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López-Taboada I, Sal-Sarria S, Vallejo G, Coto-Montes A, Conejo NM, González-Pardo H. Sexual dimorphism in spatial learning and brain metabolism after exposure to a western diet and early life stress in rats. Physiol Behav 2022; 257:113969. [PMID: 36181786 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Prolonged daily intake of Western-type diet rich in saturated fats and sugars, and exposure to early life stress have been independently linked to impaired neurodevelopment and behaviour in animal models. However, sex-specific effects of both environmental factors combined on spatial learning and memory, behavioural flexibility, and brain oxidative capacity have still not been addressed. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of maternal and postnatal exposure to a high-fat and high-sugar diet (HFS), and exposure to early life stress by maternal separation in adult male and female Wistar rats. For this purpose, spatial learning and memory and behavioural flexibility were evaluated in the Morris water maze, and regional brain oxidative capacity and oxidative stress levels were measured in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Spatial memory, regional brain oxidative metabolism, and levels of oxidative stress differed between females and males, suggesting sexual dimorphism in the effects of a HFS diet and early life stress. Males fed the HFS diet performed better than all other experimental groups independently of early life stress exposure. However, behavioural flexibility evaluated in the spatial reversal leaning task was impaired in males fed the HFS diet. In addition, exposure to maternal separation or the HFS diet increased the metabolic capacity of the prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in males and females. Levels of oxidative stress measured in the latter brain regions were also increased in groups fed the HFS diet, but maternal separation seemed to dampen regional brain oxidative stress levels. Therefore, these results suggest a compensatory effect resulting from the interaction between prolonged exposure to a HFS diet and early life stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel López-Taboada
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Saúl Sal-Sarria
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain
| | - Guillermo Vallejo
- Methodology area, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Ana Coto-Montes
- Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain; Department of Morphology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Nélida M Conejo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain.
| | - Héctor González-Pardo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Plaza Feijoo s/n, 33003, Oviedo, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences of the Principality of Asturias (INEUROPA), Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Av. del Hospital Universitario s/n, 33011 Oviedo, Spain
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Anastasiades PG, de Vivo L, Bellesi M, Jones MW. Adolescent sleep and the foundations of prefrontal cortical development and dysfunction. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 218:102338. [PMID: 35963360 PMCID: PMC7616212 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Modern life poses many threats to good-quality sleep, challenging brain health across the lifespan. Curtailed or fragmented sleep may be particularly damaging during adolescence, when sleep disruption by delayed chronotypes and societal pressures coincides with our brains preparing for adult life via intense refinement of neural connectivity. These vulnerabilities converge on the prefrontal cortex, one of the last brain regions to mature and a central hub of the limbic-cortical circuits underpinning decision-making, reward processing, social interactions and emotion. Even subtle disruption of prefrontal cortical development during adolescence may therefore have enduring impact. In this review, we integrate synaptic and circuit mechanisms, glial biology, sleep neurophysiology and epidemiology, to frame a hypothesis highlighting the implications of adolescent sleep disruption for the neural circuitry of the prefrontal cortex. Convergent evidence underscores the importance of acknowledging, quantifying and optimizing adolescent sleep's contributions to normative brain development and to lifelong mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul G Anastasiades
- University of Bristol, Translational Health Sciences, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Whitson Street, Bristol BS1 3NY, UK
| | - Luisa de Vivo
- University of Bristol, School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK; University of Camerino, School of Pharmacy, via Gentile III Da Varano, Camerino 62032, Italy
| | - Michele Bellesi
- University of Bristol, School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK; University of Camerino, School of Bioscience and Veterinary Medicine, via Gentile III Da Varano, Camerino 62032, Italy
| | - Matt W Jones
- University of Bristol, School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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Uliana DL, Zhu X, Gomes FV, Grace AA. Using animal models for the studies of schizophrenia and depression: The value of translational models for treatment and prevention. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:935320. [PMID: 36090659 PMCID: PMC9449416 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.935320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal models of psychiatric disorders have been highly effective in advancing the field, identifying circuits related to pathophysiology, and identifying novel therapeutic targets. In this review, we show how animal models, particularly those based on development, have provided essential information regarding circuits involved in disorders, disease progression, and novel targets for intervention and potentially prevention. Nonetheless, in recent years there has been a pushback, largely driven by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to shift away from animal models and instead focus on circuits in normal subjects. This has been driven primarily from a lack of discovery of new effective therapeutic targets, and the failure of targets based on preclinical research to show efficacy. We discuss why animal models of complex disorders, when strongly cross-validated by clinical research, are essential to understand disease etiology as well as pathophysiology, and direct new drug discovery. Issues related to shortcomings in clinical trial design that confound translation from animal models as well as the failure to take patient pharmacological history into account are proposed to be a source of the failure of what are likely effective compounds from showing promise in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L. Uliana
