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Sivayokan B, King C, Mali I, Payne M, Strating H, Warnes E, Bossmann SH, Plakke B. Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognitive Flexibility and Modulates Regional Volume Changes in a Rat Model of Autism. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115136. [PMID: 38971431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Gestational exposure to valproic acid (VPA) is a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Rodents exposed to VPA in utero display common features of ASD, including volumetric dysregulation in higher-order cognitive regions like the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the hippocampus. Exercise has been shown in elderly populations to boost cognition and to buffer against brain volume losses with age. This study employed an adolescent treadmill exercise intervention to facilitate cognitive flexibility and regional brain volume regulation in rats exposed to VPA during gestation. It was found that exercise improved performance on extra-dimensional shifts of attention on a set-shifting task, which is indicative of improved cognitive flexibility. Exercise decreased frontal cortex volume in females, whereas in males exercise increased the ventral hippocampus. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise may be an effective intervention to counteract the altered development of prefrontal and hippocampal regions often observed in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavana Sivayokan
- Kansas State University, Psychological Sciences, 1114 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Cole King
- Kansas State University, Psychological Sciences, 1114 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Ivina Mali
- Kansas State University, Department of Chemistry, 1212 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Macy Payne
- Kansas State University, Department of Chemistry, 1212 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Hunter Strating
- Kansas State University, Psychological Sciences, 1114 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Ellie Warnes
- Kansas State University, Psychological Sciences, 1114 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Stefan H Bossmann
- Kansas State University, Department of Chemistry, 1212 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506
| | - Bethany Plakke
- Kansas State University, Psychological Sciences, 1114 Mid-Campus Dr. N, Manhattan, KS 66506.
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Carboni E, Ibba M, Carboni E, Carta AR. Adolescent stress differentially modifies dopamine and norepinephrine release in the medial prefrontal cortex of adult rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2024; 134:111055. [PMID: 38879069 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent stress (AS) has been associated with higher vulnerability to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, or drug dependence. Moreover, the alteration of brain catecholamine (CAT) transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been found to play a major role in the etiology of psychiatric disturbances. We investigated the effect of adolescent stress on CAT transmission in the mPFC of freely moving adult rats because of the importance of this area in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, and because CAT transmission is the target of a relevant group of drugs used in the therapy of depression and psychosis. We assessed basal dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) extracellular concentrations (output) by brain microdialysis in in the mPFC of adult rats that were exposed to chronic mild stress in adolescence. To ascertain the role of an altered release or reuptake, we stimulated DA and NE output by administering either different doses of amphetamine (0.5 and 1.0 mg / kg s.c.), which by a complex mechanism determines a dose dependent increase in the CAT output, or reboxetine (10 mg/kg i.p.), a selective NE reuptake inhibitor. The results showed the following: (i) basal DA output in AS rats was lower than in controls, while no difference in basal NE output was observed; (ii) amphetamine, dose dependently, stimulated DA and NE output to a greater extent in AS rats than in controls; (iii) reboxetine stimulated NE output to a greater extent in AS rats than in controls, while no difference in stimulated DA output was observed between the two groups. These results show that AS determines enduring effects on DA and NE transmission in the mPFC and might lead to the occurrence of psychiatric disorders or increase the vulnerability to drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Marcello Ibba
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Elena Carboni
- Unit of Paediatrics, ASST Cremona Maggiore Hospital, Cremona, Italy
| | - Anna R Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy
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Harris EP, Villalobos-Manriquez F, Melo TG, Clarke G, O'Leary OF. Stress during puberty exerts sex-specific effects on depressive-like behavior and monoamine neurotransmitters in adolescence and adulthood. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100494. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Zhao J, Ye L, Liu Z, Cui Y, Deng D, Bai S, Yang L, Shi Y, Liu Z, Zhang R. Protective Effects of Resveratrol on Adolescent Social Isolation-Induced Anxiety-Like Behaviors via Modulating Nucleus Accumbens Spine Plasticity and Mitochondrial Function in Female Rats. Nutrients 2022; 14:4542. [PMID: 36364807 PMCID: PMC9656193 DOI: 10.3390/nu14214542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social isolation (SI) is a major risk factor for mood disorders in adolescents. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an important reward center implicated in psychiatric disorders. Resveratrol (RSV) is one of the most effective natural polyphenols with anti-anxiety and depression effects. However, little is known about the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of RSV on behavioral abnormality of adolescent social stress. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism of RSV on the amelioration of SI-induced behavioral abnormality. We found that SI induced anxiety-like behavior and social dysfunction in isolated female rats. Moreover, SI reduced mitochondrial number and ATP levels and increased thin spine density in the NAc. RNA sequencing results showed that SI changed the transcription pattern in the NAc, including 519 upregulated genes and 610 downregulated genes, especially those related to mitochondrial function. Importantly, RSV ameliorated behavioral and spine abnormalities induced by SI and increased NAc ATP levels and mitochondria number. Furthermore, RSV increased the activity of cytochrome C oxidase (COX) and upregulated mRNA levels of Cox5a, Cox6a1 and Cox7c. These results demonstrate that the modulation of spine plasticity and mitochondrial function in the NAc by RSV has a therapeutic effect on mood disorders induced by social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlan Zhao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lihong Ye
