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Flores-Gómez GD, Apam-Castillejos DJ, Juárez-Díaz I, Fuentes-Medel E, Díaz A, Tendilla-Beltrán H, Flores G. Aripiprazole attenuates the medial prefrontal cortex morphological and biochemical alterations in rats with neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion. J Chem Neuroanat 2023; 132:102316. [PMID: 37481172 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2023.102316] [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: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a loss of dendritic spines in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Multiple subclinical and clinical studies have evidenced the ability of antipsychotics to improve neuroplasticity. In this study, it was evaluated the effect of the atypical antipsychotic aripiprazole (ARI) on the behavioral and mPFC neuronal disturbances of rats with neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (nVHL), which is a heuristic developmental model relevant to the study of schizophrenia. ARI attenuated open field hyperlocomotion in the rats with nVHL. Also, ARI ameliorated structural neuroplasticity disturbances of the mPFC layer 3 pyramidal cells, but not in the layer 5 neurons. These effects can be associated with the ARI capability of increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Moreover, in the animals with nVHL, ARI attenuated the immunoreactivity for some oxidative stress-related molecules such as the nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2), 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), as well as the reactive astrogliosis in the mPFC. These results contribute to current knowledge about the neurotrophic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties of antipsychotics which may be contributing to their clinical effects and envision promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ismael Juárez-Díaz
- Facultad de Estomatología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Estefania Fuentes-Medel
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (FCQ), Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Díaz
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (FCQ), Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico.
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Oxytocin, Erectile Function and Sexual Behavior: Last Discoveries and Possible Advances. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910376. [PMID: 34638719 PMCID: PMC8509000 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A continuously increasing amount of research shows that oxytocin is involved in numerous central functions. Among the functions in which oxytocin is thought to be involved are those that play a role in social and sexual behaviors, and the involvement of central oxytocin in erectile function and sexual behavior was indeed one of the first to be discovered in laboratory animals in the 1980s. The first part of this review summarizes the results of studies done in laboratory animals that support a facilitatory role of oxytocin in male and female sexual behavior and reveal mechanisms through which this ancient neuropeptide participates in concert with other neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in this complex function, which is fundamental for the species reproduction. The second part summarizes the results of studies done mainly with intranasal oxytocin in men and women with the aim to translate the results found in laboratory animals to humans. Unexpectedly, the results of these studies do not appear to confirm the facilitatory role of oxytocin found in male and female sexual behavior in animals, both in men and women. Possible explanations for the failure of oxytocin to improve sexual behavior in men and women and strategies to attempt to overcome this impasse are considered.
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Martínez-Torres NI, Vázquez-Hernández N, Martín-Amaya-Barajas FL, Flores-Soto M, González-Burgos I. Ibotenic acid induced lesions impair the modulation of dendritic spine plasticity in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, a phenomenon that underlies working memory and social behavior. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 896:173883. [PMID: 33513334 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.173883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The lesions induced by Ibotenic acid (IA) emulate some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia, such as impaired working memory that is predominantly organized by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), or difficulties in social interactions that aremainly organized by the amygdala (AMG). The plastic capacity of dendritic spines in neurons of the mPFC and AMG is modulated by molecules that participate in the known deterioration of working memory, although the influence of these on the socialization of schizophrenic patients is unknown. Here, the effect of a neonatal IA induced lesion on social behavior and working memory was evaluated in adult rats, along with the changes in cytoarchitecture of dendritic spines and their protein content, specifically the postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), Synaptophysin (Syn), AMPA receptors, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Both working memory and social behavior were impaired, and the density of the spines, as well as their PSD-95, Syn, AMPA receptor and BDNF content was lower in IA lesioned animals. The proportional density of thin, mushroom, stubby and wide spines resulted in plastic changes that suggest the activation of compensatory processes in the face of the adverse effects of the lesion. In addition, the reduction in the levels of the modulating factors also suggests that the signaling pathways in which such factors are implicated would be altered in the brains of patients with schizophrenia. Accordingly, the experimental study of such signaling pathways is likely to aid the development of more effective pharmacological strategies for the treatment of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Néstor I Martínez-Torres
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico; Centro Universitario del Norte, Universidad de Guadalajara, Colotlán, Jal., Mexico
| | - Nallely Vázquez-Hernández
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
| | | | - Mario Flores-Soto
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico
| | - Ignacio González-Burgos
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico.
