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Tao Y, Li X, Dong Q, Kong L, Petersen AJ, Yan Y, Xu K, Zima S, Li Y, Schmidt DK, Ayala M, Mathivanan S, Sousa AMM, Chang Q, Zhang SC. Generation of locus coeruleus norepinephrine neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biotechnol 2024; 42:1404-1416. [PMID: 37974010 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01977-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Central norepinephrine (NE) neurons, located mainly in the locus coeruleus (LC), are implicated in diverse psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and are an emerging target for drug discovery. To facilitate their study, we developed a method to generate 40-60% human LC-NE neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. The approach depends on our identification of ACTIVIN A in regulating LC-NE transcription factors in dorsal rhombomere 1 (r1) progenitors. In vitro generated human LC-NE neurons display extensive axonal arborization; release and uptake NE; and exhibit pacemaker activity, calcium oscillation and chemoreceptor activity in response to CO2. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) analysis at multiple timepoints confirmed NE cell identity and revealed the differentiation trajectory from hindbrain progenitors to NE neurons via an ASCL1-expressing precursor stage. LC-NE neurons engineered with an NE sensor reliably reported extracellular levels of NE. The availability of functional human LC-NE neurons enables investigation of their roles in psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and provides a tool for therapeutics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Tao
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Xueyan Li
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Qiping Dong
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Linghai Kong
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Yuanwei Yan
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ke Xu
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Seth Zima
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Yanru Li
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Melvin Ayala
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Andre M M Sousa
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Qiang Chang
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Su-Chun Zhang
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
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Maturana-Quijada P, Chavarría-Elizondo P, Del Cerro I, Martínez-Zalacaín I, Juaneda-Seguí A, Guinea-Izquierdo A, Gascón-Bayarri J, Reñé R, Urretavizcaya M, Menchón JM, Ferrer I, Soria V, Soriano-Mas C. Effective connectivity of the locus coeruleus in patients with late-life Major Depressive Disorder or mild cognitive impairment. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY AND MENTAL HEALTH 2024:S2950-2853(24)00015-2. [PMID: 38453029 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjpmh.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We compared effective connectivity from the locus coeruleus (LC) during the resting-state in patients with late-life Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), individuals with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI), and Healthy Controls (HCs). PARTICIPANTS 23 patients with late-life MDD, 22 patients with aMCI, and 28 HCs. MATERIAL AND METHODS Participants were assessed in two time-points, 2 years apart. They underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and a high-resolution anatomical acquisition, as well as clinical assessments. Functional imaging data were analyzed with dynamic causal modeling, and parametric empirical Bayes model was used to map effective connectivity between 7 distinct nodes: 4 from the locus coeruleus and 3 regions displaying gray matter decreases during the two-year follow-up period. RESULTS Longitudinal analysis of structural data identified three clusters of larger over-time gray matter volume reduction in patients (MDD+aMCI vs. HCs): the right precuneus, and the visual association and parahippocampal cortices. aMCI patients showed decreased effective connectivity from the left rostral to caudal portions of the LC, while connectivity from the left rostral LC to the parahippocampal cortex increased. In MDD, there was a decline in effective connectivity across LC caudal seeds, and increased connectivity from the left rostral to the left caudal LC seed over time. Connectivity alterations with cortical regions involved cross-hemisphere increases and same-hemisphere decreases. CONCLUSIONS Our discoveries provide insight into the dynamic changes in effective connectivity in individuals with late-life MDD and aMCI, also shedding light on the mechanisms potentially contributing to the onset of neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Maturana-Quijada
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Bellvitge Campus, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pamela Chavarría-Elizondo
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Bellvitge Campus, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Inés Del Cerro
- Department of Psychology, Medical School, Catholic University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ignacio Martínez-Zalacaín
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Radiology Department, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Asier Juaneda-Seguí
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrés Guinea-Izquierdo
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Gascón-Bayarri
- Dementia Diagnostic and Treatment Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramón Reñé
- Dementia Diagnostic and Treatment Unit, Department of Neurology, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mikel Urretavizcaya
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Bellvitge Campus, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Menchón
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Bellvitge Campus, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isidre Ferrer
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Department of Pathologic Anatomy, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Virginia Soria
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Mental Health, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Soriano-Mas
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Group, Neuroscience Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Network Center for Biomedical Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Galgani A, Giorgi FS. Exploring the Role of Locus Coeruleus in Alzheimer's Disease: a Comprehensive Update on MRI Studies and Implications. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2023; 23:925-936. [PMID: 38064152 PMCID: PMC10724305 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01324-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Performing a thorough review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies assessing locus coeruleus (LC) integrity in ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and contextualizing them with current preclinical and neuropathological literature. RECENT FINDINGS MRI successfully detected LC alterations in ageing and AD, identifying degenerative phenomena involving this nucleus even in the prodromal stages of the disorder. The degree of LC disruption was also associated with the severity of AD cortical pathology, cognitive and behavioral impairment, and the risk of clinical progression. Locus coeruleus-MRI has proved to be a useful tool to assess the integrity of the central noradrenergic system in vivo in humans. It allowed to test in patients preclinical and experimental hypothesis, thus confirming the specific and marked involvement of the LC in AD and its key pathogenetic role. Locus coeruleus-MRI-related data might represent the theoretical basis on which to start developing noradrenergic drugs to target AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
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Villarin JM, Kellendonk C. Locus of control: How the brain gives up when failure is taken for granted. Neuron 2023; 111:2620-2622. [PMID: 37678166 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
After repeatedly failing to get out of a stressful, uncontrollable environment, mice switch from escape behavior to inactivity. In this issue of Neuron, Li et al. identify a circuit involving noradrenergic projections from the locus coeruleus to GABAergic projection neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex that participate in this adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Villarin
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Christoph Kellendonk
- Department of Psychiatry, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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5
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruiz E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts M, Jacobs HIL, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus and their implications for cognitive and affective functions. eLife 2023; 12:RP87188. [PMID: 37650882 PMCID: PMC10471162 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging, and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here, we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years of age (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project [HCP] 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory, and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography, and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern FinlandKuopioFinland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUnited Kingdom
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water BayHong KongChina
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg UniversityGoteborgSweden
| | - Matthew Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of MagdeburgMagdeburgGermany
| | - Heidi IL Jacobs
- Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
- Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Joana B Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska InstitutetStockholmSweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund UniversityLundSweden
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6
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Szałach ŁP, Lisowska KA, Cubała WJ, Barbuti M, Perugi G. The immunomodulatory effect of lithium as a mechanism of action in bipolar disorder. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1213766. [PMID: 37662097 PMCID: PMC10469704 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1213766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression alternating with periods of euthymia. Although environmental and genetic factors have been described, their pathogenesis is not fully understood. Much evidence suggests a role for inflammatory mediators and immune dysregulation in the development of BD. The first-line treatment in BD are mood-stabilizing agents, one of which is lithium (Li) salts. The Li mechanism of action is not fully understood, but it has been proposed that its robust immunomodulatory properties might be one of the mechanisms responsible for its effectiveness. In this article, the authors present the current knowledge about immune system changes accompanying BD, as well as the immunomodulatory effect of lithium. The results of studies describing connections between immune system changes and lithium effectiveness are often incoherent. Further research is needed to understand the connection between immune system modulation and the therapeutic action of lithium in BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz P. Szałach
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Katarzyna A. Lisowska
- Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Wiesław J. Cubała
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Margherita Barbuti
- Psychiatry Unit 2, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulio Perugi
- Psychiatry Unit 2, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Veréb D, Mijalkov M, Canal-Garcia A, Chang YW, Gomez-Ruis E, Gerboles BZ, Kivipelto M, Svenningsson P, Zetterberg H, Volpe G, Betts MJ, Jacobs H, Pereira JB. Age-related differences in the functional topography of the locus coeruleus: implications for cognitive and affective functions. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.25.23286442. [PMID: 37333117 PMCID: PMC10274957 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.23286442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important noradrenergic nucleus that has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its emerging role in cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Although previous histological studies have shown that the LC has heterogeneous connections and cellular features, no studies have yet assessed its functional topography in vivo, how this heterogeneity changes over aging and whether it is associated with cognition and mood. Here we employ a gradient-based approach to characterize the functional heterogeneity in the organization of the LC over aging using 3T resting-state fMRI in a population-based cohort aged from 18 to 88 years old (Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort, n=618). We show that the LC exhibits a rostro-caudal functional gradient along its longitudinal axis, which was replicated in an independent dataset (Human Connectome Project 7T dataset, n=184). Although the main rostro-caudal direction of this gradient was consistent across age groups, its spatial features varied with increasing age, emotional memory and emotion regulation. More specifically, a loss of rostral-like connectivity, more clustered functional topography and greater asymmetry between right and left LC gradients was associated with higher age and worse behavioral performance. Furthermore, participants with higher-than-normal Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ratings exhibited alterations in the gradient as well, which manifested in greater asymmetry. These results provide an in vivo account of how the functional topography of the LC changes over aging, and imply that spatial features of this organization are relevant markers of LC-related behavioral measures and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Veréb
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mite Mijalkov
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Canal-Garcia
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yu-Wei Chang
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Blanca Zufiria Gerboles
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Miia Kivipelto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Per Svenningsson
- University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
| | - Mathew J. Betts
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Heidi Jacobs
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Joana B. Pereira
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Clinical Geriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Rohn TT, Radin D, Brandmeyer T, Linder BJ, Andriambeloson E, Wagner S, Kehler J, Vasileva A, Wang H, Mee JL, Fallon JH. Genetic modulation of the HTR2A gene reduces anxiety-related behavior in mice. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad170. [PMID: 37346271 PMCID: PMC10281383 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
The expanding field of precision gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 has demonstrated its potential as a transformative technology in the treatment of various diseases. However, whether this genome-editing tool could be used to modify neural circuits in the central nervous system (CNS), which are implicated in complex behavioral traits, remains uncertain. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of noninvasive, intranasal delivery of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) vectors containing CRISPR/Cas9 cargo within the CNS resulting in modification of the HTR2A receptor gene. In vitro, exposure to primary mouse cortical neurons to AAV9 vectors targeting the HT2RA gene led to a concentration-dependent decrease in spontaneous electrical activity following multielectrode array (MEA) analysis. In vivo, at 5 weeks postintranasal delivery in mice, analysis of brain samples revealed single base pair deletions and nonsense mutations, leading to an 8.46-fold reduction in mRNA expression and a corresponding 68% decrease in the 5HT-2A receptor staining. Our findings also demonstrate a significant decrease in anxiety-like behavior in treated mice. This study constitutes the first successful demonstration of a noninvasive CRISPR/Cas9 delivery platform, capable of bypassing the blood-brain barrier and enabling modulation of neuronal 5HT-2A receptor pathways. The results of this study targeting the HTR2A gene provide a foundation for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for a broad range of neurological disorders, including anxiety, depression, attentional deficits, and cognitive dysfunction.
