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Maćkowiak M. Psychedelics action and schizophrenia. Pharmacol Rep 2023; 75:1350-1361. [PMID: 37899392 PMCID: PMC10661800 DOI: 10.1007/s43440-023-00546-5] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Psychedelics are compounds acting by serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)2A receptor activation and induce several behavioral responses. They are of special interest because of their positive effects on neuropsychiatric disorders (depression and posttraumatic stress disorder). However, several findings revealed that some psychedelic actions are similar to symptoms observed in schizophrenia (psychosis, sensorimotor gating impairments, attention, and working memory deficits) which might limit their clinical applications. Psychedelics activate some neurotransmitters, i.e., serotonergic, and glutamatergic, that are also impaired in schizophrenia. Therefore, the neurobiological background of psychedelics and schizophrenia is partially similar. Another important aspect to discuss is the perspective of using psychedelics in schizophrenia therapy. Postmortem studies showed a loss of synapses in schizophrenia, and the positive effects of psychedelics on neuroplasticity (synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, and neuritogenesis) might be essential in the context of schizophrenia therapy. However, because of psychedelics' psychotic action, the recommended doses of psychedelics in schizophrenia treatment are not established, and subpsychedelic dosing or microdosing are considered. Exploratory studies are needed to determine the tolerability of treatment and appropriate dosing regimen. Another therapeutic option is using non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogs that also induce neuroplastic outcomes but do not have psychotogenic effects. Further preclinical and clinical studies are needed to recognize the potential effectiveness of 5-HT2A agonists in schizophrenia therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzena Maćkowiak
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure, Pharmacology Department, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland.
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2
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Zarghami TS, Zeidman P, Razi A, Bahrami F, Hossein‐Zadeh G. Dysconnection and cognition in schizophrenia: A spectral dynamic causal modeling study. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2873-2896. [PMID: 36852654 PMCID: PMC10089110 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental disorder characterized by failure of functional integration (aka dysconnection) across the brain. Recent functional connectivity (FC) studies have adopted functional parcellations to define subnetworks of large-scale networks, and to characterize the (dys)connection between them, in normal and clinical populations. While FC examines statistical dependencies between observations, model-based effective connectivity (EC) can disclose the causal influences that underwrite the observed dependencies. In this study, we investigated resting state EC within seven large-scale networks, in 66 SZ and 74 healthy subjects from a public dataset. The results showed that a remarkable 33% of the effective connections (among subnetworks) of the cognitive control network had been pathologically modulated in SZ. Further dysconnection was identified within the visual, default mode and sensorimotor networks of SZ subjects, with 24%, 20%, and 11% aberrant couplings. Overall, the proportion of discriminative connections was remarkably larger in EC (24%) than FC (1%) analysis. Subsequently, to study the neural correlates of impaired cognition in SZ, we conducted a canonical correlation analysis between the EC parameters and the cognitive scores of the patients. As such, the self-inhibitions of supplementary motor area and paracentral lobule (in the sensorimotor network) and the excitatory connection from parahippocampal gyrus to inferior temporal gyrus (in the cognitive control network) were significantly correlated with the social cognition, reasoning/problem solving and working memory capabilities of the patients. Future research can investigate the potential of whole-brain EC as a biomarker for diagnosis of brain disorders and for neuroimaging-based cognitive assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahereh S. Zarghami
- Bio‐Electric Department, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of EngineeringUniversity of TeranTehranIran
- Human Motor Control and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of EngineeringUniversity of TehranTehranIran
| | - Peter Zeidman
- The Wellcome Centre for Human NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Adeel Razi
- The Wellcome Centre for Human NeuroimagingUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental HealthMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
- Monash Biomedical ImagingMonash UniversityClaytonVictoriaAustralia
- CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, CIFARTorontoCanada
| | - Fariba Bahrami
- Bio‐Electric Department, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of EngineeringUniversity of TeranTehranIran
- Human Motor Control and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of EngineeringUniversity of TehranTehranIran
| | - Gholam‐Ali Hossein‐Zadeh
- Bio‐Electric Department, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of EngineeringUniversity of TeranTehranIran
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3
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Kruiper C, Sommer IEC, Koster M, Bakker PR, Durston S, Oranje B. Clonidine augmentation in patients with schizophrenia: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Schizophr Res 2023; 255:148-154. [PMID: 36989672 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Noradrenergic imbalance in the brain of schizophrenia patients may underlie both symptomatology and deficits in basic information processing. The current study investigated whether augmentation with the noradrenergic α2-agonist clonidine might alleviate these symptoms. METHODS In a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 32 chronic schizophrenia patients were randomly assigned to six-weeks augmentation with either 50 μg clonidine or placebo to their current medication. Effects on symptom severity and both sensory- and sensorimotor gating were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-weeks. Results were compared with 21 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) who received no treatment. RESULTS Only patients treated with clonidine showed significantly reduced PANSS negative, general and total scores at follow-up compared to baseline. On average, also patients treated with placebo showed minor (non-significant) reductions in these scores, likely indicating a placebo effect. Sensorimotor gating of patients was significantly lower at baseline compared to controls. It increased in patients treated with clonidine over the treatment period, whereas it decreased in both the HC and patients treated with placebo. However, neither treatment nor group effects were found in sensory gating. Clonidine treatment was very well tolerated. CONCLUSION Only patients treated with clonidine showed a significant decrease on two out of the three PANSS subscales, while additionally retained their levels of sensorimotor gating. Given that there are only a few reports on effective treatment for negative symptoms in particular, our current results support augmentation of antipsychotics with clonidine as a promising, low-cost and safe treatment strategy for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlyn Kruiper
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Iris E C Sommer
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG), department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Michiel Koster
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - P Roberto Bakker
- Arkin, Institute for Mental Health, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Maastricht University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Durston
- University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Bob Oranje
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Glostrup, Denmark.
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Acheson DT, Baker DG, Nievergelt CM, Yurgil KA, Geyer MA, Risbrough VB. Prospective longitudinal assessment of sensorimotor gating as a risk/resiliency factor for posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2238-2244. [PMID: 36192631 PMCID: PMC9630259 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01460-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Little is understood about cognitive mechanisms that confer risk and resiliency for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) is a measure of pre-attentional response inhibition that is a stable cognitive trait disrupted in many neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by poor behavioral or cognitive inhibition, including PTSD. Differentiating between PTSD-related phenotypes that are pre-existing factors vs. those that emerge specifically after trauma is critical to understanding PTSD etiology and can only be addressed by prospective studies. This study tested the hypothesis that sensorimotor gating performance is associated with risk/resiliency for combat-related PTSD. As part of a prospective, longitudinal study, 1226 active duty Marines and Navy Corpsman completed a PPI test as well as a clinical interview to assess PTSD symptoms both before, and 3 and 6 months after a combat deployment. Participants that developed PTSD 6 months following deployment (N=46) showed lower PPI across pre and post-deployment time points compared to participants who did not develop PTSD (N=1182) . Examination of the distribution of PTSD across PPI performance revealed a lower than expected number of cases in the highest performing quartile compared to the rest of the distribution (p < 0.04). When controlling for other factors that predict PTSD in this population, those in the top 25% of PPI performance showed a >50% reduction in chance to develop PTSD (OR = 0.32). Baseline startle reactivity and startle habituation were not significantly different between PTSD risk and control groups. These findings suggest that robust sensorimotor gating may represent a resiliency factor for development of PTSD following trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean T Acheson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dewleen G Baker
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Caroline M Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kate A Yurgil
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Loyola University New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Mark A Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Victoria B Risbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Stutz B, Waterson MJ, Šestan-Peša M, Dietrich MO, Škarica M, Sestan N, Racz B, Magyar A, Sotonyi P, Liu ZW, Gao XB, Matyas F, Stoiljkovic M, Horvath TL. AgRP neurons control structure and function of the medial prefrontal cortex. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3951-3960. [PMID: 35906488 PMCID: PMC9891653 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01691-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hypothalamic agouti-related peptide and neuropeptide Y-expressing (AgRP) neurons have a critical role in both feeding and non-feeding behaviors of newborn, adolescent, and adult mice, suggesting their broad modulatory impact on brain functions. Here we show that constitutive impairment of AgRP neurons or their peripubertal chemogenetic inhibition resulted in both a numerical and functional reduction of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice. These changes were accompanied by alteration of oscillatory network activity in mPFC, impaired sensorimotor gating, and altered ambulatory behavior that could be reversed by the administration of clozapine, a non-selective dopamine receptor antagonist. The observed AgRP effects are transduced to mPFC in part via dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area and may also be conveyed by medial thalamic neurons. Our results unmasked a previously unsuspected role for hypothalamic AgRP neurons in control of neuronal pathways that regulate higher-order brain functions during development and in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Stutz
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael J Waterson
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Matija Šestan-Peša
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Marcelo O Dietrich
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mario Škarica
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Bence Racz
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Aletta Magyar
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Peter Sotonyi
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zhong-Wu Liu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xiao-Bing Gao
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ferenc Matyas
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Milan Stoiljkovic
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
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San-Martin R, Zimiani MI, de Ávila MAV, Shuhama R, Del-Ben CM, Menezes PR, Fraga FJ, Salum C. Early Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Patients Display Reduced Neural Prepulse Inhibition. Brain Sci 2022; 12:93. [PMID: 35053836 PMCID: PMC8773710 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12010093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered sensorimotor gating has been demonstrated by Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) tests in patients with psychosis. Recent advances in signal processing methods allow assessment of neural PPI through electroencephalogram (EEG) recording during acoustic startle response measures (classic muscular PPI). Simultaneous measurements of muscular (eye-blink) and neural gating phenomena during PPI test may help to better understand sensorial processing dysfunctions in psychosis. In this study, we aimed to assess simultaneously muscular and neural PPI in early bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients. METHOD Participants were recruited from a population-based case-control study of first episode psychosis. PPI was measured using electromyography (EMG) and EEG in pulse alone and prepulse + pulse with intervals of 30, 60, and 120 ms in early bipolar disorder (n = 18) and schizophrenia (n = 11) patients. As control group, 15 socio-economically matched healthy subjects were recruited. All subjects were evaluated with Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and Young Mania Rating Scale questionnaires at recruitment and just before PPI test. Wilcoxon ranked sum tests were used to compare PPI test results between groups. RESULTS In comparison to healthy participants, neural PPI was significantly reduced in PPI 30 and PPI60 among bipolar and schizophrenia patients, while muscular PPI was reduced in PPI60 and PPI120 intervals only among patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION The combination of muscular and neural PPI evaluations suggested distinct impairment patterns among schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients. Simultaneous recording may contribute with novel information in sensory gating investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo San-Martin
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil; (R.S.-M.); (M.I.Z.)
