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Kuil L, Seigers R, Loos M, de Gooijer M, Compter A, Boogerd W, van Tellingen O, Smit A, Schagen S. Fractionated brain X-irradiation profoundly reduces hippocampal immature neuron numbers without affecting spontaneous behavior in mice. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29947. [PMID: 38707355 PMCID: PMC11066401 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29947] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is used to improve tumor control in patients with primary brain tumors, or brain metastasis from various primary tumors to improve tumor control. However, WBRT can lead to cognitive decline in patients. We assessed whether fractionated WBRT (fWBRT) affects spontaneous behavior of mice in automated home cages and cognition (spatial memory) using the Barnes maze. Male C57Bl/6j mice received bi-lateral fWBRT at a dosage of 4 Gy/day on 5 consecutive days. In line with previous reports, immunohistochemical analysis of doublecortin positive cells in the dentate gyrus showed a profound reduction in immature neurons 4 weeks after fWBRT. Surprisingly, spontaneous behavior as measured in automated home cages was not affected. Moreover, learning and memory measured with Barnes maze, was also not affected 4-6 weeks after fWBRT. At 10-11 weeks after fWBRT a significant difference in escape latency during the learning phase, but not in the probe test of the Barnes maze was observed. In conclusion, although we confirmed the serious adverse effect of fWBRT on neurogenesis 4 weeks after fWBRT, we did not find similar profound effects on spontaneous behavior in the automated home cage nor on learning abilities as measured by the Barnes maze. The relationship between the neurobiological effects of fWBRT and cognition seems more complex than often assumed and the choice of animal model, cognitive tasks, neurobiological parameters, and experimental set-up might be important factors in these types of experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.E. Kuil
- Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Division of Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R. Seigers
- Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M. Loos
- Sylics (Synaptologics BV), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - M.C. de Gooijer
- Division of Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A. Compter
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - W. Boogerd
- Department of Neuro-Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - O. van Tellingen
- Division of Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A.B. Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - S.B. Schagen
- Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Yeo YG, Park J, Kim Y, Rah JC, Shin CH, Oh SJ, Jang JH, Lee Y, Yoon JH, Oh YS. Retinoic acid modulation of granule cell activity and spatial discrimination in the adult hippocampus. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1379438. [PMID: 38694537 PMCID: PMC11061364 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1379438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA), derived from vitamin A (retinol), plays a crucial role in modulating neuroplasticity within the adult brain. Perturbations in RA signaling have been associated with memory impairments, underscoring the necessity to elucidate RA's influence on neuronal activity, particularly within the hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the cell type and sub-regional distribution of RA-responsive granule cells (GCs) in the mouse hippocampus and delineated their properties. We discovered that RA-responsive GCs tend to exhibit a muted response to environmental novelty, typically remaining inactive. Interestingly, chronic dietary depletion of RA leads to an abnormal increase in GC activation evoked by a novel environment, an effect that is replicated by the localized application of an RA receptor beta (RARβ) antagonist. Furthermore, our study shows that prolonged RA deficiency impairs spatial discrimination-a cognitive function reliant on the hippocampus-with such impairments being reversible with RA replenishment. In summary, our findings significantly contribute to a better understanding of RA's role in regulating adult hippocampal neuroplasticity and cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Gwon Yeo
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongrak Park
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonsub Kim
- Sensory and Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Cheol Rah
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Sensory and Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Hoon Shin
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo-Jin Oh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Hyeok Jang
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yaebin Lee
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Hyuk Yoon
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Seok Oh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Emotion, Cognition and Behavior Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
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3
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Lipp HP, Krackow S, Turkes E, Benner S, Endo T, Russig H. IntelliCage: the development and perspectives of a mouse- and user-friendly automated behavioral test system. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 17:1270538. [PMID: 38235003 PMCID: PMC10793385 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1270538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
IntelliCage for mice is a rodent home-cage equipped with four corner structures harboring symmetrical double panels for operant conditioning at each of the two sides, either by reward (access to water) or by aversion (non-painful stimuli: air-puffs, LED lights). Corner visits, nose-pokes and actual licks at bottle-nipples are recorded individually using subcutaneously implanted transponders for RFID identification of up to 16 adult mice housed in the same home-cage. This allows for recording individual in-cage activity of mice and applying reward/punishment operant conditioning schemes in corners using workflows designed on a versatile graphic user interface. IntelliCage development had four roots: (i) dissatisfaction with standard approaches for analyzing mouse behavior, including standardization and reproducibility issues, (ii) response to handling and housing animal welfare issues, (iii) the increasing number of mouse models had produced a high work burden on classic manual behavioral phenotyping of single mice. and (iv), studies of transponder-chipped mice in outdoor settings revealed clear genetic behavioral differences in mouse models corresponding to those observed by classic testing in the laboratory. The latter observations were important for the development of home-cage testing in social groups, because they contradicted the traditional belief that animals must be tested under social isolation to prevent disturbance by other group members. The use of IntelliCages reduced indeed the amount of classic testing remarkably, while its flexibility was proved in a wide range of applications worldwide including transcontinental parallel testing. Essentially, two lines of testing emerged: sophisticated analysis of spontaneous behavior in the IntelliCage for screening of new genetic models, and hypothesis testing in many fields of behavioral neuroscience. Upcoming developments of the IntelliCage aim at improved stimulus presentation in the learning corners and videotracking of social interactions within the IntelliCage. Its main advantages are (i) that mice live in social context and are not stressfully handled for experiments, (ii) that studies are not restricted in time and can run in absence of humans, (iii) that it increases reproducibility of behavioral phenotyping worldwide, and (iv) that the industrial standardization of the cage permits retrospective data analysis with new statistical tools even after many years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Peter Lipp
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sven Krackow
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Emir Turkes
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Seico Benner
- Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan
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Lang B, Kahnau P, Hohlbaum K, Mieske P, Andresen NP, Boon MN, Thöne-Reineke C, Lewejohann L, Diederich K. Challenges and advanced concepts for the assessment of learning and memory function in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1230082. [PMID: 37809039 PMCID: PMC10551171 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the formation and retrieval of memories are still an active area of research and discussion. Manifold models have been proposed and refined over the years, with most assuming a dichotomy between memory processes involving non-conscious and conscious mechanisms. Despite our incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms, tests of memory and learning count among the most performed behavioral experiments. Here, we will discuss available protocols for testing learning and memory using the example of the most prevalent animal species in research, the laboratory mouse. A wide range of protocols has been developed in mice to test, e.g., object recognition, spatial learning, procedural memory, sequential problem solving, operant- and fear conditioning, and social recognition. Those assays are carried out with individual subjects in apparatuses such as arenas and mazes, which allow for a high degree of standardization across laboratories and straightforward data interpretation but are not without caveats and limitations. In animal research, there is growing concern about the translatability of study results and animal welfare, leading to novel approaches beyond established protocols. Here, we present some of the more recent developments and more advanced concepts in learning and memory testing, such as multi-step sequential lockboxes, assays involving groups of animals, as well as home cage-based assays supported by automated tracking solutions; and weight their potential and limitations against those of established paradigms. Shifting the focus of learning tests from the classical experimental chamber to settings which are more natural for rodents comes with a new set of challenges for behavioral researchers, but also offers the opportunity to understand memory formation and retrieval in a more conclusive way than has been attainable with conventional test protocols. We predict and embrace an increase in studies relying on methods involving a higher degree of automatization, more naturalistic- and home cage-based experimental setting as well as more integrated learning tasks in the future. We are confident these trends are suited to alleviate the burden on animal subjects and improve study designs in memory research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lang
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pia Kahnau
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Mieske
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Niek P. Andresen
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcus N. Boon