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Khan KM, Balasubramanian N, Gaudencio G, Wang R, Selvakumar GP, Kolling L, Pierson S, Tadinada SM, Abel T, Hefti M, Marcinkiewcz CA. Human tau-overexpressing mice recapitulate brainstem involvement and neuropsychiatric features of early Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:57. [PMID: 37009893 PMCID: PMC10069039 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01546-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses an ever-increasing public health concern as the population ages, affecting more than 6 million Americans. AD patients present with mood and sleep changes in the prodromal stages that may be partly driven by loss of monoaminergic neurons in the brainstem, but a causal relationship has not been firmly established. This is due in part to a dearth of animal models that recapitulate early AD neuropathology and symptoms. The goal of the present study was to evaluate depressive and anxiety-like behaviors in a mouse model of AD that overexpresses human wild-type tau (htau) prior to the onset of cognitive impairments and assess these behavior changes in relationship to tau pathology, neuroinflammation, and monoaminergic dysregulation in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and locus coeruleus (LC). We observed depressive-like behaviors at 4 months in both sexes and hyperlocomotion in male htau mice. Deficits in social interaction persisted at 6 months and were accompanied by an increase in anxiety-like behavior in males. The behavioral changes at 4 months coincided with a lower density of serotonergic (5-HT) neurons, downregulation of 5-HT markers, reduced excitability of 5-HT neurons, and hyperphosphorylated tau in the DRN. Inflammatory markers were also upregulated in the DRN along with protein kinases and transglutaminase 2, which may promote tau phosphorylation and aggregation. Loss of 5-HT innervation to the entorhinal cortex and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus was also observed and may have contributed to depressive-like behaviors. There was also reduced expression of noradrenergic markers in the LC along with elevated phospho-tau expression, but this did not translate to a functional change in neuronal excitability. In total, these results suggest that tau pathology in brainstem monoaminergic nuclei and the resulting loss of serotonergic and/or noradrenergic drive may underpin depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in the early stages of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanza M Khan
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Psychological Sciences Department, Daemen University, Amherst, NY, 14226, USA
| | - Nagalakshmi Balasubramanian
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Gabriel Gaudencio
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Ruixiang Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | | | - Louis Kolling
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Samantha Pierson
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Satya M Tadinada
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Marco Hefti
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Catherine A Marcinkiewcz
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa, 2-430 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
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Galgani A, Bartolini E, D'Amora M, Faraguna U, Giorgi FS. The Central Noradrenergic System in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Merging Experimental and Clinical Evidence. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065805. [PMID: 36982879 PMCID: PMC10055776 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this article is to highlight the potential role of the locus-coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system in neurodevelopmental disorders (NdDs). The LC is the main brain noradrenergic nucleus, key in the regulation of arousal, attention, and stress response, and its early maturation and sensitivity to perinatal damage make it an interesting target for translational research. Clinical data shows the involvement of the LC-NA system in several NdDs, suggesting a pathogenetic role in the development of such disorders. In this context, a new neuroimaging tool, LC Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), has been developed to visualize the LC in vivo and assess its integrity, which could be a valuable tool for exploring morphological alterations in NdD in vivo in humans. New animal models may be used to test the contribution of the LC-NA system to the pathogenic pathways of NdD and to evaluate the efficacy of NA-targeting drugs. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of how the LC-NA system may represent a common pathophysiological and pathogenic mechanism in NdD and a reliable target for symptomatic and disease-modifying drugs. Further research is needed to fully understand the interplay between the LC-NA system and NdD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Galgani
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Emanuele Bartolini
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy
- Tuscany PhD Programme in Neurosciences, 50121 Florence, Italy
| | - Marta D'Amora
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 56125 Pisa, Italy
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Ugo Faraguna
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, 56128 Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Sean Giorgi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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11
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Functional Coupling of the Locus Coeruleus Is Linked to Successful Cognitive Control. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030305. [PMID: 35326262 PMCID: PMC8946131 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem structure that sends widespread efferent projections throughout the mammalian brain. The LC constitutes the major source of noradrenaline (NE), a modulatory neurotransmitter that is crucial for fundamental brain functions such as arousal, attention, and cognitive control. This role of the LC-NE is traditionally not believed to reflect functional influences on the frontoparietal network or the striatum, but recent advances in chemogenetic manipulations of the rodent brain have challenged this notion. However, demonstrations of LC-NE functional connectivity with these areas in the human brain are surprisingly sparse. Here, we close this gap. Using an established emotional stroop task, we directly compared trials requiring response conflict control with trials that did not require this, but were matched for visual stimulus properties, response modality, and controlled for pupil dilation differences across both trial types. We found that LC-NE functional coupling with the parietal cortex and regions of the striatum is substantially enhanced during trials requiring response conflict control. Crucially, the strength of this functional coupling was directly related to individual reaction time differences incurred by conflict resolution. Our data concur with recent rodent findings and highlight the importance of converging evidence between human and nonhuman neurophysiology to further understand the neural systems supporting adaptive and maladaptive behavior in health and disease.
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12
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Hollis F, Pope BS, Gorman-Sandler E, Wood SK. Neuroinflammation and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Link Social Stress to Depression. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 54:59-93. [PMID: 35184261 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is a debilitating mental illness and a leading cause of global disease burden. While many etiological factors have been identified, social stress is a highly prevalent causative factor for the onset of depression. Unfortunately, rates of depression continue to increase around the world, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this mental health crisis. Though several therapeutic strategies are available, nearly 50% of patients who receive treatment never reach remission. The exact mechanisms by which social stress exposure promotes the development of depression are unclear, making it challenging to develop novel and more effective therapeutics. However, accumulating evidence points to a role for stress-induced neuroinflammation, particularly in treatment-resistant patients. Moreover, recent evidence has expanded the concept of the pathogenesis of depression to mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that the combined effects of social stress on mitochondria and inflammation may synergize to facilitate stress-related depression. In this chapter, we review evidence for neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of social stress-induced depression and discuss these in the context of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Hollis
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Brittany S Pope
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
- Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Erin Gorman-Sandler
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Susan K Wood
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA.
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13
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Liebe T, Kaufmann J, Hämmerer D, Betts M, Walter M. In vivo tractography of human locus coeruleus-relation to 7T resting state fMRI, psychological measures and single subject validity. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4984-4993. [PMID: 36117208 PMCID: PMC9763100 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01761-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) in the brainstem as the main regulator of brain noradrenaline gains increasing attention because of its involvement in neurologic and psychiatric diseases and its relevance in general to brain function. In this study, we created a structural connectome of the LC nerve fibers based on in vivo MRI tractography to gain an understanding into LC connectivity and its impact on LC-related psychological measures. We combined our structural results with ultra-high field resting-state functional MRI to learn about the relationship between in vivo LC structural and functional connections. Importantly, we reveal that LC brain fibers are strongly associated with psychological measures of anxiety and alertness indicating that LC-noradrenergic connectivity may have an important role on brain function. Lastly, since we analyzed all our data in subject-specific space, we point out the potential of structural LC connectivity to reveal individual characteristics of LC-noradrenergic function on the single-subject level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Liebe
- grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany ,grid.9613.d0000 0001 1939 2794Department of Radiology, University of Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany ,Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory (CANLAB), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jörn Kaufmann
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dorothea Hämmerer
- grid.5771.40000 0001 2151 8122Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK-WC1E 6BT UK ,grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Matthew Betts
- grid.5807.a0000 0001 1018 4307Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.418723.b0000 0001 2109 6265CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.424247.30000 0004 0438 0426German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), D-39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, D-07743, Jena, Germany. .,Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory (CANLAB), D-39120, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, D-39118, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Tuebingen, D-72076, Tuebingen, Germany. .,Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), D-07743 Jena, Germany. .,German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Site Jena-Magdeburg-Halle, D-07743 Jena, Germany.