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Vazquez-Roque R, Pacheco-Flores M, Penagos-Corzo JC, Flores G, Aguilera J, Treviño S, Guevara J, Diaz A, Venegas B. The C-terminal fragment of the heavy chain of the tetanus toxin (Hc-TeTx) improves motor activity and neuronal morphology in the limbic system of aged mice. Synapse 2020; 75:e22193. [PMID: 33141999 DOI: 10.1002/syn.22193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In the aging process, the brain presents biochemical and morphological alterations. The neurons of the limbic system show reduced size dendrites, in addition to the loss of dendritic spines. These disturbances trigger a decrease in motor and cognitive function. Likewise, it is reported that during aging, in the brain, there is a significant decrease in neurotrophic factors, which are essential in promoting the survival and plasticity of neurons. The carboxyl-terminal fragment of the heavy chain of the tetanus toxin (Hc-TeTx) acts similarly to neurotrophic factors, inducing neuroprotection in different models of neuronal damage. The aim here, was to evaluate the effect of Hc-TeTx on the motor processes of elderly mice (18 months old), and its impact on the dendritic morphology and density of dendritic spines of neurons in the limbic system. The morphological analysis in the dendrites was evaluated employing Golgi-Cox staining. Hc-TeTx was administered (0.5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for three days in 18-month-old mice. Locomotor activity was evaluated in a novel environment 30 days after the last administration of Hc-TeTx. Mice treated with Hc-TeTx showed significant changes in their motor behavior, and an increased dendritic spine density of pyramidal neurons in layers 3 and 5 of the prefrontal cortex in the hippocampus, and medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In conclusion, the Hc-TeTx improves the plasticity of the brain regions of the limbic system of aged mice. Therefore, it is proposed as a pharmacological alternative to prevent or delay brain damage during aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Vazquez-Roque
- Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Institute of Physiology, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | | | | | - Gonzalo Flores
- Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Institute of Physiology, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - José Aguilera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Networked Biomedical Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Samuel Treviño
- Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Jorge Guevara
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Diaz
- Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Berenice Venegas
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
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Monroy E, Diaz A, Tendilla-Beltrán H, de la Cruz F, Flores G. Bexarotene treatment increases dendritic length in the nucleus accumbens without change in the locomotor activity and memory behaviors, in old mice. J Chem Neuroanat 2019; 104:101734. [PMID: 31887346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2019.101734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The aged brain has biochemical and morphological alterations in the dendrites of the pyramidal neurons of the limbic system, which consequently trigger motor and cognitive deficits. Bexarotene 4-[1-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethenyl]benzoic acid is a selective agonist of X-retinoid receptors which acts by binding to the intracellular retinoic acid receptors (RAR). It decreases oxidative and inflammatory activity, in addition to the transport of lipids, mechanisms that together could have a neuroprotective effect. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of bexarotene on the motor and cognitive processes, as well as its influence on the dendritic morphology of neurons in the limbic system of elderly mice. Dendritic morphology was evaluated with the Golgi-Cox staining procedure followed by the Sholl analysis. Bexarotene was administered at different doses: 0.0; 0.5; 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg for 60 days in 18-month-old mice. After the treatment, locomotor activity in a novel environment and spatial memory in the water labyrinth were evaluated. Mice treated with bexarotene did not show significant changes in their behavior. Moreover, bexarotene-treated mice only showed a significant increase in the density of the dendritic spines and the dendritic length in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) neurons. In conclusion, the administration of bexarotene improves the plasticity of the NAcc of aged mice, and therefore could be a pharmacological alternative to prevent or delay neuroplasticity disruptions in brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elibeth Monroy
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico; Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Diaz
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico
| | - Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico; Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Fidel de la Cruz
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico.
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Rosuvastatin improves olanzapine's effects on behavioral impairment and hippocampal, hepatic and metabolic damages in isolated reared male rats. Behav Brain Res 2019; 378:112305. [PMID: 31634496 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 09/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIM Schizophrenia is a chronic, disabling neurological illness. This study investigated the effect of rosuvastatin (RSU) addition to the antipsychotic drug: olanzapine (OLZ) in treatment of post-weaning isolation rearing (IR) damaging effect and assessed behavioral impairment, metabolic and hepatic abnormalities, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers. METHODS Treatment with OLZ (6 mg/kg, P.O.) and/or RSU (10 mg/kg, I.P.) have been started 6 weeks after isolation. We assessed behavioral tests, serum cortisol level, and hippocampal content of neurotransmitters. In addition, we assessed histopathology, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers of hippocampus, liver and adipose tissue RESULTS: Treatment of IR animals with OLZ, and/or RSU significantly counteracted the changes in hippocampus, liver and adipose tissue induced by post-weaning IR. Co-treatment of IR rats with both OLZ and RSU showed additive effects in some areas like improving both tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) in both hippocampus and liver, histopathology of liver, oxidative stress markers of adipose tissue, β3 adrenergic receptors (ADRβ3), serum cortisol and total cholesterol. In addition, RSU alone alleviated the damage of IR rats by the same efficacy as OLZ with more benefit in cognition and exploration. CONCLUSION post-weaning IR as a model has behavioral, hippocampal, hepatic and marked metabolic changes more relevant to schizophrenia than drug-induced models. These effects were ameliorated by RSU and/or OLZ that are explained by their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress and anti-hyperlipidemic properties. Interestingly, co-treatment with both drugs showed a better effect.
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Risperidone Ameliorates Prefrontal Cortex Neural Atrophy and Oxidative/Nitrosative Stress in Brain and Peripheral Blood of Rats with Neonatal Ventral Hippocampus Lesion. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8584-8599. [PMID: 31519825 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1249-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Reduction of the dendritic arbor length and the lack of dendritic spines in the pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are prevalent pathological features in schizophrenia (SZ). Neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (NVHL) in male rats reproduces these neuronal characteristics and here we describe how this is a consequence of BDNF/TrkB pathway disruption. Moreover, COX-2 proinflammatory state, as well as Nrf-2 antioxidant impairment, triggers oxidative/nitrosative stress, which also contributes to dendritic spine impairments in the PFC. Interestingly, oxidative/nitrosative stress was also detected in the periphery of NVHL animals. Furthermore, risperidone treatment had a neurotrophic effect on the PFC and antioxidant effects on the brain and periphery of NVHL animals; these cellular effects were related to behavioral improvement. Our data highlight the link between brain development and immune response, as well as several other factors to understand mechanisms related to the pathophysiology of SZ.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Prefrontal cortex dysfunction in schizophrenia can be a consequence of morphological abnormalities and oxidative/nitrosative stress, among others. Here, we detailed how impaired plasticity-related pathways and oxidative/nitrosative stress are part of the dendritic spine pathology and their modulation by atypical antipsychotic risperidone treatment in rats with neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion. Moreover, we found that animals with neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion had oxidative/nitrosative stress in the brain as well as in the peripheral blood, an important issue for the translational approaches of this model. Then, risperidone restored plasticity and reduced oxidative/nitrosative stress of prefrontal cortex pyramidal cells, and ultimately improved the behavior of lesioned animals. Moreover, risperidone had differential effects than the brain on peripheral blood oxidative/nitrosative stress.