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Welfare, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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Bramati G, Stauffer P, Nigri M, Wolfer DP, Amrein I. Environmental enrichment improves hippocampus-dependent spatial learning in female C57BL/6 mice in novel IntelliCage sweet reward-based behavioral tests. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1256744. [PMID: 37791111 PMCID: PMC10543696 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1256744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The IntelliCage is an automated home-cage system that allows researchers to investigate the spontaneous behavior and learning abilities of group-housed mice. The IntelliCage enables us to increase the standardization and reproducibility of behavioral outcomes by the omission of experimenter-mouse interactions. Although the IntelliCage provides a less stressful environment for animals, standard IntelliCage protocols use controlled water access as the motivational driver for learning. To overcome possible water restrictions in slow learners, we developed a series of novel protocols based on appetitive learning, in which mice had permanent access to plain water but were additionally rewarded with sweetened water upon solving the task. C57BL/6NCrl female mice were used to assess the efficacy of these sweet reward-based protocols in a series of learning tasks. Compared to control mice tested with standard protocols, mice motivated with a sweet reward did equal to or better in operant performance and place learning tasks. Learning of temporal rules was slower than that in controls. When faced with a combined temporal x spatial working memory task, sweet-rewarded mice learned little and chose plain water. In a second set of experiments, the impact of environmental enrichment on appetitive learning was tested. Mice kept under enriched environment (EE) or standard housing (SH) conditions prior to the IntelliCage experiments performed similarly in the sweet-rewarded place learning task. EE mice performed better in the hippocampus-dependent spatial working memory task. The improved performance of EE mice in the hippocampus-dependent spatial working memory task might be explained by the observed larger volume of their mossy fibers. Our results confirm that environmental enrichment increases complex spatial learning abilities and leads to long-lasting morphological changes in the hippocampus. Furthermore, simple standard IntelliCage protocols could easily be adapted to sweet rewards, which improve animal welfare by removing the possibility of water restriction. However, complex behavioral tasks motivated by sweet reward-based learning need further adjustments to reach the same efficacy as standard protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Bramati
- Division Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pia Stauffer
- Division Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martina Nigri
- Division Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - David P. Wolfer
- Division Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Irmgard Amrein
- Division Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
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6
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Kahnau P, Jaap A, Urmersbach B, Diederich K, Lewejohann L. Development of an IntelliCage-based cognitive bias test for mice. OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE 2023; 2:128. [PMID: 37799631 PMCID: PMC10548109 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.15294.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
The cognitive bias test is used to measure the emotional state of animals with regard to future expectations. Thus, the test offers a unique possibility to assess animal welfare with regard to housing and testing conditions of laboratory animals. So far, however, performing such a test is time-consuming and requires the presence of an experimenter. Therefore, we developed an automated and home-cage based cognitive bias test based on the IntelliCage system. We present several developmental steps to improve the experimental design leading to a successful measurement of cognitive bias in group-housed female C57BL/6J mice. The automated and home-cage based test design allows to obtain individual data from group-housed mice, to test the mice in their familiar environment, and during their active phase. By connecting the test-cage to the home-cage via a gating system, the mice participated in the test on a self-chosen schedule, indicating high motivation to actively participate in the experiment. We propose that this should have a positive effect on the animals themselves as well as on the data. Unexpectedly, the mice showed an optimistic cognitive bias after enrichment was removed and additional restraining. An optimistic expectation of the future as a consequence of worsening environmental conditions, however, can also be interpreted as an active coping strategy in which a potential profit is sought to be maximized through a higher willingness to take risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Anne Jaap
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Birk Urmersbach
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
- Insitute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
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7
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Kahnau P, Jaap A, Urmersbach B, Diederich K, Lewejohann L. Development of an IntelliCage-based cognitive bias test for mice. OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE 2023; 2:128. [PMID: 37799631 PMCID: PMC10548109 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.15294.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The cognitive bias test is used to measure the emotional state of animals with regard to future expectations. Thus, the test offers a unique possibility to assess animal welfare with regard to housing and testing conditions of laboratory animals. So far, however, performing such a test is time-consuming and requires the presence of an experimenter. Therefore, we developed an automated and home-cage based cognitive bias test based on the IntelliCage system. We present several developmental steps to improve the experimental design leading to a successful measurement of cognitive bias in group-housed female C57BL/6J mice. The automated and home-cage based test design allows to obtain individual data from group-housed mice, to test the mice in their familiar environment, and during their active phase. By connecting the test-cage to the home-cage via a gating system, the mice participated in the test on a self-chosen schedule, indicating high motivation to actively participate in the experiment. We propose that this should have a positive effect on the animals themselves as well as on the data. Unexpectedly, the mice showed an optimistic cognitive bias after enrichment was removed and additional restraining. An optimistic expectation of the future as a consequence of worsening environmental conditions, however, can also be interpreted as an active coping strategy in which a potential profit is sought to be maximized through a higher willingness to take risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Anne Jaap
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Birk Urmersbach
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, 10589, Germany
- Insitute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14163, Germany
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8
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Ho H, Kejzar N, Sasaguri H, Saito T, Saido TC, De Strooper B, Bauza M, Krupic J. A fully automated home cage for long-term continuous phenotyping of mouse cognition and behavior. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100532. [PMID: 37533650 PMCID: PMC10391580 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Automated home-cage monitoring systems present a valuable tool for comprehensive phenotyping of natural behaviors. However, current systems often involve complex training routines, water or food restriction, and probe a limited range of behaviors. Here, we present a fully automated home-cage monitoring system for cognitive and behavioral phenotyping in mice. The system incorporates T-maze alternation, novel object recognition, and object-in-place recognition tests combined with monitoring of locomotion, drinking, and quiescence patterns, all carried out over long periods. Mice learn the tasks rapidly without any need for water or food restrictions. Behavioral characterization employs a deep convolutional neural network image analysis. We show that combined statistical properties of multiple behaviors can be used to discriminate between mice with hippocampal, medial entorhinal, and sham lesions and predict the genotype of an Alzheimer's disease mouse model with high accuracy. This technology may enable large-scale behavioral screening for genes and neural circuits underlying spatial memory and other cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hinze Ho
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nejc Kejzar
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hiroki Sasaguri
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Japan
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takaomi C. Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Japan
| | - Bart De Strooper
- UK-Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marius Bauza
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Julija Krupic
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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9
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Li X, Gao Y, Han X, Tang S, Li N, Liu X, Ni X. Maresin1 ameliorates postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aged rats by potentially regulating the NF-κB pathway to inhibit astrocyte activation. Exp Gerontol 2023; 176:112168. [PMID: 37055002 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112168] [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: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the most serious postoperative complications in the elderly population. Perioperative central neuroinflammation is considered to be an important pathological mechanism of POCD, with the activation of astrocytes playing a key role in central neuroinflammation. Maresin1 (MaR1) is a specific pro-resolving mediator synthesized by macrophages in the resolution stage of inflammation, and provides unique anti-inflammatory and pro-resolution effects by limiting excessive neuroinflammation and promoting postoperative recovery. However, the question remains whether MaR1 can have a positive effect on POCD. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of MaR1 on POCD cognitive function in aged rats after splenectomy. Morris water maze test and IntelliCage test showed that splenectomy could cause transient cognitive dysfunction in aged rats; however, the cognitive impairment of rats was significantly mitigated when MaR1 pretreatment was administered. MaR1 significantly alleviated the fluorescence intensity and protein expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and central nervous system specific protein in the cornu ammonis 1 region of the hippocampus. Simultaneously, the morphology of astrocytes was also severely altered. Further experiments showed that MaR1 inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of several key proinflammatory cytokines-interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the hippocampus of aged rats following splenectomy. The molecular mechanism underlying this process was explored by evaluating expression of components of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. MaR1 substantially inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB p65 and κB inhibitor kinase β. Collectively, these results suggest that MaR1 ameliorated splenectomy-induced transient cognitive impairment in elderly rats, and this neuroprotective mechanism may occur through regulating the NF-κB pathway to inhibit astrocyte activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhua Li
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Yubo Gao
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Xu Han
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Shaling Tang
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Xing Liu
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Xinli Ni
- Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China.