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14
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Grueschow M, Stenz N, Thörn H, Ehlert U, Breckwoldt J, Brodmann Maeder M, Exadaktylos AK, Bingisser R, Ruff CC, Kleim B. Real-world stress resilience is associated with the responsivity of the locus coeruleus. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2275. [PMID: 33859187 PMCID: PMC8050280 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22509-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals may show different responses to stressful events. Here, we investigate the neurobiological basis of stress resilience, by showing that neural responsitivity of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC-NE) and associated pupil responses are related to the subsequent change in measures of anxiety and depression in response to prolonged real-life stress. We acquired fMRI and pupillometry data during an emotional-conflict task in medical residents before they underwent stressful emergency-room internships known to be a risk factor for anxiety and depression. The LC-NE conflict response and its functional coupling with the amygdala was associated with stress-related symptom changes in response to the internship. A similar relationship was found for pupil-dilation, a potential marker of LC-NE firing. Our results provide insights into the noradrenergic basis of conflict generation, adaptation and stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Grueschow
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Nico Stenz
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanna Thörn
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Ehlert
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Breckwoldt
- Medical School, Deanery, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Roland Bingisser
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Division of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Dept of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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15
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Christidi F, Karavasilis E, Michels L, Riederer F, Velonakis G, Anagnostou E, Ferentinos P, Kollias S, Efstathopoulos E, Kelekis N, Kararizou E. Dimensions of pain catastrophising and specific structural and functional alterations in patients with chronic pain: Evidence in medication-overuse headache. World J Biol Psychiatry 2020; 21:726-738. [PMID: 31535584 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2019.1669822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We examined the neuroanatomical substrate of different pain catastrophising (PC) dimensions (i.e. rumination; magnification; helplessness) in patients with medication-overuse headache (MOH). METHODS We included 18 MOH patients who were administered the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and scanned in a 3T-MRI. We conducted whole-brain volumetric and resting-state functional connectivity (FC) analysis to examine the association between grey matter (GM) density and FC strength and PCS dimensions controlling for depression and anxiety. RESULTS Higher total PCS score was associated with decreased GM density in precentral and inferior temporal gyrus, increased FC between middle temporal gyrus and cerebellum and reduced FC between precuneus and inferior temporal gyrus, as well as between frontal pole and temporal fusiform cortex. Regarding PCS dimensions, we mainly observed the involvement of (1) somatosensory cortex, supramarginal gyrus, basal ganglia, core default-mode network (DMN) in rumination; (2) somatosensory cortex, core DMN, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC)-DMN subsystem and cerebellum in magnification; and (3) temporal regions, DMN and basal ganglia in helplessness. CONCLUSIONS PC dimensions are associated with a specific structural and functional neuroanatomical pattern, which is different from the pattern observed when PC is considered as a single score. The involvement of basal ganglia and cerebellum needs further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foteini Christidi
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Efstratios Karavasilis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz Riederer
- Neurological Center Rosenhuegel and Karl Landsteiner Institute for Epilepsy Research and Cognitive Neurology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Georgios Velonakis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelos Anagnostou
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Ferentinos
- Second Department of Psychiatry, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Spyridon Kollias
- Neurological Center Rosenhuegel and Karl Landsteiner Institute for Epilepsy Research and Cognitive Neurology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Efstathios Efstathopoulos
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Kelekis
- Second Department of Radiology, Attikon General University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Kararizou
- First Department of Neurology, Aeginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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16
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Grueschow M, Kleim B, Ruff CC. Role of the locus coeruleus arousal system in cognitive control. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12890. [PMID: 32820571 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control lies at the core of human adaptive behaviour. Humans vary substantially in their ability to execute cognitive control with respect to optimally facing environmental challenges, although the neural origins of this heterogeneity are currently not well understood. Recent theoretical frameworks implicate the locus coeruleus noradrenergic arousal system (LC-NE) in that process. Invasive neurophysiological work in rodents has shown that the LC-NE is an important homeostatic control centre of the body. LC-NE innervates the entire neocortex and has particularly strong connections with the cingulate gyrus. In the present study, using a response conflict task, functional magnetic resonance imaging and concurrent pupil dilation measures (a proxy for LC-NE firing), we provide empirical evidence for a decisive role of the LC-NE in cognitive control in humans. We show that the level of individual behavioural adjustment in cognitive control relates to the level of functional coupling between LC-NE and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we show that the pupil is substantially more dilated during conflict trials requiring behavioural adjustment than during no conflict trials. In addition, we explore a potential relationship between pupil dilation and neural activity during choice conflict adjustments. Our data provide novel insight into arousal-related influences on cognitive control and suggest pupil dilation as a potential external marker for endogenous neural processes involved in optimising behavioural control. Our results may also be clinically relevant for a variety of pathologies where cognitive control is compromised, such as anxiety, depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Grueschow
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Differential attentional control mechanisms by two distinct noradrenergic coeruleo-frontal cortical pathways. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:29080-29089. [PMID: 33139568 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015635117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The attentional control of behavior is a higher-order cognitive function that operates through attention and response inhibition. The locus coeruleus (LC), the main source of norepinephrine in the brain, is considered to be involved in attentional control by modulating the neuronal activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, evidence for the causal role of LC activity in attentional control remains elusive. Here, by using behavioral and optogenetic techniques, we investigate the effect of LC neuron activation or inhibition in operant tests measuring attention and response inhibition (i.e., a measure of impulsive behavior). We show that LC neuron stimulation increases goal-directed attention and decreases impulsivity, while its suppression exacerbates distractibility and increases impulsive responding. Remarkably, we found that attention and response inhibition are under the control of two divergent projections emanating from the LC: one to the dorso-medial PFC and the other to the ventro-lateral orbitofrontal cortex, respectively. These findings are especially relevant for those pathological conditions characterized by attention deficits and elevated impulsivity.
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18
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Khairuddin S, Aquili L, Heng BC, Hoo TLC, Wong KH, Lim LW. Dysregulation of the orexinergic system: A potential neuropeptide target in depression. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:384-396. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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19
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Schalla MA, Kühne SG, Friedrich T, Kobelt P, Goebel-Stengel M, Long M, Rivalan M, Winter Y, Mori M, Rose M, Stengel A. Central blockage of nesfatin-1 has anxiolytic effects but does not prevent corticotropin-releasing factor-induced anxiety in male rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 529:773-777. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.05.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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20
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Morris LS, McCall JG, Charney DS, Murrough JW. The role of the locus coeruleus in the generation of pathological anxiety. Brain Neurosci Adv 2020; 4:2398212820930321. [PMID: 32954002 PMCID: PMC7479871 DOI: 10.1177/2398212820930321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
This review aims to synthesise a large pre-clinical and clinical
literature related to a hypothesised role of the locus coeruleus
norepinephrine system in responses to acute and chronic threat, as
well as the emergence of pathological anxiety. The locus coeruleus has
widespread norepinephrine projections throughout the central nervous
system, which act to globally modulate arousal states and adaptive
behavior, crucially positioned to play a significant role in
modulating both ascending visceral and descending cortical
neurocognitive information. In response to threat or a stressor, the
locus coeruleus–norepinephrine system globally modulates arousal,
alerting and orienting functions and can have a powerful effect on the
regulation of multiple memory systems. Chronic stress leads to
amplification of locus coeruleus reactivity to subsequent stressors,
which is coupled with the emergence of pathological anxiety-like
behaviors in rodents. While direct in vivo evidence for locus
coeruleus dysfunction in humans with pathological anxiety remains
limited, recent advances in high-resolution 7-T magnetic resonance
imaging and computational modeling approaches are starting to provide
new insights into locus coeruleus characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel S Morris
- The Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jordan G McCall
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Dennis S Charney
- Dean's Office, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James W Murrough
- The Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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21
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Liebe T, Kaufmann J, Li M, Skalej M, Wagner G, Walter M. In vivo anatomical mapping of human locus coeruleus functional connectivity at 3 T MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:2136-2151. [PMID: 31994319 PMCID: PMC7267980 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is involved in numerous crucial brain functions and several disorders like depression and Alzheimer's disease. Recently, the LC resting‐state functional connectivity (rs‐fc) has been investigated in functional MRI by calculating the blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) response extracted using Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space masks. To corroborate these results, we aimed to investigate the LC rs‐fc at native space by improving the identification of the LC location using a neuromelanin sensitive sequence. Twenty‐five healthy male participants (mean age 24.8 ± 4.2) were examined in a Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3 T MRT applying a neuromelanin sensitive T1TSE sequence and functional MRI. We compared the rs‐fc of LC calculated by a MNI‐based approach with extraction of the BOLD signal at the exact individual location of the LC after applying CompCor and field map correction. As a measure of advance, a marked increase of regional homogeneity (ReHo) of time series within LC could be achieved with the subject‐specific approach. Furthermore, the methods differed in the rs‐fc to the right temporoparietal junction, which showed stronger connectivity to the LC in the MNI‐based method. Nevertheless, both methods comparably revealed LC rs‐fc to multiple brain regions including ACC, bilateral thalamus, and cerebellum. Our results are relevant for further research assessing and interpreting LC function, especially in patient populations examined at 3 T MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Liebe
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Clinic for Neuroradiology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Jörn Kaufmann
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Meng Li
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Martin Skalej
- Clinic for Neuroradiology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Gerd Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center of Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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22
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Molecular programs underlying differences in the expression of mood disorders in males and females. Brain Res 2019; 1719:89-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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23
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Habenular connectivity may predict treatment response in depressed psychiatric inpatients. J Affect Disord 2019; 242:211-219. [PMID: 30195174 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The habenula (Hb) is a small midbrain structure that signals negative events and may play a major role in the etiology of psychiatric disorders including depression. The lateral Hb has three major efferent connections: serotonergic raphe nuclei, noradrenergic locus coeruleus, and dopaminergic ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra compacta. We wanted to test whether Hb connectivity may be important to predict treatment outcomes in depression patients. METHODS We studied whether habenular connectivity at admission into a psychiatric clinic can predict treatment response. We used an inpatient sample (N = 175) to assess habenular connectivity (diffusion tensor imaging and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the Hb and its targets) close to admission. In addition, we obtained the Patient Health Questionnaire-depression module (PHQ-9) close to admission and at discharge. Inpatients in the study entered the clinic with at least moderately severe depression (score 15 and up). Inpatients considered treatment resistant had scores of 9 or more at discharge. RESULTS Compared to responders, treatment non-responders had lower fractional anisotropy in the right Hb afferent fibers and lower RSFC between right Hb and median raphe, but higher RSFC between left Hb and locus coeruleus. A logistic regression model was significantly different from chance, and explained 27.7% of the variance in treatment resistance (sensitivity = 75%; specificity = 71.9%). DISCUSSION The anatomical and functional connectivity of the Hb may be a predictor of treatment success in psychiatric populations. Limitations include the Hb small size and the limited time (5 min) of resting state data obtained.
