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STAT3 in the dorsal raphe gates behavioural reactivity and regulates gene networks associated with psychopathology. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2886-2899. [PMID: 33046834 PMCID: PMC8505245 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00904-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling pathway is activated through phosphorylation by Janus kinases in response to a diverse set of immunogenic and non-immunogenic triggers. Several distinct lines of evidence propose an intricate involvement of STAT3 in neural function relevant to behaviour in health and disease. However, in part due to the pleiotropic effects resulting from its DNA binding activity and the consequent regulation of expression of a variety of genes with context-dependent cellular consequences, the precise nature of STAT3 involvement in the neural mechanisms underlying psychopathology remains incompletely understood. Here, we focused on the midbrain serotonergic system, a central hub for the regulation of emotions, to examine the relevance of STAT3 signalling for emotional behaviour in mice by selectively knocking down raphe STAT3 expression using germline genetic (STAT3 KO) and viral-mediated approaches. Mice lacking serotonergic STAT3 presented with reduced negative behavioural reactivity and a blunted response to the sensitising effects of amphetamine, alongside alterations in midbrain neuronal firing activity of serotonergic neurons and transcriptional control of gene networks relevant for neuropsychiatric disorders. Viral knockdown of dorsal raphe (DR) STAT3 phenocopied the behavioural alterations of STAT3 KO mice, excluding a developmentally determined effect and suggesting that disruption of STAT3 signalling in the DR of adult mice is sufficient for the manifestation of behavioural traits relevant to psychopathology. Collectively, these results suggest DR STAT3 as a molecular gate for the control of behavioural reactivity, constituting a mechanistic link between the upstream activators of STAT3, serotonergic neurotransmission and psychopathology.
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Nephew BC, Febo M, Huang W, Colon-Perez LM, Payne L, Poirier GL, Greene O, King JA. Early life social stress and resting state functional connectivity in postpartum rat anterior cingulate circuits. J Affect Disord 2018; 229:213-223. [PMID: 29324369 PMCID: PMC5807174 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Continued development and refinement of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) fMRI techniques in both animal and clinical studies has enhanced our comprehension of the adverse effects of stress on psychiatric health. The objective of the current study was to assess both maternal behavior and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) changes in these animals when they were dams caring for their own young. It was hypothesized that ECSS exposed dams would express depressed maternal care and exhibit similar (same networks), yet different specific changes in RSFC (different individual nuclei) than reported when they were adult females. METHODS We have developed an ethologically relevant transgenerational model of the role of chronic social stress (CSS) in the etiology of postpartum depression and anxiety. Initial fMRI investigation of the CSS model indicates that early life exposure to CSS (ECSS) induces long term changes in functional connectivity in adult nulliparous female F1 offspring. RESULTS ECSS in F1 dams resulted in depressed maternal care specifically during early lactation, consistent with previous CSS studies, and induced changes in functional connectivity in regions associated with sensory processing, maternal and emotional responsiveness, memory, and the reward pathway, with robust changes in anterior cingulate circuits. LIMITATIONS The sample sizes for the fMRI groups were low, limiting statistical power. CONCLUSION This behavioral and functional neuroanatomical foundation can now be used to enhance our understanding of the neural etiology of early life stress associated disorders and test preventative measures and treatments for stress related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Nephew
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westborough Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
| | - Marcelo Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Wei Huang
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Luis M Colon-Perez
- Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Laurellee Payne
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Guillaume L Poirier
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Owen Greene
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westborough Road, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Jean A King
- Center for Comparative NeuroImaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
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Vincenz D, Wernecke KEA, Fendt M, Goldschmidt J. Habenula and interpeduncular nucleus differentially modulate predator odor-induced innate fear behavior in rats. Behav Brain Res 2017; 332:164-171. [PMID: 28552601 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.05.