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Moppert S, Mercado E. Contributions of dysfunctional plasticity mechanisms to the development of atypical perceptual processing. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22504. [PMID: 38837411 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Experimental studies of sensory plasticity during development in birds and mammals have highlighted the importance of sensory experiences for the construction and refinement of functional neural circuits. We discuss how dysregulation of experience-dependent brain plasticity can lead to abnormal perceptual representations that may contribute to heterogeneous deficits symptomatic of several neurodevelopmental disorders. We focus on alterations of somatosensory processing and the dynamic reorganization of cortical synaptic networks that occurs during early perceptual development. We also discuss the idea that the heterogeneity of strengths and weaknesses observed in children with neurodevelopmental disorders may be a direct consequence of altered plasticity mechanisms during early development. Treating the heterogeneity of perceptual developmental trajectories as a phenomenon worthy of study rather than as an experimental confound that should be overcome may be key to developing interventions that better account for the complex developmental trajectories experienced by modern humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Moppert
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Eduardo Mercado
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
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2
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Lewis A. A non-adaptationist hypothesis of play behaviour. J Physiol 2024; 602:2433-2453. [PMID: 37656171 DOI: 10.1113/jp284413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Play is a suite of apparently non-functional, pleasurable behaviours observed in human and non-human animals. Although the phenomenon has been studied extensively, no adaptationist behavioural theory of how play evolved can be supported by the available evidence. However, the advancement of the extended evolutionary synthesis and developments in systems biology offer alternative avenues for non-adaptationist physiological hypotheses. I therefore propose a hypothesis of play, based upon a complex ACh activity that is under agential control of the organism, whereby play initiates ACh-mediated feedforward and feedback processes which act to: (i) regulate metabolic processes; (ii) form new ACh receptors via ACh mRNA activity; (iii) mediate attention, memory consolidation and learning; and (iv) mediate social behaviours, reproduction and embryonic development. However, play occurs across taxa, but does not occur across all taxonomic groups or within all species of a taxonomic group. Thus, to support the validity of the proposed hypothesis, I further propose potential explanations for this anomaly, which include sampling and observer biases, altricial versus precocial juvenile development, and the influence of habitat niche and environmental conditions on behaviour. The proposed hypothesis thus offers new avenues for study in both the biological and social sciences, in addition to having potential applications in applied sciences, such as animal welfare and biomedical research. Crucially, it is hoped that this hypothesis will promote further study of a valid and behaviourally significant, yet currently enigmatic, biological phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Lewis
- Independent Researcher, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, UK
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Nielson KA, Venneri A, Murakami S. Editorial: Insights in neurocognitive aging and behavior: 2022. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1361839. [PMID: 38292340 PMCID: PMC10825009 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1361839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kristy A. Nielson
- Director, Aging, Imaging, and Memory (AIM) Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Annalena Venneri
- Department of Life Sciences, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Shin Murakami
- Department of Foundational Biomedical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA, United States
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Wei RM, Zhang YM, Zhang KX, Liu GX, Li XY, Zhang JY, Lun WZ, Liu XC, Chen GH. An enriched environment ameliorates maternal sleep deprivation-induced cognitive impairment in aged mice by improving mitochondrial function via the Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:1128-1144. [PMID: 38231482 PMCID: PMC10866428 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life stress can cause cognitive impairment in aged offspring. Environmental enrichment (EE) is considered to be an effective non-pharmacological treatment for improving cognitive decline. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of EE, on cognitive impairment in aged offspring induced by maternal sleep deprivation (MSD) and the underlying mechanisms involved to investigate its potential value in clinical practice. METHODS CD-1 damns were subjected or not to sleep deprivation during late gestation. Twenty-one days after birth, the offspring were assigned to standard or EE cages. At 18 months-old, the learning and memory function of the offspring mice was evaluated using Morris water maze. The hippocampal and prefrontal cortical levels of protein, gene, proinflammation cytokines, and oxidative stress indicators was examined by Western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and biochemical assays. RESULTS Offspring in MSD group exhibited declined learning and memory abilities compared with control animals. Moreover, the hippocampal and prefrontal cortical levels of Sirtuin1 (Sirt1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), postsynaptic density protein-95, and synaptophysin were lower and those of proinflammation cytokines higher in the MSD group; meanwhile, the superoxide dismutase content was higher and the malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species contents were lower. However, these deleterious changes were ameliorated by exposure to EE. CONCLUSIONS EE attenuates MSD-induced cognitive impairment, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation and reverses the reduction in synaptic protein levels in aged offspring mice via the Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru-Meng Wei
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Yue-Ming Zhang
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Kai-Xuan Zhang
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Gao-Xia Liu
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Xue-Yan Li
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Jing-Ya Zhang
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Wei-Zhong Lun
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
| | - Xue-Chun Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second People’s Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230011, Anhui, China
| | - Gui-Hai Chen
- Department of Neurology (Sleep Disorders), The Affiliated Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 238001, Anhui, China
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Socodato R, Almeida TO, Portugal CC, Santos ECS, Tedim-Moreira J, Galvão-Ferreira J, Canedo T, Baptista FI, Magalhães A, Ambrósio AF, Brakebusch C, Rubinstein B, Moreira IS, Summavielle T, Pinto IM, Relvas JB. Microglial Rac1 is essential for experience-dependent brain plasticity and cognitive performance. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113447. [PMID: 37980559 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia, the largest population of brain immune cells, continuously interact with synapses to maintain brain homeostasis. In this study, we use conditional cell-specific gene targeting in mice with multi-omics approaches and demonstrate that the RhoGTPase Rac1 is an essential requirement for microglia to sense and interpret the brain microenvironment. This is crucial for microglia-synapse crosstalk that drives experience-dependent plasticity, a fundamental brain property impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Phosphoproteomics profiling detects a large modulation of RhoGTPase signaling, predominantly of Rac1, in microglia of mice exposed to an environmental enrichment protocol known to induce experience-dependent brain plasticity and cognitive performance. Ablation of microglial Rac1 affects pathways involved in microglia-synapse communication, disrupts experience-dependent synaptic remodeling, and blocks the gains in learning, memory, and sociability induced by environmental enrichment. Our results reveal microglial Rac1 as a central regulator of pathways involved in the microglia-synapse crosstalk required for experience-dependent synaptic plasticity and cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Socodato
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Tiago O Almeida
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto, Portugal
| | - Camila C Portugal
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Evelyn C S Santos
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Tedim-Moreira
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - João Galvão-Ferreira
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa Canedo
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Filipa I Baptista
- Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), and Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana Magalhães
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - António F Ambrósio
- Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), and Clinical Academic Center of Coimbra (CACC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cord Brakebusch
- Molecular Pathology Section, BRIC, Københavns Biocenter, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Irina S Moreira
- Department of Life Sciences, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB) and CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Teresa Summavielle
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; ESS.PP, Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Inês Mendes Pinto
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - João B Relvas
- Institute of Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMC), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal.