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Hernández-Frausto M, López-Rubalcava C, Galván EJ. Progressive Alterations in Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity of Area CA1 Precede the Cognitive Impairment Associated with Neonatal Administration of MK-801. Neuroscience 2019; 404:205-217. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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9
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Monfil T, Vázquez Roque RA, Camacho-Abrego I, Tendilla-Beltran H, Iannitti T, Meneses-Morales I, Aguilar-Alonso P, Flores G, Morales-Medina JC. Hyper-response to Novelty Increases c-Fos Expression in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex in a Rat Model of Schizophrenia. Neurochem Res 2017; 43:441-448. [PMID: 29214513 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-017-2439-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder that may have a neurodevelopmental origin. For this reason, animal models based on neonatal insults or manipulations have been extensively used to demonstrate schizophrenia-related behaviors. Among those, the neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion (nVHL) is largely used as a model of schizophrenia-related behavior as it mimics behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities often seen in schizophrenic patients including hyperlocomotion in a novel environment. To investigate the neuroanatomical basis of coding novelty in the nVHL rat, we assessed the behavioral locomotor activity paradigm in a novel environment and measured expression of c-Fos, a marker of neural activation, in brain regions involved in the process of coding novelty or locomotion. Upon reaching adulthood, nVHL rats showed hyperlocomotion in the novel environment paradigm. Moreover, in nVHL rats the expression of c-Fos was greater in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus compared to sham rats. Whereas similar expression of c-Fos was observed in the basolateral amygdala, nucleus accumbens and dentate gyrus region of hippocampus of nVHL and sham rats. These results suggest that the nVHL disrupts the neural activity in the PFC and CA1 region of hippocampus in the process of coding novelty in the rat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Monfil
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-UAT, AP 62, 90000, Tlaxcala, Mexico.,Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, CINVESTAV, 07360, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Rubén Antonio Vázquez Roque
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Israel Camacho-Abrego
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Hiram Tendilla-Beltran
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Tommaso Iannitti
- KWS BioTest, Marine View Office Park, Portishead, Somerset, BS20 7AW, UK
| | - Ivan Meneses-Morales
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Patricia Aguilar-Alonso
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 72570, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla, Mexico.
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Diaz A, Treviño S, Vázquez-Roque R, Venegas B, Espinosa B, Flores G, Fernández-G JM, Montaño LF, Guevara J. The aminoestrogen prolame increases recognition memory and hippocampal neuronal spine density in aged mice. Synapse 2017; 71:e21987. [PMID: 28545157 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The aging brain shows biochemical and morphological changes in the dendrites of pyramidal neurons from the limbic system associated with memory loss. Prolame (N-(3-hydroxy-1,3,5 (10)-estratrien-17β-yl)-3-hydroxypropylamine) is a non-feminizing aminoestrogen with antithrombotic activity that prevents neuronal deterioration, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of prolame on motor and cognitive processes, as well as its influence on the dendritic morphology of neurons at the CA1, CA3, and granule cells of the dentate gyrus (DG) regions of hippocampus (HP), and medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of aged mice. Dendritic morphology was assessed with the Golgi-Cox stain procedure followed by Sholl analysis. Prolame (60 µg/kg) was subcutaneously injected daily for 60 days in 18-month-old mice. Immediately after treatment, locomotor activity in a new environment and recognition memory using the Novel Object Recognition Task (NORT) were evaluated. Prolame-treated mice showed a significant increase in the long-term exploration quotient, but locomotor activity was not modified in comparison to control animals. Prolame-treated mice showed a significant increase in dendritic spines density and dendritic length in neurons of the CA1, CA3, and DG regions of the HP, whereas dendrites of neurons in the NAcc remained unmodified. In conclusion, prolame administration promotes hippocampal plasticity processes but not in the NAcc neurons of aged mice, thus improving long-term recognition memory. Prolame could become a pharmacological alternative to prevent or delay the brain aging process, and thus the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases that affect memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Diaz
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue, Mexico
| | - Samuel Treviño
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue, Mexico
| | - Rubén Vázquez-Roque
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue, Mexico
| | - Berenice Venegas
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue, Mexico
| | - Blanca Espinosa
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias INER, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Pue, Mexico
| | | | - Luis F Montaño
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Tisular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jorge Guevara
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Nishi A, Shuto T. Potential for targeting dopamine/DARPP-32 signaling in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2017; 21:259-272. [PMID: 28052701 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2017.1279149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Alterations in dopamine neurotransmission has been implicated in pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, and DARPP-32 plays a pivotal role in dopamine neurotransmission. DARPP-32 likely influences dopamine-mediated behaviors in animal models of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders and therapeutic effects of pharmacological treatment. Areas covered: We will review animal studies on the biochemical and behavioral roles of DARPP-32 in drug addiction, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. In general, under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, DARPP-32 in D1 receptor expressing (D1R) -medium spiny neurons (MSNs) promotes dopamine/D1 receptor/PKA signaling, whereas DARPP-32 in D2 receptor expressing (D2R)-MSNs counteracts dopamine/D2 receptor signaling. However, the function of DARPP-32 is differentially regulated in acute and chronic phases of drug addiction; DARPP-32 enhances D1 receptor/PKA signaling in the acute phase, whereas DARPP-32 suppresses D1 receptor/PKA signaling in the chronic phase through homeostatic mechanisms. Therefore, DARPP-32 plays a bidirectional role in dopamine neurotransmission, depending on the cell type and experimental conditions, and is involved in dopamine-related behavioral abnormalities. Expert opinion: DARPP-32 differentially regulates dopamine signaling in D1R- and D2R-MSNs, and a shift of balance between D1R- and D2R-MSN function is associated with behavioral abnormalities. An adjustment of this imbalance is achieved by therapeutic approaches targeting DARPP-32-related signaling molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Nishi
- a Department of Pharmacology , Kurume University School of Medicine , Kurume, Fukuoka , Japan
| | - Takahide Shuto
- a Department of Pharmacology , Kurume University School of Medicine , Kurume, Fukuoka , Japan
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Solis-Gaspar C, Vazquez-Roque RA, De Jesús Gómez-Villalobos M, Flores G. Cerebrolysin improves memory and ameliorates neuronal atrophy in spontaneously hypertensive, aged rats. Synapse 2016; 70:378-89. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Revised: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Solis-Gaspar
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla México
| | - Ruben A. Vazquez-Roque
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla México
| | | | - Gonzalo Flores
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; 14 Sur 6301, CP 72570, Puebla México
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13
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Monserrat Hernández-Hernández E, Serrano-García C, Antonio Vázquez-Roque R, Díaz A, Monroy E, Rodríguez-Moreno A, Florán B, Flores G. Chronic administration of resveratrol prevents morphological changes in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of aged rats. Synapse 2016; 70:206-17. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolina Serrano-García
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; México
| | | | - Alfonso Díaz
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Elibeth Monroy
