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Bastos-Gonçalves R, Coimbra B, Rodrigues AJ. The mesopontine tegmentum in reward and aversion: From cellular heterogeneity to behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105702. [PMID: 38718986 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105702] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The mesopontine tegmentum, comprising the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPN) and the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT), is intricately connected to various regions of the basal ganglia, motor systems, and limbic systems. The PPN and LDT can regulate the activity of different brain regions of these target systems, and in this way are in a privileged position to modulate motivated behaviours. Despite recent findings, the PPN and LDT have been largely overlooked in discussions about the neural circuits associated with reward and aversion. This review aims to provide a timely and comprehensive resource on past and current research, highlighting the PPN and LDT's connectivity and influence on basal ganglia and limbic, and motor systems. Seminal studies, including lesion, pharmacological, and optogenetic/chemogenetic approaches, demonstrate their critical roles in modulating reward/aversive behaviours. The review emphasizes the need for further investigation into the associated cellular mechanisms, in order to clarify their role in behaviour and contribution for different neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Coimbra
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Ana João Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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Horváth K, Juhász B, Kuti D, Ferenczi S, Kovács KJ. Recruitment of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Neurons in Categorically Distinct Stress Reactions in the Mouse Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11736. [PMID: 37511494 PMCID: PMC10380650 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) are in the position to integrate stress-related information and initiate adaptive neuroendocrine-, autonomic-, metabolic- and behavioral responses. In addition to hypophyseotropic cells, CRH is widely expressed in the CNS, however its involvement in the organization of the stress response is not fully understood. In these experiments, we took advantage of recently available Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai9 mouse line to study the recruitment of hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic CRH neurons in categorically distinct, acute stress reactions. A total of 95 brain regions in the adult male mouse brain have been identified as containing putative CRH neurons with significant expression of tdTomato marker gene. With comparison of CRH mRNA and tdTomato distribution, we found match and mismatch areas. Reporter mice were then exposed to restraint, ether, high salt, lipopolysaccharide and predator odor stress and neuronal activation was revealed by FOS immunocytochemistry. In addition to a core stress system, stressor-specific areas have been revealed to display activity marker FOS. Finally, activation of CRH neurons was detected by colocalization of FOS in tdTomato expressing cells. All stressors resulted in profound activation of CRH neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus; however, a differential activation of pattern was observed in CRH neurons in extrahypothalamic regions. This comprehensive description of stress-related CRH neurons in the mouse brain provides a starting point for a systematic functional analysis of the brain stress system and its relation to stress-induced psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Horváth
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Juhász
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel Kuti
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilamér Ferenczi
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina J Kovács
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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Shabani M, Ilaghi M, Naderi R, Razavinasab M. The hyperexcitability of laterodorsal tegmentum cholinergic neurons accompanies adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes of prenatal stress. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6011. [PMID: 37045899 PMCID: PMC10097720 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to prenatal stress (PS) leads to the offspring's vulnerability towards the development of cognitive and behavioral disorders. Laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is a part of the brainstem cholinergic system that is believed to play a pivotal role in the stress-associated progression of anxiety, memory impairment, and addictive behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the electrophysiological alterations of LDT cholinergic neurons and its accompanied behavioral and cognitive outcomes in the offspring of mice exposed to physical or psychological PS. Swiss Webster mice were exposed to physical or psychological stress on the tenth day of gestation. Ex vivo investigations in LDT brain slices of adolescent male offspring were performed to evaluate the effects of two stressor types on the activity of cholinergic neurons. Open field test, elevated plus maze, passive avoidance test, and conditioned place preference were conducted to assess behavioral and cognitive alterations in the offspring. The offspring of both physical and psychological PS-exposed mice exhibited increased locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, memory impairment, and preference to morphine. In both early- and late-firing cholinergic neurons of the LDT, stressed groups demonstrated higher firing frequency, lower adaptation ratio, decreased action potential threshold, and therefore increased excitability compared to the control group. The findings of the present study suggest that the hyperexcitability of the cholinergic neurons of LDT might be involved in the development of PS-associated anxiety-like behaviors, drug seeking, and memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Shabani
- Intracellular Recording Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 76198-13159, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mehran Ilaghi
- Intracellular Recording Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 76198-13159, Kerman, Iran
| | - Reyhaneh Naderi
- Laboratory of Emotions Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteur Street 3, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Moazamehosadat Razavinasab
- Intracellular Recording Lab, Neuroscience Research Center, Neuropharmacology Institute, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 76198-13159, Kerman, Iran.
