain differences in rodents have been found in open-field behavior that may be related to basic differences in brain neurochemistry. Agonistic and sociable behaviors in both animals and humans and the trait measure of sensation seeking in humans have been related to certain common biological correlates such as gonadal hormones, monoamine oxidase (MAO), and augmenting of the cortical evoked potential.The monoamine systems in the rodent brain are involved in general activity, exploratory behavior, emotionality, socialization, dominance, sexual and consummately behaviors, and intracranial self-stimulation. Preliminary studies have related norepinephrine and enzymes involved in its production and degradation to human sensation seeking. A model is suggested that relates mood, behavioral activity, sociability, and clinical states to activity of the central catecholamine neurotransmitters and to neuroregulators and other transmitters that act in opposite ways on behavior or stabilize activity in the arousal systems. Stimulation and behavioral activity act on the catecholamine systems in a brain–behavior feedback loop. At optimal levels of catecholamine systems activity (CSA) mood is positive and activity and sociability are adaptive. At very low or very high levels of CSA mood is dysphoric, activity is restricted or stereotyped, and the organism is unsocial or aggressively antisocial. Novelty, in the absence of threat, may be rewarding through activation of noradrenergic neurons.
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Précis ofThe neuropsychology of anxiety: An enquiry into the functions of the septo-hippocampal system. Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00013066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 722] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractA model of the neuropsychology of anxiety is proposed. The model is based in the first instance upon an analysis of the behavioural effects of the antianxiety drugs (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and alcohol) in animals. From such psychopharmacologi-cal experiments the concept of a “behavioural inhibition system” (BIS) has been developed. This system responds to novel stimuli or to those associated with punishment or nonreward by inhibiting ongoing behaviour and increasing arousal and attention to the environment. It is activity in the BIS that constitutes anxiety and that is reduced by antianxiety drugs. The effects of the antianxiety drugs in the brain also suggest hypotheses concerning the neural substrate of anxiety. Although the benzodiazepines and barbiturates facilitate the effects of γ-aminobutyrate, this is insufficient to explain their highly specific behavioural effects. Because of similarities between the behavioural effects of certain lesions and those of the antianxiety drugs, it is proposed that these drugs reduce anxiety by impairing the functioning of a widespread neural system including the septo-hippocampal system (SHS), the Papez circuit, the prefrontal cortex, and ascending monoaminergic and cholinergic pathways which innervate these forebrain structures. Analysis of the functions of this system (based on anatomical, physiological, and behavioural data) suggests that it acts as a comparator: it compares predicted to actual sensory events and activates the outputs of the BIS when there is a mismatch or when the predicted event is aversive. Suggestions are made as to the functions of particular pathways within this overall brain system. The resulting theory is applied to the symptoms and treatment of anxiety in man, its relations to depression, and the personality of individuals who are susceptible to anxiety or depression.