| | - Maria Inês Zimiani
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil; (R.S.-M.); (M.I.Z.)
| | | | - Rosana Shuhama
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, Brazil; (M.A.V.d.Á.); (R.S.); (C.M.D.-B.)
- Population Mental Health Research Center, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, Brazil;
| | - Cristina Marta Del-Ben
- Ribeirão Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, Brazil; (M.A.V.d.Á.); (R.S.); (C.M.D.-B.)
- Population Mental Health Research Center, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, Brazil;
| | - Paulo Rossi Menezes
- Population Mental Health Research Center, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, Brazil;
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, Brazil
| | - Francisco José Fraga
- Centro de Engenharia, Modelagem e Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo André 09210-580, Brazil;
| | - Cristiane Salum
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição, Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil; (R.S.-M.); (M.I.Z.)
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Karantonis JA, Carruthers SP, Rossell SL, Pantelis C, Hughes M, Wannan C, Cropley V, Van Rheenen TE. A Systematic Review of Cognition-Brain Morphology Relationships on the Schizophrenia-Bipolar Disorder Spectrum. Schizophr Bull 2021; 47:1557-1600. [PMID: 34097043 PMCID: PMC8530395 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbab054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The nature of the relationship between cognition and brain morphology in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and bipolar disorder (BD) is uncertain. This review aimed to address this, by providing a comprehensive systematic investigation of links between several cognitive domains and brain volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area in SSD and BD patients across early and established illness stages. An initial search of PubMed and Scopus databases resulted in 1486 articles, of which 124 met inclusion criteria and were reviewed in detail. The majority of studies focused on SSD, while those of BD were scarce. Replicated evidence for specific regions associated with indices of cognition was minimal, however for several cognitive domains, the frontal and temporal regions were broadly implicated across both recent-onset and established SSD, and to a lesser extent BD. Collectively, the findings of this review emphasize the significance of both frontal and temporal regions for some domains of cognition in SSD, while highlighting the need for future BD-related studies on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Karantonis
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sean P Carruthers
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
- St Vincent’s Mental Health, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Matthew Hughes
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Cassandra Wannan
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Vanessa Cropley
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tamsyn E Van Rheenen
- Centre for Mental Health, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
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Tapias-Espinosa C, Cañete T, Sampedro-Viana D, Brudek T, Kaihøj A, Oliveras I, Tobeña A, Aznar S, Fernández-Teruel A. Oxytocin attenuates schizophrenia-like reduced sensorimotor gating in outbred and inbred rats in line with strain differences in CD38 gene expression. Physiol Behav 2021; 240:113547. [PMID: 34364851 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is a measure of sensorimotor gating that is impaired in many clinical conditions, including schizophrenia. The inbred Roman high-avoidance (RHA) rats, compared to their low-avoidance (RLA) counterparts, show distinct schizophrenia-like phenotypes, such as spontaneous deficits in PPI accompanied by decreased medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity and volume. Schizophrenia-like deficits are usually attenuated by antipsychotic drugs, but these drugs often produce severe side effects. In order to reduce these side effects, the neuropeptide oxytocin has been proposed as an alternative natural antipsychotic for schizophrenia. Here, we examined the effects of peripheral oxytocin administration (saline, 0.04, and 0.2 mg/kg) on PPI in the RHA vs. RLA rats, as well as in the outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats. Our results showed that oxytocin increased PPI in the HS rats and attenuated PPI deficits in the RHA rats, but it did not significantly affect PPI in the RLAs. To explore whether these divergent effects were associated with differences in oxytocinergic mechanisms, we analyzed gene expression of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and the regulator of oxytocin release (CD38) in the mPFC of the Roman rats. Consistent with the differential oxytocin effects on PPI (RHA > RLA), constitutive CD38 expression was reduced in the RHA rats compared to the RLAs, while oxytocin administration increased OXTR expression in both strains. Overall, the present work reveals that oxytocin administration shows antipsychotic-like effects on PPI in outbred and inbred rats, and it suggests that these effects may be related to basal differences in oxytocin-mediated mechanisms in the mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carles Tapias-Espinosa
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Toni Cañete
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Sampedro-Viana
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomasz Brudek
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Copenhagen Center for Translational Research, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Kaihøj
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Copenhagen Center for Translational Research, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ignasi Oliveras
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adolf Tobeña
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Aznar
- Research Laboratory for Stereology and Neuroscience, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Copenhagen Center for Translational Research, Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Alberto Fernández-Teruel
- Department of Psychiatry & Forensic Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Interference of commissural connections through the genu of the corpus callosum specifically impairs sensorimotor gating. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113383. [PMID: 34048871 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
White matter abnormalities in schizophrenic patients are characterized as regional tract-specific. Myelin loss at the genu of the corpus callosum (GCC) is one of the most consistent findings in schizophrenic patients across the different populations. We characterized the axons that pass through the GCC by stereotactically injecting an anterograde axonal tracing viral vector into the forceps minor of the corpus callosum in one hemisphere, and identified the homotopic brain structures that have commissural connections in the two hemispheres of the prefrontal cortex, including the anterior cingulate area, the prelimbic area, the secondary motor area, and the dorsal part of the agranular insular area, along with commissural connections with the primary motor area, caudoputamen, and claustrum. To investigate whether dysmyelination in these commissural connections is critical for the development of schizophrenia symptoms, we generated a mouse model with focal demyelination at the GCC by stereotactically injecting demyelinating agent lysolecithin into this site, and tested these mice in a battery of behavioral tasks that are used to model the schizophrenia-like symptom domains. We found that demyelination at the GCC influenced neither the social interest or mood state, nor the locomotive activity or motor coordination. Nevertheless, it specifically reduced the prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle that is a well-known measure of sensorimotor gating. This study advances our understanding of the pathophysiological contributions of the GCC-specific white matter lesion to the related disease, and demonstrates an indispensable role of interhemispheric communication between the frontal cortices for the top-down regulation of the sensorimotor gating.