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Felipe V. Gomes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Anthony A. Grace,
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Petković A, Chaudhury D. Encore: Behavioural animal models of stress, depression and mood disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:931964. [PMID: 36004305 PMCID: PMC9395206 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.931964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal studies over the past two decades have led to extensive advances in our understanding of pathogenesis of depressive and mood disorders. Among these, rodent behavioural models proved to be of highest informative value. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the most popular behavioural models with respect to physiological, circuit, and molecular biological correlates. Behavioural stress paradigms and behavioural tests are assessed in terms of outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, and translational value, especially in the domain of pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dipesh Chaudhury
- Laboratory of Neural Systems and Behaviour, Department of Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Uliana DL, Gomes FV, Grace AA. Nucleus reuniens inactivation reverses stress-induced hypodopaminergic state and altered hippocampal-accumbens synaptic plasticity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1513-1522. [PMID: 35488085 PMCID: PMC9205859 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01333-1] [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: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is a pivotal area responsible for the connectivity of the prefrontal-hippocampus pathway that regulates cognitive, executive, and fear learning processes. Recently, it was proposed that the RE participates in the pathophysiological states related to affective dysregulation. We investigated the role of RE in motivational behavioral and electrophysiological dysregulation induced by stress. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a combination of stressors (restraint stress+footshock) for 10 days and tested one to two weeks later in the forced swim test (FST), ventral tegmental area (VTA)dopamine (DA) neuron electrophysiological activity, and hippocampal-nucleus accumbens plasticity. The RE was inactivated by injecting TTX prior to the procedures. The stress exposure increased the immobility in the FST and decreased VTA DA neuron population activity. Whereas an early long-term potentiation (e-LTP) in the ventral hippocampus-nucleus accumbens pathway was found after fimbria high-frequency stimulation in naïve animals, stressed animals showed an early long-term depression (e-LTD). Inactivation of the RE reversed the stress-induced changes in the FST and restored dopaminergic activity. RE inactivation partially recovered the stress-induced abnormal hippocampal-accumbens plasticity observed in controls. Our findings support the role of the RE in regulating affective dysregulation and blunted VTA DA system function induced by stress. Also, it points to the hippocampal-accumbens pathway as a potential neural circuit through which RE could modulate activity. Therefore, RE may represent a key brain region involved in the neurobiology of amotivational states and may provide insights into circuit dysfunction and markers of the maladaptive stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L. Uliana
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Felipe V. Gomes
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA ,grid.11899.380000 0004 1937 0722Present Address: Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
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Chiasson C, Moorman J, Romano E, Vezarov M, Cameron A, Smith A. The influence of emotion on working memory: Exploratory fMRI findings among men with histories of childhood sexual abuse. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 122:105340. [PMID: 34571357 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment can have detrimental consequences on individual well-being and cognitive functioning. One type of childhood maltreatment that remains stigmatized and under-researched among men is child sexual abuse (CSA). Research examining the neurophysiological consequences of CSA in males is limited even further. OBJECTIVE To provide preliminary insight into the neural basis of the impact of CSA during two working memory tasks. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Men with CSA histories, with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; CSA + PTSD n = 7, mean age = 45; CSA-PTSD; n = 9, mean age = 41), and men without a CSA history nor PTSD (n = 13, mean age = 36) participated in the study at a local hospital. METHODS Participants completed a letter n-back task and an emotional picture n-back task during fMRI to measure working memory and the influence of emotion on working memory. They also completed self-report measures to assess mental health and childhood abuse histories. RESULTS In the letter n-back task, men with CSA + PTSD had less activation in the cerebellum and left fusiform gyrus compared to CSA-PTSD men. During the working memory task with negative emotional pictures the control group had greater frontal activation, while the CSA-PTSD group had greater limbic activation. Analyses were performed with independent-samples t-tests. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary empirical evidence of the impact CSA can have on men regarding working memory when negative stimuli are involved. It highlights that CSA, even without a diagnosis of PTSD, can have a significant neurophysiological impact. It also provides clinicians with information to support well-being and help with potential day to day challenges.