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Xu L, Qu C, Liu Y, Liu H. The environmental enrichment ameliorates chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced cognitive impairment by activating autophagy signaling pathway and improving synaptic function in hippocampus. Brain Res Bull 2023; 204:110798. [PMID: 37890595 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a frequently observed underlying pathology of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), which is a common consequence of cerebral blood flow (CBF) dysregulation. Synaptic damage has been proven as a crucial causative factor for CCH-related cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective impact of environmental enrichment (EE) intervention on CCH-induced synaptic destruction and the consequent cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of this neuroprotective effect was explored to provide new insights into therapeutic interventions for individuals suffering from AD or VD. METHODS In this experiment, all rats were initially acclimatized to a standard environment (SE) for a period of one week. On the seventh day, rats underwent either bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) surgery or sham surgery (Sham) before being subjected to a four-week procedure of exposure to an EE, except for the control group. During the EE or SE procedure, intraperitoneal injection of chloroquine (CQ) into rats was performed once daily for four weeks. Following this, cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. The synapse ultrastructure was subsequently observed using transmission electron microscopy. Expression levels of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, LAMP1, and P62) and synapse-related proteins (Synapsin I and PSD-95) were detected through Western blotting. Finally, immunofluorescence was used to examine the expression levels of Synapsin I and PSD-95 and the colocalization of LAMP-1 and LC3 in the hippocampus. RESULTS After undergoing 2VO, rats exposed to SE exhibited cognitive impairment, autophagic dysfunction, and synapse damage. The synapse damage was evidenced by ultrastructural damage and degradation of synapse-related proteins. However, these effects were significantly mitigated by exposure to an EE intervention. Moreover, the intervention led to an improvement in autophagic dysfunction. CONCLUSION The study found that EE had a positive impact on CCH-induced synaptic damage. Specifically, EE was found to increase synaptic plasticity-associated proteins and postsynaptic density thickness, while decreasing synaptic space. This multifaceted effect resulted in an amelioration of CCH-induced cognitive impairment. It was shown that this beneficial outcome was mediated via the activation of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. Overall, the findings suggest that EE may have a therapeutic potential for cognitive impairments associated with CCH through autophagy-mediated synaptic improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linling Xu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University & the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, No.82, Qinglong Road, Chengdu 610014, Sichuan, China; Department of Neurology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, No.169, Donghu Road, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Changhua Qu
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Occurrence and Intervention of Rheumatic Disease, Department of Neurology, Minda Hospital of Hubei Minzu University, Enshi, China
| | - Yan Liu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University & the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, No.82, Qinglong Road, Chengdu 610014, Sichuan, China
| | - Hua Liu
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University & the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, No.82, Qinglong Road, Chengdu 610014, Sichuan, China.
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Fuentes-Verdugo E, López-Tolsa GE, Pascual R, Pellón R. Environmental enrichment accelerates the acquisition of schedule-induced drinking in rats. Behav Processes 2023; 212:104934. [PMID: 37659684 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104934] [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: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) provides an improvement in the housing conditions of experimental animals, such as laboratory rats, with greater physical and social stimulation through toys and company in the home cages. Its use is known to influence performance of experimental protocols, but these effects have not been well determined in the schedule-induced drinking (SID) procedure. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of EE on the acquisition of SID in 24 12-week-old male Wistar rats, divided into two groups, a group with EE housed with toys and companions, and a group without enrichment in individual housing conditions without toys (social isolation and no environmental enrichment, INEE). A total of 25 sessions, under a fixed time 30 s food reinforcement schedule and with access to water in the experimental chambers were carried out. Sessions lasted 30 min. The results showed that the EE group developed faster the excessive drinking pattern of SID, and drank to higher levels, than the INEE group. The greater development of SID in the EE group contradicts the view of schedule-induced behavior as linked to stress reduction and better suits with the conception of induction related to positive reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esmeralda Fuentes-Verdugo
- Animal Learning and Behavior Laboratory, School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriela E López-Tolsa
- Animal Learning and Behavior Laboratory, School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Pascual
- Animal Learning and Behavior Laboratory, School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ricardo Pellón
- Animal Learning and Behavior Laboratory, School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.