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Storozheva ZI, Akhapkin RV, Bolotina OV, Korendrukhina A, Novototsky-Vlasov VY, Shcherbakova IV, Kirenskaya AV. Sensorimotor and sensory gating in depression, anxiety, and their comorbidity. World J Biol Psychiatry 2021; 22:183-193. [PMID: 32420779 DOI: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1770859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Abnormal attentional and cognitive processes are thought to increase the risk for depression and anxiety. To improve understanding of brain mechanisms of anxiety and depressive disorders and condition of their comorbidity, the study of early attentional processes was provided. METHODS Participants were patients with depressive (80 s.), anxiety (69 s.), and comorbid (41 s.) disorders, and healthy volunteers (50 s.). Acoustic startle response (ASR) and P50 component of the auditory event-related potential were recorded. RESULTS In the ASR model decreased startle response amplitude at the left eye in patients with comorbid disorder was found, and ASR latency was lengthened in all clinical groups. Deficit of prepulse inhibition was unique for comorbid disorder, and might be considered as risk of evolution to more serious condition. Reduced prepulse facilitation was revealed in patients with comorbid and anxiety disorders. In P50 suppression paradigm decreased S1 response amplitude was revealed in all clinical groups, P50 latency was prolonged in depressive and comorbid patients, and P50 suppression deficit was observed in depression and anxiety groups. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results might be useful for development of integrative neural models of comorbidity of anxiety and depression, and elaboration of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zinaida I Storozheva
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Roman V Akhapkin
- Department of new drugs and therapies, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow Russian Federation
| | - Olga V Bolotina
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Anna Korendrukhina
- Department of new drugs and therapies, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow Russian Federation
| | - Vladimir Y Novototsky-Vlasov
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | | | - Anna V Kirenskaya
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurophysiology, V. Serbsky National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Narcology, Moscow, Russian Federation
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11
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Jahan MS, Ito T, Ichihashi S, Masuda T, Bhuiyan MER, Takahashi I, Takamatsu H, Kumanogoh A, Tsuzuki T, Negishi T, Yukawa K. PlexinA1 deficiency in BALB/cAJ mice leads to excessive self-grooming and reduced prepulse inhibition. IBRO Rep 2020; 9:276-289. [PMID: 33163687 PMCID: PMC7607060 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibror.2020.10.004] [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: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PlexinA1 (PlxnA1) is a transmembrane receptor for semaphorins, a large family of proteins that act as axonal guidance cues during nervous system development. However, there are limited studies on PlxnA1 function in neurobehavior. The present study examined if PlxnA1 deficiency leads to behavioral abnormalities in BALB/cAJ mice. PlxnA1 knockout (KO) mice were generated by homologous recombination and compared to wild type (WT) littermates on a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests, including open field assessment of spontaneous ambulation, state anxiety, and grooming, home cage grooming, the wire hang test of muscle strength, motor coordination on the rotarod task, working memory on the Y maze alternation task, cued and contextual fear conditioning, anxiety on the elevated plus maze, sociability to intruders, and sensory processing as measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI). Measures of motor performance, working memory, fear memory, and sociability did not differ significantly between genotypes, while PlxnA1 KO mice displayed excessive self-grooming, impaired PPI, and slightly lower anxiety. These results suggest a crucial role for PlxnA1 in the development and function of brain regions controlling self-grooming and sensory gating. PlxnA1 KO mice may be a valuable model to investigate the repetitive behaviors and information processing deficits characteristic of many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mst Sharifa Jahan
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takuji Ito
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Sachika Ichihashi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takanobu Masuda
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | | | - Ikuko Takahashi
- Radioisotope Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hyota Takamatsu
- Department of Immunopathology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kumanogoh
- Department of Immunopathology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Takamasa Tsuzuki
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takayuki Negishi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kazunori Yukawa
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan
- Corresponding author.
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12
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Schizophrenia-like reduced sensorimotor gating in intact inbred and outbred rats is associated with decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity and volume. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1975-1984. [PMID: 30986819 PMCID: PMC6784988 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0392-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle response is a measure of sensorimotor gating that is impaired in schizophrenia and in many other clinical conditions. Rat models using pharmacological or surgical strategies reveal that PPI is modulated by the cortico-striatal-pallido-thalamic (CSPT) circuit. Here, we explore whether spontaneous variation in PPI in intact inbred and outbred rats is associated with functional and structural differences in the CSPT circuit. Inbred Roman High-(RHA) and Low-avoidance (RLA) and outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats were assessed for PPI, brain activity, and brain volume. Brain activity was assessed by c-Fos expression and brain volume by magnetic resonance imaging. Relevant structures of the CSPT circuit were evaluated, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), cingulate cortex, hippocampus (HPC), amygdala, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and dorsal striatum. RHA showed lower PPI than RLA rats, while HS rats were stratified by their PPI levels in three groups. Reduced PPI was accompanied by decreased mPFC activity in Roman and HS rats and increased NAc shell activity in HS rats. Low PPI was also associated with decreased mPFC and HPC volumes in Roman and HS rats. This study reports a consistent relationship between decreased function and volume of the mPFC and spontaneous low-PPI levels in inbred and outbred intact rats. Moreover, our findings suggest that, apart from a hypoactive and smaller mPFC, a hyperactive NAc and smaller HPC may underlie reduced PPI levels. Our results support the notion that sensorimotor gating is modulated by forebrain structures and highlight the importance of the mPFC in its regulation.
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13
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Li XB, Bo QJ, Tian Q, Yang NB, Mao Z, Zheng W, Wen YJ, Wang CY. Impact of childhood trauma on sensory gating in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. BMC Psychiatry 2018; 18:258. [PMID: 30115023 PMCID: PMC6097339 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1807-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood trauma (CT) has been found to contribute to the onset of schizophrenia and auditory sensory gating deficit is a leading endophenotype for schizophrenia. However, the association between the CT and sensory gating in first-episode schizophrenia remains elusive. METHODS Fifty-six patients and 49 age and sex-matched healthy controls were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) for CT and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for symptoms severity. Sensory gating was tested using the modified paradigm, perceived spatial separation-induced prepulse inhibition (PSS-PPI), and the perceived spatial co-location PPI (PSC-PPI or classical PPI). RESULTS Comparing with healthy controls, the patients had significantly higher score on sexual abuse (t = 2.729, p < 0.05), lower PSS- PPI, % (ISI = 120 ms and ISI = 60 ms) (t = - 3.089, - 4.196, p < 0.05). Univariate analysis revealed the absence of a significant correlation among CT, PPI paradigms and symptoms. However, multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated the CTQ-SF total was negatively associated with PSS PPI (ISI = 120 ms) (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION The current study illustrates that the impact of CT on sensory gating in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, and thus we conclude that CT may be a risk factor to the occurrence of schizophrenia through its impact on sensory gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian-Bin Li
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Qi-Jing Bo
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Qing Tian
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Ning-Bo Yang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Zhen Mao
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Wei Zheng
- The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Jie Wen
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
| | - Chuan-Yue Wang
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders & Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.5 Ankang Lane, Dewai Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100088 China
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14
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Khan A, Powell SB. Sensorimotor gating deficits in "two-hit" models of schizophrenia risk factors. Schizophr Res 2018; 198:68-83. [PMID: 29070440 PMCID: PMC5911431 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2017.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and environmental models of neuropsychiatric disease have grown exponentially over the last 20years. One measure that is often used to evaluate the translational relevance of these models to human neuropsychiatric disease is prepulse inhibition of startle (PPI), an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. Deficient PPI characterizes several neuropsychiatric disorders but has been most extensively studied in schizophrenia. It has become a useful tool in translational neuropharmacological and molecular genetics studies because it can be measured across species using almost the same experimental parameters. Although initial studies of PPI in rodents were pharmacological because of the robust predictive validity of PPI for antipsychotic efficacy, more recently, PPI has become standard common behavioral measures used in genetic and neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Here we review "two hit" models of schizophrenia and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping these models of relevant risk factors. In the review, we consider approaches to rodent models of genetic and neurodevelopmental risk factors and selectively review "two hit" models of gene×environment and environment×environment interactions in which PPI has been measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Susan B Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, United States.
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15
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Schmidt A, Müller F, Lenz C, Dolder PC, Schmid Y, Zanchi D, Lang UE, Liechti ME, Borgwardt S. Acute LSD effects on response inhibition neural networks. Psychol Med 2018; 48:1464-1473. [PMID: 28967351 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717002914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent evidence shows that the serotonin 2A receptor (5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor, 5-HT2AR) is critically involved in the formation of visual hallucinations and cognitive impairments in lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-induced states and neuropsychiatric diseases. However, the interaction between 5-HT2AR activation, cognitive impairments and visual hallucinations is still poorly understood. This study explored the effect of 5-HT2AR activation on response inhibition neural networks in healthy subjects by using LSD and further tested whether brain activation during response inhibition under LSD exposure was related to LSD-induced visual hallucinations. METHODS In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, LSD (100 µg) and placebo were administered to 18 healthy subjects. Response inhibition was assessed using a functional magnetic resonance imaging Go/No-Go task. LSD-induced visual hallucinations were measured using the 5 Dimensions of Altered States of Consciousness (5D-ASC) questionnaire. RESULTS Relative to placebo, LSD administration impaired inhibitory performance and reduced brain activation in the right middle temporal gyrus, superior/middle/inferior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex and in the left superior frontal and postcentral gyrus and cerebellum. Parahippocampal activation during response inhibition was differently related to inhibitory performance after placebo and LSD administration. Finally, activation in the left superior frontal gyrus under LSD exposure was negatively related to LSD-induced cognitive impairments and visual imagery. CONCLUSION Our findings show that 5-HT2AR activation by LSD leads to a hippocampal-prefrontal cortex-mediated breakdown of inhibitory processing, which might subsequently promote the formation of LSD-induced visual imageries. These findings help to better understand the neuropsychopharmacological mechanisms of visual hallucinations in LSD-induced states and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Schmidt
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - F Müller
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - C Lenz
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - P C Dolder