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Hökfelt T, Barde S, Xu ZQD, Kuteeva E, Rüegg J, Le Maitre E, Risling M, Kehr J, Ihnatko R, Theodorsson E, Palkovits M, Deakin W, Bagdy G, Juhasz G, Prud’homme HJ, Mechawar N, Diaz-Heijtz R, Ögren SO. Neuropeptide and Small Transmitter Coexistence: Fundamental Studies and Relevance to Mental Illness. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:106. [PMID: 30627087 PMCID: PMC6309708 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are auxiliary messenger molecules that always co-exist in nerve cells with one or more small molecule (classic) neurotransmitters. Neuropeptides act both as transmitters and trophic factors, and play a role particularly when the nervous system is challenged, as by injury, pain or stress. Here neuropeptides and coexistence in mammals are reviewed, but with special focus on the 29/30 amino acid galanin and its three receptors GalR1, -R2 and -R3. In particular, galanin's role as a co-transmitter in both rodent and human noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) neurons is addressed. Extensive experimental animal data strongly suggest a role for the galanin system in depression-like behavior. The translational potential of these results was tested by studying the galanin system in postmortem human brains, first in normal brains, and then in a comparison of five regions of brains obtained from depressed people who committed suicide, and from matched controls. The distribution of galanin and the four galanin system transcripts in the normal human brain was determined, and selective and parallel changes in levels of transcripts and DNA methylation for galanin and its three receptors were assessed in depressed patients who committed suicide: upregulation of transcripts, e.g., for galanin and GalR3 in LC, paralleled by a decrease in DNA methylation, suggesting involvement of epigenetic mechanisms. It is hypothesized that, when exposed to severe stress, the noradrenergic LC neurons fire in bursts and release galanin from their soma/dendrites. Galanin then acts on somato-dendritic, inhibitory galanin autoreceptors, opening potassium channels and inhibiting firing. The purpose of these autoreceptors is to act as a 'brake' to prevent overexcitation, a brake that is also part of resilience to stress that protects against depression. Depression then arises when the inhibition is too strong and long lasting - a maladaption, allostatic load, leading to depletion of NA levels in the forebrain. It is suggested that disinhibition by a galanin antagonist may have antidepressant activity by restoring forebrain NA levels. A role of galanin in depression is also supported by a recent candidate gene study, showing that variants in genes for galanin and its three receptors confer increased risk of depression and anxiety in people who experienced childhood adversity or recent negative life events. In summary, galanin, a neuropeptide coexisting in LC neurons, may participate in the mechanism underlying resilience against a serious and common disorder, MDD. Existing and further results may lead to an increased understanding of how this illness develops, which in turn could provide a basis for its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Swapnali Barde
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Zhi-Qing David Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Beijing Laboratory of Brain Disorders (Ministry of Science and Technology), Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Eugenia Kuteeva
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joelle Rüegg
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- The Center for Molecular Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish Toxicology Sciences Research Center, Swetox, Södertälje, Sweden
| | - Erwan Le Maitre
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mårten Risling
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Kehr
- Pronexus Analytical AB, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Robert Ihnatko
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elvar Theodorsson
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Miklos Palkovits
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - William Deakin
- Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Gyorgy Bagdy
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-SE Neuropsychopharmacology and Neurochemistry Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- NAP 2-SE New Antidepressant Target Research Group, Hungarian Brain Research Program, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gabriella Juhasz
- Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- SE-NAP2 Genetic Brain Imaging Migraine Research Group, Hungarian Brain Research Program, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Naguib Mechawar
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Verdun, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sven Ove Ögren
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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CRF modulation of central monoaminergic function: Implications for sex differences in alcohol drinking and anxiety. Alcohol 2018; 72:33-47. [PMID: 30217435 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research have described the importance of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in alcohol addiction, as well as in commonly co-expressed neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety and mood disorders. However, CRF signaling can also acutely regulate binge alcohol consumption, anxiety, and affect in non-dependent animals, possibly via modulation of central monoaminergic signaling. We hypothesize that basal CRF tone is particularly high in animals and humans with an inherent propensity for high anxiety and alcohol consumption, and thus these individuals are at increased risk for the development of alcohol use disorder and comorbid neuropsychiatric diseases. The current review focuses on extrahypothalamic CRF circuits, particularly those stemming from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), found to play a role in basal phenotypes, and examines whether the intrinsic hyperactivity of these circuits is sufficient to escalate the expression of these behaviors and steepen the trajectory of development of disease states. We focus our efforts on describing CRF modulation of biogenic amine neuron populations that have widespread projections to the forebrain to modulate behaviors, including alcohol and drug intake, stress reactivity, and anxiety. Further, we review the known sex differences and estradiol modulation of these neuron populations and CRF signaling at their synapses to address the question of whether females are more susceptible to the development of comorbid addiction and stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases because of hyperactive extrahypothalamic CRF circuits compared to males.
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Priovoulos N, Jacobs HIL, Ivanov D, Uludağ K, Verhey FRJ, Poser BA. High-resolution in vivo imaging of human locus coeruleus by magnetization transfer MRI at 3T and 7T. Neuroimage 2017; 168:427-436. [PMID: 28743460 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Locus Coeruleus (LC) is a neuromelanin-rich brainstem structure that is the source of noradrenaline in the cortex and is thought to modulate attention and memory. LC imaging in vivo is commonly performed with a 2D T1-weighted Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) MRI sequence, an approach that suffers from several drawbacks at 3T, including long acquisition times and highly anisotropic spatial resolution. In this study, we developed a high-resolution Magnetization Transfer (MT) sequence for LC imaging at both 7T and 3T and compared its performance to a TSE sequence. Results indicate that LC imaging can be achieved with an MT sequence at both 7 and 3T at higher spatial resolution than the 3T TSE. Furthermore, we investigated whether the currently disputed source of contrast in the LC region with a TSE sequence relates to MT effects or shortened T1 and T2* due to increased iron concentration. Our results suggest that the contrast in the LC area relates to MT effects. To conclude, in this study we managed to image the LC, for the first time, at 7T and at an increased resolution compared to the current state-of-the-art. Imaging the LC is highly relevant for clinical diagnostics as structural tissue properties of the LC may hold promise as a biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Priovoulos
- Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dimo Ivanov
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kâmil Uludağ
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Frans R J Verhey
- Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Benedikt A Poser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Mather M, Joo Yoo H, Clewett DV, Lee TH, Greening SG, Ponzio A, Min J, Thayer JF. Higher locus coeruleus MRI contrast is associated with lower parasympathetic influence over heart rate variability. Neuroimage 2017; 150:329-335. [PMID: 28215623 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a key node of the sympathetic nervous system and suppresses parasympathetic activity that would otherwise increase heart rate variability. In the current study, we examined whether LC-MRI contrast reflecting neuromelanin accumulation in the LC was associated with high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a measure reflecting parasympathetic influences on the heart. Recent evidence indicates that neuromelanin, a byproduct of catecholamine metabolism, accumulates in the LC through young and mid adulthood, suggesting that LC-MRI contrast may be a useful biomarker of individual differences in habitual LC activation. We found that, across younger and older adults, greater LC-MRI contrast was negatively associated with HF-HRV during fear conditioning and spatial detection tasks. This correlation was not accounted for by individual differences in age or anxiety. These findings indicate that individual differences in LC structure relate to key cardiovascular parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Mather
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Hyun Joo Yoo
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - David V Clewett
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Tae-Ho Lee
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Steven G Greening
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Allison Ponzio
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jungwon Min
- Emotion and Cognition Lab, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Julian F Thayer
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Borges G, Miguelez C, Neto F, Mico JA, Ugedo L, Berrocoso E. Activation of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases (ERK 1/2) in the Locus Coeruleus Contributes to Pain-Related Anxiety in Arthritic Male Rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2017; 20:463. [PMID: 28158734 PMCID: PMC5458337 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyx005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence suggesting that the Locus Coeruleus plays a role in pain-related anxiety. Indeed, we previously found that prolonged arthritis produces anxiety-like behavior in rats, along with enhanced expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (a marker of plasticity) in the Locus Coeruleus. However, it is unknown how this effect correlates with the electrophysiological activity of Locus Coeruleus neurons or pain-related anxiety. METHODS Using the complete Freund's adjuvant model of monoarthritis in male Sprague-Dawley rats, we studied the behavioral attributes of pain and anxiety as well as Locus Coeruleus electrophysiology in vivo 1 (MA1W) and 4 weeks (MA4W) after disease induction. RESULTS The manifestation of anxiety in MA4W was accompanied by dampened tonic Locus Coeruleus activity, which was coupled to an exacerbated evoked Locus Coeruleus response to noxious stimulation of the inflamed and healthy paw. When a mitogen-activating extracellular kinase inhibitor was administered to the contralateral Locus Coeruleus of MA4W, the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 levels in the Locus Coeruleus were restored and the exaggerated evoked response was blocked, reversing the anxiogenic-like behavior while pain hypersensitivity remained unaltered. CONCLUSION As phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 blockade in the Locus Coeruleus relieved anxiety and counteracted altered LC function, we propose that phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation in the Locus Coeruleus plays a crucial role in pain-related anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Borges
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
| | - Cristina Miguelez
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
| | - Fani Neto
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
| | - Juan Antonio Mico
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
| | - Luisa Ugedo
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
| | - Esther Berrocoso
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Borges and Mico); Departamento de Biomedicina-Unidade de Biologia Experimental, da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC) e Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Drs Borges and Neto); Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain (Drs Miguelez and Ugedo); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso); Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain (Drs Mico and Berrocoso)
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Nephew BC, Huang W, Poirier GL, Payne L, King JA. Altered neural connectivity in adult female rats exposed to early life social stress. Behav Brain Res 2016; 316:225-233. [PMID: 27594665 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.08.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The use of a variety of neuroanatomical techniques has led to a greater understanding of the adverse effects of stress on psychiatric health. One recent advance that has been particularly valuable is the development of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in clinical studies. The current study investigates changes in RSFC in F1 adult female rats exposed to the early life chronic social stress (ECSS) of the daily introduction of a novel male intruder to the cage of their F0 mothers while the F1 pups are in the cage. This ECSS for the F1 animals consists of depressed maternal care from their F0 mothers and exposure to conflict between their F0 mothers and intruder males. Analyses of the functional connectivity data in ECSS exposed adult females versus control females reveal broad changes in the limbic and reward systems, the salience and introspective socioaffective networks, and several additional stress and social behavior associated nuclei. Substantial changes in connectivity were found in the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, and somatosensory cortex. The current rodent RSFC data support the hypothesis that the exposure to early life social stress has long term effects on neural connectivity in numerous social behavior, stress, and depression relevant brain nuclei. Future conscious rodent RSFC studies can build on the wealth of data generated from previous neuroanatomical studies of early life stress and enhance translational connectivity between animal and human fMRI studies in the development of novel preventative measures and treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Nephew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Peabody Pavilion, North Grafton, MA, 01536, United States.
