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Agorastos A, Mansueto AC, Hager T, Pappi E, Gardikioti A, Stiedl O. Heart Rate Variability as a Translational Dynamic Biomarker of Altered Autonomic Function in Health and Psychiatric Disease. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1591. [PMID: 37371686 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11061591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responsible for the precise regulation of tissue functions and organs and, thus, is crucial for optimal stress reactivity, adaptive responses and health in basic and challenged states (survival). The fine-tuning of central ANS activity relies on the internal central autonomic regulation system of the central autonomic network (CAN), while the peripheral activity relies mainly on the two main and interdependent peripheral ANS tracts, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). In disease, autonomic imbalance is associated with decreased dynamic adaptability and increased morbidity and mortality. Acute or prolonged autonomic dysregulation, as observed in stress-related disorders, affects CAN core centers, thereby altering downstream peripheral ANS function. One of the best established and most widely used non-invasive methods for the quantitative assessment of ANS activity is the computerized analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). HRV, which is determined by different methods from those used to determine the fluctuation of instantaneous heart rate (HR), has been used in many studies as a powerful index of autonomic (re)activity and an indicator of cardiac risk and ageing. Psychiatric patients regularly show altered autonomic function with increased HR, reduced HRV and blunted diurnal/circadian changes compared to the healthy state. The aim of this article is to provide basic knowledge on ANS function and (re)activity assessment and, thus, to support a much broader use of HRV as a valid, transdiagnostic and fully translational dynamic biomarker of stress system sensitivity and vulnerability to stress-related disorders in neuroscience research and clinical psychiatric practice. In particular, we review the functional levels of central and peripheral ANS control, the main neurobiophysiologic theoretical models (e.g., polyvagal theory, neurovisceral integration model), the precise autonomic influence on cardiac function and the definition and main aspects of HRV and its different measures (i.e., time, frequency and nonlinear domains). We also provide recommendations for the proper use of electrocardiogram recordings for HRV assessment in clinical and research settings and highlight pathophysiological, clinical and research implications for a better functional understanding of the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying healthy and malfunctioning brain-heart interactions in individual stress reactivity and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agorastos Agorastos
- II. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 56430 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Alessandra C Mansueto
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Centre for Urban Mental Health, University of Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Torben Hager
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eleni Pappi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Angeliki Gardikioti
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Oliver Stiedl
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Health, Safety and Environment, Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, 1081 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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2
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Effect of cooperative care training on physiological parameters and compliance in dogs undergoing a veterinary examination – a pilot study. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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3
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He Z, Jiang Y, Gu S, Wu D, Qin D, Feng G, Ma X, Huang JH, Wang F. The Aversion Function of the Limbic Dopaminergic Neurons and Their Roles in Functional Neurological Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:713762. [PMID: 34616730 PMCID: PMC8488171 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.713762] [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: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The Freudian theory of conversion suggested that the major symptoms of functional neurological disorders (FNDs) are due to internal conflicts at motivation, especially at the sex drive or libido. FND patients might behave properly at rewarding situations, but they do not know how to behave at aversive situations. Sex drive is the major source of dopamine (DA) release in the limbic area; however, the neural mechanism involved in FND is not clear. Dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons have been shown to play a key role in processing motivation-related information. Recently, DAergic neurons are found to be involved in reward-related prediction error, as well as the prediction of aversive information. Therefore, it is suggested that DA might change the rewarding reactions to aversive reactions at internal conflicts of FND. So DAergic neurons in the limbic areas might induce two major motivational functions: reward and aversion at internal conflicts. This article reviewed the recent advances on studies about DAergic neurons involved in aversive stimulus processing at internal conflicts and summarizes several neural pathways, including four limbic system brain regions, which are involved in the processing of aversion. Then the article discussed the vital function of these neural circuits in addictive behavior, depression treatment, and FNDs. In all, this review provided a prospect for future research on the aversion function of limbic system DA neurons and the therapy of FNDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengming He
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yao Jiang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Simeng Gu
- Department of Psychology, Jiangsu University Medical School, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Dandan Wu
- Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Duo Qin
- School of Foreign Languages, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Guangkui Feng
- Department of Neurology, Lianyungang Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xianjun Ma
- Department of Neurology, Lianyungang Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jason H Huang
- Department of Surgery, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Temple, TX, United States
| | - Fushun Wang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Neurology, Lianyungang Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
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Turley B, Swiercz AP, Iyer L, Marvar PJ. Internal state-dependent conditioned stimulus delivery using cardiovascular telemetry in mice. Physiol Behav 2021; 236:113414. [PMID: 33819454 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
To further understand mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disease(s) and their impact on physiological systems, improved pre-clinical models and innovative methodology are needed to assess the internal physiological state of the animal in real-time. To address this challenge we developed a customizable software-based program for Ponemah™ that takes into account the animals diurnal and resting cardiovascular state in a home-cage environment. Using an integrated Pavlovian fear conditioning and cardiovascular telemetry approach in mice, we demonstrate for the first time a novel software add-on application that can remotely trigger a conditioned stimulus (CS) (i.e., audible tone) based on the animals instantaneous cardiovascular state while in its home-cage environment. This new software tool extends the ability to quantify integrated physiological correlates of learned threat and defensive behavior and may aid in further understanding mechanisms related to enhanced cardiovascular and autonomic arousal in anxiety-based disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Turley
- Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Adam P Swiercz
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Laxmi Iyer
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States
| | - Paul J Marvar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington DC, United States.