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zuyi Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yongfei Cui
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Di Deng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shasha Bai
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yafei Shi
- School of Fundamental Medical Science, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhongqiu Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, Joint International Research Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicines, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China
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Larivee R, Johnson N, Freedgood NR, Cameron HA, Schoenfeld TJ. Inhibition of Hippocampal Neurogenesis Starting in Adolescence Increases Anxiodepressive Behaviors Amid Stress. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:940125. [PMID: 35864848 PMCID: PMC9294378 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.940125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressors during the adolescent period can affect development of the brain and have long-lasting impacts on behavior. Specifically, adolescent stress impairs hippocampal neurogenesis and can increase risk for anxiety, depression, and a dysregulated stress response in adulthood. In order to model the functional effects of reduced hippocampal neurogenesis during adolescence, a transgenic neurogenesis ablation rat model was used to suppress neurogenesis during the adolescent period and test anxiodepressive behaviors and stress physiology during adulthood. Wildtype and transgenic (TK) rats were given valganciclovir during the first two weeks of adolescence (4-6 weeks old) to knock down neurogenesis in TK rats. Starting in young adulthood (13 weeks old), blood was sampled for corticosterone at several time points following acute restraint stress to measure negative feedback of the stress response, and rats were tested on a battery of anxiodepressive tests at baseline and following acute restraint stress. Although TK rats had large reductions in both cell proliferation during adolescence, as measured by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and ongoing neurogenesis in adulthood (by doublecortin), resulting in decreased volume of the dentate gyrus, negative feedback of the stress response following acute restraint was similar across all rats. Despite similar stress responses, TK rats showed higher anxiety-like behavior at baseline. In addition, only TK rats had increased depressive-like behavior when tested after acute stress. Together, these results suggest that long-term neurogenesis ablation starting in adolescence produces hippocampal atrophy and increases behavioral caution and despair amid stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachelle Larivee
- Department of Psychological Science and Neuroscience, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Natalie Johnson
- Department of Psychological Science and Neuroscience, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Natalie R. Freedgood
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Heather A. Cameron
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Timothy J. Schoenfeld
- Department of Psychological Science and Neuroscience, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, United States
- *Correspondence: Timothy J. Schoenfeld,
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Sicher AR, Duerr A, Starnes WD, Crowley NA. Adolescent Alcohol and Stress Exposure Rewires Key Cortical Neurocircuitry. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:896880. [PMID: 35655755 PMCID: PMC9152326 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.896880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adolescence is a period of development characterized by wide ranging emotions and behavioral risk taking, including binge drinking (Konrad et al., 2013). These behavioral manifestations of adolescence are complemented by growth in the neuroarchitecture of the brain, including synaptic pruning (Spear, 2013) and increases in overall white matter volume (Perrin et al., 2008). During this period of profound physiological maturation, the adolescent brain has a unique vulnerability to negative perturbations. Alcohol consumption and stress exposure, both of which are heightened during adolescence, can individually and synergistically alter these neurodevelopmental trajectories in positive and negative ways (conferring both resiliency and susceptibility) and influence already changing neurotransmitter systems and circuits. Importantly, the literature is rapidly changing and evolving in our understanding of basal sex differences in the brain, as well as the interaction between biological sex and life experiences. The animal literature provides the distinctive opportunity to explore sex-specific stress- and alcohol- induced changes in neurocircuits on a relatively rapid time scale. In addition, animal models allow for the investigation of individual neurons and signaling molecules otherwise inaccessible in the human brain. Here, we review the human and rodent literature with a focus on cortical development, neurotransmitters, peptides, and steroids, to characterize the field’s current understanding of the interaction between adolescence, biological sex, and exposure to stress and alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery R. Sicher
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Arielle Duerr
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - William D. Starnes
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Nicole A. Crowley
- The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nicole A. Crowley,
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