| | - Wei Huang
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, United States
| | - Guillaume L Poirier
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, United States
| | - Laurellee Payne
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, United States
| | - Jean A King
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA, 01655, United States
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Heit S, Owens MJ, Plotsky P, Nemeroff CB. ■ REVIEW : Corticotropin-releasing Factor, Stress, and Depression. Neuroscientist 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/107385849700300312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a 41 amino acid-containing neuropeptide, acts both as a hypothalamic releasing factor, controlling ACTH and corticosteroid secretion, and at extrahypothalamic CNS sites to mod ulate mammalian organisms' responses to stress. In this article, the evidence that CRF-containing neurons within the CNS are hyperactive in patients with depression is reviewed. The evidence, taken together, suggests that during depressive episodes, CRF is hypersecreted, resulting in both pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and certain of the signs and symptoms of depression, including decreased appetite, decreased libido and disturbed sleep. There is also evidence that treatments for depression, including antidepressant medications and electroconvulsive therapy, reduce CRF hypersecretion within the CNS. Finally, evidence suggests that alterations in CRF-containing neurons and receptors are responsible for the widely held ob servation that early untoward life events increase an individual's vulnerability for affective disorders. These findings have a number of implications for treatment of the mood disorders, including the suggestion that the pharmacological manipulation of CRF receptors may provide a novel avenue for the treatment of de pression. NEUROSCIENTIST 3:186-194, 1997
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey Heit
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
| | | | - Paul Plotsky
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology Emory University
School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia
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31
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Carvalho-Costa PG, Branco LGS, Leite-Panissi CRA. Activation of locus coeruleus heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide pathway promoted an anxiolytic-like effect in rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 49:e5135. [PMID: 27074170 PMCID: PMC4830028 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x20165135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide pathway has been shown to play an important role
in many physiological processes and is capable of altering nociception modulation in
the nervous system by stimulating soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). In the central
nervous system, the locus coeruleus (LC) is known to be a region that expresses the
heme oxygenase enzyme (HO), which catalyzes the metabolism of heme to carbon monoxide
(CO). Additionally, several lines of evidence have suggested that the LC can be
involved in the modulation of emotional states such as fear and anxiety. The purpose
of this investigation was to evaluate the activation of the heme oxygenase-carbon
monoxide pathway in the LC in the modulation of anxiety by using the elevated plus
maze test (EPM) and light-dark box test (LDB) in rats. Experiments were performed on
adult male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g (n=182). The results showed that the
intra-LC microinjection of heme-lysinate (600 nmol), a substrate for the enzyme HO,
increased the number of entries into the open arms and the percentage of time spent
in open arms in the elevated plus maze test, indicating a decrease in anxiety.
Additionally, in the LDB test, intra-LC administration of heme-lysinate promoted an
increase on time spent in the light compartment of the box. The
intracerebroventricular microinjection of guanylate cyclase, an sGC inhibitor
followed by the intra-LC microinjection of the heme-lysinate blocked the
anxiolytic-like reaction on the EPM test and LDB test. It can therefore be concluded
that CO in the LC produced by the HO pathway and acting via cGMP plays an
anxiolytic-like role in the LC of rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Carvalho-Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicobiologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - L G S Branco
- Departamento de Morfologia, Fisiologia e Patologia Básica, Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
| | - C R A Leite-Panissi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicobiologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
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West CHK, Boss-Williams KA, Ritchie JC, Weiss JM. Reprint of: Locus coeruleus neuronal activity determines proclivity to consume alcohol in a selectively-bred line of rats that readily consumes alcohol. Alcohol 2016; 50:91-105. [PMID: 26873226 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Sprague-Dawley rats selectively-bred for susceptibility to stress in our laboratory (Susceptible, or SUS rats) voluntarily consume large amounts of alcohol, and amounts that have, as shown here, pharmacological effects, which normal rats will not do. In this paper, we explore neural events in the brain that underlie this propensity to readily consume alcohol. Activity of locus coeruleus neurons (LC), the major noradrenergic cell body concentration in the brain, influences firing of ventral tegmentum dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic system (VTA-DA neurons), which mediate rewarding aspects of alcohol. We tested the hypothesis that in SUS rats alcohol potently suppresses LC activity to markedly diminish LC-mediated inhibition of VTA-DA neurons, which permits alcohol to greatly increase VTA-DA activity and rewarding aspects of alcohol. Electrophysiological single-unit recording of LC and VTA-DA activity showed that in SUS rats alcohol decreased LC burst firing much more than in normal rats and as a result markedly increased VTA-DA activity in SUS rats while having no such effect in normal rats. Consistent with this, in a behavioral test for reward using conditioned place preference (CPP), SUS rats showed alcohol, given by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, to be rewarding. Next, manipulation of LC activity by microinfusion of drugs into the LC region of SUS rats showed that (a) decreasing LC activity increased alcohol intake and increasing LC activity decreased alcohol intake in accord with the formulation described above, and (b) increasing LC activity blocked both the rewarding effect of alcohol in the CPP test and the usual alcohol-induced increase in VTA-DA single-unit activity seen in SUS rats. An important ancillary finding in the CPP test was that an increase in LC activity was rewarding by itself, while a decrease in LC activity was aversive; consequently, effects of LC manipulations on alcohol-related reward in the CPP test were perhaps even larger than evident in the test. Finally, when increased LC activity was associated with (i.e., conditioned to) i.p. alcohol, subsequent alcohol consumption by SUS rats was markedly reduced, indicating that SUS rats consume large amounts of alcohol because of rewarding physiological consequences requiring increased VTA-DA activity. The findings reported here are consistent with the view that the influence of alcohol on LC activity leading to changes in VTA-DA activity strongly affects alcohol-mediated reward, and may well be the basis of the proclivity of SUS rats to avidly consume alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H K West
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Katherine A Boss-Williams
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - James C Ritchie
- Department of Pathology, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jay M Weiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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West CHK, Boss-Williams KA, Ritchie JC, Weiss JM. Locus coeruleus neuronal activity determines proclivity to consume alcohol in a selectively-bred line of rats that readily consumes alcohol. Alcohol 2015; 49:691-705. [PMID: 26496795 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2015.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Sprague-Dawley rats selectively-bred for susceptibility to stress in our laboratory (Susceptible, or SUS rats) voluntarily consume large amounts of alcohol, and amounts that have, as shown here, pharmacological effects, which normal rats will not do. In this paper, we explore neural events in the brain that underlie this propensity to readily consume alcohol. Activity of locus coeruleus neurons (LC), the major noradrenergic cell body concentration in the brain, influences firing of ventral tegmentum dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic system (VTA-DA neurons), which mediate rewarding aspects of alcohol. We tested the hypothesis that in SUS rats alcohol potently suppresses LC activity to markedly diminish LC-mediated inhibition of VTA-DA neurons, which permits alcohol to greatly increase VTA-DA activity and rewarding aspects of alcohol. Electrophysiological single-unit recording of LC and VTA-DA activity showed that in SUS rats alcohol decreased LC burst firing much more than in normal rats and as a result markedly increased VTA-DA activity in SUS rats while having no such effect in normal rats. Consistent with this, in a behavioral test for reward using conditioned place preference (CPP), SUS rats showed alcohol, given by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, to be rewarding. Next, manipulation of LC activity by microinfusion of drugs into the LC region of SUS rats showed that (a) decreasing LC activity increased alcohol intake and increasing LC activity decreased alcohol intake in accord with the formulation described above, and (b) increasing LC activity blocked both the rewarding effect of alcohol in the CPP test and the usual alcohol-induced increase in VTA-DA single-unit activity seen in SUS rats. An important ancillary finding in the CPP test was that an increase in LC activity was rewarding by itself, while a decrease in LC activity was aversive; consequently, effects of LC manipulations on alcohol-related reward in the CPP test were perhaps even larger than evident in the test. Finally, when increased LC activity was associated with (i.e., conditioned to) i.p. alcohol, subsequent alcohol consumption by SUS rats was markedly reduced, indicating that SUS rats consume large amounts of alcohol because of rewarding physiological consequences requiring increased VTA-DA activity. The findings reported here are consistent with the view that the influence of alcohol on LC activity leading to changes in VTA-DA activity strongly affects alcohol-mediated reward, and may well be the basis of the proclivity of SUS rats to avidly consume alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H K West
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Katherine A Boss-Williams
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - James C Ritchie
- Department of Pathology, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jay M Weiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building (WMB), 4th Floor, 101 Woodruff Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Salomons TV, Nusslock R, Detloff A, Johnstone T, Davidson RJ. Neural emotion regulation circuitry underlying anxiolytic effects of perceived control over pain. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:222-33. [PMID: 25208742 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Anxiolytic effects of perceived control have been observed across species. In humans, neuroimaging studies have suggested that perceived control and cognitive reappraisal reduce negative affect through similar mechanisms. An important limitation of extant neuroimaging studies of perceived control in terms of directly testing this hypothesis, however, is the use of within-subject designs, which confound participants' affective response to controllable and uncontrollable stress. To compare neural and affective responses when participants were exposed to either uncontrollable or controllable stress, two groups of participants received an identical series of stressors (thermal pain stimuli). One group ("controllable") was led to believe they had behavioral control over the pain stimuli, whereas another ("uncontrollable") believed they had no control. Controllable pain was associated with decreased state anxiety, decreased activation in amygdala, and increased activation in nucleus accumbens. In participants who perceived control over the pain, reduced state anxiety was associated with increased functional connectivity between each of these regions and ventral lateral/ventral medial pFC. The location of pFC findings is consistent with regions found to be critical for the anxiolytic effects of perceived control in rodents. Furthermore, interactions observed between pFC and both amygdala and nucleus accumbens are remarkably similar to neural mechanisms of emotion regulation through reappraisal in humans. These results suggest that perceived control reduces negative affect through a general mechanism involved in the cognitive regulation of emotion.
