1
|
Balietti M, Principi E, Giacomini L, Giorgetti B, Conti F. The effect of late-life environmental enrichment on stress and anxiety: The role of sex and age-related differences in coping with aversive stimuli. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32021. [PMID: 38867995 PMCID: PMC11168381 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Anxiety significantly diminishes the quality of life in older adults, and the drugs used for its treatment often come with risky side effects. Non-pharmacological protocols could be valuable, but more research is needed in this area. Environmental enrichment induces positive effects on anxiety-like behavior in young and adult animals; whether the same happens in aged animals is still elusive. The aged brain undergoes changes that contribute to make it "fragile" and consequently even mild, potentially positive stimuli can trigger dyshomeostasis, worsening rather than ameliorating functioning. Here, by combining behavioral analysis and measurement of serum and brain corticosterone levels, we show that late-life environmental enrichment can induce eustress or distress, depending on sex and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. These findings pave the way for optimizing outcomes and minimizing undesired effects in the clinical setting, underscoring the need to overcome the limits of gender medicine and emphasizing the crucial role of individually tailored therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Balietti
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
| | - Elisa Principi
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Luca Giacomini
- Center for Animal Welfare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Fiorenzo Conti
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen C, Xun P, Unverzagt F, McClure LA, Irvin MR, Judd S, Cushman M, He K. Serum magnesium concentration and incident cognitive impairment: the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study. Eur J Nutr 2021; 60:1511-1520. [PMID: 32737612 PMCID: PMC7854858 DOI: 10.1007/s00394-020-02353-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine the prospective association between serum Mg level and the incidence of cognitive impairment. METHODS A random sub-cohort (n = 2063) from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort was included in this study. Baseline serum Mg concentration was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. According to the current reference interval of serum magnesium (0.75-0.95 mmol/L), we classified participants below the interval as Level 1 and used it as the referent. The rest of the study population were equally divided into three groups, named Level 2 to 4. Incident cognitive impairment was identified using the Six-Item Screener. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression models. RESULTS After adjustment for potential confounders, an inverse threshold association between serum Mg level and incident cognitive impairment was observed. Compared to those with hypomagnesemia (Level 1: < 0.75 mmol/L), the relative odds of incident cognitive impairment was reduced by 41% in the second level [OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.37, 0.94)]; higher serum Mg level did not provide further benefits [Level 3 and 4 versus Level 1: OR (95% CI) = 0.54 (0.34, 0.88) and 0.59 (0.36, 0.96), P for linear trend = 0.08]. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this prospective study suggest that sufficient Mg status within the normal range may be beneficial to cognitive health in the US general population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pengcheng Xun
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health-Bloomington, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Frederick Unverzagt
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Leslie A McClure
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marguerite Ryan Irvin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Suzanne Judd
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Mary Cushman
- Department of Medicine, Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Ka He
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 622 W 168th Street, Suite 16-62, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Aged rats with different performances at environmental enrichment onset display different modulation of habituation and aversive memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 161:83-91. [PMID: 30951838 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A wide agreement exists that environmental enrichment (EE) is most beneficial if introduced early in life, but numerous studies reported that also aged animals remain responsive. As age-related memory and cognition impairments are not uniform, an open question is whether EE might exert different effects in animals with different age-related deficits. A 12-week EE protocol was applied to late adult rats pretested for habituation and aversive memory. Animals were classified as low (LP) and high (HP) performers according to percent exploration change in Open Field test (OF) and as impaired (I) and not impaired (NI) according to latency in Step-through Passive Avoidance test (PA). Standard housing (SH) animals pretested by OF and PA, and naïve (non-pretested) EE and SH rats were used as controls. In comparison to pretest, after the housing protocol, EE LP ameliorated while EE HP and both SH HP and LP worsened their habituation pattern. The positive influence of EE on LP was probably due to the more active interaction with and the faster adaptation to surroundings promoted by continuous, multiple stimuli provided during the enriched housing. Regarding HP, EE did not boost the basal behavior, which likely represented the maximum achievable for that age, and the post housing exploration change dropped, as in SH animals, because of the retesting. After EE, a significant percentage of NI animals became I and a significant percentage of I animals became NI. The changes evidenced in the NI group likely depended on EE-related reduction of anxiety and the consequent more efficient coping with fearful situations. This hypothesis was strengthened by the observation that naïve EE animals were almost all I. Pretested EE I rats were not influenced by the rearing condition: their behavior was comparable to SH animals' behavior and determined by retesting. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that, when applied to aging rats, EE produces different effects based on pre-housing cognitive performances. The issue needs further analyses, but the observation that not all animals are able to take advantage of EE to the same extent suggests the opportunity to design individually tailored approaches to optimize their efficacy and minimize possible unwanted consequences.