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P11 deficiency increases stress reactivity along with HPA axis and autonomic hyperresponsiveness. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:3253-3265. [PMID: 33005029 PMCID: PMC8505237 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00887-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Patients suffering from mood disorders and anxiety commonly exhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and autonomic hyperresponsiveness. A wealth of data using preclinical animal models and human patient samples indicate that p11 deficiency is implicated in depression-like phenotypes. In the present study, we used p11-deficient (p11KO) mice to study potential roles of p11 in stress responsiveness. We measured stress response using behavioral, endocrine, and physiological readouts across early postnatal and adult life. Our data show that p11KO pups respond more strongly to maternal separation than wild-type pups, even though their mothers show no deficits in maternal behavior. Adult p11KO mice display hyperactivity of the HPA axis, which is paralleled by depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. p11 was found to be highly enriched in vasopressinergic cells of the paraventricular nucleus and regulates HPA hyperactivity in a V1B receptor-dependent manner. Moreover, p11KO mice display sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis hyperactivity, with elevated adrenal norepinephrine and epinephrine levels. Using conditional p11KO mice, we demonstrate that this SAM hyperactivity is partially regulated by the loss of p11 in serotonergic neurons of the raphe nuclei. Telemetric electrocardiogram measurements show delayed heart rate recovery in p11KO mice in response to novelty exposure and during expression of fear following auditory trace fear conditioning. Furthermore, p11KO mice have elevated basal heart rate in fear conditioning tests indicating increased autonomic responsiveness. This set of experiments provide strong and versatile evidence that p11 deficiency leads to HPA and SAM axes hyperresponsiveness along with increased stress reactivity.
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Haaker J, Maren S, Andreatta M, Merz CJ, Richter J, Richter SH, Meir Drexler S, Lange MD, Jüngling K, Nees F, Seidenbecher T, Fullana MA, Wotjak CT, Lonsdorf TB. Making translation work: Harmonizing cross-species methodology in the behavioural neuroscience of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:329-345. [PMID: 31521698 PMCID: PMC7822629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Translational neuroscience bridges insights from specific mechanisms in rodents to complex functions in humans and is key to advance our general understanding of central nervous function. A prime example of translational research is the study of cross-species mechanisms that underlie responding to learned threats, by employing Pavlovian fear conditioning protocols in rodents and humans. Hitherto, evidence for (and critique of) these cross-species comparisons in fear conditioning research was based on theoretical viewpoints. Here, we provide a perspective to substantiate these theoretical concepts with empirical considerations of cross-species methodology. This meta-research perspective is expected to foster cross-species comparability and reproducibility to ultimately facilitate successful transfer of results from basic science into clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Haaker
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Marta Andreatta
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christian J Merz
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Germany
| | - Jan Richter
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Shira Meir Drexler
- Ruhr University Bochum, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Germany
| | - Maren D Lange
- Institute of Physiology I, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Kay Jüngling
- Institute of Physiology I, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frauke Nees
- Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Miquel A Fullana
- Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clinic, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carsten T Wotjak
- Neuronal Plasticity Research Group, Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804, Munich, Germany
| | - Tina B Lonsdorf
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Agorastos A, Heinig A, Stiedl O, Hager T, Sommer A, Müller JC, Schruers KR, Wiedemann K, Demiralay C. Vagal effects of endocrine HPA axis challenges on resting autonomic activity assessed by heart rate variability measures in healthy humans. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 102:196-203. [PMID: 30579237 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) are considered to play the most crucial role in the pathophysiology of stress responsiveness and are increasingly studied together. However, only few studies have simultaneously assessed HPA axis and ANS activity to investigate their direct interaction in pathophysiology, while no study so far has assessed the dynamic interplay between the two systems in healthy subjects through endocrine challenges. METHODS The present study assessed the direct effects of overnight pharmacoendocrine HPA axis challenges with dexamethasone (suppression) and metyrapone (stimulation) on ANS activity at rest as determined by linear and nonlinear measures of heart rate variability (HRV) in 39 young healthy individuals. RESULTS Findings indicated significant effects of metyrapone, but not dexamethasone on autonomic activity at rest based on HRV measures. HRV after metyrapone was overall significantly reduced in comparison to baseline or post-dexamethasone conditions, while the combined metyrapone-related reduction of HRV measures RMSSD, NN50(%) and HF(%) with concomitant increase of the unifractal scaling coefficient αfast value jointly indicated a specifically diminished vagal activity. CONCLUSIONS We provide first data that HPA axis stimulation (metyrapone) is associated with reduced vagal tone, while HPA axis suppression (dexamethasone) has no effect on autonomic modulation of heart function. Our results support a vital role of the parasympathetic nervous system in the interplay between ANS and HPA axis and, thus, in the modulation of stress-related cardiovascular responsiveness and the susceptibility to stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agorastos Agorastos