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Salmani N, Darvishzadeh Mahani F, Parvan M, Nozari M. Effects of Nicotine Administration in an Enriched Environment on the Behavior of Male MK-801-Exposed Rats. ADDICTION & HEALTH 2023; 15:260-265. [PMID: 38322486 PMCID: PMC10843354 DOI: 10.34172/ahj.2023.1433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Background Smoking is more common in patients with schizophrenia than in healthy populations. Some controversial hypotheses connect the disease with the high prevalence of smoking. Moreover, environmental factors affect the severity of the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The current study aimed to assess the effect of enriched environment (EE) and nicotine on the MK-801 animal model of schizophrenia. Methods Male Wistar rat pups randomly received saline or MK-801 (dose:1 mg/kg) for five days from the sixth postnatal day (P) until the tenth. The pups were placed in EE or standard cages (SCs) after weaning (P21). Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess spatial learning and memory. The rats received 0.6 mg/kg nicotine twice for three days at the end of the second month and were examined in an open-field box and three-chamber social interaction test. Findings MK-801 rats' behaviors were the same as those of the saline rats when they were exposed to nicotine. No positive effects of EE were observed when the animals were exposed to nicotine. Conclusion The results suggested that nicotine decreased schizophrenia-like symptoms and covered the positive effects of EE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Salmani
- Department of Psychology, Zarand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Darvishzadeh Mahani
- Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Parvan
- Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Nozari
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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Bozkurt S, Lannin NA, Mychasiuk R, Semple BD. Environmental modifications to rehabilitate social behavior deficits after acquired brain injury: What is the evidence? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105278. [PMID: 37295762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Social behavior deficits are a common, debilitating consequence of traumatic brain injury and stroke, particularly when sustained during childhood. Numerous factors influence the manifestation of social problems after acquired brain injuries, raising the question of whether environmental manipulations can minimize or prevent such deficits. Here, we examine both clinical and preclinical evidence addressing this question, with a particular focus on environmental enrichment paradigms and differing housing conditions. We aimed to understand whether environmental manipulations can ameliorate injury-induced social behavior deficits. In summary, promising data from experimental models supports a beneficial role of environmental enrichment on social behavior. However, limited studies have considered social outcomes in the chronic setting, and few studies have addressed the social context specifically as an important component of the post-injury environment. Clinically, limited high-caliber evidence supports the use of specific interventions for social deficits after acquired brain injuries. An improved understanding of how the post-injury environment interacts with the injured brain, particularly during development, is needed to validate the implementation of rehabilitative interventions that involve manipulating an individuals' environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salome Bozkurt
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Natasha A Lannin
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Allied Health (Occupational Therapy), La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bridgette D Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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Dill LK, Teymornejad S, Sharma R, Bozkurt S, Christensen J, Chu E, Rewell SS, Shad A, Mychasiuk R, Semple BD. Modulating chronic outcomes after pediatric traumatic brain injury: Distinct effects of social and environmental enrichment. Exp Neurol 2023; 364:114407. [PMID: 37059414 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Impairments in social and cognitive function are a common consequence of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Rehabilitation has the potential to promote optimal behavioral recovery. Here, we evaluated whether an enhanced social and/or cognitive environment could improve long-term outcomes in a preclinical model of pediatric TBI. Male C57Bl/6 J mice received a moderately-severe TBI or sham procedure at postnatal day 21. After one week, mice were randomized to different social conditions (minimal socialization, n = 2/cage; or social grouping, n = 6/cage), and housing conditions (standard cage, or environmental enrichment (EE), incorporating sensory, motor, and cognitive stimuli). After 8 weeks, neurobehavioral outcomes were assessed, followed by post-mortem neuropathology. We found that TBI mice exhibited hyperactivity, spatial memory deficits, reduced anxiety-like behavior, and reduced sensorimotor performance compared to age-matched sham controls. Pro-social and sociosexual behaviors were also reduced in TBI mice. EE increased sensorimotor performance, and the duration of sociosexual interactions. Conversely, social housing reduced hyperactivity and altered anxiety-like behavior in TBI mice, and reduced same-sex social investigation. TBI mice showed impaired spatial memory retention, except for TBI mice exposed to both EE and group housing. In the brain, while TBI led to significant regional tissue atrophy, social housing had modest neuroprotective effects on hippocampal volumes, neurogenesis, and oligodendrocyte progenitor numbers. In conclusion, manipulation of the post-injury environment has benefit for chronic behavioral outcomes, but the benefits are specific to the type of enrichment available. This study improves understanding of modifiable factors that may be harnessed to optimize long-term outcomes for survivors of early-life TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa K Dill
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Sadaf Teymornejad
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Rishabh Sharma
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Salome Bozkurt
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Jennaya Christensen
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Erskine Chu
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Sarah S Rewell
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Ali Shad
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Bridgette D Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3050, Australia.
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11
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Murack M, Smith KB, Traynor OH, Pirwani AF, Gostlin SK, Mohamed T, Tata DA, Messier C, Ismail N. Environmental enrichment alters LPS-induced changes in BDNF and PSD-95 expressions during puberty. Brain Res 2023; 1806:148283. [PMID: 36801452 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
Puberty is a critical period of cortical reorganization and increased synaptogenesis. Healthy cortical reorganization and synaptic growth require sufficient environmental stimuli and minimalized stress exposure during pubertal development. Exposure to impoverished environments or immune challenges impact cortical reorganization and reduce the expression of proteins associated with neuronal plasticity (BDNF) and synaptogenesis (PSD-95). Environmentally enriched (EE) housing includes improved social-, physical-, and cognitive stimulation. We hypothesized that enriched housing environment would mitigate pubertal stress-induced decreases in BDNF and PSD-95 expressions. Three-week-old male and female CD-1 mice (n = 10 per group) were housed for three weeks in either EE, social or deprived housing conditions. At 6 weeks of age, mice were treated with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or saline eight hours prior to tissue collection. Male and female EE mice displayed greater BDNF and PSD-95 expressions in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus compared to socially housed and deprived housed mice. LPS treatment decreased BDNF expression in all the brain regions examined in EE mice, except for the CA3 region of the hippocampus, where EE housing successfully mitigated the pubertal LPS-induced decrease in BDNF expression. Interestingly, LPS-treated mice housed in deprived conditions displayed unexpected increases in BDNF and PSD-95 expressions throughout the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Both enriched and deprived housing conditions moderate how an immune challenge influences BDNF and PSD-95 expressions in a region-specific manner. These findings also emphasize the vulnerability of brain plasticity during puberty to various environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Murack
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Kevin B Smith
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Olivia H Traynor
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Atiqa F Pirwani
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Sarah K Gostlin