- Department of Physiology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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Dos Santos AB, Skaanning LK, Thaneshwaran S, Mikkelsen E, Romero-Leguizamón CR, Skamris T, Kristensen MP, Langkilde AE, Kohlmeier KA. Sleep-controlling neurons are sensitive and vulnerable to multiple forms of α-synuclein: implications for the early appearance of sleeping disorders in α-synucleinopathies. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:450. [PMID: 35882665 PMCID: PMC11072003 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04467-z] [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: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease, Multiple System Atrophy, and Lewy Body Dementia are incurable diseases called α-synucleinopathies as they are mechanistically linked to the protein, α-synuclein (α-syn). α-syn exists in different structural forms which have been linked to clinical disease distinctions. However, sleeping disorders (SDs) are common in the prodromal phase of all three α-synucleinopathies, which suggests that sleep-controlling neurons are affected by multiple forms of α-syn. To determine whether a structure-independent neuronal impact of α-syn exists, we compared and contrasted the cellular effect of three different α-syn forms on neurotransmitter-defined cells of two sleep-controlling nuclei located in the brainstem: the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus and the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. We utilized size exclusion chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to precisely characterize timepoints in the α-syn aggregation process with three different dominating forms of this protein (monomeric, oligomeric and fibril) and we conducted an in-depth investigation of the underlying neuronal mechanism behind cellular effects of the different forms of the protein using electrophysiology, multiple-cell calcium imaging, single-cell calcium imaging and live-location tracking with fluorescently-tagged α-syn. Interestingly, α-syn altered membrane currents, enhanced firing, increased intracellular calcium and facilitated cell death in a structure-independent manner in sleep-controlling nuclei, and postsynaptic actions involved a G-protein-mediated mechanism. These data are novel as the sleep-controlling nuclei are the first brain regions reported to be affected by α-syn in this structure-independent manner. These regions may represent highly important targets for future neuroprotective therapy to modify or delay disease progression in α-synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altair B Dos Santos
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Line K Skaanning
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Siganya Thaneshwaran
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Eyd Mikkelsen
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cesar R Romero-Leguizamón
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Skamris
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Annette E Langkilde
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristi A Kohlmeier
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Lichlyter DA, Krumm ZA, Golde TA, Doré S. Role of CRF and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in stroke: revisiting temporal considerations and targeting a new generation of therapeutics. FEBS J 2022; 290:1986-2010. [PMID: 35108458 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ischaemic neurovascular stroke represents a leading cause of death in the developed world. Preclinical and human epidemiological evidence implicates the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family of neuropeptides as mediators of acute neurovascular injury pathology. Preclinical investigations of the role of CRF, CRF receptors and CRF-dependent activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have pointed toward a tissue-specific and temporal relationship between activation of these pathways and physiological outcomes. Based on the literature, the major phases of ischaemic stroke aetiology may be separated into an acute phase in which CRF and anti-inflammatory stress signalling are beneficial and a chronic phase in which these contribute to neural degeneration, toxicity and apoptotic signalling. Significant gaps in knowledge remain regarding the pathway, temporality and systemic impact of CRF signalling and stress biology in neurovascular injury progression. Heterogeneity among experimental designs poses a challenge to defining the apparent reciprocal relationship between neurological injury and stress metabolism. Despite these challenges, it is our opinion that the elucidated temporality may be best matched with an antibody against CRF with a half-life of days to weeks as opposed to minutes to hours as with small-molecule CRF receptor antagonists. This state-of-the-art review will take a multipronged approach to explore the expected potential benefit of a CRF antibody by modulating CRF and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 signalling, glucocorticoids and autonomic nervous system activity. Additionally, this review compares the modulation of CRF and HPA axis activity in neuropsychiatric diseases and their counterpart outcomes post-stroke and assess lessons learned from antibody therapies in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Lichlyter
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Zachary A Krumm
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Todd A Golde
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sylvain Doré
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida College of Medicine, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.,Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, Pharmaceutics, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Wu PF, Han QQ, Chen FF, Shen TT, Li YH, Cao Y, Chen JG, Wang F. Erasing m 6A-dependent transcription signature of stress-sensitive genes triggers antidepressant actions. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100390. [PMID: 34527794 PMCID: PMC8430387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence has shown that stress responsivity and psychiatric diseases are associated with alterations in N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA epigenetic modifications. Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) is an m6A demethylase that has been linked to increased body mass and obesity. Here, we show that tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with weight-gain side effects, such as imipramine and amitriptyline, directly increased FTO expression and activated its epigenetic function in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). VTA-specific genetic disruption of FTO increased stress vulnerability and abolished the antidepressant activity of TCAs, whereas erasing m6A modification in the VTA by FTO overexpression or cycloleucine led to significant antidepressant activity. Mechanistically, both transcriptome sequencing and quantitative PCR revealed that overexpression of FTO in the VTA decreased the transcription of stress-related neuropeptides, such as cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide and urocortin, in the social defeat model, which was mimicked by imipramine, suggesting an m6A-dependent transcription mechanism of stress-related neuropeptides may underlie the responses to antidepressant. Collectively, our results demonstrate that inhibiting m6A-dependent transcription of stress-related genes may work as a novel antidepressant strategy and highlight a previously unrecognized activator of FTO-dependent epigenetic function that may be used for the treatment of other neurological diseases. TCAs erase m6A epigenetic modification by activating FTO. FTO mediates the antidepressant activity of TCAs. FTO in the VTA confers stress resistance. FTO in the VTA limits m6A-dependent transcription of stress-sensitive genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Fei Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China.,Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases (HUST), Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, The Institute of Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Qian-Qian Han
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Fu-Feng Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Tian-Tian Shen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi-Heng Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China.,Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases (HUST), Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, The Institute of Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Research Center for Depression, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science, 430030, Wuhan, China.,Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases (HUST), Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,The Key Laboratory for Drug Target Researches and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of Hubei Province, Wuhan City, Hubei, 430030, China.,Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, The Institute of Brain Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
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