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology,Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research,University of Basel, University Hospital Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - Y Schmid
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology,Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research,University of Basel, University Hospital Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - D Zanchi
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - U E Lang
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - M E Liechti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology,Department of Biomedicine and Department of Clinical Research,University of Basel, University Hospital Basel,Basel,Switzerland
| | - S Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK),University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland
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16
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Inhibitory deficits in prepulse inhibition, sensory gating, and antisaccade eye movement in schizotypy. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 114:47-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 02/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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17
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Buse J, Beste C, Herrmann E, Roessner V. Neural correlates of altered sensorimotor gating in boys with Tourette Syndrome: A combined EMG/fMRI study. World J Biol Psychiatry 2016; 17:187-97. [PMID: 26624257 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2015.1112033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES It has been hypothesised that altered sensorimotor gating might be a core problem in Tourette Syndrome (TS). However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are elusive. METHODS We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of altered sensorimotor gating by means of prepulse inhibition (PPI) in 22 boys with TS and 22 healthy boys using tactile PPI. The electromyography of the startle response was recorded simultaneously to the acquisition of the fMRI images. RESULTS As expected, PPI of the startle response was reduced in boys with TS compared to the healthy boys. We found decreased PPI-related blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity in boys with TS in the middle frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, superior parietal cortex, cingulate gyrus and caudate body. In boys with TS PPI of the startle response was positively correlated to PPI-related BOLD activity in the superior parietal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that deficient sensorimotor gating in boys with TS is associated with reduced recruitment of brain regions responsible for the higher-order integration of somatosensory stimuli. Due to our strict sample selection we were able to reduce confounding by neural adaptation processes, long-term medication, gender or comorbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Buse
- a Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden , Dresden , Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- a Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden , Dresden , Germany
| | - Elisabeth Herrmann
- a Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden , Dresden , Germany
| | - Veit Roessner
- a Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden , Dresden , Germany
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18
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Wood KH, Wheelock MD, Shumen JR, Bowen KH, Ver Hoef LW, Knight DC. Controllability modulates the neural response to predictable but not unpredictable threat in humans. Neuroimage 2015; 119:371-81. [PMID: 26149610 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.06.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress resilience is mediated, in part, by our ability to predict and control threats within our environment. Therefore, determining the neural mechanisms that regulate the emotional response to predictable and controllable threats may provide important new insight into the processes that mediate resilience to emotional dysfunction and guide the future development of interventions for anxiety disorders. To better understand the effect of predictability and controllability on threat-related brain activity in humans, two groups of healthy volunteers participated in a yoked Pavlovian fear conditioning study during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Threat predictability was manipulated by presenting an aversive unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that was either preceded by a conditioned stimulus (i.e., predictable) or by presenting the UCS alone (i.e., unpredictable). Similar to animal model research that has employed yoked fear conditioning procedures, one group (controllable condition; CC), but not the other group (uncontrollable condition; UC) was able to terminate the UCS. The fMRI signal response within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsomedial PFC, ventromedial PFC, and posterior cingulate was diminished during predictable compared to unpredictable threat (i.e., UCS). In addition, threat-related activity within the ventromedial PFC and bilateral hippocampus was diminished only to threats that were both predictable and controllable. These findings provide insight into how threat predictability and controllability affects the activity of brain regions (i.e., ventromedial PFC and hippocampus) involved in emotion regulation, and may have important implications for better understanding neural processes that mediate emotional resilience to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly H Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Muriah D Wheelock
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Joshua R Shumen
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Kenton H Bowen
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Lawrence W Ver Hoef
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA; Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - David C Knight
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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Antonova E, Chadwick P, Kumari V. More meditation, less habituation? The effect of mindfulness practice on the acoustic startle reflex. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123512. [PMID: 25946014 PMCID: PMC4422735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mindfulness as a mode of sustained and receptive attention promotes openness to each incoming stimulus, even if repetitive and/or aversive. Mindful attention has been shown to attenuate sensory habituation in expert meditators; however, others were not able to replicate this effect. The present study used acoustic startle reflex to investigate the effect of mindfulness practice intensity on sensory habituation. METHODS Auditory Startle Response (ASR) to 36 startling probes (12 trials x 3 block with 40 ms inter-block intervals), was measured using electromyography (EMG) in three groups of participants (N = 12/group): meditation-naïve, moderate practice, and intensive practice. RESULTS Intensive practice group showed attenuated startle habituation as evidenced by significantly less habituation over the entire experiment relative to the meditation-naïve and moderate practice groups. Furthermore, there was a significant linear effect showing between-block habituation in meditation-naïve and moderate practice groups, but not in the intensive practice group. However, the Block x Group interaction between the intensive practice and the meditation-naive groups was not significant. Moderate practice group was not significantly different from the meditation-naïve in the overall measure of habituation, but showed significantly stronger habituation than both meditation-naïve and intensive practice groups in Block 1. Greater practice intensity was significantly correlated with slower overall habituation and habituation rate in Blocks 2 and 3 in the intensive, but not in the moderate, practice group. CONCLUSIONS The study provides tentative evidence that intensive mindfulness practice attenuates acoustic startle habituation as measured by EMG, but the effect is modest.Moderate practice, on the other hand, appears to enhance habituation, suggesting the effect of mindfulness practice on startle habituation might be non-linear [corrected] . Better understanding of the effect of mindful attention on startle habituation may shed new light on sensory information processing capacity of the human brain and its potential for de-automatisation of hard-wired processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Antonova
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Chadwick
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Veena Kumari
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley National Health Services Trust, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Winton-Brown T, Kumari V, Windler F, Moscoso A, Stone J, Kapur S, McGuire P. Sensorimotor gating, cannabis use and the risk of psychosis. Schizophr Res 2015; 164:21-7. [PMID: 25801237 PMCID: PMC4435667 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2015.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2014] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor gating, measured as the modification of eye blink startle reflexes to loud acoustic stimuli by quieter preceding stimuli, is altered in those with psychosis, their relatives and those at high clinical risk for psychosis. Alterations have also been shown in cannabis users, albeit to a lesser extent, and cannabis is a known risk factor for the onset of psychosis in clinically and genetically susceptible individuals. We examined the interaction between clinical risk for psychosis and cannabis use on sensorimotor gating, both Prepulse Inhibition (PPI) and Prepulse Facilitation (PPF). We tested PPI and PPF in participants with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS) for psychosis and a matched control group. Both groups included a proportion of subjects who had recently used cannabis, as confirmed by urinary drug screening (UDS) on the day of testing. We found that ARMS participants showed reduced PPF and PPI relative to controls, the latter driven by a group by cannabis use interaction, with recent use reducing PPI in ARMS participants but not in controls. When the analysis was limited to UDS-negative participants there was significantly reduced PPF in ARMS subjects relative to controls, but no differences in PPI. Within the ARMS group reduced sensorimotor gating, measured by both PPI and PPF, related to reduced overall level of function. Cannabis use in clinical high risk individuals may increase the risk of psychosis in part through worsening PPI, while PPF is altered in ARMS individuals irrespective of cannabis use. This develops our understanding of cognitive mechanisms leading to the experience of aberrant perceptual phenomena and the subsequent development of psychotic symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. Winton-Brown
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom,Corresponding author at: PO 67 Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, United Kingdom. Tel.: + 44 61481262243.
| | - V. Kumari
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom
| | - F. Windler
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research, Bonn, Germany
| | - A. Moscoso
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital de D. Estefânia Lisboa, Portugal
| | - J. Stone
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom
| | - S. Kapur
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom
| | - P. McGuire
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom
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21
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Ira E, Bonetto C, Zanoni M, Bottacini A, Mazzoncini R, Martini L, Garozzo A, Lasalvia A, Tansella M, Ruggeri M, Tosato S. Neurological soft signs and prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex in psychosis: A pilot study. Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract 2015; 19:276-84. [PMID: 25666859 DOI: 10.3109/13651501.2015.1016041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex deficit and neurological soft signs (NSS) are two markers of vulnerability to psychosis. This study investigated the possibility of a PPI-NSS relation due to a putative common biological substrate, hypothesizing that patients with higher NSS scores also show higher PPI deficits. Moreover, we examined the possibility of an association of PPI deficits and NSS with negative symptoms. METHODS Fifteen subjects with psychosis and fifteen healthy controls underwent PPI and NSS evaluations. RESULTS Patients did not exhibit higher PPI deficits but only higher NSS rates (p < 0.01), as compared with healthy controls. Higher NSS rates were not associated with PPI deficits, and NSS sensory integration signs correlated positively with negative symptoms (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Our study supported the hypothesis that NSS are trait markers whereas PPI deficits state markers and that their putative common biological substrate is not sufficient to determinate an association between them. The study hypothesis, however, needs further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Ira
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Chiara Bonetto
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Martina Zanoni
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Alessandro Bottacini
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Rodolfo Mazzoncini
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Lisa Martini
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Angela Garozzo
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Antonio Lasalvia
- b Unit of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Verona , Verona , Italy
| | - Michele Tansella
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Mirella Ruggeri
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
| | - Sarah Tosato
- a Department of Public Health and Community Medicine , Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona , Italy