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10
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Jörimann M, Maliković J, Wolfer DP, Pryce CR, Endo T, Benner S, Amrein I. Bank Voles Show More Impulsivity in IntelliCage Learning Tasks than Wood Mice. Neuroscience 2023; 510:157-170. [PMID: 36403688 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Impulsivity is a personality trait of healthy individuals, but in extreme forms common in mental disorders. Previous behavioral testing of wild-caught bank voles and wood mice suggested impulsiveness in bank voles. Here, we compared behavioral performance of bank voles and wood mice in tests for response control in the IntelliCage. In the reaction time task, a test similar to the five-choice serial-reaction time task (5CSRTT), bank voles made more premature responses. Impulsivity in the reaction time task was associated with smaller medial habenular nucleus in bank voles. Additional tests revealed reduced behavioral flexibility in the self-paced flexibility task in bank voles, but equal spatial and reversal learning in the chaining/reversal task in both species. Expression of immediate early gene Arc after behavioral testing was low in medial prefrontal cortex, but high in hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricular nucleus in bank voles. Wood mice showed the opposite pattern. Numbers of Arc-positive cells in the dorsal hippocampus were higher in bank voles than wood mice. Due to continuous behavioral testing (24/7), associations between behavioral performance and Arc were rare. Corticosterone measurements at the end of experiments suggested that IntelliCage testing did not elicit a stress response in these wild rodents. In summary, habenular size differences and altered activation of brain areas after testing might indicate differently balanced activations of cortico-limbic and cortico-hypothalamic circuits in bank voles compared to wood mice. Behavioral performance of bank voles suggest that these rodents could be a natural animal model for investigating impulsive and perseverative behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marielle Jörimann
- Institute of Anatomy, Division Functional Neuroanatomy, University Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jovana Maliković
- Institute of Anatomy, Division Functional Neuroanatomy, University Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David P Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, Division Functional Neuroanatomy, University Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christopher R Pryce
- Preclinical Laboratory for Translational Research into Affective Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital and University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Seico Benner
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu, Japan; Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Irmgard Amrein
- Institute of Anatomy, Division Functional Neuroanatomy, University Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland.
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11
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Kahnau P, Jaap A, Diederich K, Gygax L, Rudeck J, Lewejohann L. Determining the value of preferred goods based on consumer demand in a home-cage based test for mice. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:751-766. [PMID: 35469084 PMCID: PMC10027648 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01813-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
From the preference of one good over another, the strength of the preference cannot automatically be inferred. While money is the common denominator to assess the value of goods in humans, it appears difficult at first glance to put a price tag on the decisions of laboratory animals. Here we used consumer demand tests to measure how much work female mice expend to obtain access to different liquids. The mice could each choose between two liquids, one of which was free. The amount of work required to access the other liquid, by contrast, increased daily. In this way, the value of the liquid can be determined from a mouse's microeconomic perspective. The unique feature is that our test was carried out in a home-cage based setup. The mice lived in a group but could individually access the test-cage, which was connected to the home-cage via a gate. Thereby the mice were able to perform their task undisturbed by group members and on a self-chosen schedule with minimal influence by the experimenter. Our results show that the maximum number of nosepokes depends on the liquids presented. Mice worked incredibly hard for access to water while a bitter-tasting solution was offered for free whereas they made less nosepokes for sweetened liquids while water was offered for free. The results demonstrate that it is possible to perform automated and home-cage based consumer demand tests in order to ask the mice not only what they like best but also how strong their preference is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max-Dohrn Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Anne Jaap
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max-Dohrn Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai Diederich
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max-Dohrn Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorenz Gygax
- Animal Husbandry and Ethology, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Juliane Rudeck
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max-Dohrn Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Max-Dohrn Str. 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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12
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Tactile cues are important to environmental novelty during repeated open field tests. Behav Processes 2023; 204:104796. [PMID: 36460136 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The open field test (OFT) is a commonly used protocol to measure anxiety-like behaviors in rodents. Exploration in the central area of the open field and rearing frequency are often readouts of anxiety measurement. However, concerns about carry-over effects associated with repeated assessments limit its application, with the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon still to be fully described. Here, we showed that repeated OFTs in the same mice led to reductions in the percentage of time spent in the central area and frequency of rearing. This effect reduced with an increase in the intervals between test. The decay caused by repeated OFTs was due to habituation, rather than frequent handling of the experimenter, since novel environments could prevent decay from repeated OFTs. Our results also indicated that tactile cues of the environment played important roles in the habituation of repeated OFTs. Furthermore, the decay of central area activity and rearing behavior during repeated OFTs would be blocked if the hippocampal CA1 was lesioned, suggesting that CA1 is a crucial region for habituation of the OFT in mice. Taken together, our study uncovers the important roles of tactile cues and hippocampal CA1 during repeated OFTs in mice.