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Av. McGill College Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Taha Mohamed
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Despoina A Tata
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Claude Messier
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada; University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Nafissa Ismail
- NISE Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada; University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
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12
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Green MR, Swaney WT. Interacting effects of environmental enrichment across multiple generations on early life phenotypes in zebrafish. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B: MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Green
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
- Chester Medical School University of Chester Chester UK
| | - William T. Swaney
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
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13
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Akinbo OI, McNeal N, Hylin M, Hite N, Dagner A, Grippo AJ. The Influence of Environmental Enrichment on Affective and Neural Consequences of Social Isolation Across Development. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2022; 3:713-733. [PMID: 36519141 PMCID: PMC9743881 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-022-00131-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Social stress is associated with depression and anxiety, physiological disruptions, and altered brain morphology in central stress circuitry across development. Environmental enrichment strategies may improve responses to social stress. Socially monogamous prairie voles exhibit analogous social and emotion-related behaviors to humans, with potential translational insight into interactions of social stress, age, and environmental enrichment. This study explored the effects of social isolation and environmental enrichment on behaviors related to depression and anxiety, physiological indicators of stress, and dendritic structural changes in amygdala and hippocampal subregions in young adult and aging prairie voles. Forty-nine male prairie voles were assigned to one of six groups divided by age (young adult vs. aging), social structure (paired vs. isolated), and housing environment (enriched vs. non-enriched). Following 4 weeks of these conditions, behaviors related to depression and anxiety were investigated in the forced swim test and elevated plus maze, body and adrenal weights were evaluated, and dendritic morphology analyses were conducted in hippocampus and amygdala subregions. Environmental enrichment decreased immobility duration in the forced swim test, increased open arm exploration in the elevated plus maze, and reduced adrenal/body weight ratio in aging and young adult prairie voles. Age and social isolation influenced dendritic morphology in the basolateral amygdala. Age, but not social isolation, influenced dendritic morphology in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Environmental enrichment did not influence dendritic morphology in either brain region. These data may inform interventions to reduce the effects of social stressors and age-related central changes associated with affective behavioral consequences in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oreoluwa I. Akinbo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 USA
| | - Neal McNeal
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 USA
| | - Michael Hylin
- Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 USA
| | - Natalee Hite
- Department of Physiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
| | - Ashley Dagner
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 USA
| | - Angela J. Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 USA
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14
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Owen C, Crane J. Trauma-Informed Design of Supported Housing: A Scoping Review through the Lens of Neuroscience. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14279. [PMID: 36361166 PMCID: PMC9658651 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
There is growing recognition of the importance of the design of the built environment in supporting mental health. In this context, trauma-informed design has emerged as a new field of practice targeting the design of the built environment to support wellbeing and ameliorate the physical, psychological and emotional impacts of trauma and related pathologies such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). With high levels of prevalence of PTSD among people escaping homelessness and domestic violence, a priority area is the identification and application of evidence-based design solutions for trauma-informed supported housing. This study sought to examine the scope of existing evidence on the relationship between trauma, housing and design and the correlation of this evidence with trauma-informed design principles, and to identify gaps and opportunities for future research. In response to the commonly articulated limitations of the evidence-base in built environment design research, we combined a scoping review of literature on trauma, housing and design with insights from neuroscience to focus and extend understanding of the opportunities of trauma-informed design. We found that while limited in scope, there is strong alignment between existing evidence and the principles of trauma-informed design. We also identify three areas of future research related to the key domains of safety and security; control; and enriched environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceridwen Owen
- School of Architecture and Design, College of Sciences and Engineering, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7250, Australia
| | - James Crane
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
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15
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Xu J, Li Y, Tian B, Liu H, Wu S, Wang W. The effects and mechanism of environmental enrichment on MK-801 induced cognitive impairment in rodents with schizophrenia. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:1024649. [PMID: 36246525 PMCID: PMC9556631 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1024649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Cognitive symptoms are a kind of symptoms with high incidence and great impact on patients. There is no effective treatment in clinical practice. N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor hypofunction may be an important cause of cognitive symptoms. MK-801 (also named Dizocilpine), a noncompetitive antagonist of NMDA receptor, is often used to construct a model of NMDA receptor dysfunction. In terms of treatment, environmental enrichment (EE) as an environmental intervention can effectively improve the symptoms of cognitive impairment in rodents. In this paper, we first briefly introduce the background of cognitive symptoms and EE in schizophrenia, and then investigate the manifestations of MK-801 induced cognitive impairment, the improvement of EE on these cognitive impairments based on the MK-801 induced schizophrenia rodent models, and the possible mechanism of EE in improving cognitive symptoms. This article reviews the literature in recent years, which provides an important reference for MK-801 to construct a cognitive symptom model of schizophrenia and the mechanism of EE in improving cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.
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16
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Ferreira L, Pinto JD, Temp DA, Broman EN, Skarzynski PH, Skarzynska MB, Moraes DADO, Sanfins MD, Biaggio EPV. The effect of child development on the components of the Frequency Following Response: Child development and the Frequency Following Response. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0260739. [PMID: 36048883 PMCID: PMC9436099 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
During childhood, neuronal modifications occur so that typical childhood communicative development occurs. This work aims to contribute to the understanding of differences in the speech encoding of infants and school-age children by assessing the effects of child development, in different phases of early childhood, on the encoding of speech sounds. There were 98 subjects of both sexes, aged from 1 day to 8 years and 9 months who participated in the study. All subjects underwent a Frequency Following Response (FFR) assessment. A regression and linear correlation showed the effects of age in the FFR components, i.e., significant decrease in the latency and increased amplitude of all FFR waves with age. An increase in the slope measure was also observed. Younger infants require more time and show less robust responses when encoding speech than their older counterparts, which were shown to have more stable and well-organized FFR responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Ferreira
- Speech Therapy Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Julia Dalcin Pinto
- Speech Therapy Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Déborah Aurélio Temp