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Oranje B, Glenthøj BY. Clonidine normalizes levels of P50 gating in patients with schizophrenia on stable medication. Schizophr Bull 2014; 40:1022-9. [PMID: 24106334 PMCID: PMC4133664 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbt144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sensory gating deficits are among the core features of schizophrenia. Recently, we reported significantly increased sensorimotor gating following additional administration of single dosages of clonidine to the treatment of stably medicated patients with schizophrenia who, in spite of their medication, showed gating deficits. In the current study, we investigated whether this result is generalizable to filtering of sensory information as a whole, by examining clonidine's effect on P50 suppression in the same group of patients. METHODS In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized yet balanced cross-over design, 20 male schizophrenia patients on stable medication were assessed in a psychophysiological test battery, including a sensory gating paradigm on 5 occasions: once after oral administration of placebo and after single doses of 25, 50, 75, and 150 µg of clonidine. Their results were compared with 20 age-matched healthy male volunteers, who received no treatment. RESULTS Patients showed significantly reduced levels of P50 suppression in the placebo session compared with controls. All dosages of clonidine significantly diminished these deficits to such levels that they no longer differed significantly from the healthy controls (except the highest dose). CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to show that even a single low dose of clonidine administered to stably medicated patients with schizophrenia not only significantly increases their levels of P50 suppression but also normalizes them. The results indicate that α2-noradrenergic agonists are capable of normalizing levels of P50 gating, which has a potentially high clinical relevance for the medical treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Oranje
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark;Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Sensory Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Birte Y. Glenthøj
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark;,Faculty of Health Sciences, Departmentof Neurology, Psychiatry, and Sensory Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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23
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Bak N, Oranje B. Psychophysiology-informed (multimodal) imaging. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2014; 21:371-85. [PMID: 24950787 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2014_323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging are two popular methodologies for brain research. While EEG has a high temporal resolution, yet a low spatial resolution, MRI has the complete opposite, a high spatial resolution, yet a low temporal resolution. Obviously therefore, researchers have been searching for ways combining the two methodologies, for more than two decades. However, there are many issues that have to be solved before the methodologies can be successfully and, more importantly reliably, combined. Here, we give an overview of these issues, and present strategies that have been used over the past two decades to overcome them. We start with a general description of EEG and (f)MRI methodology, then present the difficulties involved in combining both methodologies, and lastly present and discuss the most popular strategies that have been used over the past two decades to solve these problems. We conclude that in spite of the many issues, the two methodologies can be combined successfully, provided that the correct procedures are followed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaj Bak
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
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24
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Mattei D, Djodari-Irani A, Hadar R, Pelz A, de Cossío LF, Goetz T, Matyash M, Kettenmann H, Winter C, Wolf SA. Minocycline rescues decrease in neurogenesis, increase in microglia cytokines and deficits in sensorimotor gating in an animal model of schizophrenia. Brain Behav Immun 2014; 38:175-84. [PMID: 24509090 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2014.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is impaired in schizophrenic patients and in an animal model of schizophrenia. Amongst a plethora of regulators, the immune system has been shown repeatedly to strongly modulate neurogenesis under physiological and pathological conditions. It is well accepted, that schizophrenic patients have an aberrant peripheral immune status, which is also reflected in the animal model. The microglia as the intrinsic immune competent cells of the brain have recently come into focus as possible therapeutic targets in schizophrenia. We here used a maternal immune stimulation rodent model of schizophrenia in which polyinosinic-polycytidilic acid (Poly I:C) was injected into pregnant rats to mimic an anti-viral immune response. We identified microglia IL-1β and TNF-α increase constituting the factors correlating best with decreases in net-neurogenesis and impairment in pre-pulse inhibition of a startle response in the Poly I:C model. Treatment with the antibiotic minocycline (3mg/kg/day) normalized microglial cytokine production in the hippocampus and rescued neurogenesis and behavior. We could also show that enhanced microglial TNF-α and IL-1β production in the hippocampus was accompanied by a decrease in the pro-proliferative TNFR2 receptor expression on neuronal progenitor cells, which could be attenuated by minocycline. These findings strongly support the idea to use anti-inflammatory drugs to target microglia activation as an adjunctive therapy in schizophrenic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Mattei
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anaïs Djodari-Irani
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ravit Hadar
- University Hospital, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Experimental Psychiatry, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Pelz
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Goetz
- University Hospital, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Experimental Psychiatry, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marina Matyash
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Kettenmann
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Winter
- University Hospital, Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Experimental Psychiatry, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Susanne A Wolf
- Max-Delbrück-Center of Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
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25
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Zubedat S, Freed Y, Eshed Y, Cymerblit-Sabba A, Ritter A, Nachmani M, Harush R, Aga-Mizrachi S, Avital A. Plant-derived nanoparticle treatment with cocc 30c ameliorates attention and motor abilities in sleep-deprived rats. Neuroscience 2013; 253:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2013] [Revised: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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26
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Cognitive and personality analysis of startle reactivity in a large cohort of healthy males. Biol Psychol 2013; 94:582-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2013.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Brain mechanisms for prepulse inhibition in adults with Tourette syndrome: initial findings. Psychiatry Res 2013; 214:33-41. [PMID: 23916249 PMCID: PMC3932431 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2012] [Revised: 04/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex is disrupted in a number of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders, including Tourette syndrome (TS). This disruption is hypothesized to reflect abnormalities in sensorimotor gating. We applied whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidate the neural correlates of PPI in adult TS subjects using airpuff stimuli to the throat to elicit a tactile startle response. We used a cross-sectional, case-control study design and a blocked-design fMRI paradigm. There were 33 participants: 17 with TS and 16 healthy individuals. As a measure of PPI-related brain activity, we looked for differential cerebral activation to prepulse-plus-pulse stimuli versus activation to pulse-alone stimuli. In healthy subjects, PPI was associated with increased activity in multiple brain regions, of which activation in the left middle frontal gyrus in the healthy controls showed a significant linear correlation with the degree of PPI measured outside of the magnet. Group comparisons identified nine regions where brain activity during PPI differed significantly between TS and healthy subjects. Among the TS subjects, activation in the left caudate was significantly correlated with current tic severity as measured by the total score on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. Differential activation of the caudate nucleus associated with current tic severity is consistent with neuropathological data and suggests that portions of cortical-striatal circuits may modulate the severity of tic symptoms in adulthood.
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28
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Madsen GF, Bilenberg N, Cantio C, Oranje B. Increased prepulse inhibition and sensitization of the startle reflex in autistic children. Autism Res 2013; 7:94-103. [PMID: 24124111 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The relation between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia is a subject of intense debate and research due to evidence of common neurobiological pathways in the two disorders. The objective of this study was to explore whether deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, as usually seen in schizophrenic patients, can be replicated in a group of children with ASD in comparison with a group of matched neuro-typically developed (NTD) controls. An additional aim was to explore possible psychophysiological subgroups within our ASD sample. In a case-control design, 35 ASD patients and 40 matched NTD controls were tested in a psychophysiological test battery. The PPI of the acoustic startle reflex was analyzed in 18 ASD subjects and 34 NTD controls. Habituation and sensitization were analyzed in 23 ASD subjects and 39 NTD controls. In trials with less intense prestimuli (76 dB), patients with ASD did not display the drop in percentage PPI normally found in healthy controls. In addition, ASD patients showed significantly increased sensitization compared with NTD controls. Combined, our results may reflect the hypersensitivity to sensory information in children with ASD. The relation to PPI deficits observed in schizophrenia is not apparent. Future research should study the developmental course of PPI deficits in ASD patients in a longitudinal design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gitte Falcher Madsen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Odense, Research Unit (University function), Mental Health Services in Region of Southern Denmark, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Glostrup, Denmark
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Jenkins TA. Perinatal complications and schizophrenia: involvement of the immune system. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:110. [PMID: 23805069 PMCID: PMC3691516 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia suggests that, at least in part, events occurring within the intrauterine or perinatal environment at critical times of brain development underlies emergence of the psychosis observed during adulthood, and brain pathologies that are hypothesized to be from birth. All potential risks stimulate activation of the immune system, and are suggested to act in parallel with an underlying genetic liability, such that an imperfect regulation of the genome mediates these prenatal or early postnatal environmental effects. Epidemiologically based animal models looking at environment and with genes have provided us with a wealth of knowledge in the understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and give us the best possibility for interventions and treatments for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha A Jenkins
- School of Medical Sciences, Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University Bundoora, VIC, Australia
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30
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Oranje B, Glenthøj BY. Clonidine normalizes sensorimotor gating deficits in patients with schizophrenia on stable medication. Schizophr Bull 2013; 39:684-91. [PMID: 22750632 PMCID: PMC3627754 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbs071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive deficits form core features in schizophrenia. Several studies have shown improvements in prefrontal cognitive function by α 2 -agonists in schizophrenia. In the present study, it was investigated whether clonidine (an α 2 -adrenoceptor agonist) could normalize sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia. METHODS In a double blind, placebo controlled, randomized, yet balanced, cross-over experiment, 20 male schizophrenia patients on stable medication were assessed in an auditory prepulse inhibition (PPI), sensitization, and habituation of the startle reflex paradigm on 5 occasions: once after oral administration of placebo and after a single dose of 25, 50, 75, and 150 µg of clonidine. Their results were compared with 20 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers, who received no treatment. RESULTS In the placebo treatment, patients showed deficient PPI and sensitization, yet normal habituation compared with the controls. Except the highest dose, all dosages of clonidine significantly increased percentage PPI in the patients compared with placebo, to such levels that it no longer differed significantly from the healthy controls. However, none of the dosages increased sensitization or influenced habituation. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to show that even a single low dose of clonidine added to the medical treatment of patients with schizophrenia who are clinically stable on their antipsychotic medication not only significantly ameliorates their PPI deficits, but also normalizes them. The results have a potentially high clinical relevance for the medical treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob Oranje
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark.