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Alexandra Heinig
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Stiedl
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, NL-1081, HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Health, Safety and Environment, VU University Amsterdam, NL-1081, BT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Torben Hager
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, NL-1081, HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anne Sommer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jana C Müller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Koen R Schruers
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, NL-6200 MD, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Klaus Wiedemann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cüneyt Demiralay
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, D-20246, Hamburg, Germany
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Swiercz AP, Seligowski AV, Park J, Marvar PJ. Extinction of Fear Memory Attenuates Conditioned Cardiovascular Fear Reactivity. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:276. [PMID: 30483079 PMCID: PMC6244092 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by a heightened emotional and physiological state and an impaired ability to suppress or extinguish traumatic fear memories. Exaggerated physiological responses may contribute to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in this population, but whether treatment for PTSD can offset CVD risk remains unknown. To further evaluate physiological correlates of fear learning, we used a novel pre-clinical conditioned cardiovascular testing paradigm and examined the effects of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction training on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses. We hypothesized that a fear conditioned cardiovascular response could be detected in a novel context and attenuated by extinction training. In a novel context, fear conditioned mice exhibited marginal increases in MAP (∼3 mmHg) and decreases in HR (∼20 bpm) during CS presentation. In a home cage context, the CS elicited significant increases in both HR (100 bpm) and MAP (20 mmHg). Following extinction training, the MAP response was suppressed while CS-dependent HR responses were variable. These pre-clinical data suggest that extinction learning attenuates the acute MAP responses to conditioned stimuli over time, and that MAP and HR responses may extinguish at different rates. These results suggest that in mouse models of fear learning, conditioned cardiovascular responses are modified by extinction training. Understanding these processes in pre-clinical disease models and in humans with PTSD may be important for identifying interventions that facilitate fear extinction and attenuate hyper-physiological responses, potentially leading to improvements in the efficacy of exposure therapy and PTSD–CVD comorbidity outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P Swiercz
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Institute for Neuroscience, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | - Jeanie Park
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Division of Renal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Paul J Marvar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Institute for Neuroscience, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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Magnani FG, Sedda A. Paying the price for body evolution: The role of evolution in disorders of body representation. Med Hypotheses 2016; 98:81-86. [PMID: 28012612 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2016.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Since its beginning, research about cognitive representation of our bodies has debated over multiple representations models. Furthermore, recent years have seen a rise in the study of body representation disorders and related impairments. However, why human beings manifest so many deficits is still a mystery. Considering human evolution, frontal brain regions are well known for their changes in dimensions and connections. Less known is that parietal and temporal lobes encountered similar changes. These areas, especially in the right hemisphere, are crucial for body representation. Our hypothesis is that evolution of these areas determined a more varied and widespread cross wiring between the temporal and parietal lobes, increasing their communication pathways and their reciprocal influence. As such, these connections could lead to an increased probability of interconnected body and emotional disorders in humans. The prediction of this hypothesis is that all body representation disorders have an associated emotional component and vice versa. Evidence supporting the interconnection between emotional and body representation disorders derives from psychiatric diseases such as eating disorders. This hypothesis opens up new directions to understand body representation and points towards innovative solutions for the clinical treatments of body representation/emotional impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca G Magnani
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, UK; Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Sedda
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, UK.