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Stress, neurochemical substrates, and depression: Concomitants are not necessarily causes. Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00010669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Gray'sNeuropsychology of anxiety: An enquiry into the functions of septohippocampal theories. Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00013170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Anxiety viewed from the upper brain stem: Though panic and fear yield trepidation, should both be called anxiety? Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00013200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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The neuropsychology of schizophrenia: Beyond the dopamine hypothesis to behavioural function. Behav Brain Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00029666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Borsody MK, Weiss JM. Peripheral endotoxin causes long-lasting changes in locus coeruleus activity via IL-1 in the brain. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2002; 14:303-21. [PMID: 26984577 DOI: 10.1034/j.1601-5215.2002.140605.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Activity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons, the major noradrenergic cell-body group in the brain whose axons give rise to approximately 70% of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, is believed to play an important role in attention/vigilance, cognitive functions and behavioral disorders, particularly depression. Results described here show that in the rat, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, a bacterial endotoxin) causes long-lasting changes in electrophysiological activity of LC neurons that are mediated by interleukin-1 (IL-1) acting locally in the LC region. First, it was found that IL-1, when microinjected into the LC region or stimulated/expressed in that brain region, increased activity of LC neurons. The only exception to this was that a very low dose of microinjected IL-1 (5 pg) decreased LC activity, which could be blocked by an antagonist to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), thus suggesting that the decrease was due to IL-1 stimulation of CRH release. All of these effects could be blocked by injection and/or infusion of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) specifically into the LC region. Next, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of a low dose of LPS(10 µg/kg or 100 ng/kg) was also found to increase LC activity. The excitation of LC produced by 10 µg/kg i.p. LPS increased progressively for at least 1 week, with LC neurons firing at more than twice their normal rate at 1 week after the i.p. LPS injection. Alteration of LC activity lasted for 3 weeks after a single i.p. injection of 10 µg/kg LPS. The effects of i.p. LPS on LC activity at any time after i.p. injection could be blocked by a brief microinfusion of IL-1RA into the LC region, thereby indicating that changes in LC activity seen after the i.p. LPS were caused by IL-1 acting in the LC region. Finally, i.p. injection of peptidoglycan, representing gram-positive bacteria, and polyinsinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I):(C)], representing viral infection, also caused increases in LC activity, and the effects of peptidoglycan [but not those of poly(I):(C)] were blocked by microinfusion of IL-1RA into LC. These findings suggest that bacterial infections can give rise to prolonged changes in brain activity through cytokine action in brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark K Borsody
- 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jay M Weiss
- 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Abstract
In this paper, we review research utilizing postmortem brain tissue in order to investigate the potential neuropathology of the noradrenergic system in psychiatric disorders. The postmortem tissue approach to the study of the noradrenergic system has been used primarily in investigations of the biology of suicide and depression. Findings from postmortem studies provide data generally consistent with the hypothesis that a norepinephrine deficiency exists in depression, and possibly in the victims of suicide. However, postmortem studies do not presently provide irrefutable evidence of noradrenergic neuropathology. Technical shortcomings, issues of reproducibility, and the strengths of postmortem research are reviewed. More rigorously performed postmortem research is needed to aid researchers in pinpointing specific neuropathologies associated with psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Ordway
- Division of Neurobiology and Behavior Research, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
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Abstract
A general theory is proposed that attributes the origins of human intelligence to an expansion of dopaminergic systems in human cognition. Dopamine is postulated to be the key neurotransmitter regulating six predominantly left-hemispheric cognitive skills critical to human language and thought: motor planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning, temporal analysis/sequencing, and generativity. A dopaminergic expansion during early hominid evolution could have enabled successful chase-hunting in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, given the critical role of dopamine in counteracting hyperthermia during endurance activity. In turn, changes in physical activity and diet may have further increased cortical dopamine levels by augmenting tyrosine and its conversion to dopamine in the central nervous system (CNS). By means of the regulatory action of dopamine and other substances, the physiological and dietary changes may have contributed to the vertical elongation of the body, increased brain size, and increased cortical convolutedness that occurred during human evolution. Finally, emphasizing the role of dopamine in human intelligence may offer a new perspective on the advanced cognitive reasoning skills in nonprimate lineages such as cetaceans and avians, whose cortical anatomy differs radically from that of primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- F H Previc
- Flight Stress Protection Division, Brooks Air Force Base, Texas. fred.