| | - Birte Y. Glenthøj
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR) and Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS), Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatric Center GlostrupGlostrup, Denmark
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,Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Sensory Sciences, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
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Lutgen V, Qualmann K, Resch J, Kong L, Choi S, Baker DA. Reduction in phencyclidine induced sensorimotor gating deficits in the rat following increased system xc⁻ activity in the medial prefrontal cortex. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 226:531-40. [PMID: 23192314 PMCID: PMC3595356 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2926-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Aspects of schizophrenia, including deficits in sensorimotor gating, have been linked to glutamate dysfunction and/or oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex. System xc(-), a cystine-glutamate antiporter, is a poorly understood mechanism that contributes to both cellular antioxidant capacity and glutamate homeostasis. OBJECTIVES Our goal was to determine whether increased system xc(-) activity within the prefrontal cortex would normalize a rodent measure of sensorimotor gating. METHODS In situ hybridization was used to map messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of xCT, the active subunit of system xc(-), in the prefrontal cortex. Prepulse inhibition was used to measure sensorimotor gating; deficits in prepulse inhibition were produced using phencyclidine (0.3-3 mg/kg, sc). N-Acetylcysteine (10-100 μM) and the system xc(-) inhibitor (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine (CPG, 0.5 μM) were used to increase and decrease system xc(-) activity, respectively. The uptake of (14)C-cystine into tissue punches obtained from the prefrontal cortex was used to assay system xc(-) activity. RESULTS The expression of xCT mRNA in the prefrontal cortex was most prominent in a lateral band spanning primarily the prelimbic cortex. Although phencyclidine did not alter the uptake of (14)C-cystine in prefrontal cortical tissue punches, intraprefrontal cortical infusion of N-acetylcysteine (10-100 μM) significantly reduced phencyclidine- (1.5 mg/kg, sc) induced deficits in prepulse inhibition. N-Acetylcysteine was without effect when coinfused with CPG (0.5 μM), indicating an involvement of system xc(-). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that phencyclidine disrupts sensorimotor gating through system xc(-) independent mechanisms, but that increasing cystine-glutamate exchange in the prefrontal cortex is sufficient to reduce behavioral deficits produced by phencyclidine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Lutgen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
| | - Krista Qualmann
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
| | - Jon Resch
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
| | - Linghai Kong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
| | - SuJean Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
| | - David A. Baker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Suite 446, 561 N. 15St, Milwaukee, WI 53233
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Ota M, Sato N, Matsuo J, Kinoshita Y, Kawamoto Y, Hori H, Teraishi T, Sasayama D, Hattori K, Obu S, Nakata Y, Kunugi H. Multimodal image analysis of sensorimotor gating in healthy women. Brain Res 2013; 1499:61-8. [PMID: 23333372 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.12.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits have been reported in individuals with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders with dysfunction of the cortico-striato-pallido-thalamic circuit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural neural correlates of PPI by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) metrics. The subjects were 53 healthy women (mean age; 40.7±11.3 years). We examined the possible relationships between PPI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics to estimate white matter integrity and gray matter volume analyzed using the DARTEL (diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie) algebra method. There were significant correlations between DTI metrics and PPI in the parahippocampal region, the anterior limb of the internal capsule, the ventral tegmental area, the thalamus and anterior thalamic radiations, the left prefrontal region, the callosal commissural fiber, and various white matter regions. There were also positive correlations between PPI and gray matter volume in the bilateral parietal gyri and the left inferior prefrontal gyrus at a trend level. The present study revealed evidence of a relationship between PPI and the integrity of white matter. This result was compatible with the previous suggestion that PPI would be modulated by the cortico-striato-thalamic-pallido-pontine circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Ota
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
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Hammer TB, Oranje B, Skimminge A, Aggernæs B, Ebdrup BH, Glenthøj B, Baaré W. Structural brain correlates of sensorimotor gating in antipsychotic-naive men with first-episode schizophrenia. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2013; 38:34-42. [PMID: 22687247 PMCID: PMC3529217 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.110129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex is modulated by a complex neural network. Prepulse inhibition impairments are found at all stages of schizophrenia. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggest that brain correlates of PPI differ between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls; however, these studies included only patients with chronic illness and medicated patients. Our aim was to examine the structural brain correlates of PPI in antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS We performed acoustic PPI assessment and structural MRI (1.5 and 3 T) in men with first-episode schizophrenia and age-matched controls. Voxel-based morphometry was used to investigate the association between PPI and grey matter volumes. RESULTS We included 27 patients and 38 controls in the study. Patients had lower PPI than controls. The brain areas in which PPI and grey matter volume correlated did not differ between the groups. Independent of group, PPI was significantly and positively associated with regional grey matter volume in the right superior parietal cortex. Prepulse inhibition and grey matter volume associations were also observed in the left rostral dorsal premotor cortex, the right presupplementary motor area and the anterior medial superior frontal gyrus bilaterally. Follow-up analyses suggested that the rostral dorsal premotor cortex and presupplementary motor area correlations were driven predominantly by the controls. LIMITATIONS We used 2 different MRI scanners, which might have limited our ability to find subcortical associations since interscanner consistency is low for subcortical regions. CONCLUSION The superior parietal cortex seems to be involved in the regulation of PPI in controls and antipsychotic-naive men with first-episode schizophrenia. Our observation that PPI deficits in schizophrenia may be related to the rostral dorsal premotor cortex and presupplementary motor area, brain areas involved in maintaining relevant sensory information and voluntary inhibition, warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trine Bjørg Hammer
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark.
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Stefano GB, Králíčková M, Ptacek R, Kuzelova H, Esch T, Kream RM. Low dose morphine adjuvant therapy for enhanced efficacy of antipsychotic drug action: potential involvement of endogenous morphine in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Med Sci Monit 2012; 18:HY23-6. [PMID: 22739740 PMCID: PMC3560770 DOI: 10.12659/msm.883192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Major thematic threads linking extensive preclinical and clinical efforts have established a working mechanistic scheme whereby atypical antipsychotic drugs ameliorate negative DSM IV diagnostic criteria by effecting relatively potent blockade of serotonin (5-HT)(2A) receptors coupled with weaker antagonism of dopamine D(2) receptors in frontal cortical areas. These contentions are more or less supported by in vitro binding experiments employing cloned receptors on cultured cells, although significant functional involvement of 5-HT(2C) receptors has also been proposed. It is interesting that a key statistical analysis indicates a major shift in usage back to typical antipsychotic agents for management of schizophrenia from 1995–2008, whereas off-label usage of atypical antipsychotic agents was markedly increased or expanded for bipolar affective disorder. Importantly, meta-analyses generally did not support efficacy differences between the other atypical antipsychotics compared with the older typical agents. A critical examination of putative functional linkages of morphine and its type-selective mu opioid receptor to higher order cortical regulation of cognitive processes may provide novel insights into human behavioral processes that are severely impaired in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- George B Stefano
- Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York-College at Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA.
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35
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Kumari V, Gudjonsson GH, Raghuvanshi S, Barkataki I, Taylor P, Sumich A, Das K, Kuipers E, Ffytche DH, Das M. Reduced thalamic volume in men with antisocial personality disorder or schizophrenia and a history of serious violence and childhood abuse. Eur Psychiatry 2012; 28:225-34. [PMID: 22944337 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2012.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2011] [Revised: 03/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Violent behaviour has been associated with presence of certain mental disorders, most notably antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and schizophrenia, childhood abuse, and multiple brain abnormalities. This study examined for the first time, to the authors' knowledge, the role of psychosocial deprivation (PSD), including childhood physical and sexual abuse, in structural brain volumes of violent individuals with ASPD or schizophrenia. METHODS Fifty-six men (26 with ASPD or schizophrenia and a history of serious violence, 30 non-violent) underwent magnetic resonance imaging and were assessed on PSD. Stereological volumetric brain ratings were examined for group differences and their association with PSD ratings. PSD-brain associations were examined further using voxel-based-morphometry. RESULTS The findings revealed: reduced thalamic volume in psychosocially-deprived violent individuals, relative to non-deprived violent individuals and healthy controls; negative association between thalamic volume and abuse ratings (physical and sexual) in violent individuals; and trend-level negative associations between PSD and hippocampal and prefrontal volumes in non-violent individuals. The voxel-based-morphometry analysis detected a negative association between PSD and localised grey matter volumes in the left inferior frontal region across all individuals, and additionally in the left middle frontal and precentral gyri in non-violent individuals. CONCLUSIONS Violent mentally-disordered individuals with PSD, relative to those with no or minimal PSD, suffer from an additional brain deficit, i.e., reduced thalamic volume; this may affect sensory information processing, and have implications for management, of these individuals. PSD may have a stronger relationship with volumetric loss of stress-linked regions, namely the frontal cortex, in non-violent individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Kumari
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, PO78, SE5 8AF, London, UK.
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Koch K, Schultz CC, Wagner G, Schachtzabel C, Reichenbach JR, Sauer H, Schlösser RGM. Disrupted white matter connectivity is associated with reduced cortical thickness in the cingulate cortex in schizophrenia. Cortex 2012; 49:722-9. [PMID: 22402338 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2011] [Revised: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 02/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Both impaired white matter connectivity and alterations in gray matter morphometry have repeatedly been reported in schizophrenia. Neurodevelopmental models propose a close linkage between gray matter alterations and white matter deficits. However, there are no studies investigating alterations in cortical thickness in relation to white matter connectivity changes. METHODS This combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - surface based morphometry study examined a potential linkage between disruption in white matter connectivity and alterations in cortical thickness. Cortical thickness was analyzed using the FreeSurfer software package (version 4.0.5, http://surfer.nmr.harvard.edu) in a sample of 19 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls. RESULTS Whole brain node-by-node correlational analysis revealed a highly significant association ( r= -.8, p < .0001) between disturbed white matter connectivity in the superior temporal cortex and diminished cortical thickness in the posterior part of the cingulate cortex (Brodmann area 23/31). CONCLUSIONS This result indicates a significant linkage between disturbed white matter connectivity and reduced cortical thickness in a relevant node of the default mode network that is held to be of high pathophysiological relevance in schizophrenia. The result moreover provides support for the assumption of a neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Koch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jahnstr. 3, Jena, Germany.