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Yin YY, Wang YH, Liu WG, Yao JQ, Yuan J, Li ZH, Ran YH, Zhang LM, Li YF. The role of the excitation:inhibition functional balance in the mPFC in the onset of antidepressants. Neuropharmacology 2021; 191:108573. [PMID: 33945826 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Currently available antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), generally require weeks to months to produce a therapeutic response, but the mechanism of action underlying the delayed onset of antidepressant-like action remains to be elucidated. The balance between excitatory glutamatergic pyramidal neurons and inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons, i.e., the excitation:inhibition functional (E:I) balance, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical in regulating several behaviors and might play an important mediating role in the mechanism of rapid antidepressant-like action reported by several studies. In the present study, the multichannel electrophysiological technique was used to record the firing activities of pyramidal neurons and interneurons and investigate the effects of a single dose of fluoxetine and ketamine (both 10 mg/kg, i.p.) on the E:I functional balance in the rat mPFC after 90 min or 24 h, and the forced swimming test (FST) was used to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of fluoxetine and ketamine. The present study also explored the effects of chronic treatment with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.g.) for 7 d or 21 d on the E:I functional balance in the mPFC. The present results suggested that a single dose of ketamine could both significantly increase the firing activities of pyramidal neurons and significantly decrease the firing activities of interneurons in the mPFC and exerted significant antidepressant-like action on the FST after 90 min and 24 h, but fluoxetine had no such effects under the same conditions. However, chronic treatment with fluoxetine for 21 d (but not 7 d) could significantly affect the firing activities of pyramidal neurons and interneurons in the mPFC. Taken together, the present results indicated that rapid regulation of the E:I functional balance in the mPFC might be an important common mechanism of rapid-acting antidepressants and the delayed onset of SSRIs might be partly attributed to their inability to rapidly regulate the E:I functional balance in the mPFC. The present study provided a new entry point to the development of rapid-acting antidepressants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Yu Yin
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China
| | - Yun-Hui Wang
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China
| | | | - Jun-Qi Yao
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China
| | - Jin Yuan
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China
| | - Ze-Han Li
- Capital Normal University High School, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Hua Ran
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Ming Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China.
| | - Yun-Feng Li
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing, China; Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Uliana DL, Gomes FV, Grace AA. Stress impacts corticoamygdalar connectivity in an age-dependent manner. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:731-740. [PMID: 33096542 PMCID: PMC8027626 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00886-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a socio-environmental risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders, with the age of exposure potentially determining the outcome. Several brain regions mediate stress responsivity, with a prominent role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) and their reciprocal inhibitory connectivity. Here we investigated the impact of stress exposure during adolescence and adulthood on the activity of putative pyramidal neurons in the BLA and corticoamygdalar plasticity using in vivo electrophysiology. 155 male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a combination of footshock/restraint stress in either adolescence (postnatal day 31-40) or adulthood (postnatal day 65-74). Both adolescent and adult stress increased the number of spontaneously active putative BLA pyramidal neurons 1-2 weeks, but not 5-6 weeks post stress. High-frequency stimulation (HFS) of BLA and mPFC depressed evoked spike probability in the mPFC and BLA, respectively, in adult but not adolescent rats. In contrast, an adult-like BLA HFS-induced decrease in spike probability of mPFC neurons was found 1-2 weeks post-adolescent stress. Changes in mPFC and BLA neuron discharge were found 1-2 weeks post-adult stress after BLA and mPFC HFS, respectively. All these changes were transient since they were not found 5-6 weeks post adolescent or adult stress. Our findings indicate that stress during adolescence may accelerate the development of BLA-PFC plasticity, probably due to BLA hyperactivity, which can also disrupt the reciprocal communication of BLA-mPFC after adult stress. Therefore, precocious BLA-mPFC connectivity alterations may represent an early adaptive stress response that ultimately may contribute to vulnerability to adult psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela L. Uliana
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Felipe V. Gomes
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA ,grid.11899.380000 0004 1937 0722Present Address: Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Anthony A. Grace
- grid.21925.3d0000 0004 1936 9000Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
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