- Speech Therapy Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Eli Natáli Broman
- Speech Therapy Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Piotr H. Skarzynski
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Heart Failure and Cardiac Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Sensory Organs, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena B. Skarzynska
- Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland
- Institute of Sensory Organs, Kajetany, Poland
- Center of Hearing and Speech, Kajetany, Poland
| | | | - Milaine Dominici Sanfins
- Faculty of Medical Science, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
- Advanced Neuroaudiology and Electrophysiology Center, São Paulo, Brazil
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17
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Neuwirth LS, Verrengia MT, Harikinish-Murrary ZI, Orens JE, Lopez OE. Under or Absent Reporting of Light Stimuli in Testing of Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Rodents: The Need for Standardization. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:912146. [PMID: 36061362 PMCID: PMC9428565 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.912146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral neuroscience tests such as the Light/Dark Test, the Open Field Test, the Elevated Plus Maze Test, and the Three Chamber Social Interaction Test have become both essential and widely used behavioral tests for transgenic and pre-clinical models for drug screening and testing. However, as fast as the field has evolved and the contemporaneous involvement of technology, little assessment of the literature has been done to ensure that these behavioral neuroscience tests that are crucial to pre-clinical testing have well-controlled ethological motivation by the use of lighting (i.e., Lux). In the present review paper, N = 420 manuscripts were examined from 2015 to 2019 as a sample set (i.e., n = ~20–22 publications per year) and it was found that only a meager n = 50 publications (i.e., 11.9% of the publications sampled) met the criteria for proper anxiogenic and anxiolytic Lux reported. These findings illustrate a serious concern that behavioral neuroscience papers are not being vetted properly at the journal review level and are being released into the literature and public domain making it difficult to assess the quality of the science being reported. This creates a real need for standardizing the use of Lux in all publications on behavioral neuroscience techniques within the field to ensure that contributions are meaningful, avoid unnecessary duplication, and ultimately would serve to create a more efficient process within the pre-clinical screening/testing for drugs that serve as anxiolytic compounds that would prove more useful than what prior decades of work have produced. It is suggested that improving the standardization of the use and reporting of Lux in behavioral neuroscience tests and the standardization of peer-review processes overseeing the proper documentation of these methodological approaches in manuscripts could serve to advance pre-clinical testing for effective anxiolytic drugs. This report serves to highlight this concern and proposes strategies to proactively remedy them as the field moves forward for decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz S. Neuwirth
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Lorenz S. Neuwirth
| | - Michael T. Verrengia
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Zachary I. Harikinish-Murrary
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Jessica E. Orens
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Oscar E. Lopez
- Department of Psychology, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- SUNY Neuroscience Research Institute, SUNY Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
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18
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Sabzalizadeh M, Mollashahi M, Afarinesh MR, Mafi F, Joushy S, Sheibani V. Sex difference in cognitive behavioral alterations and barrel cortex neuronal responses in rats exposed prenatally to valproic acid under continuous environmental enrichment. Int J Dev Neurosci 2022; 82:513-527. [PMID: 35738908 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10206] [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: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that can affect social interactions and sensory-motor behaviors. The present study investigates the effect of environmental enrichment (EE) on behavioral alterations and neuron responses associated with the barrel cortex of young adult female and male rats exposed prenatally to valproic acid (VPA). Pregnant female rats were pretreated with either saline or VPA (500 mg/kg, IP) on day 12.5 of gestation. Male and female pups were exposed to either EE or standard-setting (non-enrichment) conditions for 1 month (between postnatal day [PND] 30 and 63-65) and were divided into non-EE (control), EE, VPA, and VPA + EE groups. Three-chamber sociability and social novelty, acoustic startle reflex, and texture discrimination tests were conducted on PND 62. Responses of barrel cortex neurons of male pups were evaluated using the extracellular single-unit recording technique on PND 63-65. Results showed that the performance of rats of both sexes in social interactions, texture discrimination tasks, and acoustic startle reflex significantly decreased in the VPA groups compared with the control rats (P < 0.05). In this regard, EE attenuated the altered deficit performance observed in the VPA animals compared with the VPA-EE animals (P < 0.05). The performance of females was better than males in the discrimination tasks and acoustic startle reflex. In contrast, males were better than females in the three-chamber social interaction test. Additionally, the excitatory receptive field response magnitude of the barrel cortex neurons in the VPA + EE group increased compared with the VPA group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that continuous EE can attenuate cognitive function disturbances in autistic-like rats and, at least at the behavioral level, the effects depend on sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Sabzalizadeh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mahtab Mollashahi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Afarinesh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Mafi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Sara Joushy
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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19
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Balietti M, Conti F. Environmental enrichment and the aging brain: is it time for standardization? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 139:104728. [PMID: 35691473 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Aging entails a progressive decline of cognitive abilities. However, since the brain is endowed with considerable plasticity, adequate stimulation can delay or partially compensate for age-related structural and functional impairment. Environmental enrichment (EE) has been reported to determine a wide range of cerebral changes. Although most findings have been obtained in young and adult animals, research has recently turned to aged individuals. Notably, EE can contribute identifying key lifestyle factors whose change can help extend the "mind-span", i.e., the time an individual lives in a healthy cognitive condition. Here we discuss specific methodological issues that can affect the outcomes of EE interventions applied to aged rodents, summarize the main variables that would need standardization (e.g., timing and duration, enrichment items, control animals and setting), and offer some suggestions on how this goal may be achieved. Reaching a consensus on EE experiment design would significantly reduce differences between and within laboratories, enable constructive discussions among researchers, and improve data interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Balietti
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Fiorenzo Conti
- Center for Neurobiology of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy; Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
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20
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Gelfo F, Petrosini L. Environmental Enrichment Enhances Cerebellar Compensation and Develops Cerebellar Reserve. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095697. [PMID: 35565093 PMCID: PMC9099498 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The brain is able to change its structure and function in response to environmental stimulations. Several human and animal studies have documented that enhanced stimulations provide individuals with strengthened brain structure and function that allow them to better cope with damage. In this framework, studies based on the exposure of animals to environmental enrichment (EE) have provided indications of the mechanisms involved in such a beneficial action. The cerebellum is a very plastic brain region that responds to every experience with deep structural and functional rearrangement. The present review specifically aims to collect and synthesize the evidence provided by animal models on EE exposure effects on cerebellar structure and function by considering the studies on healthy subjects and on animals exposed to EE both before and after damage involving cerebellar functionality. On the whole, the evidence supports the role of EE in enhancing cerebellar compensation and developing cerebellar reserve. However, since studies addressing this issue are still scarce, large areas of inconsistency and lack of clarity remain. Further studies are required to provide suggestions on possible mechanisms of enhancement of compensatory responses in human patients following cerebellar damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Gelfo
- Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | - Laura Petrosini
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179 Rome, Italy;
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21
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Mathuru AS, Vyas A. Social plasticity and decision making. Brain Res 2022; 1785:147890. [PMID: 35339429 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.147890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ajay S Mathuru
- Yale-NUS College, 12 College Avenue West, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore; Dept. of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Ajai Vyas
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
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22
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Sukegawa M, Yoshihara T, Hou S, Asano M, Hannan AJ, Wang DO. Long‐lasting Housing Environment Manipulation and Acute Loss of Environmental Enrichment Impact BALB/c Mice Behavior in Multiple Functional Domains. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:1118-1140. [PMID: 35060219 PMCID: PMC9306724 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Understanding environmental influences on individuals' behaviour is challenging. Here we have investigated the housing impact of 9 weeks of enriched environment (EE) and social isolation (SI) and the impact of abrupt deprivation of EE (enrichment removal: ER) on BALB/c mice. Compared with the widely used C57BL/6 strain in research, BALB/c synthesises serotonin less efficiently due to a genetic variation and thus may potentially represent human populations at higher risk of stress‐related disorders. We assessed the effects of EE and SI by conducting a behavioural test battery and the effects of acute ER by monitoring homecage activities and social behaviour. We found that EE and SI impact BALB/c's physiological states and behavioural performances from lower to higher cognitive processes: increased body weight, increased rectal temperature, altered performance in motor and sensory tasks, the activity level in a novel environment and altered performance in tests of anxiety‐like behaviour, stress‐coping strategies and learning and memory. Furthermore, acute ER triggered stress/frustration‐like behaviour in BALB/c, with increased aggression, increased social distancing and disrupted daily/nightly activities. Our results demonstrate that long‐lasting housing manipulation such as EE and SI, impact behaviour via multilayered processes over a wide range of functional domains, and unforeseen change to a negative environment, ER, is a major stressor that causes behavioural and psychological consequences through environment–gene interactions, a model of direct relevance to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momoe Sukegawa
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies Kyoto University Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell‐Material Sciences (iCeMS) Kyoto University Japan
| | - Toru Yoshihara
- Institute of Laboratory Animals, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University Japan
| | - Shengqun Hou
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies Kyoto University Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell‐Material Sciences (iCeMS) Kyoto University Japan
| | - Masahide Asano
- Institute of Laboratory Animals, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University Japan
| | - Anthony J. Hannan
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience University of Melbourne Australia
- Melbourne Brain Centre Australia
| | - Dan Ohtan Wang
- Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR), RIKEN Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies Kyoto University Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell‐Material Sciences (iCeMS) Kyoto University Japan
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23
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24
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Combination effect of exercise and environmental enrichment on cognitive functions and hippocampal neurogenesis markers of rat. Neuroreport 2021; 32:1234-1240. [PMID: 34494991 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Cognitive decline is one of the most prevalent health problems and is associated with increased healthcare utilization and economic burden. Physical and cognitive training both have positive effects on cognition but have been less applied in combination. We hypothesized that simultaneous cognitive-physical components would yield greater cognitive benefits than single-domain interventions in rats. METHODS A total of 40 male Wistar rats were divided into four treatment groups: the control, enriched environment (EE), exercise (EX), and EE + EX. Animals in EE groups housed in the large cages (50 × 50 × 50 cm) contained differently shaped objects for 3 weeks. EX animals were forced to run on a treadmill once daily for 3 consecutive weeks. Morris water maze test was used for the assessment of spatial learning and memory. Real-time PCR was performed to assess the expression of nestin, and Sox2 in the hippocampus. RESULTS EX and EE animals separately did not show a significantly enhanced function in spatial memory in comparison with the control group. When animals were treated with EE and EX simultaneously, they exhibited significantly superior performance in spatial memory than control, EX, or EE groups separately. The hippocampal expression of Sox2 was significantly higher in EE + EX group than in the control, EX, and EE alone. CONCLUSIONS These results may have clinical implications for behavioral interventions in conditions with cognitive deficiencies.
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25
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Kalamari A, Kentrop J, Hinna Danesi C, Graat EAM, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Joëls M, van der Veen R. Complex Housing, but Not Maternal Deprivation Affects Motivation to Liberate a Trapped Cage-Mate in an Operant Rat Task. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:698501. [PMID: 34512284 PMCID: PMC8427758 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.698501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life environment influences the development of various aspects of social behavior, particularly during sensitive developmental periods. We studied how challenges in the early postnatal period or (early) adolescence affect pro-social behavior. To this end, we designed a lever-operated liberation task, to be able to measure motivation to liberate a trapped conspecific (by progressively increasing required lever pressing for door-opening). Liberation of the trapped rat resulted either in social contact or in liberation into a separate compartment. Additionally, a condition was tested in which both rats could freely move in two separate compartments and lever pressing resulted in social contact. When partners were not trapped, rats were more motivated to press the lever for opening the door than in either of the trapped configurations. Contrary to our expectations, the trapped configuration resulted in a reduced motivation to act. Early postnatal stress (24 h maternal deprivation on postnatal day 3) did not affect behavior in the liberation task. However, rearing rats from early adolescence onwards in complex housing conditions (Marlau cages) reduced the motivation to door opening, both in the trapped and freely moving conditions, while the motivation for a sucrose reward was not affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini Kalamari
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jiska Kentrop
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Chiara Hinna Danesi
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Evelien A M Graat
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Primary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marian Joëls
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen University, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Rixt van der Veen