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Relationship of prepulse inhibition to temperament and character in healthy Japanese subjects. Neurosci Res 2012; 72:187-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2011.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Revised: 09/19/2011] [Accepted: 10/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Kumari V, Premkumar P, Fannon D, Aasen I, Raghuvanshi S, Anilkumar AP, Antonova E, Peters ER, Kuipers E. Sensorimotor gating and clinical outcome following cognitive behaviour therapy for psychosis. Schizophr Res 2012; 134:232-8. [PMID: 22138048 PMCID: PMC3278596 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response refers to the ability of a weak prestimulus to transiently inhibit the response to a closely following strong sensory stimulus. PPI provides an operational index of sensorimotor gating and is reduced, on average, in people with schizophrenia, relative to healthy people. Given the variable response to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) and positive associations between pre-therapy brain and cognitive functions and CBT outcome across disorders, we examined whether pre-therapy level of PPI is associated with clinical outcome following CBTp. METHOD Fifty-six outpatients stable on medication with at least one distressing symptom of schizophrenia and willing to receive CBTp in addition to their usual treatment were assessed on acoustic PPI. Subsequently, 28 patients received CBTp (CBTp+treatment-as-usual, 23 completers) for 6-8months and 28 continued with their treatment-as-usual (TAU-alone, 17 completers). Symptoms were assessed (blindly) at entry and follow-up. RESULTS The CBTp+TAU and TAU-alone groups did not differ demographically, clinically or in PPI at baseline. The CBTp+TAU group showed improved symptoms relative to the TAU-alone group, which showed no change, at follow-up. Pre-therapy PPI level correlated positively with post-CBTp symptom improvement. CONCLUSIONS Relatively intact sensorimotor gating is associated with a good clinical response following a 6-8months course of NICE compliant CBTp in schizophrenia. Pharmacological or psychological interventions capable of improving PPI may enhance the effectiveness of CBTp in people with schizophrenia, particularly in those who fail to show clinical improvement with currently available antipsychotic drugs and adjunctive CBTp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veena Kumari
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Preethi Premkumar
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK,Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Dominic Fannon
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ingrid Aasen
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Satya Raghuvanshi
- University College London Medical School, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Elena Antonova
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Emmanuelle R. Peters
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth Kuipers
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Powell SB, Weber M, Geyer MA. Genetic models of sensorimotor gating: relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2012; 12:251-318. [PMID: 22367921 PMCID: PMC3357439 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2011_195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor gating, or the ability of a sensory event to suppress a motor response, can be measured operationally via prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response. PPI is deficient in schizophrenia patients as well as other neuropsychiatric disorders, can be measured across species, and has been used widely as a translational tool in preclinical neuropharmacological and genetic research. First developed to assess drug effects in pharmacological and developmental models, PPI has become one of the standard behavioral measures in genetic models of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders that exhibit PPI deficits. In this chapter we review the literature on genetic models of sensorimotor gating and discuss the utility of PPI as a tool in phenotyping mutant mouse models. We highlight the approaches to genetic mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease, discuss some of the important caveats to these approaches, and provide a comprehensive table covering the more recent genetic models that have evaluated PPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan B. Powell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Martin Weber
- Department of Neuroscience, Genentech Inc, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080-4990, USA
| | - Mark A. Geyer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
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Takahashi H, Hashimoto R, Iwase M, Ishii R, Kamio Y, Takeda M. Prepulse inhibition of startle response: recent advances in human studies of psychiatric disease. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2011; 9:102-10. [PMID: 23429840 PMCID: PMC3569113 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2011.9.3.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is considered to be one of the most promising neurophysiological indexes for translational research in psychiatry. Impairment of PPI has been reported in several psychiatric diseases, particularly schizophrenia, where PPI is considered a candidate intermediate phenotype (endophenotype) of the disease. Recent findings from a variety of research areas have provided important evidence regarding PPI impairment. Human brain imaging studies have demonstrated the involvement of the striatum, hippocampus, thalamus and frontal and parietal cortical regions in PPI. In addition, several genetic polymorphisms, including variations in the genes coding for Catechol O-methyltransferase, Neuregulin 1, nuclear factor kappa-B subunit 3 and serotonin-2A receptor were related to PPI; and these findings support PPI as a polygenetic trait that involves several neurotransmitter pathways. Early psychosis studies suggest that PPI disruption is present before the onset of psychosis. Also, discrepancy of PPI impairment between children and adults can be found in other psychiatric diseases, such as autistic spectrum disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder, and comprehensive investigation of startle response might contribute to understand the impairment of the neural circuitry in psychiatric diseases. Finally, recent studies with both Asian and Caucasian subjects indicate that patients with schizophrenia exhibit impaired PPI, and impaired sensorimotor gating might be a global common psychophysiological feature of schizophrenia. In conclusion, studies of PPI have successfully contributed to a better understanding of the fundamental neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor gating and will certainly be most valuable in devising future approaches that aim to investigate the complex pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidetoshi Takahashi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan. ; Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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Salem LC, Hejl AM, Garde E, Leffers AM, Paulson OB, Waldemar G. White matter hyperintensities and prepulse inhibition in a mixed elderly population. Psychiatry Res 2011; 194:314-318. [PMID: 22041531 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2011.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2010] [Revised: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 07/09/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response, a measure for sensorimotor gating, exhibits a relatively high inter-individual variability in elderly subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether white matter hyperintensities (WMH), frequently identified on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in elderly subjects with and without cognitive impairment, may contribute to variations in PPI. A passive acoustic PPI paradigm was applied in 92 human subjects (53 healthy and 39 patients with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment) between 60 and 85years of age. WMH were rated visually on craniel MRI FLAIR images using the Fazekas scale. WMH were identified in 70% of all subjects. The latency to peak of the startle response increased significantly with increasing WMH load, whereas the inhibition of the startle response (PPI) was neither significantly related to the degree of WMH nor to cognitive performance. We conclude that the presence of WMH in the fronto-striatal brain circuit may affect the latency of the startle response, but not information processing in elderly subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise C Salem
- Memory Disorders Research Group, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.
| | - Anne-Mette Hejl
- Memory Disorders Research Group, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
| | - Ellen Garde
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Anne Mette Leffers
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Olaf B Paulson
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
| | - Gunhild Waldemar
- Memory Disorders Research Group, Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
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Holstein DH, Csomor PA, Geyer MA, Huber T, Brugger N, Studerus E, Vollenweider FX. The effects of sertindole on sensory gating, sensorimotor gating, and cognition in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2011; 25:1600-13. [PMID: 21890590 DOI: 10.1177/0269881111415734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Sensory gating, indexed by P50 suppression, and sensorimotor gating, indexed by prepulse inhibition (PPI), are impaired in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. There is considerable evidence that schizophrenia patients treated with atypical antipsychotics exhibit relatively less gating deficits than do other patients with schizophrenia. Some recent studies have investigated the effects of antipsychotic medications on gating in healthy volunteers exhibiting low levels of gating, rather than in patients. Therefore, the current study investigated the influence of sertindole versus placebo in two separate experimental sessions, on PPI, P50 suppression, and cognition in 30 male volunteers stratified for low and high baseline gating levels. Sertindole increased PPI and P50 suppression in healthy subjects exhibiting low baseline PPI and low baseline P50 suppression, respectively, while sertindole attenuated gating in subjects exhibiting high baseline gating. Furthermore, subjects exhibiting low PPI chose worse strategies in a spatial working memory task. These findings suggest that mixed D(2)/5-HT(2) receptor antagonists enhance both PPI and P50 suppression in a way that enhances it in healthy subjects exhibiting low baseline gating. Furthermore, the results militate in favor of the concomitant assessment of PPI, P50 suppression and cognitive measures while investigating the effect of antipsychotic medication in healthy subjects.
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Defensive self-presentation style is associated with reduced prepulse inhibition. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2011; 21:810-3. [PMID: 21315562 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2010.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2010] [Revised: 10/13/2010] [Accepted: 12/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response is a cross-species measure of sensorimotor gating that provides a valuable tool for assessing the capacity to effectively screen out irrelevant sensory input. Accumulating evidence suggests that PPI deficits may correlate with impairments in social cognition, i.e. the ability to construct representation about others, oneself and the relations between others and oneself. Social cognition deficits are commonly encountered within the framework of psychiatric disorders. In this study 113 healthy volunteers completed psychopyhsiological measures of sensorimotor gating (PPI) and social self-presentation style (the Concern for Appropriate (CAS) and the Revised Self-Monitoring (RSMS) scales). CAS measures a defensive and fearful social approach aiming at avoiding social threats; RSMS measures an active and flexible social approach aiming at gaining power and status. Analyses revealed an inverse correlation between PPI at the 120 ms prepulse-to-pulse interval and total CAS scores (r=-0.19, p=0.04), as well as with the Attention to Social Comparison Information (ASCI) subscale of the CAS (r=-0.23, p=0.01). These findings suggest that reduced PPI may contribute to the tendency to adopt a defensive and fearful "getting along" social approach. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to assess the relationship between sensorimotor gating and self-presentational style in humans. Its findings suggest that very basic perceptual deficits that can be assessed using the PPI paradigm, may reflect information processing abnormalities that impact negatively upon the perception of complex social interactions.