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Fear is an important behavioral system helping humans and animals to survive potentially dangerous situations. Fear can be innate or learned. Whereas the neural circuits underlying learned fear are already well investigated, the knowledge about the circuits mediating innate fear is still limited. We here used a novel, unbiased approach to image in vivo the spatial patterns of neural activity in odor-induced innate fear behavior in rats. We intravenously injected awake unrestrained rats with a 99m-technetium labeled blood flow tracer (99mTc-HMPAO) during ongoing exposure to fox urine or water as control, and mapped the brain distribution of the trapped tracer using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Upon fox urine exposure blood flow increased in a number of brain regions previously associated with odor-induced innate fear such as the amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamus and dorsolateral periaqueductal grey, but, unexpectedly, decreased at higher significance levels in the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Significant flow changes were found in regions monosynaptically connected to the IPN. Flow decreased in the dorsal tegmentum and entorhinal cortex. Flow increased in the habenula (Hb) and correlated with odor effects on behavioral defensive strategy. Hb lesions reduced avoidance of but increased approach to the fox urine while IPN lesions only reduced avoidance behavior without approach behavior. Our study identifies a new component, the IPN, of the neural circuit mediating odor-induced innate fear behavior in mammals and suggests that the evolutionarily conserved Hb-IPN system, which has recently been implicated in cued fear, also forms an integral part of the innate fear circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Vincenz
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Systems Physiology of Learning, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Kerstin E A Wernecke
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Jürgen Goldschmidt
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Systems Physiology of Learning, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
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Weidenauer A, Bauer M, Sauerzopf U, Bartova L, Praschak-Rieder N, Sitte HH, Kasper S, Willeit M. Making Sense of: Sensitization in Schizophrenia. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 20:1-10. [PMID: 27613293 PMCID: PMC5604613 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensitization is defined as a process whereby repeated intermittent exposure to a given stimulus results in an enhanced response at subsequent exposures. Next to robust findings of an increased dopamine synthesis capacity in schizophrenia, empirical data and neuroimaging studies support the notion that the mesolimbic dopamine system of patients with schizophrenia is more reactive compared with healthy controls. These studies led to the conceptualization of schizophrenia as a state of endogenous sensitization, as stronger behavioral response and increased dopamine release after amphetamine administration or exposure to stress have been observed in patients with schizophrenia. These findings have also been integrated into the neurodevelopmental model of the disorder, which assumes that vulnerable neuronal circuits undergo progressive changes during puberty and young adulthood that lead to manifest psychosis. Rodent and human studies have made an attempt to identify the exact mechanisms of sensitization of the dopaminergic system and its association with psychosis. Doing so, several epigenetic and molecular alterations associated with dopamine release, neuroplasticity, and cellular energy metabolism have been discovered. Future research aims at targeting these key proteins associated with sensitization in schizophrenia to enhance the knowledge of the pathophysiology of the illness and pave the way for an improved treatment or even prevention of this severe psychiatric disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Weidenauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Martin Bauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Ulrich Sauerzopf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Lucie Bartova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Nicole Praschak-Rieder
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Harald H. Sitte
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
| | - Siegfried Kasper
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte).
| | - Matthäus Willeit
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Drs Weidenauer, Bauer, Sauerzopf, Bartova, Praschak-Rieder, Kasper, and Willeit); Department of Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Bauer), and Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (Dr Sitte)
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Predator odor-evoked BOLD activation in the awake rat: modulation by oxytocin and V₁a vasopressin receptor antagonists. Brain Res 2012; 1494:70-83. [PMID: 23219972 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.11.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Modulators of unconditioned fear are potential targets for developing treatments for anxiety disorders. We used blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI to investigate the pattern of brain activity during the presentation of a predator odor (cat fur) and a repulsive novel odor, butyric acid (BA), to awake rats. We further tested whether odor-evoked BOLD activation involved oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin V(1a) receptors. Animals were subdivided into groups either administered an intracerebroventricular injection of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), an OT receptor antagonist or a V(1a) antagonist (125 ng/10 μL each) 90 min before studies. BA odor evoked robust brain activation across olfactory, sensory, memory and limbic regions. The magnitude of BOLD activation across these regions was greater for BA than with cat fur. However, blockade of OT and V(1a) receptors differentially modulated odor evoked neural activity, particularly in the amygdala. OT and V(1a) antagonism preferentially modulated BOLD responding to BA in the cortical amygdala. While, OT and V(1a) antagonisms preferentially modulated BOLD responding to cat fur in the central amygdala. The data suggest that although OT receptors modulate BOLD activation in response to a novel and repulsive odor such as BA, vasopressin V(1a) receptors exert a modulatory influence on the neural response to a predator odor.