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; México
| | | | - Benjamin Florán
- Departamento de Fisiología; Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Avanzados IPN; DF México
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; México
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Lazcano Z, Solis O, Díaz A, Brambila E, Aguilar-Alonso P, Guevara J, Flores G. Dendritic morphology changes in neurons from the ventral hippocampus, amygdala and nucleus accumbens in rats with neonatal lesions into the prefrontal cortex. Synapse 2015; 69:314-25. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zayda Lazcano
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Oscar Solis
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Alfonso Díaz
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | - Eduardo Brambila
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
| | | | - Jorge Guevara
- Department de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. D.F.; México
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Puebla México
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15
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Mattei D, Schweibold R, Wolf SA. Brain in flames - animal models of psychosis: utility and limitations. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2015; 11:1313-29. [PMID: 26064050 PMCID: PMC4455860 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s65564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia posits that schizophrenia is a psychopathological condition resulting from aberrations in neurodevelopmental processes caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors which proceed long before the onset of clinical symptoms. Many studies discuss an immunological component in the onset and progression of schizophrenia. We here review studies utilizing animal models of schizophrenia with manipulations of genetic, pharmacologic, and immunological origin. We focus on the immunological component to bridge the studies in terms of evaluation and treatment options of negative, positive, and cognitive symptoms. Throughout the review we link certain aspects of each model to the situation in human schizophrenic patients. In conclusion we suggest a combination of existing models to better represent the human situation. Moreover, we emphasize that animal models represent defined single or multiple symptoms or hallmarks of a given disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Mattei
- Department of Cellular Neuroscience, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Regina Schweibold
- Department of Cellular Neuroscience, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany ; Department of Neurosurgery, Helios Clinics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne A Wolf
- Department of Cellular Neuroscience, Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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16
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Gallo A, Bouchard C, Rompré PP. Animals with a schizophrenia-like phenotype are differentially sensitive to the motivational effects of cannabinoid agonists in conditioned place preference. Behav Brain Res 2014; 268:202-12. [PMID: 24755307 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Revised: 04/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis is the most consumed illicit drug worldwide, but among patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, this consumption is higher suggesting that they are differentially sensitive to cannabis. We chose to study this problematic using a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia: neonatal ventral hippocampus lesions (NVHL). In a first study, we compared the locomotor response to novelty, a mild stress and two doses of amphetamine (0.75 and 1.5 mg/kg) in sham and NVHL rats at post-natal day 35 (PD35) or 56 (PD56). In a second study, we investigated the valence of the motivational effect of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinnol (THC, 0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and the cannabinoid receptor agonist, WIN55,212-2 (WIN, 1 mg/kg, i.p.), using the conditioned place preference paradigm; we used a biased procedure that comprised 12 days of testing with 3 paired-conditioning. The effects of this dose of WIN were also measured on locomotor activity. Results confirmed that the adult NVHL animals displayed a stronger locomotor response to the two doses of amphetamine, but not to novelty and a mild stress. In adult NVHL, but not sham animals, WIN stimulated locomotor activity and produced a conditioned place aversion. At the dose tested, THC tended to produce an aversion in adult sham but not NVHL animals. Taken together these findings show that adult animals with a schizophrenia-like phenotype are differentially sensitive to the motivational effect of cannabinoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gallo
- Faculté de médicine, Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - C Bouchard
- Faculté de médecine, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - P-P Rompré
- Faculté de médecine, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; FRQ-S Research Center in Behavioural Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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17
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Camacho-Abrego I, Tellez-Merlo G, Melo AI, Rodríguez-Moreno A, Garcés L, De La Cruz F, Zamudio S, Flores G. Rearrangement of the dendritic morphology of the neurons from prefrontal cortex and hippocampus after subthalamic lesion in Sprague-Dawley rats. Synapse 2013; 68:114-26. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Israel Camacho-Abrego
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología; Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; CP: 72570, Puebla Puebla México
- Departamento de Fisiología; Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; México D. F. México
| | - Gullermina Tellez-Merlo
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología; Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; CP: 72570, Puebla Puebla México
| | - Angel I. Melo
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal; CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala; Tlaxcala México
| | | | - Linda Garcés
- Departamento de Fisiología; Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; México D. F. México
| | - Fidel De La Cruz
- Departamento de Fisiología; Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; México D. F. México
| | - Sergio Zamudio
- Departamento de Fisiología; Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; México D. F. México
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría; Instituto de Fisiología; Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; CP: 72570, Puebla Puebla México
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18
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Bringas M, Carvajal-Flores F, López-Ramírez T, Atzori M, Flores G. Rearrangement of the dendritic morphology in limbic regions and altered exploratory behavior in a rat model of autism spectrum disorder. Neuroscience 2013; 241:170-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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19
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Yabuki Y, Nakagawasai O, Moriguchi S, Shioda N, Onogi H, Tan-No K, Tadano T, Fukunaga K. Decreased CaMKII and PKC activities in specific brain regions are associated with cognitive impairment in neonatal ventral hippocampus-lesioned rats. Neuroscience 2013; 234:103-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Revised: 12/22/2012] [Accepted: 12/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Castellano O, Arji M, Sancho C, Carro J, Riolobos AS, Molina V, Gómez-Nieto R, de Anchieta de Castro E Horta J, Herrero-Turrión MJ, López DE. Chronic administration of risperidone in a rat model of schizophrenia: a behavioural, morphological and molecular study. Behav Brain Res 2013; 242:178-90. [PMID: 23291154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Revised: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 12/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In the present work we analyzed the effect of the chronic administration of risperidone (2mg/kg over 65 days) on behavioural, morphological and molecular aspects in an experimental model of schizophrenia obtained by bilateral injection of ibotenic acid into the ventral hippocampus of new-born rats. Our results show that during their adult lives the animals with hippocampal lesions exhibit different alterations, mainly at behavioural level and in the gene expression of dopamine D(2) and 5-HT(2A) receptors. However, at morphological level the study performed on the prefrontal cortex did not reveal any alterations in either the thickness or the number of cells immunoreactive for c-Fos, GFAP, CBP or PV. Overall, risperidone administration elicited a trend towards the recovery of the values previously altered by the hippocampal lesion, approaching the values seen in the animals without lesions. It may be concluded that the administration of risperidone in the schizophrenia model employed helps to improve the altered functions, with no significant negative effects.