Collapse
|
4
|
Berridge MJ. Vitamin D deficiency accelerates ageing and age-related diseases: a novel hypothesis. J Physiol 2017; 595:6825-6836. [PMID: 28949008 DOI: 10.1113/jp274887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ageing can occur at different rates, but what controls this variable rate is unknown. Here I have developed a hypothesis that vitamin D may act to control the rate of ageing. The basis of this hypothesis emerged from studyng the various cellular processes that control ageing. These processes such as autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetic changes, DNA disorders and alterations in Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling are all known to be regulated by vitamin D. The activity of these processes will be enhanced in individuals that are deficient in vitamin D. Not only will this increase the rate of ageing, but it will also increase the probability of developing age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In individual with normal vitamin D levels, these ageing-related processes will occur at lower rates resulting in a reduced rate of ageing and enhanced protection against these age-related diseases.
Collapse
|
5
|
Xiong W, Liang Y, Li X, Liu G, Wang Z. Erythrocyte intracellular Mg(2+) concentration as an index of recognition and memory. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26975. [PMID: 27253451 PMCID: PMC4890594 DOI: 10.1038/srep26975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnesium (Mg(2+)) plays an important role in the neural system, and yet scarcely any research has quantitatively analyzed the link between endogenous Mg(2+) level and memory. Using our original technique, we measured erythrocyte intracellular ionized Mg(2+) concentration (RBC [Mg(2+)]i), which linearly correlated to recognition and spatial memory in normal aging rats. In the brain, RBC [Mg(2+)]i significantly correlated to hippocampus extracellular fluid Mg(2+) concentration, and further correlated to hippocampal synapse density. Elevation of Mg(2+) intake in aged rats demonstrated an association between RBC [Mg(2+)]i increase and memory recovery. The therapeutic effect of Mg(2+) administration was inversely correlated to individual basal RBC [Mg(2+)]i. In summary, we provide a method to measure RBC [Mg(2+)]i, an ideal indicator of body Mg(2+) level. RBC [Mg(2+)]i represents rodent memory performance in our study, and might further serve as a potential biomarker for clinical differential diagnosis and precise treatment of Mg(2+)-deficiency-associated memory decline during aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiang Xiong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Yaru Liang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Xue Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Guosong Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Zhao Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Singh P, Gupta S, Sharma B. Melatonin receptor and KATP channel modulation in experimental vascular dementia. Physiol Behav 2015; 142:66-78. [PMID: 25659733 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases are stated as important risk factors of vascular dementia (VaD) and other cognitive disorders. In the central nervous system, melatonin (MT1/MT2) as well as serotonin subtype 2C (5-HT2C) receptors is pharmacologically associated with various neurological disorders. Brain mitochondrial potassium channels have been reported for their role in neuroprotection. This study has been structured to investigate the role of agomelatine, a melatonergic MT1/MT2 agonist and nicorandil, a selective ATP sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opener in renal artery ligation (two-kidney-one-clip: 2K1C) hypertension induced endothelial dysfunction, brain damage and VaD. 2K1C-renovascular hypertension has increased mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), impaired memory (elevated plus maze and Morris water maze), endothelial function, reduced serum nitrite/nitrate and increased brain damage (TTC staining of brain sections). Furthermore, 2K1C animals have shown high levels of oxidative stress in serum (increased thiobarbituric acid reactive species-TBARS with decreased levels of glutathione-GSH, superoxide dismutase-SOD and catalase-CAT), in the aorta (increased aortic superoxide anion) and in the brain (increased TBARS with decreased GSH, SOD and CAT). 2K1C has also induced a significant increase in brain inflammation (myeloperoxidase-MPO levels), acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) and calcium levels. Impairment in mitochondrial complexes like NADH dehydrogenase (complex-I), succinate dehydrogenase (complex-II) and cytochrome oxidase (complex-IV) was also noted in 2K1C animals. Administration of agomelatine, nicorandil and donepezil significantly attenuated 2K1C-hypertension induced impairments in memory, endothelial function, nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and brain damage. Therefore, modulators of MT1/MT2 receptors and KATP channels may be considered as potential agents for the management of renovascular hypertension induced VaD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prabhat Singh
- CNS and CVS Pharmacology Lab., Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Bharat Institute of Technology, Partapur Bypass, Meerut, 250103 Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Surbhi Gupta
- CNS and CVS Pharmacology Lab., Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Bharat Institute of Technology, Partapur Bypass, Meerut, 250103 Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Bhupesh Sharma
- School of Pharmacy, Bharat Institute of Technology, Partapur Bypass, Meerut, 250103 Uttar Pradesh, India; CNS Pharmacology, Conscience Research, Pocket F-233, B, Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110095, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Barros LA, Tufik S, Andersen ML. The role of progesterone in memory: an overview of three decades. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 49:193-204. [PMID: 25434881 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Revised: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Memory comprises acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of information. Many substances can influence these different phases. It is well demonstrated that sex hormones, mainly estrogen, impact cognitive function. More recently, progesterone has also been documented as playing an important role in cognition, since it influences brain regions involved in memory. Currently, many women are under hormone treatment, which contain progesterone to decrease the risk of development of endometrial cancer. This affords the opportunity to study the real effects of this hormonal replacement on cognition. There are many contradictory results regarding the role of progesterone in memory. Therefore, the aim of this review was to synthesize these studies using the new perspective of the influence of hormone replacement on cognition in women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L A Barros
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - S Tufik
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - M L Andersen
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925, Vila Clementino, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|