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13
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Lipp HP, Wolfer DP. Behavior is movement only but how to interpret it? Problems and pitfalls in translational neuroscience-a 40-year experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:958067. [PMID: 36330050 PMCID: PMC9623569 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.958067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Translational research in behavioral neuroscience seeks causes and remedies for human mental health problems in animals, following leads imposed by clinical research in psychiatry. This endeavor faces several problems because scientists must read and interpret animal movements to represent human perceptions, mood, and memory processes. Yet, it is still not known how mammalian brains bundle all these processes into a highly compressed motor output in the brain stem and spinal cord, but without that knowledge, translational research remains aimless. Based on some four decades of experience in the field, the article identifies sources of interpretation problems and illustrates typical translational pitfalls. (1) The sensory world of mice is different. Smell, hearing, and tactile whisker sensations dominate in rodents, while visual input is comparatively small. In humans, the relations are reversed. (2) Mouse and human brains are equated inappropriately: the association cortex makes up a large portion of the human neocortex, while it is relatively small in rodents. The predominant associative cortex in rodents is the hippocampus itself, orchestrating chiefly inputs from secondary sensorimotor areas and generating species-typical motor patterns that are not easily reconciled with putative human hippocampal functions. (3) Translational interpretation of studies of memory or emotionality often neglects the ecology of mice, an extremely small species surviving by freezing or flight reactions that do not need much cognitive processing. (4) Further misinterpretations arise from confounding neuronal properties with system properties, and from rigid mechanistic thinking unaware that many experimentally induced changes in the brain do partially reflect unpredictable compensatory plasticity. (5) Based on observing hippocampal lesion effects in mice indoors and outdoors, the article offers a simplistic general model of hippocampal functions in relation to hypothalamic input and output, placing hypothalamus and the supraspinal motor system at the top of a cerebral hierarchy. (6) Many translational problems could be avoided by inclusion of simple species-typical behaviors as end-points comparable to human cognitive or executive processing, and to rely more on artificial intelligence for recognizing patterns not classifiable by traditional psychological concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Peter Lipp
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - David P. Wolfer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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14
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Hahnefeld L, Vogel A, Gurke R, Geisslinger G, Schäfer MKE, Tegeder I. Phosphatidylethanolamine Deficiency and Triglyceride Overload in Perilesional Cortex Contribute to Non-Goal-Directed Hyperactivity after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040914. [PMID: 35453664 PMCID: PMC9033131 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often complicated by long-lasting disabilities, including headache, fatigue, insomnia, hyperactivity, and cognitive deficits. In a previous study in mice, we showed that persistent non-goal-directed hyperactivity is a characteristic post-TBI behavior that was associated with low levels of endocannabinoids in the perilesional cortex. We now analyzed lipidome patterns in the brain and plasma in TBI versus sham mice in association with key behavioral parameters and endocannabinoids. Lipidome profiles in the plasma and subcortical ipsilateral and contralateral brain were astonishingly equal in sham and TBI mice, but the ipsilateral perilesional cortex revealed a strong increase in neutral lipids represented by 30 species of triacylglycerols (TGs) of different chain lengths and saturation. The accumulation of TG was localized predominantly to perilesional border cells as revealed by Oil Red O staining. In addition, hexosylceramides (HexCer) and phosphatidylethanolamines (PE and ether-linked PE-O) were reduced. They are precursors of gangliosides and endocannabinoids, respectively. High TG, low HexCer, and low PE/PE-O showed a linear association with non-goal-directed nighttime hyperactivity but not with the loss of avoidance memory. The analyses suggest that TG overload and HexCer and PE deficiencies contributed to behavioral dimensions of post-TBI psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Hahnefeld
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; (L.H.); (A.V.); (R.G.); (G.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Alexandra Vogel
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; (L.H.); (A.V.); (R.G.); (G.G.)
| | - Robert Gurke
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; (L.H.); (A.V.); (R.G.); (G.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gerd Geisslinger
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; (L.H.); (A.V.); (R.G.); (G.G.)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune Mediated Diseases (CIMD), 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael K. E. Schäfer
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany; (L.H.); (A.V.); (R.G.); (G.G.)
- Correspondence:
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15
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Klein CJMI, Budiman T, Homberg JR, Verma D, Keijer J, van Schothorst EM. Measuring Locomotor Activity and Behavioral Aspects of Rodents Living in the Home-Cage. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:877323. [PMID: 35464142 PMCID: PMC9021872 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.877323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Automatization and technological advances have led to a larger number of methods and systems to monitor and measure locomotor activity and more specific behavior of a wide variety of animal species in various environmental conditions in laboratory settings. In rodents, the majority of these systems require the animals to be temporarily taken away from their home-cage into separate observation cage environments which requires manual handling and consequently evokes distress for the animal and may alter behavioral responses. An automated high-throughput approach can overcome this problem. Therefore, this review describes existing automated methods and technologies which enable the measurement of locomotor activity and behavioral aspects of rodents in their most meaningful and stress-free laboratory environment: the home-cage. In line with the Directive 2010/63/EU and the 3R principles (replacement, reduction, refinement), this review furthermore assesses their suitability and potential for group-housed conditions as a refinement strategy, highlighting their current technological and practical limitations. It covers electrical capacitance technology and radio-frequency identification (RFID), which focus mainly on voluntary locomotor activity in both single and multiple rodents, respectively. Infrared beams and force plates expand the detection beyond locomotor activity toward basic behavioral traits but discover their full potential in individually housed rodents only. Despite the great premises of these approaches in terms of behavioral pattern recognition, more sophisticated methods, such as (RFID-assisted) video tracking technology need to be applied to enable the automated analysis of advanced behavioral aspects of individual animals in social housing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian J. M. I. Klein
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- TSE Systems GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Judith R. Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | - Jaap Keijer
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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16
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Barranco A, Garcia L, Gruart A, Delgado-Garcia JM, Rueda R, Ramirez M. Effects of β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate Supplementation on Working Memory and Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation in Rodents. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14051090. [PMID: 35268065 PMCID: PMC8912805 DOI: 10.3390/nu14051090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolite of the essential amino acid leucine, has been shown to preserve muscle mass and strength during aging. The signaling mechanism by which HMB elicits its favorable effects on protein metabolism in skeletal muscle is also preserved in the brain. However, there are only a few studies, all at relatively high doses, addressing the effect of HMB supplementation on cognition. This study evaluated the effects of different doses of HMB on the potentiation of hippocampal synapses following the experimental induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus of behaving rats, as well as on working memory test (delayed matching-to-position, DMTP) in mice. HMB doses in rats were 225 (low), 450 (medium), and 900 (high) mg/kg body weight/day and were double in mice. Rats who received medium or high HMB doses improved LTP, suggesting that HMB administration enhances mechanisms related to neuronal plasticity. In the DMTP test, mice that received any of the tested doses of HMB performed better than the control group in the overall test with particularities depending on the dose and the task phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Barranco
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, School of Pharmacy, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;
| | | | - Agnes Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, 41001 Seville, Spain; (A.G.); (J.M.D.-G.)
| | | | - Ricardo Rueda
- Abbott Nutrition, Research and Development, 18004 Granada, Spain;
| | - Maria Ramirez
- Abbott Nutrition, Research and Development, 18004 Granada, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-669-127998
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17
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Verification of a multi-function closed maze for the detection of affective disorder and spatial cognitive impairment in post-weaning socially isolated rats. Neurosci Lett 2021; 763:136192. [PMID: 34419504 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To verify a behavioral device for the detection of learning, memory, and affective disorders in post-weaning socially isolated rats. METHODS We tested the behavioral changes in post-weaning socially isolated rats using a multi-function closed maze, a self-developed behavioral device, against the classical mood disorder detection method, the IntelliCage system and Morris water maze. RESULTS In the multifunctional closed maze experiment, the spatial learning and memory ability of post-weaning socially isolated rats decreased, which was consistent with the results of the water maze and IntelliCage system. Furthermore, the behavioral changes in the post-weaning socially isolated rats in the multi-function closed maze test were the same as those of the forced swimming and open field tests, indicating that the rats had depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. CONCLUSION A multi-function closed maze can detect emotional changes, spatial learning ability, and memory ability.