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Optimized voxel brain morphometry: association between brain volumes and the response to atypical antipsychotics. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2011; 261:407-16. [PMID: 21191610 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-010-0182-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Accepted: 12/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
To date, few studies have addressed the relationship between brain structure alterations and responses to atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenia. To this end, in this study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) were used to assess the relationship between the brain volumes of gray (GM) and white (WM) matters and the clinical response to risperidone or olanzapine in 30 schizophrenia patients. In comparison with healthy controls, the patients in this study showed a bilateral decrease in the anteromedial cerebellar hemispheres, the rectal gyrus and the insula, together with bilateral increases in GM in the basal ganglia. Both patient groups had a significantly smaller volume of WM in a region encompassing the internal and external capsules as compared to the controls. We found an inverse association between striatal size and the degree of clinical improvement, and a direct association between the degree of insular volume deficit and its improvement. The non-responder patient group showed a significant decrease in their left rectal gyrus as compared with the responder group. This study reveals a pattern of structural alterations in schizophrenia associated with the response to risperidone or olanzapine.
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Physical exercise increases adult neurogenesis and telomerase activity, and improves behavioral deficits in a mouse model of schizophrenia. Brain Behav Immun 2011; 25:971-80. [PMID: 20970493 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2010.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2010] [Revised: 10/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/18/2010] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies indicate that among other early life challenges, maternal infection with influenza during pregnancy increased the risk of developing schizophrenia in the child. One morphological manifestation of schizophrenia is hippocampal atrophy. In the hippocampus, playing a key role in learning and memory formation, new granule cell neurons are produced throughout life from resident precursor cells. We hypothesize that individuals exposed to a maternal anti-viral immune response would presumably enter life with a challenged neural precursor cell pool and might later be susceptible to psychiatric pathologies due to reduced adult neurogenesis. We used the injection of double-stranded RNA (polyriboinosinicpolyribocytidylic acid - PolyI:C) in pregnant C57Bl/6 and nestin-GFP reporter mice to induce a maternal viral-like infection and schizophrenia-like behavior in the offspring. In the progeny we found impairments in the open field test and in sensorimotor gating as measured by pre-pulse inhibition of the startle response. The behavioral deficits were accompanied by reduced baseline adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Telomerase activity in neural precursor cells was reduced from birth on and telomere shortening was found in the same cell type in adult life. When we subjected the progeny of viral-like infected dams to voluntary exercise, a known stimulus of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, we could rescue the phenotype in behavior, adult neurogenesis, and cellular senescence. In summary, maternal viral-like immune response reduced telomerase activity and resulted in telomere shortening in neural precursor cells. Further we demonstrate that beneficial behavioral and cellular effects induced by exercise can be studied in a rodent model of schizophrenia.
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Fukuda T, Hashimoto H, Okayasu N, Kameyama A, Onogi H, Nakagawasai O, Nakazawa T, Kurosawa T, Hao Y, Isaji T, Tadano T, Narimatsu H, Taniguchi N, Gu J. Alpha1,6-fucosyltransferase-deficient mice exhibit multiple behavioral abnormalities associated with a schizophrenia-like phenotype: importance of the balance between the dopamine and serotonin systems. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:18434-43. [PMID: 21471224 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.172536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, we reported that α1,6-fucosyltransferase (Fut8)-deficient (Fut8(-/-)) mice exhibit emphysema-like changes in the lung and severe growth retardation due to dysregulation of TGF-β1 and EGF receptors and to abnormal integrin activation, respectively. To study the role of α1,6-fucosylation in brain tissue where Fut8 is highly expressed, we examined Fut8(-/-) mice using a combination of neurological and behavioral tests. Fut8(-/-) mice exhibited multiple behavioral abnormalities consistent with a schizophrenia-like phenotype. Fut8(-/-) mice displayed increased locomotion compared with wild-type (Fut8(+/+)) and heterozygous (Fut8(+/-)) mice. In particular, Fut8(-/-) mice showed strenuous hopping behavior in a novel environment. Working memory performance was impaired in Fut8(-/-) mice as evidenced by the Y-maze tests. Furthermore, Fut8(-/-) mice showed prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficiency. Intriguingly, although there was no significant difference between Fut8(+/+) and Fut8(+/-) mice in the PPI test under normal conditions, Fut8(+/-) mice showed impaired PPI after exposure to a restraint stress. This result suggests that reduced expression of Fut8 is a plausible cause of schizophrenia and related disorders. The levels of serotonin metabolites were significantly decreased in both the striatum and nucleus accumbens of the Fut8(-/-) mice. Likewise, treatment with haloperidol, which is an antipsychotic drug that antagonizes dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors, significantly reduced hopping behaviors. The present study is the first to clearly demonstrate that α1,6-fucosylation plays an important role in the brain, and that it might be related to schizophrenia-like behaviors. Thus, the results of the present study provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms responsible for schizophrenia and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiko Fukuda
- Division of Regulatory Glycobiology, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsusima, Aobaku, Sendai, Miyagi 981-8558, Japan
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Molina V, Cortés B, Pérez J, Martín C, Villa R, López DE, Sancho C. No association between prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex and neuropsychological deficit in chronic schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2010; 260:609-15. [PMID: 20112025 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-010-0102-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2009] [Accepted: 01/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor gating deficits are relevant in schizophrenia and can be measured using prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex. It is conceivable that such deficits may hinder the cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients. In this study, using PPI and a neuropsychological battery, we studied this possibility in a group of 23 acute, neuroleptic-free schizophrenia patients and 16 controls. A non-significant decrease in PPI was found in the patients as compared to the controls, as well as significant differences in the performance of Trail A and B in Wisconsin Card Sorting and Digit/Symbol Tests. No statistically significant correlations between PPI and neuropsychological performance were found after the correction for multiple comparisons in any group. Our results suggest that PPI deficits in schizophrenia patients may not contribute to the cognitive deficits typical of that illness, at least in patients with a non-significant PPI decrease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Molina
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Salamanca, Spain.
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McAlonan GM, Li Q, Cheung C. The timing and specificity of prenatal immune risk factors for autism modeled in the mouse and relevance to schizophrenia. Neurosignals 2010; 18:129-39. [PMID: 21042002 DOI: 10.1159/000321080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 09/09/2010] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is a highly heritable condition, but there is strong epidemiological evidence that environmental factors, especially prenatal exposure to immune challenge, contribute to it. This evidence is largely indirect, and experimental testing is necessary to directly examine causal mechanisms. Mouse models reveal that prenatal immune perturbation disrupts postnatal brain maturation with alterations in gene and protein expression, neurotransmitter function, brain structure and behavioral indices reminiscent of, but not specific to, autism. This likely reflects a neurodevelopmental spectrum in which autism and schizophrenia share numerous genetic and environmental risk factors for difficulties in social interaction, communication, emotion processing and executive function. Recent epidemiological studies find that early rather than late pregnancy infection confers the greater risk of schizophrenia. The autism literature is more limited, but exposures in the 2nd half of pregnancy may be important. Mouse models of prenatal immune challenge help dissect these observations and show some common consequences of early and late gestational exposures, as well as distinct ramifications potentially relevant to schizophrenia and autism. Although nonspecificity of immune-stimulated mouse models could be considered a disadvantage, we propose a broadened perspective, exploiting the possibility that advances made investigating a target condition can contribute towards the understanding of related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gráinne M McAlonan
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
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Cheung C, Yu K, Fung G, Leung M, Wong C, Li Q, Sham P, Chua S, McAlonan G. Autistic disorders and schizophrenia: related or remote? An anatomical likelihood estimation. PLoS One 2010; 5:e12233. [PMID: 20805880 PMCID: PMC2923607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2010] [Accepted: 07/19/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Shared genetic and environmental risk factors have been identified for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia. Social interaction, communication, emotion processing, sensorimotor gating and executive function are disrupted in both, stimulating debate about whether these are related conditions. Brain imaging studies constitute an informative and expanding resource to determine whether brain structural phenotype of these disorders is distinct or overlapping. We aimed to synthesize existing datasets characterizing ASD and schizophrenia within a common framework, to quantify their structural similarities. In a novel modification of Anatomical Likelihood Estimation (ALE), 313 foci were extracted from 25 voxel-based studies comprising 660 participants (308 ASD, 352 first-episode schizophrenia) and 801 controls. The results revealed that, compared to controls, lower grey matter volumes within limbic-striato-thalamic circuitry were common to ASD and schizophrenia. Unique features of each disorder included lower grey matter volume in amygdala, caudate, frontal and medial gyrus for schizophrenia and putamen for autism. Thus, in terms of brain volumetrics, ASD and schizophrenia have a clear degree of overlap that may reflect shared etiological mechanisms. However, the distinctive neuroanatomy also mapped in each condition raises the question about how this is arrived in the context of common etiological pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlton Cheung
- Department of Psychiatry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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