- Brain Plasticity group, SILS Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Mormino A, Bernardini G, Cocozza G, Corbi N, Passananti C, Santoni A, Limatola C, Garofalo S. Enriched Environment Cues Suggest a New Strategy to Counteract Glioma: Engineered rAAV2-IL-15 Microglia Modulate the Tumor Microenvironment. Front Immunol 2021; 12:730128. [PMID: 34552593 PMCID: PMC8450436 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.730128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several types of cancer grow differently depending on the environmental stimuli they receive. In glioma, exposure to an enriched environment (EE) increases the overall survival rate of tumor-bearing mice, acting on the cells that participate to define the tumor microenvironment. In particular, environmental cues increase the microglial production of interleukin (IL)-15 which promotes a pro-inflammatory (antitumor) phenotype of microglia and the cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells, counteracting glioma growth, thus representing a virtuous mechanism of interaction between NK cells and microglia. To mimic the effect of EE on glioma, we investigated the potential of creating engineered microglia as the source of IL-15 in glioma. We demonstrated that microglia modified with recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (rAAV2) carrying IL-15 (rAAV2-IL-15), to force the production of IL-15, are able to increase the NK cells viability in coculture. Furthermore, the intranasal delivery of rAAV2-IL-15 microglia triggered the interplay with NK cells in vivo, enhancing NK cell recruitment and pro-inflammatory microglial phenotype in tumor mass of glioma-bearing mice, and ultimately counteracted tumor growth. This approach has a high potential for clinical translatability, highlighting the therapeutic efficacy of forced IL-15 production in microglia: the delivery of engineered rAAV2-IL-15 microglia to boost the immune response paves the way to design a new perspective therapy for glioma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Mormino
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bernardini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Germana Cocozza
- Instituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Corbi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, CNR-Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Passananti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, CNR-Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Santoni
- Instituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Cristina Limatola
- Instituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Garofalo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
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Manfredini F, Martinez‐Ruiz C, Wurm Y, Shoemaker DW, Brown MJF. Social isolation and group size are associated with divergent gene expression in the brain of ant queens. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 21:e12758. [PMID: 34101985 PMCID: PMC9744527 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Social life and isolation pose a complex suite of challenges to organisms prompting significant changes in neural state. However, plasticity in how brains respond to social challenges remains largely unexplored. The fire ants Solenopsis invicta provide an ideal scenario for examining this. Fire ant queens may found colonies individually or in groups of up to 30 queens, depending on key factors such as density of newly mated queens and availability of nesting sites. We artificially manipulated availability of nesting sites to test how the brain responds to social versus solitary colony founding at two key timepoints (early vs. late colony founding) and to group size (large vs. small groups). We adopted a powerful neurogenomic approach to identify even subtle differences of gene expression between treatment groups, and we built a global gene co-expression network of the fire ant brain to identify gene modules specifically associated with the different components of the social environment. The difference between group and single founding queens involves only one gene when founding behavior is still plastic and queens can switch from one modality to another, while hundreds of genes are involved later in the process, when behaviors have lost the initial plasticity and are more canalized. Furthermore, we find that large groups are associated with greater changes in gene expression than small groups, showing that even potentially subtle differences in the social environment can be linked to different neurogenomic states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Manfredini
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK,School of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
| | - Carlos Martinez‐Ruiz
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Yannick Wurm
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - De Wayne Shoemaker
- Department of Entomology and Plant PathologyThe University of Tennessee Institute of AgricultureKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Mark J. F. Brown
- School of Biological SciencesRoyal Holloway University of LondonEghamUK
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28
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Macaulay TR, Peters BT, Wood SJ, Clément GR, Oddsson L, Bloomberg JJ. Developing Proprioceptive Countermeasures to Mitigate Postural and Locomotor Control Deficits After Long-Duration Spaceflight. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:658985. [PMID: 33986648 PMCID: PMC8111171 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.658985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Astronauts experience post-flight disturbances in postural and locomotor control due to sensorimotor adaptations during spaceflight. These alterations may have adverse consequences if a rapid egress is required after landing. Although current exercise protocols can effectively mitigate cardiovascular and muscular deconditioning, the benefits to post-flight sensorimotor dysfunction are limited. Furthermore, some exercise capabilities like treadmill running are currently not feasible on exploration spaceflight vehicles. Thus, new in-flight operational countermeasures are needed to mitigate postural and locomotor control deficits after exploration missions. Data from spaceflight and from analog studies collectively suggest that body unloading decreases the utilization of proprioceptive input, and this adaptation strongly contributes to balance dysfunction after spaceflight. For example, on return to Earth, an astronaut's vestibular input may be compromised by adaptation to microgravity, but their proprioceptive input is compromised by body unloading. Since proprioceptive and tactile input are important for maintaining postural control, keeping these systems tuned to respond to upright balance challenges during flight may improve functional task performance after flight through dynamic reweighting of sensory input. Novel approaches are needed to compensate for the challenges of balance training in microgravity and must be tested in a body unloading environment such as head down bed rest. Here, we review insights from the literature and provide observations from our laboratory that could inform the development of an in-flight proprioceptive countermeasure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Scott J. Wood
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | | | - Lars Oddsson
- RxFunction Inc., Eden Prairie, MN, United States
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Recaniti School for Community Health Professions, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
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29
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Rojas-Carvajal M, Sequeira-Cordero A, Brenes JC. The environmental enrichment model revisited: A translatable paradigm to study the stress of our modern lifestyle. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:2359-2392. [PMID: 33638921 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Mounting evidence shows that physical activity, social interaction and sensorimotor stimulation provided by environmental enrichment (EE) exert several neurobehavioural effects traditionally interpreted as enhancements relative to standard housing (SH) conditions. However, this evidence rather indicates that SH induces many deficits, which could be ameliorated by exposing animals to an environment vaguely mimicking some features of their wild habitat. Rearing rodents in social isolation (SI) can aggravate such deficits, which can be restored by SH or EE. It is not surprising, therefore, that most preclinical stress models have included severe and unnatural stressors to produce a stress response prominent enough to be distinguishable from SH or SI-frequently used as control groups. Although current stress models induce a stress-related phenotype, they may fail to represent the stress of our urban lifestyle characterized by SI, poor housing and working environments, sedentarism, obesity and limited access to recreational activities and exercise. In the following review, we discuss the stress of living in urban areas and how exposures to and performing activities in green environments are stress relievers. Based on the commonalities between human and animal EE, we discuss how models of housing conditions (e.g., SI-SH-EE) could be adapted to study the stress of our modern lifestyle. The housing conditions model might be easy to implement and replicate leading to more translational results. It may also contribute to accomplishing some ethical commitments by promoting the refinement of procedures to model stress, diminishing animal suffering, enhancing animal welfare and eventually reducing the number of experimental animals needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mijail Rojas-Carvajal
- Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Andrey Sequeira-Cordero
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.,Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Juan C Brenes
- Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
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van der Veen R, Bonapersona V, Joëls M. The relevance of a rodent cohort in the Consortium on Individual Development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100846. [PMID: 32957026 PMCID: PMC7509002 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the features of the Consortium on Individual Development is the existence of a rodent cohort, in parallel with the human cohorts. Here we give an overview of the current status. We first elaborate on the choice of rat and mouse models mimicking early life adverse or beneficial conditions during development. We performed a systematic literature search on early life adversity and adult social behavior to address the status quo. Next, we describe the behavioral tasks we used and designed to examine behavioral control and social competence in rodents. The results so far indicate that manipulation of the environment in the first postnatal week only subtly affects social behavior. Stronger effects were seen in the model that targeted early adolescence; once adult, these rats are characterized by increased attention, a higher degree of impulsiveness and reduced social interest in peers. Many experiments in our rodent models with tightly controlled conditions were inspired by findings in human cohorts, and now allow in-depth mechanistic investigations. Vice versa, some of the findings in rodents are currently followed up by dedicated investigations in the human cohorts. This exemplifies the added value of animal investigations in a consortium encompassing primarily human developmental cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rixt van der Veen
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Valeria Bonapersona
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marian Joëls
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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31
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Sakhaie N, Sadegzadeh F, Mohammadnia A, Dadkhah M, Saadati H. Sex-dependent effects of postweaning exposure to an enriched environment on novel objective recognition memory and anxiety-like behaviors: The role of hippocampal BDNF level. Int J Dev Neurosci 2020; 80:396-408. [PMID: 32416621 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10038] [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] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to enriched environment (EE) has been indicated to enhance cognitive functions, hippocampal neural plasticity, neurogenesis, long-term potentiation, and levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in laboratory animals. Also, studies on the sex-dependent effects of exposure to EE during adolescence on adult cognitive functions are less. This is important because the beneficial effects of EE may be predominant in the adolescence stage. Therefore, the present study was designed to compare the effects of EE during adolescence (PND21-PND60) on novel objective recognition memory (NORM), anxiety-like behaviors, and hippocampal BDNF mRNA level in the adult male and female rats. Assessment of NORM and anxiety-like behaviors has been done by novel objective recognition task, open field (OF), and elevated plus maze (EPM), respectively. The expression of BDNF mRNA level was also evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Our findings demonstrated that housing in the EE during adolescence improves NORM in adult male rats. Also, exposure to EE during adolescence had a different effect on anxiety-like behaviors in both sexes. Additionally, our results indicated an augmented BDNF level in the hippocampus of male and female rats. In conclusion, adolescent exposure to EE has sex-dependent effects on cognitive functions and anxiety-like behaviors and increases BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus of both male and female rats; thus, BDNF is an important factor that can mediate the beneficial effects of EE and running exercise on cognitive functions and psychiatric traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nona Sakhaie
- Faculty of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Farshid Sadegzadeh
- Faculty of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Alireza Mohammadnia
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Basic Sciences, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Dadkhah
- Pharmaceutical Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Hakimeh Saadati
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
- Physiological Studies Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
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32
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Zheng JJ, Zou R, Huang S, Song TJ, Yu X. Enriched Environment Rearing from Birth Reduced Anxiety, Improved Learning and Memory, and Promoted Social Interactions in Adult Male Mice. Neuroscience 2020; 442:138-150. [PMID: 32652178 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Rearing rodents in an enriched environment (EE), with increased sensory stimulations and social interactions, is a well-established model for naturally increasing neural activity. It is well-known that EE-rearing of rodents from adolescence or during adulthood leads to extensive biochemical, morphological, electrophysiological and behavioral changes. Here, we examine the effects of EE-rearing from birth on adult behavior. Through a battery of assays, we found that mice EE-reared from birth had better acquisition and consolidation of memory, in both aversive-based fear conditioning and reward-based contextual association tasks. Moreover, EE-reared mice showed reduced anxiety in novel environments and enhanced social interactions. Together, these results demonstrated that EE-rearing from birth significantly improved motor ability, learning and memory and sociability, while reducing anxiety. A better understanding of how early environmental influences affect behavior is not only important for understanding neural circuit wiring, but also provides insight into developing more effective intervention programs for neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Jing Zheng
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Rong Zou
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Shajin Huang
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Tian-Jia Song
- School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Xiang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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33
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Experience Recruits MSK1 to Expand the Dynamic Range of Synapses and Enhance Cognition. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4644-4660. [PMID: 32376781 PMCID: PMC7294801 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2765-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Experience powerfully influences neuronal function and cognitive performance, but the cellular and molecular events underlying the experience-dependent enhancement of mental ability have remained elusive. In particular, the mechanisms that couple the external environment to the genomic changes underpinning this improvement are unknown. To address this, we have used male mice harboring an inactivating mutation of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1), a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-activated enzyme downstream of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. We show that MSK1 is required for the full extent of experience-induced improvement of spatial memory, for the expansion of the dynamic range of synapses, exemplified by the enhancement of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), and for the regulation of the majority of genes influenced by enrichment. In addition, and unexpectedly, we show that experience is associated with an MSK1-dependent downregulation of key MAPK and plasticity-related genes, notably of EGR1/Zif268 and Arc/Arg3.1, suggesting the establishment of a novel genomic landscape adapted to experience. By coupling experience to homeostatic changes in gene expression MSK1, represents a prime mechanism through which the external environment has an enduring influence on gene expression, synaptic function, and cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our everyday experiences strongly influence the structure and function of the brain. Positive experiences encourage the growth and development of the brain and support enhanced learning and memory and resistance to mood disorders such as anxiety. While this has been known for many years, how this occurs is not clear. Here, we show that many of the positive aspects of experience depend on an enzyme called mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1). Using male mice with a mutation in MSK1, we show that MSK1 is necessary for the majority of gene expression changes associated with experience, extending the range over which the communication between neurons occurs, and for both the persistence of memory and the ability to learn new task rules.
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