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18
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Ruffini N, Müller M, Schmitt U, Gerber S. IntelliPy: A GUI for analyzing IntelliCage data. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:3972-3973. [PMID: 34601559 PMCID: PMC8570781 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Summary The IntelliCage systems offer the possibility to conduct long-term behavioral experiments on mice in social groups without human intervention. Although this setup provides new findings, only about 150 studies with the IntelliCage system have been published in the last two decades, which is also caused by the challenging problems of processing and handling the large and heterogeneous amounts of captured data. This application note introduces the Python-GUI IntelliPy, especially designed for users not very experienced in using programming languages. IntelliPy allows users to quickly analyze the IntelliCage output in a user-friendly way, thus making the systems more accessible to a broader audience. Availability and implementation https://github.com/NiRuff/IntelliPy. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Ruffini
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Leibniz Association, 55122 Mainz, Germany Wallstraße 7
| | - Marianne Müller
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Leibniz Association, 55122 Mainz, Germany Wallstraße 7.,Translational Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schmitt
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Leibniz Association, 55122 Mainz, Germany Wallstraße 7
| | - Susanne Gerber
- Institute for Human Genetics, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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19
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Winslow W, McDonough I, Tallino S, Decker A, Vural AS, Velazquez R. IntelliCage Automated Behavioral Phenotyping Reveals Behavior Deficits in the 3xTg-AD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease Associated With Brain Weight. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:720214. [PMID: 34483889 PMCID: PMC8414893 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.720214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenic rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were designed to study mechanisms of pathogenesis and connect these mechanisms with cognitive decline. Measurements of cognition in rodents can be confounded, however, by human handling and interaction; the IntelliCage was created to circumvent these issues while measuring various facets of cognition in a social environment with water consumption as the primary motivator for task completion. Here, for the first time, we examined the behavioral performance of 3xTg-AD mice in the IntelliCage. Seven- to 9-month-old female 3xTg-AD and non-transgenic (NonTg) mice were tested for 29 days in the IntelliCage to measure prefrontal cortical and hippocampal function. We found that a higher percentage of NonTg mice (86.96%) were able to successfully complete the training (adaptation) phases compared to their 3xTg-AD (57.14%) counterparts. Furthermore, the 3xTg-AD mice showed impairments in attention and working memory. Interestingly, we found that differences in body and brain weight between NonTg and 3xTg-AD mice were associated with whether mice were able to complete the IntelliCage tasks. 3xTg-AD mice that completed IntelliCage tasks had lower cortical insoluble amyloid-β40 fractions than their 3xTg-AD counterparts who failed to complete the tasks. Collectively, these results demonstrate deficits in cognition in the 3xTg-AD mouse and inform scientists of important factors to consider when testing this transgenic model in the IntelliCage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Winslow
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Ian McDonough
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Savannah Tallino
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Annika Decker
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Austin S Vural
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Ramon Velazquez
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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20
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Kahnau P, Guenther A, Boon MN, Terzenbach JD, Hanitzsch E, Lewejohann L, Brust V. Lifetime Observation of Cognition and Physiological Parameters in Male Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:709775. [PMID: 34539359 PMCID: PMC8442583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.709775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Laboratory mice are predominantly used for one experiment only, i.e., new mice are ordered or bred for every new experiment. Moreover, most experiments use relatively young mice in the range of late adolescence to early adulthood. As a consequence, little is known about the day-to-day life of adult and aged laboratory mice. Here we present a long-term data set with three consecutive phases conducted with the same male mice over their lifetime in order to shed light on possible long-term effects of repeated cognitive stimulation. One third of the animals was trained by a variety of learning tasks conducted up to an age of 606 days. The mice were housed in four cages with 12 animals per cage; only four mice per cage had to repeatedly solve cognitive tasks for getting access to water using the IntelliCage system. In addition, these learner mice were tested in standard cognitive tests outside their home-cage. The other eight mice served as two control groups living in the same environment but without having to solve tasks for getting access to water. One control group was additionally placed on the test set-ups without having to learn the tasks. Next to the cognitive tasks, we took physiological measures (body mass, resting metabolic rate) and tested for dominance behavior, and attractivity in a female choice experiment. Overall, the mice were under surveillance until they died a natural death, providing a unique data set over the course of virtually their entire lives. Our data showed treatment differences during the first phase of our lifetime data set. Young learner mice showed a higher activity, less growth and resting metabolic rate, and were less attractive for female mice. These effects, however, were not preserved over the long-term. We also did not find differences in dominance or effects on longevity. However, we generated a unique and valuable set of long-term behavioral and physiological data from a single group of male mice and note that our long-term data contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral and physiological processes in male C57Bl/6J mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Kahnau
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Marcus Nicolaas Boon
- Department for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Modeling of Cognitive Processes, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Exzellenzcluster Science of Intelligence, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Eric Hanitzsch
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Laboratory Animal Science, German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
- Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Animal Welfare, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vera Brust
- Behavioral Phenotyping Unit, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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21
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Tran BN, Valek L, Wilken-Schmitz A, Fuhrmann DC, Namgaladze D, Wittig I, Tegeder I. Reduced exploratory behavior in neuronal nucleoredoxin knockout mice. Redox Biol 2021; 45:102054. [PMID: 34198070 PMCID: PMC8254043 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2021.102054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleoredoxin is a thioredoxin-like redoxin that has been recognized as redox modulator of WNT signaling. Using a Yeast-2-Hybrid screen, we identified calcium calmodulin kinase 2a, Camk2a, as a prominent prey in a brain library. Camk2a is crucial for nitric oxide dependent processes of neuronal plasticity of learning and memory. Therefore, the present study assessed functions of NXN in neuronal Nestin-NXN-/- deficient mice. The NXN-Camk2a interaction was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation, and by colocalization in neuropil and dendritic spines. Functionally, Camk2a activity was reduced in NXN deficient neurons and restored with recombinant NXN. Proteomics revealed reduced oxidation in the hippocampus of Nestin-NXN-/- deficient mice, including Camk2a, further synaptic and mitochondrial proteins, and was associated with a reduction of mitochondrial respiration. Nestin-NXN-/- mice were healthy and behaved normally in behavioral tests of anxiety, activity and sociability. They had no cognitive deficits in touchscreen based learning & memory tasks, but omitted more trials showing a lower interest in the reward. They also engaged less in rewarding voluntary wheel running, and in exploratory behavior in IntelliCages. Accuracy was enhanced owing to the loss of exploration. The data suggested that NXN maintained the oxidative state of Camk2a and thereby its activity. In addition, it supported oxidation of other synaptic and mitochondrial proteins, and mitochondrial respiration. The loss of NXN-dependent pro-oxidative functions manifested in a loss of exploratory drive and reduced interest in reward in behaving mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao Ngoc Tran
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lucie Valek
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Annett Wilken-Schmitz
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Dimitry Namgaladze
- Institute of Biochemistry I, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ilka Wittig
- Functional Proteomics Group, Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt, Germany.