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de la Torre-Luque A, Bornas X, Balle M, Fiol-Veny A. Complexity and nonlinear biomarkers in emotional disorders: A meta-analytic study. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 68:410-422. [PMID: 27267791 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This meta-analysis aimed at gathering and summarising the findings on nonlinear biomarkers in the field of emotional disorders under the hypothesis that diseased systems show lowered complexity and hence less flexibility to adjust daily contexts. Scientific manuscripts from 1970 to 2014 were reviewed, 58 articles were analysed, and independent meta-analyses on anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, and depressive disorders were conducted. Results revealed that anxious patients exhibited lower complexity than controls (p<0.05) despite panic patients showed more irregular respiratory activity. Inconclusive results were found for bipolar patients but pointed to higher randomness when suffering manic episodes. Finally, depressed patients showed a loss of complexity in the cardiac system and a loss of orderliness (despite a higher complexity) in brain and stress-related hormonal systems. As a conclusion, our findings highlight that either a loss of complexity or a loss of ordered complexity characterise the physiological systems of patients with emotional disorders. Several considerations for complexity, its related measurements, and suggestions for further research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xavier Bornas
- Research Institute of Health Sciences, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Maria Balle
- Research Institute of Health Sciences, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain
| | - Aina Fiol-Veny
- Research Institute of Health Sciences, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain
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Behavioural and physiological measures indicate subtle variations in the emotional valence of young pigs. Physiol Behav 2016; 157:116-24. [PMID: 26850291 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In the study of animal emotions, emotional valence has been found to be difficult to measure. Many studies of farm animals' emotions have therefore focussed on the identification of indicators of strong, mainly negative, emotions. However, subtle variations in emotional valence, such as those caused by rather moderate differences in husbandry conditions, may also affect animals' mood and welfare when such variations occur consistently. In this study, we investigated whether repeated moderate aversive or rewarding events could lead to measurable differences in emotional valence in young, weaned pigs. We conditioned 105 female pigs in a test arena to either a repeated startling procedure (sudden noises or appearances of objects) or a repeated rewarding procedure (applesauce, toy and straw) over 11 sessions. Control pigs were also regularly exposed to the same test arena but without conditioning. Before and after conditioning, we measured heart rate and its variability as well as the behavioural reactions of the subjects in the test arena, with a special focus on detailed acoustic analyses of their vocalisations. The behavioural and heart rate measures were analysed as changes compared to the baseline values before conditioning. A limited number of the putative indicators of emotional valence were affected by the conditioning. We found that the negatively conditioned pigs showed changes that were significantly different from those in control pigs, namely a decrease in locomotion and an increase in standing. The positively conditioned pigs, however, showed a stronger increase in heart rate and a smaller decrease in SDNN (a heart rate variability parameter indicating changes in autonomic regulation) compared to the controls. Compared to the negatively conditioned pigs, the positively conditioned pigs produced fewer vocalisations overall as well as fewer low-frequency grunts but more high-frequency grunts. The low-frequency grunts of the negatively conditioned pigs also showed lower frequency parameters (bandwidth, maximum frequency, 25% and 50% quartiles) compared to those of the positively conditioned pigs. In any of the statistically significant results, the conditioning accounted for 1.5-11.9% of variability in the outcome variable. Hence, we conclude that repeated moderate aversive and rewarding events have weak but measurable effects on some aspects of behaviour and physiology in young pigs, possibly indicating changes in emotional valence, which could ultimately affect their welfare. The combination of ethophysiological indicators, i.e., the concurrent examination of heart rate measures, behavioural responses and especially vocalisation patterns, as used in the current study, might be a useful way of examining subtle effects on emotional valence in further studies.