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MESH Headings
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Antipsychotic Agents/administration & dosage
- Avoidance Learning/drug effects
- Avoidance Learning/physiology
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Brain/metabolism
- Brain/pathology
- CREB-Binding Protein/metabolism
- Cell Count
- Disease Models, Animal
- Drug Administration Schedule
- Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists/toxicity
- Exploratory Behavior/drug effects
- Exploratory Behavior/physiology
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
- Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/metabolism
- Grooming/drug effects
- Hippocampus/drug effects
- Hippocampus/physiology
- Ibotenic Acid/toxicity
- Male
- Parvalbumins/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism
- Rats
- Rats, Wistar
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/genetics
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/genetics
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/metabolism
- Risperidone/administration & dosage
- Schizophrenia/chemically induced
- Schizophrenia/drug therapy
- Schizophrenia/physiopathology
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Affiliation(s)
- O Castellano
- Institute for Neuroscience of Castilla y León, Salamanca, Spain; Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
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21
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Prefrontal dopamine release and sensory-specific satiety altered in rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions. Behav Brain Res 2012; 231:97-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Revised: 02/23/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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22
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Bringas ME, Morales-Medina JC, Flores-Vivaldo Y, Negrete-Diaz JV, Aguilar-Alonso P, León-Chávez BA, Lazcano-Ortiz Z, Monroy E, Rodríguez-Moreno A, Quirion R, Flores G. Clozapine administration reverses behavioral, neuronal, and nitric oxide disturbances in the neonatal ventral hippocampus rat. Neuropharmacology 2012; 62:1848-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 12/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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23
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Lecourtier L, Antal MC, Cosquer B, Schumacher A, Samama B, Angst MJ, Ferrandon A, Koning E, Cassel JC, Nehlig A. Intact neurobehavioral development and dramatic impairments of procedural-like memory following neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion in rats. Neuroscience 2012; 207:110-23. [PMID: 22322113 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.01.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2011] [Revised: 12/26/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHL) in rats are considered a potent developmental model of schizophrenia. After NVHL, rats appear normal during their preadolescent time, whereas in early adulthood, they develop behavioral deficits paralleling symptomatic aspects of schizophrenia, including hyperactivity, hypersensitivity to amphetamine (AMPH), prepulse and latent inhibition deficits, reduced social interactions, and spatial working and reference memory alterations. Surprisingly, the question of the consequences of NVHL on postnatal neurobehavioral development has not been addressed. This is of particular importance, as a defective neurobehavioral development could contribute to impairments seen in adult rats. Therefore, at several time points of the early postsurgical life of NVHL rats, we assessed behaviors accounting for neurobehavioral development, including negative geotaxis and grip strength (PD11), locomotor coordination (PD21), and open-field (PD25). At adulthood, the rats were tested for anxiety levels, locomotor activity, as well as spatial reference memory performance. Using a novel task, we also investigated the consequences of the lesions on procedural-like memory, which had never been tested following NVHL. Our results point to preserved neurobehavioral development. They also confirm the already documented locomotor hyperactivity, spatial reference memory impairment, and hyperresponsiveness to AMPH. Finally, our rseults show for the first time that NVHL disabled the development of behavioral routines, suggesting dramatic procedural memory deficits. The presence of procedural memory deficits in adult rats subjected to NHVL suggests that the lesions lead to a wider range of cognitive deficits than previously shown. Interestingly, procedural or implicit memory impairments have also been reported in schizophrenic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Lecourtier
- Laboratoire d'Imagerie et de Neurosciences Cognitives, UMR, 7237 Université de Strasbourg/CNRS, Strasbourg, France
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24
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Vázquez-Roque RA, Ramos B, Tecuatl C, Juárez I, Adame A, de la Cruz F, Zamudio S, Mena R, Rockenstein E, Masliah E, Flores G. Chronic administration of the neurotrophic agent cerebrolysin ameliorates the behavioral and morphological changes induced by neonatal ventral hippocampus lesion in a rat model of schizophrenia. J Neurosci Res 2012; 90:288-306. [PMID: 21932359 PMCID: PMC3370993 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.22753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2011] [Revised: 06/16/2011] [Accepted: 06/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (nVHL) in rats has been widely used as a neurodevelopmental model to mimic schizophrenia-like behaviors. Recently, we reported that nVHLs result in dendritic retraction and spine loss in prefrontal cortex (PFC) pyramidal neurons and medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Cerebrolysin (Cbl), a neurotrophic peptide mixture, has been reported to ameliorate the synaptic and dendritic pathology in models of aging and neurodevelopmental disorder such as Rett syndrome. This study sought to determine whether Cbl was capable of reducing behavioral and neuronal alterations in nVHL rats. The behavioral analysis included locomotor activity induced by novel environment and amphetamine, social interaction, and sensoriomotor gating. The morphological evaluation included dendritic analysis by using the Golgi-Cox procedure and stereology to quantify the total cell number in PFC and NAcc. Behavioral data show a reduction in the hyperresponsiveness to novel environment- and amphetamine-induced locomotion, with an increase in the total time spent in social interactions and in prepulse inhibition in Cbl-treated nVHL rats. In addition, neuropathological analysis of the limbic regions also showed amelioration of dendritic retraction and spine loss in Cbl-treated nVHL rats. Cbl treatment also ameliorated dendritic pathology and neuronal loss in the PFC and NAcc in nVHL rats. This study demonstrates that Cbl promotes behavioral improvements and recovery of dendritic neuronal damage in postpubertal nVHL rats and suggests that Cbl may have neurotrophic effects in this neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia. These findings support the possibility that Cbl has beneficial effects in the management of schizophrenia symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Antonio Vázquez-Roque
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., México
| | - Brenda Ramos
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Carolina Tecuatl
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Ismael Juárez
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Anthony Adame
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Fidel de la Cruz
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., México
| | - Sergio Zamudio
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México D.F., México
| | - Raúl Mena