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22
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Srimat Kandadai K, Kotur MB, Dokalis N, Amrein I, Keller CW, Münz C, Wolfer D, Prinz M, Lünemann JD. ATG5 in microglia does not contribute vitally to autoimmune neuroinflammation in mice. Autophagy 2021; 17:3566-3576. [PMID: 33522362 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2021.1883880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia, resident myeloid immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), actively shape the circuitry of the brain, maintain CNS homeostasis during the steady state and orchestrate immune responses upon CNS injury. Both canonical and non-canonical functions of the macroautophagy/autophagy-related protein ATG5 regulate myeloid cell survival and immune responses. Here, we report that loss of ATG5 in postnatal microglia does not perturb CNS tissue integrity, microglial cell survival, or immune activation. Learning task performances were unchanged in mutant mice. Furthermore, lack of ATG5 expression in microglia had no impact on the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These data indicate that, basal autophagy, identified to be essential for the survival and function of neuronal cells, is not required to maintain CNS homeostasis if absent in adult microglia and ATG5 expression is dispensable for the development of autoimmune neuroinflammation.Abbreviations Ag, antigen; APC, antigen presenting cell; ATG/Atg, autophagy-related; CD, cluster of differentiation; CNS, central nervous system; DC, dendritic cell; EAE, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; fl, floxed; LAP, LC3-associated phagocytosis; LC3, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; MFI, median fluorescence intensity; MHCII, major histocompatibility complex class II; MOG, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein; MS, multiple sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keertana Srimat Kandadai
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Monika B Kotur
- Laboratory of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nikolaos Dokalis
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Irmgard Amrein
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian W Keller
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Laboratory of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Münz
- Laboratory of Viral Immunobiology, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - David Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg; Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg; Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (Neuromodulbasics), University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jan D Lünemann
- Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Laboratory of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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23
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Mifflin MA, Winslow W, Surendra L, Tallino S, Vural A, Velazquez R. Sex differences in the IntelliCage and the Morris water maze in the APP/PS1 mouse model of amyloidosis. Neurobiol Aging 2021; 101:130-140. [PMID: 33610962 PMCID: PMC8122060 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic rodent models were created to decipher pathogenic mechanisms associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and behavioral apparatuses such as the Morris water maze (MWM) are used to assess cognition in mice. The IntelliCage was designed to circumvent issues of traditional behavioral tests, such as frequent human handling. The motivation to complete IntelliCage tasks is water consumption, which is less stressful than escaping from a pool in the MWM. Here, we examined behavioral performances of mice in the IntelliCage and MWM tasks. Twelve-month-old male and female APP/PS1 and non-transgenic mice first underwent 42 days of IntelliCage testing to assess prefrontal cortical and hippocampal function followed by MWM testing for six days. We found that females performed better in the IntelliCage while males performed superiorly in the MWM. Mechanistically, female APP/PS1 mice had a higher Amyloid-β plaque load throughout the brain, which is inconsistent with their performance in the IntelliCage. Collectively, these results inform scientists about the sex-based differences when testing animals in different behavioral paradigms that tap similar cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A Mifflin
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Wendy Winslow
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Likith Surendra
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Savannah Tallino
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Austin Vural
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Ramon Velazquez
- Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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24
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von Ziegler L, Sturman O, Bohacek J. Big behavior: challenges and opportunities in a new era of deep behavior profiling. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:33-44. [PMID: 32599604 PMCID: PMC7688651 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0751-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of rodent behavior forms a cornerstone of preclinical assessment in neuroscience research. Nonetheless, the true and almost limitless potential of behavioral analysis has been inaccessible to scientists until very recently. Now, in the age of machine vision and deep learning, it is possible to extract and quantify almost infinite numbers of behavioral variables, to break behaviors down into subcategories and even into small behavioral units, syllables or motifs. However, the rapidly growing field of behavioral neuroethology is experiencing birthing pains. The community has not yet consolidated its methods, and new algorithms transfer poorly between labs. Benchmarking experiments as well as the large, well-annotated behavior datasets required are missing. Meanwhile, big data problems have started arising and we currently lack platforms for sharing large datasets-akin to sequencing repositories in genomics. Additionally, the average behavioral research lab does not have access to the latest tools to extract and analyze behavior, as their implementation requires advanced computational skills. Even so, the field is brimming with excitement and boundless opportunity. This review aims to highlight the potential of recent developments in the field of behavioral analysis, whilst trying to guide a consensus on practical issues concerning data collection and data sharing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas von Ziegler
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Sturman
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Bohacek
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH, Laboratory of Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Neuroscience, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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25
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Zhao L, Liu JW, Kan BH, Shi HY, Yang LP, Liu XY. Acupuncture accelerates neural regeneration and synaptophysin production after neural stem cells transplantation in mice. World J Stem Cells 2020; 12:1576-1590. [PMID: 33505601 PMCID: PMC7789117 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v12.i12.1576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synaptophysin plays a key role in synaptic development and plasticity of neurons and is closely related to the cognitive process of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Exogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) improve the damaged nerve function. The effects of Sanjiao acupuncture on cognitive impairment may be related to the regulation of the NSC microenvironment.
AIM To explore the anti-dementia mechanism of acupuncture by regulating the NSC microenvironment.
METHODS NSCs were isolated from pregnant senescence-accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) mice, labeled with BrdU, and injected into the hippocampus of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Eight-month-old senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) were randomly divided into six groups: SAMR1 (RC), SAMP8 (PC), sham transplantation (PS), NSC transplantation (PT), NSC transplantation with acupuncture (PTA), and NSC transplantation with non-acupoint acupuncture (PTN). Morris water maze test was used to study the learning and memory ability of mice after NSC transplantation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunofluorescence were used to observe the his-topathological changes and NSC proliferation in mice. A co-culture model of hippocampal slices and NSCs was established in vitro, and the synaptophysin expression in the hippocampal microenvironment of mice was observed by flow cytometry after acupuncture treatment.
RESULTS Morris water maze test showed significant cognitive impairment of learning and memory in 8-mo-old SAMP8, which improved in all the NSC transplantation groups. The behavioral change in the PTA group was stronger than those in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Histopathologically, the hippocampal structure was clear, the cell arrangement was dense and orderly, and the necrosis of cells in CA1 and CA3 areas was significantly reduced in the PTA group when compared with the PC group. The BrdU-positive proliferating cells were found in NSC hippocampal transplantation groups, and the number increased significantly in the PTA group than in the PT and PTN groups (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that after co-culture of NSCs with hippocampal slices in vitro, the synaptophysin expression in the PC group decreased in comparison to the RC group, that in PT, PTA, and PTN groups increased as compared to the PC group, and that in the PTA group increased significantly as compared to the PTN group with acupoint-related specificity (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION Acupuncture may promote nerve regeneration and synaptogenesis in SAMP8 mice by regulating the microenvironment of NSC transplantation to improve the nerve activity and promote the recovery of AD-damaged cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhao
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
| | - Jian-Wei Liu
- Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China
| | - Bo-Hong Kan
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
| | - Hui-Yan Shi
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China
| | - Lin-Po Yang
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China
| | - Xin-Yu Liu
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China
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26