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Stiedl O, Pappa E, Konradsson-Geuken Å, Ögren SO. The role of the serotonin receptor subtypes 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 and its interaction in emotional learning and memory. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:162. [PMID: 26300776 PMCID: PMC4528280 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is a multifunctional neurotransmitter innervating cortical and limbic areas involved in cognition and emotional regulation. Dysregulation of serotonergic transmission is associated with emotional and cognitive deficits in psychiatric patients and animal models. Drugs targeting the 5-HT system are widely used to treat mood disorders and anxiety-like behaviors. Among the fourteen 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) subtypes, the 5-HT1AR and 5-HT7R are associated with the development of anxiety, depression and cognitive function linked to mechanisms of emotional learning and memory. In rodents fear conditioning and passive avoidance (PA) are associative learning paradigms to study emotional memory. This review assesses the role of 5-HT1AR and 5-HT7R as well as their interplay at the molecular, neurochemical and behavioral level. Activation of postsynaptic 5-HT1ARs impairs emotional memory through attenuation of neuronal activity, whereas presynaptic 5-HT1AR activation reduces 5-HT release and exerts pro-cognitive effects on PA retention. Antagonism of the 5-HT1AR facilitates memory retention possibly via 5-HT7R activation and evidence is provided that 5HT7R can facilitate emotional memory upon reduced 5-HT1AR transmission. These findings highlight the differential role of these 5-HTRs in cognitive/emotional domains of behavior. Moreover, the results indicate that tonic and phasic 5-HT release can exert different and potentially opposing effects on emotional memory, depending on the states of 5-HT1ARs and 5-HT7Rs and their interaction. Consequently, individual differences due to genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role for the responsiveness to drug treatment, e.g., by SSRIs which increase intrasynaptic 5-HT levels thereby activating multiple pre- and postsynaptic 5-HTR subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Stiedl
- Department of Functional Genomics, Behavioral Neuroscience Group, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam - VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Behavioral Neuroscience Group, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam -VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Elpiniki Pappa
- Department of Functional Genomics, Behavioral Neuroscience Group, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam - VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Behavioral Neuroscience Group, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam -VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Sven Ove Ögren
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
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Pereda D, Pardo MR, Morales Y, Dominguez N, Arnau MR, Borges R. Mice lacking chromogranins exhibit increased aggressive and depression-like behaviour. Behav Brain Res 2014; 278:98-106. [PMID: 25257107 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chromogranins are acidic proteins; both chromogranins A and B constitute the main protein component in the vesicular matrix of large dense core vesicles. Chromogranins are a natural source of peptides with different physiological activities that have been associated with vascular and neurological diseases. We have used three different genetic mutant models of mice lacking chromogranin A, chromogranin B and both all on the same C57BL/6J background, to characterize the physiological roles of these proteins using metabolic, cardiovascular and behavioural tests. In mice from 3 to 18 months of age, the lack of any chromogranin promoted age-dependent hypersensitivity to insulin, while the lack of both chromogranins provoked progressive lack of response to stress, as restriction did not promote tachycardia in old mice. Moreover, the lack of chromogranin B produced a depressive-like and aggressive phenotype, while the lack either or both chromogranins increased barbering behaviour. In addition, we observed no effects on light-dark box or RotaRod tests. Mice lacking chromogranin B exhibited lower exploratory activity. Based on this extensive phenotyping with more than 2800 mice, these findings support roles of chromogranins, or the peptides derived from them, in the control of aggressive behaviour along with changes in their metabolic profile beyond their previously described activities in the secretory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pereda
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Marta R Pardo
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Yezer Morales
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Natalia Dominguez
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Maria Rosa Arnau
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Ricardo Borges
- Pharmacology Unit, Medical School, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
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14
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Hager T, Jansen RF, Pieneman AW, Manivannan SN, Golani I, van der Sluis S, Smit AB, Verhage M, Stiedl O. Display of individuality in avoidance behavior and risk assessment of inbred mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:314. [PMID: 25278853 PMCID: PMC4165351 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Factors determining individuality are still poorly understood. Rodents are excellent model organisms to study individuality, due to a rich behavioral repertoire and the availability of well-characterized isogenic populations. However, most current behavioral assays for rodents have short test duration in novel test environments and require human interference, which introduce coercion, thereby limiting the assessment of naturally occurring individuality. Thus, we developed an automated behavior system to longitudinally monitor conditioned fear for assessing PTSD-like behavior in individual mice. The system consists of a safe home compartment connected to a risk-prone test compartment (TC). Entry and exploration of the TC is solely based on deliberate choice determined by individual fear responsiveness and fear extinction. In this novel ethological assay, C57BL/6J mice show homogeneous responses after shock exposure (innate fear), but striking variation in long-lasting fear responses based on avoidance and risk assessment (learned fear), including automated stretch-attend posture quantification. TC entry (retention) latencies after foot shock differed >24 h and the re-explored TC area differed >50% among inbred mice. Next, we compared two closely related C57BL/6 substrains. Despite substantial individual differences, previously observed higher fear of C57BL/6N vs. C57BL/6J mice was reconfirmed, whereas fear extinction was fast and did not differ. The observed variation in fear expression in isogenic mice suggests individual differences in coping style with PTSD-like avoidance. Investigating the assumed epigenetic mechanisms, with reduced interpretational ambiguity and enhanced translational value in this assay, may help improve understanding of personality type-dependent susceptibility and resilience to neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Hager