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, CINVESTAV-IPN, México D.F., México
| | - Edward Rockenstein
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
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Jones CA, Watson DJG, Fone KCF. Animal models of schizophrenia. Br J Pharmacol 2011; 164:1162-94. [PMID: 21449915 PMCID: PMC3229756 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01386.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 532] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2010] [Revised: 03/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing reliable, predictive animal models for complex psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, is essential to increase our understanding of the neurobiological basis of the disorder and for the development of novel drugs with improved therapeutic efficacy. All available animal models of schizophrenia fit into four different induction categories: developmental, drug-induced, lesion or genetic manipulation, and the best characterized examples of each type are reviewed herein. Most rodent models have behavioural phenotype changes that resemble 'positive-like' symptoms of schizophrenia, probably reflecting altered mesolimbic dopamine function, but fewer models also show altered social interaction, and learning and memory impairment, analogous to negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia respectively. The negative and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are resistant to treatment with current antipsychotics, even after remission of the psychosis, which limits their therapeutic efficacy. The MATRICS initiative developed a consensus on the core cognitive deficits of schizophrenic patients, and recommended a standardized test battery to evaluate them. More recently, work has begun to identify specific rodent behavioural tasks with translational relevance to specific cognitive domains affected in schizophrenia, and where available this review focuses on reporting the effect of current and potential antipsychotics on these tasks. The review also highlights the need to develop more comprehensive animal models that more adequately replicate deficits in negative and cognitive symptoms. Increasing information on the neurochemical and structural CNS changes accompanying each model will also help assess treatments that prevent the development of schizophrenia rather than treating the symptoms, another pivotal change required to enable new more effective therapeutic strategies to be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Jones
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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26
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Succu S, Sanna F, Argiolas A, Melis MR. Oxytocin injected into the hippocampal ventral subiculum induces penile erection in male rats by increasing glutamatergic neurotransmission in the ventral tegmental area. Neuropharmacology 2011; 61:181-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2011] [Revised: 03/01/2011] [Accepted: 03/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Tasker RA, Adams-Marriott AL, Shaw CA. New animal models of progressive neurodegeneration: tools for identifying targets in predictive diagnostics and presymptomatic treatment. EPMA J 2010. [PMID: 23199060 PMCID: PMC3405326 DOI: 10.1007/s13167-010-0019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Mental and neurological disorders are increasingly prevalent and constitute a major societal and economic burden worldwide. Many of these diseases and disorders are characterized by progressive deterioration over time, that ultimately results in identifiable symptoms that in turn dictate therapy. Disease-specific symptoms, however, often occur late in the degenerative process. A better understanding of presymptomatic events could allow for the development of new diagnostics and earlier interventions that could slow or stop the disease process. Such studies of progressive neurodegeneration require the use of animal models that are characterized by delayed or slowly developing disease phenotype(s). This brief review describes several examples of such animal models that have recently been developed with relevance to various neurological diseases and disorders, and delineates the potential of such models to aid in predictive diagnosis, early intervention and disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Andrew Tasker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada C1A4P3
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28
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Oxytocin induces penile erection when injected into the ventral subiculum: Role of nitric oxide and glutamic acid. Neuropharmacology 2010; 58:1153-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2009] [Revised: 01/31/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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29
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Solis O, Vázquez-Roque RA, Camacho-Abrego I, Gamboa C, De La Cruz F, Zamudio S, Flores G. Decreased dendritic spine density of neurons of the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens and enhanced amphetamine sensitivity in postpubertal rats after a neonatal amygdala lesion. Synapse 2009; 63:1143-53. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.20697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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30
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Melis MR, Succu S, Sanna F, Boi A, Argiolas A. Oxytocin injected into the ventral subiculum or the posteromedial cortical nucleus of the amygdala induces penile erection and increases extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens of male rats. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 30:1349-57. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06912.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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31
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Neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions in male and female rats: effects on water maze, locomotor activity, plus-maze and prefrontal cortical GABA and glutamate release in adulthood. Behav Brain Res 2009; 202:198-209. [PMID: 19463702 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.03.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2008] [Revised: 03/23/2009] [Accepted: 03/25/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterized by diverse behavioural and neurochemical abnormalities that may be differentially expressed in males and females. Male rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (nVHL) have commonly demonstrated behavioural and neurochemical abnormalities similar to those in schizophrenia. Fewer studies have used female rats. We investigated the hypothesis that male and female nVHL rats will demonstrate behavioural abnormalities accompanied by decreased GABA and l-glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). On postnatal day (P) 7 rats received VH injections of ibotenate (3.0 microg/0.3 microl/side; n=18) or saline (n=21) or no injections (n=22). On P56, rats began water-maze, locomotor activity and elevated plus maze testing, and were then sacrificed for potassium-evoked GABA and l-glutamate release from PFC slices. nVHL rats showed impaired performance in water maze acquisition and match-to-sample tasks, increased spontaneous and amphetamine-induced locomotor activity and increased percent open-arm time. These behavioural changes were similar in males and females. These effects were accompanied by significantly reduced potassium-evoked l-glutamate release in male and female nVHL rats relative to controls, and non-significantly lower GABA release. Findings support the notion that behavioural abnormalities in post-pubertal male and female nVHL rats are associated with decreases in PFC neurotransmitter release.