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Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 and type 2 interaction in irritable bowel syndrome. J Gastroenterol 2015; 50:819-30. [PMID: 25962711 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-015-1086-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) displays chronic abdominal pain or discomfort with altered defecation, and stress-induced altered gut motility and visceral sensation play an important role in the pathophysiology. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a main mediator of stress responses and mediates these gastrointestinal functional changes. CRF in brain and periphery acts through two subtype receptors such as CRF receptor type 1 (CRF1) and type 2 (CRF2), and activating CRF1 exclusively stimulates colonic motor function and induces visceral hypersensitivity. Meanwhile, several recent studies have demonstrated that CRF2 has a counter regulatory action against CRF1, which may imply that CRF2 inhibits stress response induced by CRF1 in order to prevent it from going into an overdrive state. Colonic contractility and sensation may be explained by the state of the intensity of CRF1 signaling. CRF2 signaling may play a role in CRF1-triggered enhanced colonic functions through modulation of CRF1 activity. Blocking CRF2 further enhances CRF-induced stimulation of colonic contractility and activating CRF2 inhibits stress-induced visceral sensitization. Therefore, we proposed the hypothesis, i.e., balance theory of CRF1 and CRF2 signaling as follows. Both CRF receptors may be activated simultaneously and the signaling balance of CRF1 and CRF2 may determine the functional changes of gastrointestinal tract induced by stress. CRF signaling balance might be abnormally shifted toward CRF1, leading to enhanced colonic motility and visceral sensitization in IBS. This theory may lead to understanding the pathophysiology and provide the novel therapeutic options targeting altered signaling balance of CRF1 and CRF2 in IBS.
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Borges GP, Micó JA, Neto FL, Berrocoso E. Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Mediates Pain-Induced Anxiety through the ERK1/2 Signaling Cascade in Locus Coeruleus Neurons. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyv019. [PMID: 25716783 PMCID: PMC4571622 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The corticotropin-releasing factor is a stress-related neuropeptide that modulates locus coeruleus activity. As locus coeruleus has been involved in pain and stress-related patologies, we tested whether the pain-induced anxiety is a result of the corticotropin-releasing factor released in the locus coeruleus. METHODS Complete Freund's adjuvant-induced monoarthritis was used as inflammatory chronic pain model. α-Helical corticotropin-releasing factor receptor antagonist was microinjected into the contralateral locus coeruleus of 4-week-old monoarthritic animals. The nociceptive and anxiety-like behaviors, as well as phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and corticotropin-releasing factor receptors expression, were quantified in the paraventricular nucleus and locus coeruleus. RESULTS Monoarthritic rats manifested anxiety and increased phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 levels in the locus coeruleus and paraventricular nucleus, although the expression of corticotropin-releasing factor receptors was unaltered. α-Helical corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist administration reversed both the anxiogenic-like behavior and the phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 levels in the locus coeruleus. CONCLUSIONS Pain-induced anxiety is mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor neurotransmission in the locus coeruleus through extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 signaling cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Esther Berrocoso
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Ms Borges and Dr Micó); Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Centro de Investigação Médica da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal (Ms Borges and Dr Neto); Grupo de Morfofisiologia do Sistema Somatossensitivo, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal (Ms Borges and Dr Neto); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain (Drs Micó and Berrocoso); Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain (Dr Berrocoso).
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Sengul Y, Sengul H. Is it true that essential tremor affects sleep? A comparison between young essential tremor patients and normal controls. Sleep Biol Rhythms 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/sbr.12119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yildizhan Sengul
- Department of Neurology; Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital; Erzurum Turkey
| | - Hakan Sengul
- Department of Psychology; Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital; Erzurum Turkey
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Cho J, Choi YJ, Sohn J, Suh M, Cho SK, Ha KH, Kim C, Shin DC. Ambient ozone concentration and emergency department visits for panic attacks. J Psychiatr Res 2015; 62:130-5. [PMID: 25669697 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Revised: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The effect of ambient air pollution on panic disorder in the general population has not yet been thoroughly elucidated, although the occurrence of panic disorder in workers exposed to organic solvents has been reported previously. We investigated the association of ambient air pollution with the risk of panic attack-related emergency department visits. Using health insurance claims, we collected data from emergency department visits for panic attacks in Seoul, Republic of Korea (2005-2009). Daily air pollutant concentrations were obtained using automatic monitoring system data. We conducted a time-series study using a generalized additive model with Poisson distribution, which included spline variables (date of visit, daily mean temperature, and relative humidity) and parametric variables (daily mean air pollutant concentration, national holiday, and day of the week). In addition to single lag models (lag1 to lag3), cumulative lag models (lag0-1 to lag0-3) were constructed using moving-average concentrations on the days leading up to the visit. The risk was expressed as relative risk (RR) per one standard deviation of each air pollutant and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). A total of 2320 emergency department visits for panic attacks were observed during the study period. The adjusted RR of panic attack-related emergency department visits was 1.051 (95% CI, 1.014-1.090) for same-day exposure to ozone. In cumulative models, adjusted RRs were 1.068 (1.029-1.107) in lag0-2 and 1.074 (1.035-1.114) in lag0-3. The ambient ozone concentration was significantly associated with emergency department visits for panic attacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaelim Cho
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jung Choi
- Research and Development Center, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungwoo Sohn
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Mina Suh
- National Cancer Center, Koyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong-Kyung Cho
- Division of Environmental Health, Korea Environment Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung Hwa Ha
- Department of Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Changsoo Kim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong Chun Shin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute for Environmental Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Taché Y, Million M. Role of Corticotropin-releasing Factor Signaling in Stress-related Alterations of Colonic Motility and Hyperalgesia. J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2015; 21:8-24. [PMID: 25611064 PMCID: PMC4288101 DOI: 10.5056/jnm14162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 12/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling systems encompass CRF and the structurally related peptide urocortin (Ucn) 1, 2, and 3 along with 2 G-protein coupled receptors, CRF1 and CRF2. CRF binds with high and moderate affinity to CRF1 and CRF2 receptors, respectively while Ucn1 is a high-affinity agonist at both receptors, and Ucn2 and Ucn3 are selective CRF2 agonists. The CRF systems are expressed in both the brain and the colon at the gene and protein levels. Experimental studies established that the activation of CRF1 pathway in the brain or the colon recaptures cardinal features of diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (stimulation of colonic motility, activation of mast cells and serotonin, defecation/watery diarrhea, and visceral hyperalgesia). Conversely, selective CRF1 antagonists or CRF1/CRF2 antagonists, abolished or reduced exogenous CRF and stress-induced stimulation of colonic motility, defecation, diarrhea and colonic mast cell activation and visceral hyperalgesia to colorectal distention. By contrast, the CRF2 signaling in the colon dampened the CRF1 mediated stimulation of colonic motor function and visceral hyperalgesia. These data provide a conceptual framework that sustained activation of the CRF1 system at central and/or peripheral sites may be one of the underlying basis of IBS-diarrhea symptoms. While targeting these mechanisms by CRF1 antagonists provided a relevant novel therapeutic venue, so far these promising preclinical data have not translated into therapeutic use of CRF1 antagonists. Whether the existing or newly developed CRF1 antagonists will progress to therapeutic benefits for stress-sensitive diseases including IBS for a subset of patients is still a work in progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette Taché
- CURE/Digestive Diseases Research Center, and Center for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California Los Angeles, and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mulugeta Million