- Sylics BV Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - René F Jansen
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anton W Pieneman
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Ilan Golani
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sophie van der Sluis
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - August B Smit
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Matthijs Verhage
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Oliver Stiedl
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
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15
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Youn J, Hager T, Misane I, Pieneman AW, Jansen RF, Ogren SO, Meyer M, Stiedl O. Central 5-HT1A receptor-mediated modulation of heart rate dynamics and its adjustment by conditioned and unconditioned fear in mice. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 170:859-70. [PMID: 23902597 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Revised: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The beat-by-beat fluctuation (dynamics) of heart rate (HR) depends on centrally mediated control of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) reflecting the physiological state of an organism. 5-HT1A receptors are implicated in affective disorders,associated with ANS dysregulation which increases cardiac risk but their role in autonomic HR regulation under physiological conditions is insufficiently characterized. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH The effects of subcutaneously administered 5-HT1A receptor ligands on HR dynamics were investigated in C57BL/6 mice during stress-free conditions and emotional challenge (recall of fear conditioned to an auditory stimulus and novelty exposure) using time domain and non-linear HR analyses. KEY RESULTS Pre-training treatment with of 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg·kg(-1) , s.c.) prevented conditioned tachycardia in the retention test indicating impaired fear memory. Pretest 5-HT1A receptor activation by 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 but not 0.1 and 0.02 mg·kg(-1) ) caused bradycardia and increased HR variability. 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg·kg(-1) ) lowered the unconditioned and conditioned tachycardia from ∼750 to ∼550 bpm, without changing the conditioned HR response to the sound. 8-OH-DPAT induced profound QT prolongation and bradyarrhythmic episodes. Non-linear analysis indicated a pathological state of HR dynamics after 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg·kg(-1) ) with ANS hyperactivation impairing HR adaptability. The 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635 (0.03 mg·kg(-1) ) blocked these effects of 8-OH-DPAT. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Pre-training 5-HT1A receptor activation by 8-OH-DPAT (0.5 mg·kg(-1) ) impaired memory of conditioned auditory fear based on an attenuated HR increase, whereas pretest administration did not prevent the fear-conditioned HR increase but induced pathological HR dynamics through central ANS dysregulation with cardiac effects similar to acute SSRI overdose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiun Youn
- Behavioral Neuroscience Group, Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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16
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Urbach YK, Raber KA, Canneva F, Plank AC, Andreasson T, Ponten H, Kullingsjö J, Nguyen HP, Riess O, von Hörsten S. Automated phenotyping and advanced data mining exemplified in rats transgenic for Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:38-53. [PMID: 25020253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Revised: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The need for improving throughput, validity, and reliability in the behavioral characterization of rodents may benefit from integrating automated intra-home-cage-screening systems allowing the simultaneous detection of multiple behavioral and physiological parameters in parallel. NEW METHOD To test this hypothesis, transgenic Huntington's disease (tgHD) rats were repeatedly screened within phenotyping home-cages (PhenoMaster and IntelliCage for rats), where spontaneous activity, feeding, drinking, temperature, and metabolic performance were continuously measured. Cognition and emotionality were evaluated within the same environment by means of operant learning procedures and refined analysis of the behavioral display under conditions of novelty. This investigator-independent approach was further correlated with behavioral display of the animals in classical behavioral assays. Multivariate analysis (MVA) including Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was used to explore correlation patterns of variables within and across the two genotypes. RESULTS The automated systems traced previously undetected aspects in the phenotype of tgHD rats (circadian activity, energy metabolism, rearing), and out of those spontaneous free rearing correlated with individual performance in the accelerod test. PCA revealed a segregation by genotype in juvenile tgHD rats that differed from adult animals, being further resolved by PLS-DA detecting "temperature" (juvenile) and "rearing" (adult) as phenotypic key variables in the tgHD model. CONCLUSIONS Intra-home-cage phenotyping in combination with MVA, is capable of characterizing a complex phenotype by detecting novel physiological and behavioral markers with high sensitivity and standardization using fewer human resources. A broader application of automated systems for large-scale screening is encouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne K Urbach
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Kerstin A Raber
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fabio Canneva
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anne-C Plank
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Theresa Andreasson
- NeuroSearch Sweden AB, Arvid Wallgrens Backe 20, 41346 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Henrik Ponten
- NeuroSearch Sweden AB, Arvid Wallgrens Backe 20, 41346 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Johan Kullingsjö