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32
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The neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion as a heuristic neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia. Behav Brain Res 2008; 204:295-305. [PMID: 19100784 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 269] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2008] [Revised: 11/06/2008] [Accepted: 11/25/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, animal models of schizophrenia were predominantly pharmacological constructs focused on phenomena linked to dopamine and glutamate neurotransmitter systems, and were created by direct perturbations of these systems. A number of developmental models were subsequently generated that allowed testing of hypotheses about the origin of the disease, mimicked a wider array of clinical and neurobiological features of schizophrenia, and opened new avenues for developing novel treatment strategies. The most thoroughly characterized (approximately 100 primary research articles) is the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) model, which is the subject of this review. We highlight its advantages and limitations, and how it may offer clues about the extent to which positive, negative, cognitive, and other aspects of schizophrenia, including addiction vulnerability, represent inter-related pathophysiological mechanisms.
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Macedo CE, Sandner G, Angst MJ, Guiberteau T. Rewarded associative and instrumental conditioning after neonatal ventral hippocampus lesions in rats. Brain Res 2008; 1215:190-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.03.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2008] [Revised: 03/22/2008] [Accepted: 03/27/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Alquicer G, Morales-Medina JC, Quirion R, Flores G. Postweaning social isolation enhances morphological changes in the neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion rat model of psychosis. J Chem Neuroanat 2008; 35:179-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2007.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2007] [Revised: 10/11/2007] [Accepted: 10/12/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Bouwmeester H, Gerrits MAFM, Roozemond JG, Snapper J, Ronken E, Kruse CG, Westenberg HGM, van Ree JM. Neonatal basolateral amygdala lesions affect monoamine and cannabinoid brain systems in adult rats. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2007; 10:727-39. [PMID: 17076936 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145706007346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There is evidence for neurodevelopment disturbances in schizophrenia. In rats, a neonatal basolateral amygdala lesion induces behavioural features in adults reminiscent of the symptomatology of schizophrenia. Dopamine plays a key role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and cannabis use has been implicated in the risk for developing schizophrenia. The effects of an excitotoxic, bilateral basolateral amygdala lesion on postnatal days 7 or 21 were compared when the rats were adult. The behavioural response to a novelty challenge and the level of dopamine receptors and cannabinoid receptors in the brain using in-vitro autoradiography was determined. In brain tissue punches concentrations of monoamines and metabolites were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. The neonatal lesion, but not the later lesion induced behavioural hyperactivity and biochemical effects. The neonatal lesion reduced the density of dopamine D2-like, but not D3-, and less markely D1-like receptors and increased dopamine turnover. These effects were observed in the mesolimbic, but not in the striatal regions. In contrast, density of cannabinoid receptors was increased in the striatal, but not the mesolimbic regions of these animals. Noradrenergic neurotransmission was reduced in both regions. The present findings contribute to the idea that the neonatal basolateral amygdala lesion induces features in adults reminiscent of the neurodevelopmental disturbances in schizophrenia, with a focus on the amygdala-prefrontal cortex-nucleus accumbens circuit.
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MESH Headings
- Amygdala/pathology
- Amygdala/physiology
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn/physiology
- Autoradiography
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Biogenic Monoamines/physiology
- Brain Chemistry/drug effects
- Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators/physiology
- Dopamine/metabolism
- Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists/toxicity
- Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid/metabolism
- Ibotenic Acid/toxicity
- Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
- Male
- Norepinephrine/metabolism
- Rats
- Rats, Wistar
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/drug effects
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/drug effects
- Receptors, Dopamine D1/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/drug effects
- Receptors, Dopamine D2/metabolism
- Receptors, Dopamine D3/drug effects
- Serotonin/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Bouwmeester
- Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Anatomy, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
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Flores-Tochihuitl J, Vargas G, Morales-Medina JC, Rivera G, De La Cruz F, Zamudio S, Flores G. Enhanced apomorphine sensitivity and increased binding of dopamine D2 receptors in nucleus accumbens in prepubertal rats after neonatal blockade of the dopamine D3 receptors by (+)-S14297. Synapse 2007; 62:40-9. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.20463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Mejorada A, Aguilar-Alonso P, León-Chavez BA, Flores G. Enhanced locomotor activity in adult rats with neonatal administration ofN-omega-nitro-L-arginine. Synapse 2006; 60:264-70. [PMID: 16752363 DOI: 10.1002/syn.20299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) is a neuronal messenger molecule that plays important roles in the development, maintenance, and functional modifications of brain circuits. We investigated whether the NO levels at different postnatal day (P) periods of the brain develop interference with the locomotion in a novel environment during the postpuberal age (P60). First, using the determination of the nitrite accumulation, we evaluated whether treatment with the NO-synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) during different neonatal ages (P1 to P3, P4 to P6, and P7 to P9) affected the levels of NO activity in different regions in the neonatal brain of the rat. We then evaluated whether the locomotor activity in the adult rat (P60) is affected by the blocking of the neonatal NO-activity during a specific period of the development of the nervous system. Neonatal rats with L-NNA administration at P4 to P6 and P7 to P9 show a significant decrease in the levels of NO activity in all the brain regions. However, the blocking of NO synthesis during the neonatal period between P4 to P6 produced an increase in the locomotion after puberty. These data suggest that during a specific step in the development of the brain, the NO levels may play a critical role in the structures that control the spontaneous locomotion in a novel environment after puberty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Mejorada
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