- CURE/Digestive Diseases Research Center, and Center for the Neurobiology of Stress, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California Los Angeles, and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Perugi G, Quaranta G, Belletti S, Casalini F, Mosti N, Toni C, Dell'Osso L. General medical conditions in 347 bipolar disorder patients: clinical correlates of metabolic and autoimmune-allergic diseases. J Affect Disord 2015; 170:95-103. [PMID: 25237732 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with bipolar disorder (BD) suffer from greater physical morbidity and mortality than the general population. The aim of the present study is to explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of General Medical Conditions (GMC) in a large consecutive sample of patients with BD. METHOD The study sample comprised of 347 patients who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for BD I (n=207, 59.7%), BD II or Cyclothymic Disorder (n=140, 40.3). Diagnostic information was collected by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders- Clinical Version (SCID-I), and information about personal and family history were collected by the Semi-Structured Interview for Mood Disorder-Revised (SIMD-R). Standardized procedure was used to assess the diagnosis of GMC, which was considered present only if a specific therapy to treat the condition was prescribed by a specialist or a general practitioner. In order to explore possible relationships between physical comorbidity and clinical features of BD, we compared patients with (MD) and without (No-MD) Metabolic Diseases (MD) and patients with (AAD) and without (No-AAD) Autoimmune-Allergic Diseases (AAD). RESULTS The most commonly reported GMCs were: Headache, Hypercholesterolemia (>200mg/dl), Chronic Constipation, Obesity, Arterial Hypertension (BP >140/90 mmHg), Hypothyroidism, Allergic Rhino-Conjunctivitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hypertriglyceridemia (>150 mg/dl), Metabolic Syndrome, Hiatus Hernia, Dysmenorrhea, Urticaria, Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Seborrheic Dermatitis, Diabetes Mellitus, Bronchial Asthma, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Biliary Lithiasis, and COPD. In our sample, MD (n=148, 42.7%) and AAD (n=167, 48.1%) were the most common categories of GMCs. Interestingly, the lifetime prevalence of cancer and neoplastic diseases was very low: 1 patient (.3%) reported Lung Adenocarcinoma and 2 (.6%) patients Bowel Cancer. In the group comparisons, length of pharmacological treatment (OR=1.054; 95% CI=1.030-1.078), age at onset of first major episode (OR=1.043; 95% CI=1.019-1.067), length of the current episode (OR=1.025; 95% CI=1.020-1.533) and absence of lifetime comorbid substance abuse (OR=.373; 95% CI=.141-.989) were statistically associated with the presence of comorbid MD; while only AD-induced hypomania (OR=1.62; 95% CI=1.011-2.597), and cyclothymic temperament (OR=1.051; 95% CI=1.016-1.087) were statistically associated with the presence of comorbid AAD. LIMITATIONS Possible referral and selection bias; retrospective, non-blind, cross-sectional evaluation. CONCLUSION MD and AAD were highly represented in our sample, while cancer and neoplastic diseases were uncommon. The clinical correlates of different sub-groups of GMC suggest different interpretations. The presence of MD seems to be correlated with the progression of BD and the chronic medication exposure, while comorbid AAD seems to correlate with a specific clinical subtype of BD, characterized by mood reactivity and temperamental mood instability. If the link with autoimmune-allergic diathesis will be confirmed, it could provide an interesting new paradigm for the study of the "systemic" nature of mood disorders and a promising target for future treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Perugi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy; Institute of Behavioural Sciences "G. De Lisio", Pisa, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Quaranta
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Serena Belletti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Francesca Casalini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Nicola Mosti
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Cristina Toni
- Institute of Behavioural Sciences "G. De Lisio", Pisa, Italy
| | - Liliana Dell'Osso
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Clinica Psichiatrica Università di Pisa, Via Roma, 67, Pisa 56126, Italy
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Ramos ADT, Homem KSDC, Suchecki D, Tufik S, Troncone LRP. Drug-induced suppression of ACTH secretion does not promote anti-depressive or anxiolytic effects. Behav Brain Res 2014; 265:69-75. [PMID: 24569014 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mammals respond to a real or perceived stress in an integrated physiological and psychological fashion. Psychiatric disorders like major depression and anxiety have been associated to stressful events. In a previous study we demonstrated that the stress-induced ACTH secretion can be robustly inhibited by the concurrent use of CRF1 (CP154,526 - Pfizer) and V1B (SSR149415 - Sanofi-Aventis) non-peptide antagonists. A proof of mechanism was offered by substituting CP154,526 by SSR125543 and obtaining the same results on three stress models: forced swimming, ether vapor inhalation and restraint. SSR125543 effectively blocked only restraint stress-induced ACTH secretion. We then challenged the hypothesis that the concurrent use of both antagonists would have a potent effect on behavioral models of anxiety and depression. Decreasing doses (30-0.1 mg/kg s.c.) of both drugs were tested in three behavioral models: Porsolt forced swimming test, elevated plus maze and social interaction. Results showed that these drugs had no effect on anxiety models (plus maze and social interaction) but significantly reduced immobility time in the forced swimming test, suggesting anti-depressive action in a dose-range from 1 to 30 mg/kg, not different from the reported in the literature referring to one drug or the other. This negates the proposed hypothesis of summation/potentiation of effects as observed in stress-induced ACTH secretion. These results point toward the involvement of extra-hypothalamic sites for the anti-depressive effects. Recent Phase II clinical research on anti-depressive effects of these drugs has failed rising strong criticisms against the predictive value of behavioral tests currently employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana de Toledo Ramos
- Department of Psycobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), R. Botucatú 862, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Pharmacology, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil 1500, São Paulo, SP 05503900, Brazil
| | | | - Deborah Suchecki
- Department of Psycobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), R. Botucatú 862, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Sergio Tufik
- Department of Psycobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), R. Botucatú 862, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Fleshner M, Greenwood BN, Yirmiya R. Neuronal-glial mechanisms of exercise-evoked stress robustness. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 18:1-12. [PMID: 24481547 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2014_277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Stress robustness by definition, incorporates both stress resistance (organisms endure greater stressor intensity or duration before suffering negative consequences) and stress resilience (organisms recover faster after suffering negative consequences). Factors that influence stress robustness include the nature of the stressor, (i.e., controllability, intensity, chronicity) and features of the organism (i.e., age, genetics, sex, and physical activity status). Here we present a novel hypothesis for how physically active versus sedentary living promotes stress robustness in the face of intense uncontrollable stress. Advances in neurobiology have established microglia as an active player in the regulation of synaptic activity, and recent work has revealed mechanisms for modulating glial function, including cross talk between neurons and glia. This chapter presents supporting evidence that the physical activity status of an organism may modulate stress-evoked neuronal-glial responses by changing the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 axis. Specifically, we propose that sedentary animals respond to an intense acute uncontrollable stressor with excessive serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenergic (NE) activity and/or prolonged down-regulation of the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 axis resulting in activation and proliferation of hippocampal microglia in the absence of pathogenic signals and consequent hippocampal-dependent memory deficits and reduced neurogenesis. In contrast, physically active animals respond to the same stressor with constrained 5-HT and NE activity and rapidly recovering CX3CL1-CX3CR1 axis responses resulting in the quieting of microglia, and protection from negative cognitive and neurobiological effects of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Fleshner
- Department of Integrative Physiology and The Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA,
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Distinct features of neurotransmitter systems in the human brain with focus on the galanin system in locus coeruleus and dorsal raphe. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E536-45. [PMID: 23341594 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221378110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Using riboprobe in situ hybridization, we studied the localization of the transcripts for the neuropeptide galanin and its receptors (GalR1-R3), tryptophan hydroxylase 2, tyrosine hydroxylase, and nitric oxide synthase as well as the three vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT 1-3) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) regions of postmortem human brains. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used also. Galanin and GalR3 mRNA were found in many noradrenergic LC neurons, and GalR3 overlapped with serotonin neurons in the DRN. The qPCR analysis at the LC level ranked the transcripts in the following order in the LC: galanin >> GalR3 >> GalR1 > GalR2; in the DRN the ranking was galanin >> GalR3 >> GalR1 = GalR2. In forebrain regions the ranking was GalR1 > galanin > GalR2. VGLUT1 and -2 were strongly expressed in the pontine nuclei but could not be detected in LC or serotonin neurons. VGLUT2 transcripts were found in very small, nonpigmented cells in the LC and in the lateral and dorsal aspects of the periaqueductal central gray. Nitric oxide synthase was not detected in serotonin neurons. These findings show distinct differences between the human brain and rodents, especially rat, in the distribution of the galanin system and some other transmitter systems. For example, GalR3 seems to be the important galanin receptor in both the human LC and DRN versus GalR1 and -2 in the rodent brain. Such knowledge may be important when considering therapeutic principles and drug development.