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Brain processing of biologically relevant odors in the awake rat, as revealed by manganese-enhanced MRI. PLoS One 2012; 7:e48491. [PMID: 23119035 PMCID: PMC3485357 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background So far, an overall view of olfactory structures activated by natural biologically relevant odors in the awake rat is not available. Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is appropriate for this purpose. While MEMRI has been used for anatomical labeling of olfactory pathways, functional imaging analyses have not yet been performed beyond the olfactory bulb. Here, we have used MEMRI for functional imaging of rat central olfactory structures and for comparing activation maps obtained with odors conveying different biological messages. Methodology/Principal Findings Odors of male fox feces and of chocolate flavored cereals were used to stimulate conscious rats previously treated by intranasal instillation of manganese (Mn). MEMRI activation maps showed Mn enhancement all along the primary olfactory cortex. Mn enhancement elicited by male fox feces odor and to a lesser extent that elicited by chocolate odor, differed from that elicited by deodorized air. This result was partly confirmed by c-Fos immunohistochemistry in the piriform cortex. Conclusion/Significance By providing an overall image of brain structures activated in awake rats by odorous stimulation, and by showing that Mn enhancement is differently sensitive to different stimulating odors, the present results demonstrate the interest of MEMRI for functional studies of olfaction in the primary olfactory cortex of laboratory small animals, under conditions close to natural perception. Finally, the factors that may cause the variability of the MEMRI signal in response to different odor are discussed.
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Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to investigate the responsiveness of the maternal rat brain to pup-suckling under various experimental paradigms. Our research employing the lactating rat model has explored the cortical sensory processing of pup stimuli and the effect of suckling on the brain's reward system. Suckling was observed to increase blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal intensity in the midbrain, striatum and prefrontal cortex, which are areas that receive prominent dopaminergic inputs. The BOLD activation of the reward system occurs in parallel with the activation of extensive cortical sensory areas. The observed regions include the olfactory cortex, auditory cortex and gustatory cortex, and could correspond to cortical representations of pup odours, vocalisations and taste that are active during lactation. Activation patterns within reward regions are consistent with past research on maternal motivation and we explore the possibility that exposure to drugs of abuse might be disruptive of maternal neural responses to pups, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. Our ongoing fMRI studies support and extend past research on the maternal rat brain and its functional neurocircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, The McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610-0256, USA.
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Febo M. Technical and conceptual considerations for performing and interpreting functional MRI studies in awake rats. Front Psychiatry 2011; 2:43. [PMID: 21808625 PMCID: PMC3137945 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging studies in rodents have the potential to provide insight into neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. The strength of the technique lies in its non-invasive nature that can permit longitudinal functional studies in the same animal over its adult life. The relatively good spatial and temporal resolution and the ever-growing database on the biological and biophysical basis of the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal make it a unique technique in preclinical neuroscience research. Our laboratory has used imaging to investigate brain activation in awake rats following cocaine administration and during the presentation of lactation-associated sensory stimuli. Factors that deserve attention when planning functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in rats include technical issues, animal physiology and interpretability of the resulting data. The present review discusses the pros and cons of animal imaging with a particular focus on the technical aspects of studies with awake rats. Overall, the benefits of the technique outweigh its limitations and the rapidly evolving methods will open the way for more laboratories to employ the technique in neuroscience research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, The McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine Gainesville, FL, USA
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