- NeuroSearch Sweden AB, Arvid Wallgrens Backe 20, 41346 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- Experimental Therapy, Preclinical Experimental Center, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
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Liu J, Wei W, Kuang H, Tsien JZ, Zhao F. Heart rate and heart rate variability assessment identifies individual differences in fear response magnitudes to earthquake, free fall, and air puff in mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e93270. [PMID: 24667366 PMCID: PMC3965551 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear behaviors and fear memories in rodents have been traditionally assessed by the amount of freezing upon the presentation of conditioned cues or unconditioned stimuli. However, many experiences, such as encountering earthquakes or accidental fall from tree branches, may produce long-lasting fear memories but are behaviorally difficult to measure using freezing parameters. Here, we have examined changes in heartbeat interval dynamics as physiological readout for assessing fearful reactions as mice were subjected to sudden air puff, free-fall drop inside a small elevator, and a laboratory-version earthquake. We showed that these fearful events rapidly increased heart rate (HR) with simultaneous reduction of heart rate variability (HRV). Cardiac changes can be further analyzed in details by measuring three distinct phases: namely, the rapid rising phase in HR, the maximum plateau phase during which HRV is greatly decreased, and the recovery phase during which HR gradually recovers to baseline values. We showed that durations of the maximum plateau phase and HR recovery speed were quite sensitive to habituation over repeated trials. Moreover, we have developed the fear resistance index based on specific cardiac response features. We demonstrated that the fear resistance index remained largely consistent across distinct fearful events in a given animal, thereby enabling us to compare and rank individual mouse’s fear responsiveness among the group. Therefore, the fear resistance index described here can represent a useful parameter for measuring personality traits or individual differences in stress-susceptibility in both wild-type mice and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Hui Kuang
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Joe Z. Tsien
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZT); (FZ)
| | - Fang Zhao
- Banna Biomedical Research Institute, Xi-Shuang-Ban-Na Prefecture, Yunnan, China
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JZT); (FZ)
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18
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Hager T, Maroteaux G, Pont PD, Julsing J, van Vliet R, Stiedl O. Munc18-1 haploinsufficiency results in enhanced anxiety-like behavior as determined by heart rate responses in mice. Behav Brain Res 2013; 260:44-52. [PMID: 24304718 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Heterozygous (HZ) missense mutations in the gene encoding syntaxin binding protein 1 (Stxbp1 or Munc18-1), a presynaptic protein essential for neurotransmitter release, causes early infantile epileptic encephalopathy, abnormal brain structure and mental retardation in humans. Here we investigated whether the mouse model mimics symptoms of the human phenotype. The effects of the deletion of munc18-1 were studied in HZ and wild-type (WT) mice based on heart rate (HR) and its variability (HRV) as independent measures to expand previous behavioral results of enhanced anxiety and impaired emotional learning suggesting mild cognitive impairments. HR responses were assessed during novelty exposure, during the expression and extinction of conditioned tone-dependent fear and during the diurnal phase. Novelty exposure yielded no differences in activity patterns between the two genotypes, while maximum HR differed significantly (WT: 770 bpm; HZ: 790 bpm). Retention tests after both auditory delay and trace fear conditioning showed a delayed extinction of the conditioned HR response in HZ mice compared to WT mice. Since the HR versus HRV correlation and HR dynamics assessed by nonlinear methods revealed similar function in HZ and WT mice, the higher HR responses of munc18-1 HZ mice to different emotional challenges cannot be attributed to differences in autonomic nervous system function. Thus, in contrast to the adverse consequences of deletion of a single allele of munc18-1 in humans, C57BL/6J mice show enhanced anxiety responses based on HR adjustments that extend previous results on the behavioral level without support of cognitive impairment, epileptic seizures and autonomic dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Hager
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Sylics BV, PO Box 71033, 1008 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Grégoire Maroteaux
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paula du Pont
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joris Julsing
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rick van Vliet
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver Stiedl
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Zhao F, Li M, Qian Y, Tsien JZ. Remote measurements of heart and respiration rates for telemedicine. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71384. [PMID: 24115996 PMCID: PMC3792902 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-contact and low-cost measurements of heart and respiration rates are highly desirable for telemedicine. Here, we describe a novel technique to extract blood volume pulse and respiratory wave from a single channel images captured by a video camera for both day and night conditions. The principle of our technique is to uncover the temporal dynamics of heart beat and breathing rate through delay-coordinate transformation and independent component analysis-based deconstruction of the single channel images. Our method further achieves robust elimination of false positives via applying ratio-variation probability distributions filtering approaches. Moreover, it enables a much needed low-cost means for preventing sudden infant death syndrome in new born infants and detecting stroke and heart attack in elderly population in home environments. This noncontact-based method can also be applied to a variety of animal model organisms for biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zhao
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
- Yunnan Banna Primate Model Research Center, BanNa Biomedical Research Institute, XiShuangBanNa, Yunnan, China
| | - Meng Li
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Yi Qian
- Yunnan Banna Primate Model Research Center, BanNa Biomedical Research Institute, XiShuangBanNa, Yunnan, China
| | - Joe Z. Tsien
- Brain and Behavior Discovery Institute and Department of Neurology, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, United States of America