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Bethea CL, Reddy AP. The effect of long-term ovariectomy on midbrain stress systems in free ranging macaques. Brain Res 2012; 1488:24-37. [PMID: 23036275 PMCID: PMC3501558 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2012] [Revised: 09/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Communication between the serotonin system and the CRF system plays a pivotal role in the mediation of stress and stress reactivity. CRF appears to be inhibitory of serotonin neurotransmission through the CRF receptor type 1 (CRF-R1). Serotonin neurons also detect the urocortins, which are thought to be anxiolytic. Components of the CRF system in the serotonergic dorsal raphe region were examined in macaques that were ovary-intact or ovariectomized for 3 years living in a relatively natural environment. Female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) were ovariectomized or tubal-ligated (n=5/group) and returned to their natal troop for 3 years. Quantitation of (1) CRF innervation of the serotonergic dorsal raphe, (2) CRF-Receptor type 1 (CRF-R1) in the dorsal raphe, (3) Urocortin 1 (UCN1) cells near the Edinger-Westfal nucleus and (4) UCN1 axons, was obtained with immunocytochemical staining and image analysis. There was no statistical difference in CRF axonal staining in the dorsal raphe, or in UCN1 axonal staining near the dorsal raphe. However, the average number of detectable UCN1 postive cells was significantly lower in the Ovx group than in the Intact group (p=0.003). Average CRF-R1 positive pixel number and positive cell number were significantly higher in the Ovx group than in the Intact group (p=0.005 and 0.02, respectivly). The higher expression of CRF-R1 and lower expression of UCN1 in the Ovx group indicates they may be more vulnerable to stress. The greater expression of CRF-R1 could cause a greater inhibition of serotonin upon a stress-induced increase in CRF as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia L Bethea
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
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Greenwood BN, Spence KG, Crevling DM, Clark PJ, Craig WC, Fleshner M. Exercise-induced stress resistance is independent of exercise controllability and the medial prefrontal cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 37:469-78. [PMID: 23121339 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Revised: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/27/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Exercise increases resistance against stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression. Similarly, the perception of control is a powerful predictor of neurochemical and behavioral responses to stress, but whether the experience of choosing to exercise, and exerting control over that exercise, is a critical factor in producing exercise-induced stress resistance is unknown. The current studies investigated whether the protective effects of exercise against the anxiety- and depression-like consequences of stress are dependent on exercise controllability and a brain region implicated in the protective effects of controllable experiences, the medial prefrontal cortex. Adult male Fischer 344 rats remained sedentary, were forced to run on treadmills or motorised running wheels, or had voluntary access to wheels for 6 weeks. Three weeks after exercise onset, rats received sham surgery or excitotoxic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex. Rats were exposed to home cage or uncontrollable tail shock treatment three weeks later. Shock-elicited fear conditioning and shuttle box escape testing occurred the next day. Both forced and voluntary wheel running, but not treadmill training, prevented the exaggerated fear conditioning and interference with escape learning produced by uncontrollable stress. Lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex failed to eliminate the protective effects of forced or voluntary wheel running. These data suggest that exercise controllability and the medial prefrontal cortex are not critical factors in conferring the protective effects of exercise against the affective consequences of stressor exposure, and imply that exercise perceived as forced may still benefit affect and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N Greenwood
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
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Kirilly E, Hunyady L, Bagdy G. Opposing local effects of endocannabinoids on the activity of noradrenergic neurons and release of noradrenaline: relevance for their role in depression and in the actions of CB(1) receptor antagonists. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2012; 120:177-86. [PMID: 22990678 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-012-0900-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
There is strong evidence that endocannabinoids modulate signaling of serotonin and noradrenaline, which play key roles in the pathophysiology and treatment of anxiety and depression. Most pharmacological and genetic, human and rodent studies suggest that the presence of under-functioning endocannabinoid type-1 (CB(1)) receptors is associated with increased anxiety and elevated extracellular serotonin concentration. In contrast, noradrenaline is presumably implicated in the mediation of depression-type symptoms of CB(1) receptor antagonists. Evidence shows that most CB(1) receptors located on axons and terminals of GABA-ergic, serotonergic or glutamatergic neurons stimulate the activity of noradrenergic neurons. In contrast, those located on noradrenergic axons and terminals inhibit noradrenaline release efficiently. In this latter process, excitatory ionotropic or G protein-coupled receptors, such as the NMDA, alpha1 and beta1 adrenergic receptors, activate local endocannabinoid synthesis at postsynaptic sites and stimulate retrograde endocannabinoid neurotransmission acting on CB(1) receptors of noradrenergic terminals. The underlying mechanisms include calcium signal generation, which activates enzymes that increase the synthesis of both anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, while G(q/11) protein activation also increases the formation of 2-arachidonoylglycerol from diacylglycerol during the signaling process. In addition, other non-CB(1) receptor endocannabinoid targets such as CB(2), transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha and possibly GPR55 can also mediate some of the endocannabinoid effects. In conclusion, both neuronal activation and neurotransmitter release depend on the in situ synthesized endocannabinoids and thus, local endocannabinoid concentrations in different brain areas may be crucial in the net effect, namely in the regulation of neurons located postsynaptically to the noradrenergic synapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kirilly
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, Semmelweis University, Nagyvarad ter 4, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
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Salomons TV, Moayedi M, Weissman-Fogel I, Goldberg MB, Freeman BV, Tenenbaum HC, Davis KD. Perceived helplessness is associated with individual differences in the central motor output system. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 35:1481-7. [PMID: 22564074 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08048.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Learned helplessness is a maladaptive response to uncontrollable stress characterized by impaired motor escape responses, reduced motivation and learning deficits. There are important individual differences in the likelihood of becoming helpless following exposure to uncontrollable stress but little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying these individual differences. Here we used structural MRI to measure gray and white matter in individuals with chronic pain, a population at high risk for helplessness due to prolonged exposure to a poorly controlled stressor (pain). Given that self-reported helplessness is predictive of treatment outcomes in chronic pain, understanding such differences might provide valuable clinical insight. We found that the magnitude of self-reported helplessness correlated with cortical thickness in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and midcingulate cortex, regions implicated in cognitive aspects of motor behavior. We then examined the white matter connectivity of these regions and found that fractional anisotropy of connected white matter tracts along the corticospinal tract was associated with helplessness and mediated the relationship between SMA cortical thickness and helplessness. These data provide novel evidence that links individual differences in the motor output pathway with perceived helplessness over a chronic and poorly controlled stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim V Salomons
- Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour - Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Faravelli C, Lo Sauro C, Godini L, Lelli L, Benni L, Pietrini F, Lazzeretti L, Talamba GA, Fioravanti G, Ricca V. Childhood stressful events, HPA axis and anxiety disorders. World J Psychiatry 2012; 2:13-25. [PMID: 24175164 PMCID: PMC3782172 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v2.i1.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Revised: 10/24/2011] [Accepted: 01/21/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are among the most common of all mental disorders and their pathogenesis is a major topic in psychiatry, both for prevention and treatment. Early stressful life events and alterations of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis function seem to have a significant role in the onset of anxiety. Existing data appear to support the mediating effect of the HPA axis between childhood traumata and posttraumatic stress disorder. Findings on the HPA axis activity at baseline and after stimuli in panic disordered patients are inconclusive, even if stressful life events may have a triggering function in the development of this disorder. Data on the relationship between stress, HPA axis functioning and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are scarce and discordant, but an increased activity of the HPA axis is reported in OCD patients. Moreover, normal basal cortisol levels and hyper-responsiveness of the adrenal cortex during a psychosocial stressor are observed in social phobics. Finally, abnormal HPA axis activity has also been observed in generalized anxiety disordered patients. While several hypothesis have attempted to explain these findings over time, currently the most widely accepted theory is that early stressful life events may provoke alterations of the stress response and thus of the HPA axis, that can endure during adulthood, predisposing individuals to develop psychopathology. All theories are reviewed and the authors conclude that childhood life events and HPA abnormalities may be specifically and transnosographically related to all anxiety disorders, as well as, more broadly, to all psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Faravelli
- Carlo Faravelli, Carolina Lo Sauro, Department of Psychology, University of Florence, 50135 Firenze, Florence, Italy
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Bethea CL, Lima FB, Centeno ML, Weissheimer KV, Senashova O, Reddy AP, Cameron JL. Effects of citalopram on serotonin and CRF systems in the midbrain of primates with differences in stress sensitivity. J Chem Neuroanat 2011; 41:200-18. [PMID: 21683135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2011.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2011] [Revised: 05/02/2011] [Accepted: 05/16/2011] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
This chapter reviews the neurobiological effects of stress sensitivity and s-citalpram (CIT) treatment observed in our nonhuman primate model of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). This type of infertility, also known as stress-induced amenorrhea, is exhibited by cynomolgus macaques. In small populations, some individuals are stress-sensitive (SS) and others are highly stress-resilient (HSR). The SS macaques have suboptimal secretion of estrogen and progesterone during normal menstrual cycles. SS monkeys also have decreased serotonin gene expression and increased CRF expression compared to HSR monkeys. Recently, we found that CIT treatment improved ovarian steroid secretion in SS monkeys, but had no effect in HSR monkeys. Examination of the serotonin system revealed that SS monkeys had significantly lower Fev (fifth Ewing variant, rodent Pet1), TPH2 (tryptophan hydroxylase 2), 5HT1A autoreceptor and SERT (serotonin reuptake transporter) expression in the dorsal raphe than SR monkeys. However, CIT did not alter the expression of either Fev, TPH2, SERT or 5HT1A mRNAs. In contrast, SS monkeys tended to have a higher density of CRF fiber innervation of the dorsal raphe than HSR monkeys, and CIT significantly decreased the CRF fiber density in SS animals. In addition, CIT increased CRF-R2 gene expression in the dorsal raphe. We speculate that in a 15-week time frame, the therapeutic effect of S-citalopram may be achieved through a mechanism involving extracellular serotonin inhibition of CRF and stimulation of CRF-R2, rather than alteration of serotonin-related gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia L Bethea
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, United States.
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50
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Sanchez RL, Reddy AP, Bethea CL. Ovarian steroid regulation of the midbrain corticotropin releasing factor and urocortin systems in macaques. Neuroscience 2010; 171:893-909. [PMID: 20833230 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.08.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2010] [Revised: 08/26/2010] [Accepted: 08/30/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
A significant number of postmenopausal women report increased anxiety and vulnerability to stress, which has been linked to decreased secretion of ovarian steroids. Communication between the serotonin system and the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system determines stress sensitivity or resilience. This study examines the effects of the ovarian steroids, estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) on the CRF system components that impact serotonin neurons in the midbrain of nonhuman primates. Ovariectomized rhesus macaques were treated with placebo, E alone for 1 month, or E supplemented with P for the last 2 weeks. Quantitative (q)RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry were employed. E±P treatment decreased CRF-R1 and increased CRF-R2 gene expression in hemi-midbrain blocks and in laser captured serotonin neurons. Also in hemi-midbrains, E treatment increased urocortin 1 (UCN1) and CRFBP gene expression, but supplemental P treatment reversed these effects. E±P decreased CRF fiber density in the dorsal, interfascicular and median raphe nuclei and decreased CRF-R1 immunostaining in the dorsal raphe. E increased CRF-R2 immunostaining in the dorsal and median raphe. E±P increased UCN1 immunostaining in the cell bodies and increased UCN1 fiber density in the caudal linear nucleus. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), but not ERα was detected in the nucleus of UCN1-positive neurons. While the mechanism of ovarian hormone regulation of the midbrain CRF system requires further investigation, these studies clearly demonstrate another pathway by which ovarian hormones may have positive effects on anxiety and mood regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Sanchez
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
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