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Woods CI, Azeredo WJ. Noradrenergic and serotonergic projections to the superior olive: potential for modulation of olivocochlear neurons. Brain Res 1999; 836:9-18. [PMID: 10415400 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(99)01541-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The distribution and density of noradrenergic (NA) and serotonergic (5-HT) varicosities in the superior olive (SO) and periolivary region (PO) and their relationship to olivocochlear neurons was studied. Antibodies against 5-HT and the NA precursor enzyme dopamine beta-hydroxylase were utilized to examine the density of innervation of SO and PO. To determine the relationship of these varicosities to efferent neurons projecting to the cochlea, olivocochlear neurons were retrogradely labeled with biotinylated dextranamine (BDA). NA and 5-HT varicosities were found adjacent to labeled olivocochlear neuron cell bodies and dendrites. More than 50% of labeled medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons showed likely contact with NA varicosities and more than 90% of labeled MOC neurons with 5-HT varicosities. There was no apparent difference in the number of lateral olivocochlear (LOC) neurons in close proximity to NA and 5-HT varicosities versus MOCs in close proximity to NA and 5-HT varicosities. Our results suggest that the NA and 5-HT systems are in a position to modulate auditory brainstem processing. The specific relationship of NA and 5-HT varicosities to olivocochlear neurons suggests that one possible level of modulation is prior to signal transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- C I Woods
- Department of Otolaryngology, SUNY Health Science Center, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
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Weiss JM, Bonsall RW, Demetrikopoulos MK, Emery MS, West CH. Galanin: a significant role in depression? Ann N Y Acad Sci 1998; 863:364-82. [PMID: 9928183 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10707.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes a hypothesis that attempts to account for how changes in noradrenergic systems in the brain can affect depression-related behaviors and symptoms. It is hypothesized that increased activity of the locus coeruleus (LC) neurons, the principal norepinephrine (NE)-containing cells in the brain, causes release of galanin (GAL) in the ventral tegmentum (VTA) from LC axon terminals in which GAL is colocalized with NE. It is proposed that GAL release in VTA inhibits the activity of dopaminergic cell bodies in this region whose axons project to forebrain, thereby resulting in two of the principal symptoms seen in depression, decreased motor activation and decreased appreciation of pleasurable stimuli (anhedonia). The genesis of this hypothesis, which derives from studies using an animal model of depression, is described as well as recent data consistent with the hypothesis. The formulation proposed suggests that GAL antagonists may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Weiss
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia 30306, USA.
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Solano-Flores LP, Rosas-Arellano MP, Ciriello J. Fos induction in central structures after afferent renal nerve stimulation. Brain Res 1997; 753:102-19. [PMID: 9125437 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(96)01497-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Experiments were done in the conscious and unrestrained rat to identify central structures activated by electrical stimulation of afferent renal nerves (ARN) using the immunohistochemical detection of Fos-like proteins. Fos-labelled neurons were found in a number of forebrain and brainstem structures bilaterally, but with a contralateral predominance. Additionally, Fos-labelled neurons were found in the lower thoracolumbar spinal cord predominantly ipsilateral to the side of ARN stimulation. Within the forebrain, neurons containing Fos-like immunoreactivity after ARN stimulation were primarily found along the outer edge of the rostral organum vasculosum of the laminae terminalis, in the medial regions of the subfornical organ, in the median preoptic nucleus, in the ventral subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, along the lateral part of the central nucleus of the amygdala, throughout the deeper layers of the dysgranular insular cortex, in the parvocellular component of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH), and in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. Additionally, a smaller number of Fos-labelled neurons was observed in the supraoptic nucleus, in the magnocellular component of the PVH and along the lateral border of the arcuate nucleus. Within the brainstem, Fos-labelled neurons were found predominantly in the commissural and medial subnuclei of the nucleus of the solitary tract and in the external subnucleus of the lateral parabrachial nucleus. A smaller number were observed near the caudal pole of the locus coeruleus, and scattered throughout the ventrolateral medullary and pontine reticular formation in the regions known to contain the A1, C1 and A5 catecholamine cell groups. The final area observed to contain Fos-labelled neurons in the central nervous system was the thoracolumbar spinal cord (T9-L1) which contained cells in laminae I-V of the dorsal horn ipsilateral to side of stimulation and in the intermediolateral cell column at the same levels bilaterally, but with an ipsilateral predominance. Few, if any Fos-labelled neurons were observed in the same structures of control animals in which the ARN were stimulated, but the renal nerves proximal to the site of stimulation were transected, or in the sham operated animals. These data indicate that ARN information originating in renal receptors is conveyed to a number of central areas known to be involved in the regulation of body fluid balance and arterial pressure, and suggest that this afferent information is an important component of central mechanisms regulating these homeostatic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- L P Solano-Flores
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
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