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Richtand NM, Taylor B, Welge JA, Ahlbrand R, Ostrander MM, Burr J, Hayes S, Coolen LM, Pritchard LM, Logue A, Herman JP, McNamara RK. Risperidone pretreatment prevents elevated locomotor activity following neonatal hippocampal lesions. Neuropsychopharmacology 2006; 31:77-89. [PMID: 15957008 PMCID: PMC1847785 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Long-standing behavioral abnormalities emerge after puberty in rats following neonatal hippocampal lesion, providing a developmental model of abnormal rat behavior that may have predictive validity in identifying compounds effective in treating symptoms of schizophrenia. We sought to test the predictive validity of the neonatal hippocampal lesion model in identifying preventive treatment for first-episode psychosis. We determined the effect of risperidone, recently studied for prevention of first-episode psychosis, on the development of elevated locomotor activity following neonatal hippocampal lesions. Rat pups received hippocampal or sham lesions on postnatal day 7, followed by treatment with risperidone or vehicle from postnatal days 35 to 56. Locomotor activity in response to novelty, amphetamine, and nocturnal locomotion were determined on postnatal day 57. Low-dose risperidone (45 microg/kg) pretreatment prevented elevated locomotor activity in some, but not all, of the behavioral tasks following neonatal hippocampal lesions. In contrast, higher risperidone pretreatment was less effective in preventing elevated locomotor activity following neonatal hippocampal lesions. Because low risperidone dosages were also found to be effective in preventing first-episode psychosis in human studies, these data support the predictive validity of the hippocampal lesion model in identifying medications for prevention of first-episode psychosis. Additionally, these data support the use of low-dose risperidone in psychosis prevention, and suggest the possibility that higher risperidone doses could be less effective in this application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil M Richtand
- Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Psychiatry Service (V116A), Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Flores G, Silva-Gómez AB, Ibáñez O, Quirion R, Srivastava LK. Comparative behavioral changes in postpubertal rats after neonatal excitotoxic lesions of the ventral hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Synapse 2005; 56:147-53. [PMID: 15765522 DOI: 10.1002/syn.20140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The neonatal ventral hippocampal (nVH) and the neonatal prefrontal cortex (nPFC) lesions in rats have been used as models to test the hypothesis that early neurodevelopmental abnormalities lead to behavioral changes putatively linked to schizophrenia. We investigated the role of the nVH and the nPFC lesions on behavioral characteristics related to locomotor behaviors, social interaction, and grooming. Bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the VH, the PFC, or both were made in neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats (postnatal day 7, P7) and their behaviors studied at P35 and P60. No significant differences in any of the behaviors were observed between sham animals and rats with ibotenic acid lesions at P35. Postpubertally (at P60), the spontaneous locomotor activity of nVH-lesioned rats was significantly enhanced compared to the sham controls; however, this hyperactivity was reversed by nVH and nPFC double lesions. Neonatal PFC lesion alone did not alter spontaneous activity, although a trend of increased activity was observed. The duration of grooming was significantly decreased in rats with neonatal lesions of the VH. Similar to the data on locomotion, nVH plus nPFC lesion normalized the grooming behavior. Lesion of the PFC alone was without any significant effect on grooming behavior. Neonatal VH-lesioned animals spent less time in active social interaction, and this effect persisted even in nVH plus nPFC-lesioned animals. By itself, nPFC lesion did not alter social behavior. These data suggest that subtle developmental aberrations within PFC caused by nVH lesions, rather than the lesion of PFC itself, may contribute to some of the behavioral changes seen in the nVH-lesioned rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Flores
- Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla CP. 72570, Mexico.
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Flores G, Silva-Gómez AB, Barbeau D, Srivastava LK, Zamudio S, De La Cruz López F. Effect of excitotoxic lesions of the neonatal ventral hippocampus on the immobility response in rats. Life Sci 2005; 76:2339-48. [PMID: 15748627 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2004.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2004] [Accepted: 11/20/2004] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Rats with neonatal ventral hippocampal (nVH) lesions show postpubertal hypersensitivity to dopamine agonists, which may be reversed by neuroleptic treatment. In addition, the immobility response (IR) may be regulated by dopaminergic activity. We investigated the influence of the IR caused by clamping the neck of rats that had received bilateral ibotenic acid lesions of the ventral hippocampus at postnatal day 7 (PD7). At both ages, prepubertal (PD35) and postpubertal (PD56), the duration of the IR was significantly increased in animals with lesions when compared to controls. These findings indicate that nVH damage results in behavioral changes, such as enhancement of the IR, related to mesolimbic dopaminergic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
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Flores G, Alquicer G, Silva-Gómez AB, Zaldivar G, Stewart J, Quirion R, Srivastava LK. Alterations in dendritic morphology of prefrontal cortical and nucleus accumbens neurons in post-pubertal rats after neonatal excitotoxic lesions of the ventral hippocampus. Neuroscience 2005; 133:463-70. [PMID: 15878241 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2004] [Revised: 02/03/2005] [Accepted: 02/12/2005] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Neonatal ventral hippocampal (nVH) lesions in rats result in adult onset of a number of behavioral and cognitive abnormalities analogous to those seen in schizophrenia, including hyperresponsiveness to stress and psychostimulants and deficits in working memory, sensorimotor gating and social interaction. Molecular and neurochemical alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of nVH-lesioned animals suggest developmental reorganization of these structures following neonatal lesions. To determine whether nVH lesions lead to neuronal morphological changes, we investigated the effect of nVH lesion on dendritic structure and spine density of pyramidal neurons of the PFC and medium spiny neurons of the NAcc. Bilateral ibotenic acid-induced lesion of the VH was made in Sprague-Dawley pups at postnatal day 7 (P7); and at P70, neuronal morphology was quantified by modified Golgi-Cox staining. The results show that length of basilar dendrites and branching and the density of dendritic spines on layer 3 pyramidal neurons were significantly decreased in rats with nVH lesions. Medium spiny neurons from the NAcc showed a decrease in the density of dendritic spines without significant changes in dendritic length or arborization. The data, comparable to those observed in the PFC of schizophrenic patients, suggest that developmental loss of excitatory projections from the VH may lead to altered neuronal plasticity in the PFC and the NAcc that may contribute to the behavioral changes in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, San Manuel, Puebla, Mexico CP. 72570.
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