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20
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Agorastos A, Boel JA, Heppner PS, Hager T, Moeller-Bertram T, Haji U, Motazedi A, Yanagi MA, Baker DG, Stiedl O. Diminished vagal activity and blunted diurnal variation of heart rate dynamics in posttraumatic stress disorder. Stress 2013; 16:300-10. [PMID: 23167763 DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2012.751369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Affected autonomic heart regulation is implicated in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases and is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, although sympathetic hyperactivation has been repeatedly shown in PTSD, research has neglected parasympathetic function. The objective of this study is the long-term assessment of heart rate (HR) dynamics and its diurnal changes as an index of autonomic imbalance in PTSD. Since tonic parasympathetic activity underlies long-range correlation of heartbeat interval fluctuations in the healthy state, we included nonlinear (unifractal) analysis as an important and sensitive readout to assess functional alterations. We conducted electrocardiogram recordings over a 24-h period in 15 deployed male subjects with moderate to high levels of combat exposure (PTSD: n = 7; combat controls: n = 8) in the supine position. HR dynamics were assessed in two 5-h sub-epochs in the time and frequency domains, and by nonlinear analysis based on detrended fluctuation analysis. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using structured interviews, including the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale. Subjects with PTSD showed significantly higher baseline HR, higher LF/HF ratio in the frequency domain, blunted differences between day and night-time measures, as well as a higher scaling coefficient αfast during the day, indicating diminished tonic parasympathetic activity. Diminished diurnal differences and blunted tonic parasympathetic activity altering HR dynamics suggest central neuroautonomic dysregulation that could represent a possible link to increased cardiovascular disease in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agorastos Agorastos
- Veterans Affairs Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego, CA, USA
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21
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Eriksson TM, Holst S, Stan TL, Hager T, Sjögren B, Ögren SO, Svenningsson P, Stiedl O. 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 receptor crosstalk in the regulation of emotional memory: Implications for effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Neuropharmacology 2012; 63:1150-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.06.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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A mouse model of high trait anxiety shows reduced heart rate variability that can be reversed by anxiolytic drug treatment. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2011; 14:1341-55. [PMID: 21320392 PMCID: PMC3198175 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145711000058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that specific physiological measures may serve as biomarkers for successful treatment to alleviate symptoms of pathological anxiety. Studies of autonomic function investigating parameters such as heart rate (HR), HR variability and blood pressure (BP) indicated that HR variability is consistently reduced in anxious patients, whereas HR and BP data show inconsistent results. Therefore, HR and HR variability were measured under various emotionally challenging conditions in a mouse model of high innate anxiety (high anxiety behaviour; HAB) vs. control normal anxiety-like behaviour (NAB) mice. Baseline HR, HR variability and activity did not differ between mouse lines. However, after cued Pavlovian fear conditioning, both elevated tachycardia and increased fear responses were observed in HAB mice compared to NAB mice upon re-exposure to the conditioning stimulus serving as the emotional stressor. When retention of conditioned fear was tested in the home cage, HAB mice again displayed higher fear responses than NAB mice, while the HR responses were similar. Conversely, in both experimental settings HAB mice consistently exhibited reduced HR variability. Repeated administration of the anxiolytic NK1 receptor antagonist L-822429 lowered the conditioned fear response and shifted HR dynamics in HAB mice to a more regular pattern, similar to that in NAB mice. Additional receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated the high specificity and sensitivity of HR variability to distinguish between normal and high anxiety trait. These findings indicate that assessment of autonomic response in addition to freezing might be a useful indicator of the efficacy of novel anxiolytic treatments.
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24
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Anxiety in mice and men: a comparison. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2009; 116:679-87. [PMID: 19340391 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-009-0215-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2008] [Accepted: 03/17/2009] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is one of the most fundamental emotions required to survive or to cope with potential threatening stimuli. Under certain circumstances, it can change to excessive or maladaptive response and might manifest in anxious personality or even anxiety disorders. Genetic studies provide a number of promising candidate genes that, however, account for only a few percent of the phenotypic variance. Social and material environmental effects such as stressful life events, drugs or chemicals and particular behavioural influences such as parental care are suggested to interact with gene effects presumably involving epigenetic processes. Such interaction probably modifies an individual's predisposition, personality and susceptibility to develop normal or low anxiety or even maladaptive or excessive anxiety. Since human anxiety involves complex emotions as well as cognitions, unique experiences and an individual genetic make-up, studies trying to clarify the complex and functionally interwoven pathogenesis of anxious personality or anxiety disorders often adopt a reductionistic, simplifying approach. Therein, mice constitute an invaluable tool for modelling human anxiety in its various forms as they display remarkable similarities on anatomical, physiological, biochemical, molecular and behavioural levels. This review aims to fit observations and results obtained from men and mice on behavioural, genetic and environmental levels in response to different threatening stimuli elucidating different genetic and epigenetic effects.
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