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Mingrone A, Kaffman A, Kaffman A. The Promise of Automated Home-Cage Monitoring in Improving Translational Utility of Psychiatric Research in Rodents. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:618593. [PMID: 33390898 PMCID: PMC7773806 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.618593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large number of promising preclinical psychiatric studies in rodents later fail in clinical trials, raising concerns about the efficacy of this approach to generate novel pharmacological interventions. In this mini-review we argue that over-reliance on behavioral tests that are brief and highly sensitive to external factors play a critical role in this failure and propose that automated home-cage monitoring offers several advantages that will increase the translational utility of preclinical psychiatric research in rodents. We describe three of the most commonly used approaches for automated home cage monitoring in rodents [e.g., operant wall systems (OWS), computerized visual systems (CVS), and automatic motion sensors (AMS)] and review several commercially available systems that integrate the different approaches. Specific examples that demonstrate the advantages of automated home-cage monitoring over traditional tests of anxiety, depression, cognition, and addiction-like behaviors are highlighted. We conclude with recommendations on how to further expand this promising line of preclinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred Mingrone
- Department of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ayal Kaffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Arie Kaffman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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27
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Voikar V, Gaburro S. Three Pillars of Automated Home-Cage Phenotyping of Mice: Novel Findings, Refinement, and Reproducibility Based on Literature and Experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:575434. [PMID: 33192366 PMCID: PMC7662686 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.575434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders require extensive behavioral phenotyping. Currently, this presents several caveats and the most important are: (i) rodents are nocturnal animals, but mostly tested during the light period; (ii) the conventional behavioral experiments take into consideration only a snapshot of a rich behavioral repertoire; and (iii) environmental factors, as well as experimenter influence, are often underestimated. Consequently, serious concerns have been expressed regarding the reproducibility of research findings on the one hand, and appropriate welfare of the animals (based on the principle of 3Rs-reduce, refine and replace) on the other hand. To address these problems and improve behavioral phenotyping in general, several solutions have been proposed and developed. Undisturbed, 24/7 home-cage monitoring (HCM) is gaining increased attention and popularity as demonstrating the potential to substitute or complement the conventional phenotyping methods by providing valuable data for identifying the behavioral patterns that may have been missed otherwise. In this review, we will briefly describe the different technologies used for HCM systems. Thereafter, based on our experience, we will focus on two systems, IntelliCage (NewBehavior AG and TSE-systems) and Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC®, Tecniplast)-how they have been developed and applied during recent years. Additionally, we will touch upon the importance of the environmental/experimenter artifacts and propose alternative suggestions for performing phenotyping experiments based on the published evidence. We will discuss how the integration of telemetry systems for deriving certain physiological parameters can help to complement the description of the animal model to offer better translation to human studies. Ultimately, we will discuss how such HCM data can be statistically interpreted and analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vootele Voikar
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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28
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Nieraad H, de Bruin N, Arne O, Hofmann MCJ, Schmidt M, Saito T, Saido TC, Gurke R, Schmidt D, Till U, Parnham MJ, Geisslinger G. Impact of Hyperhomocysteinemia and Different Dietary Interventions on Cognitive Performance in a Knock-in Mouse Model for Alzheimer's Disease. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12113248. [PMID: 33114054 PMCID: PMC7690745 DOI: 10.3390/nu12113248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hyperhomocysteinemia is considered a possible contributor to the complex pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). For years, researchers in this field have discussed the apparent detrimental effects of the endogenous amino acid homocysteine in the brain. In this study, the roles of hyperhomocysteinemia driven by vitamin B deficiency, as well as potentially beneficial dietary interventions, were investigated in the novel AppNL-G-F knock-in mouse model for AD, simulating an early stage of the disease. METHODS Urine and serum samples were analyzed using a validated LC-MS/MS method and the impact of different experimental diets on cognitive performance was studied in a comprehensive behavioral test battery. Finally, we analyzed brain samples immunohistochemically in order to assess amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition. RESULTS Behavioral testing data indicated subtle cognitive deficits in AppNL-G-F compared to C57BL/6J wild type mice. Elevation of homocysteine and homocysteic acid, as well as counteracting dietary interventions, mostly did not result in significant effects on learning and memory performance, nor in a modified Aβ plaque deposition in 35-week-old AppNL-G-F mice. CONCLUSION Despite prominent Aβ plaque deposition, the AppNL-G-F model merely displays a very mild AD-like phenotype at the investigated age. Older AppNL-G-F mice should be tested in order to further investigate potential effects of hyperhomocysteinemia and dietary interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik Nieraad
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Natasja de Bruin
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Olga Arne
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Martine C. J. Hofmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Mike Schmidt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Takashi Saito
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; (T.S.); (T.C.S.)
- Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takaomi C. Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; (T.S.); (T.C.S.)
| | - Robert Gurke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
- pharmazentrum frankfurt/ZAFES, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Dominik Schmidt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Uwe Till
- Former Institute of Pathobiochemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Nonnenplan 2, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Michael J. Parnham
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
| | - Gerd Geisslinger
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Branch for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology TMP, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (N.d.B.); (O.A.); (M.C.J.H.); (M.S.); (R.G.); (D.S.); (M.J.P.); (G.G.)
- pharmazentrum frankfurt/ZAFES, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Low brain endocannabinoids associated with persistent non-goal directed nighttime hyperactivity after traumatic brain injury in mice. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14929. [PMID: 32913220 PMCID: PMC7483739 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71879-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a frequent cause of chronic headache, fatigue, insomnia, hyperactivity, memory deficits, irritability and posttraumatic stress disorder. Recent evidence suggests beneficial effects of pro-cannabinoid treatments. We assessed in mice levels of endocannabinoids in association with the occurrence and persistence of comparable sequelae after controlled cortical impact in mice using a set of long-term behavioral observations in IntelliCages, motor and nociception tests in two sequential cohorts of TBI/sham mice. TBI mice maintained lower body weights, and they had persistent low levels of brain ethanolamide endocannabinoids (eCBs: AEA, OEA, PEA) in perilesional and subcortical ipsilateral brain tissue (6 months), but rapidly recovered motor functions (within days), and average nociceptive responses were within normal limits, albeit with high variability, ranging from loss of thermal sensation to hypersensitivity. TBI mice showed persistent non-goal directed nighttime hyperactivity, i.e. they visited rewarding and non-rewarding operant corners with high frequency and random success. On successful visits, they made more licks than sham mice resulting in net over-licking. The lower the eCBs the stronger was the hyperactivity. In reward-based learning and reversal learning tasks, TBI mice were not inferior to sham mice, but avoidance memory was less stable. Hence, the major late behavioral TBI phenotype was non-goal directed nighttime hyperactivity and "over-licking" in association with low ipsilateral brain eCBs. The behavioral phenotype would agree with a "post-TBI hyperactivity disorder". The association with persistently low eCBs in perilesional and subcortical regions suggests that eCB deficiency contribute to the post-TBI psychopathology.
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30
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Prevention of age-associated neuronal hyperexcitability with improved learning and attention upon knockout or antagonism of LPAR2. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:1029-1050. [PMID: 32468095 PMCID: PMC7897625 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03553-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that synaptic lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) augment glutamate-dependent cortical excitability and sensory information processing in mice and humans via presynaptic LPAR2 activation. Here, we studied the consequences of LPAR2 deletion or antagonism on various aspects of cognition using a set of behavioral and electrophysiological analyses. Hippocampal neuronal network activity was decreased in middle-aged LPAR2−/− mice, whereas hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was increased suggesting cognitive advantages of LPAR2−/− mice. In line with the lower excitability, RNAseq studies revealed reduced transcription of neuronal activity markers in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in naïve LPAR2−/− mice, including ARC, FOS, FOSB, NR4A, NPAS4 and EGR2. LPAR2−/− mice behaved similarly to wild-type controls in maze tests of spatial or social learning and memory but showed faster and accurate responses in a 5-choice serial reaction touchscreen task requiring high attention and fast spatial discrimination. In IntelliCage learning experiments, LPAR2−/− were less active during daytime but normally active at night, and showed higher accuracy and attention to LED cues during active times. Overall, they maintained equal or superior licking success with fewer trials. Pharmacological block of the LPAR2 receptor recapitulated the LPAR2−/− phenotype, which was characterized by economic corner usage, stronger daytime resting behavior and higher proportions of correct trials. We conclude that LPAR2 stabilizes neuronal network excitability upon aging and allows for more efficient use of resting periods, better memory consolidation and better performance in tasks requiring high selective attention. Therapeutic LPAR2 antagonism may alleviate aging-associated cognitive dysfunctions.
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31
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Kiryk A, Janusz A, Zglinicki B, Turkes E, Knapska E, Konopka W, Lipp HP, Kaczmarek L. IntelliCage as a tool for measuring mouse behavior - 20 years perspective. Behav Brain Res 2020; 388:112620. [PMID: 32302617 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Since the 1980s, we have witnessed the rapid development of genetically modified mouse models of human diseases. A large number of transgenic and knockout mice have been utilized in basic and applied research, including models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. To assess the biological function of mutated genes, modern techniques are critical to detect changes in behavioral phenotypes. We review the IntelliCage, a high-throughput system that is used for behavioral screening and detailed analyses of complex behaviors in mice. The IntelliCage was introduced almost two decades ago and has been used in over 150 studies to assess both spontaneous and cognitive behaviors. We present a critical analysis of experimental data that have been generated using this device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kiryk
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Artur Janusz
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bartosz Zglinicki
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Emir Turkes
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Witold Konopka
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hans-Peter Lipp
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Leszek Kaczmarek
- BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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32
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Mehr A, Hick M, Ludewig S, Müller M, Herrmann U, von Engelhardt J, Wolfer DP, Korte M, Müller UC. Lack of APP and APLP2 in GABAergic Forebrain Neurons Impairs Synaptic Plasticity and Cognition. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:4044-4063. [PMID: 32219307 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) is central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, yet its physiological functions remain incompletely understood. Previous studies had indicated important synaptic functions of APP and the closely related homologue APLP2 in excitatory forebrain neurons for spine density, synaptic plasticity, and behavior. Here, we show that APP is also widely expressed in several interneuron subtypes, both in hippocampus and cortex. To address the functional role of APP in inhibitory neurons, we generated mice with a conditional APP/APLP2 double knockout (cDKO) in GABAergic forebrain neurons using DlxCre mice. These DlxCre cDKO mice exhibit cognitive deficits in hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory tasks, as well as impairments in species-typic nesting and burrowing behaviors. Deficits at the behavioral level were associated with altered neuronal morphology and synaptic plasticity Long-Term Potentiation (LTP). Impaired basal synaptic transmission at the Schafer collateral/CA1 pathway, which was associated with altered compound excitatory/inhibitory synaptic currents and reduced action potential firing of CA1 pyramidal cells, points to a disrupted excitation/inhibition balance in DlxCre cDKOs. Together, these impairments may lead to hippocampal dysfunction. Collectively, our data reveal a crucial role of APP family proteins in inhibitory interneurons to maintain functional network activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Mehr
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB), University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Meike Hick
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe-University, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Susann Ludewig
- Division of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michaela Müller
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ulrike Herrmann
- Division of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jakob von Engelhardt
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - David P Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.,Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Korte
- Division of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.,AG Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ulrike C Müller
- Department of Functional Genomics, Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology (IPMB), University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Division of Cellular Neurobiology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
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Martínez de Lagrán M. Mapping behavioral landscapes in Down syndrome animal models. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020; 251:145-179. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Dusp8 affects hippocampal size and behavior in mice and humans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19483. [PMID: 31862894 PMCID: PMC6925303 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55527-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Dual-specificity phosphatase 8 (Dusp8) acts as physiological inhibitor for the MAPKs Jnk, Erk and p38 which are involved in regulating multiple CNS processes. While Dusp8 expression levels are high in limbic areas such as the hippocampus, the functional role of Dusp8 in hippocampus morphology, MAPK-signaling, neurogenesis and apoptosis as well as in behavior are still unclear. It is of particular interest whether human carriers of a DUSP8 allelic variant show similar hippocampal alterations to mice. Addressing these questions using Dusp8 WT and KO mouse littermates, we found that KOs suffered from mildly impaired spatial learning, increased locomotor activity and elevated anxiety. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and p38 and Jnk phosphorylation were unaffected, but phospho-Erk levels were higher in hippocampi of the KOs. Consistent with a decreased hippocampus size in Dusp8 KO mice, we found reduced volumes of the hippocampal subregions subiculum and CA4 in humans carrying the DUSP8 allelic variant SNP rs2334499:C > T. Overall, aberrations in morphology and behavior in Dusp8 KO mice and a decrease in hippocampal volume of SNP rs2334499:C > T carriers point to a novel, translationally relevant role of Dusp8 in hippocampus function that warrants further studies on the role of Dusp8 within the limbic network.
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Sex differences in cued fear responses and parvalbumin cell density in the hippocampus following repetitive concussive brain injuries in C57BL/6J mice. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222153. [PMID: 31487322 PMCID: PMC6728068 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is strong evidence to suggest a link between repeated head trauma and cognitive and emotional disorders, and Repetitive concussive brain injuries (rCBI) may also be a risk factor for depression and anxiety disorders. Animal models of brain injury afford the opportunity for controlled study of the effects of injury on functional outcomes. In this study, male and cycling female C57BL/6J mice sustained rCBI (3x) at 24-hr intervals and were tested in a context and cued fear conditioning paradigm, open field (OF), elevated zero maze and tail suspension test. All mice with rCBI showed less freezing behavior than sham control mice during the fear conditioning context test. Injured male, but not female mice also froze less in response to the auditory cue (tone). Injured mice were hyperactive in an OF environment and spent more time in the open quadrants of the elevated zero maze, suggesting decreased anxiety, but there were no differences between injured mice and sham-controls in depressive-like activity on the tail suspension test. Pathologically, injured mice showed increased astrogliosis in the injured cortex and white matter tracts (optic tracts and corpus callosum). There were no changes in the number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the cortex or amygdala, but injured male mice had fewer parvalbumin-positive neurons in the hippocampus. Parvalbumin-reactive interneurons of the hippocampus have been previously demonstrated to be involved in hippocampal-cortical interactions required for memory consolidation, and it is possible memory changes in the fear-conditioning paradigm following rCBI are the result of more subtle imbalances in excitation and inhibition both within the amygdala and hippocampus, and between more widespread brain regions that are injured following a diffuse brain injury.
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Haploinsufficiency of the intellectual disability gene SETD5 disturbs developmental gene expression and cognition. Nat Neurosci 2018; 21:1717-1727. [DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0266-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Mätlik K, Võikar V, Vilenius C, Kulesskaya N, Andressoo JO. Two-fold elevation of endogenous GDNF levels in mice improves motor coordination without causing side-effects. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11861. [PMID: 30089897 PMCID: PMC6082872 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29988-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes the survival of dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. For this reason, GDNF is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, how endogenous GDNF influences dopamine system function and animal behavior is not fully understood. We recently generated GDNF hypermorphic mice that express increased levels of endogenous GDNF from the native locus, resulting in augmented function of the nigrostriatal dopamine system. Specifically, Gdnf wt/hyper mice have a mild increase in striatal and midbrain dopamine levels, increased dopamine transporter activity, and 15% increased numbers of midbrain dopamine neurons and striatal dopaminergic varicosities. Since changes in the dopamine system are implicated in several neuropsychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression, and ectopic GDNF delivery associates with side-effects in PD models and clinical trials, we further investigated Gdnf wt/hyper mice using 20 behavioral tests. Despite increased dopamine levels, dopamine release and dopamine transporter activity, there were no differences in psychiatric disease related phenotypes. However, compared to controls, male Gdnf wt/hyper mice performed better in tests measuring motor function. Therefore, a modest elevation of endogenous GDNF levels improves motor function but does not induce adverse behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kärt Mätlik
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine & Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vootele Võikar
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Carolina Vilenius
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Natalia Kulesskaya
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaan-Olle Andressoo
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine & Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. .,Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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